Escape. Where would we be without it? I’m reading The Book of Life...book 3 in the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. Witches, vampires and daemons set in a Elizabethan London. Not my typical genre but I read books 1 and 2 and enjoyed them immensely.

It’s not fiction, but I’m listening to Michelle Obama’s book Becoming on audible.

I just ordered 21 Truths About Love by Matthew Dicks. It’s a novel written entirely in lists. It sounds like it could be humorous and sad, dealing with serious life themes such as marriage, parenting, career choices, fear and anxiety, failure and love. Looking forward to it.

We’re a third of the way through winter so there is lots of reading to be done. Hope you’re well, neighbor!

Good to see you. I'm doing okay, all things considered.

That sounds like some great reading you've got for yourself. I'm intrigued by that list book.

Yepper, spring is just over the horizon now. Just a few more months of snow....

Man goes to his 10 year high school reunion only it's not really his reunion and seems to be some kind of a set-up. So far, so good.

that sounds pretty cool.

but he writes some interesting stuff.

Another book of his is Redshift Rendezvous, and takes place on a starship that is travelling so fast that the redshift is visible, and the time it takes for light to cross an ordinary room is (if I'm remembering correctly) several seconds. Someone is murdered and complication ensue.

I am reading Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky. Listening to it actually. I have never read any of his books but they were all highly recommended so this was the book I could get earliest and I am hooked. I should be done maybe by tomorrow maybe even tonight. I see most of his books are checked out and there are lists so I will put my name down for some more. I do not know how I missed this author. I cannot describe what I am hearing that is so appealing. Maybe just a very well crafted story. Anyway, THANKS to those who spoke about this author and this book in particular. I had a friend rec some books for me that have very long waiting lists at the library. If I can find the text that she sent (hope I did not trash it!) I will put them out here for others. I do not know anything about them and we have different interests a lot of the time when we read but she has sent some good ones my way so I will pass them along when I find them again!

And so I shall. Never heard of him, either...

I am a big fan of Holmes anthologies.

Now I have gone back to reading, "Up in the Old Hotel," by Joseph Mitchell.

It is not strictly fiction. It is a collection of the articles he wrote for The New Yorker. It contains stories from four books and some previously unpublished stories. It is a big book and a good read.

anti-Trump!

Guess I'll have to look for that one. The review says it's a gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good vs. evil in a world where the good guys don’t always win. So that doesn't exactly sound fun. But, if the bad guys are clearly someone we might recognize, and bad things happen to them, then I guess that would be kind of fun. I do trust your judgment.

Not quite as creative in concept as Duma Key, though.

also Duma Key that nobody I know seems to like.

and wonderful characters.

and I especially love a good, long book that takes its time to spin the tale.

Just the first few chapters.

Terry Pratchett didn't think one should start Discworld with this book, but I found it fun. I would call this genre, ludicrous fiction. I mean what's not to like with a world that is a flat disc supported by 4 elephants walking on the back of a gigantic turtle as it travels through space. This is a place where stuff stands on its head, trunks walk and magic is real. It is complete with villains, heroes, thieves, a tourist and a failed wizard who has only one spell that everyone is afraid he will cast. What's not to like.

Um, I take it you liked it?

I am a fan of British humor. I will be the first to admit I don't get half of it, but what I do tickles me.

in the early books. He just keeps getting better and better. You're in for a marvelous ride.

"The Cat Who Came in from the Cold" by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. A story about a wild cat who contemplates if he wants to live closer to humans. He takes a year and travels about interviewing other animals he sees interacting with humans and asks about their experience. Part way through the book I thought, "This author's name is familiar." Turns out I've read two of his books on the emotional lives of animals. It's been awhile, though.

I also read "The Girl Who Reads on the Métro" by Christine Féret-Fleury, a quirky little story about a young woman and how books changed her life. Translated from French.

I dislike this trend of titling books"The Girl Who..." when the main character is actually a woman, which is the case, most of the time. I think "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" started it and it was appropriate, since Lisbeth was a girl during that story. She was 17, IIRC. They would never title a book "The Boy Who..." when the main character was a 20 year old man.

I gave up on "Gwendy's Magic Feather." I thought it was boring. There was too much detail about her daily life and one-time characters, and not enough action with the mysterious box.

about "The Girl..." stories.

Even more, "The Cat Who.." I just plugged that into my library search bar and got 199 results!

the library. What a unique, wonderful, funny, unusual book. As one amazon reviewer said, "I feel like I discovered a Picasso painting in my attic!" And I'm only 1/4 of the way into the story. It is that good.

Many thanks for the thread, hermetic. I will see if I can find Virgil Wander on audio by the reader that you're listening to. I loved that book so much. The characters are charming indeed.

Book and CD. I think I'll read that one.

There are at least a dozen books with that title but I’m guessing yours is the one by A.J. Finn
It’s the newest one and seems to be the most likely to get a “Wow!”

For readers of Gillian Flynn and Tana French comes one of the decade's most anticipated debuts, to be published in thirty-six languages around the world and already in development as a major film: a twisty, powerful Hitchcockian thriller about an agoraphobic woman who believes she witnessed a crime in a neighboring house.

The Starless Sea, Erin Morgenstern. It's a terrific book. She more than lives up to the promise of her first book, The Nigh Circus (which I can't recommend highly enough)

Now on to The Test, by Sylvain Neuvel.

as well as the title: The Starless Sea. "A timeless love story set in a secret underground world--a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea." Lovely.

The Test certainly has some interesting commentary going on at GoodReads. Mind-blowing seems to be a general consensus.

I had to abandon Twitter as it was taking up so much of my time and not really achieving anything more than raising my blood pressure. I stick with FB because my children are artists so I get to see their work all the time. Plus all the Democratic groups in my state have pages and we all interact and I am an admin for my local group, as well.

Read a book. It's good for you.

The Old Master at work, predictably marvelous, detailing modern-day spycraft in Great Britain, in the era of Brexit, trump, etc.

My favorite part: Le Carre's description of trump as "Putin's shithouse cleaner." Good stuff.

Suits him.

Book sounds quite good, as well.