All About Books discussion
General Archive
>
What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations, reviews Part 2
My review of The Peacock Summer by Hannah Richell
4 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A review of sorts on why I did not finish reading this book.Hello, My Name is May by Rosalind Stopps
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Completed:
Trials of the Earth: The True Story of a Pioneer Woman by Mary Mann Hamilton - completed 12/1/19 - 3 stars - My Review
My review of Nineteen Letters by Jodi Perry
4 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have just finished The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick. I give it 3* - on the whole it was better than the movie adaptation but also more depressing.My review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea. It is set in Iceland in the year 1686. It was quite good, but I thought Burial Rites, also set in Iceland, was the better novel.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My most recent books:The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick - audiobook narrated by Ray Porter; 3*
I picked this audiobook up as a free offer from Audible - I probably wouldn't have gotten it otherwise, though I had enjoyed the movie. However, as is not uncommon, I found the book had a lot more depth to it than the film adaptation.
Although the exact cause of Pat's mental (neural?) issues is never fully explained (though towards the end enough information is given to allow the reader a pretty good idea), I felt that Quick's portrayal of someone struggling to regain 'mental stability' quite believable. Pat is much more damaged than the film had led me to expect and his belief in silver linings less charming but more touching.
Snuff by Terry Pratchett - Kindle edition; 3.5*
While I love the Watch, I felt that this one was a bit more cookie cutter than usual. Though I did enjoy Young Sam's obsession with all types of poo :)
For the Defense: Dr. Thorndyke - Kindle edition; 3*
This 21st entry in the Dr. Thorndyke series wasn't a mystery at all. I guess it could be called a suspense or better yet a crime novel. Though Thorndyke enters the story rather late and the reader doesn't get to see him doing much investigating, it was entertaining to see him at work in the courtroom. The main character, Andrew Barton, was a complete imbecile and while at first I could understand his motivations, he quickly lost my sympathy & is one of the main reasons this book only gets 3*
I finished reading Matt Ruff's Fool on the Hill and quite enjoyed it. It's the 3rd of his books that I've read and I've enjoyed them all. This is a very good debut novel; it's a wonderful first product.Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Winter Sleep: A Hibernation Story by Sean Taylor and Alex Morss is a delightful and informative kids' picture book. The illustrations by Cinyee Chiu make it special. Good gift book for grandparents!
5★ Link to my review with lots of pictures
Popular Aussie author Nicole Trope's suspenseful The Boy in the Photo will be sure to gain her some more fans.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Latest:
The Lady in Gold: The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer by Anne-Marie O'Connor - 4 stars - My Review
My latest:Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams - audiobook narrated by Martin Freeman; 2.5*
This 3rd book of the Hitchhiker's Guide series fell mostly flat for me. Oh well...
The Burglar on the Prowl by Lawrence Block - Kindle edition; 3*
I found this entry in the Bernie Rhodenbarr series disappointing. The mystery was convoluted (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) but Bernie's involvement seemed too tangential. Plus, Bernie himself was not his usual charming and fun self...
My Kindle edition had some short pieces by Block about the series and a short story "The Burglar Who Dropped in on Elvis", which was entertaining.
Merry, Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart - audiobook edition, narrated by Ann Marie Lee; 3*
Heartwarming holiday tale with a couple of murders being solved with the help of a ghost. I am not a big fan of paranormal mysteries so if you like them, you would probably rate this higher.
Killer Dolphin by Ngaio Marsh - paperback edition; 3*
I liked the theater setting but Marsh has done it before (& better in my opinion). Still, I like Inspector Alleyn.
Trust Me, I'm a Wizard by Chris I. Naylor - Kindle edition; 4*
Maybe 3.5* really but I did have a lot of fun reading it so I rounded up.
For fantasy fans, the influence of Terry Pratchett is clear & if you like Pratchett's Discworld, you will probably like this book as well. There are also some nods to Tolkein (the Dwarf song in particular, but also the dark forest and its creatures) and Arthurian legend.
I've recently read
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo. Enjoyed it a lot and gave it 4.3 stars. My short review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished
Single by K.L. Slater this morning. My spoiler free review can be found at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...Now reading
The Last Affair by Margot Hunt
I read Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry. Simply wonderful! Kevin Barry knows how to make words dance on the page. The dialogue was amazing.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The Course of All Treasons by Suzanne M. Wolfe
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
What do you do if you're scared to use the bathroom at school because of the teasing? The picture book Jacob's New Dress introduced a little boy who likes to wear dresses, inspired by Sam, the son of the authors, Sarah Hoffman and Ian Hoffman.Jacob's Room to Choose is a good followup about Jacob and Sophie, a little classmate who prefers shirts and jeans. A teacher helps the other kids wake up to themselves!
4.5★ Link to my review with pictures
Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly is #6 in the series by Adrian McKinty, but I was assured that it works fine as a standalone, and it certainly does! Now to find some more. :)
4.5★ (rounded up) Link to my review
I was really looking forward to This Is How You Lose the Time War but it totally let me down. 2 starshttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Phrynne wrote: "My review of The Lion's Den by Anthony Marra 
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
I have just read The Lion's Den and it was a delight.
Thanks @Phrynne for bringing this to my notice.
My review of The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth
2 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The Stories We Tell by Patti Callahan Henry
3 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Karin wrote: "Pam wrote: "Just finished the latest in the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley, The Golden Tresses of the Dead. Loved it but thinking about it afterwards, the mystery it revolves..."It's a shame because I had loved it till I closed the book and then thought - er.....?
A big catchup on reviews:1. H. Warner Munn's Merlin's Godson - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1391792506.
2. The sequel, Merlin's Ring - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1391792872
3. Abraham Merritt's supernatural tale - Burn Witch Burn - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1954250635
4. Thomas Burnett Swann's The Gods Abide - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3032010135
There Was Still Love is the most wonderful historical fiction about two Czech grandmothers, sisters, who survived WW2 and are raising grandchildren - a boy in Prague, a girl in Melbourne. It is warm, funny, sad, poignant, perfect. Aussie author Favel Parrett was the "Little Fox" in Melbourne.
5★ Link to my review of a new favourite!
I have been neglecting this thread :( But I did manage to update my personal 2019 thread with brief comments on the books I have read so far this month! Of those, I will just mention 2:If Not Now When by Primo Levi - ebook edition, 5*
I found this look at life as a Jewish partisan in Eastern Europe during WW2 fascinating. I guess that I have never considered before the dilemma of a Russian Jew - whether he is a Jewish Russian or a Russian Jew - nor the complexity of that question. What makes the book even more amazing is the afterword by the author where it becomes clear that while this is fiction, it is describing true events and people.
and our AAB group classic:
1984 by George Orwell - audiobook edition narrated by Simon Prebble (and Kindle edition); 5*
I am so glad that I reread this book - it turns out that I had forgotten almost everything about it! Orwell's dystopia is extremely unnerving, so many aspects of it are so horribly possible.
Coming into the home stretch of my reading challenge! A few books I finished up over the past month:
The Old Is Dying and the New Cannot Be Born by Nancy Fraser Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Inferno by Dante Alighieri Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Apostles of Reason: The Crisis of Authority in American Evangelicalism by Molly Worthen Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have finished Star Soldiers by Andre Norton - a solid 4*. This omnibus contains "Star Guard" and "Star Rangers" (aka "The Last Planet") - the 2 novels about Central Control."Star Guard" is set in 3956 A.D. (in Terran reckoning), about 300 years after man had achieved the stars only to find a Central Control of an alien empire.
"Star Rangers" is set in 8054 A.D. during the final breakdown of that empire.
Of the 2, I slightly preferred "Star Rangers" but both were very good space opera type sci fi.
About to start
Cold Heart Creek by Lisa Regan after finishing the thrilling
Die Alone by Simon Kernick. My spoiler free review can be found at https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/... and https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Latest two:
The Holidays by Mike MacDonald - 1 star - My Review
The Sea by John Banville - 4 stars - My Review
All About Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Dark Mode (other topics)Critical Mass (other topics)
The Go-Between (other topics)
One, Two ... He Is Coming for You (other topics)
Death at Hungerford Stairs (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Ashley Kalagian Blunt (other topics)Daniel Suarez (other topics)
Willow Rose (other topics)
L.P. Hartley (other topics)
Luis Alberto Urrea (other topics)
More...
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Adam Bede by George Eliot
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jonah's Gourd Vine by Zora Neale Hurston
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...