101 Books to Read Before You Die discussion
What are you reading?
Mod
Cider With Rosie by Laurie Leehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a highly atmospheric lyrically written memoire of a childhood in rural England in the 1920s. One of seven children raised by a slightly eccentric mother in relative poverty, this could have been a story of physical and psychic deprivation. Rather, the author leaves the reader nostalgic for a simpler, more contented time.
Under The Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If you eagerly await your friend’s vacation pictures, are absorbed in every detail of their adventures, than you may find this book a sheer delight. But, if your eyes glaze over and your mind wanders after the tenth picture and the tenth story, then you may be less engrossed by this book. Frances and her husband who both teach at California colleges, purchase an old Tuscan farm house and small olive grove. Every summer and Christmas semester break they spend remodeling the house, restoring the 5 acre farm and exploring the local sights and culture. This book is filled with menus, renovation adventures, wine sampling and sight-seeing.
Finished
by Leah Remini- 4 Stars.Loved this one- listened on audio and Leah narrates her tale, mixing Hollywood and Scientology. Highly recommend.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Waiting by Ha Jinhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a novel of yearning, of waiting for what is just out of reach while failing to appreciate all that is good right now. Set in Chine in the years following the Cultural Revolution, Lin, a military doctor, spends most of the year living at a military hospital far from his wife and daughter. He soon becomes attracted to a nurse becoming dissatisfied with his old-fashioned peasant wife. For 18 years, the courts deny his application for divorce and for 18 years he steals moments with the nurse because military rules prevent his fraternizing with the opposite sex. Little happens over the course of the novel as each person grows old fulfilling their lot in life. And, yet everything happens in these pages as Lin makes an archetypal journey of self-realization.
Finished
by Lauren Groff- 4 Stars.Still thinking about this one... Would be a great one to discuss.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowdahttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
An infant daughter is left at a Mumbai orphanage because the family is too poor to raise her. An infertile Indian-American couple, both doctors, adopt her providing her with opportunities and affection. The chapters alternate between Asha’s life in California and her brother’s life in Mumbai. This is an often told story, siblings separated at birth, one to a life of privilege the other to a life of deprivation. This is an unremarkable theme told with unremarkable prose falling into cliché whenever the opportunity permits.
The Boys In the Boat by Daniel James Brownhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This account of the rise of the Washington State freshman crew team from novice rowers to Olympic gold in 1936 was surprisingly engaging and quick moving. By focusing on one specific young man with a particularly hard-luck story, Brown gave this a personal rather than a technical feel.
LaRose by Louise Erdrichhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It was difficult for me to get into this novel. At the heart of this book is the story of two families in the wake of the accidental death of a young boy. In a hunting accident, Landreaux shoots Dusty, his 5 year old nephew and next door neighbor. To atone, Landreaux and his wife give their own youngest son, LaRose, to the grieving family to adopt. This is an emotionally charged premise, the guilt of one set of parents, grief of another, confusion of LaRose and his new sister Maggie, not to mention the unnamed emotions of LaRose’s original siblings. Surprisingly, all of these emotions are given to the reader in a muted form. Other stories are woven into this central one in short threads: the five generation of grandmothers who bore the LaRose name previously, the account of Landreaux’s childhood friend whose son now lives with Landreaux, the parish priest’s back story and his sexual attraction to Landreaux’s wife. Erdrich is too good an author to crowd her novels with unnecessary stuff, so I know that all of these were essential to her point, but I could not figure that out. Near the end of the novel, one character remarks how we are always being chased by both our past and our future. At its core, this is a story about that pursuit and the eventual ability to find a place of peace.
Mod
That was a very sweet book. I normally can't stand romances, but I liked that one, for some reason :)
Finished TWO
by Mary Roach- 3 StarsMy Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
by Daniel James Brown- 2 StarsMy Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished 6 Books after The knitting circle1.
Good one but not the great book from Christie .
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2.
I have always like Hosseini's style of writing. He knows what he is writing about, and that is Afghanistan.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
3.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4.
The double bindI am glad that I read it. Such a thrill ride.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
5.
A good book if you are a literary geek :P
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6.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Believers by Zoe Hellerhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I usually enjoy novels about human relationships and family dynamics. It is not necessary for me to like the characters in order to like the book. But, these characters’ reactions and interactions were both unlikable and incomprehensible. I hated spending time in their company. Clearly, Heller is trying to make a statement about religious beliefs tenaciously held despite observable evidence and rational arguments that contradict them. The parents’ fanatical socialism parallels the daughter’s exploration of Orthodox Judaism. Unfortunately, the author writes of adherents in both groups with something like tolerant skepticism. The reader is left with the impression that every one of these characters are pathetic, sometimes nasty, often angry fools.
Finished
by Janet Fitch-- 4 Stars.Such a dark setting for beautiful writing to emerge. One to be cherished slowly, not a quick burn.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished
by Graeme Simsion- 3 StarsLiked but didn't love this one.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished
by Andrew Gross-- 4.5 rounded up to 5 Stars.Thriller set during the Holocaust. Really enjoyed this one, had to know how it was going to end, and wasn't disappointed.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
Yes it is Alana. I agree- def not as good.
Mademoiselle Chanel by C.W. Gortnerhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Knowing very little about Coco Chanel, I can’t evaluate the accuracy of her depiction in this fictionalized autobiography. I can comment on the writing which struck me as bloodless. I expect personal insights, intimate emotions as I listen to a person recount the story of her life. But, the tone of this novel was distant, as if told by a stranger.
The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This novel was so predictable that I anticipated every twist by the end of the first chapter. Not only was the story line predictable, but also the character roles, the description of setting, the use of weather in the story, the tenor of the dialogue, etc. This was an easy to read story of family reconciliation perfect for the Lifetime Channel.
The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & CafeVery light read on true love, food and family
Mrs Funnybones
Humorous narration on former Indian actress and her life surrounding a huge film industry.
Daisy Miller
Audio book, and I didnt like the book.
Our Souls at Night
A very good book that touched me and I can without hesitation recommend it to everyone who have a humble heart.
Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories
Read only Part 3-Shingaling and I had read the others before. Liked it, which was typical "Wonder" style of story.
Those Pricey Thakur Girls
A relaxing book on Indian Family narrated in a funny way and I was choked with laughter infinite times. Strictly recommending to the people who can relate to Indian Culture/ Politics/ Bollywood.
Galatea
One more book on wife, Greek mythology and woman rights(?). Liked it .
My Name Is Lucy Barton
Reminded me of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Totally a good story on dysfunctional Family, Trauma and Aspirations. Though a short read, it's significant.
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Nghttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Celeste Ng has captured the fragile dynamics in a family built on suppressed longings and buried hurts, of unarticulated needs and unspoken fears, of love expressed in the gifting of one’s dreams to the other and in the silent accepting of gifted dreams too heavy to carry. The novel opens with the drowning death of 16 year old Lydia. Ng seamlessly weaves the story of the past’s pain and resolve into the present’s grief, confusion and guilt, of each family member into the tapestry of the whole. Ng conveyed a complex situation with sensitivity and clarity. The writing was flawless, carrying the story with such a light touch that the pages disappeared as I read; I was transported to a corner watching events unfold. This is a strong 4.5 star book.
The Summer Before The War by Helen Simonsonwww.goodreads.com/review/show/1713858061
Simonson skillfully caught the atmosphere of a small English village in 1913. In the struggles and fears, the changes wanted and unwanted of this little cast of characters, Simonson portrays a world on the brink of enormous change. I appreciated that she did not romanticize this era. For every heart-warming scene of solidarity there is the face of one excluded because of race, class or other, for every quaint community celebration there is the brutality of war or ignorance. This is a 3.5 star read.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
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I am fascinated by how much of the technology Bradbury correctly predicted and relieved by how much of society’s reaction he got wrong. I was surprised how short was this classic about a world in 1999 where books are perceived as such a threat to cultural tranquility and individual contentment that their burning was mandated. Was Bradbury a bit too optimistic; has the written word and our response to ideas become so insipid that we don’t bother burning them because they have lost their power to challenge and disturb?
Finished
by Elin Hilderbrand- 2 Stars.UGH- annoyed with this one.
My Review (which hopefully explains why!):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Very Good Gospel by Lisa Sharon Harperhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Harper invites the reader to view current issues of social injustice through the lens of Scripture as interpreted by liberal Evangelical Christians. She argues that “shalom”, harmony and right relationship between individuals and groups with God, is at the heart of the Bible. Therefore, fidelity to God necessitates each person to work for political, economic and social structures that promotes the dignity of each person, equality between all groups and reverence for creation. Harper employs a tone of intimacy with the reader, sharing personal experiences of exploitation and violation. Each chapter ends with suggestions for personal reflection. I suspect I would have appreciated this more had I not been engaged extensively in Christian social justice movements for decades. This was too introductory, too superficial for my current needs. The way she developed her points, the way she employed Scripture has been done by numerous presenters previously.
Hanging Mary by Susan Higginbothomhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This novel of historical fiction tells the story of Mary Surratt, the first woman hung in the U.S. convicted as a collaborator in the plot to assassinate Lincoln. Told in alternating voices, that of Mary Surratt and a young female resident at her boarding house, it covers the year leading to her execution. I can’t speak to the historical accuracy of this book, knowing nothing of Mary’s story. As a novel, I felt that it dragged. In my humble opinion, I think the duel narration has been over used in contemporary fiction. In this case, it slowed down the story significantly as we heard the same events told by both characters without adding anything to our understanding of what was happening. Mary’s and Nora’s voices were so similar that I often lost track of who was speaking. If I could award half stars, I would give this 2.5 stars, a middle of the road rating for a very average book.
Istanbul by Orhan Pamukhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a duel memoir, that of the author’s first twenty years of life and that of Istanbul during the same period. Pamuk has a poet’s voice. By that, I don’t mean that he uses flowery or metaphoric language, but rather that he has the ability to conjure the abstract into palpable form: the atmosphere of a neighborhood, the bonds in a family, the mood of a people. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book that lacked any plot or narrative tension. I must have been in just the right mood.
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernowhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a detailed, informative and laudatory biography of Alexander Hamilton. I was surprised by the negative portrayal of other founding fathers, particularly Jefferson and Adams.
Finished
by Emma Cline- 5 Stars!I LOVED this one- need to find more books about the Manson-ish cult in the late '60's. Ate up every single word.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sworn To Silence: Kate Burkholder #1 by Linda Castillohttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Young women are being tortured and killed in a small town with a large Amish population. This police procedural follows the typical trajectory. The pacing was good and the romance did not over take the murder mystery.
Finished
by Anna Hope-- 4 Stars.1900's insane asylum featuring a gorgeous ballroom. Insert broken characters searching for freedom, and beautiful writing and you've got this one.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished
by Kathleen Grissom 5 StarsLoved this one even more than the first! How is that possible?
My Review:
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Lisette’s List by Susan Vreelandhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is my third novel by Vreeland and the one I least enjoyed. Lisette is bequeathed a collection of paintings by her grandfather-in-law who forces Lisette and her husband to swear to protect them. Fearful that these masterpieces will be stolen by invading Nazis, her husband hides them before heading off to war. When he does not return after the war, Lisette makes recovering them her personal mission. Vreeland describes these pieces of art in gushing detail and likewise this village in southern France. The story felt like an excuse, a narrative string from which to hang these verbal paintings. The actions and reactions, the thoughts and words of the characters were clichéd. I suspect a reader with an eye for color and heart for the visual arts may appreciate this book far more than I did.
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
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A group of petty thieves in 19th century London cook up a plan to swindle an isolated young woman out of her inheritance. But, nothing is as it appears. This was a thrill ride in a fun house of a novel with whiplash inducing twists which had the reader questioning everything. The writing was as good as the story line. I might have awarded this 5 stars except for the ending which was too predictable for this otherwise unpredictable novel.
Finished
by Jodi Picoult-- 4 Stars.Elephants, a Psychic whose lost her way, and a teenage daughter searching for her mother. Jodi Picoult has done it again.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished
by Victoria Aveyard- 4 Stars.Reds vs Silvers- YES, I'm talking about blood type... Another YA dystopian book that I couldn't resist...
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished
by Scott Stambach- 3 Stars.Deformed boy in a home for gravely ill children meets a beautiful girl with leukemia. So much STUFF, but ultimately just didn't love it.
My Review:
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Finished
by J.K. Rowling- 5 Stars.Reunited and it feels so good....
My Review:
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The Just City by Jo Waltonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This novel explores the concept of social engineering. The Greek goddess, Pallas Athene, with the support of her brother Apollo, inaugurate a social experiment to determine if a community constructed on the principles outlined by Plato could actually give rise to a “just city” and “philosopher kings”. Willing intellectuals from every era are gathered to lead this community and pre-teens are bought from the slave markets of the ancient Greco-Roman world to populate it. The explicit moral lessons and explanations of philosophical concepts along with the tone of the characters’ dialogues gave this the feel of a middle school novel. However, many of the themes and the explicit description of sex made me think that an older reader was intended. I found this book rather preachy in its heavy-handed lessons. The characters were rather flat, mere servants of these lessons. Since, I do not believe that I am the intended reader, I am probably not the best judge of this book. Unfortunately, it did not work for me.
Finished
by Kathleen Flinn-- 3 Stars.Food Memoir to read for a challenge- great on audio!
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissomhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mix race ancestry, free black children and the constant threat of slave catchers kidnapping people off the streets of Philadelphia, this story pursues the urgent need to reclaim a black boy kidnapped and sold into southern slavery even at the risk of becoming a victim oneself. This was just a bit too predictable. The voices of the various narrators never sounded authentic, but rather as amateur approximations of parody. And, there were simply too many coincidences necessary to advance the plot for my taste.
The Sea The Sea by Iris Murdochhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I always feel incredibly stupid when I fail to appreciate the writing of a highly acclaimed, award-winning author. So, I am feeling very stupid right now. This novel was certainly well written from a technical stand point, but I disliked it as a reading experience. Charles has recently retired from his career in the theater and moved to a seaside home in a small English village. To his delight, he discovers that his childhood crush is living nearby. To his consternation, he learns that this woman does not want to run off with him. This novel is populated with the most narcissistic, pathetically needy, pompous cast of characters I have ever met. The structure of the novel is part diary, part memoir in which Charles both records the events unfolding and his internal musings on them. Charles is the type of person I would consider a complete bore in real life and avoid scrupulously. He was no more pleasant on the page.
Pretty Girls by Karen Slaughterhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Nearly two decades ago a young girl went missing. When her surviving sisters discover snuff porn videos on the work computer of the husband of one of them, they are convinced that he is involved in that disappearance and the torture and death of many other young women. This novel follows a common pattern. Ordinary people find clues, make connections and follow leads that professional law enforcement are too inept or too corrupt to pursue, track down the violent criminal terrorizing the community and the citizens of Hooville can once again sleep peacefully. Because characters in this type of book always act in a fashion that normal people do not, entering a murder’s lair unarmed, pursuing leads with no training, I have a hard time believing that they or their circumstances are real. Without that conviction, I can’t get emotionally engaged in the story; there is no tension because I am certain that all will work out. I read this as an audiobook. The narrator conveyed the lines of the distressed, frightened, catty female characters in such melodramatic fashion that I wanted to giggle. It is hard to get caught up in a scary scenario when you are giggling at the dramatic dialogue.
Finished
by Fredrik Backman-- 5 Stars.I can't remember the last time I had such a powerful month of reading. This makes my 4th 5 Star read this month!! Absolutely fell in love with this book. Book Hangover in full effect today...
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
Hey, I'm currently rereading the harry potter series, i'm on the fourth book and i love rereading these series =D
Mod
I thought it was really good Alana, but different books for different people.
Me too, I am just finishing book 3 ready to start book 4. I love going back and rereading this series from time to time.
Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlinhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Tess was a teen-ager when she was abducted and left for dead in a shallow grave with the corpses of other girls. Nearly two decades later, the man convicted of the crime is nearing his execution on death row. But, attorneys working to free the wrongly convicted have convinced her that the wrong man is imprisoned. Alternating chapters are told from the voice of Tess in the present and the teen-aged Tess in therapy immediately after the brutal event. I could have done without the bit of unnecessary romance, but otherwise, I found the characters consistent and believable. I did not guess the ending, and although it left me with some questions, I was pretty content with it.
101 Books to Read Before You Die
Books mentioned in this topic
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jane Austen (other topics)Madeline Miller (other topics)
Sarah Henning (other topics)
Sarah McCoy (other topics)
Sarah Pekkanen (other topics)
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
One hundred fifty pages into this novel I was prepared to give it four stars. The whip smart dialogue, the fantastic character development, the bold exploration of relational issues validated its position in the canon for me. Three hundred fifty pages into the novel I was leaning toward three stars. What was shocking in the 1960s is common place today: frank talk of female sexuality, overt female ambition beyond motherhood, even the use of tampons does not shock us now that every 5 year old sees it advertised on prime time TV. Five hundred fifty pages into this novel I was considering 2 stars as the endless looping over the same material was causing my eyes to glaze over and the never-ending anxt made me wonder if the protagonist would ever get a life. By the final page of this book, I felt as if my eye had been pressed into Anna’s naval so long that I could see through it to the naval of an entire generation. Of course, I think this is exactly what Lessing intended; she wants to uncover the passions and self-doubt, the anxieties and the cravings, the limitations imposed on and the limitations imposed by her generation and class of women. At the same time Anna accommodates the expectations and needs of the men and male institutions around her, we witness its toll on her psyche, her sense of self and hope of contentment. To a lesser extent, we see the same struggle and inner suffocation in the other female characters. Anna is a well-off, best-selling author, a divorced single mother with an active sex life, a disillusioned member of the Communist Party living in Brittan in the late 1950s. In order to survive psychologically, she has compartmentalized the various aspects of her life, recording each in separately colored notebooks. After much analysis of her dreams, relationships, feelings, and sex life, she begins to integrate the –parts of herself. But, even at the final moment, when we might think she is about to come into some self-possessed maturity, she gives away the golden notebook purchased specifically for this purpose to an ex-lover who demands it from her.