Five
more books this month – I’m on fire! I’m sure things will settle down as the
year progresses.
1. The Queen's
Gambit, by Walter Tevis. ★★★★★
When eight-year-old Beth Harmon’s
parents are killed in an automobile accident, she’s placed in an orphanage in
Mount Sterling, Kentucky. Plain and shy, Beth learns to play chess from the
janitor in the basement and discovers she is a prodigy. Though penniless, she
is desperate to learn more—and steals a chess magazine and enough money to
enter a tournament. Beth also steals some of her foster mother’s tranquilizers
to which she is becoming addicted. At thirteen, Beth wins the chess tournament.
By the age of sixteen she is competing in the US Open Championship and, like
Fast Eddie in The Hustler, she hates to lose. By eighteen she is
the US champion—and Russia awaits . . .
The Bug Says: I haven’t
seen the show, and am unlikely to, so I decided to read the book. Did you know
that this author also wrote The Hustler?
The book wasn’t what I expected (not that I knew anything other than that it
was about chess). It was excellent! I
did skim some of the chess move sections.
2. Triptych (Will Trent #1), by Karin Slaughter.
★★★★ In the city of Atlanta, women are
dying—at the hands of a killer who signs his work with a single, chilling act
of mutilation. Leaving behind enough evidence to fuel a frenzied police hunt, this
cunning madman is bringing together dozens of lives, crossing the boundaries of
wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries
too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is
hanging by a thread—and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening
his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael's
lover before she became his enemy. But another player has entered the game: a
loser ex-con who has stumbled upon the killer's trail in the most coincidental
of ways—someone who may be the key to breaking the case wide open.
The Bug Says: That
description up there is almost entirely incorrect – it makes me laugh so I’m
leaving it. There is a serial killer and the latest victim is in Atlanta (the
mutilation part is correct). The book is written from three perspectives and
you slowly realize that at least one of them is not what you think. It was very
well done. I’m reading book two in the series now.
3. Faithless
in Death (In Death #52), by J.D. Robb.
★★★★★ The scene in the West Village studio appears to be classic
crime-of-passion: two wine glasses by the bed, music playing, and a young
sculptor named Ariel Byrd with the back of her head bashed in. But when Dallas
tracks down the wealthy Upper East Side woman who called 911, the details don't
add up. Gwen Huffman is wealthy, elegant, comforted by her handsome fiancé as
she sheds tears over the trauma of finding the body--but why did it take an
hour to report it? And why is she lying about little things?
As Eve and her team look into Gwen, her past, and the people around her, they
find that the lies are about more than murder. As with sculpture, they need to
chip away at the layers of deception to find the shape within--and soon they're
getting the FBI involved in a case that involves a sinister, fanatical group
and a stunning criminal conspiracy.
As Eve and her team look into Gwen, her past, and the people around her, they
find that the lies are about more than murder. As with sculpture, they need to
chip away at the layers of deception to find the shape within--and soon they're
getting the FBI involved in a case that involves a sinister, fanatical group
and a stunning criminal conspiracy.
The Bug Says: Another
fabulous Eve Dallas book. They are always very satisfactory – especially when
Eve gets to show some overbearing man that she’s better than he is.
4. Agatha
Raisin and the Wellspring of Death (Agatha Raisin #7), by M.C.
Beaton (Alias), Marion Chesney.
★★★
Agatha Raisin's neighbouring village of Ancombe is usually the epitome of
quiet rural charm, but the arrival of a new mineral-water company - which
intends to tap into the village spring - sends tempers flaring and divides the
parish council into two stubborn camps. When Agatha, who just happens to be
handling the PR for the water company, finds the council chairman murdered at
the basin of the spring, tongues start wagging. Could one of the council
members have polished off the chairman before he could cast the deciding vote?
The Bug Says: Yes, I read
another one. The thing is that these books are almost always available when I’m
waiting on another book that’s on hold at the library. This one was slightly
less annoying than the last one. Is that a ringing endorsement or what?
5. I'm Judging
You: The Do-Better Manual, by Luvvie
Ajayi Jones. ★★★★★ Comedian,
activist, and hugely popular culture blogger at AwesomelyLuvvie.com, Luvvie
Ajayi, serves up necessary advice for the common senseless in this hilarious
book of essays. With over 500,000 readers a month at her enormously popular
blog, AwesomelyLuvvie.com, Luvvie Ajayi has become a go-to source for smart
takes on pop culture. I'm Judging You is her debut book of
humorous essays that dissects our cultural obsessions and calls out bad
behavior in our increasingly digital, connected lives—from the importance of the
newest Shonda Rhimes television drama to serious discussions of race and media
representation to what to do about your fool cousin sharing casket pictures
from Grandma's wake on Facebook. With a lighthearted, razor-sharp wit and a
unique perspective, I'm Judging You is the audiobook the world
needs, doling out the hard truths and a road map for bringing some "act
right" into our lives, social media, and popular culture.
The Bug Says: I started
following Luvvie on Instagram. I think she’s hilarious, and this book is definitely
full of her pithy commentary. But there are also some hard truths (especially
about racism) that made me sit up & take notice. Her second book was just
published this last week & it’s on my list to get soon!
What
are you reading these days?
