The Next Best Book Club discussion
Book Related Banter
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What Are You Reading....The Third
I recently enjoyed Aussie author Toni Jordan's new mystery novel, The Fragments. Double timeline: 1930s New York, 1986 Brisbane. Both believable and both well done!
4★ Link to my review of The Fragments
A fun read, but needs editing badlyMistletoe Murder by Karen MacInerney
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished:The Grace Year
by Kim Liggett
A fast-paced dystopic YA with adult appeal. My full review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
An intriguing coming of age tale set in MicronesiaNot too late for Paradise by R. K. Raker
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Vintage Caper – Peter Mayle – 3.5***
This is book #1 in the Sam Levitt series. Mayle has given the reader a crime caper with a plausible (if fantastic) plot, a wonderful cast of characters, and mouth-watering descriptions of food and wine. Mayle’s love of France shines through; I could practically smell the aromas from a restaurant’s kitchen and feel the sun on my face. And I love that twisty ending! A fast, fun, delicious read.
LINK to my review
A wonderful chance to catch up with an old friendThe Siberian Dilemma by Martin Cruz Smith
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hi Everyone, William here. I have been a member of the group for a bit but don't have a chance to post often. I am currently reading The Ritual by Adam Nevill and I am enjoying it very much.
I am now on the hunt for some great post-apocalyptic stories to read. Whether it’s zombies ending it all, a plague, an alien invasion, mosquitoes-- whatever. I got hooked on the genre after reading McCarthy's The Road.
I can’t write an apocalyptic story for shit, but I love reading them. Any Suggestions?
I just finished
and have now started
.
Just finished:
Nothing to See Here
by Kevin Wilson
Hilarious and heartfelt, quirky and unique. My full review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Why read fiction? Because one life is not enough. Elizabeth Gilbert’s new novel, CITY OF GIRLS, offers that wonderful amalgam of experiences and wisdom that we hope for. Set in New York City from 1940 to 2004, it takes us inside the world of the theater and the heart ❤️ of a sexy, questing woman. Brava! 🙌(Sculpture by Diana Jackson)
Not Quite Nice – Celia Imrie – 3.5***
In her debut novel, Imrie has given us a sort of “coming of old age” story featuring a group of British expats living in a small town on the French Riviera. I thought it was an enjoyable, fast novel. Perfect for a vacation read. The bad guys get what’s coming to them, and everyone learns a lesson or two. It’s not exactly a happily-ever-after ending, but it gives me hope for the future of these characters. There are two more books in the series (thus far), and I look forward to reading them.
LINK to my review
The Ravenmaster – Christopher Skaife – 3***
Subtitle: My Life With the Ravens at the Tower of London. This memoir details Skaife’s career path to what has become his life’s work: the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London. His dedication to his position as Ravenmaster is evident, as is his great love for the birds. But there were times when I felt the book dragged as he overwhelmed me with scientific detail. Final verdict: interesting but not gripping.
LINK to my review
I was really disappointed in this oneThe Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Summer Hours At the Robbers Library – Sue Halpern – 3.5***
Three people running from their past (or present) find the help they need at the library. The novel is told in alternating viewpoints as each of the three central characters reveals his or her back story and experiences in current time. The first time there was a “flashback” it caught me off guard, but I quickly grew used to the style. Halpern gives us a wonderful cast of supporting characters as well. There are moments of humor to balance the heartache and disasters. I’d love a sequel to find out how they cope in the future.
LINK to my review
I Always Loved You – Robin Oliveira – 3***
The subtitle – A Story of Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas – is all the synopsis anyone needs. This immediately drew my attention as I love art, the Impressionists in particular, and I love reading historical fiction about artists. I had previously been content to merely gaze with astonishment and admiration at the works of art they created. But while I appreciate now having learned all the details of their complicated relationships, and while these period elements added color to the story, the book failed to really move me.
LINK to my review
A missing girl in Bangkok, written with a great sense of placePassport to Death by Yigal Zur
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Karen M wrote: "I finished Revival and also The Haunting of Hill House, Who are You, Calvin Bledsoe?, Before the Fall, The Silent ..."</i>LOL I lucked out that time. I usually have a few clunkers too.
I was on a roll of great books for a while. [book:Origin, Havana Bay, Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery, We Have Always Lived in the Castle (re-read) were all great. Now we come to my BC book, Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II unfortunately not what I expected. It should be labeled Audrey Hepburn, her family and the town she lived in and WWII. Lots of history but not enough Audrey. Oh well, I've been fooled before and I will probably be fooled again.
Mod
I am currently reading The Ritual by Adam Nevill and I am enjoying it very much.
I am ..."
Some of my all time favorites (other than The Road, which you've read) are:
The Country of Ice Cream Star
The Only Ones
Mammother
Above All Men
Immobility & The Warren
Wool Omnibus
The Avian Gospels, Book I
Hell, just check out my shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
I'm really enjoying the Dusty Kent seriesA Devious Mind by Brigid George
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Unfortunately I didn't like this oneUnder My Skin by Lisa Unger
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Uncommon Criminals – Ally Carter – 2.5**
Katarina Bishop is back with her crew of teen-aged thieves. This time they are after the Cleopatra emerald, despite legend that it carries a curse. There are a lot of twists and turns in this plot, and more than one intricate theft taking place. Not to mention cons and contra-cons. It's a fast read, and I like a lead female who is smart, determined and generally self-sufficient. But I didn't think it was as good as the first book, Heist Society. Still, I see the appeal for the target YA audience.
LINK to my review
Quentins – Maeve Binchy – 3.5***
I came late to the Binchy fan club, but better late than never. I really like her style of every-day drama – the kinds of ups and downs we all experience in life. Many of her books feature the same ensemble cast of characters, but they don’t have to be read in any particular order. This book starts with Ella Brady and her lover Don Richardson, but quickly encompasses Brenda and Patrick who run the upscale restaurant Quentins and all the many patrons and trades people who support it. Reading a Binchy novel is a bit like visiting with old friends.
My full review HERE
Just finished
The Family Upstairs
by Lisa Jewell
Another solid thriller fom Jewell with some pretty unbelievable plot choices. My full review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
To round off the week I found yet another lemon. I seem to be on a losing streak :DTHE MYSTERIOUS LADY M. OF ST. LUCIA: Secrets of the Island Sanctuary by Dee Tezelli
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Design For Murder – Carolyn G Hart – 3***
Book # 2 in the Death on Demand series, featuring mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance. Hart writes a fast-paced cozy mystery with a great central cast of characters and a wonderful premise. I love the mystery bookstore, though I did get a little irritated by how often an author / book was mentioned. I very much liked the Mystery Night puzzle going on at the same time that a real murder was being investigated.
My full review HERE
Just put aside A Discovery of Witches for now....I started A Saint for All Occasions.
Ban This Book – Alan Gratz – 4****
Fourth-grader Amy Anne Ollinger is stunned to discover that her favorite book has been removed from the school library because another student’s parent has complained it’s “inappropriate.” I loved Amy Anne; she starts out a quiet, shy girl who virtually never voices her concerns out loud, but who takes action to right a wrong. Perfect read to celebrate Banned Books Week!
My full review HERE
The Curse of the Pharaohs – Elizabeth Peters – 2.5**
Book two in the Amelia Peabody series, featuring the intrepid Victorian lady Egyptologist. I read the first book in the series a few years back and was not a fan. Much of what irritated me in the first book happened again. But … I’m beginning to see the humor and satire in Peters’ style. I’m starting to appreciate Peabody’s manner and her relationships with the other characters. This is a strong, independent-minded, intelligent woman who does not suffer fools gladly.
My full review HERE
Clock Dance – Anne Tyler – 3.5***
The novel follows Willa Drake, her hopes, dreams, disappointments and joys – over 5 decades, from 1967 to 2017. I like the way that Tyler explores the everyday drama of life. Not much happens – as far as a plot to carry the reader along – and yet much happens in terms of the character’s life. Willa frustrated me for much of this book. She was so passive that I wanted to shake her. I’m glad that by the end she is finally beginning to assert herself, to look at what SHE wants from life and to dare to try to achieve it.
My full review HERE
I am new to the group and just finished The Escape Room by Megan Goldin. I really enjoyed it, I actually devoured it. The ending was a bit abrupt which was a bummer but a thoroughly fun and engaging read :) I highly recommend it.
Things You Save In a Fire – Katherine Center - 2.5**
Going into this I knew I was getting a “chick-lit” romance, with a flawed heroine hiding from her feelings due to an earlier trauma. Cassie is a (mostly) strong woman, working in a “man’s” job – even excelling at it. It was a fast read and I was pulled into the story quickly. But I thought the past trauma was handled poorly, and Cassie’s weak-at-the-knees, head-over-heels, hit-by-a-truck reaction just doesn’t ring true to me. Despite its flaws, Center’s novel kept me turning pages, but it’s not a book I’d save in a fire.
My full review HERE
Another engaging mystery in the Haunted Bluffs seriesStorm of Secrets by Loretta Marion
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've read The Danish Girl which was good and I also finished and ARC of The God Game which was a terrific thriller. Not available until January but I recommend it. Now I'm listening to The Nightingale which I'm sure most of you have already read and I'm about to start reading The Witch Elm for my book club.
I've just started
. It started out with a bang so far.
Karen M wrote: "I've read The Danish Girl which was good and I also finished and ARC of The God Game which was a terrific thriller. Not available until January but I recommend it. N..."I really enjoyed "The Danish Girl" more than I thought I would and I really liked "The God Game" also.
I just finished the compelling second installment of the Tomorrow seriesThe Dead of Night by John Marsden
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Paula wrote: "Karen M wrote: "I've read The Danish Girl which was good and I also finished and ARC of The God Game which was a terrific thriller. Not available until January but I..."I had a real problem with The God Game trying to put it down to clean and cook and run errands. At first I thought 'oh ya' but no, no, no, the characters are young but it is such a good thriller!
Ways To Hide In Winter – Sarah St.Vincent – 4****
This is a tightly written, marvelous psychological / political thriller. The characters are skittish, guarded, and yet reveal themselves by their actions. Kathleen and Daniil recognize in one another a certain similarity – both are running from the truth, both profess to need solitude even a way to hide away, and yet both want desperately to confide and reveal their pain and their hopes. This short novel includes some major issues The landscape is practically a character, and adds to the feeling of isolation, loneliness and imminent danger. The reader is kept in suspense to the very end.
My full review HERE
A quick and easy to read psychological thrillerThe Daughter by Lucy Dawson
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
The Witch Elm took 100 pages before it got me interested. Lately it seems like every book I start to read is a hard start but I persist and finally they get goodl. I don't like this trend. I prefer books that I'm into with the first few paragraphs.Perfect example I just started listening to Full Throttle by Joe Hill and even the introduction is great and don't get me started on just how terrific his writing is.
After You – Jojo Moyes – 3***
A sequel to her runaway hit Me Before You, this brings the reader up to date on Louisa and her efforts to heal from the events in the earlier novel. I can’t say much more because that would spoil the first book. There are no easy, straightforward answers for Louisa, Sam or Lily. Or, for that matter the supporting characters. While the scenarios these characters are dealing with are not situations I have personally dealt with, their emotions ARE familiar to me. I did think that the plot got a little too complicated. Still, this was a very enjoyable sequel to the first book and I’m glad to have read it.
My full review HERE
Before I Die – Candy Chang – 3.5***
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Chang noticed the many abandoned, boarded up homes in New Orleans. One such house was in her neighborhood – a daily reminder of damage, devastation, shattered hopes and despair. She was inspired to do something and got permission from the owner and the city to create a piece of public art. Her project brought her neighborhood together as people wrote, read, and discussed the responses, and drew national and international attention. This book chronicles the efforts of people in 40+ countries on six continents to create similar works of art.
My full review HERE
I just finished Karen Blixen's memoir Out of Africa, published under her pen name Isak Dinesen
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm listening to it via Libro.fm. I'd highly recommend people to listen to it over read it because there are 3 major character perspectives and in the audiobook, they use 3 different readers. It helps keep the stories separate! They're all really great readers: clear, even-pace, vibrant talkers!
Just finished:
The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness
by: Susannah Cahalan
Good as a non-fiction overview of controversial psychological research and as a compelling mystery. My full review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Love And Ghost Letters – Chantal Acevedo – 3.5*** rounded UP
Acevedo gives us a wonderful exploration of Cuba from 1933 to 1969. Over the course of the novel Acevedo explores love in its many forms: passionate, within marriage or outside of it, as a teenager, during old age, parental and among friends. The upheaval within the relationships is contrasted nicely against the revolutions and political changes in the country during this time frame.
My full review HERE
All the Stars In the Heavens – Adriana Trigiani – 3.5***
Historical fiction based on real-life Hollywood drama: the love affair between Loretta Young and Clark Gable that resulted in a love child. I like Trigiani’s writing. I like the way she draws the reader in and moves the story forward. I really liked the secondary story of Alda and Luca – their steady love story is a direct contrast to the multiple relationships / marriages / breakups / divorces of the Hollywood stars
My full review HERE
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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Love, Lies and Spies – Cindy Anstey – 3***
Anstey has written a young-adult, mystery/romance set in Regency England. I really enjoyed this fun, fast read. I could definitely hear the echo of Jane Austen. I liked Julianna’s spunk and intelligence. I also appreciated the slow-burn pace of the central romance. I did figure out the master spy / traitor ahead of the reveal, but not by much. Nicely done!
LINK to my review