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What Are You Reading - Part Deux
Smilla’s Sense of Snow – Peter Høeg – 2.5**
I really wanted to like this. It’s been on my tbr for ages and it fits a genre I usually enjoy: Psychological thriller / mystery with a strong female lead. And Smilla is definitely a strong female heroine. There are sections of the book that were mesmerizing, but many sections that just bored me to tears. On the whole it was a chore to read, and it took me three weeks to finish it.
LINK to my review
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A Spool of Blue Thread – Anne Tyler – 3.5***
A family saga covering three generations of Whitshanks and the familial home that anchors their story. Tyler shines when writing about everyday life and the small dramas that make up American families. I find these characters so believable and relatable, even when their circumstances are very different from anything I’ve experienced personally.
LINK to my review
Just read a classic Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot mystery, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. You don't need to have met the little Belgian detective before to enjoy this clever whodunit!
4★ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished 'Round Midnight by Laura McBrideGreat book!!
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hey everyone! I'm new to this group, btw! I've already found some great reads just from browsing through these comments. If you like YA, which is one of my favorite genres, you might like Sarah Dessen's books. If you haven't tried her, you should. I found her way back in the early 2000s, introduced her to my daughter, who has read every single one of her books now, and... I'm behind!
My plan is to get caught up this summer. I read Someone Like You in one day. Couldn't put it down. Now... I'm off to read, The Truth About Forever. I have about seven books to go, and I'm looking forward to it. :)
Casey wrote: "Hey everyone! I'm new to this group, btw! I've already found some great reads just from browsing through these comments. If you like YA, which is one of my favorite genres, you might like Sarah D..."
It's fun to have a line-up like that you can't wait to get through, isn't it? I quite like a lot of YA fiction. I can understand why publishers feel they need the genre, but really, a lot of YA and even Juvenile books are quite enjoyable for adults. In fact, some books are shelved in many categories.
I'm not sure where The Wizard of Oz and Narnia books are these days, and as for romance, well, you're never too old to enjoy a good love story, are you? :)
Scariest storm I've ever "lived through" in a book! Jesmyn Ward's award-winning Salvage the Bones is a novel inspired by her own experiencing Hurricane Katrina. 
Link to my review
This "series" is such a great publication to make readers aware of what's on the publishing horizon. Buzz Books 2018: Spring/Summer: Exclusive Excerpts from Forthcoming Titles by Patrick DeWitt, Sheila Heti, Kristan Higgins, Ottessa Moshfegh Allison Pearson and 35 More has heaps of excerpts for you. Some of these are out now, and some will be soon.
5★ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And the next in the series is Buzz Books 2018: Fall/Winter: Exclusive Excerpts from Forthcoming Titles by Stephen Carter, Jude Devereaux, Leif Enger, Barbara Kingsolver, Sarah Perry and 35 MoreThe excerpts are from books due to be published in the American autumn and winter (generally after September).
5★ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...And remember, they are FREE!
I finished Half-Truths and Semi-Miracles. 5 stars for this short story. My mini review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Little Fires Everywhere – Christine Ng – 4****
I cannot help but wonder what Ng has against determined mothers, first in her debut novel, and now with Elena Richardson. I was struck by how the Richardson kids had a mother who believed she was giving her kids everything, but in fact they knew little about how to deal with life. While Mia, unable to give her child much in the way of material goods, had given her the tools for living – self-reliance, observation, determination.
LINK to my review
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City of Bones – Michael Connelly – 3.5***
Book eight in the popular Harry Bosch detective mystery series. I really like this series, partly because I really like Harry Bosch. He’s a great detective and does his best to circumvent the political minefield of a big-city police department. The action is fast paced and Connelly gives the reader enough red herrings to keep anyone guessing.
LINK to my review
The Beauty of Humanity Movement – Camilla Gibb – 4****
The novel focuses on a group of residents of Hanoi. Told from multiple points of view, and moving back and forth in time, it requires some attention by the reader. I found it very atmospheric. I’ve been to Vietnam and her descriptions of the sights of Hanoi – the markets, the new construction, the lake, the restaurants and art galleries – were exactly what I remember. Gibb also perfectly captured the noise and bustle, the traffic (crossing the street!!!), the torrential rains, and the smell of pho.
LINK to my review
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Dark Places – Gillian Flynn – 4****
Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered. Twenty-five years later she’s asked to revisit that night and help uncover the truth. Flynn knows how to write a suspenseful psychological thriller. Here she explores memories and psychological trauma. I was caught up from the beginning and held on tight through all the twists and turns the story took.
LINK to my review
Between reads of War and Peace, I will insert some kindle singles. This first one is Romance Novels Ruined Me by Nichole Perkins. Quick, light, and energizing "break" reads.My three-sentence review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Helen Garner is one of Australia's best writers, whether it's long or short, fiction or non-, and she's a firm favourite of mine. This volume comprises 3 previous books in one, plus some. Love it! True Stories: The Collected Short Non-Fiction
5★ Link to my review
I finished The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey NiffeneggerMy Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Niffenegger can really write!
Another kindle short: Shelf-Love by Ben DolnickMy very short review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm enjoying Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. The Likeness is #2, in which Detective Cassie Maddox goes undercover.
4★ Link to my review
Dead, Bath and Beyond – Lorraine Bartlett with Laurie Cass – 3***
This is book # 4 in the Victoria Square series. It has all the hallmarks of a cozy mystery – an amateur sleuth who cannot keep her nose out of police business, a colorful cast of supporting characters, a fun business venture that keeps our heroine busy, and some love interest. It held my attention and I was entertained.
LINK to my review
The Man Who Planted Trees is a short 1953 "parable" by French Jean Giono. It makes a great conversation starter for both the dinner table and the classroom, but it needs to be read and read again by politicians!
4.5★ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am doing the summer challenge and can't say all the selected books were a good choice so far, for example Three Men in a Boat was utterly boring and unfunny. Anyway, did not want to complain, but talk about the good books I have found thanks to my bookclubs and also the summer challenge. They are all stories from cultures other than mine and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them:
A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles was a very pleasant surprise for me, I really really loved his Rules of Civility. With the Gentleman, I had one big gripe - the story was too unreal. It was impossible that the Soviet state would leave a Former Person alive and well for so long. But otherwise, Towles' style, storytelling and characters are utterly lovable.
Two She-Bears by Meir Shalev is from Israel, and is a sad story, but beautifully told with strong female character.
I am still listening to the Americanah and loving it very much, it is very well narrated with various English accents, with gives the story another layer. I also like that it does not try to make us, white privileged, people guilty all the time, while still providing deep insights into the lives of African people in other countries and their native own one.
It is almost like traveling and that is a part of the summer, so - big like.
I finished House of Rougeaux. 3.5 stars rounded up . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished the kindle single Guns by Stephen King. A good essay, especially in this year of more than 20 school-related shootings. I agreed with every word.
Espresso Tales – Alexander McCall Smith – 3***
Book two in the “44 Scotland Street” series about the residents of a particular apartment building in Edinburgh. The novel is a sort of ensemble piece, with chapters alternating among the characters. It’s not great literature but it is fun to read. Reminds me of Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City series.
LINK to my review
She’s an itchy-footed Runaway. I enjoyed the title story of Alice Munro’s book of the same name. I’ve included a link to more of her stories online.
Link to my review
I've finished a psychological thriller The Perfect Mother by Aimee MolloyMy review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee – 5***** and a ❤
Is this the quintessential American Novel? Will it stand the test of time as Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has done? Time will tell. I do know this, however. This is a singularly powerful novel that has touched generations of readers in the 50-something years since it was first released and remains high on many “must be read” lists. It’s a well-paced novel, a fast read with elements of suspense, family drama, humor, and moral lessons.
LINK to my review
I finished rereading The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. These two "letters" to his nephew are classics, and their fire and immediacy still speak to us. Baldwin's works are still relevant today. We are living in uneasy times.Here is a link to Associate Professor Sarita Cannon's essay/review of The Fire Next Time and Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. It spotlights what Dr. Cannon calls "the subversive potential of black joy" in black literature.
http://africanvoices.com/avblog/the-s...
Mad Love – Suzanne Selfors – 2.5**
Okay, I knew it was a YA romance going into it, and I definitely see the appeal for the target audience. You have all the elements for a successful romance, including “meeting cute,” attractive characters, a nemesis that shows some redeeming qualities in the end. Add a dash of Greek mythology and a sprinkle of magical realism, and you have a pretty good idea for a teen romance. It’s just not my cup of tea.
LINK to my review
I'm reading a promotional copy of We Shall Not All Sleep. This book just begs to be read aloud. A debut novel shouldn't be this good but it's pulled me in completely.
Island of the Blue Dolphins – Scott O’Dell – 5*****
This is fast becoming a classic of children’s literature. O’Dell has crafted an enduring story of strength, courage and resilience. Karana, a young Native American woman left behind on an island off the California coast when her tribe departs, is practical and brave, resourceful and creative. She works hard at survival, but she works “smart” as well. The book won the John Newbery Medal for excellence in children’s literature.
LINK to my review
I'm reading The Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill. It's the third book in a series, which has been great so far.
Just read The Choke by Aussie author Sofie Laguna, who wins prizes with her work. 
4.5★https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Currently reading Cruel Beauty by Rosamund HodgeA reworking of Beauty and the Beast, and very gripping!
I thoroughly enjoyed that book, Karen, but I have to say I think I've enjoyed all her books!
Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by neuroscientist David Eagleman is what I would take to a desert island because I’ll never get tired of enjoying his imagined afterlives, each only a few pages long.Some are funny, some scary, some philosophical, all entertaining. A FAVOURITE!
5★ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished The Silver Music Box by Mina Baites and it's one of the best works of historical fiction I have ever read and is certainly the best and most beautiful work of WWII fiction I have ever had the pleasure of reading. In my opinion it puts mediocre albeit highly buzzed about books like The Nightingale and the plain awful Salt to the Sea to shame. It lacks all the uncomfortable pretension of All the Light We Cannot See and is exactly the kind of book I've been aching to read for over a decade. It follows the trials and tribulations of a Jewish family, their loves and struggles through WWI and WWII. It centers around a beautiful music box a father made for his son and how such a small object can hold so much pain, joy, sorrow and history. It's the story of a family and a people through love, evil and war and the search for family and identity, I have never read a book that captures humanity and emotion so powerfully. I am truly moved to tears and I rarely cry when reading. It's a translated book and a great and important one especially in today's times. (5 perfect stars and more, as many as I'm allowed to give)
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The Next Best Book Club
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Deep Time Dreaming: Uncovering Ancient Australia by Aussie author Billy Griffiths does what it says - uncovers some wonderful history, archaeological and cultural.