Your Reads - currently reading or finished

[Angela M]

I finished The Pursuit of Pearls. 3 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... This is the 4th book in a very good series about an actress who is a spy . This was a little dragged out but I really like the character of Clara Vine and would read other books in the series .

[Sarah. B]

I just finished . I really enjoyed. Full of Suspence.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I just finished The Ice Twins and wasn't really impressed. I was too frustrated with the parents and their lack of communication and terrible decision making skills throughout the book.

I am currently back to reading A Torch Against the Night and am not loving it. I am disappointed in Laia's character at the moment and can't stand the indecisiveness of relationships. She has the potential to be such a strong and amazing character, but the story is falling short. Plus, I feel like the story just needs to move along. I really enjoyed the first one, but this one seems to have second in series syndrome.

I'm also reading The Girl You Lost , which is good so far. It has some minor issues, but the story is keeping me interested and I want to find out what is going on.

[Kirsten]

I finished reading the next book in the Jack Daniels series, Bloody Mary by J.A. Konrath.

This book is even better than the first book in the series. I love the character of Jack Daniels. She is not only a kick ass, smart female character. She is also that unique character: she is not emotionally scarred.

The books are funny and suspenseful. I highly recommend it.

[Canadian Jen]

Just finished The House at the Edge of Night. Loved it. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Alex]

Just finished "The Bell Jar" and now I am starting "Quiet"

[Angela M]

I finished The Memory Stones. 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... politically charged story that I knew nothing about . A coup in Argentina depicted in the story of a family.

[Savanes]

@Alex, I really liked quiet, I thought it was very interesting. I hope you'll enjoy it. :)

[Alex]

Savanes wrote: "@Alex, I really liked quiet, I thought it was very interesting. I hope you'll enjoy it. :)"

Thanks Savanes, I just finished the first chapter, very interesting so far.

[Pye]

Kristie wrote: "I just finished: Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin Mao's Last Dancer - I gave it 3 stars, but it meandered a bit too much for my taste. It had some interesting parts, particularly learning about Chinese culture and life, and some funny parts, but I was also bored at times and just wanted him to get on with it."

I am so glad you described your experience with Mao's Last Dancer. I have owned it for a long time and it keeps getting pushed to the bottom. Now I can stop feeling guilty about it!

[Rachel]

At work we tend to listen to audiobooks so we just finished and no one really cared for it. I wasn't sure if it was the narrator but we came to the conclusion that there really wasn't enough excitement. Even when we felt like there should be some, there wasn't. I ended up giving it a 2 and I definitely won't be continuing the series.

We are now onto listening to and so far I'm definitely interested. It was a little confusing at first because there is only one narrator, but it is first person perspective from each of them. When it would switch between the girls I wasn't sure who was speaking and we sometimes had to discuss it out loud. Once we got past that I was invested, so I'm excited to see where it goes!

[Angela M]

I finished The German Girl: A Novel. 3.5 stars rounds up to 4 . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... I felt this was an important story because it tells of how a ship of German Jews were turned away from asylum in Cuba and the US in 1939 and this is perhaps not known by a lot of people.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Helen - My husband felt similarly about it. It's not one that I'd be in a hurry to read. No guilt!

[Pye]

Just finished A Gentleman in Moscow. It was a great story that I rated 4.25 stars.

I am half-way through reading The Shadow of the Wind and will now start listening to At the Water's Edge for a book club book of the month.

[Angela M]

I finished The Eastern Shore. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... If anyone has read Stoner, the main character reminds me of Stoner a bit .

[Angela M]

I finished And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer. 5 stars . My review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... I recommend this highly to anyone who has read and loved books by Fredrik Backman and to anyone who has not read them , I would say you have to read this beautiful novella.

[Canadian Jen]

Just finished The Ballroom and am sad it's over. A great read. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Canadian Jen]

Angela M wrote: "I finished And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer. 5 stars . My review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... I recommend this highly to anyone who has r..."

I'm so behind with this author. Bought Ove and had his Britt-marie out but had to return it. I'm pushing all of his reads up. Thanks Angela.

[Katie]

Am reading and loving Jenny Colgan's Bookshop on the Corner.

The author is a great storyteller and knows and understands diverse people. Gentle read that is soothing and captivating.

[Angela M]

Jen , definitely worth moving up . I have not read Britt Marie but bought A know kindle copy last night. I loved this new one so much , I'm going to buy a hard copy to have .

[Canadian Jen]

Angela M wrote: "Jen , definitely worth moving up . I have not read Britt Marie but bought A know kindle copy last night. I loved this new one so much , I'm going to buy a hard copy to have ."

I will - already checked the library and it's not yet part of their system so will have to send them an email :)

[Angela M]

I finished Lincoln in the Bardo. 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... A very different kind of narrative. Sad and beautiful.

[Angela M]

I just finished Doctorow: Collected Stories. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... I'm not a big reader of short stories but recommend this to Doctorow fans for the same great writing.

[Canadian Jen]

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

[Katie]

Just started Bullseye by James Patterson. Enjoy the Michael Bennett series.

[Kirsten]

I recently finished the following:

Pilgrimage: The Book of the People by Zenna Henderson

This book about extraterrestrial refugees had me hearkening back to one of my favorite movies -- Escape to Witch Mountain

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

The story of Rochester's mad wife in the attic in Jane Eyre

Sight Unseen by Iris Johansen

The 2nd book in the Kendra Michaels series. Great sexual tension with no sex :( -- great suspense story too.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I just finished A Torch Against the Night . I'm not 100% sure what I think of it. For parts of it, I thought it suffered from second book syndrome and there was a love triangle, which I hate. But, the last 25-30% was great. All my issues with the book cleared up. I was thinking 3 stars for the book, but the end was excellent, so I upped to 4 stars.

Just a heads up, An Ember in the Ashes is a series where each book is a continuation of the story, not a complete story. Also, the next book in the series does not come out until 2018 and it is expected to be a four book series. So, if you are one that does not read a series until it is complete or if you really hate cliffhangers / incomplete stories, I would not recommend starting this one and you have a bit of a wait.

I am currently reading Britt-Marie Was Here . I'm always a bit torn with Fredrik Backman's books. There are parts that I really enjoy and parts that I don't. One thing that tends to bother me is that the people in his books always seem a lot older than they are. I have to just pretend they are a different age to really get a feel for the characters. So far, in this book Britt-Marie is still a judgmental older woman (63) that is set in her ways and tends to insult people, but she is growing on me.

I am also reading Odd Apocalypse . I'm a bit behind on the series read, but I'm hoping to catch up. I'm not really sure what is going on in this one yet, so I can't really comment. I still love Odd as a character, so I'm hoping it turns out ok.

[Angela M]

I finished Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto. 5 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..... I had not heard of Irena Sendler before I saw a review on Goodreads but grateful that I now know her story .

[Kirsten]

I finished reading Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber

A nice bit of Christmas fluff. It's cute and sweet and funny.

[Canadian Jen]

Just finished Homegoing. A superb 5* for me. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Kristie, Moderator]

I keep hearing good things about that one, Jen. I have 8 GR friends that have already read it and they all loved it (4.75 average among them).

[Canadian Jen]

Kristie wrote: "I keep hearing good things about that one, Jen. I have 8 GR friends that have already read it and they all loved it (4.75 average among them)."

It's amazingly good and surprisingly a debut. She will be an interesting author to follow.

[Sarah. B]

Just finished I was dissapointed. Perhaps it was all the hype surrounding the series, but it just didn't work for me. I hated the fact that very little actual detective work got done, it all came down to hunches and dreams?? and Dexter's witty comments got very irritating as the book progressed. Didn't like the ending either I`m afraid so a poor two star rating from me.

[Canadian Jen]

Finished Dark Matter. A fast paced sci-fi thriller that did grab my attention...to a point. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Rachel]

I just finished in one of my classes. It is seriously one of my favorite stories from the Harlem Renaissance and no matter how many times I read it, I will still never like Irene. There is so much room to think within the pages that it is almost an interactive experience.

We just finished listening to at work. I rated it a 4 because I thought the plot was very interesting. It had a fair amount of teenage angst but I thought it worked here because of the subject matter.

On my own I just finished and although I really liked the voice of the narrator, I just wanted a little more action. I think that if I had read it in print I would have had a different feeling about it, but it didn't keep my attention long enough to really get into it.

[Kirsten]

I loved The Buried Giant!

I just finished reading Rusty Nail by J.A. Konrath. This is the third book in the "Jack" Daniels series. I really like Jack. This series is a mix of hunt the serial killer and humor. In a way, Jack reminds me of Eve Dallas without Roarke and better fashion sense.

However, after a while, the style descriptions seem more like a man overcompensating for writing a female. Also I do wish he would stop trying to do romance. (He's not very good at the chemistry.)

But the books are so good, otherwise, that I am willing to forgive his flaws.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I'm currently reading The Poisonwood Bible. I'm 17% of the way through and so far I'm a bit bored. It is very highly rated, so I'm hoping it gets better.

I'm listening to this one and I think part of the issue is the narrator. She is quite monotone and sounds like she is reading a book. The story is told from 5 different points of view and they all sound identical. You can't tell who's talking half half the time until they say something to give it away and you need to pay very close attention to the story. It is difficult to pay close attention when someone is so monotone. I keep finding my mind wandering off.

[Canadian Jen]

Kristie wrote: "I'm currently reading The Poisonwood Bible. I'm 17% of the way through and so far I'm a bit bored. It is very highly rated, so I'm hoping it gets better.

I'm listening to this one and..."

Oh, I loved this one. Not sure about the audio but the written was great.

[Canadian Jen]

Finished The Couple Next Door. A different but fun read. 3*
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Vicki Willis]

I just finished North and South by John Jakes. It was a 5 star read for me. Part drama, part history, part thriller, part adventure. I can't believe I hadn't read it before. I listened on audible - 30 HOURS! and I was never bored.
Vicki's Review

[Christina]

Currently 63% into the paperback as well as the audio for .

A Darker Shade of Magic is a great fantasy read. It's 2 POV and involves several magical Londons. And yes, they all take place simultaneously. Kell is so adorable and Lila is rather charming. The detail along is fantastic, making this a book to add to your TBR pile.

I also highly recommend Six of CrowsSix of Crows on audio. If you're like me and fantasy is tough (i.e. the names, places, world, etc.) having 7 narrators is extremely helpful. And they're all great narrators! I'm very picky about audiobook and usually ditch something 30 seconds in if it's not jiving with me.

So yeah, those are my two that I'm devouring...

[Nanci]

Currently reading The Condition. About halfway through and liking it quite a bit. I haven't read anything by Jennifer Haigh before and I'm enjoying her writing.

[Colleen]

I just finished I Will Send Rain which was pretty good. I Iiked learning about the dust bowl and should read The Grapes of Wrath. I also listened to The Girl on the Train, which was great. I want to see the movie. I liked the suspense and the women's relationships.

Now reading The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry for my RL book club and trying to listen to The Little Paris Bookshop, which I'll probably need to start over since I've been so distracted.

[Nanci]

The Girl on the Train movie was quite intense, even after reading the book. I think you'll like it.

I have The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry in my "to read pile". Hoping to start it in the next week or two. I was so looking forward to The Little Bookshop on the Seine. I thought it was such a great concept to have a floating bookstore...would be like a dream come true for me. Sadly, I just didn't think the story had any umph to it.

[Nanci]

Jen wrote: "Kristie wrote: "I'm currently reading The Poisonwood Bible. I'm 17% of the way through and so far I'm a bit bored. It is very highly rated, so I'm hoping it gets better.

I'm listening..."

I loved The Poisonwood Bible also! Give it a chance. If you don't like the audio version try reading it. Rates in my top 50 books.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Nanci wrote: "Jen wrote: "Kristie wrote: "I'm currently reading The Poisonwood Bible. I'm 17% of the way through and so far I'm a bit bored. It is very highly rated, so I'm hoping it gets better.

I..."

I'm sticking with it. The story is good (better now), but the narrator is terrible. I would definitely not recommend it to anyone. She is very monotone and uses the same voice no matter who the current narrator is.

[Ioana]

I read the real book, and loved it. Sometimes a bad narrator can destroy a book, and that's a shame.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Yes, my husband was listening to part of it in the car with me and he said the same thing. He thinks the book would be good to read rather than listen to. Unfortunately, I'm reading it for a challenge and won't have time to get ahold of a physical copy and read it in time. Plus, I bought the audio, so I'm kind of determined to listen to it. If I had more time to read it, I might request a refund on the audio.

[Kirsten]

I finished reading the cozy mystery Horse of a Different Killer. l I really like this series about a woman who can communicate with animals telepathically.

I also started reading Paris for One and Other Stories. This is my first book by Jojo Moyes and I'm really enjoying it.

[Nanci]

Kristie wrote: "Yes, my husband was listening to part of it in the car with me and he said the same thing. He thinks the book would be good to read rather than listen to. Unfortunately, I'm reading it for a challe..."

Ugh, that's a shame. I would think Barbara Kingsolver would have a good narrator. Too bad you can't get a refund.