Writers and Readers discussion

If you have read a book you would like to share with the group please post it here.

A few of the good books I've read lately:

Refracted
Healey's Cave
Self Made
Act of Will
End of Mae
Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider
Dead Man's Eye
Madness and Murder
The Empire
The Circle Cast: The Lost Years of Morgan Le Fay
Snare

The Wasted Vigil

Loved this. Set in Afghanistan, a Russian woman still searches for her brother who went missing in the Russian-Afghanistan war. She ends up at the home of a British perfume maker who has lost all his family to war yet clings to the belief he might yet find his lost grandson. Enter an American ex-CIA agent, his colleague's son who has become a Special Forces operative, and a young Afghani man on the verge of his first jihad. Beautifully rendered, A Wasted Vigil, is a brutal but stirring look at the sometimes terrible cost of clinging to our beliefs.

Baxter Clare Trautman
Web site: http://baxterclare.com
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...

I just finished Bloodspell and I thought it was AMAZING!!

Another favorite of mine recently has been Imperial Hostage, Book 1 of the Destruction Series

Hi,
I just started reading "He liked Tuesdays best" polish bestseller The story of everyday life of John Paul II.
The book speaks about an ordinary day of John Paul II in the Vatican, about what was making him emotional and what was making him laugh, about his conversations with important politicians, about to whom he confided and what he read, about what he really liked to sing and who he invited for holidays, about how he was celebrating the New Year’s Eve and why he liked Tuesdays…

See at http://jp2books.com

Venus of Chalk Loved this. The main character is a lesbian and she's fat. Wait! "Venus" isn't about lesbians or fat girls. It's a stunningly crafted novel about how we ALL feel different. (My review is posted on GR).


Baxter Clare Trautman, The River Within
Web site: http://baxterclare.com
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...

I loved Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (YA historical fiction), Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier (YA fantasy), and Enclave by Ann Aguirre (dystopian adventure).

For me: Exley, American Gods, and Trainspotting

From my writer's point of view -

Not just your typical prose; paragraph after paragraph, sentence after sentence. There are a lot of breaks, single line sentences put off on their own, quick changes of narrator...which seems to be a great way to emphasize points.
So, not only is the actual story good but the structure is interesting to read.

Take a look at The FigureheadIt's a murder mystery but it's also class historical fiction. Love the way he portrays women in 1840's Aberdeen

Also: Lowboy
The Driver's Seat

Both great stories about mentally unstable people acting under duress. Truly excellent writing.

Do you like mysteries? I found a good mystery!

"Trophies (The Ellandun Wars)" by J. Gunnar Grey (Goodreads Author).

I have a review on my blog, you are welcome to visit!

https://thejoyofthewrittenword.wordpr...

Thank you and Enjoy!

Patricia

I am so behind on my reading, but I always love curling up with a cozy mystery.
The Savannah Reid series by G.A. McKevett is wonderful.
The Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke is fantastic.
The Booktown Mysteries by Lorna Barrett is awesome!
The Donut Shop Mysteries by Jessica Beck are great!
The Cupcake Bakery Mysteries by Jenn McKinley rock!
The Orchard Mysteries by Sheila Connolly are terrific!
The Do-It-Yourself Mysteries by Jennie Bentley are a must read, especially if your house is constantly under construction.
I am going to stop now, but there are plenty more that I simply adore especially when that weather is dark and dreary.

If you liked "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, I would highly suggest that you check out "The Dark Elf Trilogy" by R.A. Salvatore. It's told from what we typically believe to be the "bad guy's" perspective of dark elves, so you have to shift your thinking a bit - but that's part of why it's a great book! Not for the faint of heart but a great read if you love fantasy.

I discovered Priscilla Royal recently. She writes great medieval mysteries with Prioress Eleanor as her "sleuth" and an unlikely priest name Brother Thomas, with a sketchy past. Great atmospherics, lovely historic detail, and page turning plotting. Her most recent is A Killing Season. Here's my review.

Judith wrote: "I discovered Priscilla Royal recently. She writes great medieval mysteries with Prioress Eleanor as her "sleuth" and an unlikely priest name Brother Thomas, with a sketchy past. Gre..."

I'm fond of medieval mysteries myself. Have you read any of the novels by Margaret Frazer or Peter Tremayne?

A.F. wrote: "Judith wrote: "I discovered Priscilla Royal recently. She writes great medieval mysteries with Prioress Eleanor as her "sleuth" and an unlikely priest name Brother Thomas, with a sk..."

I like Margaret Frazer very much. I've seen Tremayne's but haven't gotten a chance to read him. So many good books, so little time! Thanks for the recommendations. You've probably noticed Fiona Buckley has come out with another of her books set in Elizabeth's court. On my bedside already. She's a long time favorite of mine.

Judith wrote: "A.F. wrote: "Judith wrote: "I discovered Priscilla Royal recently. She writes great medieval mysteries with Prioress Eleanor as her "sleuth" and an unlikely priest name Brother Thom..."

I haven't read Fiona Buckley; I'll have to check her books out. Have you read Edward Marston's books set in the world of Elizabethan theatre?

A.F. wrote: "Judith wrote: "A.F. wrote: "Judith wrote: "I discovered Priscilla Royal recently. She writes great medieval mysteries with Prioress Eleanor as her "sleuth" and an unlikely priest na..."

He's another good one.

Iran is in the news these days and I find the issues compelling, so I enjoyed reading Libby Fischer Hellmann’s new novel, A Bitter Veil, set in the midst of the Iranian revolution that brought Khomeini to power. A good read and a great way to absorb the background info of the current problems. Two essential themes predominate in this viscerally effective novel: the fate of women when their choices have been taken from them and the banality of evil, to borrow a phrase applied to the Nazis—who also appear in this book if somewhat indirectly. Here’s my review.

I've recently read Into Thin Air by Valerie Maarten. What I loved about it is the fact the MC is a teenage girl. Every parent should read it.

For those of you who like Greek mythology, there's a fascinating and quite beautiful book out, The Song of Achilles, that focuses on the love between Achilles and Patroclus. Madeline Miller has interpreted the heroes of the Iliad in provocative and engaging ways. This subject means a lot to me so I read it with great interest and I recommend it highly. Here's my review

Here's a few fantastic novels I've read this year:

The Art of Fielding
The Evangeline Heresy: A Tale of Shadows and Forest Witchery
The Sense of an Ending
Savages

I just read "Look For Me" by Traci Hohenstein. This is a great prequel to the Rachel Scott series. You can read it before the series or after any of the other books. I really enjoyed going back, learning Rachel’s history and discovering what motivated her to start the search and rescue organization. This was an easy read and I love the author’s use of dialogue, which was very authentic.

I just finished Wool Omnibus and here's my review:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

A really great Dystopian :D

Read quite a few good ones recently.

Non-fiction: "The Century" by Peter Jennings & Todd Brewster.


Fiction: "Aztec" by Gary Jennings

I've recently been reading The Heavens Rise and am loving it! Just the right blend of horror and psychological thriller for me.

The Heavens Rise

One of the best books I've read in a long time is The Grid: An International Thriller by Carlton Winnfield
I reviewed this book for Reader's Favorite, then did an Author Showcase on him with an in-depth interview, with also included my review of this book. You can see it here if you're interested. A fantastic 5 Star read. http://chameleon-author.blogspot.com/...

I love this book so much. The idea behind it is very interesting and the characters are as well.
This was the first steampunk book I ever read and it made me want to read more of them. The characters in this book were great, as was the plot and I was more interested in the alternate history of this book than I ever was with actual history! :P
I cannot recommend this book (and the series of books that follows it) enough. I absolutely love them and wish that more people read them and loved them like I did.

You might have seen or heard of the movie based on this book. I can't remember whether I read the book first or saw the movie but I absolutely loved this book. I reread it several times in a row and I never do that with books. And it's in a genre that I don't read much of,either. And I absolutely loved it!

This book doesn't have much going on plot-wise so if you're a big fan of action-packed plots it's probably not for you. But it really made me think and because of that, I loved it.

This book was very well written with interesting characters and an exciting plot. It also made me think. :)

Beautifully written book with awesome characters and an interesting plot.

Do I even need to say why? :)

I absolutely loved this book, it was a very intriguing mystery and its main characters were very well-developed as well. :)

by Zack Love

This is an awesome collection of 7 short stories and I really enjoyed them all! Each one different but really good. :)


These seven spellbinding stories spanning several styles and genres include a dramatic romance, a satire of the mega-rich, a somber and soulful reflection on the problem of evil, humorous dating adventures, and stories driven by philosophical musings.

Hey there :)

I would like to recommend two nice books I have read lately:

(Click on the covers to access the book page on GoodReads)



1 – Requiem For the Fallen, by Tabitha Vohn

It has a very interesting writing style, a mix of prose and poetry and it is somehow philosophical to some extent. Redemption, self-realization, acceptance, love, faith and respect (or self-respect) are some of the themes you encounter in this book.



2 – A Bloody, Bloody mess, in the Wild, Wild West, by Justin Bienvenue

Not your usual Western book... If you like B-movies, gore, mayhem, crude and fun stuff, this book is for you! It’s been a long time since I had this much fun in a reading... The beginning is a bit slow, but if you keep through, you will be rewarded with the bloody action in the story!



At the moment, I am reading Days of Throbbing Gristle, by Kevin Cole. 80% done as I write this and I can say this is one of the best novels I have ever read in my 3 decades of life... Can’t wait to make a review of this one as well!

I was recently privileged to do a beta-read of A.P. Jensen’s latest paranormal romance, Clutch of the Demon. To say I was in its clutches from the first pages is an understatement! This is the first installment in a four-book series. I can hardly wait for the next one!

Cara is a demon hunter. The story opens with Cara walking along a cliff in Ireland, following the directions from a compass that will lead her to the lair of an Ancient, a mystical being that may be able to save her sister. In return for her sister’s life, Cara will sacrifice her own.

With a fresh spin on the Beauty and the Beast fairytale, the relationship that develops between Cara and the Ancient is only the beginning. This book is an exciting read, with lots of action and lots of very sexy love scenes! The characters come across as real people—even if they are witches, immortals, and demons! This was a book I had trouble putting down in order to deal with the daily—and dull—demands of real life. If you like fantasy and romance, this book is for you!

Hi All,
I just published reviews for Royal Institute of Magic and Love's Last Call
Both are really interesting books on different genres. One is YA thriller and one is a romantic novel, but both are captivating and entertaining
You can find my Review Policy and Review Request form here
Do get in touch with me for reviews


Cheers
Devi

Just finished Sinister which is a YA book, somewhere on the lines of Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl and Curveball which is a romance novel but with an amazing twist. Had fun with both.
Check out my reviews at Sinister (Sinisters #1) and Curveball

Comments and suggestions are always welcome

Tracers by J.J. Howard is a good book...I stumbled upon after finding out that the movie starring Taylor Lautner was based off of it.

A couple I would recommend:
Jane Harper's books: "The Dry" was her debut novel, the follow up (using some of the same characters) was "Force of Nature;" her third book was the stand-alone "The Lost Man." I thought all three were very well crafted - not many writers are that good at structuring the story.
I also liked Mick Finlay's "Arrowood" and the sequel, "The Murder Pit." Arrowood is a grubby, low-rent private investigator in Victorian England who resents all of the undeserved praised helped on a fellow who gets all the high-profile cases, Sherlock Holmes.
In non-fiction, I was very impressed with "The Five" by Hallie Rubenhold. Profiles the five "canonical" victims of Jack the Ripper. Expertly researched and highly readable.

I came upon a British country mystery written by an author named Anthony Oliver in the '80s. It was one of four books in the series and I was able to get two, but the first is rare and hugely expensive ($800 for hardcover, $199 is the cheapest price I can find for the MM paperback!)
Apparently - though bio material is scarce - Oliver was an actor in the 30s and 40s, an expert in antiques who wrote a nonfiction book about rare pottery, and this plays a part in all of his books. The detectives are a middle aged (unmarried) couple, retired Detective John Webber, and his sometime housekeeper and partner in sleuthing, Lizzie Thomas. The supporting cast is excellent, the mysteries are very complex and very well written and it's a great shame that the series did not continue beyond 4 books. The titles are
The Pew Group (the unaffordable one)
The Property of a Lady
The Elberg Collection
Cover-Up

Most of my reading material is borrowed from the local public library. I only purchase a book if I am sure to wish to read it more than once.

To-date, 133 books reside on the shelves of the bookcase in my den. The following list contains my 67 most favorite reads. I highly recommend them.
(Listed alphabetically by author, not preference.)

Non-Fiction
Son of the Morning Star (Custer & the Little Bighorn) by Evan S. Connell
1,000 Years, 1,000 People by Gottlieb & Bowers
The Century by Peter Jennings & Todd Brewster
Eyewitness to the Civil War by Neil Kagan & Stephen G. Hyslop
Eyewitness to World War II by Neil Kagan & Stephen G. Hyslop
Live Long and...(What I Learned Along the Way) by William Shatner & David Fisher
The War (An Intimate History 1941 - 1945) by Geoffrey C. Ward & Ken Burns

Fiction
Little Women/Little Men/Short Stories by Louisa May Alcott
The 6-book Earth's Children Series by Jean M. Auel
Shortgrass Song by Mike Blakely
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Deception Point by Dan Brown
Tai-Pan by James Clavell
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
The 3-book Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
Three Roads to the Alamo by William O. Davis
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Forest Gump by Winston Groom
Hanta Yo by Ruth Bebee Hill
Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Aztec by Gary Jennings
The Stand by Stephen King
The 7-book Dark Tower Series by Stephen King
The 5-book A Song of Fire and Ice Series by George R.R. Martin
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
Dust by Charles Pellegrino
The Inverted World by Christopher Priest
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
The 3-book Divergent Series by Veronica Roth
The 7-book Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The 3-book Lord of the Rings Series by J.R.R. Tolkien

Just read The Lost Vampire: A Bloodline Vampires Novel by L.J. Red.

Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I recently read and reviewed a mystery called "The Conjure Man Dies", by Rudolph Fisher. Written in 1932 by African-American physician, novelist, playwright, poet and musician, it features a pair of sleuths, Dr. John Archer and Detective Perry Dart, who investigate the murder of a conjure man (psychic) in Harlem.
The novel, long out of print, was revived, with a note from the publisher about language and stereotype that would be considered offensive by today's standards. Still, this is a complex, well plotted Golden Age mystery, worth checking out. Sadly, Fisher died at the age of 37 before he could continue the series - apparently he had at least two more Archer and Dart mysteries in the works.