What are you reading or what books have you read or heard about? (Part TWELVE) Ongoing general thread. Showing 2,051-2,100 of 2,793

[Jim]

The glitch I don't like is the second time a book is read, the latest read date isn't exported in the file, just the first one. That messes up my database.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim, I don't have that problem. I hardly ever read a book twice!

[Jim]

I doubt you export your bookshelves to a database either, Joy.
;)

I reread quite a few books, especially as listed here on GR. When I first joined, I added a lot of books that I had read & just gave them star ratings. It's a good way to see who has similar tastes. Many of those books were classics or old favorites that I'd read 20 or 30 years before & they're great to reread. Something like To Kill a Mockingbird which I first read when I was Jem's age was quite different & even better when I was Atticus' age.

[Nina]

Interesting comment on the To Kill a Mockingbird book, Jim.

[Nina]

Reading a fun book, "Cooking for Picasso," by Camille Aubray. Fiction.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Thanks, Nina. I'll look into it.
RE: Cooking for Picasso BY Camille Aubray

[Joy H., Group Founder]

RE: The Uncertain Season BY Ann Howard Creel

I finally finished this book. Once I got into it, I was able to stay interested. The bland title held me off for a while. I think a better title would have been: "Galveston, Island of Fate".

See my review at:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Nina]

Joy. I am just now going to read the Galveston book so will wait until I finish it before reading your review. That should be interesting.

[Nina]

Just finished "Cooking for Picasso," and really enjoyed it; from beginning to end.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "Just finished "Cooking for Picasso," and really enjoyed it; from beginning to end."

RE: Cooking for Picasso BY Camille Aubray

Our library doesn't have the digital edition. I've put in a recommendation for it via OverDrive.
https://salon.overdrive.com/

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "Joy. I am just now going to read the Galveston book so will wait until I finish it before reading your review. That should be interesting."

RE: The Uncertain Season BY Ann Howard Creel

It's one of those stories about 3 different people whose lives intertwine: Grace, Etta, and "The Girl".

The Amazon blurb is:
"The Hurricane of 1900 devastated Galveston Island, but a storm of betrayal is still brewing."

[Jim]

For Whom the Bell Tolls barely got a 4 star review from me. Hemingway's spiraling internal monologues got pretty old. Overall quite a moving story, though. It's here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I listened to a couple of quick YA books afterward. Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Breir Rabbit was very well read by the author Julius Lester. Not quite what I recalled, but a lot of fun. My 4 star review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Upside-Down Magic is a YA book aimed at 5th graders about being yourself. Well done & a lot of fun. My 4 star review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Nina]

Jim, as a child did you ever see the movie, "Song of the South,?" I love it and loved hearing Burl Ives sing.

[Nina]

Liked your review of Tales of Uncle Remus.

[Jim]

I did see "Song of the South" & still have a copy of it around somewhere. Not sure how much the censors got to it, though. I'm sure the version I first saw wasn't politically correct.

[Nina]

I didn't think about politically correct when I saw it and I must admit I named my black kitten, "Tar Baby."

[Jim]

Tar Baby was the name of my mother's first horse. I don't know why it would be bad. There's a baby made out of tar in one of the stories where Breir Rabbit gets caught.

[Nina]

That is where I got the name. I think some people thought the name Tar Baby referred to a new born black baby.

[Linda]

Just read "Mrs Gunder and Enda" by Sheila Horgan.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

Fun book. Quick read. Lively characters.
I thought the book was heading in a total different direction. Midway through turns into a slight mystery/detective story.

Enjoyable.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Linda wrote: "Just read "Mrs Gunder and Enda" by Sheila Horgan.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Fun book. Quick read. Lively characters."

Thanks, Linda. I got it just now as a Kindle Unlimited.

[Nina]

Joy, could you post your review of the Galveston book one more time. Please? I have finished the book and am curious what you thought of it. I accidentally deleted that review. I do agree that the title was a bit strange.

[Linda]

Joy H. wrote: "Linda wrote: "Just read "Mrs Gunder and Enda" by Sheila Horgan.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Fun book. Quick read. Lively charact..."

Good. I also read many of her "tea" series books. Let me know if you like the book.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "Joy, could you post your review of the Galveston book one more time. Please? I have finished the book and am curious what you thought of it. I accidentally deleted that review. I do agree that the ..."

OK, Nina. See the link below. Let me know if you felt the book was unnecessarily long.
The Uncertain Season by Ann Howard Creel
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
BLURB: "The Hurricane of 1900 devastated Galveston Island..."

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Linda wrote: "Joy H. wrote: "Linda wrote: "Just read "Mrs Gunder and Enda" by Sheila Horgan.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Fun book. Quick read....
Let me know if you like the book."

OK, Linda. I've just begun reading the "Mrs. Gunder" book. It's taking me time to get drawn in because the beginning seems so silly. We'll see if it holds my attention.
Mrs. Gunder and Edna BY Sheila Horgan

[Linda]

I'm reading the 2nd book which doesn't involve Mrs. Gunder or Edna for many many a page.

Oh! To me it was lighthearted, maybe too casual for you so seems silly. I found it refreshing after reading so many deep books (WW and illegal adoptions).

Ha! Let's see how many pages you read. :)

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Linda, I'm still reading the Mrs. Gunder book. You are right... it's refreshing after reading so many sad books. This is a welcome change. I'll try to remember to let you know how long I stick with it.
RE: Mrs. Gunder and Edna BY Sheila Horgan

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Today I finished reading Finding Rebecca BY Eoin Dempsey. I gave it 4 stars, mostly because it kept me reading to the end, despite the sad parts about the Holocaust. Despite the sad parts, it was a real romance. Both Rebecca and Chris were well-developed characters whom you could sympathize with and relate to. If you can stand the sad parts, I recommend it. See my review at:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Linda]

Joy H. wrote: "Linda, I'm still reading the Mrs. Gunder book. You are right... it's refreshing after reading so many sad books. This is a welcome change. I'll try to remember to let you know how long I stick with..."

Ok! Yes, I will be interested to see if you read it to the end. Probably a 50/50 chance at this point.

I'm struggling a bit with the 2nd series - I'll finish but may not download the others.

[Linda]

Joy H. wrote: "Today I finished reading Finding Rebecca BY Eoin Dempsey. I gave it 4 stars, mostly because it kept me reading to the end, despite the sad parts about the Holocaust..."

Good review. Don't want to read yet - need a break from WW and holocaust and sad stuff but does sound interesting and be a good read. Adding to my list.

Thanks for the review.

[Mary JL]

I read a science fiction book---originally published in 1998---called Area 51The Reply---a good fast easy read.

Liked it so much I immediately started Volume 2! UFOs, aliens and government intrigue. Fast paced, good writing,.

However, I am stopping at Book 2. GR shows there are 10 books in the series--and I have other books I want to read first.

If found---they're out of print---they would make a good starting series in Sf for age 12 on up.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Thanks for posting, Mary.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

I finished reading The Things We Don't Say BY Ella Carey
It was only curiosity which kept me reading to the end. Otherwise I don't recommend it. I gave it 2 stars. At least I finished it! LOL
My review is at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Joy H., Group Founder]

RE: Horse Heaven BY Jane Smiley

I gave one star to this book. I just couldn't follow it. Too many characters and too many scene shifts. Half the time I didn't know what the characters were talking about. See my review at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jim]

Joy H. wrote: "RE: Horse Heaven BY Jane Smiley

I gave one star to this book. I just couldn't follow it. Too many characters and too many scene shifts. Half the time I didn't know what ..."

I gave it 4 stars, but also note that some of the characters were tough to separate. It didn't matter much in some cases. My review of it is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Yes, Jim, the characters were confusing. It was hard to remember who was who. Too many characters! I don't know what these authors are thinking when they try to deal with too many characters.

In your review, you wrote: "The writing was good, engaging & yet there wasn't a 'single defined plot' so I got a bit lost at times."

I agree that there didn't seem to be a "single defined plot". You worded that very well!

[Joy H., Group Founder]

RE: Mrs. Gunder and Edna BY Sheila Horgan

This was a "Kindle Unlimited" book. Unfortunately, I have unsubscribed from Kindle Unlimited and can no longer access this edition.

I read 33% of the book but wasn't really drawn in. So, in any case, I've decided not to continue.

[Jim]

Outcasts of Order by L.E. Modesitt Jr. was another great addition to the Recluce series. The bad news is that instead of finishing up Beltur's story, it's going to take another book & year to do that. I gave this one, like the last, a 4 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Mary JL]

Just started a new book today.The Mercy Rule. I have read several of thses legal thrillers, with Dismas Hardy as the main character. This is book 5 in the series, but each book stands alone. Which is good, as I have not read them in order.

Looking forward toit---as I have enjoyed the other books written by him. It will take awhile though---he likes to write long books. This one is 611 pages!

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Mary JL, I see you like thrillers. Wish *I* did. I'd have that much more to read. Lately, I'm realizing that all I like is the Romance genre! LOL There's plenty of THAT around. :)

Today I'm trying Vinegar Girl BY Anne Tyler. It's an unusual "romance" story. I'm listening to the audio version. Seems to be told with "tongue in cheek"; sort of humorous. The narrator is excellent.
See my review at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Nina]

"Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant," is still one of my favorite Anne Tyler books; but all of them are good. I also loved, "The Accidental Tourist."

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: ""Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant," is still one of my favorite Anne Tyler books; but all of them are good. I also loved, "The Accidental Tourist.""

I've read a lot of Anne Tyler's books years ago, but not that one. I should try it. Here's a list of the ones I read:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Among them was "The Accidental Tourist." I read it and watched the film too. Here's my a short review of it: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Joy H., Group Founder]

RE: Audrey Hepburn: A Charmed Life BY Robyn Karney

This was a wonderful walk down memory lane, recalling many special moments in the life of this lovely lady. Well written with many details and photos. 5 stars.

This was an ebook (which I read in my browser). I borrowed it from our public library via the OverDrive system.
My review is at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Joy H., Group Founder]

RE: Vinegar Girl BY Anne Tyler

July 10, 2018 - I finished listening to this audio book but I was bored throughout most of it for several reasons. I thought it was filled with unnecessary details which didn't interest me. I thought the plot and characters were too hard to believe. The narrator (the main character, "Kate") often reminded me of the sarcastic comedienne, Eve Arden, who always got on my nerves. I stayed with it because I wanted to see how it would end. Even the ending was hard to believe.

I gave it 2 stars because it made me stay with it to the end. That was a feat in itself.

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

[Nina]

Joy, because you seem to be a trivia person I thought I'd pass on some info; just watched a list of famous people who gave up their children for adoption. One that really surprised me was President Grover Cleveland and another was Loretta Young and Clark Gable although after leaving the illegitimate bay up for adoption, Loretta claimed her after seventeen months. Others were quite interesting; Lucille Ball; a supposedly granddaughter claimed her as a relative but Ball never said she was related. And so on

[Joy H., Group Founder]

That's interesting, Nina.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

PS - Nina, by coincidence, I just read that Clint Hill was adopted too (when he was about 4 months old)!

He wrote the book:
Five Presidents: My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford BY Clint Hill

I just started reading his autobiography now in my browser as a loan from our Library OverDrive system.

See the start of my review at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

BTW, He also wrote: Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir by Clint Hill
See my review at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

He was the secret service man who was with Mrs. Kennedy when her husband, the President, was shot in 1963. He always felt a sense of guilt that he was unable to prevent the assassination.

[Linda]

Joy H. wrote: "RE: Mrs. Gunder and Edna BY Sheila Horgan

This was a "Kindle Unlimited" book. Unfortunately, I have unsubscribed from Kindle Unlimited and can no longer access thi..."

OK! I am finishing the 2nd book but won't read the other series. First book moved along, 2nd book seems to struggle. Or perhaps its me who is doing the struggling!!!

[Linda]

Joy H. wrote: "RE: Audrey Hepburn: A Charmed Life BY Robyn Karney

This was a wonderful walk down memory lane, recalling many special moments in the life of this lovely lady. Well ..."

I like borrowing books from library using the OneDrive system. Only the borrow period is so short - 14 days. Sometimes you can renew for another 14 days. Good system.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Yes, Linda, I'm enjoying using the library's OverDrive system (SALS).

[Nina]

I am adding my comment on The Corner of Bittersweet as I was unable to do it on the other message. I especially like that book and was surprised at the many negative comments.