Litsy

majkia

Above Suspicion | Helen Macinnes

An early thriller by MacInnes. Set just before WWII. Ordinary English folks spying on the Nazis.

15 likes

Vansa

Kim | Rudyard Kipling

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#Two4Tuesday @thespineview
Super late to this but don't want to pass up an opportunity to gush about this glorious book!
1.I listen to radio dramas on the BBC,and music programmes on it too!
2.Kim is one of my favorite books,I read it over and over again and it's just as delightful each time.Its also very comforting which is surprising for a book that's also a fast paced spy thriller

TheSpineView Never too late to play! 🌞🤩😊 1d

15 likes1 comment

kspenmoll

The Spy Coast: A Thriller | Tess Gerritsen

Books I scored at the library this past Friday. Some old; some new. #libraryfinds

61 likes1 stack add

charl08

Agent Zo: The Untold Story of a Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter | Clare Mulley

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'She was a very strong lady,' Marzenna recalled. 'For her, nothing was impossible.
---
Recommended history of Polish resistance in WW2.

The descriptions of Agent Zo's personal skills reminded me of my gran. Everyone loved her, but not for her small talk!
Personal gripe: one of those "hidden histories" where actually what the author means/ acknowledges is "*English speakers* didn't know about it...".

58 likes1 stack add

Robotswithpersonality

The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life | John le Carre

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Charming and chilling by turns.
What grabbed me is that it isn't a breathless tour of past exploits, derring-do, it's this well-spoken, self-effacing honest look at a bunch of moments the author decided might be interesting to the reader.
Carre(Cornwell) acknowledges his Service record, rather than slyly alluding to it, and sets out in the very beginning how much he will not be revealing and the reasons why. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? As a result, it is primarily his time as a novelist looking for background, characters, having experiences, that lead to the best stories, though doubtless his time as a spy opened certain doors that others deciding to write in his particular genre might not have access to. It's apparent that Carre has a great admiration of war journalists, and the events related help the reader to understand why. 5d

Robotswithpersonality 3/? It always saddens me to realize in a non-fiction setting, that there are parents who did not offer a supportive, loving home life, and Carre takes a lengthy chapter to introduce his father, and to a lesser extent his mother, so that one is fully engaged in puzzling out their characters, and clearly understands the reason for estrangement. 5d

Robotswithpersonality 4/? Likewise, while there are few allusions or direct statements, it appears Carre may have had difficulties in other personal relationships, though it seems that he knew many people, may have had many friends.
I suppose it's a testament to his writing that I find it strange to think he may not have been a joy and a help to those around him because the way he talks about so many of the people he encountered is appreciative, empathetic and even 5d

Robotswithpersonality 5/? amused.
Perhaps it's the contrast, he speaks lucidly, if not off-handledly, about a number of dark realities, I felt occasionally that I'd understand the full weight of a few stories better if I had a more thorough understanding of international political history.
I'm still interested to try his fiction (though there were a few spoilers within these pages), but I'm now prepared for the lower likelihood of happy endings... 5d

Robotswithpersonality 6/6 A note on the audiobook, as I did a tandem read: read by the author, a great voice, and impressive ability to replicate the accent/cadence of others, really added to the reading experience.
⚠️war violence, domestic violence, mention of SA, suicide, torture 5d

9 likes5 comments

jenniferw88

Agent Zo: The Untold Story of a Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter | Clare Mulley

#wpnf25

Well, I've read 3 of them! Agree with 2 (Agent Zo & What the Wild Sea Can Be), not so sure about Raising Hare.

I'm glad The Eagle and the Hart didn't make it, but disappointed Sister in Law isn't there.

Will be getting Story of a Heart out of the library!

Hooked_on_books I agree with you on Sister in Law, which is tremendous. I would have swapped Neneh out for that one. 5d

jenniferw88 @Hooked_on_books I don't really want to read Story of a Heart because I had a heart transplant aged 12, so it's a bit close to home. BUT I told myself I'd read it if it made the shortlist. I've never heard of Neneh, so I am willing to give it a go on audio. 5d

Hooked_on_books @jenniferw88 That‘s definitely a close perspective to that book! I can say it‘s beautifully done and respectful to all parties, but of course I can‘t speak to what the reading experience will be like for you. Hopefully you‘ll give yourself a lot of grace to put it down if it‘s too much. Neneh, on the other hand, I knew as a one hit wonder plus I‘m not very interested in childhood memoir and she focuses a lot on that. 5d

jenniferw88 @Hooked_on_books I should technically be OK with it, as I had a domino heart transplant, which occurs when 1 patient (my donor) undergoes heart-lung transplantation and their healthy heart is given, as part of a “domino” procedure, to a heart transplant recipient (me), but thanks. 5d

53 likes4 comments

papascott33

Secret Servant | Daniel Silva

#10 of 2025! Gabriel Allon No. 7!
Started: 3/25/25

6 likes

charl08

Agent Zo: The Untold Story of a Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter | Clare Mulley

As far as possible, the women saved each other.

(Magdeburg camp, 1944)

33 likes

kspenmoll

Winter in Madrid | C. J. Sansom

Found this in the library when looking for the author‘s Shardlake mysteries. Starting today. Already intrigued. Madrid 1940s. Spies, espionage. A “bleak winter thriller.” (Back cover). Still feels more like winter than spring here.

dabbe

PatriciaU I like this author a lot. 1w

dabbe Another excellent one of his. I'm so sad he's gone! 😭 1w

kspenmoll @dabbe I did not realize he had died last year. Loving his books, so, yes, it is sad. 6d

55 likes3 stack adds3 comments

Gryffleclaw95

Spy x Family, Vol. 4 | Tatsuya Endo

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I devoured volume four of “Spy x Family”. Between the assassination plot and the addition of a dog to this fake family, this book had me hooked until the very end. It did get a little dark at times (ex. mentions of war, animal experimentation), however all dogs had happy endings. I absolutely LOVE Bond and I can‘t wait to see more of him in future volumes!

9 likes

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