What Are You Reading? - 2017.1 Showing 51-100 of 1,773

[Sarah]

I put The Monarch of the Glen back on the shelf for another time and started Snow Crash for the buddy read (and probably the all about me challenge).

[Lisa]

I finished Thin Air for the Survey challenge. It was a really spooky read and I loved it! Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Next up for me is another Survey challenge read, Daughter of the Forest. I have heard so many good things about this book so I am really excited to finally pick it up.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

I am and have been reading The Bean Trees. I was really apprehensive about picking up another Barbara Kingsolver, as I think she has so far to fall for me. I loved the other books of hers I've read, so I don't want her to disappoint me.

But so far, and it's a short read, she's stuck with her beautiful story telling, and I am sucked in.

[Travis]

I'm reading Lisey's Story a book I've put off as it snt one of kings more high rates books. I have no doubt largely in part to the fantastic. Narration by Mare Winningham I'm really enjoying it. Although it does need to be read a little each day. Couldn't just do the whole book at once or I'd get bores but couple hours a day is just right. Back and forth between worlds it almost has a murakami fantasy to it

[Janice, Moderator]

Lisa wrote: "Next up for me is another Survey challenge read, Daughter of the Forest. I have heard so many good things about this book so I am really excited to finally pick it up...."

I hope you enjoy it. It was a 5 star read for me.

[Janice, Moderator]

I finished The Muse last night for a buddy read and discovered I could use it for my Survey Challenge. I slotted it in to task 50 because several of the characters spoke Spanish.

Next up is the book I chose for the group read theme - Flame Moon.

[Mariab]

Lisa wrote: "Next up for me is another Survey challenge read, Daughter of the Forest. I have heard so many good things about this book so I am really excited to finally pick it up. ..."
i have it on my Survey list, too

[Mariab]

I'm reading Rubinrot for the Survey, and I want to begin with Snow Crash as well, for the Buddy Read ... I'm a monkey with too many bananas at the time...

[Lisa]

Mariab wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Next up for me is another Survey challenge read, Daughter of the Forest. I have heard so many good things about this book so I am really excited to finally pick it up. ..."
i have it o..."

I have only read the first chapter but I think it's going to be a good one :)

[Cherie]

I really enjoyed The Bean Trees, Rusalka. I have the 2nd one to read yet. I love her story telling and the quirky characters.

[Janice, Moderator]

I have decided to set aside Snow Crash for now. I'm not in the right frame of mind for it.

Instead, I've started Vengeance in Death which is also for my Survey Challenge.

[Tasha]

I'm glad to hear you are enjoying The Bean Trees Rusalka. :)

I'm still in the midst of reading a bunch of books which includes The Muse, The Girl Who Drank the Moon, The Woman in White, and The Three Musketeers. I have a few more on the go but they are more longer term reads...

[Peggy]

I have almost finished The Death of Dulgath. I'm really enjoying it, as always, but I do think this is going to be the first time that I'm rating one of the Riyria books 4 instead of 5 stars.

I wanted to get started on my monthly challenge read next, which is The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I don't know what to expect. A lot of my friends have read it and their ratings go from 1 to 5, the average is 3.00 (the average of all reviews is 4.09). Is it a depressing book? I guess it is, given the topic, and I'm not really in the mood for that right now..

[Janice, Moderator]

Peggy wrote: "I have almost finished The Death of Dulgath. I'm really enjoying it, as always, but I do think this is going to be the first time that I'm rating one of the Riyria books 4 instead o..."

I have to agree with you. The other books were a bit stronger. He's writing another Chronicles which will be out this summer.

[Sandra, Moderator]

It is a sad story, Peggy.

ETA: I am talking about The boy in the striped pajama.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I am hoping to read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas today or tomorrow, Peggy.

[Peggy]

Thanks Sandra. I think I'll read something else first. Plenty of time left! I hope you enjoy it Kristie :)

Janice, that's how I feel too. Also it's like a very comfortable book because I know the characters and the way of writing, but I miss the awe and excitement I had in previous books. And I was blown away by The Stormlight Archive in 2016 and I can't help compare a bit.

[Lisa]

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was a 4 star read for me, Peggy. It is a sad story because of the subject matter, although I wouldn't say it's overwhelmingly sad the whole way through. However, if you not in the mood for that kind of book right now, it might be worth reading something else.

[Janice, Moderator]

I haven't started The Stormlight Archive series yet. I still have the first book on my wishlist.

[Dem]

Finished Memories: From Moscow to the Black Sea
My review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/1867446426

[Peggy]

I think you'll enjoy it Janice :)

[Sandra, Moderator]

I finished The Muse. 3.5 stars. Still deciding what I will read next. Probably Under a Painted Sky. The author is visiting our town in a couple of months, and we (my book club) expect to go see her.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I finished The Woman in Cabin 10 today. I thought it was pretty good, but not great. I gave it 3 stars.

I also finished The Boy in the Striped Pajamas for the monthly 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.

I'm also picking away at 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.

[Janice, Moderator]

I finished my third book in the Survey Challenge, Vengeance in Death. Next up on audiobook is Firefight. I want to finish this series so am on a mission. Thank goodness it's only 3 books and a short story.

[Peggy]

Wow, the boy... must have been a quick read Kristie! Did you finish it in a day?

[Sandra, Moderator]

It is a quick read, Peggy. The writing is very uncomplicated too, since it is written through the voice of a boy.

[Peggy]

Hm, usually not a big fan of that. Well, at least it's quick and short!

[Sandra, Moderator]

I agree, Peggy. It is difficult to use a child's voice and sound genuine. I won't say the writing style of this one is beautiful, but it is fair. It was an actual 3.5 stars to me. What I like the most is the story, specially the different pov. At least I had never read before about the life in concentration camps through the eyes of a sheltered son of a Nazi commandant.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I did read it in a day, Peggy. My husband had to work and I was home, so I took the opportunity to read all day and catch up on some books. I had the audio of that one, which is only 5 hours. The audio may have affected my opinion, but the narrator was really good, so I don't think he did the book a disservice.

It is written in the voice of a nine year old boy. He is very self-centered, being nine. I understand that it is accurate, but for me it is still a bit annoying, so it made it difficult for me to really connect with him. The other characters didn't feel full enough to me. So, it's a good story, but I just didn't love it. My GR friends ratings are all over the place, but many loved it, so it doesn't seem to bother everyone, just my personal opinion.

[Janice, Moderator]

I finished my pick for the group themed read Flame Moon. It's the first in the series, and it's the last in the series for me. I've no desire to continue. Thankfully, it didn't have a cliffhanger of an ending.

Next up for a print format book is The Shining Girls. It's the group read for the Sai King Recommends group. It's the second book I've read of Lauren Beukes. I enjoyed her unique story Zoo City, and I hope this is as unique.

[Joan]

Sandra wrote: "I agree, Peggy. It is difficult to use a child's voice and sound genuine. I won't say the writing style of this one is beautiful, but it is fair. It was an actual 3.5 stars to me. What I like the m..."

just wondering how many people who have read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas have met a Holocaust survivor? Did the story remind you of anything they recalled?

In my area there is a group of survivors who go into schools to give talks. They are now looking for talented storytellers to take on their memories (because the survivors are getting too old to go into schools).

[Sandra, Moderator]

I do not personally know any Holocaust survivor.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I've met many Holocaust survivors. I took a course on the Holocaust in college, which was taught by a survivor. I actually took several courses with him, as sociology was my minor. He wrote a book about his experiences, Vengeance of the Swallows: Memoir of a Polish Family's Ordeal Under Soviet Aggression, Ukrainian Ethnic Cleansing and Nazi Enslavement, and Their Emigration to America, which we read for the class.

I also did an internship as a mental health therapist at a Jewish care facility for the elderly. Many of the people there had survived the Holocaust and it was sad to see how it still affected many of them.

I found that the book didn't delve into the lives of the people "behind the fence" very much. It was mostly focused on Bruno and his experience. One thing that was discussed was the hunger, which was prevalent. Other issues were mentioned only briefly.

One thing that bothered me about the book was that Shmuel was able to go hang out by the fence daily and (view spoiler)[there was a gap under the fence where small boys could get in or out. (hide spoiler)] I feel that the security was greater than that.

[Joan]

Kristie wrote: "I've met many Holocaust survivors. I took a course on the Holocaust in college, which was taught by a survivor. I actually took several courses with him, as sociology was my minor. He wrote a book ..."

Interesting Kristie - perhaps your personal knowledge made this fictional account less compelling. I have not read the book but I did see the movie - I thought the movie minimized the horror and the crimes.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Joan - I felt the book glossed over the horrors too. I suppose it has to as it is meant for a younger audience. I think the perspective of a nine year old boy that is still quite self-absorbed really affected my opinion of the story too. Seeing it from the outside (movie form) versus in his head might actually be better.

[Lisa]

That's really interesting, Kristie. I have never met a Holocaust survivor in person but I have seen several documentaries on the subject which interviewed survivors. You could see how badly it still affected them just from the small snippets of the interviews they used in the documentaries. Also, The Holocaust Exhibition in the Imperial War Museum in London is very eye opening and heartbreaking. I remember quite a lot of people walking round in tears, myself included.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Yes, Lisa. It was really sad. It really reaches to their core. Many of the residents did not want to talk about it at all and some would tear up if it was mentioned. I can't even imagine living through something like that.

[Joan]

In Israel there is a memorial to victims at Yad Vashum, around it they have planted trees for all the people who hid/helped victims of the genocide - it is an amazing place.

[Lisa]

Kristie wrote: "I can't even imagine living through something like that."

I know, I can't either. I just cannot get my head around that level of cruelty.

[Sandra, Moderator]

Kristie wrote: "I felt the book glossed over the horrors too. I suppose it has to as it is meant for a younger audience. "

I also think this was one of its flaws, Kristie. I don't know what the author's idea was, but probably the book might be better understood/appreciated by kids who already know, or have read, about the Holocaust.
(view spoiler)[The lack of clarity in the horrible events going on on the other side of the fence, is horrible in itself. Someone who knows the history of the concentration camps can see the incredibly sad things that are happening in the naif descriptions of Bruno, who doesn't understand what is going on. Even in the horrific ending, as far as I can recall, the gas chamber is never mentioned. You kind of need to know about it to get what it is happening. I wonder if that was the author's intention. (hide spoiler)]

[Kristie, Moderator]

I agree with that, Sandra. I think he was intentionally vague due to the target audience, but you should be introduced to the topic before reading this, so you have an idea what is going on.

Big spoilers: (view spoiler)[ Maybe Bruno's naivety was supposed to add to the story. You know what's going on behind the fence, but he has no clue. Even the words he uses are wrong - Fury for Fuhrer and Out-With for Auschwitz. I suppose it's meant to show his innocence and to show how innocent children were killed during the Holocaust.

And the ending, you're absolutely right. If someone didn't know about the gas chambers already, they'd have no idea what happened. It's never mentioned and neither boy knows what is happening. They just go in hand-in-hand and everything goes dark. It should be a beautifully tragic and sad moment - a young German boy going to the gas chambers hand-in-hand with his best friend, a young Jewish boy. Unfortunately, I just didn't really feel it. I know others that have read the book said it made them cry, but it didn't work for me. (hide spoiler)]

[Sandra, Moderator]

Agreed. It is a sad story, but it didn't make me cry.

[Sarah]

I agree with everything you guys say about Boy in the striped pjs.

[Joan]

I just finished When Night Falls, Kric! Krac!: Haitian Folktales I didn't really enjoy it. I thought I would learn something of Haitian culture but perhaps that was silly. I wouldn't expect Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen to tell me about life in the Netherlands.

[Mariab]

FinishedRubinrot.It was good and funny (ha, ha-funny). Only thing I didn't find totally Ok: It is supposed to be describing a english family living in London, but the dialog and the way they behave is VERY german.
I have begun right away the 2nd one: Saphirblau

[Peggy]

I finished The Death of Dulgath which I gave 4 stars. I also finished this week's part of The Woman in White. Later today I'll start A Man Called Ove

[Sandra, Moderator]

A Man Called Ove is the February pick for my RL book club, Peggy. Looking forward to your thoughts.

[Dem]

Just finished See How They Run

My review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/1622994953

[Peggy]

I think it's a great choice Sandra. I'm only in chapter 5 but already wish I had people to discuss it with.

[Joan]

I'm reading The Picture of Dorian Gray. One character seems so diabolical that he conjures the vampires of Moon Calledto my mind. How strange for books written 100 years apart.