Just began Tai-Pan thanks to your comments Carolyn.  Thanks again for sharing your comments.

REK - You're welcome.  I'm still making my way through it.  :)

I'm 100 pages into it.  Good so far and easy reading.

I am reading Where Serpents Sleep by C.S. Harris.  Book 4 of the Sebastian St. Cyr series. Set in 1812 England. So far not quite as good as others in the series. Well written though.

Alice, that one is on my TBR.  Really enjoy the wrtings of C.S. Harris.  And, Carolyn, i've finished Tai-Pan.  Very good read.  Hadn't read any books by this author but Shogon has been on my TBR for ages.  Have you read that one and if so what did you think?  I'm guessing if comes before Tai-Pan as part of his Asian series.

 I finished 

What the Dead Leave Behind (Gilded Age, Bk 1) :: Rosemary Simpson
Review: 3.5 our of 5
Set in 1888 New York City.  A very well plotted out book. Ms. Simpson took time to develop the characters and secondary characters. Mystery was well laid out. The series is called the Gilded Age Mysteries. I would have liked to have seen a bit more historical setting. The was a bit of talk of Civil War. There is talk of gas lights and Hanscom cabs but more historical setting would have helped. Overall a very good book.

 Hi, guys!  I finally finished listening to The Good Wife of Bath by Karen Brooks, which I really, really enjoyed.  Five stars for sure! Still listening to The Bookseller of Inverness by S.G. Maclean, which is just "eh."  I should finish it this evening, and I'm not sure what I'll read or listen to next.  

Update - I've finished The Bookseller of Inverness by S.G. Maclean.  Overall "eh," but it did get a bit better at the end.  I haven't started listening to anything new yet, and I'm not sure what I will start reading this evening.  Stay tuned. 

REK - I'm glad you liked it!  I'm still working my way through it.  It's good, I just haven't had much time to read lately.  It's been a weird year for me with reading :(

But I did read Shogun last year and loved it.  I do think they can be read independently, but don't quote me on that :)  So far, I haven't seen any continuation from Shogun in Tai Pan.

Okay, new starts for me.  Currently listening to Homestead by Melinda Moustakis and reading Julian's Cell by Ralph Milton.

Reading The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, a novel about life during the Dust Bowl years.  It was a very rough time on the plains.

R E K - I have The Four Winds on Mt. TBR.  Will be anxiously awaiting your report.  

I finished Julian's Cell.  Eh.  Interesting, but slightly dull.  I started Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom last night. 

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah was an excellent read.  Do move it up on your pile.  I haven't

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah was an excellent read.  Do move it up on your pile.  I haven't read Dark Fire (Matthew Shardlake, Bk 2) yet but I've read several other books by Sansom and loved every one.  Let me know what you think about that one.  Am now reading Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian which occurs in the 1600s and is about a woman who is seeking divorce from her cruel, abusive husband.  Inteeresting so far.

R E K - Thanks! I will move The Four Winds up on the list.  Bummer that it doesn't tick any of the 2023 HF Challenge boxes for me.  I'm working on getting that finished up by the end of the year.  I read the first Shardlake book and thought it was okay.  For reasons I cannot understand, I am not a lover of mysteries.  However, if I'm going to read one, it might as well be a Sansom.  I also have Hour of the Witch on Mt. TBR, so I'll be waiting to hear your thoughts on that as well. 

I read The Archer's Tale by Bernard Cornwell. It's set during the 100 Years War, 1st in a series of 4 Grail Quest books. I love Cornwell books. I'm still working my way through the Sharpe's series set mostly during the Napoleonic Wars, and finished the Saxon Chronicles series that was made into The Last Kingdom on Netflix. Cornwell's descriptions of battles are fantastic!

Mary - I have been a rabid Cornwell fan for years, although my reading of him has slacked off quite a bit these last several years.  I still haven't finished my beloved Saxon Chronicles, although I did watch all season of the Netflix series.