March 2018 Newsletter
Hi all,
Welcome to the March newsletter. Hopefully March brings in some better weather up here in Canada – been constant snow the past couple of months.
It’s one of those things that I don’t mind at first – heck I love it to be honest as it’s an excuse to sit at home with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book – but eventually it just wears me out.
Big thanks to everyone who contributed to last months mailbag where I asked for mailbag topic ideas. There was some great stuff in there and I’m good for mailbag topic ideas probably for a good few years now!
It was a solid reading month for me. I’m still stuck on that standalone thriller genre I mentioned last month and read a couple of solid books but I also started the Will Robie series by David Baldacci. I’ve only read the first one. Honestly not too hooked by it yet which is a shame as I used to love Baldacci.
However he’s one of those authors that I always found his standalone novels better. I’d tried the King/Maxwell, John Puller and Camel Club series and was never hooked yet I’ve read most of his standalones 2-3 times. Books like The Winner and Saving Faith were just tremendous and he always seemed like one of those authors who was better when he was motivated by a singular idea.
Here’s a quick link to the David Baldacci page if you want to read any of his standalones.
I’ve also brought back the “Top 10 Upcoming Books” section in the newsletter. it can be a bit of extra work so I’m not sure how often I’ll have it in here – just depends how the month is going I guess.
It was a feature I had in the early days of the newsletter and removed it and had a lot of people request it back. If there are any other ideas you have for the newsletter feel free to send them in!
Each month we give away 2 prizes to 2 random subscribers of $25 each in the form of Amazon gift certificates. To win all you have to do is be a subscriber. Nothing more! When we go to hit “Publish” we take a list of all of our subscribers, throw them into a random draw and those are the winners.
Our winners this month are Karen L from West Bend, WI and Joe H. from Hickory, NC. Both of you have been e-mailed. If you don’t see anything, check your junk folder or contact me.
Graeme
OrderOfBooks.com
Book Recommendations:
In this section I give 4-5 random book recommendations. They can be old books, they can be new. But either way – I recommend you read them if the type of genre they are in appeals to you. Feel free to e-mail suggestions to site@orderofbooks.com as many of the suggestions each month are from our readers. If you wish to add a description for the book around the same size as the ones below that’d be great too!
The Ranger by Ace Atkins: First book in the Quinn Colson series. Reader N. Stevenson sent the below: Colson is a former Army Ranger from Tibbehah County in northern Mississippi. In the first book he goes back to his small southern hometown to attend the burial of his uncle Hamp, the long-time sheriff of Jericho. Shenanigans abound. Atkins is a strong writer, capable of narrative fiction much deeper than the Quinn Colson series, most noticeable in “Crossroad Blues” his Nick Travers series. He occasionally flexes his literary muscles in The Ranger series (“I’m not shy, but I draw the line at pregnant teens” is one of Quinn’s early lines, and to me demonstrated Atkins’ ability to portray a strong moral character without blustering about Faulkner-like.) Colson is NOT Jack Reacher. Nothing he does is superhuman, and his lifestyle is unremarkable. Still, Atkins has created a strong protagonist, one the reader can’t help but admire. The cast of recurring characters is complex, a black woman deputy who was the captain of the Rifle Shooting Team at Ole Miss; a grizzled barber who served three tours in Vietnam; a fellow Afghanistan vet who lost an arm to an IED and struggles with drink but (with no schmaltz) makes his way back; an old high school girlfriend recognizable to every man who reads the series as THAT girl; a mother who worships Elvis; an estranged father who was a Hollywood stunt driver, most famous for the creek-jumping scene in Smoky and the Bandit; and a deliciously greasy-evil antagonist a generation past Quinn, who owns most of Jericho (including the strip club) and manages to make enough trouble to interest the FBI. A fun, well-written, engaging series.
The King’s Coat by Alan Lewrie: First book in the “Dewey Lambdin” series which is a combination of nautical and historical fiction. It’s not something I normally read it and I tried it out based on a readers recommendation and am enjoying them a lot. Something really different. Here’s the e-mail reader Jean wrote: The best series I read this year is the Alan Lewrie books by Dewey Lambdin. Alan progresses through the years from when he’s a young midshipman learning his trade at the end of a rope starter. He’s up to what, 21 books now? Anyway, I just finished the most recent one and can’t wait for the next. Starts with THE KING’S COAT just before the American Revolution and so far, Alan has made it to the middle of the Napoleonic Wars (Wellington is in Spain by the end of the most recent book). It’s Hornblower, but a bit more lively (note: lots and lots of adult situations), and an outline of all the major parts of a working sailing ship is in the front of most books, which I found very helpful. During the series, you get a glimpse of many of the major players like Nelson and Wellington, as well as some real life losers, and yes, they really did do stuff that stupid…history is fun!
Dead Even by Brad Meltzer: One of my favourite standalone authors is Brad Meltzer and I noticed he has a new standalone novel coming out this month. I can’t wait! he’s similar to Baldacci I find where his singular ideas are what trumps all when it comes to his writing. Dead Even is one such book where a husband and wife are battling in the courtroom, while outside the courts forces are pitting them against each other. Glancing at Amazon I see quite a few negative reviews so hey maybe I’m the crazy one, but I know I’m going to re-read it this month!
Filth by Irvine Welsh: One of my all time favourite books. If you’re not Scottish it may be a bit hard to understand with all of the Scottish slang and lingo used, but this is an incredible book and Irvine Welsh at his best. DS Bruce Robertson is the protagonist and he’s just an awful, awful person but someone you still want to root for even though the things he does is pure evil. And hey what other books have you read that have a tapeworm doing partial narration? In my opinion, it’s his best work.
March 2018 Book Of The Month
The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George.
The Inspector Lynley series began back in 1988 with A Great Deliverance and is still going strong 20 years later.
It’s an excellent series set in the UK and many of the novels have been adapted for the BBC series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. Always nice to read a book then see it play out.
In this one, the cozy and historic town of Ludlow is the place setting as one of its most respected citizens is accused of a major crime. He’s in police custody and ends up being found dead. Lyney and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers have to look into this and they realize that practically everyone in Ludlow has something to hide.
It’s a very popular series on your website and if you haven’t started it yet, then give it a try today. Click here.
10 Other Notable Books Being Released in March
Dead Men’s Trousers by Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting Series)
Caribbean Rim by Randy Wayne White (Doc Ford Series)
The Woman Left Behind by Linda Howard (Romantic Thriller)
Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh (Psychological Thriller)
The Friend by Teresa Driscoll (Psychological Thriller)
The Kremlin Conspiracy by Joel C. Rosenberg (Political Thriller)
The Disappeared by C.J. Box (Joe Pickett series)
To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs series)
The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer (Standalone Thriller)
Duel to the Death by J.A. Jance (Ali Reynolds series)
Your Thoughts:
Last month I asked you for reader mailbag topic ideas. The feedback is later in the newsletter and many will be used in the forthcoming months.
This month I am asking: what is your favourite autobiography/biography?
Autobiographies are always interesting to read. Probably my favourite autobiography is the Undisputed Truth by Mike Tyson. It was raw and without shame as Tyson opened up and it was amazing to read through it. One of my favourites.
Call me crazy but I also enjoyed Dustin Diamonds. Simply because I was a big Saved by the Bell fan growing up and so it was good to read about that. Plus that dude is messed up – so many stories were written just to try and give you the impression that Dustin was “cool”. Sad in its own way, but I found it added to my enjoyment as I couldn’t help laughing at this.
Most autobiographies I read are from sports stars primarily in the UK such as Paul Gascoigne, Andy Goram etc. Lots of good ones there. One of my favourites was probably “I Am The Secret Footballer”. That was such a cool story going on and quite enjoyable.
What are your favourite autobiographies/biographies?
E-mail us your feedback to site@OrderOfBooks.com or just reply to this e-mail, and we’ll pick the best comments and feature it in next months newsletter.