What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations & reviews Showing 6,201-6,250 of 12,687

[Angela M]

Bette , I have Jewish friends but no one who is orthodox Hasidic as in these books do a learning experience even if it is hard to understand.

[Chrissie]

Re Potok:

When I lived in Brussels there were nearby a few houses where Hasidic Jews lived. When I was reading The Chosen I was SOOOOO tempted to stop and ask them some questions about their view on raising children, the book disturbed me to such an extent. Was it the author's personal view or was I getting a view represented by the group as a whole?

[LauraT]

dely wrote: "Charbel wrote: "I finished The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair last night. And even though it began so well, it was dispappointing. Only two starts, I'm afraid."

My same ratin..."

It's on my TBR list, but I've read too many comments similar to yours to be keen in picking it up

[B the BookAddict]

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair certainly has gained many readers and reviews. I haven't read it, it doesn't interest me.

[[deleted user]]

Just re-read The Bell Jar and finsihed Einstein's Dreams. For this reason and that wrote one review combining both. See at https://www.goodreads.com/review/list... or https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Interesting mix.

[Charbel]

Laura and Bette it has been compared to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, but that just seems exaggerated in my opinion. It's nowhere near as good. That is not to say that others won't enjoy The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, only that it's an unfair comparison.

[Alice]

Charbel, I enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but out of habit (bad habit perhaps) I didn't read the sequels. Did you? And how did you find them?

[Charbel]

Alice wrote: "Charbel, I enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but out of habit (bad habit perhaps) I didn't read the sequels. Did you? And how did you find them?"

I did read them Alice. They're good, but the first one is my favorite. Haven't read the latest one yet.

[GeneralTHC]

Alice wrote: "Charbel, I enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but out of habit (bad habit perhaps) I didn't read the sequels. Did you? And how did you find them?"

I think they're pretty darn good. Today I would rate them all about 4-4.5 stars.

*Edit--I haven't read #4.

[B the BookAddict]

Charbel wrote: "Laura and Bette it has been compared to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, but that just seems exaggerated in my opinion. It's nowhere near as good. That is not to say that others won't enjoy [book:..."

Charbel, I can't even find my original comment so can't really answer - except to say I haven't read #4 in the Millenium series. I remember posting a review by another GR friend - more purely as information.

I've seen the Harry Quebert Affair discussed in another group I'm in and everyone seemed to have a lukewarm reaction to it. That's why I didn't add it to my tbr. But you never know, everyone is different and I might love it if I read it.

[Diane S ☔]

Have only read the first one, though I do have the other two waiting.

Finished The Girl from the Garden
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Suz]

Last night I finished Risk by Aussie Fleur Ferris. An amazing debut and highly recommended. My review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Chrissie]

I really liked Up in the Old Hotel. The best stories are to be found in the collection (Old Mr. Flood, which is just one section of the anthology.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I think it is very important to read this along with Man in Profile: Joseph Mitchell of The New Yorker, which is about the author and his profiles first published The New Yorker. All in the anthology first came out in The New Yorker.

[Chrissie]

I just dumped A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. I could not take it any more.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

But here is my short review:

Just terrible. Disjointed. Wordy. Dated. The religious rant I just listened to was too much for me, I am dumping this.

B-O-R-I-N-G!!!!!!

Most serious of all is that the central character, Stephen, has no depth.

IF you choose to try the audiobook, do NOT pick the one narrated by Michael Orenstein. The narration is also terrible. I did listen to the sample before purchasing it; I certainly made a mistake. Too fast. Words pour out of his mouth. All the intonations - for kids, women, men, teachers, clergy - are off.

I do not dump that many books, but this I just cannot stand.

[Pink]

Chrissie wrote: "I just dumped A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. I could not take it any more.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

But here is my short review

Just ter..."

I'm not surprised by your thoughts on this Chrissie.

[GeneralTHC]

After trying VERY hard to read Ulysses, I wouldn't even think about picking up a Joyce book. I learned my lesson. :)

[Chrissie]

Pink and Chuck, never a James Joyce for me ever again. Maybe Joseph Mitchell loved Joyce, but I don't. Their goals may have been similar but boy do do they do it in completely different ways.

[Greg]

Chrissie wrote: "I just dumped A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. I could not take it any more.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

But here is my short review

Just ter..."

I do think Dubliners reads as though it was written by a different person. I know short stories aren't always your cup of tea Chrissie, but for me, these stories are worth a look. In Joyce's other work, the focus was more on stream of consciousness, experimentation, and expressing the detritus of the everyday. But Dubliners has a very different feel & focus, more classic, a bit like early Picasso before cubism.

Taking one of the more famous short stories from that fine book: "Araby" is perhaps the bane of high school English students everywhere, but that doesn't stop it from being beautifully written .. and to me, the meaning is very clear. It's a poignant story! Several other stories from the book are also excellent.

Anyway I know you're done with Joyce, but maybe take a momentary peek at "Araby" just to see how very different it is. You might not like it either, but it's interesting as a counterpoint to his other work .. so different!

[Greg]

B the BookAddict wrote: "I'd like to read Potok's books partly because no-one I know is of the Jewish faith. I saw something recently which featured the Eruv line: An eruv is a conceptual and physical enclosure around a J..."

I also find details of different religious traditions fascinating Bette!

When Ron's aunt was hospitalized in the Urgent Care wing of a Jewish hospital in downtown Los Angeles, I noticed there was an elevator with no floor buttons. It just went up and down continually without only brief stops. I asked the receptionist why, and she told me it was for Jews who observed the certain Sabbath rules. They could ride an automatic conveyance like the elevator without the button, but if they pressed the floor button to go to a floor, that would be in violation of certain complex Sabbath laws. I found that quite fascinating.

[Greg]

Tom wrote: "Finished listening to The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. 4 Stars."

I quite enjoyed several of the tales Tom! If I had been on Goodreads at the time, I would've rated it 4 stars as well.

[Chrissie]

Greg wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "I just dumped A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. I could not take it any more.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

But here is my short..."


Greg what you say sounds so sensible. You ought to be a teacher of literature. I mean that as a compliment.

[Greg]

Chrissie wrote: "Greg what you say sounds so sensible. You ought to be a teacher of literature. I mean that as a compliment. ..."

:)

[Chrissie]

I want people to read this: The Seven Good Years: A Memoir.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Have you heard about this Israeli author Etgar Keret? Check him out.

Important things are said through humor.

[Greg]

Chrissie wrote: "I want people to read this: The Seven Good Years: A Memoir.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Have you heard about this Israeli author [author:Etgar Kere..."

I love it when humor is used well like that Chrissie!

[Chrissie]

Greg wrote: "I love it when humor is used well like that Chrissie!"

Not many people can pull it off.

[Shirley]

Chrissie wrote: "I just dumped A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. I could not take it any more.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

But here is my short review:

Just te..."

I didn't like it much, either.

[Chrissie]

Shirley wrote: "I didn't like it much, either. "

You know what I think!

[Bionic Jean]

I've read and reviewed all Stieg Larsson's The Millennium Trilogy. I rather wish I had that time back ...

Still, here are my reviews:

link to 1st
link to 2nd
link to 3rd

The reviews get longer - but then so do the books. The final book was was held together by an elastic band, even as I took it out of the library, before I'd even read it!

[Canadian Jen]

Finished This is Where I Leave You. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[GeneralTHC]

Jean wrote: "I've read and reviewed all Stieg Larsson's The Millennium Trilogy. I rather wish I had that time back ...

Still, here are my reviews:

link to 1st
link to 2nd
link..."

Hmm... I think Larson is what actually kicked the whole Scandinavian-author thing off. And IMO, he's heads and shoulders above the others I've read.

*Edit--Oh wow, look what I found here. A review of Larson from Christopher Hitchens: http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/200...

[Suz]

No Time for Goodbye, my first novel from Linwood Barclay. My review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Gavin]

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 7: Side Colors

[Joy]

Heather wrote: "Rahat wrote: "I finished Half of a Yellow Sun. Here's my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

One of my favourite books. I'm glad you enjoyed it even if..."

One of my favourites too! I didn't like Americanah nearly as much.

[Joy]

I've just read Pudd'nhead Wilson. It's not quite the fun of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer but a good story which I liked very much. I think he was such a talented writer - his style is feels fresh and modern, and no word is wasted.

[Tom]

Finished Life in a Medieval Castle by Joseph Gies. 4 Stars.

So concludes my initial foray into Medieval times, having also finished Life in a Medieval City, Terry Jones' Medieval Lives and The Canterbury Tales.

[Chrissie]

The Hakawati

My reivew: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Julia]

Ramla Zareen wrote: "Recently read the following books:

--The Next Always by Nora Roberts.

--Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis

--Then Came ..."

I'll read anything w/ NR name on it.....

[Bionic Jean]

In response to my 3 reviews of Stieg Larsson's novels, Chuck said "Larson is what actually kicked the whole Scandinavian-author thing off. And IMO, he's heads and shoulders above the others I've read"

which is very helpful, since I'll probably shove a few other Scandi detectives further down my to-read pile now! Thanks Chuck :)

[Diane S ☔]

Finished My Southern Journey: True Stories from the Heart of the South
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[GeneralTHC]

Jean wrote: "In response to my 3 reviews of Stieg Larsson's novels, Chuck said "Larson is what actually kicked the whole Scandinavian-author thing off. And IMO, he's heads and shoulders above th..."

Lol! :) I'm pretty sure I'm right about him triggering that whole fad. Of course, I'm fallible. And as far as being better, that's obviously subjective, but I've enjoyed his books the most. I didn't rate them very high: I was a lot more critical back then, but I've come to see them now as first-rate thrillers. The trilogy itself has a GR rating of 4.45, so I don't think I'm alone in that.

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while)]

Just finished I Shudder at Your Touch on audion. Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Leslie]

Chuck wrote: "Jean wrote: "In response to my 3 reviews of Stieg Larsson's novels, Chuck said "Larson is what actually kicked the whole Scandinavian-author thing off. And IMO, he's heads and shoul..."

I disagree that Larsson "triggered the whole fad" although he may have made the movement to read Scandinavian crime novels more popular in the US/UK. Henning Mankell's Wallender series began over 10 years before Larsson as did Håkan Nesser's Inspector Veeteren series, not to mention Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö's Martin Beck series from the 1960-70s. Jo Nesbø, Camilla Läckberg, Karin Fossum and Åsa Larsson were all writing crime novels before Larsson's first book was published, just to name a handful.

[Leslie]

Not a reprimand, but periodic reminder ... please don't post cover images only, as they're difficult to see on devices. Thanks!

[Dale]

Recently finished Firestorm by Tamara McKinley. My review is here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jenny]

Leslie wrote: "Chuck wrote: "Jean wrote: "In response to my 3 reviews of Stieg Larsson's novels, Chuck said "Larson is what actually kicked the whole Scandinavian-author thing off. And IMO, he's h..."

I'd agree, Henning Mankell's Wallander definitely started the trend in Germany at least way before Larson came along. It's also how I discovered I really liked a specific kind of crime fiction, which prior to that was a no-go-genre for me. If forced to choose between Henning Mankell's Wallander and Stieg Larson, I would probably pick the former. I really like the genuine social/political dimension a lot of his books had.

[Chrissie]

I friend of mine provided a link to James Joyce's short story The Dead. I liked it.

My very short review which explains how I felt about it:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jenny]

Funny Chrissie, I was going to suggest to you The Dead after your not so pleasant experience with Joyce, but felt there was little chance in you picking up another one by him so soon. Glad someone else did.

[Chrissie]

Jenny, it is good I read it; I am not left with a bitter taste. Still, James Joyce is not an author for me.

[GeneralTHC]

Leslie wrote: "I disagree ..."

Oh, okay, I stand corrected. Thanks for that info, Leslie!

[Gill]

Jean wrote: "In response to my 3 reviews of Stieg Larsson's novels, Chuck said "Larson is what actually kicked the whole Scandinavian-author thing off. And IMO, he's heads and shoulders above th..."

Jean, I'd also recommend Henning Mankell. And if you are interested in Icelandic detective novels Arnaldur Indriðason has written some extremely good novels.