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What Are You Reading - Part Deux
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Angela M
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Aug 29, 2017 12:02PM
I read Shepherd Avenue. 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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The Dud Avocado – Elaine Dundy – 2**
The book jacket promises “the romantic and comedic adventures of a young American who heads overseas to conquer Paris in the late 1950s. Charming, sexy, and hilarious…” That’ll teach me to believe a book jacket blurb. There are some scenes where Dundy really captures my attention – the way she describes a perfect cocktail, or the guests at a dinner party, for example – but I was bored with most of it. Sally has no real purpose and I just didn’t care what happened to her or her “friends.”
LINK to my review
Finished The Monarch of the Glen so since I'm already reading an autobiography I've decided to read a thriller, Zoo.
I'm loving INTO THE WATER...
The Graveyard Book I'm reading with my 10 yr old boy. He loves this stuff... It's pretty good so far...
Like listening to gossip about first wife by second. Most enjoyable little book. Sisters by Lily Tuck.
5★ Link to my review
can't wait for the weekend to buy Miss P's Library of Souls 😁
i'm reading empire of storms but i can slowly feel myself slipping into my 3rd reading slump of the year. ohhhh no.
Hello all! I am new toe group, but excited to be here. I am currently reading "The Accidental Empress" by Allison Pataki. It is a long book, but such an amazing reading. If you have ever seen the show "Reign" or enjoy books about Kings and Queens and that era, you will thoroughly enjoy this book!
Recently enjoyed Sami Shah's informative, entertaining The Islamic Republic of Australia. Read and learn from a smart, ex-Muslim, Australian comedian!
4.5★ Link to my review
I am midway through Shadows of Lions by Christopher Swann. This book takes place on the campus of a prep school where young man disappears 10years before.
Another 4.5★ read for me. Who'd have though that yummy Sourdough could lead to such an intriguing story? Author Robin Sloan, that's who. You may know him as the author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, which was equally delightful. 
Link to my review of "Sourdough"
Under This Unbroken Sky – Shandi Mitchell – 5*****
This debut work just about broke my heart. Mitchell’s writing is luminous and poetic in places, making the landscape and weather central characters in the drama that unfolds in the late 1930s on the plains of Northern Canada. The novel touches on the immigrant experience, the harsh realities of prairie life, domestic abuse, faith, friendship, charity, pride, survival and forgiveness. This is a book, and an author, that deserves a wider audience.
LINK to my review
I just finished reading Shadow of the Lions which I did enjoy for the most part. Now I am having a hard time choosing my next book. So many books, so many choices, so much confusion.
Ohhh...this ticks off so many boxes for me! Adding to my TBR mountain - great review!Book Concierge wrote: "
Under This Unbroken Sky
– Shandi Mitchell – 5*****
This debut work just about broke my heart. Mitchell’s writing is luminous and poetic in places, m..."
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Another 4.5★ read for me. Who'd have though that yummy Sourdough could lead to such an intriguing story? Author Robin Sloan, that's who. You may know him as the aut..."
Finished Clapton: The Autobiography and rec'd an email from the library that The Ruins was available for download which I did since I am half ways through Zoo.
I freely admit I'm a sucker for short stories, and I've found a new (to me) author! Jacob M. Appel's latest collection, The Liars' Asylum, is excellent.
4.5★ Link to my review
Book Concierge wrote: "
Don’t You Cry
– Mary Kubica – 2.5**
Quinn is a bad roommate, but when Esther goes missing, she’s concerned and determined to find the truth. Meanwhile, Alex i..."
Thanks for the review. This is an author I hear about, but it have not clicked with her writing. I appreciate not being alone.
I am currently reading Stolen Beauty, a fictional account of the story of the Klimt painting of Adele Bloch- Bauer. This picture was confiscated from a wealthy Jewish family during WWII and after the war was found hanging in the Belvedere Castle in Vienna. There was scant information about where it was during the war. She e if you may remember this true story from the movie which starred Helen Mirren who as an older woman sued the government if Austria for its rightful return to her family. After I saw the movie, I also read the book Woman in Gold which in addition to discussing this painting also took us back to the days of the artist August Klimt and the cultural life of Vienna in its heyday. Shortly after seeing the movie we went to the Neue Gallery in Manhattan to see the original painting of Adele Bloch -Bauer. It is so beautiful and overwhelming, I began crying while looking at it.
I'm reading Codex Alera Part 1 by Jim Butcher and Sourcery by Terry Pratchett.
5★ for Jesmyn Ward's new novel Sing, Unburied, Sing. Mississipi, where the dead make themselves heard.
Link to my review
The Member of the Wedding – Carson McCullers – 4****
Twelve-year-old Frankie Adams is bored with life and longing for adventure, for a sense of belonging to something “bigger.” Carson McCullers has a way of writing her characters that draws the reader into their very souls. Frankie’s journey through this phase of adolescence is at once painfully distressing, funny and charming. I was, in turns, afraid for Frankie and amused by her.
LINK to my review
I'm reading The Ruins because I needed to read a book that scares me for a group challenge. Lets just say I won't be reading it alone at night. And I was worried it might not be scary.
I'm reading Touch by Claire North. It's pretty good so far! 😀
It took me a while to decide on the next book to read but I finally settled on Murder of a Lady
by Anthony Wynne. There's a whole story behind the book itself: its a locked room murder first published in 1931. Anthony Wynne was the pseudonym of Robert McNair Wilson (1882-1963), a Glasgow-born physician who not only wrote mysteries but biographies and books on scientific, medical and historic topics, such as the French Revolution. His books had gone out of print but are being reprinted, since 2016, by Poison Pen Press.
Proof that not every book is a winner ...
Death in Yellowstone - Lee H Whittlesey - 1*
If you’re looking for a dry recitation of facts this is the book for you. If you are looking for a compelling, adventure / thriller try Night of the Grizzlies instead.
LINK to my review
You know those people you enjoy except when they relate intimate details to you a little too loudly in public? CRINGE! That's Audra.Katherine Heiny's new Standard Deviation is a lot of fun.
4★ Link to my review
I am readingZEALOT THE LIFE AND DTIMES OF JESUS OF NAZARETH BY REZA ASLAN
Unless - Carol Shields – 4****
When Reta Williams, a successful author and translator, discovers that her 19-year-old daughter has left college to panhandle on a Toronto street corner, she struggles to understand how and why Norah could have come to this. Sheilds’ novel explores what it means to be a woman, a mother, a writer, a feminist.
LINK to my review
I finished Empire of Glass. 2.5 stars rounded up. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Binti - Nnedi Okorafor – 4****
This is a coming-of-age story, an adventure, a buddy road-trip, and a space opera all in one small package. I loved Binti. She’s resourceful, mentally and physically strong, a loyal friend, a compassionate person, and a canny negotiator. Science fiction is not my favorite genre (understatement), but I might read more of this series.
LINK to my review
Dune - Frank Herbert – 3***
Okay … science fiction epics are just not my thing. That being said, I do recognize and appreciate what has made this such an enduring classic in the genre. Herbert has created a complex world, with warring factions, political intrigue, and a great main character in Paul Muad’Dib. I think if I had read this when I was in high school or college I would have rated it higher, but it just doesn’t appeal to my reading tastes at this stage of my life.
LINK to my review
Sleeping with the enemy by Wahida Clark & Kiki Swinson.
I decided I wasn't as interested as I'd hoped in Dan Mooney's demons in Me, Myself and Them. 2.5★
Link to my review
Death at Wentwater Court - Carola Dunn – 3***
I really enjoyed this cozy mystery debut. Daisy is a delightful central character and amateur sleuth. I’m a little unhappy with how the book ends –but it’s true to the time, place and social class.
LINK to my review
Morgan wrote: "Hello all! I am new toe group, but excited to be here. I am currently reading "The Accidental Empress" by Allison Pataki. It is a long book, but such an amazing reading. If you have ever seen the s..."Welcome to the group, Morgan, and loads of happy reading! "The Accidental Empress" sounds like a terrific read.
I've gotten into a WWII classic The Bridge Over the River Kwai
. Its not from my stash (which is ever so slowly shrinking) but a specific book I wanted to read for a challenge and I actually ended up looking for it at a used book store, a library bookstore and two libraries before finding a copy. Because of the search, I'm beginning to collect a number of library cards!
Sadly, I'm obviously not the audience for The Girl from Munich by Aussie author Tania Blanchard. 
Link to my brief notes
I finished Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman’s Awakening. 5 Stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Under Fishbone Clouds - Sam Meekings – 3***
This is a love story and family saga set against the backdrop of 20th century Chinese history. We watch Jinyi and Yuying grow through their childhoods, courtship, early marriage, and mature years. Meekings also gives the reader insight into how the wars, Japanese invasion, and Mao’s Cultural Revolution impacted the people of China.
LINK to my review
Where the Trees Were ("were" being the operative word) by Aussie author Inga Simpson should embarrass all thinking Aussies.
4★ Link to my review
Pamela wrote: "Morgan wrote: "Hello all! I am new toe group, but excited to be here. I am currently reading "The Accidental Empress" by Allison Pataki. It is a long book, but such an amazing reading. If you have ..."Hi Pamela. You might like to join the free resource https://openlibrary.org/ which has heaps of books of all kinds. Many are scans of old copies, so you may need to read them on a backlit screen, but many are epubs as well.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick – 5***** and a ❤
What a treasure! This inventive, unusual novel in words and pictures, won the Caldecott medal for illustration. The book is intended for children, but will delight adults as well. The story of Hugo, Isabelle and Papa Georges is enthralling, and kept me guessing. But the drawings … oh, the drawings! The reader really needs to spend some time pouring over these intricate illustrations.
LINK to my review
Loved Frank who saves people with music - vinyl only! - in The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce, who is well-known for another favourite of mine and others, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I'm happy to say Frank and his friends are equally wonderful characters.
4.5★ Link to my review of The Music ShopIf you're interested in Harold Fry, I gave him 5★
Link to my review of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Had a couple of good reads recently, but this wasn't one of them. Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker. It did fill a challenge slot, though. :)
3★ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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