twhvlr

I absolutely love the Andy Carpenter series by David Rosenfelt. I used to listen to them on my commute to and from work but am retired now so haven’t listened to the last 5 or 6.

Iceblossom

Wow Mawmaw, Charles Martin looks like a good new to me author! The Water Keeper should be to me in under a month -- I get my books for free from the library for the most part so sometimes there are time delays.

Twvhir -- I'm another big fan of the Andy Carpenter books. Actually I have a love/hate relationship with Andy but I enjoy the books so I am caught up on them and his related series.

From the other thread I became a big fan of the Chet and Bernie books by Spencer Abrams, where "Chet the Jet" is the canine half of the Little detective agency.

beckyboo1

I am glad to see a book thread again! I don't listen to audio books but enjoy seeing what everyone else is reading. I've reading some spicy romance books lately, and also the Will of the Many and the Strength of the Few. They were both good but very long. Also, I read a freebie from Amazon called Snake Eater by T Kingfisher. Was fun but would only give 4 out of 5 stars. Currently I'm reading Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil about 3 vampire women from different eras. Loving it so far.

b.zang

The only audio books I seem to manage are biographies, maybe because I'm not trying to follow a story but just listening to someone talk about their life in vignettes. I really enjoyed Prince Harry's "Spare" because he narrated it, and Anderson Cooper's "The Rainbow Comes and Goes" because it was more of a conversation between a mother and her son rather than a story. I always have at least three books on-the-go. One e-book beside the bed, one e-book by the couch for midnight bouts of insomnia, and one physical book beside my chair. When I'm in the mood for an audio book, it joins the lineup during sewing time.
I'm on Goodreads and like to challenge my reading choices by trying to achieve reading challenge badges besides meeting my yearly reading goal. Exploring titles within the badges takes me out of my usual comfort reading and I've been lucky to have made good choices so far. I recently joined an online bookclub through my alma mater and loved the first book ("A Pair of Wings" by Carole Hopson but the current one hasn't grabbed me yet ("Etta and Otto and Russell and James" by Emma Hooper.
If you are interested in comparing books, look me up on Goodreads. I'm always looking for recommendations.

Iceblossom

A few random thoughts and comments --

Jennr8r, I looked up your suggestion but I do not have it available as audio. Too bad.

PTquilts, I love Wodehouse and have often genuinely lol (loudly even) many times. There was one story I remember about a country weekend and it wasn't Bertie Wooster but one of his friends and a dead cat and much merry mayhem and shouts in the night The British TV series with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry was most excellent! For those who didn't discover Hugh before he became House, you have a different side to see.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeeves_and_Wooster

Not quite the same but in the category of "funny period ensemble comedies with heavy accents", the stories of Damon Runyon are also hilarious. So far I haven't found much audio, but for you book readers it is there if you can navigate the lingo. Damon is pretty much unknown now except for the musical Guys and Dolls but he was big and his characters identifiable. The Frank Sinatra/Marlon Brando version is a classic but if you watch now it seems very slow paced because it is essentially a stage show on film and we have become educated as media views to expect the rapid cuts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damon_Runyon

Bear -- I've been doing some Rita Mae.

I'm just finishing up another Caroline Fraser book before I move on to the Stilt House -- Prairie Fires, the Pulitzer prize winning biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/caroline-fraser

I knew a lot of the real story, and I knew quite a bit about Rose -- but not like I do now! Last summer?? I read a biography of Charmian London (Jack London's 2nd wife/widow) by Iris Dunkle where Rose was definitely cast as a villain in her life...
https://www.oupress.com/978080616713...tredge-london/

LogCabin82

I prefer holding real books versus ebooks, but I’m finding for practical reasons, sometimes I just have to take the kindle with me to reduce bulk in my bag, as some books are real heavy.

cashs_mom

I don't read ebooks because a lot of my reading is before bed and I like to limit my screen time before I sleep. I also just like the feel of a book in my hands. If I have some appts to go to and no handwork that I can take along, I usually take a small paperback. I'm know to be reading 2 books at a time so it works for me.

Onebyone

Are there any books written in the last few years destined to be classics in the future? I'm so tired of reading books written on the general 8th grade level. Where is the new Austin, Tolstoy, Tolkien, Alcott, Eliot, Wharton, Steinbeck......... I don't expect another Shakespeare, never cared for his works. LOL I do read books for fun and a fast read like Harry Potter, now those are fun reads. I have read all the 100 classics on all the lists so finding more is hard. So far none have come close.

ptquilts

Have you tried books by Ernest Hebert? His are written well, I like a book that makes you think. Don't be put off by the subject matter (rural lower-class families).

I also like the Neely Trilogy, by T. R. Pearson. His writing style is not for everyone, but I love it.
"The Neely trilogy by T.R. Pearson refers to
a set of Southern Gothic novels set in the fictional town of Neely, North Carolina. The series, published in the mid-1980s by Linden Press, consists of A Short History of a Small Place (1985), Off for the Sweet Hereafter (1986), and The Last of How It Was (1987").
These books are in my "kept" bookcase and I do go back and read them over again. Each one is hilarious and yet tragic at the end.

ptquilts

I am reading one now, "Did ye hear Mammy died?" by Seamas O'Reilly, a memoir of life as one of 11 kids in Northern Ireland. Very funny, if you liked Angela's Ashes, I think you would like this.