Sunday Salon: Argentina Wins the World Cup

 Watched the final World Cup game between France and Argentina. It was called the best game in World Cup history. Both sides fought hard, and it was a bitter defeat for France. 

  Lionel Messi and the Argentina team win the World Cup trophy.                                         

On the reading front, I finished two Icelandic thrillers and started a third.

Outside

by 

Ragnar Jónasson

About: When a deadly snowstorm strikes the Icelandic highlands, four friends seek shelter in a small, abandoned hunting lodge.

Four friends. One night. Not everyone will come out alive . . .

Cold as Hell

(An Áróra Investigation #1)

by 

Lilja Sigurðardóttir,

 

Quentin Bates  (Translator)

About: Icelandic sisters Áróra and Ísafold live in different countries and aren't on speaking terms, but when their mother loses contact with Ísafold, Áróra reluctantly returns to Iceland to find her sister. But she soon realizes that her sister isn't avoiding her … she has disappeared, without a trace.

 

Started: 

The Darkness

(Hidden Iceland #1)

by 

Ragnar Jónasson, 

Victoria Cribb (Translator)

About:  The body of a young Russian woman washes up on an Icelandic shore. The death is declared a suicide and the case is quietly closed.

Over a year later Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavík police is forced into early retirement at 64. But before she leaves she is given two weeks to solve a single cold case of her choice - the mystery of the Russian woman.

 

Comments: These two Icelandic authors write straight forward thrillers, with not too many side stories or side characters, and are refreshing to read, from that point of view. 

They also leave room for a follow up to the novels, by leaving something or someone in the novels with unfinished business. 

Did you watch the world cup game today? 

What are you reading/listening to this week? 

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday

Sunday Salon: On the Road Again

Welcome to the Sunday Salon!

On the road to Toronto on Friday, we tried to listen to the audio version of  The Man from Saigon: A Novel by Marti Leimbach, but there was so much more description than action that my better half decided he didn't want to listen to it. He is after all a Dick Francis and Clive Cussler fan and likes a fast pace and lots of dialogue. I will have to read the hardcover book in a quiet place sometime soon.

We watched the first game of the World Cup in a restaurant, over dim sum and oolong tea, amid the enthusiastic shouts of other diners. Nigeria beat Greece. Later that day, the U.S. was in a tie with Britain. At night on YouTube, we watched Shakira doing Waki Waki (and Waikiki in her hula skirt cum grass skirt) in the opening ceremonies of the games in South Africa, and the Black Eyed Peas belting it out on stage.

I loved opening my comments box over the weekend to see enthusiastic comments  to my bit of writing on Magpie Tales: Magma Points, a poem written in reponse to a visual prompt from Willow. There were more entries to my Book Give-Away: Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas, which runs through June 23.

I finished reading Tim Hallinan's The Queen of Patpong: A Poke Rafferty Thriller, and gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. I have to write a full review this week! My comments on Goodreads:

"A literary novel and a thriller rolled into one. Fabulous! was the word that came to mind when I finished The Queen of Patpong. It has some of the most suspenseful scenes I've ever read in a thriller, and the sociological aspects of the story are heartrending. Hallihan has excellent descriptive power and knows his subjects and their environment well."

To see another 5-star review of the book, visit Goodreads.

On the way home, I have another audio book to try. Hopefully, this will hit the spot as we head through rain home.

What did you do last week?