Goodreads Ireland discussion

I read Fallen by Linda Castillo
It is an excellent addition(#13) to this series. This mystery series is set in NE Ohio Amish country. Both my wife and I enjoy this series. I recommend that you read them in order, as there are continuing plot lines. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read a history book which I won in a GR giveaway, The Victorious Blood
I recommend it only to someone interested in the actual battle of Karbala, 680CE.
My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Not sure if I should mention one of my own books, but it ties in with a current major exhibition at the British Museum on Nero, the man behind the myth, and includes much of the research. It is available from the Museum shop, but for anyone who can't travel to London, it is a factual account of Nero's life.
Nero - The Last Caesar

I just finished a suspenseful, creepy book about a serial killer. Dog Rose Dirt
I rate it 3.5 stars rounded up. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Just began A Good Neighborhood
Updated: It was an amazing read! Highly recommend.

I read A Good Neighborhood for 4 hours, then switched to an equally upsetting...highly tense but good novel....After the End by Clare Mackintosh.

I read Grandad, There's A Head On The Beach by Colin Cotterill
It takes place in rural southern Thailand, with a quirky bunch of characters. I enjoyed the author's sense of humor and rate it 4 stars. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read The Blue Hammer and rate it 4 stars. It is a classic hard boiled murder mystery.
My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read The Broken Promise Land by Marcia Muller
I enjoyed this PI mystery, which is about cryptic threats to a country music star. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am almost through the novel Before I Let You Go
It’s about two sisters, one an addict and one a doctor, and how difficult addiction affects their lives and relationships. 12 hours on audio but should probably be 10 hours :)

I loved this book, it's what brought the author to my attention. Kelly Rimmer writes wonderful books.

I read Wrecked by Tricia Fields I enjoyed it and rated it 4 stars. It is set in a fictional remote Texas border town. It is book 3 in the series and I recommend that you read them in order.
My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Both my wife and I enjoy this series.

Donna wrote: "I loved this book, it's what brought the author to my attention. Kelly Rimmer writes wonderful books."

I ended up loving it too - it had so many important messages. This is only my 2nd book by Kelly Rimmer.

Thanks Donna!

I am currently reading on audio: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. Very fun, funny, interesting.

I read Next to Last Stand by Craig Johnson I have now read 18 books by Johnson and enjoyed every single one. I recommend this police procedural series to those of you who like mysteries with humor. One character does does use some bad words. Both my wife and I enjoy this series. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am currently reading The Chief Witness: escape from China’s modern-day concentration camps by Sayragul Sauytbay It's a fascinating non-fiction book about the concentration camps of ethnic minorities in China. Heavy reading but incredibly important.

I read Fair Warning by Michael Connelly in 2 days. I rated it 4.5 stars rounded down. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I’m reading a very good mystery/thriller titled, A Double Life, by Flynn Berry. I’ll add the link later when I’m on my laptop.

I read The Outlier: The Life and Presidency of Jimmy Carter by Kai Bird
I enjoyed reading this very comprehensive biography of a much maligned President. I rate it 4.5 stars rounded up. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read book 11, I Shot the Buddha in the Siri Paiboun series by Colin Cotterill
It is full of quirky characters set in late 1970s Laos. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The British author now lives in Thailand.

I've just completed the full set of six books in the Spellslinger series by Sebastian de Castell. Fantasy genre, but not too far removed from our own world. De Castell is a master at page-turners and twists, I can thoroughly recommend these books. My daughter says his other set of books are even better!
My review of "Crownbreaker": Fully deserving of all five stars, this was a terrific conclusion to a really enjoyable and clever series. De Castell is such a good writer, very tight, and here we are back to his trademark suspense and page-turners on almost every page. I did find the previous volume a little slower than usual, as it set the scene for this finale, but this is a return to de Castell's full form and then some. As a standalone book, as well, it reads well, with a very clever plot and the usual myriad of twists and turns. If you hadn't read the series in a while, you wouldn't need to go back over to pick this one up. And such a clever concept!

I read Midnight Crossing by Tricia Fields I enjoyed it. Both my wife and I read this series. You may have noticed that we share some books. This series is set in a fictional West Texas small border desert town. Since there is only 1 murder and no grisly violence, I would class it as a cozy mystery. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

With the weather so hot in Ireland, I decided to cool down by reading another couple of crime thrillers in the Dark Island series by Ragnar Jonasson. With the volcanic smoke also a constant, it reminds me of the superior Netflix show 'Katla.'

Also educating myself with 'Why I'm no longer talking to white people about race' by Reni Eddo-Lodge and slaking my Bob Dylan thirst with 'Listening to Bob Dylan' by Larry Starr.

I read Red Bones by Ann Cleeves
I rate it 4 stars. It is book 3 in the Shetland series, and I recommend that you read them in order. The central character admits that he has trouble explaining what a "Procurator Fiscal" is. I have included a relevant quote in my review.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read The Missing Piece by John Lescroart It is a US legal mystery in the Dismas Hardy series, #19. I enjoyed it for the different suspects and moral questions. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read a hilarious book Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen It takes place in South Florida, with our ex President playing a prominent role, along with invasive Burmese pythons. My 4v star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Sounds like a great series, thanks for the recommendation, Thomas.

Lissa wrote: "Sounds like a great series, thanks for the recommendation, Thomas."

You're Welcome, Lissa.

I read Long Lost by Linda Castillo
It is a pleasant short story with a satisfying ending. My 4 star review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read 4 more short stories/novellas by Linda Castillo
A Hidden Secret My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Seeds of Deception My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Only the Lucky
My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In Dark Company my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read War of the Wolf by Bernard Cornwell It is book 11 in the Saxon Tales series. I recommend that you read them in order. I enjoyed this one and rate it 4 stars. It is historical fiction. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I’m reading several: The Secret Place by Tana French

Hello.

I’m currently reading Sebastian Barry’s The Secret Scripture, and very much enjoying it. One of the things I like about it is his use of language, which is never overblown but is often quietly delicious. I’m wondering what other Irish novelists I might not have come across whose writing is equally delicious.

Suggestions?

I read Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead i enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone interested in historical fiction. See my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Hi Mael, have you tried Maura Laverty or Kate O Brien?

I read Three Sisters by Heather Morris It is a true story of 3 Slovakian Jewish sisters sent to Auschwitz. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read Who Slays the Wicked by C.S. Harris It is book 14 in the Sebastian St Cyr series and I recommend that you read them in order. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Historical fiction mystery, set in 1814 London.

I read War Lord by Bernard Cornwell It is book 13 in the Saxon stories historical fiction series. It has been adapted for film as The Last Kingdom on Amazon Prime. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read One More Kill by Carolyn Arnold It is an FBI police procedural. The FBI's BAU is on the hunt for a serial killer. It is book 9 in the series.
My 3.5 star review rounded up: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just finished The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith
It is book 16 in this cozy mystery series. If you like books w/o violence or foul words, then you will like this series. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read Daughters of the Resistance by Lana Kortchik
It is historical fiction, set in occupied 1943 Ukraine. I read it in 2 days and recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction.
My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am reading ‘Eleanor Oliphant is fine ‘ by Gail Honeyman.
It’s my first female centric book. Very delighted with rich vocabulary. She is an amazing writer. She has addressed challenging lives of some people in a very humorous, kind and practical way. In love with the character so far. I am looking forward to her next book!

I read So Far and Good by John Straley
I enjoyed it.. The book hinges on a consumer DNA test and a long buried secret. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Wanted some spooky stories so picked up Ghost Story by Peter Staub, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, and 2 by Rachel Harrison: The Return and Cackle. At nighttime though am starting the Lowcountry tales series by Dorothea Benton Frank.

My current read is: Local Woman Missing written by Mary Kubica. So far...I am really enjoying it on audio from Libby. It's a kind of creepy, missing women, who-dunnit, mystery.

My wife and I went on Columbia/Snake river cruise. The ship had weak WiFi. Here are 3 NG book reviews:
Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim Historical fiction set in Korea
My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Storms from a Clear Sky by Denise Frisino
Historical fiction set in WWII US. My 3.5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Dark Night by Paige Shelton Alaskan mystery. My 3.5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Two more books that I read on the way home. Delta routed us as follows: Lewiston, Idaho to Salt Lake City, Utah to Atlanta, Georgia to Buffalo, NY. Our day started at 5am and ended at midnight when we arrived home.
Cold Heart by Kimberly Tilley My 4 star review for an excellent reconstruction of a 1903 murder in Buffalo, NY.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Dust in the Heart by Ralph Dennis A thriller set in North Carolina, as a sheriff searches for a child killer/rapist. My 4 star review for a noir writer who rivals Chandler. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Both books were Amazon purchases. I love my kindle. When I finish 1 book, I can move on to the next.

I just finished Mary Pat Kelly's Galway Bay! Brilliant historical fiction. No wonder we Irish are strong!

I have just re-read Pat McCabe's debut novel, Music on Clinton Street. I came across it while clearing out old boxes. I read it first when it came out in 1986 and must admit I was attracted then to the cover art. It features Jim Morrison in the pose of the Scared Heart picture common in many Irish households. I was a big Doors fan and the image just shouted rebellion to my teenage mind, standing in Eason's.

It tells the story of a young boy in a Catholic boarding school in rural Cavan in the late 6o's early 70's against the backdrop of the start of the Troubles. It captures the changes in Ireland, North and South at that time interspersed with letters from a brother in America relating wild tales of the beatniks and hippies.

I enjoyed it more this time. It is very evocative and at times oppressive but the characters are strong and story believable.
It is short so a good afternoon's read.

I read The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill I found it to be too slow moving for my taste.
It is a mystery set in present day England. I rated it 3.5 stars rounded down. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...