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Read, Reading Now and Reading Next (July-Sept 2016)
I'm listening to
and reading
on my ereader
in paperback
ebook on my computer.
Mod
and reading
on my ereader in paperback."Hahaha. Looks like mine
Paperback:
Audio:
Kindle on phone:
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker – 3*** The novel – a combination of historical fiction and fantasy – tells the story of two supernatural creatures who appear mysteriously in 1899 New York. In general, I like fantasy, and I love magical realism, so I really wanted to like this book. But it never really captured my attention, and I found it tedious to read in places. I was not swept away. Still, there are passages that were riveting and I never felt like I should just give up on the book. Final verdict: a decent but uneven debut, and I won’t be in any hurry to read the planned sequel.
Full Review HERE
The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier – 2.5** In 1850, Honor Bright accompanies her sister to America, hoping for a new start. But the “frontier” of Ohio is very different from the long-established English community Honor left, and she feels adrift and unwelcomed. I’ve been a fan of Chevalier’s for a long time. I like the way she puts the reader into the time and place of her historical novels, and this is no exception. But I didn’t really believe in Honor. It seemed to me that Chevalier got herself into a corner and didn’t know how to get out, so she used the most convenient way to end things. It was so dissatisfying, to me, that I dropped half a star.
Full Review HERE
I'm currently working on Conspiracy in Death
by J.D. Robb in paperback and Rock Chick Reckoning
by Kristen Ashley on my kindle.
84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff– 5***** In October 1949 Helene Hanff, a single woman living and working in her small New York apartment, responded to an ad placed in the Saturday Review of Literature by Marks & Co, a bookshop in London that specialized in used books. Thus began a two-decade long correspondence and friendship between the reserved bookseller and the irrepressible Miss Hanff. What a delight it is to be allowed to watch this growing relationship, fueled by a shared love of books, and an ability to laugh at oneself and one’s follies. It’s the kind of book I’ll read over and over just for the sheer joy of it.
Full Review HERE
Mod
. I liked it enough 3.5 stars. It's just not my preferred weekend reading. But it's for bookclub so I'll deal!Now on to my BR with Krissy on
To read:
I'm reading
at home and
at work. I'm not the biggest fan of thrillers/crime novels so I have my reserves about the "The Hope Vendetta".
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman – 4**** Subtitle: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. This is a fascinating medical mystery, and a balanced exploration of two very different points of view. I thought the book could have used more editing; Fadiman tends to repeat her message. Still, I was really caught up in the story, and appreciated learning more about the Hmong culture.
Full Review HERE
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan – 3*** This was a fascinating memoir – drawn partly from interviews with friends, relations, colleagues and medical personnel, her journal writings during the period, and her medical records – of a time period when Cahalan was nearly completely lost. Her training as a journalist is evident here. She includes much background information on the research into the disorder – anti-NDMA-receptor encephalitis. I was engaged and interested from beginning to end, though I did feel it was a bit repetitive. Heather Henderson does a fabulous job reading the audio book. Her performance really brought to life the deterioration Cahalan experienced, as well as how anxious and confused she felt.
Full Review HERE
Im reading
and
. next up is
and hopefully
.
I am currently reading
and
, and
on kindle.Next up will be
and
, and then
on kindle.
Death of a Kitchen Diva by Lee Hollis – ZERO stars This cozy mystery is the first in the Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails Mystery series. There’s a decent idea for a cozy here. But the execution is terrible. The characters are cardboard cutouts, the plot (thin as it is) is completely ridiculous, and the dialogue is tortured. I kept reading only because it fulfilled several challenges. At least it was a fast read.
Full Review HERE
Book Concierge wrote: " Death of a Kitchen Diva by Lee Hollis – ZERO stars This cozy mystery is the first in the Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails Mystery series. There’s a decen..."
That reminds me, I just finished
. I gave it 2 stars because it has a pretty cover and the plot premise was interesting. Those are the only two good points in the entire book. I really wanted to love it. It should have been great. Save yourself the time and trouble.
July 17 – currently readingTEXT –
Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes / Elizabeth BardAUDIO in the car -
The Little Paris Bookshop / Nina GeorgePortable AUDIO -
Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission / Hampton Sides
Mod
and now listening to
Next...ill have to finish one of the paperbacks I've started
A Cold-Blooded Business by Dana Stabenow – 3.5*** After one too many drug-related deaths at the site, former DA Investigator Kate Shugak is asked to go undercover to the Prudhoe Bay oil fields to find out who is dealing drugs. I had read the first book in this series a couple of years ago and I was not impressed, but I’m glad I gave the series another chance. I like that Shugak is a strong woman, smart, resourceful, dedicated, committed and independent. I also like her strong sense of integrity. I did find some of the characters thinly drawn, however.
Full Review HERE
I'm still working on Rock Chick Reckoning
by Kristen Ashley on my kindle and I've started Spider's Bite
by Jennifer Estep in paperback.
Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard – 3.5***When Bard was a graduate student in England (art history), she took a weekend trip to Paris, where she met and had lunch with a Frenchman. And the rest, as they say, is history. This is a charming memoir where Bard explores the many differences between French and American culture. I loved her descriptions of the many meals she enjoyed, and was inspired by several of the recipes she includes.
Full Review HERE
Read: The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes
Reading: My Lady Jane
and P.S. I Still Love You
and rereading Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas
Reading Next: Sworn to Sovereignty by Terah Edun
A Killer Plot by Ellery Adams – 3*** This is a pretty interesting cozy mystery, featuring a group of aspiring authors who together try to solve the murder of one of their group. I like Olivia Limoges, and especially like that her faithful dog – a standard poodle named Captain Haviland – is a DOG, not a character who helps solve the crime. I thought Adams did a good job of setting the scene; I really got the sense of a small sea-side community. It held my attention, it had a good pace and I enjoyed trying to figure out who-done-it. I’ll definitely read another in the series.
Full Review HERE
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George – 3*** I really wanted to love this book. Several people whose opinions I trust have recommended it, and there’s much here to like. But … I never understood why Manon acted as she did. She is such an important part of this book, and yet I feel that I don’t really know her, and never cared about her. And as a result I couldn’t understand why Perdu cared so much. Still, it’s Paris, it’s a love story, it’s about reading. And I did like the “literary prescriptions” at the end.
Full Review HERE
Read:
Reading
Reading Next
picking this up from the library today, so i'm going to start that next. (I won the final book in Hogan's trilogy in a recent giveaway, but I want to start the first book before I read the last!)
Well I finished my Lady Trent books. I'm still reading The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution and will be starting Station Eleven tonight.
Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides – 4**** Sides crafts a story that is gripping, informative, horrifying and inspiring; the forgotten tale of an “impossible” mission to rescue hundreds of American and British POWs from a Japanese camp in the Philippines. I was captured from page one and mesmerized throughout. I felt that I really got to know the men involved – prisoners and rescuers. This is a history that will appeal to fans of Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken or Doug Stanton’s In Harm’s Way.
Full Review HERE
Mod
Reading
To Read
The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis – 3*** I love cozy mysteries – they are my reading comfort food. This has a pretty good premise, and I liked the rivalry between Sophie and Natasha. The story was filled with more suspects than you could shake a turkey leg at, and plenty of plot twists to keep the reader guessing. However, the central murder mystery plot was pretty thin, and the big reveal stretched credulity a little too far. Still, it’s a satisfying, fast read, and I’ll continue the series.
Full Review HERE
I am currently reading a trilogy from the Shadowhunters Chronicles, The Infernal Devices: Read
Reading
To Read
Reading
To Read
..Listened:
5 stars!Listening:
To Listen: (not sure...)
Die Job by Lila Dare – 2.5** I read cozies for the atmosphere – especially when they are set in a small Southern town – and for the quirky cast of characters. BUT, I do expect a reasonable murder mystery, and that where this particular book fell short. This is book three in the series, though it’s the first one I’ve read, and perhaps the author is running out of ideas. Still, it’s a fast read and I might pick up another if it’s fulfills several challenges (as this one did).
Full Review HERE
I read
. I'm reading
and
. Up next is
.
Beloved – Toni Morrison– 4****
This is a challenging book to read (and to listen to) because Morrison uses multiple narrators, switches time frames without notice, and dribbles out clues to what really happened in a way that keeps the reader off balance and unsure where the story is headed. I did think the “atmospheric” writing sometimes got in the way of the storyline. Still, I loved Morrison’s use of language; I felt immersed in the story, the timeframe, the magic, the brutal reality.
Full Review HERE
Zia Summer by Rudolfo Anaya – 3*** This is a very atmospheric murder mystery, full of the magical realism that goes with ghost stories and folk tales. But the plot has a fair amount of very real and gritty violence, perpetrated by flesh-and-blood humans, not paranormal entities. The way Anaya describes the landscape, and various characters’ relationship with the land is frequently poetic. I particularly loved Don Eliseo and his cronies, and the ways they helped (or hindered) Sonny’s investigation.
Full Review HERE
The Diva Takes the Cake – Krista Davis– 1.5*
Book two in the Domestic Diva series has event planner Sophie Wilson in charge of her sister, Hannah’s, wedding. I read mysteries – even cozy mysteries – for the murder plot. And this one is just plain ridiculous. The best thing about the book is the rivalry between Sophie and Natasha, including the competing advice given at the beginning of each chapter. Oh well, it satisfied several challenges and it was a fast read.
Full Review HERE
Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cumming – 4**** In general I am not a big fan of celebrity memoirs, but Cumming’s memoir of a childhood living with an abusive father, and how he came to terms with the abuse, faced his past and overcame it is well worth reading.
Full Review HERE
The Double Bind – Chris Bohjalian– 4****
Seven years ago Laurel survived a vicious attack in the Vermont woods. Now, in her work at a homeless shelter, she is looking through a box of photographs left by a deceased client, when she discovers a photo that convinces her they contain clues to a hidden family secret. Bohjalian crafts a compelling and intricate scenario with layer upon layer of complexity. I loved the way he drew me in, made me believe in Laurel – and Bobbie – and then forced me to reconsider the veracity of their claims. I’m left breathless and drained at the end. And … wanting to start over again to see what clues Bohjalian left that I missed the first time around.
Full Review HERE
Murder in Belleville by Cara Black – 2.5** This is the second book in the series, and I find that I like the premise of the series, better than I like the books so far. Aimée Leduc is a strong, intelligent, capable woman who doesn’t rely on a convenient strong man to help her (most of the time). But Black seems to get lost in her intricate plots. There are so many threads to follow, so many suspects, so many different dangerous situations, and somehow they don’t really mesh well. Still, I see promise, and I’d be willing to read another.
Full Review HERE
Mod
and now I'm listening to
,
.Reading
A Fatal Grace – Cara Black – 3*** How could CC de Poitiers have been electrocuted in the midst of a curling match in Three Pines – and without anyone seeing a thing? Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has his work cut out for him solving this mystery, and I love the quiet, efficient way he investigates. I figured out the murderer pretty early, but still enjoyed watching how Gamache arrived at the conclusion. I’ll definitely keep reading this series.
Full Review HERE
I read
and
. I am reading
and will be reading
Mod
Reading
To Read:
One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly – 3*** This is a strong opening for a cozy mystery series. I like Meg; she’s intelligent, relatively self-sufficient, and not easily intimidated. I figured out the culprit long before Meg or the police, and I thought the ending was a little less than satisfying. Still, I like the way Connolly is developing Meg’s relationships with the town’s residents, and there are some delicious recipes featuring apples at the end.
Full Review HERE
La’s Orchestra Saves the World – Alexander McCall Smith– 4****
Alexander McCall Smith has a gentle way of introducing the reader to his characters. La and the other residents of the town go about their business in this small Suffolk village during WW2; they worry, rejoice, are fearful, find love, relish friendships, enjoy simple pleasures and take action when they can. I applauded La’s resilience and her ability to maintain her faith in the basic goodness of others. Her scope of influence may have been small, but she was a treasure to those within that circle.
Full Review HERE
Chasing Cezanne – Peter Mayle – 3*** This is a fun romp of a crime caper, featuring the rich and famous, a couple of big-time art thieves, a curious (but legitimate) art dealer, and an art forger who is ready to make a change. Of course, there’s also a lovely young lady to brighten the landscape. And who could argue against the delights and magic of Paris and Provence? It reminds me of the Cary Grant movies of the 1940s and 1950s.
Full Review HERE
The Nightingale – Kristin Hannah – 3*** It’s a compelling story, and I really liked having the action take place within the lives of these two women. However, at about the midpoint of the narrative, it took a turn towards a romantic melodrama that just really irritated me. And I thought the flashback “mystery” was entirely unnecessary and manipulative. Good but not great.
Full Review HERE
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The Challenge Factory
Books mentioned in this topic
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As the Waltz Was Ending (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Nalini Singh (other topics)Cindy Gerard (other topics)
Jennifer Estep (other topics)
Kristen Ashley (other topics)
Elizabeth Bard (other topics)
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