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What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations, reviews Part 2
I don’t like when a series is translated out of order.
I loved Flowers for Algernon. I recommend it to everyone. How did I manage to not pick up this book until now?My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have finished and liked Insurgent Mexico by John Reed. A never boring account of the Mexican revolution of 1913-1914.My English review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished In Every Moment We Are Still Alive. 4.5 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A great little picture book about a boy with autism who'd like help. Jillian Ma's gorgeous In My World 
5★ from me. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Terra Nullius, by Indigenous Aussie author Claire G. Coleman, is a unique take on colonisation, incorporating history, philosophy and religion, oh yes, and fantasy and sci-fi! 
3.5★ rounded up to 4. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
This one sounds intriguing Patty!
I am on a reading high! Finished two five star books in one week. :-)The Haunting of Hill House, an old favorite that I re-read after many years and loved even more. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I just finished The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. I found The God of Small Things difficult to get into, but eventually loved it. This one started smooth and got more difficult. Still, an amazingly beautiful book. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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 enjoying dead tree bo..."One way I enjoy reading freebies is by concentating on the craft - identifying what works, what doesn’t and what I wish the author had done. It has helped me appreciate polished writing more and it helps control my inner (essential?) nitpicker.
I've finished Return to Dragon Mountain: Memories of a Late Ming Man. 4 stars. I loved that I learned a lot about the times Zhang Dai lived in (he was an eccentric literary talent and historian who lived through peace and war in the final decades of the Ming dynasty).
dely wrote: "I have finished and liked Insurgent Mexico by John Reed. A never boring account of the Mexican revolution of 1913-1914.My English review: https://www.goodreads.com/r..."
For me, his best book is Ten Days that Shook the World where he gives his first-hand account of the Bolshevik Revolution. I read this way back in late 70s during Russian classes.
There was also a film made starring Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton as Reed and his lover Louise Bryant. I know Beatty sounds miscast but, to me, in the 80s he seemed okay. I haven't watched the film as a mature adult.
B the BookAddict wrote: "dely wrote: "I have finished and liked Insurgent Mexico by John Reed. A never boring account of the Mexican revolution of 1913-1914.My English review: https://www.go..."
I should try to read it again. I have Ten Days and tried to read it but I gave up after 100 pages because it was too confusing.
B the BookAddict wrote: For me, his best book is Ten Days that Shook the World where he gives his first-hand account of the Bolshevik Revolution. I read this way back in late 70s during Russian classes.There was also a film made starring Warren Beatty ..."
Ten Days that Shook the World is high on my to-read list, and I'm glad to hear it's good.
Warren Beatty actually also wrote, produced, and directed the movie Reds.I saw it again recently--it had been many years--and especially appreciated the interviews with people who lived through that period and knew John Reed and Louise Bryant then. I loved it, and look forward to the book!
Kathleen, thank you. I had forgotten Beatty wrote and directed Reds. That film made a huge impact on me at the time, in my late teens. Thanks to your comment, I am remembering the comments from contemporaneous people.
Petra wrote: "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 
[bo..."Yes Petra. I have read everything she has ever written. You don't need to be a member of wordpress.com to see the reviews. If, for some reason the link doesn't work, just put sandysbookaday in your browser and it should bring the blog up.☺
Finished
Little Secrets by Anna Snoekstra. Although it has received a lot of good reviews/ratings, I was not enamored. My review https://wordpress.com/post/sandysbook...
Thanks, Sandy! Nice review. I felt the same about this one.
Time has been scarce of late since I took a second job to pay down some credit card bills. Nevertheless, managed to finish these books within the last week. I enjoyed all of them, but especially liked Bardugo's latest and loved discovering Wilkie Collins' classic gothic tale.
The Optimistic Leftist: Why the 21st Century Will Be Better Than You Think by Ruy Teixeira. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Paul, Wilkie Collins writes great books. I hope you try some of his others.
I very much enjoyed Einstein's Greatest Mistake: A Biography. It makes what can be very difficult understandable, at least for the most part. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry. I thought it was an interesting look at emotional intelligence. Many of the topics would be helpful in earlier life.....the time before one gets smart from Life's experiences. It could save a lot of grief. As it stands, I got some tips to work on and a refresher on many others. What I didn't like was that there is an on-line quiz to evaluate yourself; give yourself a baseline. The code to access the quiz can only be used once. Since the quiz is a large part of the whole, I took away half the rating for this failure.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
It is a really beautiful novel, based on the true story of the writer's family, especially focused on his mother and father. Of a Jewish family, her father entered the Comunist Party before WWII and for that he was arrested, torured and sentenced to death - luckily he escaped after a bombing of the prison. His brother, who had emigrated to Israel before Israel exhisted as a State, was captured when in Europe - for helping fellow Hebrews - during the war and sent to Dachau, where he died about 6 months before the liberation.
It is an extreamly interesting illustration of life in Italy in those years, also considering the rules that the PCI - the Comunist Party of Italy - imposed on his comrades.
LauraT wrote: "I've fininshed yesterday Il gioco dei regni by Clara Sereni, that unfortunately has been translated only in Hebrew.It is a really beautiful novel, based on the true ..."
I wish it existed in English.
Chrissie wrote: "I loved Flowers for Algernon. I recommend it to everyone. How did I manage to not pick up this book until now?My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
Strange that so many people are shelving it as YA - read it years ago and re-read a while back and it has always been a science fiction novel, regarded as a classic among SF readers, and as an adult book.
Pam, yeah, I certainly do not understand why it is shelved as YA. I was trying to think that through and the only explanation I got was that an adolescent could read it to learn something about psychological testing.Furthermore, it is only science fiction in the respect that such a medical intervention lay in the future. Actually, speculative fiction would be a more appropriate classification. I had no trouble with it though b/c in all other respects it reads simply as a book of fiction. I put all such books - speculative fiction, science fiction, magical realism, myths- on my "magic" shelf. I f you have a specific shelf for all all kinds of books you get so many!
Chrissie wrote: "Pam, yeah, I certainly do not understand why it is shelved as YA. I was trying to think that through and the only explanation I got was that an adolescent could read it to learn something about psy..."Young people could also read it to learn something about how it is wrong to bully and discriminate someone, and to behave like that to someone with disabilities. One of the saddest things in it is to read in the diary that he thinks people are his friends when really they are making fun of him, and then how he realises this as his intelligence grows.
Speculative fiction was the term preferred by some SF writers, I think Harlan Ellison being one of them.
Not going to do much for my street cred but I read a couple of books by Jayne Anne Krentz under her Jayne Castle pseudonym:After Dark - review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2108842406
and
After Glow - review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2108842525
I finished the audiobook of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. I enjoyed the story but the accents the narrator put on were terrible and definitely reduced my enjoyment of the book.
The other two books in the series are narrated by a different author but aren't available from my library service so I might end up reading the paperbacks instead
The other two books in the series are narrated by a different author but aren't available from my library service so I might end up reading the paperbacks instead
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Binti was my 200th book of the year, finishing off my Goodreads Challenge. It was really refreshing - a nice change from the common white guy goes to space sci-fi. I have the second on hold at the library now.
Finished Follett's A Column of Fire. A stellar read. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Chinook wrote: "https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Binti was my 200th book of the year, finishing off my Goodreads Challenge. It was really refreshing - a nice change from the common white guy goes..."
Congrats on reaching your goal Chinook!
Pam wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Pam, yeah, I certainly do not understand why it is shelved as YA. I was trying to think that through and the only explanation I got was that an adolescent could read it to learn so..."We both agree that is a lot in the book for both young adults and adults. I think the book fits both. Not many books can pull that off successfully.
We are speaking of Flowers for Algernon.
Chinook wrote: "https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Binti was my 200th book of the year, finishing off my Goodreads Challenge. It was really refreshing - a nice change from the common white guy goes..."
Congratulations!
Mod
Binti was my 200th book of the year, finishing off my Goodreads Challenge. It was really refreshing - a nice change from the common white guy goes..."
Congrats Chinook - that was a good sized challenge!
Mod
Definitely Pam! I expect this is a very strong reason that it is so widely taught to adolescents - it is a book that teachers feel helps develop empathy for those who are different and in particular for those who are differently abled.
Congratulations, Chinook. That is quite an achievement with small kids.
My review of The Fellowship of the Ring:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and
The Two Towers (contains spoilers!):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The House of Unexpected Sisters
by Alexander McCall Smithhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I really, really, really enjoy the writing of Jo Baker. I have read two of her books now and have to read more. My review of The Picture Book:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished a gripping psychological thriller that was just published this week
Silent Lies by Kathryn Croft. Felt like I'd been hit by a piece of 4 x 2 when I finished. Never saw that ending coming! My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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The story started slow but picked up as I got to know the ..."
This is definitely a series which gets better as you get to know Erlandur and his colleagues. I started with book Silence of the Grave (because it was on the Guardian's list) - this is the 4th book in the series but the first two have not been translated into English so for me, it is the second book. It was excellent and got me hooked on the series.