The Next Best Book Club discussion
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What Are You Reading - Part Deux
A wonderful uplifting book, Gravity Is the Thing: A Novel by Jaclyn Moriarty
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm reading
for Netgalley. So far it's very good.
Completed and enjoyed Lost For Words and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. Now I'm reading an ARC of The Electric Hotel which takes me back to the days of silent films which were, before Hollywood, filmed in NJ.
Into the River (or Wimmera) shows the dark side of the 1980s for two Aussie schoolboys. Good mystery, but not a comfy cosy one!
4.5★ Link to my review
China Rich Girlfriend – Kevin Kwan – 2**
Book two in Kwan’s trilogy about “Crazy Rich Asians.” Just ridiculous but strangely addicting fun. Kinda like watching the worst of the reality TV shows, that I just cannot turn off. Well, it satisfies a challenge to read a book set in China.
LINK to my review
In a Sunburned Country – Bill Bryson – 4****
Bryson turns his journalistic skills to an exploration of the only continent that is also a country, and an island. It’s a wonderful memoir / travel journal. If Australia weren’t already on my bucket list, it certainly would be now.
LINK to my review
Just enjoyed The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan. Our handsome young Irish detective Cormac O'Reilly is put back into action in when his girlfriend finds a dead body one night!
4★ Link to my reviewMcTiernan is Irish, now an Aussie, writing about the Irish Garda (police). I like her stories, and you don't need to have read The Ruin, the first book in the series, to enjoy this one, although I recommend it, too.
I never wanted this one to end...The True Story of Maddie Bright by Mary-Rose MacColl
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Inside Out and Back Again – Thanhha Lai – 5*****
This middle-grade novel focusing on the immigrant experience is told entirely in verse, and I applaud Lai for how much she manages to convey in so few words. It is at once complex and straightforward, nuanced, and simple.
LINK to my review
A chilling dystopian suspense novel, here's my review of The Last by Hanna Jameson
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished and enjoyed The Electric Hotel. This was the second book I've read by Dominic Smith and both were good reads. Now I'm listening to The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff. Love it! Feeds my WWII addiction!
The hilarious tale of two drag queens opening a tea room in Cambodia, The Tea Room: The Buddha's Eye by Guy Singer
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Lost Girls of Paris was really good, read it in one day. Now I'm reading Woman with a Secret by Sophie Hannah. this book is part of a series which I have not read before, hopefully it won't make a difference.
Affairs of Steak – Julie Hyzy – 3***
Book number five in the White House Chef mystery series featuring chef Olivia (“Ollie”) Paras. I enjoy this series though some of the situations Ollie finds herself in seem rather implausible. There are plenty of suspects, some romantic/sexual tension, workplace drama, and a great cast of supporting characters.
LINK to my review
Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree – Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani – 5*****
This young-adult novel tells the story of the “stolen girls” of northern Nigeria who have been kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram. The author gives the reader a vivid picture of life in a small Nigerian village. The unnamed narrator is a young girl who excels at school, and dreams of new shoes, going to university, marrying a good husband. The writing is poetic and lyrical, with vivid descriptions and heart-wrenching scenarios. I will read more from this author.
LINK to my review
One of the best books of the year! To find out which book I'm referring to.. and to read the review.. Click here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm just a few pages into Eagle & Crane by Suzanne Rindell. Expecting good things as I enjoyed her previous 2 books.
I'm just getting started in
. So far it's been interesting.
A silly cosy, here's my review of Vegas or Bust by Michelle Ann Hollstein
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A powerful novel about the child soldiers of Colombia, Colombiano by Rusty Young
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo is terrific! Millions of readers and the Pulitzer Prize people weren’t wrong. Unforgettable characters and a great read!
5+★ Link to my review
I finished Woman with a Secret and needed something not so dark so I am reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce.
A truly amazing read, The Secret Runners of New York by Matthew Reilly
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Us Against You – Fredrik Backman – 3.5***
Backman returns to Beartown to explore what happens in the aftermath of the first book’s stunning events. I love the way that Backman writes these characters. He moves back and forth between characters’ points of view as he tells the story of the town. Yet the story is always moving forward, keeping me enthralled and interested. Best enjoyed if you’ve read Beartown first.
LINK to my review
I've just finished Did You Ever Have a Family https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Now reading The House on Half Moon Street and Rasputin: A Short Life
Really enjoyed The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Now with the dismal weather today I decided I needed something light and romantic so now I'm reading Finding Our Forever which I received for free from the author, Brenda Novak via an email from Book Riot.
Having recently finished two nonfiction books, Underground: A Human History of the Worlds Beneath Our Feet by Will Hunt, and The Catalogue of Shipwrecked Books: Christopher Columbus, His Son, and the Quest to Build the World's Greatest Library by Edward Wilson-Lee, I am now enjoying Agatha Christie's The Big Four. It seems to me Christie's early books have more wry humor than her later mysteries. Reviews for the nonfiction books:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My Sister, the Serial Killer – Oyinkan Braithwaite – 4****
What an interesting concept! I was immediately drawn into the sisters’ co-dependent relationship. I understood and sympathized with Korede’s dilemma; she loves her baby sister, but she wants her to stop her behavior. The tension is nonstop. Will she? Won’t she? When will she? How will she? In the end I’m left wondering WHO is the psychopath here?
LINK to my review
A wonderful book of hope shining through grief in stunning Montenegro, my review of Under an Amber Sky by Rose Alexander
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It's over-the-top adrenaline, action, and high-tech when Gregg Hurwitz brings Orphan X, aka the Nowhere Man, Out of the Dark and pits him against US President Jonathan Bennett.
4★ Link to my review (which has no cracks about the current administration, tempting though it was)
I just finished hanging faces. It was really good.
Later today I'm going to start reading The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett.
I have finally read the very first Disc World book, The Colour of Magic, by the much-loved, late Terry Pratchett, whose phenomenal output earned him a knighthood. What an absolute romp of a book!
Link to my review
A run of the mill adventure thriller, my 3 star review of The Ghost Manuscript by Kris Frieswick
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished Finding Our Forever which was just too much romance and cross purposes for the mood I'm in so now I am reading Grave Peril. I just want to take Dresden home with me and take care of him. Love these books.
Tales From Nature: Bee by Magali Attiogbé is a sweet little picture book for toddlers. Big, simple, cheerful illustrations that show the life-cycle of a bee.
Link to my review with pictures
Just finished a new favourite, Scrublands! Seasoned Aussie journalist and foreign correspondent Chris Hammer excels with his fictional debut about mysterious crimes in a small, HOT country town. 
5★ Link to my review
A gripping historical mystery, here's my review of To the Grave by Steve Robinson
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Nine Perfect Strangers – Liane Moriarty – 2.5**
It’s not Moriarty’s best work, in my humble opinion. On the one hand I really enjoyed some of these guests’ stories. On the other hand, I didn’t really like any of these characters, and was completely irritated by Masha’s psychobabble new-age philosophy on fixing what was wrong with them. I also didn’t like the ending, with its fast-forward to weeks or years later in order to catch up on what happened.
LINK to my review
A River Of Stars – Vanessa Hua – 3***
Hua’s first novel looks at the immigrant experience from a slightly different angle: wealthy Chinese who pay a high fee to ensure their babies will have the always-coveted native-born U.S. citizenship. The story focuses on Scarlett Chen, the mistress or Boss Yeung, and Daisy, the unwed teenager whose parents want to keep her from her American boyfriend. I found this an interesting and engaging story. I really liked Scarlett, but thought Daisy was frustratingly immature. Final verdict: a good, but not great, debut. I’d consider reading another of Hua’s works.
LINK to my review
A thrilling tale of espionage, here's my review of The Eighth Sister by Robert Dugoni
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have that on my 'tbr' list, Karen. Hope you enjoy it.Later today I'll be starting The Betrayal of Trust by Susan Hill. It's the 6th (I think!) book in the series of Simon Serailler crime novels. So far I've enjoyed every one 😀
Seems I didn't like this book as much s everyone else!Something in the Wine by Tricia Stringer
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
An enjoyable, quick cosy, however one without much substance, Conference in Croatia: A Samantha Duncan Mystery by Daisy Thurbin
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished We Were the Lucky Ones which although it was fact (fictionalized a bit) really read like fiction. I enjoyed it. Now for something totally different I am reading The House of Unexpected Sisters and listening to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman – 5*****
What a marvelous character-driven novel! I loved Eleanor as much as I was frustrated by her. Her conversations with Mummy gave us clues to the trauma in her past that resulted in the fragile woman she is when we first meet her. I love the way the friendship between Raymond and Eleanor develops; how he introduces her to possibilities, but also accepts her at face value. Honeyman gives us some wonderful supporting characters as well; even if their scenes are small, they are fully developed and add to the richness of the novel. A fantastic debut novel!
LINK to my review
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The Next Best Book Club
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I Was Anastasia – Ariel Lawhon – 3.5***
I’ve been fascinated by the possibility that Anastasia Romanov survived the slaughter of her family during the Bolshevik Revolution since I was a little girl. I am not alone. Lawhon relies on the reader’s desire to believe Anna Anderson’s claim that she was the Grand Duchess Anastasia as she crafts this work. Using dual timelines and narrators, she carefully brings the reader to the fateful events of 1918 and a completely believable conclusion.
LINK to my review