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What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations, reviews Part 2
Despite working for half of it, I manged to read 2 books over the weekend because they were both brilliant.
The first was London Lies Beneath which is historical fiction set in the slums of South London in 1912. It is based a true story and also has some elements of magical realism which I really enjoyed. My (short) review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I also read The Weight of Silence. This was a fast-paced thriller sent in rural Iowa. It wasn't high-brow literary fiction but it was very enjoyable. My (even shorter) review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The first was London Lies Beneath which is historical fiction set in the slums of South London in 1912. It is based a true story and also has some elements of magical realism which I really enjoyed. My (short) review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I also read The Weight of Silence. This was a fast-paced thriller sent in rural Iowa. It wasn't high-brow literary fiction but it was very enjoyable. My (even shorter) review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement. I loved this story. It's subtle, yet tells all. It's stark, yet rich. This is the first, but not the last, book written by this author that I'll read.
It's horrible to think that people live these lives today, as I read about it. I hope we can stop this cycle one day.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
This is the first, but not the last, boo..."
This sounds good Petra!
Finished
Weycombe by G.M. Malliet yesterday. Not at all what I was expecting, but it turned out to be a really good read. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Greg wrote: "Petra wrote: "I finished Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement. This sounds good Petra! ..."
It was, Greg! I hope to read more by this author.
I finished All the Broken Things and thought it was just okay. There were too many problems thrown at poor Bo throughout the book. His anger, although understandable, made him appear very immature, considering one of the themes of his taking permanent responsibility for his disabled 4-year old sister.
It was as though the author threw every immigrant and racist problem into this book....and the Vietnam war and Canada's involvement in the production of Agent Orange.
I also found the treatment of Orange, at least in the beginning, and the entertainment value of the bears to be distasteful. The talk about Orange's deformities and her "ugliness" was, I though, overly punctuated.
That all said, it was an easy reading story, perhaps something for the beach or in front of a roaring fire. It should be rated YA. Bo is fourteen and his story is told in a young manner.
An okay read but not one I'd highly recommend. I gave it 3 stars but its more like a 2.5.
My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Is your rating of a book affected by the professional experience of the writer?I just read two books, one by a new writer and one by a highly acclaimed writer; I quite liked both, so 3 or 4 stars. I think I cut the new writer more slack and I cannot quite decide if that is fair.
Joan wrote: "Is your rating of a book affected by the professional experience of the writer?I just read two books, one by a new writer and one by a highly acclaimed writer; I quite liked both, so 3 or 4 stars...."
That's a good question, Joan, and I'd like to think I'm fair, of course. I try to compare like with like, a police mystery with something similar, a family drama or a light romance with something similar.
There are some excellent authors who might publish a second-rate book (because they can get away with it), while a debut has a real struggle to get published at all. So for "equal" books, I might give 3.5 or 4 stars to the established author, saying I was a bit disappointed, and give 3.5-4 stars for the debut saying I can see a lot of promise, keep writing. If the debut is worth 4.5-5, who cares if it's a first-time author? I'm delighted to give credit where I think it's due.
And don't every be shy about giving a popular author a low rating if the book doesn't appeal to you. Just say why, if you can, so other readers will get an idea of what you think the book is like. I've read a couple of your reviews, and you look like you're on the right track to me (for what it's worth). :)
Just read and LOVED Moonglow by Michael Chabon. Talk about passion and history and biography and imagination all mixed up - Whew!
5★ Link to my review
Mod
I just read two books, one by a new writer and one by a highly acclaimed writer; I quite liked both, so 3 or 4 stars...."
Like Patti, I do scale based on the type of book. So a very good humorous story, a very good mystery, a very good work of literature, etc, I rate the same (as very good). 5 stars though I reserve for something that touched me on many levels; so it's a bit tougher to reach that for certain sorts of books.
New authors, hmm, I don't read a great many new authors, but I think I'd tend to round a new author up instead of down on the grounds that they're still early in their journey. It wouldn't change the number of stars, but if it was 3.5 stars, I'd be more inclined to round up to 4 instead of down to 3.
Joan wrote: "Is your rating of a book affected by the professional experience of the writer?I just read two books, one by a new writer and one by a highly acclaimed writer; I quite liked both, so 3 or 4 stars...."
I don't consciously give new writers 'slack' but my ratings are gut reactions so I might do so unintentionally. I suspect I react as PattyMacDotComma described, being pleasantly surprised by a new author with work that in an established author might have seemed expected or even disappointing.
I rate purely on how much I enjoyed the book. So a trashy thriller I raced through can get a 5* but I usually write a qualifier in the review that I appreciate it's not high-brow fiction. I probably do give new authors higher reviews because I tend to enjoy reading new work
Reading is about enjoyment and that is how I rate! I think I often end up eating classics higher than I really feel because I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't like them
Reading is about enjoyment and that is how I rate! I think I often end up eating classics higher than I really feel because I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't like them
Thanks y’all for your thoughts on ratings - very interesting.
Heather wrote: "I rate purely on how much I enjoyed the book. So a trashy thriller I raced through can get a 5* but I usually write a qualifier in the review that I appreciate it's not high-brow fiction. I probabl..."Same here. Although recently I've stopped star rating my books. It's not how I'd talk about books in real life and so many times my opinion changes over time.
Pink wrote: "Heather wrote: "I rate purely on how much I enjoyed the book. So a trashy thriller I raced through can get a 5* but I usually write a qualifier in the review that I appreciate it's not high-brow fi..."
That's interesting. I like to give a star rating but actually it's usually a fairly knee-jerk reaction and I don't pay too much attention to it myself.
I do know that some people, including members of this group, are very thoughtful with their star ratings and I value that when deciding if I should read something.
That's interesting. I like to give a star rating but actually it's usually a fairly knee-jerk reaction and I don't pay too much attention to it myself.
I do know that some people, including members of this group, are very thoughtful with their star ratings and I value that when deciding if I should read something.
Pink wrote: "Although recently I've stopped star rating my books. It's not how I'd talk about books in real life and so many times my opinion changes over time. ..."I like doing the star ratings (which I try to do following the GR explanation of the stars, e.g 2* means OK, 3* good etc).
I agree that my opinion does sometimes change over time, in which case I go back and change my rating (sometimes noting that in the review and sometimes not).
@Heather -- I suffer from that feeling of embarrassment too. In those cases, I tend to rate higher than my enjoyment because I can see that the book had some quality that made it worthwhile even while I didn't like it. Probably I should stop doing that!
A belated (and lengthy) review of Beren and Lúthien, which I gave 5 starshttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I was lucky enough to be gifted a copy of
London Noir by author Ann Girdharry. My review https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
I just finished an ARC of Tell Tale: Short Stories
. I really enjoyed the stories! One in particular stands out in my mind. I have a visual image of the ending that I will never forget! For me, short stories are a hit or miss so I don't read very many. This collection was worth reading! I had never heard of the author Jeffrey Archer, despite having written quite a few books, but I'm interested in reading more by him. Any recommendations?
I have finished La strada di Smirne, follow-up of Skylark Farm 3,5*I liked both books, I gave the same rating but for different reasons: Skylark Farm is really very moving and you feel for the characters, but it isn't written very well. I had often the feeling that the author went on too fast, as if some parts were missing.
The sequel is written much better, it's more flowing, and though it was very interesting, it didn't move as much as the first book.
They are both worth to be read and it's a pity there isn't an English translation of the sequel.
I have completed The Six Wives of Henry VIII. It is VERY good. This author knows how to tell a story both clearly and engagingly. It is non-fiction that keeps you riveted. Really interesting. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished Yesterday:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Also finished a really nice comedic novel, Less
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Also finished a really nice comedic novel, Less
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished listening to
The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti. My review https://wordpress.com/post/sandysbook...
I finished Future Home of the Living God. 5 stars. My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished listening to Saints for All Occasions, a family saga over 2 generations. It was an interesting, easy listening experience. I enjoyed the story of secrets, family and immigration.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have completed American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I woke up ~ 4 am this morning and couldn't get back to sleep so I started reading one of the many Kindle mysteries I have accumulated. The one I picked, A Very Quiet Guest, I cannot recommend. Here is my review explaining why:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Leslie, horrible that first you cannot sleep and then what you read is such a disappointment. Those freebies are such a waste of time.
Chrissie wrote: "Leslie, horrible that first you cannot sleep and then what you read is such a disappointment. Those freebies are such a waste of time."Yeah, I figured that out but I haven't reached the decision to dump all the books I had already gotten. I have found a few good ones and I hate to miss out! But the more of these poor ones I encounter, the closer I get to making that decision to clear out my library.
I've definitely given up on kindle freebies. In fact I have completely gone away from reading on my kindle at the moment. I think I will bring it out for holiday reads but I'm enjoying dead tree books too much!
I've just finished Northern Lights which was a reread and a very enjoyable one. Have moved onto the next book into the trilogy, The Subtle Knife, also a reread
I've just finished Northern Lights which was a reread and a very enjoyable one. Have moved onto the next book into the trilogy, The Subtle Knife, also a reread
Mod
I will be re-reading those soon Heather - fun reads and in my opinion, very well done!
Leslie wrote: "Yeah, I figured that out but I haven't reac..."Look at how Amazon teases and plays with us. How they wrap us around their finger. I do not like this.
Aussie Author Michael Sala has written about his (now) hometown of Newcastle, NSW, in The Restorer, where short-fused Roy is trying to restore a house and his family.
3.5★ Link to my review
I have completed Evelyn Waugh's Decline and Fall. Surely you have heard of the author's Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Greg wrote: "Heather wrote: "I've definitely given up on kindle freebies. In fact I have completely gone away from reading on my kindle at the moment. I think I will bring it out for holiday reads but I'm enjoy..."
I'm really enjoying it! It's nice to have a slightly easier book to dip into as I'm also reading Lincoln in the Bardo which is a bit harder to get into
I'm really enjoying it! It's nice to have a slightly easier book to dip into as I'm also reading Lincoln in the Bardo which is a bit harder to get into
I finished Reykjavík Nights: Murder in Reykjavík by Arnaldur Indriðason, a prequel to a detective story. The story started slow but picked up as I got to know the main character, Erlendur. I think this is a character-driven series that will get better as the series continues.
In the end, I found this a decent read and look forward to reading more of the series.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It was with great sorrow that I finally closed the cover on the last page of
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson My review https://wordpress.com/post/sandysbook...
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* wrote: "It was with great sorrow that I finally closed the cover on the last page of A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson My review https://wor..."Sandi, I liked that one, too.
I'm not a member of Wordpress, so can't see your review but I'm sure it's wonderful. The story was so good.
I haven't read Kate Atkinson's other books. Have you?
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Please keep your opinions and reviews coming!
Just in case anyone was wondering, GR sometimes has trouble when a thread gets too big. So we are "starting over", though continuing discussions from the prior thread are welcome