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What Are You Reading - Part Deux
I decided to re-read a Pulitzer Prize-winner, The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway.I still love it 5★ worth! If you picture Spencer Tracy in his Academy Award-nominated role as the old man, so much the better. He was terrific, but even without that memory, it's a wonderful story.
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Book Concierge wrote: "
Constellation of Vital Phenomena
– Anthony Marra – 4****
I had considerable difficulty getting into this novel. Perhaps it was because I ..."
This was far and away my favourite book of last year.
I became very emotionally involved with all the characters and was in floods of tears at the end - a bit embarrassing as I was reading on the train!
I had no trouble with the timelines but then I consume a lot of scifi and fantasy with switching timelines.
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "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..."
It was very good. I still have questions but that's a Gothic for you.
Reading a non-fiction now, The Richest Woman in America: The Life and Times of Hetty Green.
Portrait in Sepia - Isabel Allende – 4****
This is the third book Allende has written about the Del Valle family, after The House of the Spirits and Daughter of Fortune. I love Allende’s writing. There is a decidedly Latin beat to the flow of her sentences. And her descriptions are full of sensory highlights. The characters are larger than life and run the gamut from a wealthy Chilean grand dame to a Chinese herbalist to an English butler and a Serbian physician. I think I need to go back to THotS and read it again.
LINK to my review
Emily Giffin Heart of the MatterI picked this one up yesterday from the library. I can't wait to start it.
I follow another book blogger-"T" & she read a book by this author.
I recently read "Hyperbole and a half" and gave it 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I'm about half way through A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. It isn't normally a book I'd pick up but it had great reviews. I'm enjoying it but it's really tugging at my heartstrings and I'm hesitant to finish it because I have a feeling I'm going to be bawling by the end of it.
Halle wrote: "I'm about half way through A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. It isn't normally a book I'd pick up but it had great reviews. I'm enjoying it but it's really tugging at my heartstrings and I'm hesitan..."Only at the end? I sobbed the whole way through!
I just started Half Upon a Time by James Riley. It seems like it's going to be very funny.
Temple Grandin, a difficult autistic child, grew up to become a world-renowned expert in animal behaviour. Lucky for us, she has a knack for explaining it so it make sense.5★ for her new book, which will become the livestock handlers' bible. Fantastic!
The Small Farm Guide to Working with Animals: How to Handle Livestock Safely and Humanely.
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Temple Grandin, a difficult autistic child, grew up to become a world-renowned expert in animal behaviour. Lucky for us, she has a knack for explaining it so it make sense.5★ for he..."
I saw a film based on one of her books starring Claire Danes. It was very good.
Hi all, new here :) I'm about half way through The Big Short by Michael Lewis. The film was one of my favourites from 2016, and I'm loving the book as well.
I don't know what it is about this weekend, but I picked up The Magicians by Lev Grossman, not realizing that it was really a children's/young adult book. I could tell it was well written but didn't catch my fancy at all. Then I picked up The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, not realizing it was the same genre! I really must pay attention in the future ... But anyway, I'm sticking with it and have about 60 more pages to read.
I just started TOP TRAVEL GAMES by Frederick Lawrence. It seems to be interesting with funny adventures TOP TRAVEL GAMES.
Esther wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Temple Grandin, a difficult autistic child, grew up to become a world-renowned expert in animal behaviour. Lucky for us, she has a knack for explaining it so I saw a film based on one of her books starring Claire Danes. It was very good..."
Esther, the film was "Temple Grandin", Grandin's life story, with Clare Danes playing her. She did a good job of it, too. I've heard Grandin speak and give interviews, and Dane caught her manner quite well.
Author David Baldacci is such a popular writer that I decided to try one of his books - perhaps I chose the wrong one.Memory Man disappointed me so much that I gave it only a couple of stars.
But I have a question for other people who have read it. My review and the question
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've started reading Brixton Beach by Roma Tearne.
Nine Days to Christmas - Marie Hall Ets & Aurora Labastida – 4****
The subtitle is: A Story of Mexico, and this charming picture book details the preparations and festivities surrounding las posadas, a procession and celebration of Joseph and Mary seeking shelter in Bethlehem. The illustrations by Ets are wonderfully detailed, and she won the Caldecott medal for her work. Labastida’s text, and Ets’s drawings bring the streets of Mexico City alive.
LINK to my review
Right now I'm reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It takes place in Germany around world war 2. I love the book a lot so far and I can't wait to find out what happens to everyone.I also really like the way that it's narrated by death.
A Big Sky Christmas - William W Johnstone & J A Johnstone – 2**
It’s a stereotypical Western tale … cardboard characters right out of central casting, a band of “varmints” set on revenge, an actress fleeing from a rich man intent on having his way with her, and the cowboy who loves her, Indians, buffalo, and the kinds of natural disasters that plagued many a wagon train. Still, it’s a fast read, with a plot that kept me interested enough to keep turning pages. Oh, and if you’re looking for a “Christmas” book … look elsewhere. This is really just a Western romance set during early winter, with a plot that culminates on Christmas Day
LINK to my review
Avery wrote: "Right now I'm reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It takes place in Germany around world war 2. I love the book a lot so far and I can't wait to find out what happens to everyone.I also reall..."
This was one of my favorite reads, five stars. I don't think I've ever come across anyone who has read it who didn't love it. Enjoy!
The Conjoined: A Novel by Jen Sookfong Lee is ostensibly about 2 bodies found in the freezers of a foster mother, but it's more about frustrated people and family dynamics with a lot of social justice messaging. My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Avery wrote: "Right now I'm reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It takes place in Germany around world war 2. I love the book a lot so far and I can't wait to find out what happens to everyone.I also reall..."
I loved The Book Thief, Avery. Hope you do too!
I'm reading a memoir, Primates of Park Ave. So far I give it 3 stars. It has the anthropology background, but the writing is a bit boring as well as the situations. I will; however, finish it this week. I hope it surprises me in the end.
Right now I'm currently reading Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy and I love it so so much
Right now I'm reading two books- one called ICE and the other called WOOL( I must be cold)
The Wedding Dress: Stories From the Dakota Plains - Carrie Young – 4****
This is a collection of short stories set primarily during the early part of the 20th century to shortly after World War II. Young explores the lives of the people of Little Butte, North Dakota, who are mostly Norwegian immigrants (or descended from them). All of the stories feature characters that fairly leap off the page, they are so real. The landscape is cold and bleak, especially during the Dust Bowl years, but the kitchens are warm and inviting. This is the first work by Young that I’ve read; it will not be the last.
LINK to my review
I am reading All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood. I just started so I can't give it a rating. I can tell you I can see myself finishing this book quickly but thinking about it for weeks.
A Place Called Hope - Philip Gulley – 3***
I love Gulley’s series; I welcome a gentle read now and again, where I can visit with old friends. He has a gift for writing humorous stories about small-town life, but instilling a message of tolerance, peace and love. Here’s hoping that Sam Gardner’s adventures in Hope will continue to entertain and inspire for years to come.
LINK to my review
Jan 21 - Currently ReadingTEXT -
Breathing Lessons / Anne TylerAUDIO in the car -
The Husband / Dean KoontzMP3 Player AUDIO -
Maisie Dobbs / Jacqueline Winspear
I am currently reading The Black Widow by Daniel Silva. This is the 16th book in a series about an art restorer and Israeli spy.
Mrs Lincoln’s Dressmaker – Jennifer Chiaverini – 3***
This was an interesting look at an era in history that we already know much about. I enjoyed the historical references and Elizabeth’s point of view of many of the events. It was an engaging story that held my interest. But … I wish Chiaverini had given us more of Elizabeth in the novel and less of Mrs Lincoln.
LINK to my review
LOVED To The Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey, whose first book, The Snow Child, made the short list for the Pulitzer Prize. I haven't read it yet, but after having read this, I sure will!This one is a solid 5★ and it has a gorgeous cover.
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Angela M wrote: "I finished Stolen Beauty. 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."My husband read this and absolutely loved it!
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – John Berendt – 4****
Berendt was a free-lance journalist when curiosity took him to Savannah and he began to write about the particularly insular culture of that Southern city. Then a murder happened, and his story really took off. I first read this sometime in the mid to late 1990s, and on re-reading it I’m not so keen about it. The murder doesn’t happen until half-way through the book, and that was really the most interesting part. I’m still giving it 4 stars because I believe that was closer to my original reaction to the book.
LINK to my review
There seems to be renewed interest in Anthony Trollope's works, so I read a book of six of his short stories, Selected Short Stories.I like short stories and had never read Trollope. Can't say I was crazy about these, but he did have a way with words, so I quoted some bits I liked. I think fans of Jane Austen will probably enjoy Trollope.
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Going to start reading Moving by Jenny Eclair today.Book Concierge - I thought Midnight (etc) was excellent.
I am currently reading The Black Widow by Daniel Silva and listening to A Man Called Ove. I just finished rereading The Debt of Tamar by Nicole Dweck. I reread this for a book group.
Cinnamon Girl: Letters Found Inside a Cereal Box - Juan Felipe Herrera – 3***
This slim volume is told entirely in free verse. The poems are visceral and disturbing, emotional and moving. And yet, I felt somehow removed from Yolanda and her pain. I think part of that was because Herrera does not give us a linear timeline. Nevertheless, from the typical teen lament of “no one understands me” to the joy and freedom of a new friendship, to the very real fear of having lost someone in a tragic accident, Herrera’s Cinnamon Girl will resonate with many readers.
LINK to my review
How To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie - 3***
This classic self-help / self-improvement book was first published in the 1930s. Given the decades over which this book has been read, and the hordes of people who have done so, I’d be surprised if most of us hadn’t already heard most of this before. I admit that some of the principles certainly bear repeating, and that it is easier to agree with them than it is to practice them consistently. Still, had it not fulfilled a particular challenge, I would have abandoned it long before I finished it.
LINK to my review
Nostalgic Rain: Galaxies Away. This book is super awesome. This book has all it takes to be big-- fast-paced story, great set of characters, good world-building and the ending is mind blowing!
**Highly recommended**
I am currently re-reading "Can You Forgive her?" by Anthony Trollope. This is the first book in Trollope's "Palliser" series
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The Next Best Book Club
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I highly recommend the insightful The Anatomy of Fascism for those interested in history/politics!
Here's my review.