Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: Reading across the Genres

I'm fully aware that we could still have snow here in central Pennsylvania, and I know my heat will be on for another few weeks, but--dare I say it--I think the weather has finally broken. The forsythia is budded, the bulbs are pushing up greenery, and I've switched to spring coats.

With a little bit of luck from the weather gods, I'll be able to start getting the deck reading for summer this week. A woman can dream, can't she?

We started a new (for us) show on Netflix over the weekend called Hell on Wheels. You probably won't guess what it's about from the title, at least I didn't. It's a period piece about building the transcontinental railroad after the Civil War. We're three or four episodes in and fairly addicted.

Here are some very short takes on what I read last week. (All three were provided by the publisher.)

• Abandoned by W. Michael Gear (DAW, Nov. 2018). This second entry in Gear's Donovan trilogy was every bit as action-packed and interesting as the first book (see my thoughts on Outpost). New characters are introduced and some familiar characters die. Life on the planet is bringing out both the worst and best in the people who are trying to colonize it. The native creatures of the planet may not be as clueless and easy to conquer as the Earthlings first imagine. The third book comes out in May, but I'm hoping for an early copy.
• The Field Guild to Dumb Birds by Matt Kracht (Chronicle, April 2). I wrote about this book last Friday and read it over the weekend. Be warned: you will truly laugh out loud. Although the book contains real and useful information about birding, birds, and maintaining bird feeders, all information is given with an attitude. For example, the section on birds of prey is titled "Murder Birds," and each species is given a new common name, such as the Great Blue Moron, which is "usually standing shin-deep in the water like an idiot." The ink drawings (see the cover) are nicely done. Recommended for bird lovers with a sense of humor.
• My Lovely Wife by Samanth Downing (Berkley, March 26). Truth: I was going skip this thriller because I thought I had it all figured out from the publisher's summary. I decided to give it a go when I had a chance to review the audio version for AudioFile magazine. Another truth: boy was this twisty and I totally did not guess how this book was going to play out. This is a domestic thriller about a happily married couple whose hobby just happens to be killing innocent women. Will they get caught? Will their children ever find out? This is well worth your while. Thoughts on the audio edition will appear in the magazine, but the short take is that narrator David Pittu does a really nice job building the tension and avoiding tipping off the twists.