Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Sorry - another long one:
JUN

* Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy -5+++
Read this as the monthly read for my mystery group and it is resounding WOW! It is so good!! Set on a remote island in Antarctica, a family is in charge of ensuring that seeds stored there for future world inhabitants are kept safe. However, the climate has become so unstable that a decision must be made as to which should be moved and which should be left behind. I found the language around the seeds and the climate change beautiful but chilling.

* A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return by Zeina Abirached -3.5
A memoir developed in graphic form, set in Lebanon during the Civil War, when their neighbors protect young Zeina and her little brother as her parents have not returned from a visit. The illustrations were basic, but the fear and confusion are well shown for the reader.

* The Break by Katherena Vermette -4
Read for the DEI challenge - Canada’s Indigenous History Month prompt – this novel was written by a Métis author with an intergenerational cast, all surrounding a possible crime committed in an area called the Break. The book doesn’t delve into too detailed explanation of the treatment of the Métis by the Canadians, so I would strongly suggest reading some background before reading this. It is well worth the read.

* A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas -3
First in a mystery series, where it is determined that Sherlock Holmes is really Charlotte Holmes. It wasn’t bad, but I’m not sure I have enough interest to wade through more misogyny of Victorian England.

* The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami -3
This book was eerily prescient – people are stopped at the airport and detained because they have “thoughts of harming”, after having a device planted in their heads in order to sleep better. Most of the book relates to the stay of one woman in a detention center (think prison). I have read much better from this author.

* Golden Child by Claire Adam -5
DEI challenge - Caribbean American Heritage Month prompt, this book is written by an author born in Trinidad and takes place in Trinidad. A couple have a pair of twin sons, one brilliant, one not so much. The story asks the question “If you had to, would you choose one child over another” in life? It is a beautifully written book with heartbreaking results.

* The Pleasure of Drowning by Jean Bürlesk -3
This is a small collection of stories based on legends and fairy tales, told with satire and irony as it’s base. A weird little book, the author is from Luxembourg.

* The Falling Woman by Pat Murphy -4
Winner of the 1987 Nebula Award for Best Novel, this sci-fi/fantasy/mystery is based on a team of archeologists working in Rome, Mexico among the Mayan ruins, led by a woman who left her husband and child twenty years before to pursue this passion. And she can see ghosts from the projects she works on. It was surprisingly good!

* I'm Just a Person by Tig Notaro -4
Memoir written and the audio narrated by the comedian Tig Notaro, recounting her health issues, subsequent diagnosis of breast cancer only a few days before her mother dies from a brain injury after a fall. It was not an upbeat read by any stretch, but it makes me appreciate her work even more.

* The Maid's Secret by Nita Prose -4
The mystery/thriller groups July group read, I had the notion to read it early. I didn’t realize until afterwards that it is actually the last book of a trilogy – and I have to say it’s my favorite of the three. I loved the grandmother’s backstory, putting so many questions to rest.

* The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke -3.5
A very short, rather odd piece of fantasy from this terrific author, set in the Jonathan Strange world. I bought the book because it has a gorgeous cover!

* Black Friend: Essays by Ziwe -4
Read this on the recommendation of one of my Reading Women group members. A book that firmly told me I have indeed become an old woman who is a bit (quite a bit?) out of touch. The author is a well-known influencer/comedian with her own podcast. On her podcast, with many a famous interviewee, her main direction is to talk about the relationships that person has with black people. How many? How close? Etc. etc. It is a poignant discourse.

* The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear -4.5
Ah. The final book of the Maisie Dobbs series, which has been a mainstay in my reading world since – well, 2008 when my world turned upside down. It cleverly wraps up the stories of so many wonderful characters and allows Maisie to put to rest the secret agent part of her life. I’m sad to see it end. But the author was wise enough to see that it was time.

* How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin -4
Second installment of the Castle Knoll series, this one was as much fun as the first. The story continues with a split between her great-aunt Francis and Annie following the same clues as to what happened the earlier owners of the manor (Francis’s husband’s family.) The ending already hints that Annie will continue to pursue the “fortunes” written down by a fortune teller of her great-aunt’s time.

* The Echoes by Evie Wyld -4
I pursued this book because the author is on my list of “women authors to read before you go” (which I renamed from “before you die”…). Set in the Australian outback and London, the book follows a multi-generational family story line from Hannah’s great grandparent’s decision to emigrate from England to Australia and the subsequent life and trauma of the descendants. “Told in three sections: “After” - told by Max who is Hannah’s dead boyfriend, now a ghost in the apartment in London; “Before” – told from Hannah’s perspective about the events of her life with Max before his death; “Then”, which recounts Hannah’s traumatic childhood living on property with close proximity to a school which housed Aboriginal girls forcibly removed from their homes (based on an actual institution that held the “Stolen Generation”.)” (excerpted from 2 excellent on-line reviews I read after becoming incredibly lost in the storyline.) The book doesn’t cover much of Aboriginal story and required research on my part to learn more. The book is filled with traumatic trigger points in the lives of all the young women in the family and can be a tough read.

PAGES: 3,955

Wow Gail! Very nice month! I am so glad we added Wild Dark Shore as a group read, it was a great suggestion. I also loved it, the atmospheric feeling it engendered has stuck with me.
It was sad to see the Maisie Dobbs books come to a close; in some ways I could have happily gone on with more new cases coming her and Billy’s way- but the timeline and two world wars background dictated that it was time and with such character depth and growth, there are no regrets to see the series end. .
I’m glad to hear The Maid’s Secret is good and will have to add The Fallen Woman; it sounds quite intriguing!

GailW wrote: "Sorry - another long one:
JUN

* Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy -5+++
Read this as the monthly read for my mystery group and it is resounding WOW! It i..."

Wow what a great month of books

great month of reading, gail!

Great month of reading indeed, and some excellent summaries. Thank you.

I hope you and Ann post on the Wild Dark Shore spoiler thread. Much to discuss there.

I have just started The Maid's Secret and look forward to discussing that with you as well.

I am not at the end of the Maisie Dobbs series yet but your post will kickstart my reading. I did see a streamed interview/book reading with Jacqueline Winspear a while back and she is a hoot -- so different from what I imagined the creator of Maisie Dobb's world would be like. I encourage folks to Google her and take a listen.

I am curious as to why your reading of Black Friend: Essays (which sounds fascinating, by the way) made you feel you were out of touch. You can mail message me rather than post here if you prefer.