The Challenge Factory discussion
♦Factory Archives♦
>
Read, Reading Now and Reading Next (April -June 2016)
message 1:
by
Ezi, Factory Superintendent
(new)
Apr 01, 2016 09:55AM
Mod
reading
To Read
reply
|
flag
Peyton Place by Grace Metalious – 3*** While I can certainly see that the inclusion of domestic abuse, incest, abortion, teen sex, etc would be shocking and titillating to a mid-1950s readership, I kept wondering “What’s all the fuss about?”. Metalious was trying to show the strength and growing independence of three women in a culture that tried to restrict them. I’m not sure she was entirely successful, though the story line did continue to pull me along, and overall I was entertained.
Full Review HERE
Read
- loved it!! reading
- I know it's bad when I'm only 20% in and I've already checked several times to see how far I've gotten and have been eye rolling for most of the time.....and had to go and check to see - yup I paid for this book and already have #2 on my kindle!!?!? I hate that I now have to read to the end just so I know what happens.Up next will be whatever book works for Bingo shelf call on Wednesday - please (pretty please) let Sin Brothers work!!!!
The Tumor: A Non-Legal Thriller by John Grisham – 3*** Grisham states that this short book (47 pages) may be the most important one he has written. Using a fictionalized patient history, he chronicles the potential advantages of treatment by Focused Ultrasound Therapy in the treatment of brain tumors, and other diseases. I work in healthcare administration for a major academic medical center and I found this very interesting. Grisham is a member of the board of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, and the book also encourages donations to further research.
Full Review HERE
Read:
great fun 5 starsReading Now:
suddenly about 70% through it has become much more interesting.Reading Next :
,
,
,
Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley – 4**** Haley’s blockbuster history of his ancestors begins with the birth of a baby boy – Kunta Kinte – in a small African village in the Spring of 1750, and ends two centuries later in Arkansas. It’s a gripping tale and Haley is a great story teller. I was engaged from page one and found myself very interested in all aspects of the book. Haley’s narrative focuses on three of his male ancestors: Kunta Kinte, Chicken George, and Tom (Haley’s great-grandfather). Avery Brooks does a magnificent job narrating the audio book. He is an accomplished actor and really brings the characters to life. (5***** for his audio performance)
Full Review HERE
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch – 1* A mother’s love knows no bounds. As she rocks her infant son, cradled in her arms, she sings of her eternal love. It’s a lovely sentiment and certainly one that every child deserves to feel – safe and secure, knowing his mother will love him no matter what, and throughout his lifetime. But … There’s something vaguely disturbing about a mother who will crawl into her adult son’s bedroom to rock him as he sleeps…. I think other authors have dealt with this theme more successfully.
Full Review HERE
The Country Under My Skin by Giaconda Belli – 3*** Subtitled: A Memoir of Love and War, this is Belli’s account of her decades as a high-level member of the Sandinistas fighting for reform in Nicaragua, and of the passionate love affairs she had during this time. Belli is a good writer and her story-telling is top notch. I was fascinated and I learned something about the revolution in Nicaragua. But … In the end I couldn’t reconcile my admiration for her as a writer with my dislike of her as a person. So I’m conflicted, and am taking the middle road with 3 stars.
Full Review HERE
Hi!Read
between 17 February and 16 April. Great book about homesteaders in Nebraska.Reading
, a fangtastic short story collection.To read:
.Jim
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter – 4**** What a delightful story! Moving back and forth in time, and with multiple styles and points of view, Walter has crafted a love story with wide appeal. I was engaged and entertained from page one, and was so sorry to see it end. Edoardo Ballerini was simply marvelous performing the audio version. I loved the way he voiced Pasquale, Dee, Michael Deane and the many supporting cast members.
Full Review HERE
Finished IT...Next up...twilight
Then Arctic drift
Read The ProphetListening to Dubliners + The Tea Rose
CR Ubik & Ashes to Dust
Listening to Next A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man + Shovel Ready
Reading next The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
Atticus by Ron Hansen – 4**** While there is certainly a mystery at its core, the novel is more about the father-son relationship, and the failure of both of them to openly communicate and understand one another. In many ways this story echoes the parable of the Prodigal Son from the bible. The plot has several twists and turns that kept me intrigued and turning pages, but the star of the novel, to me, was the writing and the exploration of these characters and their motivations.
Full Review HERE
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick – 3.5*** Talk about your gothic mystery! Betrayal, an abandoned mansion, a long-lost son, and the isolation of a Wisconsin winter are just the beginning. The characters employ duplicity, obfuscation, coercion, prevarication, and downright lies. I was completely caught up in the story and surprised by more than one twist.
Full Review HERE
A Passage to India by E M Forster – 3.5*** This classic explores class differences and the clash of cultures. Every character seems to have a preconceived notion of how “the others” should behave (or have always acted), and each reacts based on these preconceived notions. Even the “good” characters fall victim to their own prejudices, frequently without realizing it. Friendships are broken, and even when a character realizes his/her mistake there seems no way to undo the damage. Sam Dastor is merely adequate voicing the audio book; 2** for his narration.
Full Review HERE
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom – 3*** A young Irish orphan is indentured to pay her parents’ debt, living and working alongside the slaves in the kitchen house of a Virginia plantation. I can certainly see why this has become so popular with book clubs. It has an interesting basic story line, some tension-filled scenes, and complex relationships between characters. However, it’s not the best-written book. Still, it held my attention and was a fairly quick read. Orlagh Cassidy (voicing Lavinia’s chapters) and Bahni Turpin (performing Belle’s) do a fine job on the audio book.
Full Review HERE
The Sound of Glass by Karen White – 2** This is pretty typical Southern chick lit, with family secrets, damaged psyches, scenes intended to produce tears and an unexpected romance. I certainly understand the popularity of this kind of beach read, but it’s just not my cup of tea. Oh well, it was a quick read.
Full Review HERE
Deep Down Dark by Hector Tobar – 4**** Subtitle: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine. What a gripping tale of survival, faith, team work and perseverance. In addition to the harrowing tale of their experiences underground, waiting for a rescue that might or might not happen, the book also relates the difficulties many of the miners had coping with their instant fame, and the aftereffects of the trauma they suffered. Henry Leyva does an excellent job performing the audio book. His pacing is good, and his Spanish pronunciation is excellent.
Full Review HERE
May 7 – currently readingTEXT –
The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy GilmanAUDIO in the car -
Zeitoun by Dave EggersPortable AUDIO -
The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson
Blood Daughters by Marcos M Villatoro – 3*** This is a hard-boiled crime novel with an interesting female lead. It’s number four in the Romilia Chacon series. It’s a gripping mystery, with many twists and turns, a violent sicko serial killer, and a psychologically damaged yet still strong female lead detective. There’s plenty of action to keep the reader turning pages, but I’m left somewhat dissatisfied.
Full Review HERE
Mod
after I finished
. Both are just okay.I am waiting for a CR to blow my socks off. But I am going to continue with a BR of
right here on TCF.I did just blow 5 credits on the following books:
You'll have to tell me how stolen is Ezi. I didn't read the blurb just looked at the cover lol.
Mod
It looks good huh?
Mod
; reading now 
; to read 
Jim"
Going the classic route
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers – 5***** This is a true story of what happened to one family in Post-Katrina New Orleans. I was shocked, stunned, angry, heartbroken, dismayed and completely riveted by the tale. Eggers does a great job putting the reader into the setting – the peace and quiet of no electronics, the heat and humidity, the stench of rotting vegetation, and the unsettling sight of armed men patrolling (?) your once-peaceful neighborhood. Firdous Bamji does a marvelous job narrating the audio book. He has good pacing and his performance enhances the reader’s impressions of Zeitoun and Kathy.
Full Review HERE
The Elusive Mrs Pollifax by Dorothy Gillman – 3*** In book three of the series, the CIA’s least likely courier is sent on a mission to Bulgaria. I love this series. Mrs Pollifax is charming, smart, resourceful and calm in a crisis. If the situations she finds herself in stretch credulity, who cares? The books are fun to read and pure entertainment.
Full Review HERE
Woo hoo for skulduggery pleasant. Love that series
The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson – 3*** Bryson clearly loves this landscape, these people, the lovely views, the crazy laws or regulations, and even the food. There were some aspects not to my liking, but on the whole, it’s an entertaining read. Nathan Osgood does a fine job with the narration on the audio book. He has good pacing and an expressive voice.
Full Review HERE
Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom – 3*** Grissom’s debut - The Kitchen House - became a best seller; this book follows one of the characters in the first book over several decades. There is a good story idea here, a runaway slave who passes for white and builds a successful life. There are a number of twists and turn in the plot and I was caught up in the story and wanted to know how the characters would fare. However, Grissom uses multiple narrators and the result is that there is less cohesion in the story-telling. In summary, it’s a good story and kept me turning pages, but the writing fell short.
Full Review HERE
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark – 4**** Miss Jean Brodie is a teacher at conservative girls’ school in 1930s Edinburgh, Scotland. Rather than follow the school curriculum, Miss Brodie prefers to inspire “her girls” with stories of her trips abroad, favorable remarks about Mussolini, comments about sex, and field trips. She is, after all, “in her prime,” and she wants to instill in them passion, independence and ambition. I’ve had this on my tbr since the movie came out in 1969. I have to wonder what my reaction would have been had I read it back then. Nadia May does a fine job performing the audio version. She has good pacing and is able to differentiate the characters, though Spark’s non-linear style is more difficult in audio than on the page.
Full Review HERE
The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson – 3***
The Hunt sisters couldn’t be more different. Olivia is a Hollywood producer; Maddie is happily married to her high-school sweetheart and still lives in the small town where they grew up. The novel is comprised of a series of letters, emails, faxes, and telegrams from Olivia to her sister, parents, brother, best friend, ex-boyfriend, and a variety of professionals. I was pretty irritated with Olivia through much of the first half of the novel, but over time I began to admire her spirit, her tireless efforts to rekindle her career, to try to set things right with her friends, parents, siblings, ex-boyfriend, colleagues, etc.
Full Review HERE
Read:
Really enjoyed it and currently writing review for it :-)
Reading:
I liked the first book of this series and its an interesting fairy tale retelling
reading next: Really want to read
as my order should arrive tomorrow but I have named it for a couple of June Challenges so going to have to waitI should read
or
as these are review books to read but think I will most likely be in the mood for
Brown Bottle by Sheldon Lee Compton – 2.5** Compton writes a gritty, no-holds-barred tale of a man struggling to do what is right. Best known for his short stories, this is Compton’s first full-length novel. His ability with the short-story format shows. There are several vignettes that would make great short stories, but he fails to adequately weave them together.
Full Review HERE
Dead Wake by Eric Larson – 4**** The subtitle is all the synopsis you need: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. Larson uses tidbits found in research materials from a variety of sources to flesh out a narrative tale of a great disaster. Larson shifts perspective from the Lusitania, to the German submarine U-20, to Room 40 (the British Intelligence headquarters). It’s a compelling story, which completely captured my interest despite my knowing how it would turn out. Scott Brick does a good job reading the audiobook. His delivery is rather dry, but this is fine for a work of nonfiction.
Full Review HERE
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson – 4**** What an absolute delight! Simonson’s writing reminds me of Jane Austen's novels. Simonson sets her story in a small English village, whose residents would prefer that time stand still notwithstanding major outside influences. The villagers are left reacting to changes that make them very uncomfortable. Against these global events, however, is the very personal story of these characters; this is where Simonson shines. She has a great gift for dialogue and for creating a social structure that draws the reader into the small dramas of life that give her work universal appeal.
Full Review HERE
Finished up Blood Brothers
by Nora Roberts, which I loved and am now starting on The Accidental Werewolf
byDakota Cassidy.
Read:
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August - 4 starsReading:
:Aristotle Detective - possibly a 4 starsReading Next:
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland
And the Mountains Echoed
Horus Rising
Life After Life
The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón – 5***** Wow. The plot is intricate and compelling, the characters complex and interesting, and the writing is simply wonderful. And, of course, we have the marvelous Cemetery of Forgotten Books. This is a dark, gothic novel full of mystery and intrigue. At heart it is a story of man’s struggle against his baser instincts. Although there are many twists in the plot, Zafón keeps some major surprises for the ending. Dan Stevens is simply marvelous performing the audio version.
Full Review HERE
Mod
And reading
ThatEzi wrote: "Listening to And reading "I just realized I pre-ordered
....and I just added the audio ~ I just finished another audio. I'm going to start this tonight :D
The Challenge Factory
Books mentioned in this topic
4:50 from Paddington (other topics)Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands (other topics)
Allegiance of Honor (other topics)
Unhidden (other topics)
Born of Legend (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Anthony Marra (other topics)Mari Mancusi (other topics)
Dakota Cassidy (other topics)
Nora Roberts (other topics)
Christina Dodd (other topics)
More...
