What are you currently reading?

[QualityBookReviews]

An open discussion on what everyone is currently reading. Make recommendations to others, discuss what is new, hot, bestsellers, anything and everything related to books and the authors.

[Harley Sachs]

My daughter gave me two excellent spy novels: "The Confession" and "36 Yalta Boulevard" both set in an Eastern European police state. I recommend them. The author is American but lives in Budapest.

--Harley L. Sachs www.hu.mtu.edu/~hlsachs where you can read a free, funny mystery story.

[I. J. Parker]

Yes, that would be Olen Steinhauer. His new novel THE TOURIST will be released March 3. It will be made into a film starring George Clooney. The new novel is finally attracting the attention Olen deserves.

[Joan Hiller]

Thanks to Ruth and Jon Jordon's gift, I read 3 of John Harvey's books and can't wait to let my fingers go walking on Amazon. { Flesh and Blood, Darkness and Light, Ashes and Bones} I am now reading and enjoying James Doss' Three Sisters.

[Joy Calderwood]

Just finished THE READER by Bernhard Schlink (in the English translation). I wanted to get an idea of it before seeing the movie. Highly personal and visual, and does full justice to the complexity of its ethical dilemmas.

Starting FORTUNE ISLAND BY E.M. Schorb, award-winning poet who experiments with writing styles in his novels. This is an emotional drama, not yet out, so I have the ARC.

[Joan Hiller]

Joy,
Wasn't the Reader powerful!
Joan

[Joy Calderwood]

Yes it was, Joan. I made good progress through it while making the rounds of pharmacists to get the right meds for a terrible toothache. I was absorbed in the book every time I sat down in a new waiting area.

[Wayde Klein]

Right now a book called The Meaning of Night....tagged as Victorian noir....strange but compelling stuff, to be sure.

[Mack Lundy]

I'm not sure the reason but I haven't read many books thus far in 2009.
Recently finished
A Gentle Axe and A Vengeful Longing by R.N. Morris
Dective Inspector Huss by Helene Tursten

Currently reading
Amberville by Tim Davys
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
Hard-boiled Sentimentality: The Secret History of American Crime Stories by Leonard Cassuto

[Mike Brown]

I just finished reading the Cutting Room by Louise Welsh I loved it.I'm just starting Highgate Rise by Anne Perry I love the old period detective books.I'm also reading Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell not really a fit for Crimespace I guess but the guys my favorite.He did write a mystery Gallows Thief that some might find interesting.

[I. J. Parker]

GALLOWS THIEF is a very good historical mystery set in 18th century England. My favorites are the Sharpe novels.

[I. J. Parker]

Well, I felt honor-bound to try a second Baantjer novel. It appears the DeKok series is enormous, and the author must be quite old (born in the 20's). To me, the books are "mysteries" in the literal sense of the word: they offer a puzzle for solution. Not my cup of tea. Apart from that, I have problems with unrealistic dialogue (no, not the translator's fault). The protagonist (they try to be police procedurals) simply doesn't ask the questions he should ask. Neither do suspects answer the way you'd expect them to answer. But then, these books never set out to be realistic police procedurals and may have slipped into English on the tail of the wave of recent outstanding Scandinavian mysteries.
And on that note: I just started Ake Edwardson's NEVER END. What a relief! This promises to be excellent in every way.

[Mike Brown]

I couldn't agree more I.J. I'm about half way through the Sharpe series and have loved each and every one.I also enjoy Edward Rutherfurd his "London" got me hooked and I've just finished The Rebels of Ireland.Anyone else I should be looking at?