All About Books discussion
General Archive
>
What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations, reviews Part 2
Mod
A great challenge this one, equal to..."
That's really intriguing!!! I'll study the whole thing and see if I can joyin in!
Well-known Aussie journalist, political commentator, and author Tony Jones has followed up his successful political thriller, The Twentieth Man, with more war and intrigue in In Darkness Visible.
4★ Link to my review of In Darkness Visible
Finished The Pagan Lord, book 7 in The Saxon series by Bernard Cornwell.It's not the type of book I normally read, but I figure it's good to step outside of my comfort zone, occasionally. It's got a lot of gory battles and chest-thumping males. It is well-researched historical fiction about a turbulent time in England's history. I enjoyed it.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
LauraT wrote: "Leslie wrote: "LauraT wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I have finished what essentially is a short story by Balzac (53 pgs) in my quest to read his The Human Comedy -- A great challenge thi..."
Yay!
I have finished The Radical King. As my review is somewhat long (very long for me!!), I won't copy the whole thing here (anyone interested can see it in my 2020 challenges thread) but just say that while I never did warm up to Cornel West's sections, the writings by King were excellent. Martin Luther King Jr. truly was a remarkable man!My rating overall was 3.5* but I may change my mind and up it to 4*.
Lol Tamara - "It's got a lot of gory battles and chest-thumping males."!! Now I am embarrassed to say that it sounds like something I might like!
Leslie wrote: "Lol Tamara - "It's got a lot of gory battles and chest-thumping males."!! Now I am embarrassed to say that it sounds like something I might like!"Go for it, Leslie! I'm a self-proclaimed feminist and I actually enjoyed it. Who would have thunk it?
I'm late to the party for this one:
. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... Need to get my hands on the sequel!
My review of Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay by Ali McNamara
3 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished reading I'll Never Write My Memoirs by Grace Jones. An interesting look into the exciting but not enviable life of the famous 70s/80s supermodel/actress/singerMy review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Raul wrote: "Finished reading I'll Never Write My Memoirs by Grace Jones. An interesting look into the exciting but not enviable life of the famous 70s/80s supermodel/actress/sin..."Ah Grace Jones - I haven't thought about her in a long time.
Leslie wrote: "Raul wrote: "Finished reading I'll Never Write My Memoirs by Grace Jones. An interesting look into the exciting but not enviable life of the famous 70s/80s supermode..."I think she's wonderful, I discovered her some few years ago and it's amazing how she still captivates on the stage in her 70s.
Raul wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Raul wrote: "Finished reading I'll Never Write My Memoirs by Grace Jones. An interesting look into the exciting but not enviable life of the famous 70..."I bet she does - I remember her as a very striking woman.
Six Wicked Reasons by Jo Spainhttps://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/... and https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have finished The Bertrams by Anthony Trollope. 3.5*While I enjoyed the main plot of this book, I found the travel sections a bit wearisome. There was a certain amount of humor (especially in the chapter about card parties) but on the whole, Trollope was more heavy-handed with his characters & opinions here than he was in his better books.
My review of Hughie Mittman's Fear of Lawnmowers by Conor Bowman
3 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Dale, that book sure has a funny title!
Don wrote: "Read The Rats, old school British horror, by James Herbert, certainly packs a punch, highly recommended, here is a link to my reviewhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
Read that many years ago - is that the one where people are attacked in the dark in a cinema or maybe that is in a followup?
Herbert's early stuff is good but I wasn't so keen on his later books.
Review catch up since start of the year:Book 8 of the Indigo series by Louise Cooper - Aisling - reviewed: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2784951413
Then a Thomas Burnett Swann - The Tournament of Thorns - reviewed: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3134110298
and finally another Swann, The Weirwoods - reviewed: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3158569984.
For Lesley, my 2020 challenge thread is in this group - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/21032279-pam-s-2020-reading-challenge
Pam wrote: "Don wrote: "Read The Rats, old school British horror, by James Herbert, certainly packs a punch, highly recommended, here is a link to my reviewhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
R..."
I must have missed Don's original post but funnily enough I was just reading a friend's review of that book - not at all my kind of book! She described it as an "extremely violent, graphic and grisly story that includes death and mutilation by giant voracious rats." which makes me shudder. However, if one likes horror it apparently is very good as she gave it 4*.
I picked the perfect children's picture book to enjoy during the Australian Open, Evonne Goolagong by Mª Isabel Sánchez Vegara. My review has illustrations and a couple of photos. She is such an Aussie icon!
5★ Link to my review
I finished reading On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong and I had mixed feelings reading this, one of those books you wish you liked more than you didMy review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished Salt: A World History.While I enjoyed it a lot, it was a bit repetitive. This book is full of interesting story, adages, recipes and information.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone by Felicity McLean
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The Hope Jar by Wanda E. Brunstetter
2 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of Devonshire Scream: A Tea Shop Mystery by Laura Childs:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
3 stars
I loved the second book of Michael Robotham's Joe O'Loughlin series, Lost, aka The Drowning Man. Good pace, good plot, characters I cared about, plus the author is an award-winning Aussie!What more could I ask?
4.5★ Link to my "Lost" review
My favourite of the Amazon Original Stories "Inheritance" collection is Can You Feel This? by Julie Orringer. Young couple, wife in labour, race to hospital - but it's more than that, both before and after, and beautifully done.
5★ Link to my review
Read and enjoyed A Heart So Fierce and Broken
My 4⭐ review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad, translated by Ingrid Christopherson. She is a Norwegian journalist who spent 4 months in the home of a Kabul bookseller. It was strong in some areas, but I wish she had let the Afghan women speak for themselves instead of interpreting and mediating for them.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Done reading Levels of Life by Julian Barnes. An amazing book concerning love and grief, my review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Tamara wrote: "Finished The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad, translated by Ingrid Christopherson. ... It was strong in some areas, but I wish she had let the Afghan women speak for themselves instead of interpreting and mediating for them..."A common error for new authors I believe - but such an interesting subject that I will keep it in mind.
Petra wrote: "I finished Salt: A World History.While I enjoyed it a lot, it was a bit repetitive. This book is full of interesting story, adages, recipes and information.
My review: https://www.goo..."
That is an interesting slant on history! I can imagine that while some aspects were repetitious, it gave a different view on how developments occurred.
Amalia wrote: "Finished The Woman Warrior
by Maxine Hong Kingston5 stars"
I read that book back in my freshman English course (many years ago now). I'm glad that it still resonates with women today!
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "I loved the second book of Michael Robotham's Joe O'Loughlin series, Lost, aka The Drowning Man. Good pace, good plot, characters I cared about, plus t..."Sounds like a great read!
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "My favourite of the Amazon Original Stories "Inheritance" collection is Can You Feel This? by Julie Orringer. Young couple, wife in labour, race to hospital - but it..."
I am unfamiliar with the Amazon Original Stories. Care to expand?
Leslie wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "My favourite of the Amazon Original Stories "Inheritance" collection is Can You Feel This? by Julie Orringer. Young couple, wife in labour, ..."
Leslie, I just happened to find the series "Inheritance" on NetGalley, but there are other series or groups, I see. This is the group of five stories I read from Inheritance. They're under Kindle Singles on the US site.
If you click on All Collections, you'll see the others. I assume these are available in different countries.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
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...
My 4⭐ review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...