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Read, Reading Now and Reading Next (Jan-March 2016))
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Reading Now
Reading Next
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I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt – 3***Brandt, a former prosecutor, managed to get Frank Sheeran to tell the true story of what happened to Jimmy Hoffa. I was interested, but disgusted with Sheeran and the other thugs profiled in the book.
Full Review HERE
The Women by T C Boyle – 3*** Boyle tells the story of Frank Lloyd Wright through the eyes of the women who loved him: his three wives and his mistress. The chronology moves back and forth, beginning with Wright’s last love, and the story line seemed somewhat fractured. Despite the title and the organization of the book, the women come off as secondary to the man. Frank Lloyd Wright is a bigger-than-life presence here, and I grew tired of him.
Full Review HERE
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To Read
Read:
Reading:
*Next:
*: Bobbi makes no actual guarantee that she has the sort of discipline it takes to stick to a schedule. If she gave you said guarantee, feel free to call her a lying liar who lies.
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Reading:
*Next: [bookcover:Vi..."
LOL at the disclaimer!!
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. Listening to
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl – 3***A classic children’s story with a message about good behavior being rewarded. I never read it as a child and I found it a bit over-the-top, but I can see the great appeal that this kind of “fairy tale” holds for children. Eric Idle does a marvelous job of narrating the audio book. All his skill as a voice artist is put to good use creating unique characters. I’d give him 4 stars for his narration.
Full Review HERE
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl – 3***A classic children’s story with a message about good behavior being rewarded. I never rea..."
I have seen the movie, LOL!
The Love Queen of the Amazon by Cecile Pineda – 4**** This is a wonderful send-up of magical realism, with a decidedly feminist bent. I laughed out loud at the ridiculous antics and over-the-top descriptions. I was engaged and pulled into the story from page one, and when I finished, I wanted to start from the beginning and read it again.
Full Review HERE
ThatEzi wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: " Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl – 3***A classic children’s story with a message about good behavior bein..."
The new movie is abysmal. i can't bear to watch it. The old one with Gene Wilder isn't bad but neither really conveys the story.
I'm signed up for a few challenges but thought I'd stop in here.I'm currently reading
by Orson Scott Card. I've been avoiding it cause it's not my usual genre and it scared me. lol. But I'm about halfway through and really liking it. Up next I have a couple different options but I'm not sure which to read yet.
(really want to read) 
(works for a couple challenges I can't move forward on until I read this) 
(has been staring me in the face for a couple months)
Read
ReadingI'm not sure what I am goi g to read next
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Hi! Started the year very well, but just came back from holiday and find it hard to really get into the book Salvage the bones... I only have a few chapters left, though, so looking forward to finishing it! Next one will most likely be a different type of book :-)
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Theft: A Love Story by Peter Carey – 3***The novel is told by the two brothers in alternating chapters. The plot is convoluted and intricate, as befits a psychological thriller, but I didn’t find it a grippingly fast read. I was interested but puzzled about where this was going for a good third of the novel. Simon Vance is superb as the narrator of the audio version. He gives each brother a unique voice, which makes it easy to tell who is narrating.
Full Review HERE
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Sunshine✰✰✰ wrote: "I'm signed up for a few challenges but thought I'd stop in here.I'm currently reading
by Orson Scott Card. I've been avoiding it cause it's not my usu..."
is one of my favorite books, but I'm not crazy about the sequels in that series. But I enjoyed the parallel book
.
Mie wrote: "Hi! Started the year very well, but just came back from holiday and find it hard to really get into the book Salvage the bones... I only have a few chapters left, though, so looking forward to finishing it. Next one will most likely be a different type of book :-) "Mie & Lanelle, I usually read multiple books and they are usually in different genres. One YA or middle school, one murder mystery, one paranormal and/or one romance. I think it usually keeps me from getting in a reading slump and also allows me to keep the stories straight.
Finished:
☆☆☆☆ (but too steamy for my taste)
☆☆☆☆ (great story, but bummed that the next book isn't out yet)Reading:
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Leo wrote: "Read: Reading:
..."I really liked
, what do you think? I'm getting ready to read #2 in the series.
The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee – 3*** The subtitle is: A Memoir, a History. That pretty much describes this book. What I liked most about the book were his stories about bookshops from his personal experience, i.e. the memoir sections. But Buzbee also gives the reader a history of books – from clay tablets to scrolls to paper – and book-selling. And those sections I found less engaging.
Full Review HERE
Marla wrote: "Leo wrote: "Read: Reading:
..."I really liked [bo..."
I'm right now about 90 pages in, and I'm not quite sure if I like the romance aspect of it or not. But I think Rachel Bach writes action very well. I read the "The Spirit Thief" before, which she wrote as Rachel Aaron, and I enjoyed the action scenes in it very much too.
Leo wrote: " Marla wrote: "Leo wrote: "Read: Reading:
..."I r..."
I really liked the action and romance in
The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel – 4****The wives of the original U.S. Astronauts had just as much of the “right stuff” as their hero-husbands. Koppel reveals their strengths, their weaknesses, their fears and joys, their stumbles and triumphs. These were some STRONG women, and it’s about time they were recognized. Orlagh Cassidy does a marvelous job narrating the audio book. Her pace is good, and she has enough skill as a voice artist to give the women sufficiently distinct voices (most of the time), so there is little confusion.
Full Review HERE
Feb 8 - currently readingTEXT –
Hail to the Chef / Julie HyzyAUDIO in the car -
All the Light We Cannot See / Anthony DoerrPortable AUDIO -
The Girl on the Train / Paula Hawkins
Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy – 3*** The second in a series of cozy mysteries featuring White House Executive Chef Ollie Paras begins at Thanksgiving and takes the reader through preparations to decorate the White House for Christmas. This was fairly entertaining, but I guessed what was going on FAR ahead of Ollie, and even, apparently, the Secret Service Agent in Charge! Oh well … I read this genre for the escape from reality. And this certainly fills that bill.
Full Review HERE
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins – 4****The girl on the train is Rachel – a depressed alcoholic who is sure she has witnessed important information concerning a missing woman. Or was that accurate? This is a gripping, fascinating psychological thriller. I was hooked from the beginning and didn’t guess the culprit until the reveal. The ending is nothing short of chilling. The audio is capably narrated by three voice artists: Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey and India Fisher. But I have no way of knowing who voices which character.
Full Review HERE
The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie – 2** This is an intricately plotted mystery, but Miss Marple doesn’t appear until page 153. Most of the detective work is done by Jerry Burton and the local investigator. it seems that almost everyone in town is a potential culprit, including the vicar’s wife! But of course, after hearing a few casual remarks Miss Marple solves the case.
Full Review HERE
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – 4****A blind French girl and a young German orphan find their lives intersect in the walled Brittany town of Saint-Malo in August 1944. Doerr gives us wonderful descriptions, letting the reader experience the world as Marie-Laure or Werner does. Doerr peoples the novel with a wide assortment of characters, but the two young people at its core will stay with me for a long time, as will the haunting strains of Clair de Lune. The audio version is performed by Zach Appelman, who does a marvelous job. His gift as a voice artist makes it easy to believe he is speaking for a blind teenaged girl, a confused German boy, an elderly uncle, or a gruff soldier.
Full Review HERE
A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper – 2** Sixteen-year-old Sophie FitzOsborne writes of her life in the crumbling castle on the small island of Montmaray. It is 1936 and their isolation is about to end as news from the mainland lets them know the world is on the brink of war. Sounds exciting but overall I was bored. There are a few moments of decently written suspense, and I liked the strong female characters. But the cliffhanger ending seems manipulative, and I’m not sure I care enough about what happens next to read book two in the series. I see the appeal for the YA audience, but it’s not for me.
Full Review HERE
Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum – 4****I’ve been disappointed by so many books that were “book-club favorites,” so I wasn’t expecting much, but I’m very glad I read it. Are we doomed to love “Those who save us,” despite their otherwise reprehensible behavior? The reader is at an advantage over Trudy, because s/he learns Anna’s secret long before Trudy. Complex issues, well-developed characters, and a compelling narrative.
Full Review HERE
As I was joking around in one of my other groups, I'm a book heathen in that I tend to read things out of order so I finished
✯✯✯✯ and then the sort of, not really, but definitely set in the same universe prequel short story
✯✯✯✯ . Both are very good but in very different ways. I also just finished up
✯✯✯✯ which was really good. I recommend it.Right now I'm reading about 8 books and listening to one.
I'm listening to
but am not far enough to have an opinion.I'm concentrating most of my reading efforts on:
Then after that will probably be:
*peeks at her last post*
Okay, only sort of a lying liar who lied. I've finished all of those except for one and it's not at the top of my list. That being said, the fine print still reads that if <--- this poster guaranteed to you that she was actually reading anything in this particular order, well, I'm sure there's a consolation prize? :D
But no, I am most definitely reading the Larissa Ione and Katie MacAlister books the most right now.
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, so re-read
Reading
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To read: I don't know
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys – 2.5** In 1941 Stalin’s Soviet Army invaded Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and deported many of the residents of those countries to Siberia. Sepetys based this novel on the story of her own grandparents. There is an important historical story here, but the writing left me cold. The teen narrator really irritated me. Emily Klein didn’t help with her narration on the audio book. I found her performance overly dramatic to the point that I wanted to “boo” her.
Full Review HERE
March 1 – currently readingTEXT –
The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam / Chris EwanAUDIO in the car -
Everything I Never Told You / Celeste NgPortable AUDIO -
Dance Hall of the Dead / Tony Hillerman
Threw out my plans. AgainRead:
which I dnf'd. I couldn't get into it.
which I liked and am glad I picked up the box set. ✯✯✯✯
✯✯✯ - Reading:
On Deck:
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which I dnf'd. I couldn't get into it. which I liked and am glad I picked up the b..."I LOVE Demonica and Divergent!
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – 3***This was a pretty entertaining high-school romance, set in Paris. I’m way past the teen angst stage, but I was rather charmed by Anna and this teen drama. It was a fast read with characters right out of central casting, but it held my attention. I can certainly see the appeal for the YA crowd at which it is aimed.
Full Review HERE
Just Shy of Harmony by Philip Gulley – 3*** This is book 2 in the Harmony Series, and I just love them. They are gentle stories with a good sprinkling of humor, and a few life lessons learned, but without being preachy.
Full Review HERE
The Challenge Factory
Books mentioned in this topic
Dance Hall of the Dead (other topics)Monday, Monday (other topics)
Fire Touched (other topics)
Black Fallen (other topics)
Hunted by Darkness (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Tony Hillerman (other topics)Celeste Ng (other topics)
Chris Ewan (other topics)
Julie Hyzy (other topics)
Anthony Doerr (other topics)
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READING:
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