Can you recommend a great read?

by | Jun 10, 2018 | One Writer's Journey | 20 comments

I’m heading up to our camp on Lake Superior at the end of the month, and I need to stock up on books. Can you recommend a great read (book name and author, brief description) — and tell me why you loved it? My preference is mystery and suspense but I’m open to suggestions (though I don’t enjoy sci-fi or paranormal).

Thanks in advance for commenting! Even if I don’t select the book you recommend, I’m going to make a list of them to share in a future post.

 

20 Comments

  1. Carol Balawyder
    Carol Balawyder on June 12, 2018 at 4:48 pm

    Two great books I read fairly recently are: The Perfect Nanny by Moroccan writer Leila Slimani. It won the French Goncourt Prize in 2016 and was just translated into English. I loved the style of writing and the way the author was able to reach deep into human emotions. It begins like this: “The baby is dead. It took only a few seconds.”
    Second book is by one of my favorite writers who just recently published another novel: The Only Story by Julian Barnes. This does not fit into mystery category but the love story between a young man and a much older woman is very touching and heartbreaking as well. And the writing is superbe!
    Have a happy holiday, Judy…

    • Judy Penz Sheluk
      Judy Penz Sheluk on June 12, 2018 at 5:28 pm

      Thanks Carol, I shall check them out! Love the opening line from the first book.

  2. Janice Richardson
    Janice Richardson on June 10, 2018 at 10:45 pm

    If you are looking for a bio/memoir – Veronica’s Bird by Veronica Bird and Richard Newman. Just starting but it is hard to put down, a young girl in a coal town in Britain rises to the top of her profession in the British Prison system.

    • Judy Penz Sheluk
      Judy Penz Sheluk on June 11, 2018 at 6:51 am

      Thanks Janice. I don’t read much in the way of memoir — but I am going to check it out.

  3. McCarthy Arlene
    McCarthy Arlene on June 10, 2018 at 8:31 pm

    Hi Judy, I recommend Windigo Fire by M.H. Callway. This mystery set in a small town in Northern Ontario has exactly what you want- crazy characters, plot twists, a child, a bear, aboriginal Canadians, hunters – need I say more?

    • Judy Penz Sheluk
      Judy Penz Sheluk on June 10, 2018 at 8:57 pm

      Thanks Arlene, I know Madeliene and have read some of her short stories. On the list!

  4. Haris Orkin
    Haris Orkin on June 10, 2018 at 4:16 pm

    Hey Judy, I’m currently reading The Informationist by Taylor Stevens. It features a great gritty eccentric female character in exotic and dangerous locales. Some have compared her to Lisbeth Salander, but Vanessa Michael Monroe feels pretty unique to me. I love the writing style.

    • Judy Penz Sheluk
      Judy Penz Sheluk on June 10, 2018 at 4:34 pm

      thanks Haris, I’ll check it out. Writing style really does make you love or hate a book, doesn’t it?

      • Gillian Hobbs
        Gillian Hobbs on June 12, 2018 at 3:39 pm

        Just read The Blue by Lucy Clarke. Published in 2015. It’s about two young women who join join five others on a yacht sailing from the Philippines to New Zealand. One crew member disappears. Interesting characters, great descriptions and very intriguing.

        • Judy Penz Sheluk
          Judy Penz Sheluk on June 12, 2018 at 3:41 pm

          Thanks Gillian, I’ll check it out!

  5. Susan Van Kirk
    Susan Van Kirk on June 10, 2018 at 4:03 pm

    Hi, Judy. I just finished Jane K. Cleland’s first Josie Prescott mystery. She has eleven more, so this is only the beginning. It is called Consigned to Death. It’s about a woman who is an antiques appraiser and seller, and the customer whose collection she is appraising is found murdered with her fingerprints on the knife. Mystery and a little romance. The pacing is spectacular.

    • Judy Penz Sheluk
      Judy Penz Sheluk on June 10, 2018 at 4:33 pm

      Thanks Susan. I’ve read all of Jane’s books — love them! She was kind enough to blurb A HOLE IN ONE for me…and I sat with her at Malice Domestic 2017 when she won the Agatha for Best Non-Fiction! That was quite a night for both of us.

  6. Grace Topping
    Grace Topping on June 10, 2018 at 2:37 pm

    I frequently recommend “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon, and not because of the TV series. I read it when it first came out and immediately continued with the rest of the series. It does have one tiny paranormal aspect in that the main character travels back to the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie, but other than that, it reads more like historical fiction. Excellent series. Enjoy your vacation.

    • Judy Penz Sheluk
      Judy Penz Sheluk on June 10, 2018 at 3:50 pm

      Thanks Grace. I know folks who love that series — I’m not really big on historical and don’t like much in the way of romance…I seem to remember someone telling me there was a lot of that in her books. But thanks for the suggestion!

  7. Karen Neary
    Karen Neary on June 10, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    Hi Judy! I recommend “A Certain Age” by Beatriz Williams. Not too much of a mystery but a fun read taking place in New York City during the Jazz Age. It’s stocked with glamour, crisp dialogue, and enough twists to keep you reading! Best wishes for a fun and restful visit to your camp!

    • Judy Penz Sheluk
      Judy Penz Sheluk on June 10, 2018 at 12:53 pm

      Thanks Karen. It sounds different than my usual reads — which is a good thing. Shall look into it more.

  8. Kelly Maxzucs
    Kelly Maxzucs on June 10, 2018 at 11:04 am

    An inconvenient lie by Michael Malone. A journey of emotional and physical abuse at the hands of a man’s new wife.