The Next Best Book Club discussion
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Book Related Banter
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What Are You Reading - Part Deux
Chris wrote: "I started Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin and have very high hopes for it after loving everything else I've read by her."Hope you enjoy reading this. I enjoyed it and have followed up reading some of her other books as well.
I''m currently reading Doc
by Mary Doria Russell about Doc Holliday and have found it to be very good. Her writing draws the reader in quickly ("He began to die when he was twenty-one, but tuberculosis is slow and sly and subtle" - is the first line) and at times is almost lyrical. Even the titles of the chapters, "The Ante," "First Hand," and "Cashing Out." While its about the west, its not really like reading a western (not to put that genre down but they do have a feel different from others).
I too, have Doc on the next to read. Two other book that were westerns but more, The Son and The Sisters Brothers. I have just finished the The Goblin Emperor. a wonderful feel good story, and am in the middle of the The Three-Body Problem
Pamela wrote: "I''m currently reading Doc by Mary Doria Russell about Doc Holliday and have found it to be very good. Her writing draws the reader in quickly ("He began to ..."I really enjoyed Doc. Did you know that Mary Doria Russell just published a sequel,
Epitaph?
Stephen wrote: "I too, have Doc on the next to read. Two other book that were westerns but more, The Son and The Sisters Brothers. I have just finished the The G..."</i>I loved [book:Doc and The Sisters Brothers. I have The Son on my shelf....looking forward to reading it.
I really enjoy literary westerns.
I've got my hands in a bunch of pies. I have a book in every room of the house, and when I walk by each one, I read a few pages. Currently reading:
Jackie and Pamela, I'm still very early into The Blind Assassin but so far I'm finding it much more difficult to get invested in than her other books. I have no doubt I'll end up loving it though.
The Matchmaker of Perigord by Julia Stuart – 3*** Barber Guillaume Ladoucette decides to convert his barbershop into a matchmaking agency. But the thirty-three residents of his small French village already know – and dislike – one another. Stuart crafts a delightful – and delicious – comedy of manners. The villagers are quirky, the blind dates hilariously awkward, the descriptions of food are scrumptious, and love triumphs in the end! A fun read.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Chris wrote: "Jackie and Pamela, I'm still very early into The Blind Assassin but so far I'm finding it much more difficult to get invested in than her other books. I have no doubt I'll end up lovin..."I'm halfway through it, and I've also found it extremely difficult to get into. It took me about the halfway mark to warm up to a lot of it. I'll say, though, the prose has been beautiful and tremendous the whole way through, even when the story was inaccessible.
Leah wrote: "I'm halfway through it, and I've also found it extremely difficult to get into. It took me about the halfway mark to warm up to a lot of it. I'll say, though, the prose has been beautiful and tremendous the whole way through, even when the story was inaccessible. "I love how an author like Atwood can keep you interested, even through the slow or inaccessible sections, because her writing is so amazing. The Blind Assassin is starting to settle down for me, although I'm still not emotionally invested in it the way I was with Surfacing.
Later today I'm going to start reading The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga.
Chris wrote: "I love how an author like Atwood can keep you interested, even through the slow or inaccessible sections, because her writing is so amazing. The Blind Assassin is starting to settle down for me, although I'm still not emotionally invested in it the way I was with Surfacing."I find that I'm emotionally invested in the lead protagonist/narrator, but I'm not invested in the story-within-a-story at all.
The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez – 4**** The residents of one Delaware apartment building have different backgrounds but a common goal: a better life in America. The narration switches among various characters from chapter to chapter, sometimes exploring the same situation from a different perspective. The central focus is on the two teenagers – Mirabel and Mayor – and their families. I found myself so caught up in these characters’ dreams that when tragedy struck I was as stunned as they. Still, there is hope at the end. I’ll be thinking about these “unknown Americans” for a long time.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
So far I finished
and
and loved both. I am now reading
,
,
and
. The upside of being sick is that I can catch up on some much needed reading.
Incantation of Frida K. by the brilliant Kate Braverman affected me so deeply that it has taken me a while to process my thoughts and feelings about it enough to write a proper review, but here it is:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Of the forty-odd reviews I've written, this one may be the one that means the most to me. This extraordinarily beautiful book still has the power to bring tears to my eyes just from thinking about it - not sad tears, grateful tears for a story so beautiful and so profoundly resonant with my own. 5★s are woefully inadequate here.
I just finished The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah which I think is the best book that I've read by her.
Finished The White Tiger. Loved it. Now going to start The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood.
The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth by Richard Paul Evans – 3*** Evans is best known for his novels - The Christmas Box was a NY Times bestseller. In this small book he passes on advice he learned as a youth from a man at his church. It’s a quick read, and it fulfilled a challenge, but I didn’t learn anything new.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The 13 Clocks by James Thurber – 3*** Elements of a fairy tale: A princess trapped in a cold castle by her uncle, an evil Duke; a prince disguised as a troubadour; a mysterious / magical helper; an impossible task to complete. Thurber has crafted a magically fun story, wonderfully illustrated by Marc Simont. Children of all ages will delight in this story of Zorn from Zorna and the Princess Saralinda.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent – 4**** This novel is based on a true incident in history. In January 1830 Agnes Magnusdottir became the last person to be executed in Iceland. Kent imagines the interactions Agnes had with the farm family that housed her prior to her execution. I loved the way that these relationships slowly thawed while the landscape slowly froze, and liked the way Kent began each chapter with either some historical document of the period or a poem or excerpt from a saga. The ending, however inevitable, is written in a way that still builds suspense and left me breathless. Audio capably performed by Morven Christie.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan – 2** Two teens – both named Will Grayson – meet in an unlikely scenario. They are very different, but suddenly find their lives intertwined. I am way over the teen angst stage and this novel had way too much of that for my taste. But the ending … oh my stars! The musical that irrepressible Tiny Cooper comes up with celebrating love in all its glorious – and heart-breaking – forms was wonderful. The message of tolerance, love and acceptance is one that more of us should take to heart. Levithan’s chapters brought the rest of the rating down.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Funny Money by James Swain – 2** Tony Valentine is a retired Atlantic City cop, now living in Florida where he runs a consulting business, helping casinos ferret out cheats and grifters. This is book two in the series, though I don’t think I was missing much by having skipped book one. The book is fast paced and there are several twists in the plot, but I still spotted the bad guy by the half-way point and long before Tony.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm reading Mademoiselle Chanel. I just started it last night and stayed up way to late reading. I'm almost halfway through. So far I'm enjoying it, it's really interesting.
Currently reading A Little Life. I think this one is going to be a book that will forever haunt me. Kind of feeling that sense of dread, like knowing you're headed into an accident scene. Not sure I'm comfortable going there, but can't stop either.
All Four Stars by Tara Dairman – 4**** What a scrumptious debut! Gladys is a bright, resourceful, tenacious girl who will not let a few setbacks (like being grounded and not having any money) thwart her plans to succeed as a restaurant critic for the New York Standard. I did think Gladys’s parents were a little over the top, and her school nemesis – Charissa – was little more than a cardboard stereotype for much of the book. But I absolutely loved Gladys, and the descriptions of the foods she ate or prepared. I gobbled this delectable treat down in less than a day, and was hungry for more.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Going to start After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell today.
I'm reading an ARC of Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese American Internment in World War II which is very disturbing especially the well known and respected people who agreed with the horrible treatment of people who did nothing wrong except they were Japanese/Japanese Americans. Truly a sad time in history.
Going to start reading Wonder by R.J. Palacio.
Finished Nightbird by Alice Hoffman which was a 5 star read for me. It is intended for audiences 10 and up but can also be enjoyed by adults or at least me. I am going to be reading City of Women by David Gilman.
Jackie wrote: "Going to start reading Wonder by R.J. Palacio.Hope you enjoy it Jackie. I thought it was very good.
Just finished The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kiplingand grabbed a new book out of a bunch I just bought at the used book store: The Raven in the Foregate
Hi Paula!I thought it was a really good read - not to mention a quick one lol.
Now going to read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg.
I'm just starting After Birth by Elisa Albert.
Jackie wrote: "Hi Paula!I thought it was a really good read - not to mention a quick one lol.
Now going to read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg."
One of my favorite books and movies. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I put down City of Thieves and will use an alternate for the challenge instead. I am currently reading The Beautiful American.
Jackie wrote: "Hi Paula!I thought it was a really good read - not to mention a quick one lol.
Now going to read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg.
Glad you liked it, I thought it was well done.
I've only seen the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" but loved it.
I am new to this group but I thought I would jump in :) I just finished "All the Light We Cannot See" this afternoon- it took me quite awhile to make it through but it was definitely worth the time I spent digesting each and every word. Getting ready to read "Off Balance" by Dominique Moceanu alternating with "The Prophet of Yonwood" a pick by my 12 year old son. (I try to read the books he recommends to me... it opens the door for great discussion- which is hard with a 12 year old boy :)
Jen wrote: "I am new to this group but I thought I would jump in :) I just finished "All the Light We Cannot See" this afternoon- it took me quite awhile to make it through but it was definitely worth the tim..."I liked "The Prophet of Yonwood". Be sure and read "The City of Ember" too. It was the first book but I think you could read them either way. : )
I have actually read both "City of Ember" and "The People of Sparks" already :) I have the fourth book on order for my son for his Easter basket
Jen wrote: "I have actually read both "City of Ember" and "The People of Sparks" already :) I have the fourth book on order for my son for his Easter basketOh good. I thought it was a decent series. That's how I got started with Harry Potter. I gave my son the first one for a Christmas gift and he wanted me to read it so we could talk about it together. I'm glad he did.
Almost done reading Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese American Internment in World War II and I started The Canterville Ghost because I saw one of my GR friends was reading it and I just really needed a break from such sadness.
I am reading The Alphabet House by Jussi Adler-Olsen author of the Dept Q books, which I love. This however, is a tale of two British pilots shot down over WWII Germany and forced to hide out in a mental hospital. So far, so good.
Put down my second book this week The Beautiful American. In theory I thought this book about Man Ray's muse, Lee would be interesting but for me it fell flat. Thank goodness I finally settled on one of my guilty pleasure type books, Morning Glory by Sarah Gio.
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The Next Best Book Club
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A research scientist is sent by her Minnesota pharmaceutical company to Brazil to find out what has happened to the co..."
This was a good book to read, especially for discussion by a book club. Our club is on a university campus and when it got out that we were reading this book, a couple of the faculty joined in the discussion, sharing their experiences conducting research in the rainforest. Made for a much more rich experience, although there were things we all found a little strange and a bit improbable.