Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club discussion
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2017 & 2018 Your Reads - currently reading or finished
I am starting off the year trying too finally get back to and finish
. It is slow going for me at first but at 30 percent in started to pick up. Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. I cried in the book yesterday. Getting a little heart wrenching. Setting is WWII Germany and France - a young blind girl in France and a young orphaned German boy in Germany. I think this will end up being a great great book, just has been a slow start for me, but defenitely picking up and by the end I think it will be a phenomenal book. Also reading a book
. Probably not going to be the greatest book ever, but I am intrigued. A man ends up accidently killing a man who is being abusive to his dog and they fight, they encounter eachother in a park when the whole thing goes down. I think the man is overall a decent person, but I think the basis of the book is how the man deals with the event after the fact - dealing with remorse and guilt etc...
Just finished
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. Amazing read. I loved it. It was mind blowing. I was like WHAT?! the whole time. The science was not too much for me either. I think it was done where you knew it was OUT there, but could still "get it". I think people who like Thrillers/Mysteries will love this one even though it is in the Science Fiction category. I wouldn't read too much about it in people's review though. Just read it. 5 stars for sure!
Vicki wrote: "Just finished Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. Amazing read. I loved it. It was mind blowing. I was like WHAT?! the whole time. The scie..."Yes! One of my best 2017 reads...I don't understand how it didn't win :(
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I'm starting this year with
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and I cannot wait for this to take over book conversations! It covers a lot of topics, but its heart is the Black Lives Matter movement. While it's a YA novel, I think it's relevant for many other age groups. It's a book that's so, so, so important. We follow Starr, a black girl who lives in (what she called) "the ghetto" but goes to a predominantly white private school. When her best friend is shot, all emotions break loose in her and her community. I also want to get around to reading Dark Matter, but my next book of target is going to be
A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab I can't get enough of her! I'm very excited to see where this series goes. Fans of Neverwhere would like this book. The basic idea is one of magical realism (kind of?). Kell is an antari, a race of people who can walk between the 4 Londons. His job is to carry the royal mail & messages between Londons. And he's Before all of this, I read
Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst. The long and short is that it is a YA novel a bit on the fantasy side, but with a twist to the Princess romances/marries Princess plot. I gave it 4 stars, and you can read more about my thoughts here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Christina - I personally thought A Gathering of Shadows was even better than the first book (A Darker Shade of Magic). I can't get enough of Victoria Schwab either! She creates such amazing characters and worlds. I can't wait for the 3rd book to come out in February!!! :)Vicki & Ioana - I love when people love Dark Matter as much as I do!!
I just finished Lily and the Octopus and Everything I Never Told you. I liked the Ng book very much. The story basically filled in the gaps of how family members cope after a childhood death. It beautifully showed how everyone is intertwined and how families often lack "real" communication and are driven more b their own needs and experiences. Lily and the Octopus was sweet but really strange. I had a hard time getting past how delusional the main character was. I gave it 2 stars but plan to reread it later this year to try again.I'm not a sci-fi lover but I'm now interested in Dark Matters and hope to check it out.
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Yay! For everyone who is willing to try Dark Matter :-)
Dark matter is definitely on my tbr. i think I might have to try something from Schwab. People seem to love her books. I don't know why they never appeal to me (maybe the book cover and book summary).
I'm currently reading The lords of discipline and I really like it.
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I'm planning to read A Gathering of Shadows this year and possibly A Conjuring of Light, since I expect it may be a choice awards nominee this year. I'm also planning to read The Archived, which is also by her.
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I'm still reading Small Great Things and plan to finish today. So far, it's been really good. I'm not a fan of court room drama, so I'm hoping it doesn't take a dip here.
I'm also still reading Heartless, which has been good, though I have an issue with the main character being a pushover at the moment.
I've also started The Girl Who Drank the Moon and I'm finding it entertaining. It is children's / middle grade, so the writing is simple and the good and bad guys are pretty clear, but the story is interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes. I think it will be a fairly quick read.
Lastly, I'm reading Your Cholesterol Matters: What Your Numbers Mean and How You Can Improve Them as a NetGalley review. A lot of what he has said has been interesting, but he is starting to get repetitive and I think the changes he wants people to make would be a lot to change all at once.
I also started Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear. Get On the Mat. Love Your Body. for another NetGalley review, but put it aside. It has some great reviews, but it didn't grab me right away and I figured I already had enough books going.
I'll have to give Dark Matter a try. I borrowed it from library and my husband enjoyed it but I had to return before I had a chance to read it. Seems to be popular.
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I loved Small Great Things, Kristie! Leaving Time is still my favorite Jodi Picoult, though.I finished my Pulitzer Prize read The Fixer by Bernard Malamud yesterday. A great read but very intense as it is set in Tsarist Russia during the Jewish pogroms.
I thought the racist stuff in SGT was hard to read, the anti-Semitic stuff in this book is horrible.
I just finished Burial Rites
and gave it 3 stars. I am definitely in the miniority with this one because most people I know of who have read it loved it. For me, it was a little slow and didn't keep my interest.
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I'll have to read that one! I love her books.
Just finished my first book of 2017 from my physical shelf! It was a good one: Radiance of TomorrowMy review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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I also finished The Boy in the Striped Pajamas for a challenge. Again, I thought it was good, but not great. I never felt really attached to the characters, so I suppose that's why it didn't tug my heartstrings the way it did for others. I gave it 3 stars also.
I'm currently reading The Archived, Heartless, and The Girl Who Drank the Moon. I plan to get about halfway through The Archived and finish the other two in the next couple of days. I'm enjoying all of them in different ways. They are all really interesting concepts to me.
I'm also slowly working my way through a couple of nonfiction books, but haven't had much time to focus on them due to spending time with the others. But, I'm reading Your Cholesterol Matters and Every Body Yoga both for review.
I thought Your Cholesterol Matters was really interesting, but it has started to get a bit repetitive, which is a hazard of nonfiction. I also think that the author asks people to make too many changes at once. I do think there is interesting information in it though, so worth a read if you have concerns about your cholesterol and want to know more.
I haven't really gotten far enough into Every Body Yoga yet to have an opinion on it, but I'll stop back and update later.
Loved Dark Matter - have been recommending it to all people that ask about it!! Blake Crouch has great narrative with his books.Right now reading Hidden Figures before seeing the movie --- have two folks waiting for the book!! For my history book reading - The Sultan and the Queen by Jerry Brotton - it was a Christmas gift. Its about Queen Elizabeth I and how she opened trade with Muslim countries after being cut off by the Pope after he excommunicated her and left her without trade in many countries. Its a read that is fast paced and a lot of characters to keep track of.
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I also started Fat Fridays (instead of finishing something I've already started...). So far it's interesting. I like the characters and it's lighter regardless of some of the topics. Most of the "twists" have been mostly expected due to foreshadowing of events. I'm enjoying it though. I've been reading a lot of children's / YA books and I really needed something meant for adults.
You are juggling Kristie!Hope you get some reading done this weekend! :)
I am reading Behind Closed Doors and am about half way through. I like the format of it. It goes back and forth from the present to the past to fill in the wonderings of the reader. I am trying to decide if the storyline and actions of the MC are just too unbelievable though. I hope it has a good ending.
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I look forward to seeing what you think of Behind Closed Doors. I picked up a Kindle copy on sale, but I've seen some mixed reviews.
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Heh, I've just posted in the buddy read thread that I thought the big reveal / switch in personalities was a bit too over the top pantomime villain for me ..... I am still enjoying it though.
Feel free to join us anyone in the buddy read :)
I've been reading
The Chemist and listening to
I Am Pilgrim for 2 different buddy reads. They are both very good and fast paced. If I have any criticism so far, it's that, in Pilgrim, the author goes into the backstory and gets lost there a little much. But I like the pacing in both.
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Finished The Sojourn - writing excellent; story somber. 4****https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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and
. Both were really good books. I loved the fantasy in Moon. It is a children's book, but the writing and the story were very good.
I loved the world in Heartless and the creativity of taking a character and turning her into The Queen of Hearts in a Wonderlandish believable way.
I would recommend both books.
I completed
The Atomic Weight of Love Elizabeth J. Church and gave it 4 stars.
Initially, I was influenced by a few reviews and almost decided not to read it. (view spoiler) Overall, the story may not be for everyone but the historical, ornithology, science tie-in kept my attention. Also, a colorful, attention grabbing book cover doesn't hurt.
The Atomic Weight of Love Elizabeth J. Church and gave it 4 stars.Initially, I was influenced by a few reviews and almost decided not to read it. (view spoiler) Overall, the story may not be for everyone but the historical, ornithology, science tie-in kept my attention. Also, a colorful, attention grabbing book cover doesn't hurt.
I love your little audio icon, Stef! It's great. :-)
Stephanie wrote: "Hoping to read this next month..."
Thanks! :-) I hope you enjoy the book as well. Either way, I'll look forward to your review.
Thanks! :-) I hope you enjoy the book as well. Either way, I'll look forward to your review.
Mod
Oh, I like it too! Do you mind if I use it? :)
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Kristie wrote: "What did you think of Pinocchio, Shannon?"The first chapter is amazing one of the best in Childrens books!
I loved everything about it! Wonderful for children in primary grades filled with great lessons major and minor.
Opens the door for discussion about the treatment of animals. (i.e. circuses, animal cruelty)
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That's great, Shannon! I was considering reading it this year. I don't think I've ever read the original.
Getting on my introduction to Phillip Roth. I first listened to the audio of
. I didn't love the story but I liked Roth's writing, so then I did the audio for
- loved the narrator and the book. It is one on the 1001 books to read before you die list and both books were made into movies last year.
I just finished
and I honestly wasn't a fan. For me...it felt like the plot was just a little too predictable, a little too much like the other books that have been popping up in this genre. It really didn't help me that I found the main character pretty unlikable. I like when a book keeps me on my toes and I didn't get that feeling from this one. I would say that if you are a fan of these types of books then it is probably right up your alley, if not then I would just move on, there really wasn't anything new here.I'm currently reading
and I'm a little under half way through. I am so far finding it really interesting. The writing constantly switches narrators and perspectives and I find that entertaining. There is a lot of switching time from past to present which I also find pretty interesting. I avoided this book for a while because I wasn't drawn to the cover...I know, I know...you can't judge a book by it's cover...so I'm trying not too :)Also I just finished the audio of
and I loved it. I know that it's not a writing style for everyone. Even on audio it's very user interactive so some people find that a bit more annoying. It's definite an experience and the narrator is by far one of the best I have listened too. I personally like Chuck Palahniuk's writing style so I wasn't disappointed. I've read it several times and I keep finding new things about it. Lastly, I just finished a buddy read for
. Woah. This was the most intense and detailed discussion that my book club has ever had. It was fast paced and I loved the writing style. I was flipping pages as fast as I could to find out what happened, but honestly, the reason why I liked it so much was because of all the thoughts that the writing provoked after the pages ended. I would really recommend it for any genre, but it is a book that probably isn't for the faint of heart.
Yes, The Girl with All the Gifts was very good, but not easy to read at times. I'm not sure in which genre I would put it, but I think everybody would enjoy it, regardless of their reading preferences. Such a powerful book! Glad you like it too.
I finished two books
The Gunslinger which I did not care for. I am in the minority and gave it 2 stars, but honestly, I don't know what it was about. It was a short book and took me a LONG time to read it. That series is just not for me.Vicki's Review
When the Moon is Low ☊ which was on my GRAC from last year. It was a historical fiction read about a family and their flight from war torn Afghanistan. Well written, but a little slow for me. (Stephanie, I would like to use your audio symbol as well. :) Thanks for sharing. I added it to my profile page so I can find it and cut and paste it easily.)
Vicki's ☊ Review
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Vicki - Sorry you didn't like The Gunslinger. I loved that series. I read them all as they were published and couldn't wait for the next installment.
I've just finished "Truly, Madly, Guilty" and "The Woman in Cabin 10" and hated them both. Dull, dull, dull!!I finished "Cinder" and am continuing on with "Scarlet" - "Cinder" did not blow me away however it's original premise and intriguing characters have given me reason to push forward.
I have also started "In a Dark, Dark Wood" but I'm not sure why. The reviews are awful and like I said I absolutely hated Mrs. Ware's second book.
A bad book makes me feel like I'm locked in prison, but a good book makes me feel as if I've lived many, many lives!
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I started reading
The Sun Is Also a Star yesterday, this author is SO talented. She really makes characters come alive.I've also been listening to
Frost Burned. I love this series and probably would just on the great plots and characters, but what really puts the cherry on top is it's actually set in my hometown!!
I listened to two really great audiobooks this month. I gave 5 stars to both of them. The first was Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
. Not only was this historical fiction story riveting, but the three narrators made me feel like I was right there with all of the characters. It's kind of long (17 hours) but I enjoyed every minute of it.The second was Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
. This memoir is so amazing I can't believe it wasn't even nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award. Noah narrates this himself, and his voice is so engaging I felt like I was sitting in a coffee shop listening to a friend tell me the story of his life. Definitely recommend the audio version of both books.
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My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club
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