The Next Best Book Club discussion
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What Are You Reading....The Third
I thought I'd heard it all about Scientology, but I had no idea how criminally evil their activities have been. Aussie investigative reporter Steve Cannane wrote a blistering exposé, and every allegation is footnoted. Fair Game: The Incredible Untold Story of Scientology in Australia is, indeed, incredible.
4.5★ Link to my Fair Game review
Just finished:
Pretty Guilty Women
by Gina LaManna
A very quick read and entertaining diversion, but not terrifically original.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A look at how people deal, or don't deal, with their busy livesThe Model Wife by Tricia Stringer
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Listened to City of Glass which is the 3rd book in the Mortal Instruments series. Not sure how many more I will listen to at this point. I also listened to Saturn Run which has started me on a scifi crave. Such a good read. Then I read an ARC of Creatures: A Novel which I really didn't care for. But then I had received an ARC of Salvaged which was pure scifi and definitely fed my need. I listened to Inferno which I enjoyed but then I'm a fan of books filled with information in an enjoyable form. And now I am listening to Station Eleven which is post-apocalyptic and which reminds me of Cormac McCarthy's The Road just a bit and I am reading an ARC of Once Upon a Cowboy Christmaswhich is just for fun!
An excellent historical novel, here's my review of Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I recommend you introduce yourselves to the Slow Horses of English mystery author Mick Herron's Slough House series. In #6, they are turned loose into Joe Country. Exciting, snowy, scary, funny, and probably all too real.
5★ My review of Joe Country
Cooking For Ghosts – Patricia V Davis – 2**
I expected a chick-lit light story with some ghosts and recipes to add flavor. The basic premise might be good, but it failed in execution for me. I did like some of the history / background of the RMS Queen Mary, though.
LINK to my review
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Mrs Jeffries and the Silent Knight – Emily Brightwell – 2.5**
In general, I like this cozy series set in Victorian London and featuring the somewhat clueless Inspector Witherspoon and his house staff, who do much of the investigative work, while giving him the credit. However, I’m noticing how repetitious it is – not only from book to book, but within one book. Well, at least they did sometimes talk about Christmas decorations and shopping for presents. And it was a Christmas carol that gave Mrs Jeffries the “clue” she needed to solve the case!
LINK to my review
IRRESISTIBLE! Mythologica: An Encyclopedia of Gods, Monsters and Mortals from Ancient Greece by Stephen P. Kershaw has the stories and the most fantastic art by Victoria Topping. Check my review for samples. Unbelievable!
5★ Link to my Mythologica review
A compelling ghost story, here's my review of The Lost Ones by Anita Frank
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Five star review for Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn JacksonReview: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This one wasn't as good as it could have beenThe Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A truly great book! 💥Profiles of over 100 women who’ve founded their own businesses. Visually beautiful and verbally inspiring 🌈. Champagne 🍷for the soul! I dip back into this book whenever I get discouraged—and emerge with new heart ❤️ for my art.
Picture Miss Seeton – Heron Carvic – 3***
What a fun romp of a cozy mystery! Miss Seeton is a retired art teacher who has just inherited a cottage in the village of Plummergen, Kent. Whether she’s in London or Plummergen, she and her trusty umbrella do manage to wind up in the middle of all sorts of altercations. A bit slow to start, but once I got used to the style, I was hooked. Miss Seeton is a hoot, and I want to keep reading this series.
LINK to my review
Catch Cat: Discover the world in this search and find adventure is an around-the-world game by Andy Council. He has drawn the continents with tiny cartoon details, amongst which is a cat. The hunt is on!
4★Link to my review with pictures
Just read Aussie author Annie Seaton's latest novel, Undara which is a real place in Far North Queensland - a great setting for an outback family drama. These lava tubes are mysterious caverns, and I included a few pictures.
3.5~4★ Link to my "Undara" review
Becoming – Michelle Obama – 5*****
Michelle Obama’s memoir / autobiography takes her from her childhood through college, her first years as an attorney, meeting Barack and their time in the White House as President and First Lady. Through her words I felt that I really got to know this remarkable woman.
LINK to my review
Three Wishes – Liane Moriarty – 3.5***
Moriarty excels at exploring relationships within an ensemble group of characters. Here she looks at the Kettle sisters, a set of adult triplets, their partners and their parents. As she did in Big, Little Lies Moriarty begins at the end, and then backtracks to lead us up to that climactic event. It's a story of sibling rivalry, and love found / lost / and found again. A fast read and quite entertaining.
LINK to my review
I recently read Aboriginal author Tara June Winch’s new book The Yield. No wonder she’s won awards - story, characters, history, family - it’s all there. I also added links to other info for any enthusiastic readers. :)
5★ Link to my review of The Yield
This one really sucked the reading mojo out of me...Bruny by Heather Rose
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Another highly amusing episode in the Getaway Bay cozy seriesDeath at the Dog Show by Grace York
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Good Thief’s Guide to Amsterdam – Chris Ewan – 3***
Charlie Howard is a successful mystery author, writing a series that features a professional burglar, Faulks. As a sideline – and I guess you could call it research – he also occasionally accepts a commission to steal certain items. This was a highly entertaining mystery. I couldn’t help but think of Lawrence Block’s Bernie Rhodenbarr series, but the comparison is a good one. The pace is quick, the characters interesting, and the charms of Amsterdam (a city I have visited) evident.
LINK to my review
Our Man In Havana – Graham Greene – 4****
A delightful send-up of espionage / spy thrillers, starring a hapless vacuum cleaner salesman whose daughter has expensive tastes. Wonderful supporting cast of shady characters, corrupt police officials, and clueless bureaucrats. A nice romantic twist and a not-to-be-believed ending. Great fun, though the British humor is a bit dry. I've never seen the movie, but kept picturing Sir Alec Guinness in the lead role.
LINK to my review
Another wonderful book in an excellent seriesLongstone by L.J. Ross
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Nobody’s Perfect – Donald E Westlake – 3***
Dortmunder’s gang is back for their fourth “can’t fail” scheme. This time the “victim” has arranged the theft as part of an insurance scheme. Westlake has a way of putting obstacles in the path of his loveable gang of thieves that just tickles my funny bone. I enjoy watching them scheme, and how exasperated Dortnumder gets with Kelp’s attempts to “help.” I was somewhat disappointed in the cliff-hanger ending, however.
LINK to my review
An amusing, light read before I tackle some heavier tomes...Maggie’s Going Nowhere by Rose Hartley
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Burglars Can’t Be Choosers – Lawrence Block – 3***
This is the first in the series starring Bernie Rhodenbarr, a professional burglar with loads of charm. I love this series, and this is a second reading, though I didn’t remember any of the plot, so the twists were all a surprise to me. I like Bernie as a character. He’s smart and nonviolent. The plots are intricate and the supporting characters a delight. And I love the way Block writes about New York City; I really feel as if I’m walking the streets right along with Bernie.
LINK to my review
I finally read the much-acclaimed Slaughterhouse Five, or The Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut, published during the Vietnam anti-war protests, and it's obvious why it made such an impact. It's just as powerful now, 50 years later and almost 75 years after the obliteration of Dresden from Allied bombing.
5★ Link to my review of Slaughterhouse Five
Since it is October I wanted to read something with a little creepy to it. I am reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.
Vinegar Girl – Anne Tyler – 3***
A retelling of Shakepeare’s The Taming of the Shrew that doesn’t quite work. Tyler shines when she explores relationships, but here she has to find a plot to adequately mirror the bard’s play. Not her strong suit and it detracted from the relationships. Some things to like about it, but overall ‘meh’.
LINK to my review
An enjoyable enough mysteryYou Don't Know Me by Sara Foster
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Funny Cide – Sally Jenkins – 3.5***
In 2003 an unlikely horse, from an unlikely stable owned by a group of high-school buddies won the Kentucky Derby and captured the hearts of America. This is his story. Jenkins does a good job of weaving together the various stories behind the horse: breeder, owners, trainer and jockey. I particularly liked the way she wrote the build-up to the Derby and Funny Cide’s amazing win there. I felt the excitement all over again. The only thing missing was a mint julep.
LINK to my review
History and mystery, a great combination! C.J. Sansom's Shardlake series is terrific, and the third book, Sovereign, finds our favourite hunchbacked lawyer mixed up again in the dangerous power struggles of Henry VIII's England.
4.5★ Link to my review of Sovereign
The Flight of the Maidens – Jane Gardam – 4****
In the summer of 1946 three young women prepare themselves to head off to university and explore the world beyond Yorkshire, England. What I love about Gardam’s writing is the way she paints her characters and shows us who they are. Gardam changes point of view from chapter to chapter to give each girl a chance in the spotlight. Still, while Leiselotte’s journey is the most wide-ranging and full of surprises, I’m not sure I ever really got to know her and felt that her story was somewhat tacked onto that of the other girls.
LINK to my review
I finished Revival and also The Haunting of Hill House, Who are You, Calvin Bledsoe?, Before the Fall, The Silent Patient, Light Changes Everything, Mr. Mercedes and Beyond the Horizon. I really lucked out because they were all really good reads and a mix of ARCs for review and just plain books I wanted to read because. Now I'm listening to Origin and reading Havana Bay because I love the main protags.
Karen M wrote: "I finished Revival and also The Haunting of Hill House, Who are You, Calvin Bledsoe?, Before the Fall, [book:The Silent Patient|40097951..."Whew! I'm glad they were all enjoyable, Karen. When I get a stack of books, there always seem to be a few clunkers.
I just enjoyed a welcome visit to Three Pines where Louise Penny shows us the Montreal art world and Clara's unique talent - or is it just A Trick of the Light? I love these people, especially Clara, (and I never liked the victim anyway).
4.5~5★ Link to my "Trick of the Light" review
The Last Days of Night – Graham Moore – 4****
Moore’s novel is historical fiction that focuses on the question of genius, and the war between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse on WHO invented the light bulb and was entitled to power the country. I was completely captivated by the narrative. The characters fairly leapt off the pages. Moore also does a fine job of setting the scene. In short, it was fascinating, engaging and illuminating.
LINK to my review
Just Finished:
The Library of the Unwritten
by A.J. Hackwith
Interesting first book in a series. See my full review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I revisited a favourite old seriesKnots and Crosses by Ian Rankin
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mr Mercedes – Stephen King – 4****
Book Number 1 in the Bill Hodges Trilogy, featuring retired Detective Bill Hodges in an unnamed Midwestern city. King is a masterful writer and he doesn’t disappoint in this thriller / police procedural. The reader always knows who the perpetrator is, but that doesn’t lessen the suspense as Hodges and his assistants race the clock to solve the puzzle.
LINK to my review
The Good Thief – Hannah Tinti – 2**
An orphan with a missing hand falls in with a group of scam artists / thieves in early 19th century New England. I had heard good reports of this novel and I was intrigued by the premise. Tinti captured my attention at the beginning and certainly kept me reading, but I found it very dark and distasteful. The scenarios, schemes, and twists in the plot just seemed like a list of “what will be next to befall this kid.” Tinti does give the reader a real sense of the time and place. I also really enjoyed Mrs Sands and descriptions of life in her boarding house. But in the end, the things I liked didn’t quite make up for what I didn’t like about it.
LINK to my review
The Next Best Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Spotlight (other topics)The Zimmerman Telegram (other topics)
A Gentleman from Japan: An Epic Sea Voyage, an Intriguing Tale of Espionage and the Forgotten Story of the First Japanese Explorer in Tudor England (other topics)
My Home Is Far Away (other topics)
Anna Karenina (Modern Library Classics) 1st (first) edition (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Joy Ellis (other topics)Theresa Beachman (other topics)
Faith Martin (other topics)
Leslie Wolfe (other topics)
James Patterson (other topics)
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The Arrangement – Sarah Dunn – 4****
Somehow, I had the impression that this was going to be a fun, farcical comedy of manners type book. It isn’t. There are some scenes that are quite entertaining, but by and large this is a pretty serious look at modern marriage and the work of commitment – to your partner, to your child, to your values. I thought it was interesting that Dunn gave the couple the added responsibility / stress of an autistic child. My sympathies changed through the book as a result of how they interacted with their son and each other.
LINK to my review