What I am Reading 11.0

By Betsey Wilcox

This time I have a mixed bag of books to tell you about, starting with British cozy mysteries then progressing into older published books which are getting a re-read, a new Preston and Child book, and a new Shining Smith novel.

Heads up! The next “Murderbot Diaries” book from Martha Wells is scheduled for publication in November 2023.

Richard Osman – “The Thursday Murder Club”; “The Man Who Died Twice” and “The Bullet That Missed” Audible, HC, PB or Kindle.

This series of books was recommended to me from someone who was reading them as part of their book club. I started with “The Thursday Murder Club” which is a British look a retirement homes/assisted living for older folks. It is very British in tone but with some entertaining characters. You get four main characters; a retired spy (it could happen), new resident who comes off a little air-headed at first, a gentleman with a wealth of knowledge across a range of topics, and fourth man who represents the “working class”.  The Thursday Murder Club exists as “social club” in the retirement center and is based on when the group could get a room to meet in. This story has several murders and a lot of financial shenanigans before a satisfactory conclusion. The second story is more light-hearted but still painful for some of the characters. The third book is not as lighthearted as the second book but is still a good read with the growth of the characters as entertaining and gratifying as you’d expect. Try them … you might like them.

Anne Rice- “The Mayfair Witches Series” (The Witching Hour, Lasher and Taltos) Kindle

I started watching the Mayfair Witches series on cable and realized that they had taken liberties/shortcuts with the books, most importantly one of the main characters is now a compilation of two characters, but doing so changes the whole dynamic of the story as I remembered it. SO, as my copies of this series are currently in storage, I had to find an alternate way to re-read the books. I got lucky and got all three of the books in one Kindle mashup for under $20! I am making my way through the books and until I have finished them … I will not go back to watching the series. The books are dense with characters and times, as a lot of the Mayfair Witches history is related by the mysterious Talamasca organization. The setting is currently in New Orleans but the history ranges from Europe to Haiti to Louisiana and California. As an aside, the house that is shown as the Mayfair House is really a picture of Anne Rice’s House where she lived and wrote early in her career. I enjoyed the two episodes that I watched but will wait until I have finished the books to go back to the series.

If you have not read these books, then you will enjoy the cable series and you don’t have to have read the books. Recommend reading and watching for the big picture.

Douglas Preston and Lee Child — “The Cabinet of Dr. Leng” Audible, HC

These are perennial favorite books for me, and as I was driving back from a visit with friends in Florida, I needed to have someone read it to me because the police frown on you reading and driving. This is a Pendergast novel, and it is all over the multiverse and time. No, he doesn’t get a TARDIS, but the books have taken a slight multiverse spanning turn since “Bloodless” and feels much less like a horror/mystery book about to happen as it does a Science Fiction book happening. It covers events in at least three centuries and a couple of multiverses without giving me whiplash. You should probably read “The Cabinet of Curiosities” and “Bloodless” before the last book in the quartet is published next year. I like it a lot but am a little disappointed that the book ends without resolution to the current story. Apologies from the authors accepted.

Faith Hunter- “Junkyard War”- Audible

The apparent final book in the Shining Smith series is finally out as an Audible original. I love this series and am content with the closure of the book. Yes, there is a big battle, the cats get to show off more and the sassy AI with her sassy mouth is still fun. The hunt for the headquarters of the rival queen using the cats and then going back in with the army of motorcycle groups and cats is delicious. I love how the groups of diverse motorcycle “gangs” are whipped into shape and who comes out on top of the pyramid. All in all, a satisfactory conclusion.

Until next time,

Betsey