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Happy New Year, everyone! 🥂🎇🎆

I just finished Small Gods by Terry Pratchett and am right into the next read, a re-read actually, The Master and Margarita by the one and only Mikhail Bulgakov.

Hope you all have more good than mediocre reads this year! 📚❤️

I have just read the two Pete McCarthy books; McCarthy's Bar and The Road to McCarthy.
I enjoyed both books for his quirky humour and ability to engage with a fascinating cast of characters while drinking loads.
To be honest I read the first book when it came out just to see if we were related so this was a re-read. It was better second time around as he manages to record Ireland in transition as the Celtic Tiger begins to get out of control.
I enjoyed the second book, Road to McCarthy more as I had been to some of the places but also it captures the bizarre history of the diaspora and its current legacy very well.

All the best
S

I read A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham I enjoyed it. My 4 star review: /review/show...

I just finished Rememberings, Sinead O'Connor's autobiography. I really enjoyed it though it is hard going at times. She is her usual brutally honest self throughout.

Stephen, I read one of Pete McCarty’s books. Long time ago, I picked it up secondhand somewhere. Can’t remember which one it was, must dig it out of my shelves and re read. I’ve so many books on the go at the moment, depending on my mood, I’ll pick one up that appeals at that time.

I just finished Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson It is abook of family secrets and pain, but I could not get invested in it. My review, 3.5 stars rounded up. I struggled with rounding up or down. If you like Kristin Hannah, this has some of the same themes, but not the emotional intensity. My review /review/show...
Not a thriller or a mystery, but literary fiction.

currently reading /book/show/5... tongue by

I enjoyed reading The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe and rate it a solid 4 stars. It is a revisionist history of the middle ages in Europe, sometimes called The Dark Ages. My review /review/show...
It was a GR giveaway.

I read Black Orchid Girls by Carolyn Arnold I rate it 3.5 stars rounded up. It is a suspenseful police procedural. My review /review/show...
This book is set in the US, but the author is a Canadian.

I am currently reading Liberalism find a cure by Mark Dice and I know you got soul by Jeremy Clarkson

I read Malicious Intent by Lynn H. Blackburn when I requested it from LibraryThing, i asked for it because it looked like an interesting mystery/thriller. But it turned out to be a romantic suspense thriller. My 3 star review /review/show...

Currently I am reading An Army of Tribes: British Army Cohesion, Deviancy and Murder in Northern Ireland by Edward Burke, a sociological look at two Scottish units of the British Army in Northern Ireland in the early years of the Troubles, and also The Double by Fyodor Dostoevsky, which is one of those 19th century novels that should begin with a table of Russian civil service ranks.

I read Murder at the Porte de Versailles by Cara Black I enjoyed it and rate it 4 stars. My review /review/show...
The author is an American who frequently visits France and he books have been translated into French. The book is set in Paris, a few months after 9-11.

I read The Golden Couple by [author:Greer Hendricks|16935182 I enjoyed it and recommend it to psychological mystery fans. My review /review/show...

I just finished Your Story, My Story by Connie Palmen. I gave it 4 stars which was more then I expected to give it. It is a well-researched though still fictionalised account of the marriage of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath, from the perspective of Ted.

I was unfamiliar with the details of the characters lives beyond the obvious so found this an absorbing read. Difficult at times but always intense, almost gripping. It is full of anger and impotence, conceit and delusion. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it.

It does have a lack of chapters and other formatting pauses which I found irritating at first. It is therefore relentless but I think that perhaps is the intention to suck the reader in to these unrelenting lives.

S

I read All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes It is a paranormal book of horror and fiction set during a 1920 Antarctica expedition.. I rated it 3 stars, too much paranormal for me. My review /review/show...

i just finished The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu. It is the second in a trilogy and is high concept science fiction. i enjoyed it as much as the first. The cast of characters is principally chinese so I needed to pay attention at the start but once it gets going it gets better and better. i would recommend The Three Body Problem trilogy to anyone who was a fan of Arthur C Clarke and his contemporaries.

I read The Burning Pages by Paige Shelton It is a cozy mystery set in Edinburgh, Scotland. An American now living in Scotland sets out to solve a mystery.
I rated it 3.5 stars. My review /review/show...

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall. i gave it 4 stars. It aims to explain global politics as a function of geography. in a way it tries to predict the future at least with respect to conflict flashpoints and tensions. it is high level stuff but enlightening if a little depressing at times given current events.

I read Girl on the Run by Carolyn Arnold
I rated this police procedural 4 stars. My review. /review/show...
Mystery set in the US by a Canadian author

I read a biography of a courageous US Marine Valor: The Astonishing World War II Saga of One Man's Defiance and Indomitable Spirit by Dan Hampton
I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading stories of courage in the face of overwhelming adversity.
My review, 4.5 stars, rounded up /review/show...

I enjoyed The School for German Brides by Aimie K. Runyan
I rated it 4 stars. It is historical fiction, set in Germany, 1938-39.
My review /review/show...

I read Girl in Ice by Erica Ferencik
It is a mystery set in present day Greenland. I rated it 3.5 stars rounded up. My review /review/show...

I read and recommend Wild Prey by Brian Klingborg It is a police procedural set in rural northern China. My 4 star review /review/show...

I gave Sherkin Island by Dolly O'Reilly a 5 star review.
The book is a wonderful history of the island packed with colourful characters and both sad and funny stories of old times. The place has a rich history of seafaring and piracy, farming and famine, decline and rebirth.
I have to confess a connection as my grandfather grew up on Sherkin and the author is a cousin of mine. Some of my family are mentioned along with an Uncle's poem.
The book stands up as a good snapshot/record of island life over tge last century and if you come across it I would recommend the read.

I read A Judge's Odyssey: From Vermont to Russia, Kazakhstan, and Georgia, Then on to War Crimes and Organ Trafficking in Kosovo by Dean B. Pineles
It is an autobiography of a lawyer who was a Vermont judge for 21 years and then went on to become a legal advisor and Judge in several different countries. I enjoyed it and rate it 4.5 stars rounded down.

Both my wife and I read and enjoyed The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan
It is historical fiction, set in WWII Britain. A group of women start a sewing group to mend a wedding dress, which grows into a group lending wedding dresses to prospective brides.
My 4 star review /review/show...

I read a kindle unlimited book Last Call by Sheldon Siegel It is a legal mystery set in San Francisco. My 4 star review /review/show...
Recommended to Perry Mason fans

I read The Hidden One by Linda Castillo Both my wife and I enjoyed it and rate it 4 stars. It is book 14 in the series. Although it can be read as a stand alone, I recommend that you read the series in order, as there developments in Kate's personal life throughout the series. My review /review/show...

I read Her Frozen Cry by Carolyn Arnold It is a fast paced police procedural. Both my wife and I enjoy this series. My 4 star review /review/show...

I read Blind Justice by David Mark It is set in Hull, Yorkshire, England. David Mark writes dark and gritty mysteries, but this one was a little too dark for me. There are elements of sadism, masochism and torture in this book. My review, 3.5 stars rounded up /review/show...

Hi, new group member here. Just finished Kevin Barry's newest collection. I'm a fan and this one's a doozy. This quote sums it up: "Cause of Death: the west of Ireland." Check out my review if you get a chance. Always looking for kindred souls to befriend.
Cheers, Ray
/review/show...

Hi, Ray, welcome to the group! Thanks for the reviews. I just finished two books, The Periwinkle Perspective by Paul Eccentric, a comedy adventure set in a fun Victorian era where a steam rocket sets off a space race with America! Very believable and really enjoyable. Then I read John Green's Looking For Alaska, which in all honesty I found a bit dull. Nothing really happened. I'm a huge fan of John Green, so I'll let him off that one! I haven't read Irish authors for a little while, but recommend Roy Hunt, Conor Kostick and Kevin Doyle. The latter writes very authentic Cork-based thrillers. Three very different genres between them. I'll have a new Irish 'cosy crime' coming out with Maverick house Publishing later in the summer, so I'm limiting my reading to get that finished! But keep the reviews coming, I still buy books and leave them piled up ready to read!

I read Rare Encounter by J.K. Hall It is a story of 2 disparate men who meet on a troop ship in WWII. They form a bond. Twenty years later, 1 of the 2 is a professor at a prestigious college. The Vietnam war brings back memories. He decides to talk to his students about the morality of war. My 4.5 star review, rounded up: /review/show...

I read Listen To Me by Tess Gerritsen It is book 13 in the series and can be read as a stand alone, but I recommend reading the series in order.
As always, this book is a welcome addition to the series. My review /review/show...

I read Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Katherine J. Chen I enjoyed it and recommend it to historical fiction fans. My 4 star review /review/show...

I read Harvest by Tess Gerritsen
It is a medical mystery/thriller that I strongly recommend to medical mystery and Tess Gerritsen fans. It is a stand alone and not part of the Rizzoli series. It was also her first book. My 4.5 star review rounded down. /review/show...

I read The Bride of Almond Tree by Robert Hillman I enjoyed it and recommend it to literary fiction fans. It is a story of love, loneliness and hardship.
My 4 star review /review/show...
I included in my review a link to my review of his previous book, both stand alones.

I read City of Bohane by Kevin Barry, a novel set in the near future of west Ireland. This, to me, is the best of his six books.
And it's my favorite book of the year so far. Please consideration checking out my detailed review. It just might sway you to give this remarkable writer a try. Thank you.
/review/show...

I read The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly I have read 36 books by Connelly and strongly recommend his books to mystery/thriller fans. I rate this one 4.5 stars rounded up. My review /review/show...

i read Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty I rate 3.5 stars rounded up. It is set in N. Ireland during the troubles My review /review/show...

I read The Black-Eyed Blonde by Benjamin Black It is written in the style of Raymond Chandler and I recommend it to Chandler fans. My 4 star review /review/show...
The author is Irish, but the setting is California.

My wife and I are fans of the Longmire series by Craig Johnson.
We both enjoyed Daughter of the Morning Star
This can be read as a stand alone, but I recommend that you read the series in order. My 4.5 star review, rounded down /review/show...

I read A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny It is book 7 in the series, and they are best read in order. My 4 star review /review/show...
Both my wife and I enjoy this series and she is up to book 13.

I just finished Derva McTiernan’s novel The Good Turn. Really enjoyed it.

I read The Many Daughters of Afong Moy I found it difficult to follow and rate it 3.5 stars rounded down. My review /review/show...

I read In the Morning I'll be Gone by Adrian McKinty I rate it 3.5 stars rounded up.
This series is set in N. Ireland during the 80s and the "Troubles." It is book 3 in the series and they are best read in order. My review /review/show...
Several GRI members recommended this series to me several years ago.

I read Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill It is book 1 in the Jimm Juree series, set in Thailand. The author is an Australian man who has lived in Thailand. I enjoyed it and recommend it to those who like mysteries with quirky characters. My review /review/show...

I read and rated The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly an easy 5 stars. His police procedurals are great reading. My review /review/show...

I just read The Tide Between US! Wow!