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What Are You Reading - Part Deux
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Angela M
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Jun 26, 2017 11:28AM
Finished Hum If You Don’t Know the Words. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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I think a lot of people will love Ache by Aussie author Eliza Henry-Jones. 
Sadly, I'm not one of them. My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am reading Borne by Jeff VanderMeer for the Author Reader giveaway.I am almost done with the audio book of The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson.
My son and I are listening to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling in the car.
And I'm reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah for my real-life book club.
Jane Steele – Lindsay Faye – 3.5***
Lindsay Faye’s re-telling of Jane Eyre , is an imaginative romp. Readers of the classic will recognize many plot elements, but Faye has let her imagination run wild. The story is still set in the same era as Bronte’s classic novel, but this Jane is a serial killer. If that makes you gasp is horror … well give the book a chance. It’s great fun to read
LINK to my review
If you are a fan of classic scifi books then the one I just finished is well worth reading, Bastion Saturn. This was a new author for me but he's written a lot more so I'll be happy, happy. Now for a 180, I'm rereading The Tempest.
Also added Longbourn to my current reading. This is one of those what I call JaneAustinish books. It takes place below stairs while Pride and Prejudice takes place above stairs.
I too love Longbourn. . But some people were upset with one plot twist but I though it was brilliant.
Megan Miranda's The Perfect Stranger was a very satisfying read!
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Stephen wrote: "I too love Longbourn. . But some people were upset with one plot twist but I though it was brilliant."I'm only up to Chapter 10 so I will definitely be looking for the plot twist. So far I'm really enjoying reading about "downstairs" and the occasional references to events in
Pride and Prejudice.
Love Walked In – Marisa de los Santos – 3.5***
Cornelia, the “under-achiever” in her family, is the manager of a café. One day a Cary-Grant-look-alike walks in and her life changes. This is a chick-lit, romance novel with great heart. The novel is told in alternating points of view: Cornelia, and Clare, an eleven-year-old with a chaotic home life. I loved them both, though I was somewhat incredulous at several plot points.
LINK to my review
Something Rotten – Jasper Fforde – 3***
Book four in the Thursday Next fantasy / sci-fi “literary detective” series. What I most enjoy about this series is Fforde’s vivid imagination and all the literary references. The plots are completely unrealistic, but that’s part of the fun.
LINK to my review
Buzz Books always give a tantalising taste of what's coming up for publication, and this one is no exception. Buzz Books 2017: Fall/Winter: Exclusive Excerpts from Forthcoming Titles by Louise Erdrich, Bill McKibben, Celeste Ng, Robin Sloan, Amy Tan and 35 More
5★ my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Agony and the Ecstasy – Irving Stone – 4****
Stone’s epic historical novel tells the life story of Michelangelo. Additionally, the novel includes much of the politics of the times, from the Medicis in Florence to the various Popes in Rome, it’s a fascinating history of the era. This was a re-read for me, but my rating reflects my original reaction (circa 1965).
LINK to my review
The Lowland – Jhumpa Lahiri - 4****
This is a dense, complex character-driven story, that explores both the immigrant experience and the relationships between family members. It starts slowly, but the really builds in the last third. Lahiri writes beautifully, and I kept marking passages. I so wish this was a book-club selection, because I long to discuss it with someone.
LINK to my review
Just finished Burial Rites, the breathtaking 2013 debut novel by gifted Aussie Author Hannah Kent. The depth of the characters, the intimacies of the life, the sweep of the Icelandic landscape = 5★ from me!
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Right now I've got several books I'm going back and forth with, mainly Thomas More's Utopia, James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera.
Amanda wrote: "Right now I've got several books I'm going back and forth with, mainly Thomas More's Utopia, James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Ch..."That is quite some selection, Amanda!
I agree re. Burial Rites. Thought it was a great book.Today I'm starting The Devil in the White City Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson.
I am reading The Breakdown by B. A. Paris and Borne by Jeff Vandermeer.
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Just finished Burial Rites, the breathtaking 2013 debut novel by gifted Aussie Author Hannah Kent. The depth of the characters, the intimacies of the life, the swee..."Totally agree ... great book!
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers – Mordecai Gerstein – 4****
Gerstein brings the sense of awe and wonder to French aerliast Pierre Petit’s amazing feat, performed in 1974 as the World Trade Center was nearing completion. Beautiful illustrations.
LINK to my review
The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland - Rebekah Crane – 1*
Okay, I knew this was a YA novel about a summer camp for at-risk teens, going into it. I knew from the title and cover art that some sort of summer romance would come into play. But I am so over the teen angst phase of my life, that I find it overly dramatic and cliched.
LINK to my review
Jackie wrote: "I agree re. Burial Rites. Thought it was a great book.Today I'm starting The Devil in the White City Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson."
Read this one a few months ago with my book club. Massive research was done by the author but than that's the way he writes.
Karen, I'm struggling with it at the moment. Finding it hard going & dull. Does it get better because I'm on the verge of abandoning it - and I don't often do that.
Jackie wrote: "Karen, I'm struggling with it at the moment. Finding it hard going & dull. Does it get better because I'm on the verge of abandoning it - and I don't often do that."I found the chapters on Holmes was what kept me reading. The stuff about the setting up of the fair was interesting at times but I agree some of it is very dry going. The ironic thing about Holmes is his great great grandson claims he was actually Jack the Ripper and The History Channel is doing a mini-series about him based on this supposition and they are calling it "American Ripper". I can understand it's not to everyone's taste and I also struggled with it but because it was for my book club I finished it.
On 5 July 2017, I was told that The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins begins with "5 July 2013". So I figured that was an omen and started it.Not a great omen, but not bad, as it turns out.
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
The Perks Of Being a Wallflower
– Stephen Chbosky – 4****
This is a coming-of-age novel featuring 15-year-old Charlie, who tells the story via..."
I initally read this book when it was first released through MTV Books. It wasn't classified as YA back then - I think it adopted that genre because of the age of its characters. However, if I remember correctly, it doesn't read like YA.
MTV Books put out some great literature back in the day.
Mod
by Sarah Gailey. Its the sequel to River of Teeth and its pretty fantastic. They're set back in an alternative western (or futuristic) world where hippos were brought into America to be raised as an additional source of meat. But the government's plan backfired and the feral hippos become a man-eating threat instead. They read incredibly quickly and contain gender neutral and gender fluid characters. You really should check them out (Taste of Marrow will be releasing soon).
July 09 - Currently ReadingTEXT –
Final Jeopardy / Linda FairsteinAUDIO in the car –
Into the Beautiful North / Luis Alberto UrreaMP3 Player AUDIO -
The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin
Lori wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: " ...
I initally read this book when it was first released through MTV Books. It wasn't classified as YA back then - I think it adopted that genre because of the age of its characters. However, if I remember correctly, it doesn't read like YA. ..."
Oh, I think it definitely reads like YA.
Tigers in Red Weather - Liza Klaussmann – 2.5**
This is Klaussmann’s debut and I see a nugget of a good novel here. But the execution falters. The dialogue is tortured. And the fractured timeline and changes in point of view do little to help the story arc.
LINK to my review
Finally actually started to read The Piano Tuner last night. Figured I'd give it fifteen minutes since it was 10:45, well, at 11:45 I finally put it down and went to sleep. Turns to be one of those books you hate to put down.
I've given up on The Devil in the White City. Decided it just wasn't for me. I've now started Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George, which is the 2nd in the Inspector Lynley series.
Ginny Moon is an adopted, autistic teenager - a real handful who can't explain what she wants to her frustrated (nervous!) Forever Family. Benjamin Ludwig has given a unique voice to the voiceless in this terrific book.
4.5★ - My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Eragon - Christopher Paolini – 3***
This is # 1 in the Inheritance series. I am clearly not the target audience for this fantasy novel. However, kudos to Paolini for creating this complex world, with many characters and beings, mythology, history, diverse landscape and complex social structure. I definitely see the appeal for the intended audience, even if it’s not really my cup of tea.
LINK to my review
Jackie wrote: "I've given up on The Devil in the White City. Decided it just wasn't for me. I've now started Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George, which is the 2nd in the Inspector Lynley series."LOL maybe I should have warned you that one woman in my book club admitted she just skipped all the stuff she found too dry and I believe another member only read about half the book and gave up, so, I suspect there are more than just three people who just couldn't get through it. It was not an easy read.
Oh at least it's not just me then, Karen, lol. I was really quite disappointed because it sounded really good, especially it being a true story. I also really don't like giving up on a book, daft I know, but I looked at the pile of books next to my bed tbr and I thought 'oh sod it, just leave it' :)
The American Revolution by Gordon Wood.
#WeNeedDiverseBooks Tania Duprey Stehlik's picture book, Violet, has brightly and inventively illustrated kids, by artist Vanja Vuleta Jovanovic.
I shared several illustrations - great addition to libraries! 4★
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jackie wrote: "I've given up on The Devil in the White City. Decided it just wasn't for me. I've now started Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George, which is the 2nd in the Inspector Lynley series."That's too bad. It was a 4-star read for me. But then, I've always been interested in "true crime" and I live just north of Chicago, so the history of the city was also interesting to me. (There are "White City" tours you can take in Chicago ...) That being said I thought that the dual story line (building the White City / H.H. Holmes) didn't help, and that each story would be better served if told separately.
Hamlet – William Shakespeare – 4****
I’ll dispense with the summary for this classic tragedy by William Shakespeare, but as I’ve said before, I really dislike reading plays. I much prefer to see them performed live by talented actors, the medium for which they are written. There are hundreds of editions of this work, and I recommend that readers get one that is annotated.
LINK to my review
Jackie wrote: "Oh at least it's not just me then, Karen, lol. I was really quite disappointed because it sounded really good, especially it being a true story. I also really don't like giving up on a book, daft I..."Been there too. I've finished books that I couldn't believe had been published and yet I hate giving up on a book.
Book Concierge wrote: "Jackie wrote: "I've given up on The Devil in the White City. Decided it just wasn't for me. I've now started Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George, which is the 2nd in the Inspector Lynley series."..."
I gave it 5 stars. The amount of research done earned it those five stars. It was well written and I actually liked the fact that the author alternated the chapters. I found I was more interested in Holmes but some of the building of the White City was very interesting but I also realize some people might find it a difficult read. My taste in books has always been eclectic and I've come to realize that I may enjoy a book but it may not be to everyones taste so I am usually reluctant to recommend books to other people unless it just is too great a book not to recommend. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I also love a book that I'm familiar with the setting, adds to my enjoyment. :-)
The pen is mightier than the sword plus a picture's worth a thousand words equals Amnesty's letter-writing campaigns plus this picture book for all ages, Letters to a Prisoner by Amnesty supporter Jacques Goldstyn.
Wonderful illustrations (I shared a couple) and visual story. 5★
Due out in September, so pre-order for schools and groups!
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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