What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations & reviews Showing 8,351-8,400 of 12,687

[Pink]

I read it last month and felt the same :)

[B the BookAddict]

Pam wrote: "FInished Bryant and May off the Rails and the next in the series, Bryant and May and the Memory of Blood.

Now on book 10 in the series, The Invisible Code"

In AU, Bryant and May was the name of the only match manufacturing company here. When I first saw someone reading these books, I thought 'wow, they've written books about the matches', lol:)

[B the BookAddict]

Hannah wrote: "I recently finished A Brief History of Time (review). I would definitely read it, even if you think it isn't your subject area because it's definitely not mine but I'm glad I read it!"

Hannah, your review goes to the List page of AAB discussions!

[Diane S ☔]

Finished Everyone Brave is Forgiven
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Hannah]

B the BookAddict wrote: "Hannah wrote: "I recently finished A Brief History of Time (review). I would definitely read it, even if you think it isn't your subject area because it's definitely not mine but I'm gl..."

Thanks for bringing that to my attention! I've fixed it. :)

[Leslie]

Pam wrote: "FInished Bryant and May off the Rails and the next in the series, Bryant and May and the Memory of Blood.

Now on book 10 in the series, The Invisible Code"

Another mystery series which I read and liked the first but never followed up... The first one interlaced past and present - do they all do that?

I have finished several books in the past 5 days (you can see them all with a brief review on my thread); the most recent was the 10th Travis McGee mystery The Girl In The Plain Brown Wrapper. This one was less dated than some of the previous ones but it also lacked the sarcastic humor that I enjoy. 3*

[PattyMacDotComma]

I liked The Huntingfield Paintress, but others really loved it, so I thought I'd share my review and bring it to your attention if you haven't seen it. It might be exactly what you feel like.

It's historical fiction (mid-1800s), based on the true story of a rector's wife who transformed a small, dank English village church with her artistic magic.

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

[Susan]

I’ve just finished Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads, my first Paul Theroux. What an amazing book! Written with empathy and insight, the book helped me to appreciate — as well as an outsider can — the nature of the South. There are some beautifully-written passages, and the conclusion, a meditation on the history and essence of the South, and the author’s ageing was moving.

This would have been a five-star read, but I deducted half a star for the author’s curmudgeonliness, and another half star for the some of the anecdotes which didn’t add anything to the story.

★ ★ ★ ★

[Chrissie]

Susan, I gave that four stars too! I didn't mind his, as you put it, "curmudgeonliness"! It did take a while to get going though. I really do think it is a book to recommend. Didn't you think it did an excellent job of reviewing Southern lit? I wasn't expecting that. Interesting what he had to say about Clinton too.

[Angela M]

Finished The Summer Guest. 4+ stars . My review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... A beautifully written story that makes me want to read Chekhov.

[Pam]

B the BookAddict wrote: "Pam wrote: "FInished Bryant and May off the Rails and the next in the series, Bryant and May and the Memory of Blood.

Now on book 10 in the series, The Invisible Code"

In AU, Brya..."

It's a well known brand of matches in the UK too B. I think that's why Fowler chose the name. He did actually make a jokey side reference to it in one of the two I read recently, can't recall which one of the two.

[Pam]

Leslie wrote: "Pam wrote: "FInished Bryant and May off the Rails and the next in the series, Bryant and May and the Memory of Blood.

Now on book 10 in the series, The Invisible Code"

Another mys..."

No, they follow on chronologically. You get more out of them if you read them in order because some have events that are not completed until the next book, e.g. unsolved murder in a subplot that carries on.

[Chrissie]

Yes, The Ballroom should be read,but is it creepy, frightening. It is the truth of it that is the creepiest. It is about eugenics.

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

[Susan]

Chrissie wrote: "Susan, I gave that four stars too! I didn't mind his, as you put it, "curmudgeonliness"! It did take a while to get going though. I really do think it is a book to recommend. Didn't you think it did an excellent job of reviewing Southern lit? I wasn't expecting that. Interesting what he had to say about Clinton too. "

Yes, I appreciated the unexpected Southern literature reviews and the insights into Bill Clinton. My library has a copy of No One Left To Lie To: The Values of the Worst Family, and now I'm doubly keen to read more about Bill Clinton.

[Chrissie]

Susan, I know I want to read more by Theroux, but I am having trouble picking which one.

[B the BookAddict]

I finished my re-read of So Much for That by Lionel Shriver

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

Also finished reading Blood & Beauty: The Borgias by Sarah Dunant This is a book I should have read on it's own, not while I was also reading something else. I kept losing my concentration, especially in the first part which I found quite dry. Rating the book more on the last two thirds, it earns a 4★. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Chrissie]

Bette, wonderful to hear that the book picks up.

[B the BookAddict]

Chrissie, I have just ordered The Vatican Princess: A Novel of Lucrezia Borgia by C.W. Gortner via InterLibrary Loan, thanks to Alice's great review.

[Susan]

Chrissie wrote: "Susan, I know I want to read more by Theroux, but I am having trouble picking which one."

Me too! I’m curious about The Mosquito Coast, or maybe Riding the Iron Rooster, or closer to (my) home, The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific.

[Chrissie]

B the BookAddict wrote: "Chrissie, I have just ordered The Vatican Princess: A Novel of Lucrezia Borgia by C.W. Gortner via InterLibrary Loan, thanks to Alice's great review."

I'll keep both in mind. thanks. I like both authors. Gortner tends to favor action is what previous reading has shown me.

[Chrissie]

Susan the one I am zeroing in on is Ghost Train to the Eastern Star. I think that he goes back to places he has been before could offer insight.

[Susan]

Chrissie, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star does sound intriguing. I would be interested to read about how the fall of Communism affected the outer reaches of the former Soviet Union.

[Chrissie]

Susan wrote: "Chrissie, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star does sound intriguing. I would be interested to read about how the fall of Communism affected the outer reaches of the former Soviet Union."

I agree.

[dely]

Susan wrote: "Chrissie, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star does sound intriguing. I would be interested to read about how the fall of Communism affected the outer reaches of the former Soviet Union."

There is also Goodnight, Mr. Lenin: A Journey Through the End of the Soviet Empire by Tiziano Terzani. It's a good book but perhaps there aren't a lot of details about every country that was part of the Soviet Empire.

[Chrissie]

dely, I recall your praising this Italian journalist/author.

[dely]

Chrissie wrote: "dely, I recall your praising this Italian journalist/author."

Lol, yes, I like a lot his way of writing and the things he says.

[Suz]

Unusual. Amy's Diary by Maureen Lee. My review is here:

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

[Diane S ☔]

I read A Fortune-Teller Told Me: Earthbound Travels in the Far East and really like how this author writes. I'm pretty sure it was recommended to me by you Dely, in a recommendation swap. Need to read more by him.

[Chrissie]

dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "dely, I recall your praising this Italian journalist/author."

Lol, yes, I like a lot his way of writing and the things he says."

I would like to read him because you have so praised him.

[dely]

Diane S ☔ wrote: "I read A Fortune-Teller Told Me: Earthbound Travels in the Far East and really like how this author writes. I'm pretty sure it was recommended to me by you Dely, in a recommendation s..."

Yes, it was for the recommendation swap.

[dely]

Chrissie wrote: "I would like to read him because you have so praised him. "

Chrissie, I'm always afraid when you read a book I recommended! :D
Which of his books are available as audiobooks?

[Chrissie]

dely wrote: "Which of his books are available as audiobooks? "

None, so don't worry.

Sorry, I am so damn picky. I analyze things to pieces. I wish I could be like everybody else.

[dely]

Chrissie wrote: "dely wrote: "Which of his books are available as audiobooks? "

None, so don't worry.

Sorry, I am so damn picky. I analyze things to pieces. I wish I could be like everybody else."

It's such a pity! Though I'm afraid, I think you would like his books.

Don't worry, Chrissie, we love you as you are!

[B the BookAddict]

Susan, I saw the film of The Mosquito Coast (with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren) back in the late 80s, then read the book. I just remember the humidity, probably because I hate the heat, but not much else.

[Chrissie]

dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "dely wrote: "Which of his books are available as audiobooks? "

None, so don't worry.

Sorry, I am so damn picky. I analyze things to pieces. I wish I could be like everybody else..."

:0)

[Petra]

I just finished Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones. I thoroughly enjoyed this story of Great Expectations, an idyllic island setting and the story of home, family and the power of a story & the imagination. Everything is beautifully interwoven.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Susan]

B the BookAddict wrote: "Susan, I saw the film of The Mosquito Coast (with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren) back in the late 80s, then read the book. I just remember the humidity, probably because I hate the h..."

I’ve never seen the film. I seem to remember that Harrison Ford took the role to break away from his “heartthrob” image (hence all the sweating), and that it didn’t do very well at the box office (probably because of all the sweating).

I hate heat and humidity too. I may have to think very carefully about whether or not to read the book!

[Diane S ☔]

Mister Pip was a very different book and one I remember well, Petra.

Finished Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Susan]

I was in the mood for a potboiler, so have just finished The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. I seem to be the only woman in Australia who hasn’t read this author, and wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

I enjoyed the contemporary Australian setting and the realistic characters. Moriarty’s writing style and the way the story moved back and forth in time reminded me a bit of Fay Weldon.

★ ★ ★ ★

[PattyMacDotComma]

This is a reissue of a 1952 book, Love for Lydia, by H.E. Bates, who also wrote one of my favourites, Darling Buds Of May.

The kind of writing that you want to keep re-reading or memorising. Just lovely and so descriptive. He "had something of the appearance of a thin cylinder of freckled steel gone rusty at the top."

5★ Loved it. My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Chrissie]

I finished The Summer Guest: A Novel. Angela liked it much more than me.

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

I guess you will have to read both reviews to figure out whether it is what you are looking for.

It is less about Chekhov than about Zinaida Lintvaryova. It is more a mystery novel than biographical historical fiction.

The audiobook narration is very difficult to follow. If you want to read it, choose the paper format.

[Gill]

dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "dely wrote: "Which of his books are available as audiobooks? "

None, so don't worry.

Sorry, I am so damn picky. I analyze things to pieces. I wish I could be like everybody else..."
Definitely agree with dely, Chrissie. I always enjoy reading what you say.

[Chrissie]

Gill, that makes me happy. Thank you for telling me.

[Chrissie]

Susan wrote: "I was in the mood for a potboiler, so have just finished The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. I seem to be the only woman in Australia who hasn’t read this author..."

So I didn't know what a potboiler was. The Merriam-Webster dictionary says it's "a book, movie, etc., that is made in usually a cheap way in order to make money rather than for artistic reasons." Why in the world would one want to read a potboiler? Does it have another meaning?

[Canadian Jen]

Finished LaRose. Great first read for me by Erdrick. Here is my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Suz]

A very very worthwhile memoir Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget. My review:

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

[PattyMacDotComma]

A dog story like no other, but keep the tissues handy. Due out soon.
Lily and the Octopus

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

[Susan]

Chrissie wrote: "Why in the world would one want to read a potboiler? Does it have another meaning?"

No, I think that’s the only meaning, LOL! Sometimes, I just want to read something light and fluffy, especially after a few more weighty tomes.

[Chrissie]

Susan, OK, that makes sense.......but then when you are done with that you must really need something to bite into. ;0)

[Diane S ☔]

Finished Prayers the Devil Answers
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...