Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion
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Nancy's July Reads
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Nancy:I am glad you have found such great books to read and I enjoyed your comments -- I'll have to look up a couple of these, The Helpand Cutting for Stone, for sure! You didn't steer me wrong with The Book Thief which is on my list this month.
Nancy (Hrdcovers) wrote: "This ended up being a great reading month for me both in quantity and quality. For the past year or so, I've been averaging only one or two books a month. In July, I read 5 books which is close to ..."
nancy-i loved cutting for stone, too. a great read.
i have the help on my shelf and look forward to reading it soon. also am looking forward to vanished.
Sherry -- That's why I read Cutting For Stone....because of your initial recommendation.
Nancy (Hrdcovers) wrote: "Sherry -- That's why I read Cutting For Stone....because of your initial recommendation. "and i think connie was the one who recommended it to me. i still think about it. i love when that happens!
Well, you're going to love The Help and I'll be eager to see what you think about Vanished. And, when you're done, I have two questions to ask you so remind me.
Nancy (Hrdcovers) wrote: "Well, you're going to love The Help and I'll be eager to see what you think about Vanished. And, when you're done, I have two questions to ask you so remind me."lol//i
ll try and remember ;)
Good grief. I went immediately to the library web site to request The Help and I am number TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY. Guess the word is out!And, apropos of nothing but my own annoyance, why when I search the "add book/author" feature do my top five results, including "Who Moved My Cheese?" (?!), have no sign of "the help" in the title? GR's search engine in this feature is perplexing to say the least.
Carol:The word must be out here too. There are 19 copies in circulation at my library and 287 holds!
Yikes-a-hootie!
I agree the add book/author search engine could use a bit of filtering help. I wish we could select both title and author. That should narrow down a search. I think I read that it sorts on the most activity a title or author has on Goodreads so newer books don't always rise "to the top" of the window.
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Good grief. I went immediately to the library web site to request The Help and I am number TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY. Guess the word is out!
And, apropos of nothing but my own annoyance, why when I search the "add book/author" feature do my top five results, including "Who Moved My Cheese?" (?!), have no sign of "the help" in the title? GR's search engine in this feature is perplexing to say the least."
Nancy (Hrdcovers) wrote: "This ended up being a great reading month for me both in quantity and quality. "Nancy, thanks for some great reading suggestions. I now have CUTTING FOR STONE waiting for me at the library, and THE HELP (Number 8) and RULES OF VENGEANCE (Number 5)on my hold list. We have always enjoyed most of the same books, so I know these will be good.
Ceil
Ann wrote: "Carol:I wish we could select both title and author. That should narrow down a search. ..."
Ann, I was actually able to do this with The Help, that's how I finally got it. I did the search for title first, and then clicked on the author tab and added the author. That gave me the results I wanted
Carl:Yes, I have been able to narrow it down too with author and title, but even that method can be unreliable, especially when there are a lot of editions and books for a prolific author. I'll have to try title and author in that order next time!
Thanks!
Carol/Bonadie wrote: " Ann, I was actually able to do this with The Help, that's how I finally got it. I did the search for title first, and then clicked on the author tab and added the author. That gave me the results I wanted ."
Carol/Bonadie wrote: And, apropos of nothing but my own annoyance, why when I search the "add book/author" feature do my top five results, including "Who Moved My Cheese?" (?!), have no sign of "the help" in the title? GR's search engine in this feature is perplexing to say the least.
"
Carol, you may have figured this out already but there are two different places to search books. One is books to add to your books. One is a search of your books. You are probably searching your books instead of the more global search mechanism. Hope that makes sense to you....
And, apropos of nothing but my own annoyance, why when I search the "add book/author" feature do my top five results, including "Who Moved My Cheese?" (?!), have no sign of "the help" in the title? GR's search engine in this feature is perplexing to say the least."
Carol, you may have figured this out already but there are two different places to search books. One is books to add to your books. One is a search of your books. You are probably searching your books instead of the more global search mechanism. Hope that makes sense to you...."
It does, Cathy, but I was referring specifically to the phrase at the top of the comment box where you can add a link or a cover to the post you are typing.
Cathy:I like the ability to search my books, especially if I can't remember where I shelved the one I am looking for (just like in real life, on real bookshelves too!) And even though I have quite a lot of books on Goodreads now, it is disconcerting to use the wrong search box to search globally. :)
It seems I am being ungrateful if I complain about the search feauture here, so I won't!! ... but I do still have trouble some of the time while locating a book with the add book/author link above this comment box. The logic behind the search engine must get tired sometimes!
Cathy (Catsluvbooks) wrote: " ....you may have figured this out already but there are two different places to search books. One is books to add to your books. One is a search of your books. You are probably searching your books instead of the more global search mechanism. Hope that makes sense to you...."
Nancy (Hrdcovers) wrote: "Well, you're going to love The Help and I'll be eager to see what you think about Vanished. And, when you're done, I have two questions to ask you so remind me."nancy-
i finished vanished today.. so if you remember what questions you had, ask me quickly before i forget what i read..lol
POSSIBLE VANISHED SPOILERS FOR SHERRY...........1) Why did no one ever check the restaurant to see if Roger actually left his keys there? I would think this would be a first step of either Nick's or the police.
2) How could Marjorie's hands have "evidence of struggling with her killer" if they were bound to the bedposts with duct tape?
"defensive wounds on the palms"
Nancy (Hrdcovers) wrote: "POSSIBLE VANISHED SPOILERS FOR SHERRY...........1. i so agree with you about the restaurant. first of all, if that had been me, no way would i have stayed there alone waiting for him. that was almost a "too stupid to live" moment on lauren't part.
2. that one had me stumped, too. i don't remember her scratching him or even touching him.. unless we have to "roll" with it and think that at some point during the attack she was able to fight him off. maybe before he tied her to the bedposts?
i liked the book a lot but it sure got confusing in spots, didn't it?
1) Why did no one ever check the restaurant to see if Roger actually left his keys there? I would think this would be a first st..."
VANISHED SPOILERSherry --
I emailed Joe and asked him about it. His comment
was that perhaps he did go to the restaurant to check on the keys but an author doesn't have to put in the book everything that's done. Also regarding Marjorie, he said perhaps she fought with him before he tied her to the bed which was impossible. I obviously caught two obvious editing mistakes but he didn't admit to them. It wasn't my favorite Finder simply because it was just to convoluted.
VANISHED SPOILERI emailed Joe and asked him about it. His comment
was that perhaps he did go to the restaurant to check on the keys but an author doesn't have to put in the book everything that's done. Also regarding Marjorie, he said perhaps she fought with him before he tied her to the bed which was impossible. I obviously caught two obvious editing mistakes but he didn't admit to them. It wasn't my favorite Finder simply because it was just to convoluted.
interesting. i agree that an author doesn't have to put everything in and sometimes we have to go with the flow, BUT stupid move on the wife's part. as for marjorie, i guess she could have since he left the whole thing pretty much up to our imaginations- nothing about her murder was spelled out.
Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends
Books mentioned in this topic
The Help (other topics)The Help (other topics)
Cutting for Stone (other topics)
Cutting for Stone (other topics)
The Book Thief (other topics)
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Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese -- "10" I can't say enough good things about this novel. It's everything I look for in a good book. It took me somewhere I've never been before (Ethiopia) and told a wonderful story of love, hope, desire and enlightenment. I have to say that it is every bit the story for which every avid reader is searching. It's a novel that's epic in scope and begins on a ship sailing from India to Yemen where a young nun meets a very seasick British doctor and is able to nurse him through that voyage. Some years later, they will meet again in a hospital in Ethiopia where she will become his right hand through every one of his surgeries. Until one day, she doesn't show up in the operating room and the real story begins. Twins are born, secrets are NOT revealed, lives are shattered and all of this will be narrated by one of the male twins...Marion. I have my entire review here on Goodreads if you'd like to read more.
The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly "10" -- After I read this, I realized I have read more books by Michael Connelly than any other author...16 in all. Of the 16, there was only one clunker in the bunch (Chasing The Dime). The Scarecrow brings back a favorite character from one other of Connelly's books, Jack McEvoy, a journalist with the LA Times. The book begins with Jack getting a pink slip and deciding that he is going to go out with a bang by trying to write a Pulitzer prize winning story. Again, my review is here on Goodreads.
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin "7" -- This was the only mediocre book I read this month. Years ago, I found an author that sets her books in Brooklyn and she and I became email buddies...(Jennie Fields/Crossing Brooklyn Ferry). Knowing how much I love books set in this borough, she recommended this one to me. While I thought it was good (hated the ending), it was not what I would call "the Brooklyn of my youth!!"
Once again, review here on Goodreads.
Vanished by Joe Finder "8" -- Finder is probably one of my favorite thriller authors specializing in "corporate" roller coaster rides. He sent me a hardcover edition of this book to read before the actual publication date of August 18th. This is the first book in a new series featuring Nick Heller, ex Special Forces kind of guy who is now working for an upscale corporate detective firm. The book was great but it was a bit convoluted and when I have to go back and reread the ending, that's telling me it was a little bit too convoluted for me. But don't get me wrong, it was still a good read.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett "10" -- There's nothing better than ending the month with a "great" book. This one is set in Mississippi in the early 1960's when civil rights was right at the forefront. This is an amazing story of a 23 year old college graduate who wants to be a journalist. Disgusted with the way her friends treat their "colored" help, she decides to write a book about it and enlists the aid of at least 15 women who are risking their lives by relating their stories of what it's like to work for a white woman in Mississippi in the 60's. I was a wreck reading this book for fear that they would get caught. Wow...it was great.
And the good news is I know August is going to be GREAT as some of my favorite authors have books coming out....Pat Conroy, South of Broad on August 12, Richard Russo, That Old Cape Magic on August 4th, Philippa Gregory, The White Queen on August 18th and Christopher Reich, Rules of Vengeance on August 4th. So I'm definitely looking forward to my favorite month of the year.