You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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Chit Chat About Books
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What Are You Reading? - 2018
I have paused One Day in order to listen to to my toppler choice The Sellout. Not loving the latter. It's not what I was expecting - very bitter.
I gave The Nightingale 3 stars and abandoned Firefly Lane, so I'm a bit apprehensive about The Great Alone. The premise of the book really appeals to me so maybe it will be the third time the charm. If it's a bomb, that will be it for me with this author.
I think I gave The Nightingale 3stars too. I thought it a very romantisised view of war. I was amazed later to discover it was based on a true story. Still didn't care for the way it was written though.
I remember having some issues with it too. I get the impression her HF books are a bit romanticized or simplified, while I usually like them to be more serious and fitting better with reality.
You all are much kinder than me - I've read two of Kristin Hannah's books Night Road and The Nightingale - both were 2-star reads and underwhelming. She's off my reading list - there are too many other great authors out there.
I got enticed by the Alaska setting. But it's her last chance.
Hope it is better for you Peggy. I'm with Lilisa - I am unlikely to go there again. It's not that her books are are bad, I just think her writing is not to my taste.
I gave The Nightingale 4 stars. Looking back, that may have been a bit generous. I did enjoy it but like others here, I did have some problems with it and have never actually been tempted by any of her other books.
Lisa, I was also thinking that if I read it now, it would probably end up a 3 star rating.
Huh... nope, still loved it. lol I'm currently reading The Hate U Give and I am happy to report that I am enjoying it. Often times, I find hyped up books to be not so great, but this time I'd say it earned the hype.
Kristie wrote: "I'm currently reading The Hate U Give and I am happy to report that I am enjoying it. Often times, I find hyped up books to be not so great, but t..."I'm a little leery about reading it because of the hype. I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying it.
I am. It's YA and told from the perspective of a 16 year old, but it's very well done. There isn't this teen angst that you get in a lot of YA books. She is in a relationship, which isn't completely smooth sailing, but it isn't a love triangle or a silly romance. It seems more realistic and isn't the focus of the book, even though it's important. I think it's worth a read.
I think I'll save The Hate U Give for the 2019 challenge, but I'm like some of the rest of you in that the hype makes me nervous. Glad to hear you're liking it though, Kristie. That gives me hope.
Maurice Swift, author, is the thoroughly reprehensible creation of wonderful real author John Boyne in his new book A Ladder to the Sky. I absolutely loved hating him - Maurice, of course, not John!
My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe for the toppler and The Consuming Fire which I started prior to the toppler. I gave it 5 stars. I've been consumed by it all day. Hopefully the final book in the series will be published soon.I started The Fifth Season for a buddy read.
I started The Life We Bury for a real life book club. I may put is aside though to read The Fifth Season for the buddy read. I just need to check to make sure I'll have time to finish both before my book club meets.
I started Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold. I'm only on page 28 but I love it already. I've always found the Greek myths interesting, and to have them retold from beginning to end in a humorous and modern way with all kinds of cool information in the footnotes is fantastic! It's a shame I can never remember all I'm learning.
In My Real Name Is Hanna, author Tara Lynn Masih gives us a "Ukrainian Anne Frank", based on real, terrifying events during WW2. An excellent read for adults and easy enough for YA readers, who should all read it!
4.5★ Link to my review
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "In My Real Name Is Hanna, author Tara Lynn Masih gives us a "Ukrainian Anne Frank", based on real, terrifying events during WW2. An excellent read for adults and ..."
I read to 43% of that book and DNF. I just could not get into it, but everyone else seems to love it. I feel like I'm missing something. The writing was just dry to me and it never drew me in.
I agree Kristen Hannah is hit and miss. I thought he book the Nightingale was amazing. I also readFirefly Lane.Firefly lane was predictable and dull.But I did read the whole book.
What Hannah excels at is creating chars with believable relationships. When she manages to combine that with a good story she cant be beat.
Peggy wrote: "I gave 4 stars to The Nightingale, 2 stars to Night Road, and abandoned Winter Garden. I had thought I would enjoy that last one, and don't often aband..."
I got an email from my library today saying:"Good news! We bought the eBook you recommended: The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams. You've been placed on the wait list, and you'll get an email when it's available for you."
The fun thing is I don't remember recommending the book! Not at all! I checked and it is in my TBR, but I am not even sure why. I checked my GR friend reviews and found nothing that makes me remember why I recommended it. Weird.
I have no idea how the recommendations work, but could you have accidentally clicked on a 'recommend' button while you were looking for the book on your library's website?
I don't know how it works there, but here we have to submit a short form where we list the title, author, genre, and a little blurb. It's not just a button you click. At least it looks interesting, Sandra. My GR friends have rated it highly too. I may actually have to add it to my TBR. :)
It seems I recommended it through overdrive and in this case it is only a button. If I recommend it through my library webpage it is a form.It looks good indeed. I'm going to read it when it is my turn. :)
Oh, that's right! For overdrive here it is a button too. Oops.
I finished reading Blood Orchids for my zodiac challenge.I'll start Sage's Eyes for the monthly challenge a little later today.
so in the middle of Song of Susannah I thought I wonder if theres an audio version of the Quran. There is but instead I end up actually buying and listening to The Bhagavad Gita which is from Hindu religion. was actually pretty interesting perspective on life. I'll have to read it again though to try to absorb it more. A lot about meditation and basically just positive life. I know I;m random with my reading.
anyway weird thing was as I listened toit I kept finding similarities between it and the Dark Tower series. Certain hindu words are very close to the language like katet and such. not the same but close enough to make uou say hmm. Then at the end of Song of Susannah there is a note from Stephen King. In it he mentions something about Hindu mythology.
weird I know. but pretty interesting all the same
That's a funny coincidence. While reading your comment I was thinking that he mentioned something about Hindu religion or mythology or something somewhere and I was going to mention it, but I see you found it on your own. Interesting that you just happened to pick that book up randomly.
Was the hindu book hard to read Travis? I am always wary of translations but it does sound interesting. I don't know mush about hindu mytholology. Very weird coincidance though! Also must say your new user name is very random B-) I just Educated and it was so interesting. A real insight into a dysfunctional family. The author is very brave and obviously very determined. The book is about her struggle to get an education despite her ultra conservative and controlling family. In the confines of her family and her religion it is believed that a "normal" woman has only one ambition and that is to marry. Tara dares to want an education.
This is a great story. I don't listen to many non-fiction but this one drew me it. I give it 4.5 stars.
I've been in doubt whether to add that to my TBR, Margo. It sounds interesting, but I'm also a bit reluctant. Or skeptical. Just from the blurb reading that she had no education at all for example, but still managed to get herself into prestigious universities and graduate from them at about the same age as people who do spend the normal amount of time in school. When I read some reviews I noticed that there were several people who noticed things that were hard to believe and inconsistent (and which the author may believe have happened, but as human memory is notoriously bad, the truth may have been different), so that's when I started to doubt whether to read it or not. So basically, I wonder if the book is very close to THE truth (in which case I'd like to read it) or whether it's very biased and just her memory of things which could deviate a lot from what actually happened (in which case I'd not be so interested).
Did you notice anything like that?
How is the Bhagavad Gita to listen to, Travis? I sometimes think it would work well like some of the Greek writing, but then I wonder if it's a bit like Proverbs in the Bible or Mao's Little Red Book, and I don't think that would be good to listen to at all.
The Gita audio went chapter by chapter. They would explain what the point and meaning of each chapter meant and then read the chapter then after you went through all 8 chapters they read it complete with no interruptions. I liked the format. Was also quite a bit to take in which is why I want to read it again. It wasn't written like the Bible. I think I saw somewhere it compared to the Odyssey or Iliad. Although it's far shorter than Homer and not so action packed. It's a 2 hour story but it's meanings are lifetime studies for some people such as Gandhi. Raises interesting questions like basically god says don't kill people and treat others as you want to be treated but then tells you go to war. Wait war? You just said killing is bad and now you say go kill? Interestingly this point is where there is a debate. People like Gandhi see it a story encouraging passive resistance others say it's a story that encourages war This is very interesting to me and one of the main reasons why religions and cultures are so interesting to me. People always find a way to say they are encouraging war yet it's all interpretation.
That's why I'm much more a believer in spirituality than organized religion. All these holy books are written by humans. They aren't written in stone by a higher power. Therefore they're subject to human discrepancy. I'm all for a higher power by whatever name you prefer but o can't find these books as absolute facts .
What I'm saying is I'm not against religion I just can't see where one is better than the other. Seems like there is good to be found in all of them. And all of them have extremists who go too far and want to fight because theirs is the best.
That was a long tangent off track from the actual story but I did like the format of the book and I like a lot of the overall ideas of Hinduism. Quite interesting stuff
Not at all. I am actually on the same page as you. You can get a lot out of these books and stories, like you would with any other type of philosophy or mythology. Learning how to be a good person is never bad, but like you, I can't stomach "the book" is infallible idea which a lot of religions tout.Thanks for explaining it to me, I haven't got to it yet so was interested. I am glad it seems to be in the middle of what I was thinking.
I read some of the Quran for a course at Uni. I need to read it again and properly (I've read the Bible cover to cover a few times, should give the other major books the same go for fairness sake). I just remember the bits we read were beautifully written, like poetry.
What I'm saying is I'm not against religion I just can't see where one is better than the other. Seems like there is good to be found in all of them. And all of them have extremists who go too far and want to fight because theirs is the best.This I agree with fully.
Religion by themselves are the ideal people hope to achieve, it is the people who follow it who take it to the extreme, by becoming overzealous or fanatics.
I do believe in organised religion and the book.
But I understand your POV.And respect it.
And thats the crux of it don't you think..
Respecting each other,letting people express their opinion , without being offended or biased or bigoted or a hypocrite in anyway?Whether you believe or don't.
Mostly I have seen people ready to see only one face of a certain thing and not consider the whole.And without knowing it in its entirety people are ready to talk and debate on any given thing as if they are the experts.This I do protest.
Just isn't enough respect for each other out there And things that should unite us, divide us instead. Islamic terrorist for example. It makes me say I need to learn more about Islam. There's clearly a disconnect. Then there's people with the kick all Muslims out of our country. Wait, what. Ever hear of the Holocaust people. Open up a history book.
This is a general statement to society and not directed to anyone in this group by the way
Actually even with the Holocaust. Elenor Roosevelt was trying to tell fdr there are atrocities happening out there, not to mention some of the things with Asians in our country after Pearl harbor. But our government wanted to just ignore any news of the Holocaust. The old blind eye again. Sometimes it's like we never evolve
Spineless recreation wrote: "Just isn't enough respect for each other out there And things that should unite us, divide us instead. Islamic terrorist for example. It makes me say I need to learn more about Islam. There's clea..."
Exactly
Spineless recreation wrote: "Actually even with the Holocaust. Elenor Roosevelt was trying to tell fdr there are atrocities happening out there, not to mention some of the things with Asians in our country after Pearl harbor. ..."It does seem so doesn't it.Sometimes.
I would recommend the book Educated The author was home schooled by a religious zealot who was manic depressive. He used religion like a weapon. It is a story about someone overcoming hardship. Peggy wrote: "I've been in doubt whether to add that to my TBR, Margo. It sounds interesting, but I'm also a bit reluctant. Or skeptical. Just from the blurb reading that she had no education at all for example,..."
Peggy wrote: "I've been in doubt whether to add that to my TBR, Margo. It sounds interesting, but I'm also a bit reluctant. Or skeptical. Just from the blurb reading that she had no education at all for example,..."
Renee wrote: "I would recommend the book Educated The author was home schooled by a religious zealot who was manic depressive. He used religion like a weapon. It is a story about someone overcomi..."And sounds like it would fit the religious/atheist theme task for next year too. Thanks Renee!
Rusalka wrote: "Renee wrote: "I would recommend the book Educated The author was home schooled by a religious zealot who was manic depressive. He used religion like a weapon. It is a story about so..."That is where I put it. :o)
I finished yesterday Gray Mountain by John Grisham, which was a disappointment. I am starting this afternoon The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro.
Peggy wrote: "I've been in doubt whether to add that to my TBR, Margo. It sounds interesting, but I'm also a bit reluctant. Or skeptical. Just from the blurb reading that she had no education at all for example,..."Peggy, see Renees comment. The author received a very biased education from her parents, leaving out huge chunks of history. She also makes the point herself (and possibly this is where all of those comments are coming from) that memory is faulty and that everyone has their own "truth". I think that has many demons.
Her parents were eccentric but highly intelligent in their own little world. They tried to pass on the knowledge that THEY considered important. Their children were also of great ability but they were denied a lot of what we would normal experiences and opportunities.
I found the religious aspects very interesting as I knew little about the Mormons. Again, I am mindful that this is one persons POV.
Thanks for your views, Margo and Renee :)
Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan are intriguing little stories with his unique illustrations, some of which I shared in my review.
4.5★ My review with pictures
It's snowy here today, so everything is cancelled. I'm going to try to finally get back to Pretty Ugly Lies and finish it!
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You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
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I love that series! The characters are just great and it hasn’t slowed down. I finished the last in the series a few months ago. Already waiting for the next one.