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What Are You Reading - Part Deux
message 3301:
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Larry
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Dec 26, 2016 04:04PM
I just finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird - probably my fifth time to read it. It's my favorite book of all time - in these troubled times a lot of folks could learn a thing or two from Atticus Finch. Every time I read this book I learn something new.
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Karen M wrote: "Karin wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Karen M wrote: "I'm nicely into People of the Book. It just gets more and more interesting."I loved it! And the history is well researched
Do you think so? I have only read Year of Wonders, where there was some rather anachronistic stuff, mostly in certain attitudes and outlooks, and a few very unbelievable parts the story. It has made me reluctant to read any of her other books- ..."
Sorry I missed your posts, Karen. I liked People of the Book better than Year of Wonders, maybe because I found the language easier (no Middle English, or whatever). I also like the foray into Aboriginal culture. Did you review it? If so I missed that too, :(
Sachin wrote: "Just finished "A thousand splendid suns" by Khaleid Hossaini. And now reading "The Delusional God" (Not sure if i shud be reading it, changing my perspective towards stuff :-/ )"If reading makes you think and question, Sachin, then the writing has done its work! Richard Dawkins has made quite an impact with The God Delusion, and he's an interesting speaker when interviewed about it. Let us know what you think when you're done.
I'm going to start reading The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam. It's the follow up book to Old Filth which I enjoyed very much.
The ShiningI've got about 50 pages left of this book and I'm not going to lie, I'm ready for it to just be finished. It's been rather entertaining and I've enjoyed reading it but parts have been quite draining!
I've been lucky to read some 5★ books lately. Mind you, it's not because I'm an easy marker, more that I'm selecting more carefully, I think. Sylvia Plath's famous fictionalised memoir, The Bell Jar is both funny and harrowing, sometimes all at the same time.
Depression and coming of age are each trying conditions. Put them together, and some people fare better than others.
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I started The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan yesterday. It is a historical fiction about Marie von Goethem and family. Marie was the model for Degas's sculpture Little Dancer, aged Fourteen.
Money, Money, Money
– Ed McBain – 3.5**** This is the first book by McBain that I’ve read, and it will not be the last! Fast-paced, intricate plotting and colorful characters make for a quick and enjoyable read, despite the high body count. It may be Christmas but the criminals are busy, and so are the police. I was interested from page one to the very end.
LINK to my review
Larry wrote: "I just finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird - probably my fifth time to read it. It's my favorite book of all time - in these troubled times a lot of folks could learn a thing or two from Atticus..."Ditto what you said, Larry! My favorite book of all time and I've probably read it 20+ times. I always find something I had failed to notice before.
Mod
I just started (and finished) Tiffany Scandal's Shit Luck. It's quite the fever dream and such a quick read!
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Sachin wrote: "Just finished "A thousand splendid suns" by Khaleid Hossaini. And now reading "The Delusional God" (Not sure if i shud be reading it, changing my perspective towards stuff :-/ )"If..."
Interesting. Don't you find him rude and mocking? I tried to read this (I studied a LOT of biology in university and have read many books on the subject even after that) and thought him nasty to people who think differently. To be honest I don't read writers of any viewpoint that belittle others. If you are right, you don't need to stoop to that level.
A Brief History of Time is much more polite, but both of them have points they can't actually prove, nor can anyone else prove their different points when it comes to origins of the universe and life. This is one of my favourite topics and has been since I was very young and I've read many POVS and arguments on all sides of these debates. I figure I can't be educated on it by only reading one or two sides in these debates--there are many, not just 3 sides.
A 5★ story that deserves re-reading every year, The Gift of the Magi by the much-loved author, O Henry.
A poor young couple cleverly out-do each other trying to give each other a happy Christmas.
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I decided to finish 2016 with this one, and you might like to do likewise or read it to start your Happy New Year!
Catching up on the few books I was able to read in December:Lucky Boy. 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Setting Free the Kites. 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Girl in the Garden. 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hi Carlos,I am Paresh from India. I am currently reading Inferno by the same author. I like religious thrillers and traditional religious concepts being challenged and turned into adventure in the form of fiction or non-fiction. I personally feel such books can definitely demystify religions across the world and embolden us to dare think about our survival without religious fear, domination and hypocrisy.
Happy new year to all! I've started reading The Island by Victoria Hislop.
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "A 5★ story that deserves re-reading every year, The Gift of the Magi by the much-loved author, O Henry. ..."LOVE O Henry .... sadly, he isn't taught in most high schools these days.
Long Man
– Amy Greene – 4**** Greene delivers a riveting story that explores the question: What cost, progress? The Dodson’s loss of their home is representative of the hundreds of families displaced by such projects. The novel is peopled with strong characters, with tangled relationships. Their competing loyalties are what made the decisions so difficult: to stay or to go, to delay or to embrace change
LINK to my review
The Anteater of Death
– Betty Webb – 3*** As cozy mysteries go, this is a pretty good one. A zookeeper is an interesting – and different – occupation for an amateur sleuth. Webb gives tidbits of information on the animals Teddy cares for, as well as the joys and challenges of living aboard a refitted trawler. There were plenty of suspects to keep me guessing, and a reasonably satisfactory ending. I’ll definitely read more of this series.
LINK to my review
Sometimes, the "next best book" is an oldie but a goodie.I decided to start 2017 by setting aside a crime novel and re-reading the classic A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, a master of the English language.
That was a 5star idea if there ever was one! It was better than I remembered - so deliciously descriptive.
My review for 5★ - the story, I mean, not the review :)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished The Bear and the Nightingale. 3.5 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hello! I just started reading Wind/Pinball by Haruki Murakami. It's indeed a take on the art of contemporary fiction.
I just finished the Red Tent by Anita Diamant but I still consider myself "reading it" because wow it's all can think about. Im now reading The Apartment by S. L. Grey, eh its ok, and the infamous Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, I need something to pump me up before I have to go back to classes.
I finished The Signal Flame: A Novel. 5 stars ! My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... Just wow - beautiful story !
I'm reading The Apartment by S. L. Grey, it's a creepy horror novel about a couple who house swaps with someone from Paris. However, when they get there the building carries an uneasy vibe and they are continuously warned that this place "is not for living". To counter act that sort of book I've been ready light cheerful stories, I'm now re-reading one of my favorites, Radiance Of Tomorrow by Ishmael Beah, about repairing a village in Africa
Our Souls At Night - Kent Haruf - 5*****
In the small (fictional) town of Holt, Colorado, Addie Moore drops in on her neighbor, Louis Waters one evening, and asks if he isn’t as lonesome for conversation and companionship as she is. What follows is a beautifully written story of a mature couple in a different, but very loving, relationship. The strength and dignity with which they faced life endeared them to me.
LINK to my review
Just read my first James Lee Burke, and I'm sure it won't be my last.He sure can write! This is one of his latest, I think, The Jealous Kind, which paints quite a picture of 1952 Houston teens and crims.
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished The Meaning of Michelle: 16 Writers on the Iconic First Lady and How Her Journey Inspires Our Own. 4 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm going to start reading The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon.
The Koala of Death - Betty Webb – 3***
I like this cozy series for the information about the animals and the relationships between Teddy and her mother, Caro, and boyfriend, Sheriff Joe Rejas. Webb gives us plenty of suspects and twists in the plot that keep the reader guessing right up to the end.
LINK to my review
The Prince and the Pauper - Mark Twain – 4****
This is a wonderful classic that explores the difference in class in 16th century England, and the ways that appearance effects how one is treated. Both boys learn much from their experience as “the other.” It’s a wonderful lesson in “walking in the other person’s shoes.” Twain’s use of 16th-century English may be a little off-putting to today’s readers; I recommend listening to the audio.
LINK to my review
The Woman in Cabin 10 - Ruth Ware – 3***
This reminded me so much of The Girl on the Train that I’m surprised editors didn’t call Ware on certain plot points. Ware uses a mixed time frame … interspersing emails or news reports that occur AFTER the main events on board ship described by Lo’s first-person narrative. This foreshadowing should add additional suspense, but I found it confusing and not really helpful. Still, it’s a decently written thriller, with plenty of twists and turns in the plot to keep the reader guessing.
LINK to my review
A Christmas Memory - Truman Capote – 5***** and a ❤
Capote was a gloriously talented writer and he is at his best here. The reader feels the anticipation of a child, smells the piney woods, shivers in the crisp morning, and is comforted in the warmth of love.
His writing is never so brilliant as when he is mining his childhood for stories such as this. The emotion is evident and genuine. His descriptions are gloriously vivid without overwhelming the story. The lessons learned – about kindness, tolerance, family, love and forgiveness – are gently told but ring loud and clear in the reader’s heart.
LINK to my review
Karin wrote: " "Sachin wrote: And now reading "The Delusional God" (Not sure if i shud be reading it, changing my perspective...PattyMacDotComma wrote: If reading makes you think and question, Sachin, then the writing has done its work! Richard Dawkins has made quite an impact with The God Delusion, and he's an interesting speaker when interviewed about it. Let us know what you think when you're done.
Karin wrote: Interesting. Don't you find him rude and mocking? . . . To be honest I don't read writers of any viewpoint that belittle others. If you are right, you don't need to stoop to that level."
Karin, I agree that I don't want to hear people belittling each other, but arguing about beliefs and faith and such seems to lead to that a lot on all sides.
My point to Sachin was that I think one of the benefits of reading is that it makes you think. If The God Delusion was making him think, that's good.
As you said above I figure I can't be educated on it by only reading one or two sides in these debates--there are many, not just 3 sides.
Quirky novel about young girl who tries to earn a living in what was a real exotic dancer club, Market Street Cinema in San Francisco. The author, Michele Machado has done a good job of describing what it was like without it being erotica.
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
In it, there is a society of religious people called "aeri" who willfully live on sacred radioactive ground that is walled off from everyone else. They wear abatement clothing and line the walls of their homes with abatement material to slow down the damage from the radiation but ultimately they are killing themselves to live and worship on that tainted stone.
People from the other side of the wall donate and contribute essentials so that the "aeri" can continue to live "normal" lives in there. Those that donate have the ability to watch these religious nuts through small pinhole cameras that are placed throughout the city.
I'm halfway through and really enjoying it.
I am currently reading The Boom Thief by Markus Susak. It is shook which has been following me for years, always seeing it in book shops. charity shop, people telling me to read it. I finally gave in and brought it, then it sat on my shelf for a few months. I'm am my just over halfway through. it is easy to read, I am interested in the characters and lives which the narrator, Death, weaves together.
There has been humour, sadness and a couple other things I shall leave until I write my review.
I finished Night of Fire. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Superb, perfect debut novel by Aussie author Jane Harper - The Dry. I'd give it 10 stars if I could.Country Victoria, drought, mysteries, memories - WOW!
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Superb, perfect debut novel by Aussie author Jane Harper - The Dry. I'd give it 10 stars if I could.Country Victoria, drought, mysteries, memories - WOW!
My review..."
Completely agree. This was the favorite thing I read last year.
Tad wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Superb, perfect debut novel by Aussie author Jane Harper - The Dry. I'd give it 10 stars if I could.Completely agree. This was the favorite thing I read last year. "
It's certainly the best I've read in a long time, Tad.
I'm currently reading a small press novel called Circle of Stones by Suzanne Alyssa Andrew.
It's more of a collection of vignettes than a traditional novel. However the vignettes are quite powerful and there is an overriding aura of mystery surrounding the heroine of the novel and how all of the other characters are tied to her. I also like how the novel has vividly and deeply touched on issues like drug abuse, grief, separation, etc.
It's been a beautiful read thus far.
When Books Went to War - Molly Guptil Manning - 4****
While Nazis were burning books in Europe, Americans were trying to get more books distributed to the men fighting in the war. Manning does a wonderful job of including the history of the times and the challenges faced by the Council, including efforts to censor the books that would be included. I was completely fascinated and engaged from beginning to end.
LINK to my review
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Karen M wrote: "Karin wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Karen M wrote: "I'm nicely into People of the Book. It just gets more and more interesting."I loved it! And the history is we..."
My turn to apologize, I've not been on GR for several weeks and I've just seen your post. I didn't review it out of pure laziness. Okay, I loved the book but not so much the end. The other members of my ftf book club felt the same. I would still recommend reading it because the historical part is just so interesting and the current day story was good until the end.
(view spoiler)
I'm reading an ARC of The Clairvoyants which is very good. There's mystery and now it seems to also be a thriller, at least, it looks like it's getting a bit scary.
It's hard to believe Trevor Noah, the well-known comedian and presenter of The Daily show (used to be Jon Stewart's), had such a scary upbringing in apartheid South Africa. Everybody had a tribe . . . except him.Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
4.5★
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Karen M wrote: I'm reading an ARC of The Clairvoyants which is very good. There's mystery and now it seems to also be a thriller, at least, it looks like it's getting a bit scary. ."
Sounds like a good one, Karen!
I'm going to start reading The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti today. It's the first book I'll have read by this author.
I started Things Half in Shadow by Alan Finn last night.
Just finished a debut by Aussie author Anna Snoekstra. Only Daughter is about a young woman impersonating a girl who disappeared in Canberra many years earlier.
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Constellation of Vital Phenomena – Anthony Marra – 4****
I had considerable difficulty getting into this novel. Perhaps it was because I was listening rather than reading, but Marra’s moving back and forth in time, and changing points of view, just confused me. I did not connect to the characters at first and didn’t understand their relationships and connections. But that, I suppose, is Marra’s intention. We do not often know why someone crosses our path, what connections she or he brings, what influence he or she will have on our future. We do not know when hope and grace, courage and dignity may find their way into our lives. We can only pray that they do.
LINK to my review
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