November RandomKIT - City

For November RandomKIT, read a book with 'city' in the title, or the name of any city in the title.

I'm not sure if I'll manage this month's challenge or not, but if I do I'm hoping to get to Gareth Lewis' Tales of the Thief-City. I'm trying - slowly - to read at least one book each by people I know through various writing groups, and this is another of those. It's not my usual sort of thing at all, but I've heard good things about this one.

I am going to be reading The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit.

I was already planning on reading Jade City next month, so this is perfect timing and planning for me :)

I'll be listening to George Eliot's Middlemarch, read by Juliet Stevenson. This is a re-read for me and also is for the Victorian Tavern Q4 group read-along: https://www.librarything.com/topic/344994#

I think I will read Amsterdam by Ian McEwan.

I've been meaning to re-read Autumn in Carthage by Christopher Zenos for some time. Perhaps now is that time.

I was already planning to read The Last Rose in Shanghai by Weine Dai Randel for 2 other Cats I so might as well make it 3.

I would like to do a re-read of Peyton Place and then donate the book.

>6 marell: I read that earlier in the year. I found it very readable.

Not sure for this one. will mull...

>10 Helenliz: Thank you for that. The book was among a box of books given to me by an uncle and it’s been on my shelf awhile.

>8 clue: loved that book!

I have a few that would work for this:

The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen
The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene

There are probably more but I'll choose one of these three.

>4 whitewavedarling: Oooh, I LOVE Jade City!

>1 majkia: I need to read The Happiest Little Town by Barbara Hannay for review. Can I pretty please use the word 'town' as a substitute for city? I know it isn't the same thing, so no worries if not within the parameters.

>15 JayneCM: oh, sure. why not. rules are made to be broken. ;)

>16 majkia: Thank you!

I'll plan on this one for sure (it's a Netgalley book):
City Under One Roof / Iris Yamashita

Also thinking this (it also fits AlphaKIT):
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief / Lawrence Wright

I think I'll read the graphic novel of City of Glass by Paul Auster.

I've just finished Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York, a rare-for-me foray into true crime.

I just finished Christmas in Bath in the Brides of Bath series by Cheryl Bolen.

I ended up changing to The Last Bookshop In London.

I am reading Private London by James Patterson for this challenge.

I completed The Stillwater Girls which was billed as a psychological thriller--but not so much! Stillwater is a city in New York.

I finished Amsterdam by Ian McEwan.

I read Seneca Falls Inheritance by Miriam Grace Monfredo. Seneca Falls is in New York state.

I read The Great Fire of London, a Penguin Little Black Classic which contains extracts from the diaries of Samuel Pepys.

Reminder: 2023 Category Challenge is up and running, looking for hosts for CATS and KITS. Swing on over if interested.

I have completed my read of The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit. The author chose to use first person plural to tell this story and although it was quite effective, I did find I was quite tired of it by the end of the book.

I re-read a favourite: Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg
When Mr Singh, a newspaper delivery person, arrives with the paper for a well-known radio personality he expects the usual repartee, instead he is greeted by his customer with bloodied hands claiming that he "killed her". But the problem is, he won't speak to anyone, including his attorney or the police. Detective Ari Greene must work with defense and prosecution to try and find out what happened.

Excellent writing, well-developed characters, and a strong sense of place, brought together by the Stanley Cup playoffs where Toronto's team, the Maple Leafs have a chance at the cup (in their dreams!) this is an intriguing mystery, enhanced by courtroom drama. Rotenberg has worked as a criminal defence lawyer based in Toronto since the 1990s so his legal knowledge is solid.

The title comes from Toronto's old city hall that was re-purposed as a court house. This is the first in a series that I read in 2009 and enjoyed so much that it deserved a revisit.

>30 VivienneR: Thanks for the reminder about Robert Rotenberg! I'd read three from this series and need to get back to it. In fact, after I'd read Old City Hall a few years ago, I was motivated to visit Old City Hall during one of Toronto's "Open Doors" events. I'm going to Toronto next week for a business trip and that will be a perfect time to reacquaint myself with the darker side of the city with one of Rotenberg's books. :)

>31 mathgirl40: I intended to get back to the series too and then thought it a good idea to go back to the beginning. I enjoyed this one just as much the second time around.

Have a great visit to Toronto. My visits have all been fleeting, no time to do much.

I'll be reading Jacqueline in Paris I enjoyed another by Ann Mah Mastering The Art of French Eating a few years ago and have always intended to read more of her work. And I'm always on board for a book set in Paris!

>33 beebeereads: I started this but an ILL came in for me and switchec over. I look forward to getting back to it.

I have read The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel.

Shadowseer: London by Morgan Rice is the first in a 5 book series. I like the world building and the mystery aspect, too.

The December thread is up.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/345838

I have completed Death in Venice by Thomas Mann.

>32 VivienneR: The coincidences are too uncanny! After our conversation about Robert Rotenberg, I decided to pick up Stray Bullets. The book begins with a random shooting on a gloomy mid-November day at a doughnut shop that is just a few blocks from the conference I'll be attending. Should I be worried? 😅

Read: elleve dage i Berlin by håkan nesser.
A quick read about Arne and Beate, who are both, in their own ways, outsiders. Arne is in Berlin to find his long lost mother, and being a bit slow, this is a major adventure. He ends up seeing ghosts, travel through time and space, sabotage an evil plot, and get a girlfriend (Beate). Reads a bit like a more understated Jonas Jonasson novel.

>39 mathgirl40: Uh oh, praying for your safety! LOL!

>39 mathgirl40: Oh yes, be worried! Rotenberg knows the city so well he must have inside information. Practice ducking under the table just to be safe! I love coincidences like that!

Stray Bullets is next up for me.

I just finished listening to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. Until I listened to the author's notes at the end, I didn't realize that Troublesome Creek is an actual place in Kentucky.

I have finished Rendevous in Paris by Vicki Baum.

>43 dudes22: I think it is interesting that the "blues" were an actual family with the genetic trait. When our book club read this book, some of the members of the group thought that was a fictitious part of the story. I did some online research about the genetic trait and it was fascinating to learn about. I had not heard about it until I read the book. I also have several other books about the packhorse librarians in Kentucky. Try this one: Down Cut Shin Creek. There is also a follow up book The Book Woman's Daughter. (My hubby is from Kentucky, so I took a special interest in the topic.)

>45 LadyoftheLodge: - The author's notes at the end also had that information about the genetic trait. And there's already a wait for the sequel so it will have to wait until next year.

I read the excellent Golden Hill: A Novel of Old New York by Francis Spufford. It paints a vivid picture of Manhattan in 1746!

City Under One Roof / Iris Yamashita
3.5 stars

Amy, a teenager in a small Alaska town, finds a couple of body parts that have washed up on shore. Cara, a police officer from Anchorage, comes to help figure out what happened. Cara comes with secrets of her own. Unfortunately after she arrives, so does a blizzard, trapping everyone with no way out. A third POV in the book is Lonnie, someone with mental disabilities, who takes care of a resident moose.

I liked the story, but I didn’t like Lonnie’s chapters; I found them quite confusing (I guess since her mind is confused, this “fit”, but I didn’t find it good reading. The thriller part of the book didn’t grab me like many do, but again, I did still like the story. I liked Cara and her background and storyline. Amy’s story and background was pretty interesting, too. There were definitely some odd characters and stories (in addition to Lonnie). I wonder if there was some setup for a second book, though?

I read London Rules by Mick Herron.
Another terrific book featuring the group of MI5 screwups known as slow horses who have been relegated to the backwater of Slough House. Whether at Regent's Park or Slough House everybody follows the unwritten London Rules and Rule #1 is to "cover your arse". IT whiz Roddy Ho has an unshakeable belief that he is super cool, after all "the Rodster" has a girlfriend. Roddy should have remembered rule #1. Meanwhile second in command at Regent's Park "Lady Di" Taverner is just waiting for first desk Claude Whelan to make a slip so that she can quickly step into his shoes, that she believes should have been hers anyway. This modern spy series is brilliant, concerned with serious contemporary issues, while being laugh-out-loud funny and without resorting to slapstick (even considering a unique murder weapon here). As usual Jackson Lamb is his delightfully repugnant self, but still the most irresistible character.

I noticed I've given all Herron's books 4.5 stars but I believe for sheer entertainment value he deserves more so this one gets the full 5 stars. My biggest concern is that I will soon read the entire series to date and have to wait for Herron to write more.

I finished Tales of the Thief-City by Gareth Lewis and was surprised how totally immersed I got in this fantasy world. It was a great read.

>49 VivienneR: I'm looking forward to starting this series next year. I had a copy of Slow Horses a few years ago but gave it to someone as a gift, and didn't buy a replacement until I saw your reviews earlier this year.

>49 VivienneR: - I took a BB from Judy for the first book 4 years ago. Now your review has convinced me I need to move it up the list.

>49 VivienneR: and >52 dudes22: And that's a series I need to get back to! It has gotten overlooked since I read the first one, but I need to get it back in the rotation!

>51 clue: Well, that was a lucky person getting Slow Horses as a gift! I hope you get yourself the same gift. I'd never heard of Mick Herron but fortunately saw some of his books on Overdrive.

>52 dudes22: Oh yes, definitely move it up!

>53 DeltaQueen50: It's so difficult to stay on track with series, but this is one to remember.

>53 DeltaQueen50: - >54 VivienneR: - ok! I'm adding it to the potential list I have started.

I am reading City Boy by Herman Wouk. I hope I can finish it today.

I have finished Sixteen ways to defend a walled city and my thanks to all who praised it. It's wonderful.

Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief / Lawrence Wright
3.5 stars

This is a detailed look at the history of Scientology, including a biography of its founder, L. Ron Hubbard.

The author talked to many people who have left Scientology, as well as a few still involved, but many who are still involved wouldn’t be interviewed. Given its close ties to various celebrities, there is much discussion of some of the celebrities who are involved. The book was published in 2013, so that’s that same time and before a couple of the other books I’ve read on Scientology (one written by Jenna Miscavige-Hill, the niece of the current leader of the religion/cult, and another written by actress Leah Remini). Miscavige-Hill was already running a website that is mentioned a few times in this book, though. The “church” (cult?) is plagued with accusations of human rights abuses, assaults, etc.

This was mostly interesting, but there were times (mostly within Hubbard’s biography section of the book) where I just couldn’t focus. I think I find the personal stories the most interesting (including the other books I’ve read), though this is a very well-researched detailed account. It’s pretty scary, though, that journalists, people who have left, etc, anyone who says anything against Scientology appear to be harassed, and in some cases, even framed for crimes they didn’t commit!