WWW Wednesday – January 10

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin (2023), a historical novel about Isabella Stewart Gardner, is one of the hottest books in Boston as I think every book group is reading it (I already had to return one copy that the library wouldn’t let me renew). As depicted here, her determination not to conform is irritating – but her unconventional artistic passion led to the creation of my favorite museum!

Doesn't he realize 
it's January?

Someone recommended Run the Risk by Lori Foster (2012) which I picked up at the library on audiobook.  This is a heroine-on-the-run (at least, I anticipate she will be, any minute) with an undercover policeman who is after her brother and just using her. Suzanne Brockman does this type of romantic suspense book much better: more suspense less romance.

Laura of Laura's Miscellaneous Musings mentioned a favorite holiday cookbook, 100 Cookies by Sarah Kieffer (2020), which I promptly requested from the library and have been drooling over, trying to figure what to bake first.

Just Finished

My first book of 2024 was The Edge by David Baldacci (2023). This is the second book about ex-Marine Travis Devine – previously he was taking the 6:20 am train (shudder – too early) to Manhattan, trying to thrive in investment banking until murders begin happening all around him. Now he is working for the government and is sent to a small coastal town in Maine to solve the murder of a CIA agent.

I happened to see a review of John Sargent’s memoir about his career in publishing, Turning Pages (2023), which turned out to be both an amusing book about some of his interactions with famous authors such as the Duchess of York and Bobby Knight, as well as his disputes with Amazon about ebooks. It mentions several of my former coworkers who wound up at St. Martin’s Press.

Next Up

I thought it would be interesting to read a mystery set in Scandinavia and my library had one called The Golden Age by Camilla Läckberg (2019). Has anyone read books by this Swedish author? Is there a better one to start with? Or a better Nordic mystery?

Because my mother so enjoyed The Violin Conspiracy, I persuaded my book group to read it this month. My friend Susan told me yesterday that she particularly appreciated that the author is a musician because that added to its authenticity.  The book is about a gifted black musician whose Stradivarius is stolen for ransom and the challenges he has experienced to get to this point.

Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall (2022). Not what you think, at least not exactly!  My review.

Off the Blog: Happy 17th Birthday to my nephew Xavier who just got his driver's license!