Hey everyone! First of all, thank you so much for being so kind and supportive with my post last week regarding the passing of my friend, Nan. It's hard to think you won't be able to share things with a friend who has been your friend for such a long time. However, she would be so, so touched by how many people in the blogging/reading world loved her, remembered her, and will miss her. She was a good, good soul.
The picture I've posted here is from our trip to Yellowstone recently. I'm planning on having another post on Friday with more pictures. We had a great time and I'll share just a few of these. A couple of animals, some wildflowers, and some other places that we stopped and looked and were amazed.
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I read 6 books during the month of September. Three of these were rereads and three were new to me. I'm not going to write reviews of them, but I will say a little bit about a few.
My favorite of the bunch was the new addition to the Cormoran Strike mystery series by Robert Galbraith. It's called The Hallmarked Man and is the 8th book in that series. A long, long book with over 900 pages. Took a bit of time to read (and listen to as I did a read/listen), but I did enjoy it a lot and loved catching up with Strike and Robin. Who knows when the next one will come out? I'll be waiting though.
I also read the book that the mystery book group that I attend will be discussing for our October meeting (which will be tomorrow evening). That one was The Art Thief by Michael Finkel. I will admit that I'm not a big reader of non-fiction and also not a big fan of 'true crime' books. However, this one was interesting. I did get a bit weary of hearing about how the thief's mother enabled him in many ways to go on 'acquiring' his art for years and years. He was a talented thief. Will be curious how our discussion goes.
I also read the first two books in the Inspector Lynley mystery series by Elizabeth George. The titles are A Great Deliverance and Payment In Blood. These were both rereads, but it had been a really long time since I read them for the first time. The latest book in the series, the 22nd I think, was published in September. It's A Slowly Dying Cause. I'd been thinking about whether to reread the series (I've only read 6 of the books so far) or whether to jump in to the latest. Still on the fence a bit about that. I have watched the two TV adaptations. The newest one of those came out recently with a new cast. As one might expect, it's a bit different from the previous adaptation. And both are a bit different from the books. I actually like both, so I think I'll continue to watch if there are more TV shows and I might think about reading one a month in the series. Have you read any of these books or watched either of the TV adaptations?
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And now we are into October. This year is passing quickly or so it seems. This time of year I usually tend to read some 'spooky' books, so we'll see how my reading goes in that regard. Hope all of you have a good week and I'll have a 'Waiting on Wednesday' post that will indeed include a 'spooky'-sounding book that I'd like to try. Will probably have my Yellowstone pictures up on Friday. Take care and enjoy your 'Fall' reading.
Can't wait to see more of your Yellowstone pics! I haven't been there since I was a kid. And I can't believe it's already October. The year is going by fast. I love autumn, but an not looking forward to the cold and snow of winter. Have a great week. :D
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lark! I'm not the biggest fan of autumn, but I know that others love it. Spring is my favorite. :-)
DeleteI read The Art Thief and enjoyed it though agree that his mother got more than a bit tiresome. The fate of the paintings still haunts me a bit. I imagine it will be a fascinating discussion. It is so sad to lose a friend. That's when you discover just how much a part of your life they were I think.
ReplyDeleteKatherine, glad to know that you read The Art Thief. And I agree that the fate of those art pieces is sad. I also appreciate you kind thoughts.
DeleteI've always wanted to go to Yellowstone, so excited to see your pictures! The Art Thief does sound like an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteI think Yellowstone is worth the trip. Maybe you guys can go at some point. Yes, The Art Thief was interesting. I listened to it on audio and that was a pretty good way to experience the story.
DeleteI worked in Yellowstone in the summer of 1975, and so it's always been my happy place. I look forward to seeing more of your pictures.
ReplyDeleteDeb, how fun that you got to work at Yellowstone for a summer. Bet you have some happy memories of that time. :-)
DeleteLovely photo from your trip to Yellowstone, Kay. Oh, how I loved our trip there (and to the Tetons) last fall. I would go back in a heartbeat!
ReplyDeleteOoh, a new Galbraith book! I haven't read all of them, but we do enjoy the TV series. Not sure if we're caught up on those or not.
I've never read any of Elizabeth George's books, but we have the new adaptation of Inspector Lynley in our queue. Lots of good programs to watch this fall!
Les, I hope you guys do get to go back to the Yellowstone area. It is certainly beautiful. I've really liked the Strike/Robin books and have also liked the TV series. Just long waits between books. Sigh - ha! I did like the new TV adaptation of the Lynley characters, but different from the books the previous. We'll see how it goes in the future. Wonder how many more she will write. I'm reading the 3rd right now. And, yes, good things to try this fall on TV.
DeleteI also read The Art Thief. Gave it 3.5 stars. I'm always intrigued with art heists but felt pretty much the same about his mom. Love the Yellowstone pic. Beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteMary
Thanks, Mary. Yes, Yellowstone is definitely a beautiful park. Our discussion of The Art Thief was interesting. A couple really liked it, some did not like it, and some were kind of in the middle like we were. Good discussion though.
DeleteWe did quite a few "great western adventures" in the years prior to Covid, but never managed to get to Yellowstone. I still want to get there. Beautiful photo!
ReplyDeleteThe Art Thief has been on my tbr list for a while, but I don't seem to be in much of a hurry to read it. Has you group met for the discussion yet? I'd be curious to hear how they liked it.
JoAnn, we did meet for discussion of The Art Thief. It was quite a talk. Some liked the book, some did not, some sort of fell into the middle ground (that was where I was). As you likely know, those type of discussions are often the most fun and interesting. I will say that a few of us talked about how we are not big fans of 'true crime'. Give us fiction crime. Hope you guys get to go to Yellowstone!
DeleteI miss Nan a lot; I wish I could tell her about my new cat, because she loved cats too. It is good that so many other bloggers have had good experiences with her also and she is remembered.
ReplyDeleteMy goodness you read long books. I have a couple of long fantasy novels (that Cath introduced to me) that I will be reading in the next year or two, but other than that I try to go for shorter books. I would probably be reading more of the Galbraith series if they were half as long
Tracy, I agree about Nan. I think she would have been very surprised to know that so many people loved her and are missing her. She will definitely be remembered.
DeleteI do read long books at times. Not always, but sometimes that's what the author writes - ha! They don't work well for everyone though. You read a bunch of things, Tracy, even if they are not 900+ pages long. LOL