The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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GETTING TO KNOW YOU
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<closed thread>What are you currently reading?
Savage Run by C.J. Box – 4****Book # 2 in the Joe Pickett series starts with the death of an infamous environmentalist. Joe Pickett is an honest-to-God, highly-principled “good guy.” However, he does have a tendency to naively overreach and not consider the political ramifications of his black-and-white thinking. Box is skilled at crafting a fast-paced page-turner. I’ll definitely keep reading this series.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Currently I am reading
for a challenge and also
I finished "The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service" and starting "St Maybe".
Finished: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (audio)Currently reading: Beloved, The Wind Done Gone, Article 5, Les Miserables (ebook), The Nightingale Gallery and To Kill a Mockingbird
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley – Audiobook performed by Michael York – 4**** This is a classic science fiction novel in which Huxley imagines a future world that is focused on mass production, consumption, and a homogenous civilization. First published in 1932 this is a brilliant work of imagination. I was particularly struck by the focus on consumerism especially given that it was written during the Great Depression. This is not my preferred genre, but I was caught up in the world Huxley imagined and was interested in the characters and where the story would go. The audiobook is capably performed by Michael York.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
One True Thing by Anna Quindlen – 4****This is a thought-provoking read for several reasons. On the surface it deals with death and dying and the way in which our society treats the terminally ill. The book also deals with the complicated relationships between adult children and their parents. I found this a very compelling read. I was interested and engaged from beginning to end. That being said, there are some scenes which are difficult to read, because Quindlen is brutally honest about what it means to be a caregiver to a terminally ill loved one.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished: The Nightingale GalleryCurrently reading: Les Miserables (ebook) and To Kill a Mockingbird
Waiting in the wings: Beloved, The Wind Done Gone, and Article 5
Started:: Brave New World, The Forgotten Garden, A Murderous Procession, In the Woods and Now You See Her
The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly – 3.5*** Book # 3 in the Harry Bosch series is a fast-paced, suspenseful read. Connelly keeps the reader (and Harry) on their toes, with multiple twists in the plot. He also gives us a little more of Harry’s personal life. But the main focus is the mystery of the Dollmaker, and that is exactly what this genre requires. Connelly is a master at surprising the reader and I definitely did NOT solve this one ahead of Harry.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Wedding Officer by Anthony Capella – 4****This is a delicious novel that begins as a romantic comedy but moves on to give the reader a lesson on the history of Naples in 1944. Capella writes with humor and pathos in describing the war-time experiences of the citizens and soldiers trying to survive not only a war but a volcano’s eruption. I’m glad he included the grittier scenes of chaos and destruction, but where he really excels is in writing about the sights, sounds, smells, textures and tastes of the cuisine, and the effects of those scrumptious meals on the human spirit. I was completely caught up in the story from beginning to end.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished: Article 5 (LIBRARY)Currently reading: Beloved, The Wind Done Gone, and Now You See Her (audio - LIBRARY)
Waiting in the wings: Les Miserables (ebook)
Started:: The Forgotten Garden (LIBRARY), A Murderous Procession, and In the Woods (ebook - LIBRARY)
I had so many library books at various stages of renewal that I had to start quite a few. I am diligently working to get them done. I still have two that I have not started to read, and they are waiting for me to get through at least three more.
I'm starting my 50-point task. Jonathan Kellerman (yes!) Alex Delaware #1-#3.
I met Doctor D. later along the series line, so I'm happy to have a reason to go back and pick up the beginning.
I'm just started with
When the Bough Breaks. So far, it's a classic Kellerman, jumps right in with a great story and keeps the pages turning.
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler (Audio book performed by Jenna Lamia) – 4****Of course I already knew the basic story of the famous couple who embodied the Jazz Age. Fowler has crafted a wonderfully personal story of a fascinating woman and the man she loved. She peppers the novel with real incidents and the large circle of friends and acquaintances that surrounded the Fitzgeralds. But it’s wise to remember that this a work of fiction, told strictly from Zelda’s point of view. Still, I was mesmerized. Jenna Lamia does a fine job narrating the audio version of the book. Her Southern debutante Zelda is spot on perfect.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished: The Wind Done Gone and Hush Money (Library)Currently reading: Beloved, Now You See Her (audio - Library), and In the Woods (ebook - Library)
Waiting in the wings: The Forgotten Garden (Library), A Murderous Procession, and Les Miserables (ebook)
Started:: Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality (library)
On Folly Beach by Karen white – 2**Two story lines – 2009 and 1943 – involving the loss of a loved one, and a great secret. I guessed the big secret fairly early on and was impatient for the characters to catch up. There’s actually a nugget of an interesting story here, but the book is full of pat answers to major life problems, and I didn’t believe in the characters. It was a fast read, and occasionally the plot kept me interested.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished St Maybe and started "Evermore"
I have finished gym candy, how to build a house, and divergent. Now i am reading the Morganville vampires series and the Vincent boys.
Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman – 3*** In his fiction debut, physicist Lightman imagines the kinds of dreams Einstein might have had when he was working on his theory of relativity. This collection of essays on the “relativity of time” is engaging, interesting, fascinating, and thought-provoking. The writing is beautiful, with an ethereal quality reminiscent of dreams.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished "Evermore" and started "How to Live Safely in a Science Fiction Universe"
Finished: BelovedCurrently reading: Now You See Her (audio - Library), In the Woods (ebook - Library), and Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality (library)
Waiting in the wings: The Forgotten Garden (Library), A Murderous Procession, and Les Miserables (ebook)
Started: The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Storm Damage by Ed Kovacs – 2.5**Set in the months shortly after Hurricane Katrina laid waste to New Orleans, there is a kernel of a great story here. But Kovacs seems intent on bringing in every possible conspiracy, subterfuge and secret relationship that ever graced the pages of a crime or espionage novel. The hero forgets the main murder investigation and instead goes after every crooked politician, drug lord and “highly-connected businessman” in New Orleans, until the last twenty pages when he suddenly solves the case he was hired to investigate. Kovacs does have some skill in writing a page turner; it was a fast read but not a good one.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished: Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality (library) Currently reading: Now You See Her (audio - Library), In the Woods (ebook - Library), The Forgotten Garden (Library), and The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Library)
Waiting in the wings: A Murderous Procession and Les Miserables (ebook)
Started: A House to Let (Library)
A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson – 4.5**** Jackson writes the kind of Southern fiction I absolutely love – full of bigger-than-life characters facing “un-possible” plot twists, and sprinkled with colorful dialogue. She also writes strong female characters. And while all three Slocumb women make their share of mistakes, they face their future with a determination to succeed and the knowledge that they will always have each other to count on. Jackson read the audio version of the book herself. A talented voice-over artist, she has good pacing and a style of reading that is just perfect for her novels.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished: The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Library)Started: The Phantom Tollbooth and Calvin and Hobbes: Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons
Finished: In the Woods (ebook - Library)
The Innocent Man by John Grisham (Book on CD read by Craig Wasson) – 5*****Grisham turns a spotlight on justice in America, focusing on the story of Ron Williamson who was wrongly convicted (and sentenced to death) for a murder he did not commit. It’s a gripping account of a horrific episode. If the reader is disturbed by the events portrayed, one can only imagine the horror of living such a nightmare. Well-researched and well-written. Craig Wasson does a fine job reading the audio version.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished reading "How to Live Safely in a Science Fiction Universe". I am starting "Ghost Bride"
Finished: Currently reading: Now You See Her (audio - Library), The Forgotten Garden (Library), Calvin and Hobbes: Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons, A House to Let
Waiting in the wings: A Murderous Procession, and Les Miserables (ebook)
Started: Inherit the Wind
Finished: The Forgotten Garden (Library) and A House to Let
I just finished When We Were the Kennedys: A Memoir from Mexico, Maine
If you like memoirs, it's great !
If you like memoirs, it's great !
Autobiography of Us by Aria Beth Sloss – 3**** This is a character-driven novel, told by an older Rebecca, relating her youth to her daughter. It’s a coming-of-age novel that is intensely personal and mimics the upheaval the country was undergoing in the 1960s. The best way I can describe this novel is that it is atmospheric. Maybe that’s because I, too, was growing up in that era, and questioned the apparent expectations that society had for me.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Kaye wrote: "I just finished When We Were the Kennedys: A Memoir from Mexico, MaineIf you like memoirs, it's great !"
I've heard some good things about this one. Thanks for the reminder ...
Finished: Calvin and Hobbes: Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons, Now You See Her, and Inherit the Wind
Tell Me Where It Hurts by Dr Nick Trout (Book on CD read by Simon Vance) – 2**Trout uses a “day-in-the-life” structure to relay various stories from his experience as a veterinary surgeon in Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston Massachusetts. I was expecting something in the way of James Herriott’s memoirs, but Trout isn’t anywhere near so entertaining a writer. This book just didn’t do it for me. I was mostly bored.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished: A Share In DeathCurrently reading: Tinkers
Waiting in the wings: Go Tell It on the Mountain and Les Miserables (ebook)
Started: I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, The Handmaid's Tale
Moved A Murderous Procession to next season's challenge.
Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt – 5***** This is an emotional coming-of-age story, set in 1987 when a diagnosis of AIDS was a certain death sentence. I liked the very personal story of one family’s response to this issue, and particularly how Brunt used an innocent child to concentrate on the love and admiration for the person, rather than the disease that killed him. I really liked the final resolution of the story, though I was distressed by certain aspects. However, the emotional impact of the story completely carried me away, and it’s on the strength of that reaction that I give it 5 stars.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Opposite of Everyone (other topics)Small Wonder (other topics)
I, Alex Cross (other topics)
Fox & I (other topics)
On Gold Mountain: The 100-Year Odyssey of a Chinese-American Family (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Gill Paul (other topics)Elizabeth Peters (other topics)
Rainbow Rowell (other topics)
Liam Moiser (other topics)
Barbara Mertz (other topics)
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Groopman did a wealth of research and interviews with some of America’s best doctors, as well as his own experiences as a physician and as a patient, to craft this treatise on the thought processes behind the decisions made by physicians. He expounds on the cognitive pitfalls that might cause misguided care. He uses various case studies to illustrate these points. Groopman’s primary conclusion is that the patient can and should be a partner in the care given/received. Interesting reading if you are interested in medical literature.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...