EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club discussion
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The Last Book I Read Was...
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A. R. Parr
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Aug 21, 2022 11:34AM
I just read the Viola Davis memoir, “Finding Me”! It was so good! I loved it and would definitely read it again.
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Antarctica: Life on the Frozen Continent by Conor Kilgallon was a pretty thorough pictorial essay about the Great White Continent. I liked it a lot because it revived my memories of my visit there. My review -
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Woman Reading wrote: "I was excited to re-read
Persuasion by Jane Austen with several group reads. New readers are discovering it because of the latest adaptatio..."One of my favorite novels by Jane Austen. :)
I needed a change of pace so I read Mia P. Manansala's debut novel - a multicultural cosy mystery with a focus that would please foodies -
Arsenic and AdoboMy review - www.Goodreads.com/review/show/4938679486
This novel isn't among Georgette Heyer's most popular but it greatly fascinated me.
A Civil Contract adds to the sense vs sensibility debate. My review - www.Goodreads.com/review/show/4951756033
Homicide and Halo-Halo Author Mia P. Manansala improved with her sequel in the cosy with ethnic food mysteries.
My review - www.Goodreads.com/review/show/4969622641
All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East TerrorThis was a geopolitical espionage story and an entirely nonfiction one at that. While I don't share author Stephen Kinzer's conviction, this was an intriguing book providing an overview of Iranian history and delving deeply into foreign intrigue of the 1950s.
My review - www.goodreads.com/review/show/4902400942
I finished The Folk Of Air trilogy.
Review :
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I enjoyed Ben Macintyre's The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War tremendously so I was eager to read his other books.
A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal felt differently as it wasn't a straight up biography. This was more of an ensemble story to show the impact of betrayal -- Philby's betrayal of country, friends, and wives. My review - www.goodreads.com/review/show/3896919341
Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava SobelIt's an esoteric topic but it's a tale with messy human emotions and conflicts that's been engagingly written for the general reading populace.
My review --
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Soul Taken by Patricia BriggsHmm, it's #13 (urban fantasy with a missing person & murders) and it's showing. It was a tedious slog at the beginning and the ending (last 25%) redeemed the story so it's a 3☆, maybe 3.5 ☆, for me.
My review -- www.goodreads.com/review/show/4071224502
This is a GR 2022 nominee for the history & biography category.
River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the NileIt was a good choice, well-written. I believe that readers with a strong interest in African exploration and its mid-19th century history would find this to be a more than satisfactory read. For me, it was a solid 3.5 ☆.
My review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Woman Reading wrote: "This is a GR 2022 nominee for the history & biography category.
[book:River of the Go..."On my TBR list. She is a good author if you like history.
Jan wrote: "Woman Reading wrote: "This is a GR 2022 nominee for the history & biography category.
..."A couple of GR friends who like Millard said that they had liked her earlier books more. This was my introduction to her, and I had no problems with her writing style.
Storm Echo #6 in Nalini Singh's phase 2 Psy-Changeling Trinity series (or #21 in her Psy-Changeling universe)Singh has created a fascinating alternate world which has kept me interested in the two series for 21 books. For her books, I prefer the UF component to the PNR because the latter's set up is very formulaic, as can be expected for anything still running with so many installments. The romantic pair included a member of the Mercants (third one so far) and a changeling. I liked how their relationship began; no struck-by-lightning situation like Alpha Night.
My review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It may not have won this year's GR Choice award for nonfiction, but it definitely merited being nominated.
An Immense World by Ed YongFor readers who like popular science books, this is a solid selection. For fans of comparative zoology, this is a must read.
My review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Plenty of criminal acts but justice is not in sight in
The Way to the Spring: Life and Death in Palestine by journalist Ben EhrenreichMy review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I was pleasantly surprised by Joanna Bourne's Spymasters series. It's historical romantic suspense with more emphasis on the political intrigue than on the romantic pairing. Set during 1790s to about 1820 in France and England.
The Forbidden RoseMy review for the series -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The last book I read was Scoop by Evelyn Waugh. It was written in the 30s and is a crazy story about the English newspapers and reporters. Be warned, it does have language that is racist today. However, I found it funny and rated it 4****.
No Plan B by Andrew Child and by Lee Child This was the third Reacher novel by Andrew Child. Third time wasn't charmed.
My Review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Agatha Christie was a prolific crime fiction author. But like everyone else, she didn't want to be pigeonholed.So under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, Christie published 6 novels. I've finished my second Westmacott novel --
Absent in the Spring.Christie had been very pleased with it. And I liked it as well, rating it a 4 ☆ novel.
My review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Spare by Prince Harry
In an unprecedented move by a high ranking royal, Prince Harry presents his side. This memoir will likely generate strong opinion especially if you're a reader from the UK or the Commonwealth. But I'm an American whose review is here ---
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished listening to The Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith and Middlemarch by George Eliot (for a second time).
I've been curious about cocktails the past several months. I've just reviewed these 2:
Food & Wine Cocktails 2005: The Best Drinks from America's Hottest Bars, Lounges and RestaurantsThis is the inaugural edition of an annualized series that continued for about a decade.
My review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And
How to Cocktail: Recipes and Techniques for Building the Best DrinksThis was published by America's Test Kitchen, my go-to source for advice on all things culinary.
My Review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I recently finished American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins and have started listening to To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.
London Rules by Mick HerronFor my re-read, I listened to the audiobook. It did not disappoint. Slough House is now my comfort read series.
My Review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
This is #3 and it could be read as a standalone but why miss out on the preceding two?
My review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If you're a fan of Leigh Bardugo, then go ahead and pick up
Hell Bent #2 in the Alex Stern eventually-to-be trilogy.It's been a while since I had read a novel that completely gripped me from the beginning. It only took 7 pages for Hell Bent to sink its claws into me.
I've got to look into the Grishaverse now.
My Review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The last book I read was a nonfiction: Makers of History: Alexander the Great (1849) by Jacob Abbott. It was a good overview of his life and achievements. 4 ⭐.
The last book I read was Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - just finished reading it this evening, and it was okay. Not sure if I'm going to continue reading the series though (if anyone has read the rest of the series, let me know if it is worth reading).
I listened to this in January, the traditional month of new beginnings.
How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Katy Milkman
This isn't just a self-help book but one that included studies on behavioral science.
My Review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun #3 by Elle Cosimano
My Review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've been slow to discover Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse but I'm glad I finally got around to it.
Shadow and Bone #1My Review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Marylebone Drop by Mick HerronA little op within the MI5 / Slough House misfits. John Bachelor seemed like a more sad sack character than before. Well narrated and a clever story but not very humorous. But still it was appreciated for the backdrop of the Snow White ops and Lech's story.
My Review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished the first Grishaverse trilogy --
Ruin and Rising by Leigh BardugoI can see why Netflix has a televised adaptation. The books are good but I can see where Netflix might heighten the tension or character arcs.
My Review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Magic Tides by Ilona AndrewsI had no idea that the authors had planned a follow-up series for Kate Daniels, and I was really happy to see this. It delivered all of the humor and action that have distinguished the Kate Daniels series. And a sequel - Magic Claims - will be released this summer.
My Review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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