The Books I'm Reading Now
I'm reading a recently published Western by Elizabeth Crook, The Madstone ; I'm reading David Grann's literary journalism, Killers of the Flower Moon; and I'm listening to The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, the first installment in Shannon Chakraborty's series about a saucy female pirate.
What are you reading these days, bookworms?
01 The Madstone by Elizabeth Crook
It's 1868 in Texas, and a vanished stagecoach (with a fortune inside) holds unexpected passengers including pregnant Nell and her four-year-old son, Tot, who are fleeing from Nell's abusive husband.
When nineteen-year-old Benjamin Shreve encounters Nell, he determines to shepherd Nell and Tot to safety. But their trip to the Gulf of Mexico is fraught with danger--and Nell's husband and his murderous brothers may be hot on their tails.
I received a prepublication edition of this book, published November 7, courtesy of NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company.
You might also like the titles on my Greedy Reading List Six Great Historical Fiction Stories Set in the American West and Six More Great Historical Fiction Stories Set in the American West.
02 Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
David Grann's true-crime story is having a resurgence in popularity because of the recent motion picture version of the story.
In 1920, the most wealthy people per capita in the whole world were the members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma, due to the value of the oil discovered on Osage land.
But one by one, the Osage began to be killed under mysterious circumstances. Every Osage was a potential target--and many of those who risked investigating the deaths were killed as well.
The newly formed FBI looks into the case, with its young director J. Edgar Hoover turning to a former Texas Ranger, Tom White, to head up the group trying to figure out the mystery, revealing a horrifying conspiracy.
03 The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi #1) by Shannon Chakraborty
I'm listening to the first wonderful installment in Shannon Chakraborty's Amina al-Sirafi fantasy series, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi.
Amina is a notorious former pirate--ruthless, scandalous, and invincible--who has dropped out of sight and settled down to raise her young daughter alongside her strong-willed mother.
Then a mysterious, wealthy matriarch preys upon Amina's need for funds--and her desire for one final, glorious success. Amina soon finds herself tangled in a dangerous ocean quest to rescue a young woman, while facing complicated key figures from her own past--and fighting to keep her own family safe.
This is fun, funny, and smart, with wonderful banter, a gruff and independent, saucy main protagonist in Amina, and a fantastic sea adventure I'm hooked on.