The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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GETTING TO KNOW YOU
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<closed thread>What are you currently reading?
Witness by Karen Hesse – 3.5*** A novel in free verse lets eleven residents of a small town in Vermont bear witness to what happens when the Ku Klux Klan arrives in their town in 1924. Evocative and powerful. However, the odd syntax Hesse uses for six-year-old Esther’s voice is really off-putting. I dropped a half-star as a result.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Pamela Su wrote: "Yay! I'm glad you liked it! I started reading the books when the Anne of Green Gables miniseries came out. Feel tempted to re-read the books again after all these years. I only really liked books 1-3, didn't really go for the rest. ..."I never read the Anne of Green Gables series as a child ... also never read the Little House on the Prairie series as a child. I've been reading both now (or listening to the audios). Great fun. Lovely break from the usual "adult" fare.
Title: Cat Daddy: What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean
Author:
Jackson Galaxy
Summary:
When Benny arrived in his life, Galaxy was a down-and-out rock musician with not too much more going on than a part-time job at an animal shelter and a nasty meth problem. Benny's previous owner brought the cat to the shelter in a cardboard box to give him up. Benny had seen better days, his pelvis had just been shattered by the wheels of a car and there were signs that the cat was repeatedly sodomized. This book is an inspiring account of two broken beings who fixed each other.
Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham – 2.5**Franny Banks has just six months left to make it as an actress in New York before her self-imposed deadline expires. There was a time in my life when I would probably have enjoyed this “growing up, looking for myself” kind of novel, but now I’m just irritated by Franny. Lauren Graham performs the audiobook herself. She’s pretty good at voicing the audio; she certainly understands the characters well. Basically, I think Graham should stick to acting and leave writing novels to other people.
This is a Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery – 4**** Somehow I never before read this fable that has become a classic of children’s literature. The author reminds us that grown-ups don’t understand things by themselves, and must rely on children to explain the truth of things. As he tells the story of how he came to leave his tiny planet and journey to Earth, the little prince expounds on love, loyalty, and the co-dependence of relationships. It has some very adult themes, told in a simple style.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Talk-Funny Girl for the 5 point Mellow Yellow task - it was a random find at the library when looking for an ebook available that had girl in the title - kinda weird/different but intriguing
... I know, I know, this came out a million years ago and I'm behind. It's been on my TBR list since 2009, y'all! And, unfortunately... I'm not enjoying it as much as I thought I would.
Finished: UnbelieveableStarted: The Witches of East End
Finished: The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements and The Pilot's WifeCurrently reading: The Christmas Train
Finished: The Christmas Train and A Catered ThanksgivingStarting: Escape the Night and Practical Magic
Currently reading
... and WOW is it not what I expected.
My Own Country
- Abraham Verghese 4****
This is Verghese's memoir of the time he spent working as an infectious disease specialist in a small East Tennessee town nestled in the Smoky Mountains. In 1985 the local hospital treated its first AIDS patient, and before long a crisis that had once seemed an “urban problem” had arrived in town to stay. Verghese is eloquent in describing his surroundings, patients and others in the town and surrounding area. It is informative, inspiring, tender, frightening, compassionate and memorable.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Shutter Island
- Dennis Lehane (Audio book performed by Tom Stechschultz)4****
U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels arrives at Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane to investigate the reported escape of a dangerous patient. How could she leave the highly secure hospital? How could she get off the island? As he investigates, Teddy finds more questions than answers, and begins to fear that once he discovers the truth he will also become a prisoner. Fast-paced, suspenseful and frightening; Lehane keeps the reader guessing. The ending is simply chilling and chillingly simple. Tom Stechchultz does a fine job performing the audiobook. His voice seems spot on perfect for this narration
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Beautiful Mystery
- Louise Penny 3***
The two dozen monks of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups live a cloistered life in the woods of Quebec. But when their renowned choir director is murdered, the locked doors of the monastery must be opened to admit Inspector Gamache. For a book of this genre, this was a rather slow, deliberate and thoughtful work. While the plot may not be fast-paced it is intricate and complex. What most interested me were the characters, and Penny does a masterful job presenting them with all their strengths and weaknesses. I’ll definitely go back to book # 1 and read the series from the beginning.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
i am currently reading 6 right now. 1.
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They are all pretty good so far.
i love days when I can be a bum...actually I have a 12 mile run to do later on - so i'm "saving" my strength by laying in bed and reading - haha!finished up Enemies on Tap and Hard Hats and Doormats so far today and now on to It Happened One Wedding
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett (Audio performed by William Dufris) – 4****This is the novel that introduced readers to Nick and Nora Charles (and their Schnauzer Asta). It is a delightful mystery and a sophisticated comedy of manners all in one. Nick and Nora are wonderful characters – calm and cool, rich and glamorous, full of wisecracks and martinis. Hammett has the reader chasing just about every character as a suspect. The final reveal was a complete surprise to me. William Dufris is marvelous performing the audio version. He has a gift for voices and really brings this large cast to life.
This is a Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Moonrise by Cassandra King – 1* Within a few pages I recognized the plotlines and characters of Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca. But this modern retelling of that classic falls far short of the mark. King may have intended it as an homage to DuMaurier’s novel, but the result is a travesty, a mediocre soap opera. The characters behave like they are in junior high rather than late middle age. Still, finding similarities to Rebecca kept me entertained enough for 1 star.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished The Witches of East End, and Rebecca and started: The Bookstore
Miss Julia Delivers the Goods by Ann B Ross – 3***I love Miss Julia and the rest of the cast of characters in these charming Southern stories. Everyone is in everyone else’s business, but always (or mostly) with good intentions. While the mystery of who broke into Sam’s place does provide a little distraction, the main focus in this book is on Hazel Marie and Mr Pickens and their on-again-off-again relationship. A few laughable moments, no real danger, and characters you just want to hug … what could be better on a summer day?
This is a Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I finished The Witches of East End, and Rebecca and started: The Bookstore"How did you like Rebecca?
Hi everyone! I've just discovered this via my Goodreads Newsletter (so I trust the source) and I think it's a great cause and really easy to take part in so I wanted to share it for anyone that had missed it!
http://worlded.org/pages4progress/
I've joined the Goodreads group and have started logging my pages on the website!
Just imagine the difference a group like Seasonal Reading Challenge could make if everyone got involved! :)
Is anyone else doing this?
I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb – 5***** Audio performed by Archie Panjabi. The subtitle says it all: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. What an inspiring and enlightening story. Malala gives the historical background of Pakistan and the Pashtun culture, as well as that of her own family. In a society that values sons, her parents encouraged and praised their daughter’s ambitions. My mother’s favorite saying was: Educate a man and you educate an individual / Educate a woman and you will have educated a family. Malala Yousafzai has taken that saying one step further; she is educating the world.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ally wrote: "Hi everyone! I've just discovered this via my Goodreads Newsletter (so I trust the source) and I think it's a great cause and really easy to take part in so I wanted to share it for anyone that h..."
I also learned about it through the newsletter and am updating my pages read weekly. In fact, it has encouraged me to try to read more! I already work in development and have long wanted to work in literacy, so this helps me feel like I am doing something. I second your encouragement for others to also log their pages read to help a good and honorable cause!
Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong – 4****The debut mystery which introduced Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau. The murder of a national model worker taxes all their resources as Chen and his deputy, Detective Yu, try to find out who killed the girl. Chen is a contrast: a man educated in literature, a published poet, and translator of mysteries, who is also a methodical investigator concerned only with bringing the perpetrator to justice. It is not the kind of mystery that relies on suspense, violent altercations and dangerous situations. Rather, the joy of this novel is watching Chen build his case. I’ll definitely read more of this series.
This is a Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin – 3*** Audio performed by Lorna Raver. Benjamin has mined history in her previous novels and the life of Anne Morrow Lindbergh provides a wealth of information on which to base this work. I’ve read several nonfiction works about the Lindberghs; I’ve read Anne’s book A Gift From the Sea and several of her diaries. So, little of the information I found in this book was news to me, and maybe that’s why I cannot rate it higher. For me it was adequate but not special. The way Benjamin portrays these characters made me really dislike both of them, and I’m left feeling disappointed in them and in the book.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
: Amandine by Marlena deBlasi – 3***A baby girl is conceived out of wedlock is deposited at a remote convent in the French countryside by her grandmother, a countess. Raised as an orphan, but with a young governess, Solange, devoted to her, Amandine thrives despite hardships, especially those brought on by Nazi Germany’s occupation of France in WW2. I found this novel slow to start. However, once the characters were well established and Amandine began to show her own personality as a young child I got caught up in her story. The ending is both abrupt and inconclusive. This is the author’s only novel; her other works are nonfiction. I wonder if she is working on a sequel to this book.
This is a Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler – 4**** This is the noir classic that introduced readers to Philip Marlowe, private detective. Chandler is a master at crafting a plot that is complicated with more twists than a mountain road. The star of the novel, in my opinion, is Chandler’s way with words. His style is often imitated, but no one uses the simile and metaphor so well. It’s a fun, fast read, and I’m glad I finally read it.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished The Bookstore and started "Takedown Twenty"
April Fool Dead by Carolyn Hart – 1*This is book # 13 in the Death on Demand series, featuring Annie Darling, owner of the Death on Demand mystery bookshop. The murder doesn’t happen until page 150. A side story involving Max’s mother, Laurel, is totally unnecessary. I have a feeling the author has run out of coherent ideas for this series. In a nutshell – the characters aren’t developed; the plot is disorganized; clues are nonexistent; the writing is padded with descriptions that add nothing to the story or atmosphere. Don’t waste your time.
This is a Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished Takedown Twenty and starting "Ghost Stories of Illinois"
I couldn't get into Ghost Stories of Illinois so I started "Top Secret Twenty"
The Distance between Us by Reyna Grande – 5***** This is a heartbreaking and heartwarming memoir of a childhood living in want, both in Mexico and in the United States. Grande writes with courage about the abject poverty of her early years, the sense of abandonment she and her siblings felt when their parents left, and how feeling abandoned affected their futures. I was appalled and distressed reading about this level of poverty. I was angry with her parents for the way they treated their children. But ultimately this is an inspiring story of courage and perseverance. I was in tears at the end of this poignant and honest memoir.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished: Till Death Do Us Bark 4*, Death Threads 3*, Reap What You Sew 3*, L.A. Dead 3* and The Snake Tattoo 3*.Seems I have been on a cozy read binge.
Now reading Dead Ever After which I expect to finish today.
I'm currently reading the divergent series. Insurgent is the book I am reading now and I literally can't put it down!
Murder With Puffins by Donna Andrews – 2** This is book two in the Meg Lanslow series, each of which has a title referencing birds. Meg Lanslow and boyfriend Michael arrive at Monhegan for a romantic getaway, only to find the island overrun with birders and Aunt Phoebe’s summer cottage full of family members. When a famous artist is found dead, Meg has to investigate to clear her family’s name. The characters and situations are ridiculous. I finished it only because it fulfilled a challenge. At least it’s a fast read and the basic murder investigation is mildly entertaining.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished Top Secret Twenty-One and starting Across The Wide And Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary Of Hattie Campbell
A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck – 5*****Audio book performed by Ron McLarty. What a wonderful novel of a time gone by. I was laughing aloud at several of the shenanigans Grandma perpetrated. The writing is very atmospheric. I itched with the memory of chigger bites, felt the torpidity of a humid summer day, and heard the sounds of a summer night. When I finished listening, I immediately picked up the hardcover book and started reading from the beginning. This may be a children’s book, but I’ll wager that adults will appreciate it even more.
This is a Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – 4****Audio book performed by Davinia Porter. What a rollicking good story! I had avoided it because of the time travel aspect, but I found it very entertaining. I do have several issues with the book. There are parts that are a tad too “bodice-ripper” for my taste. I also wasn’t too keen on the whole “I’ll beat you to punish you and then we’ll make mad passionate love” scenario. And I was irritated with Claire’s continued insistence on going off by herself only to have to be rescued by Jamie (or another strong man). Still, it held my interest and Davinia Porter’s performance on the audio is worth a star all by itself.
This is a Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jim the Boy by Tony Earley – 5***** Earley’s debut novel is quiet, peaceful and yet powerful. The story may focus on one boy, his family and friends but the lessons conveyed are universal. Jim is a wonderful character. He starts the novel feeling so BIG now that he writes his age in double digits “just like the uncles.” Slowly he becomes aware that instead of being big, he is really rather small, “I’m just a boy.” Earley’s writing is luminous and evocative. This short gem of a novel should be read by more people. It is simply marvelous.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute – 5***** A young English woman survives WW2 as a prisoner of the Japanese, and then finds her way to Australia and a new life. Nevil Shute is a wonderful story teller. I was engaged and interested from page one. Jean is a remarkable young woman – brave, intelligent, level-headed, and resilient. Joe Harman is a strong, quiet, resourceful young man. His steadfast belief in Jean, and hers in him, forms a solid basis for a strong and loving relationship. There is a fair amount of adventure in the story, and some horrific circumstances to be got through. But on the whole it is a quiet tale of a life well-lived.
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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I am late to the party in regards to this series, having read Anne of Green Gables only a few years ago. But I immedi..."
Yay! I'm glad you liked it! I started reading the books when the Anne of Green Gables miniseries came out. Feel tempted to re-read the books again after all these years. I only really liked books 1-3, didn't really go for the rest.