The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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GETTING TO KNOW YOU
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<closed thread>What are you currently reading?
Patsy – Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn – 4****
This novel follows Patsy, a young Jamaican mother of a 5-year-old girl, Tru, as she makes her way to America and tries to find a better life for herself. This story is in turns heartbreaking and inspiring. I applaud Patsy’s determination, courage, inventiveness and work ethic, but have difficulty forgiving her for decisions I just cannot fathom. I loved these characters, even though I didn’t always like them. Despite all the hardship, all the bad decisions and failures to communicate, ultimately there is some triumph and some sense of hope.
My full review HERE
Currently Reading:Sacred Country
The Kreutzer Sonata - Kindle
Venus in Copper
The Last Song
Lost Roses - Online book club
Dear Mrs Bird – A J Pearce – 3***
This had more substance than I originally thought based on the book jacket. Emmy’s heart is in the right place, even if the advice she doles out (under Mrs Bird’s name) isn’t always the best. I wasn’t too interested in the personal drama of young adulthood (“been there, done that, don’t need to read about it again). Still, it’s a fast, entertaining read and I can see why it would be marketed for book clubs.
My full review HERE
The Turn Of the Key – Ruth Ware – 3.5***
My niece loves Ware’s thrillers, so I thought I’d give the author a go. Written in an epistolary style, the book opens with the main character in prison and her desperate letter to a solicitor asking for help. Her letter continues outlining all that happened – how she stumbled upon the job opening and began the position. And how quickly things began going wrong. There are twists and turns and unexplained happenings. In no time at all, Rowan is a sleep-deprived mess. I will say this for Ware, she kept me turning pages and second-guessing, even if I didn’t quite empathize with Rowan. As a suspense thriller it was better than most. I can certainly see why my niece is such a fan.
My full review HERE
Finished:
- 3*,
- 4*,
- 4*Currently Reading:
The Kreutzer Sonata - Kindle
Lost Roses - online book club (Kindle)
Flower Net - own
Whole Latte Life
Graveyard Dust
Grave Memory
I know a lot of you do audio and kindle-me I am a "book in hand" gal-anyone besides me doing the scramble to re-do the planned books? With the library's closed, I finally went through my tons of personal books-surprising what I found to fit!
The Children’s Blizzard – David Laskin – 4****
On January 12, 1888 a massive cold front brought plummeting temperatures, gale-force winds, and blinding snow to the northern plains. The blizzard caught the people on the prairies totally unaware and unprepared. Children left for school on a bright, sunny, mild day and found themselves either trapped in their school houses or struggling to find their way home in the blinding snow and plummeting temperatures. Hundreds of them died. It’s a gripping tale and told masterfully.
My full review HERE
Finished:
- 4*,
- 3*Currently Reading:
The Kreutzer Sonata - Kindle
Lost Roses - online book club (Kindle)
Choiring Of The Trees - own
Blood Lure - own
Grave Memory
Indianapolis – Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic – 5*****
The subtitle is all the synopsis anyone needs: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man. The authors did extensive research, including interviews with survivors and their families. The result is a detailed, thorough and still intimately personal story.
My full review HERE
Paris By the Book – Liam Callanan – 3***
I wanted to love this book. The author is from my home town, the beginning of the book is set in Milwaukee, and then the action moves to a city I love, Paris France. Plus, it’s a book about books. But … While the book has a great premise, some marvelously atmospheric scenes highlighting Paris, and includes MANY book references, it didn’t live up to my expectations.
My full review HERE
A Good Yarn – Debbie Macomber – 3***
This is book two in the Blossom Street series, featuring Lydia Hoffman and the people who come to her Seattle yarn store for knitting classes. The reader follows the ensemble cast through ups and downs, financial hardship, and business success, failed marriages and new love. Enjoyable, mind-candy comfort reads.
My full review HERE
Just finished Halsey's Typhoon: The True Story of a Fighting Admiral, an Epic Storm, and an Untold Rescue Just started First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War and The Warded Man
Just started reading Only time Will Tell; the Clifton Chronicles series by Jeffery Archer
Currently Reading:The Kreutzer Sonata - Kindle
Lost Roses - online book club (Kindle)
Choiring Of The Trees - own
Relics: A Faye Longchamp Mystery
The Charming Quirks of Others
A True Cowboy Christmas – Caitlin Crews – 3***
I was surprised by how entertaining I found this, despite some totally ridiculous dialogue. I thought the miscommunication between Abby and Gray was belabored. Would have liked to see a more gradual coming-to-agreement, meeting-of-the-minds story arc rather than the abrupt “Come to Jesus (i.e. Christmas)” turnaround. But hey, it’s a cowboy Christmas romance, so it’s okay. And I did like looking at that cover ….
My full review HERE
Finished:
- 2*,
- 4*,
- 4*,
- 4*Currently Reading:
Choiring Of The Trees
Dead Silence
Winter Study
Boy Swallows Universe
News Of the World – Paulette Jiles – 4****
I loved this tale of an elderly widower who agrees to transport a 10-year-old girl who’s been held captive by a Kiowa tribe for about 5 years back to her relatives. The ways they support one another when facing various dangers and come to simply enjoy one another when things are going smoothly, paint a picture of love. There are some scenes that are quite comical, many that are tender, and quite a few that had me on the edge of my seat.
My full review HERE
Giovanni’s Room – James Baldwin – 4****
A classic of gay literature explores the coming of age of a young American living in Paris in the 1950s. Baldwin’s writing is evocative and atmospheric. His characters are well drawn and reveal their strengths and weaknesses through their thoughts and actions. David’s struggles to be true to himself while living the life he feels is expected of him leads to tragedy. I feel for all these characters as their dreams and aspirations are slowly destroyed. I can only hope that after this story ends, David finds some happiness in his life.
My full review HERE
Let It Snow – Nancy Thayer – 3***
Thayer writes a lovely, quick romance set against a charming backdrop of Christmas in Nantucket. The characters are mostly straight out of central casting, but I’m not complaining. I read these books because they are comfort food. I know exactly what I’m in for and I’m happy to get it.
My full review HERE
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict – Laurie Viera Rigler – 2**
I should have read the book jacket and put the book aside. This was just ridiculous on so many levels, and Courtney was a total idiot whom I wanted to slap on about every other page. At least it was a fast read, and mildly entertaining.
My full review HERE
Planting Stories – Anika Aldamuy Denise – 5***** and a ❤
Subtitle: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré. This picture book biography is marvelously illustrated by Paola Escobar. The story is simple enough for children to absorb, but detailed enough to engage an adult.
My full review HERE
Just finishing up The Warded Man and Age of Death. Starting Tehanu and12 Strong: The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers
An American Marriage – Tayari Jones – 4****
This is a marvelous character-driven study of relationships, in the broader context of modern society’s inability to grant a Black man the basic premise of “innocent until proven guilty.” Despite this great injustice, the central focus is really the characters’ lack of communication and honesty with one another. My loyalties shifted back and forth between Celestial and Roy as they took turns narrating the story. I think it would be a great choice for a book-club discussion.
My full review HERE
As Nature Made Him – John Colapinto – 5*****
Subtitle: The Boy Who Was Raised As a Girl. This made me so angry! The unmitigated arrogance and superior attitude of Dr John Money made me want to hunt him down and do an experiment on HIM! In writing the book, Colapinto did an excellent job of researching the various players in this tragedy. He provides considerable background on the development of sexual/gender identity theory, including interviews with many researchers and reporting from numerous professional journals. I think the book is balanced and truthful. I applaud David Reimer for the way he managed to survive the horror that was his childhood.
My full review HERE
Ahab’s Wife – Sena Jeter Neslund – 4****
Melville’s classic Moby Dick contains perhaps three or four sentences that reference Ahab’s wife, but those brief references were enough to inspire Neslund to write this tome. Una is a marvelous character: intelligent, forthright, adventurous, principled, loyal and loving. The novel takes her from her childhood in rural Kentucky to her later years in Massachusetts. Along the way she encounters many colorful characters, from slaves to judges, but make no mistake, the story is Una’s, first and foremost.
My full review HERE
Currently Reading:Choiring Of The Trees
Dead Silence
Boy Swallows Universe
I am finding that my concentration and ability to read multiple books is flagging. It is taking me longer to get through a book. I find that I would rather be outside in my yard or bingeing on BritBox, Netflix or Prime. I am sure this will pass...but I mourn my loss of wanting to read.
Blue Asylum – Kathy Hepinstall – 2**
Iris Dunleavy is confined to a Florida island asylum for the obvious madness she exhibited in defying her husband. Perhaps Hepinstall was trying to give the reader a sense of the disorientation a truly sane person must feel in such a mandated confinement. If that was her intention, then she mostly succeeded. But, like Iris, I just wanted to escape.
My full review HERE
Pies and Prejudice – Ellery Adams – 2**
I’ve been drawn to this basic premise – food’s magical qualities – since reading Citra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Mistress of Spices. I’ve read other series books by Adams as well, and enjoyed them. But she really missed the mark here. Ella Mae is just too clueless, and the cast of “eccentric” characters just too over-the-top. Thank heavens it was a fast read.
My full review HERE
Montana Sky – Nora Roberts – 3***
A schlocky cowboy romance with some fun sex scenes. The romance was more than enough to hold our attention, with sibling rivalry and the push/pull attractions between the couples entertaining enough to keep even this curmudgeonly reader turning pages. And I did love picturing all those rippling muscles on the big, strong men! But that serial killer subplot! Totally unnecessary.
My full review HERE
Finished:
- 4*Currently Reading:
Choiring Of The Trees
Boy Swallows Universe
Leaving Time - Audio
The Beautiful Mystery
The Shattered Tree - Kindle
The Only Road – Alexandra Diaz – 5***** and a ❤
This is a powerful story of twelve-year-old Jaime and his fifteen-year-old cousin Angela’s harrowing journey from their village in Guatemala to El Paso Texas as they flee gang warfare. They face many dangers on this long journey, but find within themselves the courage, tenacity, inventiveness and compassion they need to see them through. I loved these characters. Very well told young adult novel without graphic violence but still giving a sense of the real dangers such refugees face. Both heart-breaking and inspiring.
My full review HERE
The Preacher’s Daughter – Beverly Lewis – 2**
I think Lewis does have a knack for exploring the Amish and Mennonite cultures, and contrasting their perspectives against those of modern-day America. I’m glad she gives voice to people who struggle with the basic tenets of faith and a way of life that may not completely suit them. However, I think Lewis’s ambitions got away from her. There is just too much going on in this novel and none of if it satisfactorily explored.
My full review HERE
The Gown – Jennifer Robson – 3.5***
The subtitle is all the synopsis anyone needs: A Novel of the Royal Wedding. Princess Elizabeth’s wedding to Phillip Mountbatten, that is. I really liked the friendship between Ann, the scrappy Brit, and Miriam, the French immigrant who had survived the Nazis. However, the dual timeline has become the latest fad in historical fiction and I’m over it. Nevertheless, the story captured and held my attention.
My full review HERE
Finished:
- 5*I seldom give 5*, but this audiobook was really good. There were 4 narrators, which helped the jumping from one character speaking to another speaking...each telling parts of the story from their viewpoint. The twist at the end was surprising and unexpected but just right. I loved this book!
The Gift of Rain – Tan Twan Eng – 5*****
Historical fiction set in Malaya during World War II. The 15-year-old main character, youngest son of an established British family, comes of age in a very unsettling time, and becomes the unwitting accomplice to a Japanese spy. The writing is atmospheric and poetic. The characters are complex and nuanced. I was on the edge of my seat in certain scenes. And Eng managed to have me empathize with all sides at one time or another.
My full review HERE
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The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Rainbow Rowell (other topics)
Liam Moiser (other topics)
Barbara Mertz (other topics)
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The Wife of the Gods – Kewi Quartey – 4****
First in a series featuring Detective Inspector Darko Dawson of Accra, Ghana. Oh, I am going to like this series! Darko is a principled man, but he has his demons, and he seeks solace in smoking marijuana. He’s also sometimes prone to resorting to his own brand of vigilante justice. But there’s no denying that he’s a talented – and tenacious – detective. There are plenty of suspects and motives and a compelling subplot to keep the reader off balance and guessing.
My full review HERE