You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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Chit Chat About Books
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What Are You Reading? - 2017.1
Finished Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon's Army Other Diabolical InsectsTell me about horror stories... from bugs which can turn others in zombies and made them commit suicide till worms which can merryly bore the ways in your brain or any other vital part of your body!
I don'tn know why people need ghost or devils to have a thrill.
Now, I'm undecided between Dragon and Thief and Dragon Bones for the Monthly Ch
Yikes, Mariab! That book sounds really creepy, even if it was interesting!
I'm working my way throughEvery Heart a Doorway, which I started for the toppler, but didn't finish yet, and The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog for the monthly challenge. I'm finding both of them interesting and entertaining in different ways. I think The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog is much more technical than I expected. There is a lot of talk about brain functioning and effects of trauma on development.
Every Heart a Doorway is a little different than I expected too. It's a bit darker. I think I was expecting YA due to the age of the MC, but it is listed as adult. Either way, a few things have happened and not happened that were different from my initial expectations.
I finished Artemis today. Tomorrow, I will start I Am the Messenger. It was supposed to be my toppler read, but life got in the way. It is on my survey challenge, so I'll try to get it squeezed in before it disappears from my iPad when the library recalls it on Monday.
Mariab wrote: "I don'tn know why people need ghost or devils to have a thrill."True.
I finished my reread of The Miniaturist. I enjoyed it even more the second time around and noticed things that I didn't pick up on before. Definitely a book that warrants repeat readings.
I'm starting Earthly Joys. I'm not really a fan of Philippa Gregory but I have read numerous reviews that have stated this is a bit different from many of her other novels so I thought I would give it a go.
Lisa wrote: "I finished my reread of The Miniaturist. I enjoyed it even more the second time around and noticed things that I didn't pick up on before. Definitely a book that warrants repeat rea..."Last week I've been searching a long time on GR for this book. I've added it in my book where I write down what I wanted to read, but couldn't find it anymore. Glad to see you posting about it and that you enjoyed it.
Lisa wrote: "I'm starting Earthly Joys. I'm not really a fan of Philippa Gregory but I have read numerous reviews that have stated this is a bit different from many of her other nove..."Ooh, dying to here what you think lisa! I bought lots of her books in a resent sale and that one was in the pile. I'm not sure when I'll get to it as i want to reread The Wideacre Trilogy: Wideacre + The Favoured Child + Meridon and The Wise Woman first. I hope they live up to my memory's of them 😊
Saar wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I finished my reread of The Miniaturist. I enjoyed it even more the second time around and noticed things that I didn't pick up on before. Definitely a book that warran..."I enjoyed The Miniaturist very much despite the poor narration by the auther. This was the only version available on audible uk at the time - her pacing was terrible.
Margo wrote: "Saar wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I finished my reread of The Miniaturist. I enjoyed it even more the second time around and noticed things that I didn't pick up on before. Definitely a boo..."I didn't know Jessie narrated the audiobook. What a shame her pacing was so bad. I would have thought she would have been good, seeing as how she was an actress before she became an author. I'm glad I read the print version. Plus it looks a lot prettier 😉
Margo wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I'm starting Earthly Joys. I'm not really a fan of Philippa Gregory but I have read numerous reviews that have stated this is a bit different from many of h..."I will let you know my thoughts, Margo. I'm hoping I will enjoy it more than the other books I have tried by her. I wasn't at all impressed with The Other Boleyn Girl or The White Princess and I ended up abandoning The White Queen. The Wideacre trilogy does sound quite interesting though. If I enjoy this, I might give it a go.
Saar wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I finished my reread of The Miniaturist. I enjoyed it even more the second time around and noticed things that I didn't pick up on before. Definitely a book that warran..."Glad I could help you find it, Saar. It's a really great book.
I actually finished Artemis, but I am re-listening to it again. I am also listening to Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption, just because. I am reading The Bear and the Nightingale for the group read, and The Desert Spear for a buddy read. I don't know if I reported finishing One Good Dog, but it was a great story. That one was for the monthly challenge.
Lisa wrote: "Margo wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I'm starting Earthly Joys. I'm not really a fan of Philippa Gregory but I have read numerous reviews that have stated this is a bit different ..."I was really surprised when i read that Jessie Burton was an actor as usually they make great narrators! As well, can't be great at everything 😏
I have to confess i am not very balanced re Philippa Gregory as, so far, she can no wrong for me! Although even i found The Red Queen a tad long winded. I love her attention to detail and historical accuracy. There is nothing worse, in my book, than an author who doesn't know the period.
I finally finished The Tiger and the Wolf. I started it Dec 1st! Yikes. I really enjoyed it. I love the world that Tchaikovsky created. I'm so looking forward to the next 2 books in the series when they come out on audiobook in April.I need something short and quick to make up for it, so I'm going to read Carmilla starting tonight.
Margo wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Margo wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I'm starting Earthly Joys. I'm not really a fan of Philippa Gregory but I have read numerous reviews that have stated this is a b..."It's funny, I don't think she is always that accurate. She changes and twists certain things to suit her story and I have noticed numerous occasions where she has gotten birthdates and things like that wrong. Obviously she writes historical fiction so some artistic licence is to be expected, but what I don't like is the way she often tries to pass off her books as entirely accurate. I know so many people who use her books to learn history because they believe everything she is telling them. I have even seen people on social media get into arguments with historians who are all experts in their respective areas of interest because they refuse to accept that some of what Philippa Gregory wrote is wrong. I have no problem with her changing things if she wants to, although my personal preference is to keep it as accurate as possible when it comes to real historical figures and events, my issue is how she misleads people by claiming everything is accurate. I also think she allows too much personal bias to creep into her work. You can really tell that she doesn't like Anne Boleyn or Elizabeth Ist and that she loves Katherine of Aragon. There are no grey areas with any of them, she paints them as really black and white. Having said all that, I am enjoying Earthly Joys a lot more so far than I have the previous books I have read 🙂
I do understand that she writes historical fiction. My comments related to period detail. On the issue of katherine of aragon and anne i have read more than one source which shows anne as a pawn in her familys power games but the same can be said of all wives (possible exception of catherine parr?) But then most historians like to have their pet peeves don't they? It's odd that a subject that by its nature must depend on hearsay should evoke such passionate outbursts.
Exactly...but even actual history are mostly conjecturress, hypothesis mostly...everything is second hand and the accounts they base things on are written by individuals with ttheir own biases and prejuddices...a thing to keep in mind...And those who interpret it wwill eaach have their own biases prejuddices aandd preconcceived notions,at least subconsciously...
Margo wrote: "I do understand that she writes historical fiction. My comments related to period detail. On the issue of katherine of aragon and anne i have read more than one source which shows anne as a pawn in..."I think Anne was a pawn to her family to a certain extent, most women were in those days. It was all about securing the best possible marriage, which of course created opportunities for the wider family too. However, I really didn't like how Gregory portrayed her in The Other Boleyn Girl. She came across as a pretty nasty piece of work and whilst I'm sure the real Anne Boleyn was no angel, I doubt she was as horrible as Gregory made her appear. As for Catherine Parr, she is the wife that I know the least about, although I do know that she was a far more interesting woman than many people realise.
As far as historians having their pet peeves goes, yes I think they all have at least one. I don't class myself as a historian but I have several of my own, my latest one being why Richard III is often considered our worse ever king. I mean, have they never heard of King John?! Lol.
siriusedward wrote: "Exactly...but even actual history are mostly conjecturress, hypothesis mostly...everything is second hand and the accounts they base things on are written by individuals with ttheir own biases and ..."Yes, that is very true, particularly when it comes to sources and accounts such as diaries where there is a good chance that personal bias will creep in. History has been a passion of mine for pretty much my whole life and I studied it extensively at school and at university and I remember being told early on to always apply the "who, what, when and why" technique when analysing sources.
I finished my 2nd listen of Artemis. I am honestly not sure how I feel about it. It is absolutely no comparison to Weir's first book. I liked the characters, but not especially the plot. I enjoyed the narrator, until the 2nd time through, and then the way she said things began to grate on me. I do not think it is fair to compare the two books. I think Artemis will appeal to a younger readership. I guess I can say that it was a fun story, but not plausible.
Lisa wrote: "Margo wrote: "I do understand that she writes historical fiction. My comments related to period detail. On the issue of katherine of aragon and anne i have read more than one source which shows ann..."Well the moral of that tale is that when Shakespeare bkackens your name it stays black. btw, i have not read The Other Boleyn Girl so can't comment on it's content.
@siriusedward - i totally agree. All that is known for sure are certain names, dates and events. All else is conjecture based on which version you chose to believe. Richard 3 is case in point - vilified by those who defeated him - or was he???
I finished Carmilla last night. It was originally published in 1872. While it may have been a scary book then, there's not much substance to it now. It makes me wonder how the horror novels of our generation will hold up over time. What will replace them in 100 years that would make ours tame by comparison?I was going to start a chunkster for my real life book club, but I'm very stressed today. I decided I needed something light and fluffy, so downloaded Too Hot Four Hula from the library. The silly antics of the geriatric hula maidens should be just what the doctor ordered.
Sounds perfect! Geriatric hula maidens sounds fantastic!
I finished Too Hot Four Hula. It had me smiling and chuckling throughout. I've decided to finish out the year by killing off a series, so I got the final book in The Tiki Goddess series, Hawaii Five Uh-Oh! and will start it today.
That series sounds fun, Janice. I’m planning to start A Plague of Giants today.
I enjoy that series too, Janice. I have Three to get lei'd on next year's challenge.
I'm going to start Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. I bought it some time ago and wasn't able to use it for the survey challenge. It also doesn't seem to fit any of the zodiac challenge tasks, so I might as well read it now :)
Peggy, I've been meaning to read the second book, Hollow City, for a while now. If you enjoy Miss Peregrine, I'd love a buddy read of book 2 (and maybe even book 3, Library of Souls) sometime in 2018. I'm in no hurry.
Sounds good! I'll let you know if I want to continue with the series when I finish this one :)
I've been too lazy to boot up my laptop since last Friday, but I am at work today, and all caught up and already on-line, so there is no excuse not to check in and catch up. I got My Name Is Lucy Barton for Christmas and read it in a day. It was okay. I did not really feel engaged with the story at all. It was my first Elizabeth Strout read. I have a copy of Olive Kitteridge that I hope to get to next year.
I read two Georgina Kincaid series books, Succubus On Top and Succubus Dreams. I also
took trip to Belize in book #12 of the Barbara Holloway series, Heaven Is High. I also finished a YA novel by Ally Condie called Atlantia. This was her first book after her Matched trilogy. Her world building is less than desired, but I liked the characters.
My library copy of Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption, in audio, expired before I could finish it and I have to wait for two other holds before it is my turn again. I might have to finish it in print.
Cherie - My Name Is Lucy Barton was my first Strout too and I was unimpressed. I also didn't feel engaged with the story. I hope Olive Kitteridge is better for you. I've been thinking about trying that one too, but haven't been motivated to do it. I'll be interested in seeing what you think of it.
Cherie wrote: "I've been too lazy to boot up my laptop since last Friday, but I am at work today, and all caught up and already on-line, so there is no excuse not to check in and catch up. ."See what happens when the computer is off. You can read more.
I haven't had much time to read over Christmas. I'm still working my way through Brother Odd. I've also started The Mesmerist: The Society Doctor Who Held Victorian London Spellbound which i spotted at the library. It's about John Elliotson who was a Mesmerist. Hypnosis is vaguely connected to Mesmerism and I'm aware of this guy so thought it would be a good read. So far it is very interesting.
I finished Earthly Joys which I enjoyed more than I expected to. Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
i am 12 hours into Oathbringer and i am finding it a little tedious :-/ Could be my mood of else the busy time of your but I'm not as engrossed as I was in previous books.I've started Commonwealth on my kindle but i am not far enough into it to form an opinion.
I think Cody said the same Margo. How many hours have you still got to go?
Margo wrote: "i am 12 hours into Oathbringer and i am finding it a little tedious :-/ Could be my mood of else the busy time of your but I'm not as engrossed as I was in previous books.I've sta..."
As @Peggy said I am exactly the same. i have actually put it down and am waiting for the new year to start the reading challenge, i have admittedly had the dreaded lurgy over christmas so i have not been in the mood to do anything except lounge.
i might finish it in a few months
Since the last time I reported I finished Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters and Same But Different: Teen Life on the Autism Express, both good reads. I am still working on The Witches: Salem, 1692, a very good book but slow. Not surprising since it is SO packed with information.Next in line come Affinity for next monthly challenge, and Flowers for Algernon as my first book for the zodiac challenge (white cover).
I so do NOT want it to be disappointing! The first two books are among my favourites ever.. I'll lower my expectations a bit before I start.
Peggy wrote: "I so do NOT want it to be disappointing! The first two books are among my favourites ever.. I'll lower my expectations a bit before I start."you may fully enjoy it, it is on 4.7 out of 5 so it must be quite good!
Peggy wrote: "I think Cody said the same Margo. How many hours have you still got to go?"Ah, 55 hours total Peggy 😮
@cody - i missed your comments on it! I'm going to strughlr on and hope it pulls me in a bit. I hoped it was just where i was busy and maybe not concentrating.
@peggy - go in with low expectations 😉
Sandra wrote: "Since the last time I reported I finished Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters and Same But Different: Teen Life on the Autism Express, both good reads. I am still worki..."I have Flowers for Algernon down for zodiac aswell - hope it's good 😃
I let you know, Margo. My expectations are high. It really sounds like my type of book.
Cherie wrote: "I've been too lazy to boot up my laptop since last Friday, but I am at work today, and all caught up and already on-line, so there is no excuse not to check in and catch up."Do you think Atlantia would fit the siren task for the Year Ch?
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You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
Brother Odd (other topics)Dune (other topics)
Dune (other topics)
The Little Friend (other topics)
Brother Odd (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Elizabeth Strout (other topics)Ally Condie (other topics)
Philippa Gregory (other topics)
Philippa Gregory (other topics)
Jessie Burton (other topics)
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There are some funny moments and light humor throughout, but there are also several very dark parts. Rape, slavery, and sheer brutality just to name a few. While nothing is overly graphic (in my opinion anyway), some of those parts were very hard to listen to.
Interspersed with the humor and darkness, you'll also find some really profound thoughts and ideas. I give it 4.5 stars!