Book a Week 2022 - BW6: Crime Spree Bookology - Jayne Ann Krentz

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday!  We are going to continue with the romantic suspense theme and align our bookology spelling challenge with the crime spree authors, highlighting one of the authors Sandy and Amy mention at the beginning of the month. Decided to mix things up after I discovered the Book on Books Bookology wasn't working for me with two failures in a row.  The Trial-and-error method told me to move on to something more fun and hence the birth of Crime Spree Bookology.  

We get three for one this month with Jayne Ann Krentz, who encompasses three different worlds writing contemporary romantic suspense, as well as historical romantic suspense under the pseudonym of Amanda Quick, and futuristic paranormal suspense under her real name, Jayne Castle. Some of her series encompass all three genres and some are standalones. Krentz is a prolific writer and has written many books under 7 different pens names over the years from the 80's to the present. I've read quite a few and all are very entertaining. 

There are several ways to complete the Crime Spree bookology challenge, including but not limited to:

• Spell out the author's name - one book per letter from the title on the cover.
• Read one or more books written by the author.
• Read a book written in the country or time of the author.
• Read a book by an author like Jayne Ann Krentz

Learn more about Krentz through A Conversation With Jayne Ann Krentz, and How I lost control of my Jayne Castle World.

 

A to Z and Back Again - Our letter and word of the week are F and Foiled.

Happy Trails! 

 

Link to Book Week 5

Visit  52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the annual, mini and perpetual challenges.  

 

[Robin M]

Currently reading Super Powereds Year Two by Drew Hayes and enjoying the heck out of it.

"Despite having their secret revealed, the residents of Melbrook Hall return to Lander University for another year in the Hero Certification Program. Good thing the focus of this year is teamwork, because with their origins known they’ll have to lean on each other more than ever. Now finally sophomores, their curriculum expands, allowing them to train in the majors that Heroes specialize in. The new classes will test their minds, bodies, and determination in ways never anticipated. In a year filled with the unveiling of secrets, unexpected entanglements, and, of course, super-powered battles, who will be left standing is anyone’s guess. Because if all that weren’t enough, more light is being shed on last year’s kidnapping attempt, and the results point at something far bigger than mere rogue educators. Something that isn’t even close to being over with."

 I’m trying to decide between two standalone books which are Smoke in Mirrors by Krentz or Garden of Lies by her alter ego Quick. I think I’ll start with Garden of Lies. 

A to Z and Back Again - Earnest

Edited February 6, 2022 by Robin M

[Negin]

Thank you for the thread, Robin!

I read In Trump Time: A Journal of America's Plague Year - 5 Stars

[tuesdayschild]

So good to see a new thread up, thank you @Robin M, and to have a few minutes to post before heading to bed.

@Mothersweets I am really enjoying Journey to the River Sea and I think of the few Eva Ibbotson books I've read this one would be my favourite (it would have made a wonderful read-aloud for our family years back).

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by tuesdayschild
link

[mumto2]

Thank you Robin!
 

Ohhhh Jayne Ann Krentz!  I have one of those to read in my stack already.The third book in the Fog Lake trilogy just found its way into my stack.  Fog Lake is a very XFile type place and I have really enjoyed this series……https://www.goodreads.com/series/261361-fogg-lake

I finished listening to an entertaining bbc audio of The Moonstone last night with Clive Richards leading the cast.  So Victoria Holt and The Shivering Sands is now topping my stack.

I grabbed a book with Castle in the title out of the Prime library to move my Bookchain on after deciding that I don’t love Anna Castle’s Francis Bacon series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25843064-death-by-disputation enough to read two in a row!  The Secret of Dunhaven Castle has been an enjoyable book in terms of the pages flip easily as long as I ignore some things that just don’t work that way irl. An American woman mysteriously inherits a castle in Scotland that comes with a mysterious timepiece.  I am almost done and doubt I will continue with this light Kindle Unlimited series any time soon because while enjoyable I am not invested. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54590312-the-secret-of-dunhaven-castle

[Jenny in Florida]

Still sometimes flailing about to find books I can manage emotionally, but more or less keeping up so far.

I ended up enjoying That Summer, although it was, as many of the reviews suggested, somewhat predictable and I was irritated by a tricky manipulation of the timeline for dramatic effect at one point. I browsed a few of the author's other titles, but haven't bothered to put them in my TBR list.

1. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman
2. The Victorian and the Romantic: A Memoir, a Love Story, and a Friendship Across Time, Nell Stevens
3. You Have the Right to Remain Fat, Virgie Tovar
4. I See You Made an Effort: Compliments, Indignities, and Survival Stories from the Edge of 50, Annabelle Gurwitch
5. You're Leaving When? Adventures in Downward Mobility, Annabelle Gurwitch
6. Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman, Elizabeth Buchan
7. That Summer, Jennifer Weiner

I am currently reading:

• Admissions: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School, Kendra James
• Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown (Well, it's sitting on my bedside table, and I have read the intro.)

Edited February 8, 2022 by Jenny in Florida

[Mothersweets]

8 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

So good to see a new thread up, thank you @Robin M, and to have a few minutes to post before heading to bed.

@Mothersweets I am really enjoying Journey to the River Sea and I think of the few Eva Ibbotson books I've read this one would be my favourite (it would have made a wonderful read-aloud for our family years back).

 

I'm so glad to hear this! 

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts fom the Word Wenches ~

What We're Reading: January 2022

https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2022/01/what-were-reading-january-2022.html

A Book at Bedtime

https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2022/02/a-book-at-bedtime.html

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I enjoyed the contemporary fantasy romance Blindspot (Daydream, Colorado Book 1) by A. M. Rose. (Adult content)

"Standing out in a town like Daydream, Colorado should have been impossible to do, yet somehow Drew managed. All his life he had been the one everyone was looking at when he walked down the street. No matter how hard he'd tried to fit in, fingers pointed at his back and whispers followed his every step. Until it all got too much and he'd left Daydream. For good.

Among all the special people in Daydream, Mason was just a bit more special. He had the ability to see all sorts of things; private conversations, someone’s biggest mistakes, and their tiniest, most insignificant moments. But even with this ability to glance into the future, he didn’t see Drew leaving Daydream for good. He didn’t see Drew breaking his heart. And he definitely didn’t see him coming back."

Regards,

Kareni

[tuesdayschild]

I’ve just begun A Game of Fear: Ian Rutledge Bk 24 ~ Charles Todd, narrated by Simon Vance, and had to pause for a bit at the authors intro.  It came as a bit of a jolt, I wasn't aware that Caroline “Todd” had passed away in August last year: what a huge loss for Charles.  It feels odd, and sad,  listening to the last, duo written, Rutledge mystery.  (...... no need to respond to that.   I know others here will get it,  I’m just processing, out aloud, the loss of a loved author.) 

Recently completed: 

• The Helsingør Sewing Club ~ Ella Gyland,  narrated by Kristin Atherton (3+ ) I thought the historical aspect of the book was interesting and wished the story had just been all about that, without the time switching, and, the modern-times romance.   (some cursing, one f-bomb)
• The Mysterious Mr. Quin: Bk 1 ~ Agatha Christie, narrated by Hugh Fraser (3- ) For me, this collection of short stories had more misses than hits in the enjoy range.
• Journey to the River Sea ~ Eva Ibbotson, narrated by Penelope Rawlins (5) The underlying similarities to Little Lord Fauntleroy, in reverse adds to the charm of this book. 

My Dd, 20 next week, is now keen to revisit her Ibbotson favourites after I told her what I was listening to, and enjoying 🙂   She recommended that I listen to a Y/A fairy tale/fantasy she has just completed, Wildwood Dancing: Bk1 by Juliet Marillier (which seems to generate strong reactions for and against on Goodreads).

@Kareni link about books at bedtime is so relevant,  I'm trying to decide on my next series for late night listening, one that isn't too interesting and will make me want to stay awake😋

ETA:  A Game of Fear is for my letter 'F' read; and thanks @mumto2 and @Mothersweets  I'm set to go with Airs Above the Ground for my Mary Stewart read.

Edited February 7, 2022 by tuesdayschild
eta

[Ottakee]

I just finished Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Older

It was funny in parts, sad in others, and makes you think...esp if you are like me and in your early 50s.  Things to ponder as you get older.

[Storygirl]

I finished my E book: 11/22/63 by Stephen King, and although I didn't quite make my goal of finishing it yesterday, I'm okay with that, because at 849 pages, it was a big task, especially following another hefty volume, which I finished recently for the letter C (Cloud Cuckoo Land).

DH read 11/22/63 many years ago, and so it's been on my to-read list for a very long time. I'm not super keen on the idea of reading King, so, even though I knew it was not horror, I kept pushing it down my list. I'm glad I finished it, and I thought it was okay. It would have been much better, in my opinion, if 25-30% of the middle had been edited out. It lags through the midsection, then races to the end.

The book is at it's best when the plot ticks along at a good clip and bogs down in the sections that are meant to show the character forming connections to others. I guess if I could put a finger on my complaint, I would say that the main character very easily forms deep and lasting friendships; so easily, that I didn't buy it. For example, when one of the characters needs medical attention, the surgeon suddenly becomes a pal who brings the main character roast beef sandwiches and hangs out with him. This is just one example. Other similar, convenient and instant connections happen that reinforced the feeling for me that these are people on paper, rather than fully realized characters. I admit I am picky about characterization.

So I didn't love it, but I know a lot of people do. I was a book worth reading, but I don't think the details will stick with me for very long.

On to my F book for this week!

[Mothersweets]

@Storygirl I listened to 11/22/63 a few years ago and felt the same way. There was waaaayyy too much about the main character and his girlfriend, his job,  etc. The story  wouldn't have suffered if a good portion of all that had been taken out. 

[Kareni]

1 hour ago, tuesdayschild said:

@Kareni link about books at bedtime is so relevant,  I'm trying to decide on my next series for late night listening, one that isn't too interesting and will make me want to stay awake.

I hear you!

I'm curious if you've read Stray by Andrea Höst. I don't know if you read on Kindle, but it was free recently when I looked on the Australian Amazon. The author is Australian, so perhaps the series is available in your library if you read on paper. I think that you might like the series.

Regards,

Kareni

[tuesdayschild]

Thank you @Kareni.  No, I haven't read anything by Andrea Höst, I've suggested it as Overdrive title at our local library.

(My late night books are usually audiobooks and very gentle 😋, so Stray will be tried as a day time read.)

[Murphy101]

Finished Quinn Quicksilver by Dean koontz.

the heck. If it was book 1, I’d have been okay. But nope it just sudden plops on the ending in in the last chapter and leaves you with a large pile of unanswered questions and flipping the page thinking… and then..?? No next book forthcoming.

So that was disappointing. ETA: I liked the book but the ending was super rushed and just cut off. At first I thought no big must be a book 2. But nope. There isn’t. 

Edited February 7, 2022 by Murphy101

[mumto2]

I am currently reading a mystery by a Golden Age mystery by J. Jefferson Farjean called The Z Murders.  This book will take care of  two of Robin’s challenges……..my F for A to Z and back and a Z for Bookology.  It’s sort of a mad cap race around the England following a murderer who leaves little Z’s by his corpses.   Most of the time it’s pretty good and the main character is just plain old likable even if I still have no clue why he is racing against the police to solve the crimes as his part in this was finding the first body.  Perhaps the mysterious girl……she is by is side one minute and has gone poof the next!  A great deal of money is being spent on taxi fare…….https://swiftlytiltingplanet.wordpress.com/2015/09/04/the-z-murders-j-jefferson-farjeon-19

[Kareni]

I've recently finished two books. 

I very much enjoyed a reread of the science fiction romance Bone Rider by J. Fally; this book has a lot of violence but also tenderness. (Adult content) 

"Riley Cooper is on the run. Misha Tokarev, the love of his life, turned out to be an assassin for the Russian mob, and when it comes to character flaws, Riley draws the line at premeditated murder. Alien armor system McClane is also on the run, for reasons that include accidentally crashing a space ship into Earth and evading U.S. military custody. A failed prototype, McClane was scheduled for destruction. Sabotaging the ship put an end to that, but McClane is dubbed a bone rider for good reason—he can’t live without a host body. That’s why he first stows away in Riley's truck and then in Riley himself. Their reluctant partnership soon evolves into something much more powerful—and personal—than either of them could have imagined.

Together, they embark on a road trip from hell, made all the more exciting by the government troops and mob enforcers hot on their trail. Misha is determined to win Riley back and willing to do whatever it takes to keep him safe. When hitman and alien join forces, they discover their impressive combined potential for death and destruction. It will take everything Riley has to steer them through the mess they create."

** 

I also read Fireworks by Sarina Bowen; I enjoyed this but it is not amongst my favorites of the author's works. The story is darker than one might expect from the description.

"Skye Copeland is on paid leave from her broadcasting job after accidentally drawing a pecker on the traffic map.

Let that sink in. Like it’s her fault the traffic pattern that day created a perfect schlong? 

Skye isn’t laughing. She needs this job. And that’s the only reason she’s agreed to chase down a story in her least favorite place—that hell on earth known as Vermont.

A quick trip. In and out. Much like - never mind. Skye can sneak into the town that once tried to break her, get the story and get back into the good graces of her producer. Easy peasy.

Except things go sideways even as she sets foot over the county line. Her step-sister is on the run from a violent drug dealer. And the cop on the case is none other than Benito Rossi, the man who broke her teenage heart.

His dark brown eyes still tear her apart. And even as she steels herself to finally tell him off after twelve years, the old fireworks are still there.

Things are about to go boom!"

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

Waving hello.  James started his first online English College course which for some reason is taking up a lot of all our time as he's still not quit there with executive function and needs me to help organize him.  Fun though, getting to hear all about annotating, speed reading, and writing essays.  Taking a few things away that are useful for reading life.  

I finally read my first Masie Dobb’s, #8 in A Lesson in Secrets.  It was pretty good and she did a good bit of running around the country during the course of her investigation. All of which seemed to be red herrings, distracting her from the real murderer who was a surprise. Several times I though I knew but really didn’t.   Will probably dip back into the series at some point.

J.D. Robb’s Abandoned in Death arrived yesterday and I of course sucked it down in no time. I think the whole cast made an appearance and were involved, so was really good.  Couldn’t help comparing her to Masie Dobb’s as it was a police procedural as well and the differences between the two.

Edited February 10, 2022 by Robin M

[melmichigan]

1 hour ago, Robin M said:

J.D. Robb’s Abandoned in Death arrived yesterday and I of course sucked it down in no time. I think the whole cast made an appearance and were involved, so was really good.  Couldn’t help comparing her to Masie Dobb’s as it was a police procedural as well and the differences between the two.

This is good to know. I'm sure it landed in my audible library.  I've honestly been avoiding many of my normal authors.  I guess I'm not up for any disappointments right now.  I even put the final Leviathan book aside.  I'm on a kick with Glynn Stewart series lately and that is continuing with the first in the Castle Federation series. So far I'm not as sold on this one, but it's still early in the book.

[mumto2]

Glad to hear Abandoned in Death is a good one.  I appear to be next on the hold’s list so I need to do some reading as I have quite a bit checked out right now.

I listened to a witchy contemporary romance today that has been on all sorts of lists including one of Kareni’s recent links.  The Ex Hex https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56554626-the-ex-hex. Fun and light,  just what I needed so I gave it a 5* lol.  

[ladydusk]

I listened to McCullough's Pioneers which is about Ohio and it was absolutely wonderful! Highly recommended.

[Kareni]

I finished two more books:

I enjoyed the historical romance novella The Threefold Tie by Aster Glenn Gray which featured a polyamorous relationship. I learned some information about the Oneida Community which the characters visited and discussed. It was a religious group that believed in communal property and practiced group marriage from 1848 to 1881; when it disbanded the community became a company that many know today for its silverware. 

"Everything was fine till Jack fell in love with his former lover’s wife.

Shy Civil War veteran Jack never expected to be involved in an affair du coeur. It seemed like a minor miracle when he and his comrade-in-arms Everett became lovers - and a painful return to reality when Everett married his sweetheart, Sophie. And the situation is only more complicated now that Jack has fallen in love with Sophie, too.

When Everett found himself in love with Sophie, the proper thing for him to do was to end his dalliance with Jack and marry her. But even though everyone says it’s impossible to be in love with two people at once, Everett has never really gotten over Jack.

Sophie’s unconventional family has shown her that love is not always simple. But she’s still startled to find herself responding to Jack’s very obvious crush - and to realize that Everett, too, still has feelings for Jack. How can they navigate nineteenth century romantic conventions and still find a satisfying arrangement?"

**

I also enjoyed The Book of Firsts  by Karan K Anders (a pen name of author Andrea K. Höst).  This is very unlike Höst's usual young adult novels thus the different name. (Significant adult content)

"Three boys, the 'kings' of the school. One cynical newcomer. An outrageous competition.

When Mika Niles overhears the details of "The Book of Firsts" she's at first bemused, then scornful, then intrigued. Judging which of three very handsome young men is best at kissing, and...?

With no time in her final year for serious attachments, a series of lunchtime trysts is more than tempting – and an opportunity like this might never come her way again. But this light-hearted game is also a scandalous secret, and few can play with fire and walk away unscathed."

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Currently FREE for Kindle readers ~

The Tyrant Alpha's Rejected Mate (The Five Packs Book 1) Cate C. Wells ...I liked this one.

A Dangerous Madness (Regency London Series Book 3) by Michelle Diener

Midnight Marriage: A Georgian Historical Romance (Roxton Family Saga Book 1) by Lucinda Brant

Timeless Romance Valentine Collection

THE PUZZLE PIECES by E T McNamara 

Regards,

Kareni

[Vintage81]

A pretty good reading week…

• Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang - A book about the life of a man with special/magical abilities. The book is told from the points of view of the people he meets throughout his life. This was an interesting way to tell the story and I very much enjoyed it. It was charming and delightful. 5 stars
• Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman - A fun mystery I read with DDs. The creator of the Book Scavenger game is shot and a special book is found with clues to his new game. The friends must figure out the clues and fight off the bad guys to find the prize. 4 stars
• City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction by David Macaulay- We read this to go along with our study of Ancient Rome. A fantastic book on the building of a new Roman city including awesome illustrations. 5 stars 

[Laurel-in-CA]

Reading Liaden Constellation V, which is an anthology of previously published short stories and novellas. This is really a re-read for me, since I have read most of the short stories at least once already.

I think I may pick up Peter Enns' The Sin of Certainty, which my brother in law recommended. But, for now, I have superbowl snacks to make. Happy football to those who indulge even  if (like us) it is only once a year.

[Robin M]

Link to week 7 - please continue conversation in new thread

Edited February 13, 2022 by Robin M