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M. N. Reading - 2023


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19. flags on the Bayou - James Lee Burke - 4/5 - Good book. The prose was excellent, and Burke thinks this was his best book. I think it was his best writing but not necessarily his best book. The story takes place in Louisiana during the civil war era and shows the cruelty that took place of both sides in the war. 

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20. Little White Lies - Ace Atkins (who took over the Robert Parker series when parker died) 4/5 - Robert Parker was one of my favorite writers of Detective stories and Ace Atkins is doing a good job of continuing the series. Little White Lies features P.I. Spenser and his sometime sidekick Hawk. Together they are a duo that takes on the toughest criminals.

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20. The Hanging Tree -Ben Aaronovitch - 4/5 - Enjoyable read. What can I say, those familiar with the series will understand the good stories being told by Aaronovitch. One thing grabbed me though in this book, are they setting up a farewell to the Peter and Beverly relationship?

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I've read a bit further into the series and, hope this isn't a spoiler, but so far so good, haven't read the latest yet "Amongst our Weapons" as none of my local bookshops had it so in the end I had to give in and order it from Amazon.

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21.  The Forsaken - Ace Atkins - 3.5/5 - Not one of his better books.

 

22. The Wind Knows My Name - Isabel Allende - 4.5/5 - I enjoy all of Allende's books and this one was no exception. Story starts out in Vienna during the start of WWII and continues through a number of different Countries with different people involved. About the middle of the book I was wondering how everything would tie together but tie together it did with an ending that almost brought tears to my eyes. 

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23. The Midnight Library - Matt Haig - 4/5 - Enjoyable read. Person is between life and death and has a choice of which way to go. She is given a book of regrets that she may have had in life and is given the opportunity to go back and relive the regret and decide if it will changer her life to a better one than she currently has. The librarian in The Midnight Library guides her through a multitude of regrets that she may relive and decide if the change is actually for the better.

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24. Lies Sleeping - Ben Aaronovitch - 4/5 - Enjoyable read. There were 2 things that were a surprise in the book and one thing that still puzzles me. 1. I am puzzled about Lesley, is she good or bad? maybe I am just dense and don't understand. 2. A surprise with the faceless man. 3. A surprise with Bev.

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On 10/9/2023 at 3:58 PM, muggle not said:

There were 2 things that were a surprise in the book and one thing that still puzzles me. 1. I am puzzled about Lesley, is she good or bad? maybe I am just dense and don't understand.

You’re definitely not, think we’re supposed to feel confused because it’s a very confusing situation for Peter. The last book kind of made Lesley make a bit more sense to me but hopefully we can talk about that when you get to it 😄

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25. The Legend of Sleepy hollow - Washington Irving - 4.5/5 - There is a reason this book is considered a "Classic" even though it is a short story. The writing is superb! 

 

26. Rip Van Winkle - Washington Irving - 4/5 - Another short story by Irving. Washington Irving was a great writer and I enjoy books from back in the early1800's. The descriptions of the Hudson River Valley area are enjoyable to read about.

 

I loved both of the forementioned books. Probably almost everyone has heard the tale in these books and I encourage you to read them if only for the writing itself. You can't go too wrong as they are both "short" stories. 🙂

 

I am currently reading "The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store". I am about 85% thru the book and will not give a rating until finished.

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3 hours ago, Madeleine said:

Have always meant to read Sleepy Hollow.

This is the Edition that I bought for my kindle and it was very good.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The Original 1820 Edition: Classic Illustrated Edition - Kindle edition by Irving, Washington. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

 

Initially I bought an Edition that had both Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip van Winkle in it but I had to return it to Amazon as the text was so small that I couldn't read it.

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8 hours ago, muggle not said:

This is the Edition that I bought for my kindle and it was very good.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The Original 1820 Edition: Classic Illustrated Edition - Kindle edition by Irving, Washington. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

 

Initially I bought an Edition that had both Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip van Winkle in it but I had to return it to Amazon as the text was so small that I couldn't read it.

Just bought this. I read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow years ago and can't remember a thing about it! Always interested in the original version and it's great to get it on Kindle, so thanks for that.

Edited by lunababymoonchild
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6 hours ago, lunababymoonchild said:

Just bought this. I read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow years ago and can't remember a thing about it! Always interested in the original version and it's great to get it on Kindle, so thanks for that.

I hope you paid what I did (99 cents) for the kindle book. I really think you will enjoy the writing as it is superb IMO.

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27. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store - James McBride - 4/5 - This was a pretty good read. it takes place back in the very early 1900's.  The story is about a Jewish and African American community in Pottstown, PA. It explains in details how they struggle to live in those years. The Story was good and very well written. 

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Posted (edited)
On 12/17/2023 at 12:15 PM, France said:

What was The River We Remember like? Apart from you obviously enjoying it. It's on my wish list.

The writing and story were very good. There were many different characters in the story. and you need to pay attention to each one and how they relate to the others, The more I think of the book the more I realize how much I enjoyed it. The book keeps you wondering who was the person that shot the wealthy guy, but the story is a lot more than that.

You may also enjoy Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land by Krueger. They were both books that got good reviews.

I have read all of William Kent Krueger's books and maybe I am a little prejudiced on him. He also writes a series that  

revolves around Cork O'Connnor, I believe it was the first book in this series that almost made me cry at the ending.

 

The quantity of books I have read this year were down but the quality of some were excellent and almost all of the others were very good. I feel fortunate to have read the last books written by Cormac McCarthy before he passed away this year. He is one of my favorite  writers. and I believe I have read all of his books. So sorry to hear of his passing from a selfish standpoint as there will be no more of his books to read.

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