<closed thread>What are you currently reading? Showing 4,651-4,700 of 6,642

[Bea]

Finished: - 3*

[Book Concierge]

Educating Rita – Willy Russell – 3.5***
A marvelous play about one young woman’s desire for an education, and the professor who teaches her, and learns from her. I much prefer to watch plays performed, but this was an enjoyable read. Rita is a marvelous character, and I loved watching her grow.
LINK to my review

[Book Concierge]

The Hidden Child – Camilla Läckberg – 4*****
This is the fifth book in the series featuring crime writer Erica Falck and Detective Patrik Hedström, in the village of Fjällbacka, Sweden. However, it’s the first one I’ve read. Läckberg uses a dual time line to tell this story. There are the events of 1945, when one young couple’s plans are shattered by prejudice and violence. And there is the current-day mystery of an artifact that threatens to reveal long-held secrets. I look forward to reading more of this series.
LINK to my review

[Bea]

Finished: - 4*, - 5*, - 4*, - 3*

Still Reading:
Sense and Sensibility - Kindle

Started:
Rescue Ink: How Ten Guys Saved Countless Dogs and Cats, Twelve Horses, Five Pigs, One Duck,and a Few Turtles
A Rule Against Murder
Cold Comfort Farm

[Book Concierge]

Bookplate Special – Lorna Barrett – 3***
Book number three in the Booktown Mystery series. This is a typical cozy mystery, with a cast of colorful characters, and a nosy amateur sleuth who simply cannot help herself when it comes to investigating a crime on her doorstep. It’s not great literature, but it’s entertaining and a quick read.
LINK to my review

[Book Concierge]

Miss Julia Hits the Road – Ann B Ross – 3***
Book number four in the popular series starring Miss Julia, a widow of a certain age. I just love Miss Julia, who frequently gets embroiled in one scandal / scheme or another when she jumps to conclusions and/or fails to fully understand the implications of what she’s been told. But her heart is always in the right place. Miss Julia is just a hoot, and I was laughing aloud at several scenes.
LINK to my review

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I finished "Before I Fall" and starting "The Lavander Garden" by Lucienda Riley

[Bea]

Finished: - 3*, - 4*, - 4*

Still Reading:
Sense and Sensibility - Kindle

Started:
Eighth Grave After Dark
Magic Burns
In Too Deep

[Book Concierge]

A Piece of the World – Christina Baker Kline – 3.5***
As she did in Orphan Train , Kline uses multiple time lines to tell the story. I thought Christina Olson was a marvelous character, and appreciated the way Kline took what little is known of this real woman and expanded it to weave this narrative. I liked that she focused more attention on Olson’s relationships with her family and friends than on her connection to Wyeth.
LINK to my review

[Bea]

Finished: - 4*, - 4*, - 3*

Still Reading:
Sense and Sensibility - Kindle

Started:
Birds of a Feather
Homegoing
Celia Garth

[Book Concierge]

All Creatures Great and Small – James Herriot – 4****
I am definitely *not* an animal person but Herriot’s reminiscences of his early efforts to build a veterinary practice in Yorkshire in the mid to late 1930s were delightful, if a bit repetitious. This is a re-read for me, and my rating reflects my first impressions when I first read it in the early to mid-1970s.
LINK to my review

[Bea]

Finished: - 3*, - 4*, - 4*

Reading:
Homegoing
One of Our Thursdays Is Missing

[Book Concierge]

The Making of the President 1960 – Theodore H White – 3***
Subtitle: A Narrative History of American Politics in Action. About a year before the November 1960 election, Theodore H White began studying the likely candidates for President. He followed them through primaries, state caucuses, the national convention and the campaign for the Presidency. It’s somewhat dated – the process is different more than half a century later. And yet, there is something timeless about this story.
LINK to my review

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I finished reading "The lavender Garden" and starting "Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovitch

[Book Concierge]

The Magician’s Assistant – Ann Patchett – 3.5***
What I have come to love about Patchett is the masterful way she draws her characters. The story unfolds in bits and pieces, much as it would in real life. You don’t tell everything at once to someone you’ve just met, and likewise Sabine and Dot each keeps some things to herself. The environment also plays a role; Sabine is a different person in Los Angeles than she is in Nebraska.
LINK to my review

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I finished Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich and starting Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

[Bea]

Finished: - 3*, - 3*

[Book Concierge]

Trying to catch up ... I've been reading but not recording in a timely fashion ...


Victim Six – Gregg Olsen – 3.5***
A serial killer is terrorizing towns around Puget Sound. Kitsap County Sherriff’s Detective Kendall Stark is a really strong female lead character – smart, resilient, resourceful, intelligent and compassionate. This is a tightly-written, fast-paced psychological thriller. It’s not for the faint of heart; it’s about a sexual sadist serial killer, and there are some very graphic scenes.
LINK to my review

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The Xibalba Murders – Lyn Hamilton – 3***
Number one in the Lara McClintoch Archeological Mystery series, takes our heroine from her home in Toronto to the Yucatan peninsula. I am a fan of magical realism, but Hamilton’s efforts seemed heavy-handed. All in all, it was a somewhat entertaining mystery and I enjoyed learning a bit more about Mayan lore.
LINK to my review

[Bea]

Finished: - 5*, - 4*

Currently Reading:
Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant: The Final Victory
The Thorn Birds
Doll Bones
True Tales of the Everglades

[steph (librarianish)]

Book Concierge wrote: "Dec 3 - Currently Reading
...

:) Sounds just like my setup.

I carry print with me most everywhere I go, currently Fearless: One Woman, One Kayak, One Continent. It's about Freya Hoffmeister's circumnavigation of Australia in a solo kayak. I kayak a bit, but have never understood people wanting to do BIG water in big boats all by themselves. I'm hoping this might help me understand!

On the iPad, which I usually just read at home, is Beacon 23, by Hugh Howey. I'm a huge Howey fan (the Silo series, in particular), and this one is quite different. It's actually reading very Scalzi, so far. Wry and strange and a bit dark at times, but still funny.

And on audio in the car, Replica, by Lauren Oliver. I'm in the car at least 2 hrs every day to commute for work, so I like to have something relatively fun and light. Thankfully, the library has a pretty endless supply of YA on audio :)

[Book Concierge]

The Lost City of the Monkey God – Douglas Preston – 4****
I was mesmerized by this adventure story, as Preston recounts the expedition’s efforts to find these ruins in the dense jungle, plagued by weather, poisonous snakes, and biting insects. Preston also give equal time to political discourse and environmental impact. And the medical mystery of aftereffects of their time in the jungle was equally fascinating, and horrifying.
LINK to my review

[Bea]

Finished: - 3*, - 3*

[Book Concierge]

Chocolate Chocolate – Frances Park and Ginger Park – 3***
Subtitle: The True Story of Two Sisters, Tons of Treats, and the Little Shop That Could. It’s a charming memoir, but I found it repetitious. While I admit to self-medicating with chocolate, reading about that in chapter after chapter is less satisfying. Still, they have an interesting story to tell, and I really liked their relationship with their mother and with their customers.
LINK to my review

[Book Concierge]

The Good Lord Bird – James McBride – 3.5***
McBride looks at John Brown and Harpers Ferry through the lens of a “freed” slave, Henry Shackleford (known as Onion). I’ve seen reviews that compare McBride to Mark Twain, and I guess I see that here – an adventure tale that is about a serious event / issue, but that includes room for humor.
LINK to my review

[Bea]

Finished: - 4*, - 3*

Still reading:
Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant: The Final Victory
The Thorn Birds

Started:
Snow Falling on Cedars
In Farleigh Field
The Lady's Slipper
The Mockingbirds

[Book Concierge]

A Gentleman in Moscow – Amor Towles – 5***** and a ❤
Well this book cements Amor Towles in my list of favorite authors. I love the Count and the way he leads his life. His accommodations may be limited, and he may be confined to the hotel, but his life is certainly *not* limited. They may take his possessions, they may restrict his movements, but they cannot make his less a gentleman.
LINK to my review

[steph (librarianish)]

I just abandoned Shadow Puppets after only 30 minutes. Finished Artemis this morning, and ready for something just as juicy but with characters I can respect. Heading for The Collapsing Empire, because John Scalzi hasn't failed me yet.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Finished Days of Blood & Starlight and starting Just Fine with Caroline

[Book Concierge]

Rio Grande Fall – Rudolfo Anaya – 2**
Book two in the Sonny Baca mystery series is set during the Albuquerque NM Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. I like magical realism, in general, but this series has gone too far. I wasn’t interested and all the spiritualism detracted from the plot (what little there was of it).
LINK to my review

[Bea]

Finished: - 4*

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I finished "Just Fine With Caroline" and started "Before We Were Yours" by Lisa Wingate

[Bea]

Still reading:
Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant: The Final Victory
The Thorn Birds - due at the library tomorrow
Snow Falling on Cedars
In Farleigh Field - Kindle

Started:
The Lady's Slipper - yep, finally starting this one
The Merlot Murders

So, when my husband died this summer, my reading concentration left for awhile. Now, I am finding that I am reading more...mostly lighter books, though...but still finding it hard to stick with just one or two. So for now, I have 6 in the works. I am used to reading actively 4-5 books at a time. Right now, it is more like 3...just not the same 3 day to day.

[Book Concierge]

Love, Life And Elephants – Daphne Sheldrick – 4****
Subtitle: An African Love Story. This is a wonderful memoir that takes the reader from Sheldrick’s birth and childhood through her teen years, and first love, on to the love of her life, David Sheldrick, and the work they accomplished together. She writes in a frank and open manner, describing her missteps as openly as her triumphs.
LINK to my review

[Bea]

Finished: - 4*

This is one of those books that was on my TBR for a very long time. I think I had seen a TV adaptation when I was young...and the size of the book (over 500 pages)...all added together to make me stay away from the wonderful saga of the Cleary family. So very glad that I finally read it.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I finished "Before We Were Yours" and starting "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield

[Sonia]

I'm reading and enjoying Peace Like a River by Leif Enger.

[Book Concierge]

Christmas in Harmony – Philip Gulley – 3***
If the Christmas Eve service has become a burden, why not take Dale’s suggestion of a Progressive Live Nativity Scene. What could possibly go wrong? With Dale in charge … a lot. Funny and tender, but Sam always finds the true meaning of Christmas. A lovely holiday read.
LINK to my review

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I finished "The Thirteenth Tale" and starting "The Christmas Wedding"

[Book Concierge]

Imaginary Men – Anjali Banerjee – 1*
Lina Ray is a professional matchmaker in the San Francisco bay area who has yet to make her own match. But after blurting out news of her own (imaginary) engagement to save herself from a match to an Indian “bachelor from hell,” she has to find her prince in two months, so the family matriarch can approve the match. It’s chick-lit with a cultural nuance. A fast read. Total mind candy.
LINK to my review

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A Man Of His Own – Susan Wilson – 3***
Three people connected by one dog, this is a kind of romance novel with a twist. There’s plenty of drama with three characters who are all emotionally fragile, and yet somehow are “guided” by this remarkable animal. That synopsis sounds trite and predictable, and in a sense the book is that, but I have to say that I was entertained and engaged by the story.
LINK to my review

[Bea]

Finished: - 4*

Still reading:
Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant: The Final Victory
In Farleigh Field - Kindle
The Lady's Slipper
The Merlot Murders

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I finished "The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson and starting "Call Me Mrs. Miracle" by Debbie Maccomber

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I finished "Call Me Mrs. Miracle and starting Gone

[Bea]

Finished: - 4*

[Bea]

Finished: - 4*, - 3*, - 3*, - 4*

Still reading:
In Farleigh Field - Kindle
I'd Like to Call for Help, but I Don't Know the Number: The Search for Spirituality in Everyday Life
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The Rainaldi Quartet
The Mysterious Benedict Society
Fashion Faux Paw
The Black Tulip

[Book Concierge]

Hillbilly Elegy – J.D. Vance – 4****
Subtitle: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. Vance is a former Marine, a graduate of Ohio State and Yale Law School. But getting to his current place in life was a struggle, given his family upbringing. He is brutally honest looking at his life and at the culture of the working poor. He reviews government policies, and offers insight into how the working poor, themselves, might take steps to give the next generation a fighting chance. This memoir is both brutally honest, and movingly tender.
LINK to my review

[Book Concierge]

Queen of the Air – Dean Jensen – 4****
Subtitle: A True Story of Love & Tragedy at the Circus. This is a love story, a tragedy to rival Shakespeare, a history of early twentieth century America, and a thrilling adventure. Lillian Leitzel and Alfredo Codona were the biggest stars in the early twentieth century Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. I was completed engaged and enthralled by their story.
LINK to my review

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Mr Miracle – Debbie Macomber – 2**
Book ten in the Angels Everywhere (a.k.a Angelic Intervention) series. Harry Mills is on his first assignment on earth and he rather smugly believes he’s got it all covered. But he didn’t quite count on human emotions. It’s a cheesy Christmas romance, and the plot is what you’d expect from that genre. It’s not great literature, but it’s perfect for the season.
LINK to my review

[Book Concierge]

Born a Crime – Trevor Noah – 4****
Trevor Noah had a white Swiss German father, and a black Xhosa mother, at a time when such a relationship was punishable by up to five years in prison. This is his memoir of growing up under Apartheid and the years as it was being dismantled in South Africa. Honest and interesting.
LINK to my review

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The Winter Garden Mystery – Carola Dunn – 3***
Book number two in the Daisy Dalrymple series has our heroine traveling to Occles Hall to research her latest article for Town and Country on England’s country manor houses. Lady Valeria is none too pleased at this intrusion, and even less so when Daisy finds a body buried in the winter garden. A satisfying cozy mystery with an intrepid heroine, set in 1920s England.
LINK to my review

[Bea]

Reading:
In Farleigh Field - Kindle
I'd Like to Call for Help, but I Don't Know the Number: The Search for Spirituality in Everyday Life
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The Rainaldi Quartet
The Mysterious Benedict Society
Fashion Faux Paw
The Black Tulip

Started:
The Christmas Shoes

I seem to be having trouble settling down with one book...or even two. However, I am close to finishing two of them and The Christmas Shoes is short.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

@Bea,
I loved "The Christmas Shoes". Be prepared to have a box of kleenex on hand. There is a movie too.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I just finished "Gone" by Michael Grant and starting "Letters From Skye"