First, the usual quick update about my latest and greatest project, Book Notification, which now has over 43,000 authors audited and listed, nearly ten times the amount of authors on OOB.

Many OOB subscribers have signed up there and are using it and love being able to mark their books read, use the “What’s Next” feature etc. But one thing they missed was the description of a book series on each series or character page.

We recently hired a team to deal with that! You can see examples on the Michael Connelly page – with the aim to have a series description for every book series on there..

We also introduced stats, based on the data from Book Notification. We now list the highest rated and most read books for each author at the beginning. That way if you hear of a new author who has a good amount of books, you can use that as a guide for what book to check out first.

See it all at Book Notification.

An incredible response to the reader mailbag last month. Be sure to read that later in the newsletter. So many great responses.

April was a better reading month for me compared to previous months.

I started off the month by reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. My buddy Craig and I have a tradition of selecting a book each month that has a movie adaptation. We read the book together and then watch the movie.

Now I’ll be honest: I am not one for “prose”. You’ll never really see me mention it here in the newsletter, and when someone starts telling me about the “beautiful prose” in a book I zone out. I care a lot more about other aspects of it, such as the story. Often, a lot of those books that are known for their prose are books I find hard to read.

But wow, this book! The writing was poetic and absolutely beautiful. And to me, that’s what matters most. I don’t judge a book solely by its prose, nor do I judge an author solely by their verbiage and vocabulary. But you better believe when I see it in action, it really stands out and I respect it. Fantastic writing.

Overall, I thought the book was excellent, although I deducted a point for the ending. Both my friend and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie adaptation as well. It was a very good adaptation, and although it was primarily the same ending I actually liked the movie ending better.

What’s neat about our little “book club” of two is that others have expressed interest in it as they particularly enjoy the adaptation aspect of things. So the group is likely going to grow, and we’ll read the book, then get together, chat about it then watch the adaptation. Looking forward to doing that!

We’ve already selected the next two books for our reading and watching sessions: The Ritual by Adam Nevill, and A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.

I next read The Teacher by Freida McFadden. This is a psychological thriller. Addie is a high school student who was involved in a scandal the previous year involving a possible affair with another teacher. Eve is a math teacher, who is married to Nathaniel, and her marriage is a bit rocky. The connection between them? Nathaniel is also a teacher, who takes a shining to one particular student in his class – Addie.

This was a great book by Freida, which I read in just two sittings over the course of 24 hours. It goes at a very fast pace and is just non-stop. While things did get a bit far-fetched at times, there were quite a few unexpected twists that took me by surprise. If you’re a thriller fan, it’s well worth reading.

My daughter then came home with a copy of One By One by Freida so I decided to read that one as well. This was one of the best books Freida has ever written, and if you haven’t tried her but enjoy thrillers, go with this one. If you don’t like it, you won’t like the others by her I expect.

The story revolves around a group of friends planning a week-long stay at a fancy resort. However, on their way there, they get lost, and their minivan breaks down, leaving them stranded in the woods.

The premise is set up by an anonymous narrator, who states at the beginning of the book, ‘Only One of us will return alive’.

I read this book in one sitting; I couldn’t pull myself away. I’ve almost finished reading all of Freida’s books, and I’m feeling a bit sad about it. Not every book is a home run (a couple I’ve rated 1/10 and 3/10 on Book Notification), but I can’t deny that they are addictive and keep me hooked throughout.

My daughters book tastes are strongly influenced by what is popular on TikTok. So when we go to bookstores, she gravitates to the areas with those books. For the last 2 years, I’ve been intrigued by the book The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

I really knew nothing about this book. It has an eye-catching cover, and I went through that period of young adult series such as The Hunger Games and Divergent. It was probably the similar name to The Hunger Games that got me intrigued.

It’s the story of a teenage girl who is sleeping in her car. She is summoned to the principals office and whisked away to a mansion (which is an understatement) where she finds she is the heir to a billionaires fortune. However to earn the inheritance, she needs to stay in the same house as the family who got practically nothing from the billionaire.

I have to say, I enjoyed it a lot. It kept me guessing, it was an interesting story, and I just wish the puzzles were a bit more open to the reader as they play a big aspect in it, and it can be fun to play along. I’ll certainly continue to read this series.

I listened to The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda. Perhaps it’s just me, but I tend to avoid reading book descriptions if I can. I’m always wary of spoilers in them and I’ve seen quite a few books that have spoiled a plot twist or important aspect to the plot that doesn’t happen until halfway through the book.

However, after listening for an hour, I found myself needing to look up the description. All the characters kept alluding to an event that happened 10 years ago – and I was completely lost.

It wasn’t until I looked up the description that I understood – 10 years ago, their school bus had crashed and all of the classmates and teachers had died. Except for these seven people – who get together once per year on the anniversary of the accident.

Once I figured that out, I started enjoying the book a lot more. One aspect I particularly enjoy about audiobooks is how small details, like describing a beach, really help me visualize the book more than if I were reading it. One criticism I had was that none of the characters stood out significantly. They felt like different characters in name only and I didn’t connect to any of them at all.

The book itself was okay. Narrator did a great job, and I always respect any audiobook that keeps me hooked, especially when there is a slow burn to it such as this one. While Megan isn’t on my ‘blindly buy’ list, I’ll definitely read another book by her.

Funny thing related to that – I DID read the description for the book Portals, by Douglas E. Richards. This was a book I’ve had on my Kindle via Kindle Unlimited since October 2022. I couldn’t remember why I added it, so wanted to refresh my memory about the book. I also want to give a shoutout to Rich, who recommended the book to me two years ago. It’s always great to discover a gem based on a friend’s recommendation.

The description immediately talks about the plot of the book – which is about hidden portals which link Earth to numerous other planets, and these planets all contain humans. But here’s the weird thing: the portals don’t actually come into play until 37% into the book!

As the characters go about their business, unaware of what’s to come, you as the reader are left exasperated, thinking, ‘There are PORTALS! It’s in the title and description!’

I always find it strange when book descriptions reveal events that don’t occur until much later in the book. It’s a bit off-putting, as it feels like a spoiler. If the characters don’t know what is going on, then neither do I and I want to learn with them. It’s why I never watch movie trailers.

Portals was superb—I’ll write more about it in the recommendations section. It’s rare for me to do that for a book I’ve read, but I enjoyed it that much.

Continuing with the ‘thriller’ theme, I listened to Don’t Let Her Stay by Nicola Sanders. I’ll say this: the are playing fast and loose with the term “psychological thriller”. I know that’s the big buzz phrase these days, but this was not a thriller, and more domestic suspense.

The story of this one is a man named Richard, and his wife Joanne. They’ve recently had a baby, and Richard’s 20 year old daughter Chloe, who stopped talking to him when he announced he was marrying Joanne, has asked to come visit and see the baby sister. However when she comes back, she is just a horrific person to Joanne, and Richard can’t see it at all. She keeps doing things to mess with Joanne as well, and make it appear to Richard like she is losing her mind.

One aspect of books that I both love and hate is how they evoke emotional reactions. I was running along, listening to this book, and just absolutely furious at the way Chloe was treating Joanne, and how she was getting away with it. On one hand, I hated having those negative thoughts going on in my head. On the other hand – I really respect an author who makes you think in that manner.

Anyway – all the praise in the world to the narrator, Penelope Rawlins. I realized that I was having this emotional reaction purely due to her narration – the voices she was using for Chloe when she would speak to her dad compared to Joanne was perfection. After listening to it, I made sure to send her an email thanking her for such an incredible job. Always nice to do that.

She made a good book great.

I’m currently listening to Woman Last Seen, by Adele Parks, also known as Two Dead Wives, which my mum recommended. I’m a few hours in, and enjoying it so far. The story opens with a woman held captive, and then it alternates between past and present tense.

I’ve also started the latest novel by Michael Connelly, Resurrection Walk, and I’m about halfway through. It’s excellent as always.

On another book related note, the author Holly Jackson did a book tour for her new book The Reappearance of Rachel Price. She concluded the tour in Toronto, and I attended that event with my daughter, who is a big fan of Holly.

The event was entertaining, albeit way too short. They said it would be an hour long, with 15 minutes dedicated to public Q&A. It ended up being 40 minutes long total. I can’t fault them too much for that though; there was probably over a thousand people there, and practically all of them were getting their books signed afterwards.

If you’re interested in it, I recapped it over at Book Notification.

It’s sad to hear of the passing of C.J. Sansom, especially considering the timing with the Shardlake series being adapted and launching on Disney+ on May 1st. For historical fiction fans, his Matthew Shardlake series is well worth reading.

Each month we give away 5 $25 Amazon gift certificates to random subscribers. 

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:

Tony S. from Lenexa, KS
Ellen K. from Edgewood, KY
Cindy R. from Columbus, OH
Shari M. from Chula Vista, CA
Nomusa from Springs, GP, South Africa

All of you have been e-mailed. If you don’t see anything, check your junk folder or contact me.

Graeme
OrderOfBooks.com

Quotes of the Month

“Think not of the books you’ve bought as a ‘to be read’ pile. Instead, think of your bookcase as a wine cellar. You collect books to be read at the right time, the right place, and the right mood.”

– Luc van Donkersgoed

What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?”

– Angie Thomas (From The Hate U Give)

I Opened A Book by Julia Donaldson

(From Crazy Mayonnaisy Mum and submitted by Lisa)

I opened a book and in I strode
Now nobody can find me.
I’ve left my chair, my house, my road,
My town and my world behind me.

I’m wearing the cloak, I’ve slipped on the ring,
I’ve swallowed the magic potion.
I’ve fought with a dragon, dined with a king
And dived in a bottomless ocean.

I opened a book and made some friends.
I shared their tears and laughter
And followed their road with its bumps and bends
To the happily ever after.

I finished my book and out I came.
The cloak can no longer hide me.
My chair and my house are just the same,
But I have a book inside me.

Submit your own quotes; just hit reply. Book-related is great but happy to share non-book related too! Love seeing quotes from books!

Book Recommendations

In this section, I give 3-5 random book recommendations from readers of the newsletter. They can be old books, they can be new. Feel free to e-mail suggestions to me. Just hit reply. If you wish to add a description for the book around the same size as the ones below that’d be great too! 

Portals by Douglas E. Richards: This is the first novel I’ve read by Douglas E. Richards, and it certainly won’t be the last. It’s a sci-fi thriller that’s perfect for those seeking an ‘entry-level’ introduction to the genre. If you’re a fan of Dark Matter by Blake Crouch for example, you should love this one.

It takes place in the future, where there are all these hidden portals on Earth that can transfer people to other planets. These planets are also just like Earth. Eerily so, actually. The protagonists are Noah Harris and Ashley Flynn, two field agents working for a very powerful organization trying to protect the world against your regular everyday evil person. Now, they have to contend with people from another planet as well?

I can be very picky when it comes to sci-fi. My mind can’t wrap its head around the likes of spaceships and galactic battles and all that. I thought Douglas E. Richards did a fantastic job here, both in the action and writing. He explained everything in a believable way.

Table for Two by Amor Towles: This is a short story collection by Amor Towles, famous for A Gentleman in Moscow. I really enjoyed the short story he wrote, You Have Arrived At Your Destination as part of the “Forward Collection”.

Recommended by Fran, here is what they wrote:

“Table For Two has 6 short stories and a Novella that is suppose to be a continuation of his first book, Rules Of Civility. To entice you more the short stories are (1) a Russian peasant who stands in line (2) a Forger who gets the tables turned on him (3) A Pompous A– who turns in someone taping a concert (4) a drunk in a bar (5) an older gentleman’s secret life and (6) How to leave one valuable painting to 4 children. I guarantee you will be fascinated”.

Red Widow Series by Alma Katsu: A recommendation from Keith, who listened to the first book in this series. Here is what he wrote:

““A Russian mole in the CIA” has been a popular plot device since James Jesus Angleton’s witch hunts of the 1960’s. Author Alma Katsu devises a fresh take on the theme in her novel “Red Widow”. Voice actress Mozhan Marnò does a commendable job keeping the various characters sorted, giving each a unique voice and appropriate accent. It’s a difficult task, given that there are multiple story lines that twist, intersect and finally converge – with multiple characters spread across the globe.”

“Overall, it’s a satisfying tale of devious actions layered with lies in a world where no one can be trusted. I really enjoyed this one, and have the sequel (“Red London”) queued up to be read soon.”

Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera: This one was recommended by Linda, and it’s a standalone novel. Linda wrote:

“I have never heard of her or this book, but am so glad it beckoned me. It is about a podcaster who tries to solve murder cases when the police cannot. It is excellent. I highly recommend it to your readers who like a good mystery with believable characters.”

That book received a lot of praise, with Stephen King describing it as a “world-class whodunit”, and Good Morning America making it a book club pick.

Ernest Cunningham Series by Benjamin Stevenson: Erin wrote in to recommend Benjamin and this series. I love his book titles in this series. They are:

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
Everyone on This Train is a Suspect
Everyone this Christmas Has a Secret

Just the type of titles that really jump out at you. The first novel in the series is described as “Knives Out and Clue meet Agatha Christie and The Thursday Murder Club“. It’s about a family reunion at a ski resort, where all the family members have apparently killed someone, and is a mix of mystery and comedy.

Reviews do seem to be a bit mixed, but it sounds like an interesting book with a new twist on the whodunit genre.

May Book Of The Month

Think Twice by Harlan Coben: This is not a drill. I repeat – this it not a drill. This is real.

Myron Bolitar is back!

We last saw Myron in Home in 2016, and now 8 years later he is finally returning.

Our favourite sports agent put his client, Greg Downing, to rest three years ago. He even gave a eulogy at the funeral.

And now the FBI have shown up at Myron’s door, stating that Greg is still alive, and has apparently commited a double homicide.

Time for Myron and Win to find out what exactly is going on!

I can’t wait. One of my favourite series.

10 More Notable Books Releasing in May

And don’t forget Brought to you by BookNotification.com where you can get updated on all the upcoming books by your favourite authors with your own personalized calendar!

May Charities

While I appreciate all offers of donations to show your appreciation for the site and newsletter, I’d much rather you do that by supporting some great causes.  Each month I pick a few select charities broken down by our most popular countries or topics that you can support instead.   Thanks!

Reading Is Fundamental
Affirmations Community Center
Streetwise
Compassion International

I rotate this list each month.  Feel free to suggest a favourite charity – hit reply.

Pictures of the Month:

Submitted by Vince

Submitted by Cathi

Submitted by Donna.

Send in your own to site@orderofbooks.com or by replying! Images, jokes, etc. We’ll take it all! Bit of a backlog but working my way through it.

Your Thoughts!

Last month I asked ‘how you read. Physical, ebook, audio?”. The replies are later in the newsletter.

This month, the question is:

“How and where do you read?”

By that I mean – do you listen to audiobooks or read books on your commute? Relax in a rocking chair with a cuppa? In bed at night? Out back on the front porch? Do you have a reading nook or corner in your house?

Where do you do the majority of your reading, and when?

For me – my premium time for reading is in the hot tub. It’s why January and February I don’t read as much – because the weather gets too cold here in Canada. But there’s nothing I love more than popping into the hot tub at night with a couple of beers and a snack (depending on my remaining calorie allowance for that day!) and getting lost in a book.

I also am a long distance runner, and I listen to audiobooks when running. Half marathons fly by, as I am too engrossed in a thriller to even pay attention to the times or distance. It also makes me so glad I embraced audiobooks a few years ago, as it feels like I am “sneaking in” reading time and I love it.

Other than that, I enjoy getting up to bed nice and early, and getting 30-45 minutes of reading in until I fall asleep. Of course – that often backfires and I’m up hours past my bedtime, telling myself repeatedly “just one more chapter”.

And other than that I’ve always got my Kindle on me whenever we go anywhere. I’ve learned to embrace trips to the mall with my daughter. Sure you can go shop for the next 3 hours – I’ll just go grab a coffee and read in a comfortable chair. Take as long as you want!

What about you? How and where do you read?

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 month’s newsletter.  Five people will also randomly win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.

Reader Mailbag!

Click here to read.

Order of Books » Newsletter » OrderOfBooks May 2024 Newsletter

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