You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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Chit Chat About Books
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What are you reading? - 2021
Sarah wrote: "Ahhh, I'm so slow at reading right now. The only thing I'm consistently reading is Radical Compassion: Learning to Love Yourself and Your World with the Practice of RAIN on audible...."I do the same! I choose an uplifting non-fiction audio book to fall asleep to. I figure that the good vibes will go into my brain even after I fall asleep. And it makes my brain stop its own brain trains. Tara Brach is one of my favorites
I've been trying to stay patient and not read this book yet. but I missed Hadrian and Royce so much, so I'll listen to it on audible and take my time (since its two books merged in one)
Barelyspicy (Bash) wrote: "I've been trying to stay patient and not read this book yet. but I missed Hadrian and Royce so much, so I'll listen to it on audible and take my time (since its two books merged in one)[bookcover..."
I read the whole series back to back. Once I started the first omnibus, I was hooked. So good!
I can see a market opening up for dog buttons! How Stella Learned to Talk: The Groundbreaking Story of the World's First Talking Dog is a fascinating look at author Christina Hunger's work with pre-lingual kids who need help communicating and how she adapted her techniques so her dog Stella can communicate. And boy, does Stella 'talk'! Terrific!
5★ Link to my review of How Stella Learned to Talk
It's almost beyond me how Aussie journalist Shannon Molloy survived his teens as a gay kid in a country town, but I'm glad he did! His memoir, Fourteen: My year of darkness, and the light that followed is sad and funny and worth a listen. 
4★ Link to my review of Fourteen
I finished Fool's Quest. I'm so excited to be close to the end of this series. One more to go!Tomorrow, I will start The Mountains Sing for one of the museum tasks.
I loved Aussie author Garry Disher's country cop mystery in the dry, dusty (dangerous) outback of South Australia. Peace is the 2nd book featuring demoted cop Hirsch. The powers-that-be did not appreciate his whistle-blowing.
4.5~5★ Link to my review of Peace
The Last Reunion by Aussie Kayte Nunn is historical fiction with a war story (Burma), romance, and mystery (stolen works of art).
4★ Link to my review of The Last Reunion
Blacktop Wasteland is where author S.A. Cosby's Beauregard 'Bug' Montage earned his reputation as a high-speed wheelman and risks everything for one last job. Promise. Yeah, right.
5★ Link to my review of Blacktop Wasteland
I finished The Mountains Sing. It's a rather bleak view of surviving the land reformation and subsequent Vietnam War. I think I need something a little lighter, and Judgement in Death should be just the answer.
I'm so far behind in my reading, I needed something short, so I started reading To Dance with the White Dog yesterday (only 196 pages). I didn't realize it had been made into a movie. I'm enjoying it so far. A very touching story of a man dealing with the death of his wife, befriending a dog only he can see.
Just finished this wonderful book - 5 stars from me!
Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin.Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm behind too, Roz. I've hardly read at all the last few weeks. Real life has been pretty busy. I'm currently reading The Newcomer and I'm about to start In an Instant for the yearly challenge.
Another cute Story Without Words, Polar Bear Bowler: A Story Without Words by Karl Beckstrand. I can imagine little kids making up dialogue and "telling the stories" themselves.
4★ LInk to my review of Polar Bear Bowler with enough of the pictures to get the idea of the story.
William Faulkner was a giant of American Literature (with a capital L!), and I just enjoyed his short story A Rose for Emily. It's about an elderly widow who gets more and more reclusive and peculiar.
4★ Link to my Rose for Emily review with a link to the story.
A Summoner had a pretty free rein in 14th century England. He could decide you were guilty of something and summon you to court - unless of course you bribed him. And he never paid for anything. Who would dare charge him? In The Summoner's Sins, author Keith Moray continues his series, which is pretty gruesome.
3★ Link to my review of The Summoner's Sins
I just finished Where the Crawdads Sing and it's funny because it was a book that I randomly decided had too much hype and I wasn't going to read (because I do weird things like that sometimes even though I read award winning books - so...?). But when I put together my "best friend memorial book challenge" where I decided to read her 4 or 5 star reads that I hadn't read that book was on it. And I enjoyed the book quite a bit and I wonder why I decided not to read it originally! I can be so weird...
Katrisa, when my book club picked it I wasn't very happy for the same reason. I thought it probably had to much hype, but I really liked it. I don't know why I thought that, but probably the title didn't help. It sounds overly done.
I do stuff like that too. The hostess for our book club meeting this week had debated between A Gentleman in Moscow and American Dirt. I held my breath until she said her final choice was A Gentleman in Moscow. I've heard so much hype and controversy over American Dirt that I refuse to read it.
I have the same feelings as Katrisa and Sandra re Crawdads and as Janice re Dirt. Crawdads was picked for my IRL bookclub too ( surprise, surprise! ). That was about 12 months ago and I still can't bring myself to read it. As Katrisa says, I read books that are shortlisted for awards all the time as I'm not sure why I'm so anti certain books.My current read is The Dead Fathers Club
.It's a retelling of
from the POV 9f a young teen and it's quite funny.
lol, Katrisa. I have a book that I won't read because the cover is so terrible that I just can't get past it.
Agreeing with you all on the hype thing. I did listen to Crawdads last year and just wasn't impressed. In fact, like Sandra said, I thought the entire book was overly done. I rarely read anything from the "bestseller" lists for this reason. After all, like Mahatma Gandhi said, "“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.”
Kristie wrote: "lol, Katrisa. I have a book that I won't read because the cover is so terrible that I just can't get past it."Which terrible cover Kristie? Book Riot's 2021 challenge has a "book with a cover you hate" task and I am finding that category hard. Maybe I can also hate your book cover
Katrisa wrote: "Kristie wrote: "lol, Katrisa. I have a book that I won't read because the cover is so terrible that I just can't get past it."Which terrible cover Kristie? Book Riot's 2021 challenge has a "book ..."
A Little Life
I hate it so much. lol
I finished Judgment in Death today. Love me some Roarke. :)Tomorrow, I will start We Begin at the End which is a 2021 release.
I'm on target with my audiobooks, but print books is another matter.
Janice wrote: "I finished Judgment in Death today. Love me some Roarke. :)Tomorrow, I will start We Begin at the End which is a 2021 release.
I'm on target with my audiobooks, but print books is another matter."
I'm behind with both. I hardly read anything at all the last month.
I thought We Begin at the End was excellent, Janice. I hope you love it.
Thanks Krisie. I'm looking forward to it.
Kristie, ya I kinda want to punch that face lol! it's a good candidate for cover to hate
Katrisa wrote: "Kristie, ya I kinda want to punch that face lol! it's a good candidate for cover to hate"Haha! I knew it! :)
I just can't even consider having that on my nightstand. I think I'd start the day in a bad mood if I woke up and saw that there every morning. lol
There are so many lists of "beautiful book covers." I think we need to create a new List here on GR for book covers we hate... :-D
I finally finished A Gentleman in Moscow. If it wasn't for my real life book club, I would have turfed it early on. I suspected from the book blurb and reviews that it was a character driven story with little plot. And I was right. This is not my type of book. However, the end made the read worthwhile. Still, I couldn't give it more than 3 stars. I was beginning to think I would never get to my challenge read. May disappeared so quickly. I'll be starting The Virgin in the Ice later today.
Haha, great idea Jan!I'm picking up Fool's Fate again. I put it aside due to concentration problems as I didn't want to risk missing anything in my favorite series ever!
Kristie wrote: "Katrisa wrote: "Kristie wrote: "lol, Katrisa. I have a book that I won't read because the cover is so terrible that I just can't get past it."Which terrible cover Kristie?
Kristie wrote: "Katrisa wrote: "Kristie, ya I kinda want to punch that face lol! it's a good candidate for cover to hate"
Haha! I knew it! :)
I just can't even consider having that on my nightstand. I think I'd ..."
The face on the cover is indicative of the content - painful and real! I loved the story, but mine had a different cover. Every time I see the one you showed, I think of Johnny Cash! Here was mine:
I reviewed it, if you're interested.
My review of A Little Life
Here's one with an attractive cover.I just enjoyed NZ/Aussie author Jacqueline Bublitz's new mystery, narrated by a murdered girl, that should stir up some good book club conversations, Before You Knew My Name.
3.5~4★ Link to my review of Before You Knew My Name
After many years, I loved my second reading of a favourite, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which won author Mark Haddon many awards. Young Christopher is a persistent, special, very trying kid. Love him!
5★ Link to my Curious Incident ... review
Valentine is a debut by Elizabeth Wetmore about the dangers for all the women in the West Texas oil country where men are men and women are there to serve.
3.5★ Link to my review of Valentine
Aussie author Paul Starr has used his own experiences as inspiration for Prior Regrets. Does Mark Prior, a young backpacker from England have regrets two decades after his stay in Israel?
3★ Link to my review of Prior Regrets
I seem to be enjoying the character driven books more and more over the last few years. I really loved both A Gentleman in Moscow and Where the Crawdads Sing. I loved the humor in A Gentleman and I was totally taken over by the story of what was going to happen to the girl in Crawdads. I think I have to agree about the cover to hate. I could not bring myself to read it nor put it on my TBR list, just because of the painful look on the guy's face. I might be able to read it if I chose the alternate cover. I really do not like the title either though.
Okay, Patty, I read your review and added the alternate cover (without the painful face) on my TBR list. ;o)
Note to Kristie and Katrisa: There are times when I have actually added a brown paper bag cover over a book when the real cover put me off.
Sarah wrote: "You're hoping to know what happens in a Murakami story?!?! Haha. It's a chunky book, glad you nearing the end. I'm curious to hear what you think..."Sarah - I cannot remember if I came back to respond to your comment or not. I finished the book. I did not love it, but I did not hate it either. It was obvious to me that Murakami writes strange characters and strange stories. I admit that he kept me stringing along. I am willing to give him another try. What was your favorite?
Cherie wrote: "Note to Kristie and Katrisa: There are times when I have actually added a brown paper bag cover over a book when the real cover put me off."Oh, funny. That would remind me of a school book from middle or high school. We always had to cover them to protect them. lol Might do the trick though.
Kristie wrote: "Cherie wrote: "Note to Kristie and Katrisa: There are times when I have actually added a brown paper bag cover over a book when the real cover put me off."Oh, funny. That would remind me of a sch..."
I had to do it while I was reading
. I just felt that the cover was creepy, and as long as I did not have to look at it, I could read the story. It was something about the dark inside the tent that put me off. I had a hardcopy from the library. If I could have removed the cover, it would have been fine, but it was taped on with yards of that filament tape that they like to use. :o)
That is a kind of creepy cover. It sort of gives the impression of a darkness lurking.
I finished The Faithful. It's been on my "to listen to" shelf for ever. It wasn't worth the wait. My first read for the toppler tomorrow, is the group themed read, The House in the Cerulean Sea.
Finished book 3 of The Riyria Revelations, I'll start book 4 soon (since its a bundle), the narration is out of this world! I'll definitely be enjoying his books on audible format.
Barelyspicy (Bash) wrote: "Finished book 3 of The Riyria Revelations, I'll start book 4 soon (since its a bundle), the narration is out of this world! I'll definitely be enjoying his books on audible format."
Tim Gerard Reynolds is one of my all time favourite narrators and I must listen to all his renditions of Michael Sullivan's books. I refuse to read any of his books in print because I wouldn't want to deprive myself of Tim's excellence.
Janice wrote: "Barelyspicy (Bash) wrote: "Finished book 3 of The Riyria Revelations, I'll start book 4 soon (since its a bundle), the narration is out of this world! I'll definitely be enjoying his books on aud..."
Every book I got was a 2-1 deal sale so I definitely got a good deal!
Its the first thing I look for when there is sale on audible
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You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
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It works really well as it stops my mind thinking about stuff. It reallly has surprised me how eff..."
I may have to try that with a nonfiction that I've already listened to.