Book Nook Cafe discussion
What did you read last month?
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What you read in ~~ August 2021
Left out a couple of reviews for books that I felt didn't stand alone... Lorde of Chicago by G.Y. Riggs ⭐⭐⭐⭐
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning: A Memoir by Laurie Lee ⭐⭐⭐⭐
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
An Area of Darkness by V.S. Naipaul ⭐⭐⭐
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Man Who Killed Kennedy: The Case Against LBJ by Roger Stone ⭐⭐⭐
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is what I read in August 2021. I discussed these books during the month, so I'll just give a brief overview. 
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam M. GranteBook
Rating 5/5
Adam Grant is a psychologist, TED speaker and author who is currently a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania specializing in organizational psychology.
This book is about the value of rethinking and having mental flexibility. His aim is to help you let go of knowledge and opinions that are no longer serving you. I think this book would be of value to all ages. It's one I will re-read.
This book will end up on my top reads for 2021 list.
This Country by Chris MatthewsAudio Book- Narrator -Author
Rating 3
If you are a fan of Matthews and are a politics junkie you will enjoy his memoir. He takes you through the high points of history as he lived and worked through those many decades. Though at times it seemed to me a bit too much inside the beltway politics and minutiae for the general reader.
The Woman in the Window by A.J. FinneBook
Rating: 4/5
I normally don't read a lot of mystery/thriller books. However, this one ended up my TBR list and I really enjoyed it.
The main character Anna Fox suffers from agoraphobia. Her days are spent looking out the window watching her neighbors. One day she believes she witnesses a murder in the house across the street. I thought this was a good page turner with a lot of twists and turns.
I also saw the Netflix movie. I didn't care for it as much as I did the book.
Re Jane by Patricia Parkaudio book-- narrator Diana Bang
Rating: 2/5
This is a YA coming of age novel.
The plot revolves around a twenty something recent college grad. She is a half Korean, half American. She is also an orphan. She works in her uncle's grocery store in Flushing Queens, NY. She longs to escape to live and work in Manhattan. She ends up taking a nanny job in Brooklyn. From there the plot moves to Korea then back to NY.
It seemed to me that this book contained a lot of unpleasant stereotypes. One especially annoying one was the feminist mother character.
The narrator of the book was Diana Bang. She's a Canadian actress. Her performance seemed filled with annoying caricatures.
I am sure it negatively affected my enjoyment of the book.
The Turnout by Megan AbbotteBook
Rating 2
I read this book because it was a book club selection for the Today Show. It's billed as a slow burn thriller. I also love ballet and the plot had a ballet theme.
Unfortunately, this novel was a major letdown. It contains a ton of annoying tropes about the dark side of ballet. It became quite repetitive and boring. It wasn't at all original or insightful.
I was also put off by the bizarre sexual content. It wasn't erotic, just dark and disturbing. It contained things like woman who enjoy being dominated and beaten, incest, suicide, sexual child abuse on and on.
The unrealistic thriller part was very slow to unravel and by that time I just wanted to be done with the book and these characters.
The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael ConnellyeBook
Rating 4
After reading two very disappointing books in a row, I decided to pick a genre I hadn't read in ages, the legal thriller. I was looking for an easy read.
Michael Haller is a criminal defense lawyer. He scrapes along taking whatever cases happen his way. After many years as a lawyer he knows how to skim around the law as he hustles for clients. He lands a big murder case that he thinks will be a big payday for him.
The book is well paced and kept me turning the 400 pages quickly.
Chris Matthews story of his experiences would be interesting. My issue with him was claiming to "have the pulse of the working man" at point where he'd long become a Beltway insider.
Simon, those novels sound very good. The Texas saga sounds as though it could have been written by my own family members. Good month.
John, i truly appreciate how you share the ups and downs of books you read. In each case i feel as though you considered several aspects of what you read, the author and your reactions to the entire piece. It helps me decide if the book is one i want to check out. Thanks for that.As much as the subject has caught my imagination since 1963, i don’t think i could stomach reading a book by Roger Stone. Point of contention, for example— while Dallas officials may have pushed for that route, it was JFK’s people who insisted on going without the top on the car. (I could probably go on & on because we lived in Dallas then and seemed to get daily updates in the newspaper for at least a decade. In addition to reading several books. Somehow i took the assassination personally.
Alias, that’s a big reading month for you. The number of novels seems to indicate summer books were in order. You covered quite a gambit of genres, too. Thanks for the comments on all, particularly Matthew’s book.
John wrote: "As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning: A Memoir by Laurie Lee ⭐⭐⭐⭐.."
" This fussily illustrated edition is an insult to an enjoyable prose work by a distinguished poet."
Did you have an issue with the illustrations as is mentioned in the synopsis ?
Simon, two books set in the war! Edward Rutherford's China must be a nice change of scenery. Nice reading this month!
John, I haven't heard of any of the books you've read. Your reviews make them sound really interesting. I vaguely remember Kennedy's funeral on the TV.
Alias, you've had quiet a varied month of reading. Too bad that some weren't as exciting as you had wished.
My August reads:Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road (audio; 2 stars) - I found that the author came across as a privileged, rich kid. She has never had to work for anything in her life; she just had to say what she wanted and it was given to her....including many, many trips. It came across as detached and has a lack of empathy for the people of the countries she's cycling through....the people who had to work hard for their food and still shared it with her.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Deeds of the Disturber (4-star) - the mysteries in this series are not the centre stage but Amelia is such a fun character that the mysteries don't matter much anyway. I enjoyed spending time with her again.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Here Is the Beehive (audio; 2-star) - this story is, apparently, told in verse. You wouldn't know that from the audio version. It sounded like prose. Since I didn't know it was supposed to be verse, that didn't affect my rating.
I found the protagonist to be a nasty piece of work. She came across as very stalker-like.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (5-star) - this was a very well laid out book. Covering the entire history of humans in 500 pages is no small task. The author gives a very sweeping and broad account of our history & what shaped us. It's very well put together and written. I truly enjoyed this look at our life on Earth.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hamnet and Judith (4-star) - a lovely family story told from the viewpoint of Anne Hathaway. It's a story of love and grief. Very well written.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Alias Reader wrote: "John wrote: "As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning: A Memoir by Laurie Lee ⭐⭐⭐⭐.."
" This fussily illustrated edition is an insult to an enjoyable prose work by a distinguished poet."
Did you ha..."
I don't believe the e-book had any illustrations!
Petra wrote: "My August reads:Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road (audio; 2 stars) - I found that the author came across as a privileged, rich kid. She has never had to work f..."
Lands has been on my TBR, though the audio sample has given me some hesitation. Thanks for the warning it doesn't likely "get better." The mixed reviews of Sapiens have kept it off my TBR, but will reconsider.
Petra wrote: "My August reads:Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (5-star) - this was a very well laid out book. Covering the entire history of humans in 500 pages is no small task. The author gives a very sweeping and broad account of our history & what shaped us. It's very well put together and written. I truly enjoyed this look at our life on Earth..."
Petra, I knew you would love this book ! It was excellent. I started with the eBook but knew this is one I needed to get in hardcover. I don't often purchase hardcover books, but I did for this one.
I really enjoyed his other book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century--Yuval Noah Harari
I gave it 5 stars.
I have Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow on my TBR list.
John wrote:I don't believe the e-book had any illustrations!."
:) Apparently that is a good thing ! Thanks for the feedback.
John wrote: "The mixed reviews of Sapiens have kept it off my TBR, but will reconsider..."On Amazon the reviews are very positive.
It has 48,241 total reviews.
79% are 5 star
13% are 4 star.
Petra wrote: "Simon, two books set in the war! Edward Rutherford's China must be a nice change of scenery. Nice reading this month!"
Hi Petra,
Although, technically even though the novel The Four Winds is set during the two wars, it's really about the Great Depression/Dust Bowl. A novel that's tough to read in some parts due to what people are going through, but an important story, and well written one.
Yes, China is a nice change in scenery. Such an ancient country, so where do you start a story and end? Tough decision in my opinion!
Alias Reader wrote: "John wrote: "The mixed reviews of Sapiens have kept it off my TBR, but will reconsider..."On Amazon the reviews are very positive.
It has 48,241 total reviews.
79% are 5 star
13% are 4 star."
Goodreads members aren't so positive. Here's an excerpt from a two-star review...
"However, everything started to go downhill from somewhere in the middle of Part II. From an eager and excited reader I slowly became pissed off, disappointed and struggled to finish. I had several problems that plagued my reading experience and I plan to exemplify them below.
First of all, I soon grew tired of the author’s ironic and condescending humor. His ego was transpiring from all his words and his personal opinions and the way he tried to enforce them annoyed me more and more.
Secondly, I felt like many of his assumptions and extrapolations had no proof and they only represent the author’s personal opinion. For example, the way he supported for the whole book that humans were better of as hunter-gathers without bringing no real arguments to support his opinion."
John, I think it's in how one interprets what is written. The author is making sweeping generalizations of the manner in which we evolved. There really aren't any stats or hard facts, especially in the earlier days. What he's trying to show is our progression over Time. He does use the word "mythology" to indicate any belief system that we follow. A political party is a "myth", a religion is a "myth", a social standing is a "myth". That seemed to bother some people in reviews, too. But it's just a way of saying "a belief system that a group of people followed and others didn't" without taking sides, I think.
I read the above review as well. When the author said that, he was talking, I think, about our natural state. The way we evolved to a human state was through the hunter-gatherer way of life and that set our biology, so to speak. Changing our habitat, changed our diet & lifestyle to something that wasn't necessarily our natural state.
That's the sort of thing he's saying. Broad and sweeping. I think if one wants to interpret the author as saying that we're better off hunting for our food and climbing trees, one is missing the point. But that's just my thought on it.
Simon wrote: "Yes, China is a nice change in scenery. Such an ancient country, so where do you start a story and end? Tough decision in my opinion!..."
Agreed. China has a fascinating and long history. I'm looking forward to reading Rutherford's book one day.
Alias, thanks for the recommendation for the author's other book and his upcoming one. I'll check them out.
Petra wrote: "Alias, thanks for the recommendation for the author's other book and his upcoming one. I'll check them out."You're welcome.
As to his books, over time one gets to know, generally speaking, what books other BNC members favor. I thought you would appreciate his books and I am glad to see you did.
We all have different tastes in reading. And that is absolutely cool. It's one of the great things about BNC, IMO, is that we are a very eclectic group.
Petra wrote: "John, I think it's in how one interprets what is written. The author is making sweeping generalizations of the manner in which we evolved. There really aren't any stats or hard facts, especially in..."I'm willing to try the book, just a bit leery of DNF potential if it seems to be going over my head.
Alias, I agree. I love that we all enjoy different books. I've found so many good reads that I would have missed otherwise and I've learned different points of view because of our different reading tastes. I've become a better person because of the various views I've learned. John, I glazed over a bit in a political section. I don't really care for politics much. I suppose in our history there is bound to be areas I'm not really in tune with. LOL. I hope you enjoy the book, if you give it a try.
Petra wrote: "Simon wrote: "Yes, China is a nice change in scenery. Such an ancient country, so where do you start a story and end? Tough decision in my opinion!..."
Agreed. China has a fascinating and long hi..."
China is indeed fascinating :) - will share thoughts on novel once done.
I also forgot I read that non fiction book The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper in August as well, so three read last month.
Simon, I picked up The Five from the library this week. I'm not sure when I'll read it but I've got a copy.
Petra, Hope you like it :) Interested in what you think.
Petra, your review reminds me of books where i’ve liked the story and writing but found the protagonists getting on my nerves. It takes good writing to keep me with such books, as it seems to have worked out for you, as well.It’s particularly sad with the Harris book because the premise excited me. Oh well, there are so many books waiting.
I like reading the comments here about GR reviews/comments, as well as Amazon’s, when deciding whether to read a book. I’m leery when the reviews are so very mixed, unless the topic itself won’t stop me, panning comments or not.
I believe i commented on most of the following after reading them, so i’m just listing most, as it’s too challenging to do more than link while o the road. We return to Dallas in mid-September, at which point i will be able to elaborate, if needed.Revelations—Mary Sharratt (15 GR pages before this title came around—some reference list!)
While Justice Sleeps—Stacey Abrams
The Social Graces—Renee Rosen
The Thursday Murder Club—Richard Osman
The Long Call—Ann Cleeves
My Remarkable Journey: A Memoir—Katherine G. Johnson
A Room Full of Bones—Elly Griffiths
A Dying Fall—Elly Griffiths
Déjà Dead—Kathy Reichs, which is so very different from “Bones”, the tv series.
I know it was popular, but I gave up on The Thursday Murder Club. Griffiths' series featuring Max Mephisto is pretty good.
Nice reading, Deb! I enjoyed The Long Call, too.
I read Deja Dead many years ago and agree that it is very different than the TV series. I haven't continued with the books. Will you, do you think?
Tip that I found out by accident: when looking for a book on GR and it's 15 pages in, search for Title Last Name of Author. Your book will pop to the top.
For example: search for The Long Call Cleeves
Deb, how would you rate While Justice Sleeps by Stacey AbramsI've been toying with putting it on TBR list for when I need a change of genres from my usual reads.
Thanks !
John, i haven’t read that Griffith’s series but will keep it in mind, as i like reading her other series.
Petra, thank you for the GR search tip! It’s been quite frustrating.I don’t believe i will read further in the Reichs series. I didn’t like it enough to continue to see what develops.
Alias, i liked the Abrams book enough to follow up with any others she may create. There were moments when i felt I could have used fewer characters but couldn’t see where she could have cut—LOL. The puzzling out of clues was enjoyable, i must add.I hope that helps.
madrano wrote: "I don’t believe i will read further in the Reichs series. I didn’t like it enough to continue to see what develops."
That was my thought after finishing the first book. I am glad, though, that someone liked the series enough to turn it into a TV show. I like the show quite a bit.
Ditto, Petra. Upon completing the book, i wondered why so many alterations. Why not just start from scratch?
When I got it right remembererd I finished three (and a half) books. Most of them were in German;Die Wahrheit über unsere Medikamente: Wann sie helfen, wann sie schaden und wann sie Geldverschwendung sind
[The truth about our medicaments: When they help, when they harm and when they´re a waste of money]
It´s a book by a pharmacist who wrote about his everyday work life in a pharmacy, and while doing this he explains a lot about different types of medication. While there wasn´t thaaat much new for me as it´s my profession, for "normal" people it´s kind of helpful (I heard so from others). For me it was rather cool to see how another pharmacist conducts his counselling talks. What I liked best is how he intertwined his explanations into the description of his work with the customers so that you could read it quite easily and it didn´t seem that scientific although he did explain a lot.
Cyberwar – Die Gefahr aus dem Netz: Wer uns bedroht und wie wir uns wehren können
[Cyberwar - The dangers from the web: Who threatens us and how we can defend us]
That´s a book about dangers from the internet. It was described how a cyber attack works, who does it and what should be done to prevent them. Furthermore, the authors also wrote about the social impact of cyber attacks. It was nice to read, but I hoped to learn a bit more about the details (not that I want to do a cyber attack - just to learn a bit about how internet, cyber stuff and similar works). But all in all, a nice read, although probably not memorable.
Olympische Spiele. 100 Seiten: Reclam 100 Seiten
[Olympic Games. 100 Pages]
A typical book from the "100 Seiten"-series by Reclam where a topic is explained on 100 pages. As there were the Olympic games this month, I read the book about Olympics. The book was about the beginning in the Ancient Greece and the first modern Olympics until today. I have to admit that this book was more interesting than I would have thought.
And to the half book: I read the Wax&Wayne series by Brandon Sanderson, and in my version all three books are together in one. I finished the first book of the trilogy, and the others will follow next month.
Florian, thanks for the comments. It looks as though you had a good reading month. I like what you wrote about learning how others in your profession handles counseling calls. As we travel across the US, it’s been interesting to listen to how different pharmacists explain my blood pressure medication and what to look out for as i take them. Some say nothing, though, just hand over the meds.I like the idea/challenge of fitting topics into a 100 page book. And what a terrific way to learn some basics of a topic.
madrano wrote: "Alias, i liked the Abrams book enough to follow up with any others she may create. There were moments when i felt I could have used fewer characters but couldn’t see where she could have cut—LOL. T..."I appreciate the follow-up, deb. Thanks !
Florian, the pharmacy book and the cyber war book sound very interesting. Thank you for sharing.I absolutely love the idea of 100 page books explaining a topic. I like to read non fiction, so this would be something I would really enjoy.
I was thinking that I didn't have that many books for August but I just counted 15! So here we go:
The Haunting of Gillespie House by Darcy Coates - 4 stars.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Beast by Anna Willett - 5 stars.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Dust Devils by Jonathan Janz - 4 stars.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Infected by
- 4 stars.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sorcerer's Quest: Complete Trilogy by
- 3 stars.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Dark Dreams and Weird Tales: A Baker Johnson Short Story by
- 4 stars.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Horror Collection: Emerald Edition by
- 5 stars.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Vigilantes and the Media: 8 Horrific True Crime Stories of Vigilantes by
- 4 stars.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Entity by
- 4 stars.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Last Wrong Turn by
- 4 stars.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Fuzzy Navel by
- 5 stars.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Red by
- 4 stars.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Ghosts of Miller's Crossing by
- 4 stars.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cherry Bomb by
- 5 stars.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ghost Road Blues by
- 5 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...All in all I felt that I had a great month - I love the Konrath series. Konrath actually has quite a few different crime series and I started reading one now by him that has the same characters as the Jack Daniels series, so I switched off this month to read that series then I will go back to the other series later this month.
I have also discovered three new authors which are Jonathan Maberry, David Clark, and Frank De Felitta.
The Maberry book Ghost Road Blues is the first in a trilogy and I own the second book that I need to read. The last book I will be able to grab at the library. But the first book was creepy and just kept me on the edge of my seat, so looking forward to continuing the trilogy.
The author, David Clark - that book The Ghosts of Miller's Crossing is the first book in a series of five books. I didn't know it when I was reading this book but when I went to check out his books I found out that he had just released the fifth book in this series. So I will be getting back to this series eventually.
So that is my wrap up for August. :)
Marie wrote: "I was thinking that I didn't have that many books for August but I just counted 15! So here we go:."You sure had a successful month. It's always exciting to find new authors whom you enjoy. Thanks for sharing, Marie.
Marie, it's wonderful that you found a few new authors to enjoy. You've had a terrific month of reading!
Looks like you're a big horror/paranormal fan Marie. Some of those books look really good. 🙂
What an August! Marie, you had me smiling at your first review—not scary enough! You are one tough customer. I would be shaking at the first “boo!”As always, it’s a pleasure reading about the books you’ve been reading. The “Slow Burn” series is tempting, as i like reading about how folks cope with such circumstances.
The Becker book and its Canadian Dexter sounds absorbing. I cannot imagine a killer using a tv show in that way!
The story behind “The Entity” is all the more frightening for being about a real woman and her horror. As you noted, back then (1970s) there weren’t many scientifically research such phenomena.
It’s wonderful that you’ve uncovered more series to explore. One just leads to another, sometimes.
Question: how often do you have to clean that “gore suit”? Or are they disposable? I just love when you already have it on!
Book Nook Cafe
Books mentioned in this topic
Dark Dreams and Weird Tales: A Baker Johnson Short Story (other topics)The Horror Collection: Emerald Edition (other topics)
The Entity (other topics)
Last Wrong Turn (other topics)
Ghost Road Blues (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Frank De Felitta (other topics)Ryan Becker (other topics)
Terry M. West (other topics)
Kevin J. Kennedy (other topics)
N.A.K. Baldron (other topics)
More...
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