#Two4Tuesday.

1. Sneaking in a few minutes of reading every morning before the day gets too busy.

2. One of the best traits of the main character, a famous detective named Kosuke Kindaichi, is his quiet persistence. He comes off as unassuming and, perhaps, not altogether present but he always solves the case.

@TheSpineView

This one finds Cork O‘Conner traveling to Arizona after his new wife gets a frantic call from her son. What they find are secrets & lies, a porous border where trouble between drug cartels, vigilante border patrol groups & those trying to keep a low profile as they help undocumented immigrants is brewing, & a past that Cork‘s wife would have preferred to forget about. Solid, although not my fav in the series, story & a good read.

Managed to go a week or two without reading a Cork O‘Conner book. I‘m almost caught up on the series so trying to take my time with the last few…

The latest book by Gu, author of The Old Woman with the Knife, translated into English is a story about four families who move into a government sponsored communal living building. What should be an idyllic home in the countryside becomes something else as each of the young couples struggle, in different ways, to acclimate to their new home & new lives. A quiet book about relationships, how they are maintained & sometimes fracture. A good read.

Easily one of my favorite books of the year & while I loved this story about myth becoming history becoming life I suspect it will be a love it or hate it book for many readers. Kang weaves together tales of a gifted storyteller, warring gods, & a historian in mourning in a story about grief, love, how the past informs the present & the future & how the future likewise informs the past. A thought-provoking read on the power of narrative. Loved it.

There is no better feeling than sitting down with a new book, reading the first chapter and knowing with absolute certainty that the book is going to work for you. All of which is to say, I just started this one and am really enjoying it.

Every bit as good as expected. Val believes her family is cursed—no one ever has any luck with love, something particularly devastating for someone who loves Valentine‘s Day…until she doesn‘t. Is she really fated to never find true love? She wonders & it‘s a question that comes into sharper focus when she meets a pair of cute lion dancers. Family secrets, friendship, falling into love (maybe?!?) combine in a wonderful story. An entertaining read.

Yang‘s stories never disappoint so I‘m anticipating a good read. 🤞

I took my time reading this one. A few pages here & there because it is massive. And, truthfully after the first book, The Wizard of Oz, things get weird. I mean really, really, “what the heck is going on in this story” weird. But…BUT Skottie Young‘s art is perfect for this kind of weirdness & Jean-Francois Beaulieu‘s colors are, as always phenomenal. It‘s a visually stunning comic even when the story leaves you scratching your head. A fun read.

I won the third book of this series in a Goodreads giveaway but don‘t remember the first and haven‘t read the second. 😬 So starting a reread before reading the second and third books.

First (of three) books done. Love this movie and, it goes without saying, the Lego is super fun. I think it might be time to go watch the movie again…

I‘m an outlier on this one…I didn‘t love it. It‘s okay historical fiction but I was hoping for something less predictable/formulaic. It‘s a pick because it IS very readable & it‘s an important story to tell—something which the author & the characters themselves also tell us. I did enjoy the chapters set in Vietnam, the friendship between the three nurses was believable & one of the strongest aspects of the book. The men were terrible, the plot ok.

Solid first book launching the Mike Bowditch series. Set in Maine, Bowditch works as a game warden. One morning he gets a call that he‘s father‘s been arrested, accused of killing two people. Bowditch doesn‘t believe it for a minute and sets out, even when faced with the unrelenting criticism of people he knows, to prove his father‘s innocence. Secrets & lies & the past collide in this well-written mystery. I‘ll continue with the series.

Mom recommended it so of course I have to read it.

I won this graphic novel adaptation of a comic first published on Webtoons on Goodreads—getting a finished copy was a nice surprise. I loved the moody, atmospheric art in this story about a paranormal investigator, seen as a skull floating above a suit, & the entities he chases from the battlefields of WWI to the depths of the oceans. An engaging mix of horror, mystery, & adventure which leaves you wanting to know more about Oscar & this world.

Next up…

#Two4Tuesday

1. No one favorite tradition but I do really enjoy the whole family being home and spending time together.

2. Looking forward to the tagged book. I love everything Pulley writes and I‘m expecting this one to be another great book. 🤞

@TheSpineView

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography, Eig‘s book is a real accomplishment—eminently readable, it offers a compelling, unvarnished look at Martin Luther King Jr‘s life. Much of it will be familiar, much of it is heartbreaking—particularly when you read about the lengths to which both ordinary people & the government went to thwart King & the march for civil rights—and much of it reveals all the complexities of being human. A great read.

Excellent. King is always entertaining but this one is well-paced, full of mystery, populated with great characters, & has a doozy of an evil duo at the center of it all. I loved that evil has no age limit in this book, that it‘s octogenarians who have a lot to answer for. I also appreciate that what often makes King‘s books scary is how banal evil can be, how it can lurk just around the corner, maybe even in the next room…shivers. A great read.

Octogenarians hiding a “shocking…secret in the basement of their well-kept, book-lined home?!?” Needless to say, the premise is intriguing and 100 pages in, I can tell you that these octogenarians? They are not good people. 🤣🔪🏡

This award winning mystery from Japan has far less to with the crime that is the catalyst for the story than it does with the politics of policing. Interdepartmental rivalries take center stage leading policemen to spend most of the book undermining each other. The pace is slow & much of the focus is on the police relationship with reporters. If you want an exciting murder mystery, this isn‘t it but it is a fascinating look at policing in Japan.

#Two4Tuesday

1. This is a difficult question. The one I go back to, and listened to all the time when I was young, is Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2. A recent favorite is Epik High‘s ANTIHERO.

2. I‘m currently reading Six Four (a winner of the best Japanese Crime Fiction of the Year Award) by Hideo Yokohama and have to say In The Cold, Cold Night by the White Stripes. Moody and atmospheric…

@TheSpineView

This debut about a witch who loses her shadow—and with it her magic—takes a little while to get going but once it does, it‘s a really enjoyable read. Part adventure, part mystery, and all magic and mayhem, Dimova has created a fascinating world with an intriguing magic system, and complex characters. The plot will leave you guessing about who, what, why until the very end. Inspired by Slavic folklore, this is a fun winter read.

Woke up way too early but it‘s all good because it means quiet time with a book and a hot cup of tea.

🌌📖🫖

Stories in this collection ranged from just a page to maybe 8 at the longest. Most fell in the 3-5 range & read as vignettes, glimpses into longer, more complex stories. Gautier is an assured writer who knows how to paint a scene & create memorable characters in just a few lines. Themes of identity, racism, hypocrisy, the indignities of aging, displacement, feminism, & family run through the stories. A mixed bag but overall a good collection.

Barnes & Noble opened a new store in a historic building (former bank) in Wicker Park. Needless to say, I had to check it out. Gorgeous space and it was really crowded. Apparently I‘m not the only one who loves bookstores! 😂 Picked up the tagged book and two others and I imagine it won‘t be long before I go back.

#5JoysFriday

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView

So, five things:
❄️ a snowy morning
🎫 getting floor tickets for my daughter and I to see Stray Kids at Wrigley Field
👦🧒 both kids home for Thanksgiving
📖 time to read
🧱 building Jabba‘s Sail Barge Lego

@DebinHawaii

Short story collection today…

I‘ve seen mixed reviews on this one but I have to say I loved it. Reseng is an assassin who changes a job which leads to consequences he could never have imagined. The story is populated with people who make a living killing often without knowing why someone needs to die. It‘s darkly comedic & human at the same time as secrets & motivations are revealed. The translation is excellent, the premise odd & intriguing & I loved the main character.

Woke up to a winter weather advisory. We‘re only expecting three inches or so which isn‘t too bad. Enjoying this start to the snowy season with, what else, another Cork O‘Conner mystery!

❄️📖🔪

Assassins and the masterminds behind them for today‘s reading.

#Two4Tuesday

1. Definitely a planner.

2. Tagged. An aging assassin is all set to retire until a new threat upends everything.

@TheSpineView

And…as usual, I couldn‘t put it down. Another great installment in which Krueger once again demonstrates he‘s exceptionally good at writing setting and character. Only six more books until I‘m all got up on the series. I keep telling myself I need to slow down but it‘s not working…😬😂

Rainy day today…perfect for staying inside with a good book…

Pearson makes the leap to writing fantasy for adults (she‘s an established author who typically writes YA fantasy) with this book about a mortal woman & a Fae kingdom on the brink of disaster. Much of the story, many of the characters, are familiar—you‘ve read this sort of story before—but it‘s well executed. Good writing makes up for occasionally clunky world building—maybe more fully realized in future books—& I found this to be a fun escape.

Went deep into my TBR stacks trying to make progress before the end of the year & came across this book—I think I got it for my husband?!? 🤷‍♀️ Anyway, it‘s about a school of sorcerers who protect the world from demons and three students who are just getting started. I enjoyed it, may even read more, but I‘m not sure why I thought my husband would…I must have seen a recommendation somewhere. Anyway, a quick fun read.

This one does a good job of doing all the things a middle book should do—complicate everything, raise the stakes, throw up new obstacles (including a love triangle…maybe), and leave you wondering why characters can‘t simply talk to each other…😠 So a fun read that ends on quite the cliffhanger as the story heads to a third book.

One of the real joys of reading this series is the attention Krueger pays to characters. The lead, Cork O‘Conner is fantastic but so too is his family which features prominently in all of these books. Never more so than in this one which has Cork trying to solve a murder & the same time one of his children is navigating a difficult decision. Another excellent installment which shows how complex it is to be human & care for others.

Not in Litsy…I met Jim Karas through a mutual friend recently & picked up this book after our conversation. It‘s an engaging, very personal look at the highs & lows of raising, & being, a highly successful athlete & navigating everything that comes with it. From family sacrifices, coaching, & training to injuries, emotional/physical toll, what comes after your career is done, & more this is a quick read & fascinating look at competitive sports.

Excellent historical fiction inspired by the life of a very interesting woman—a great story made all that much more meaningful by the author‘s note at the end. The story is set in 1789 and is about a death with far reaching consequences for many of the residents in the town of Hallowell. When midwife Martha Ballard‘s determination it is in fact murder is disregarded, she sets out to find the truth. Great character, setting, mystery. Loved it.

The first in a series, I liked this story about a woman investigating the death of a former best friend. The small town setting in Sweden is interesting and while many of the characters are familiar types, there are juicy secrets to uncover and a satisfying ending that leaves you marveling at the terrible reasons people do even worse things. Pacing is slow but the translation is good. I‘ll probably continue with the series at some point.

Mornings are just better when I can find a few minutes for coffee and a book. Started this one last night and I really like it so far.

#Two4Tuesday

1. Probably spots if I HAD to pick (but I typically don‘t wear either…)

2. Nope, not currently reading any library books.

@TheSpineView

These special edition books are not easy to photograph if you want to show them in all their glory. Anyway, this one is just in and it‘s very pretty.

Murder and mayhem ahead! Or, so I assume…

#5JoysFriday

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView …I‘m only a little late. 😬

1. Finding housing for my daughter‘s stay in South Korea over winter break
2. New books
3. Sleeping with the windows open and enjoying the cold air
4. Picking up the original pencil drawing for Christie Zullo‘s Petpool Pool Party #1 comic cover—makes me laugh every time I look at it
5. Successfully completing my physical therapy

@DebinHawaii

Today‘s book haul features mysteries from Japan, (tagged book which people seem to really like or really not), South Korea, US, and Sweden plus a book about navigating the world of competitive gymnastics. (I recently met the author of the last book and was told by the friend who introduced us that this was the one to read).

My mom read this, liked but didn‘t love it, and then passed it on to me. It‘ll be interesting to see if I agree with her assessment.

Long held secrets intrude on the present in yet another excellent Cork O‘Conner mystery. Cork & his former best friend Jubal go into the mountains to hunt. When the day is over, Cork comes down by himself having watched his friend die, shot through the heart with an arrow…that looks just like one of Cork‘s. Being at the top of the suspect list means Cork has to figure out why someone is trying to frame him for the murder. Excellent.

IRL book club went with a chunkster for our next read. I‘m doing a couple of chapters a day and so far finding it really readable and, needless to say, very interesting.