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My Summer Reading: New 2021 Books

 I am sorry that I have not managed visiting all of my favorite blogs recently. I hope to rectify this ASAP! And I mean it! 

It seems that my reading summer will be composed of very recently published books. That's how things are shaping up right now and how my interest is leading me. 2021 books rock!

Today I finished Stacey Abrams's suspense thriller While Justice Sleeps. I really enjoyed it, though I must confess that political thriller is not a genre I ever read. I was eager to read it because I think so highly of Stacey Abrams and her work for voting rights, and I followed her unfortunately failed bid to become governor of Georgia, and her unflagging work in the Democratic Party. So how intriguing, and how interesting is it that she had a suspense thriller on the burner--a labor of love for over 12 years, mind you--that was just published in early June?  I don't think my brain was totally prepared for all the twists and turns in this incredible novel, but I rode along with it all the same. It's on the bestseller list. And I will say that I read it because I admire Stacey Abrams so much, I was dying to see what her thriller was like. Recommended! 


 

Right now I'm in the midst of an acclaimed new Gothic thriller, Madam by Phoebe Wynne. I'm only 40 pages in, but I've been called, and Wynne is ingenious at unsettling the reader right from the first. The setting is northeast of Edinburgh, at an exclusive boarding school for girls, where nothing is right or as it should be. The young, naive protagonist is top of her game as a teacher of the Classics, but good teaching is not what is required of an instructor here. The setting of the school--it's set on a peninsula that juts out into the sea. Very Gothic. FUN. 

15 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Hi Terra,
      It was indeed a very good work in the Gothic genre, I thought. Original.

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  2. I love Stacey Abrams as well and have this on my TBR. I was also surprised that Jake Tapper has a few political thrillers - my husband suggested we try one of his as well.
    I like the sound of Madam, I hadn't heard of that one.

    I just finished a wonderful book that comes out next month: Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard. I only read a few chapters a day as I did not want it to end. It's a story that will resonate with many women our age especially IMO. It takes place over a 20 year period beginning in the 80s in NH. It's about young love, marriage, children, and how our lives change often in unanticipated ways. The nuances and all the little details, the music of the period and events that took place in the country during that period were beautifully captured - no review yet but, rarely does a story impact me like this one did. (I hope you add it to your summer fare.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Diane,
      I just placed a hold on Count the Ways at the library, based on your comments.
      Can't wait to read it!

      Delete
  3. I also just read and reviewed While Justice Sleeps. I enjoyed it but found it a little glib - everything moved along so predictably. It reminded me of The DaVinci Code but with a heroine. I gave it to my sister for her birthday because the new Jane Casey is still on its very slow way from the UK.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would say that I agree that aspects of the plot moved a little too seamlessly, but the plot's complexities, if they were to become more complex, might have necessitated a 500+ page book.
      I never read The Da Vinci Code. In addition, political thrillers are not really my thing, though I was glad to read Abrams's.
      The new Jane Casey??? Do Tell!

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  4. Replies
    1. Madam was an excellent modern Gothic novel. Many redeeming qualities. And most modern Gothics I am not all that enamored with, so my thumbs up is saying a lot.

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  5. I have read and/or purchased more newly published books in 2020 and 2021 than ever before, but I still prefer to read older books, not just vintage mysteries but books from the 1980s and 90s. I do find myself reading more varied books in the last year but still mainly crime fiction.

    And since I am gardening more in the spring / summer weather I have less time for reading and blogging than I like.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, Tracy, I'm so glad you're getting out and enjoying your gardening!
      I, too, like older novels, but I think the post-Covid period has put me in the mood for indulging NEW, NEW, NEW BOOKS!
      I guess that's where I am at the moment.

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  6. I'm intrigued by Madam. I wonder if the setting is fictional or she based it on an actual place, so I'll see if I can get a copy. It's good to see you back!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Katrina,
      The setting is based on an actual castle in an actual coastal setting to the northeast of Edinborough. In the Acknowledgments at the end of the book, the author names the castle that inspired her.

      Delete
  7. I love the boarding school genre, so Madam sounds perfect. And Gothic, Scotland will be icing on the cake.

    I'm just now catching up on my favorite blogs as well. Summer is like that!

    Happy reading.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jane,
      This sounds like the book for you! Based on the gothics I've read in the past five years, this one was better than mediocre, which, actually, is saying a great deal. It will be a treat for you.
      And happy summer reading to you, too, Jane!

      Delete
  8. Wow, I didn't know Stacey Abrams had written a thriller! Where did she find the time? :) Like you, I'm not generally interested in political thrillers, but I do admire her work, so I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed it and that it's on the bestseller list. Maybe I'll give it a try!

    ReplyDelete

 
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