THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Archives - Book Discussions
>
WHAT BOOKS HAVE YOU FINISHED?
Northwest Resistance
by Katherena Vermette (Girl Called Echo #3) 3.5 starshttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Gina KolataThis is the story of the Baxley family of Hartsville, South Carolina, who - generation after generation - were struck by a devastating neurodegenerative illness.
Good book. 4 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
Prodigal Son by Gregg Andrew HurwitzEvan Smoak - also known as Orphan X - protects the life of an impound lot worker who witnessed a crime.
Twisty thriller. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Alexander McCall SmithPianos and Flowers is a compendium of short stories, each tale inspired by a photo from the archives of The Sunday Times newspaper.
Entertaining and fun. 3 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
Wrong Alibi by Christina DoddA young woman gets a job with (what turns out to be) a con artist in Alaska, and gets framed for murder.
Adventurous thriller. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Greer Hendricks and Sarah PekkanenAn unconventional therapist is hired to help a couple's marriage, but everyone has deep dark secrets.
Good domestic thriller. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Tonight, I finished reading the new novel "Our American Friend" by Anna Pitoniak.
This novel is a political thriller with a Cold War backstory in which the life story of the First Lady (who was born in the Soviet Union but grew up in Paris during the 1970s and 1980s) serves as the cornerstone of the novel.
Mod
by Aravind AdigaA boy from a very poor village in India pulls himself up to be a successful businessman by guile and cleverness.
Engaging and interesting. 4 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Jonathan KellermanAlex Delaware, a psychologist consulting with the LAPD helps his friend, Lieutenant Milo Sturgis, investigate a cold case.
Good book. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by James ComeyIn this memoir, (former) FBI Director Comey explains his role in the 2016 election from his point of view, but not until the end of the book, after he's related other stories about his life and work.
The stories are good. 5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
Bone Deep: Untangling the Twisted True Story of the Tragic Betsy Faria Murder Case by Charles Bosworth Jr. and Joel SchwartzThe true story of justice subverted when Russ Faria was accused of killing his wife Betsy Faria. Now a mini-series on Hulu.
The case is covered very thoroughly. 4 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Kate QuinnThe story follows three young women who worked at England's Bletchley Park, a country estate converted to a code-breaking facility during World War II. Drama, romance, and more.
Good book. 4 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Judy BatalionThe book tells stories of brave resourceful Jewish women in Poland who resisted the Nazis during World War II.
Good book. 4 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hi Barbara,I'm reading Camino Winds, sequel to Camino Island by John Grisham. Loving both books.
Rhode Island Red
by Charlotte Carter (Nanette Hayes #1) 4.5 starshttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Road Allowance Era
by Katherena Vermette (A Girl Called Echo #4) 3.5 starshttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
I'm reading Camino Winds, sequel to Camino Island by John Grisham. Loving both books."
Readers can usually count on Grisham for a good story. 🌞
Mod
by Raquel V. ReyesThis is the first book in the Caribbean Kitchen mystery series, featuring a Hispanic sleuth and her circle of friends and relatives.
Good multiethnic cozy mystery with recipes. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Robert B. ParkerPolice Chief Jesse Stone aids a criminal who's trying to save a 14-year-old girl.
Easy reading mystery. 2.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Girl Waits with Gun
by Amy Stewart (Kopp Sisters #1) 4 starshttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Anthony HorowitzSusan Ryeland, a literary editor/hotel owner/amateur sleuth investigates an old murder and a current disappearance.
Clever double mystery. 4 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Helene TurstenThe further sardonic adventures of 88-year-old Maud, who doesn't shrink at a spot of murder.
Fun sequel to the first book. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Steven J. CarinoThis is a heartwarming true story about a man and his dog. When the dog is stolen, Steven goes to any lengths to find him.
Good story for animal lovers. 3 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Jeneva RoseA man having an extramarital affair is accused of murder when his girlfriend is found dead....and his attorney wife defends him.
Suspenseful thriller. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Phillip MargolinDefense attorney Robin Lockwood defends a woman accused of assault, child abuse and other crimes.
Good courtroom scenes. 3 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Belinda BauerExiteers, who attend people who are ending their lives, make a big mistake.
Funny quirky novel. 4 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Silesian Station
is an entertaining-but-flawed follow-up to a well-crafted and engaging series debut. Its overstuffed plot suffers from not having a clear throughline, though the individual strands can be effective in isolation. I'm disappointed; I wanted to like this more than I did. The normal-guy protagonist is still easy to relate to and makes the story still worth the effort. But I hope that book #3 will be a better read so the series can live up to its potential. Three transfers on the Strassenbahn.Read the full review here.
Mod
by C.J. TudorA mother and her teenage daughter confront supernatural phenomena when they move to a new town with a sinister past.
Lots of twists. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Today, I finished reading "From Camelot to Kent State: The Sixties Experience in the Words of Those Who Lived It" by Joan Morrison and Robert K. Morrison
The authors interviewed a variety of people from policymakers (e.g. Harris Wofford, who worked for the Kennedy Administration as a Special Assistant to the President for Civil Rights), to Vietnam War veterans, a family who lost a son in Vietnam, to people from various walks of life who involved themselves in the Civil Rights Movement and/or the anti-war movement. There were also a few people the authors interviewed who were simply witnesses to some of the most seminal events of the time. For example, there was Leone Keegan, who was an 18 year old freshman at Kent State University in Ohio at the time of the murder there of four student anti-war protesters by the Ohio National Guard in May 1970. The following remarks she made I found especially sobering:
"About a month after the shooting --- I think it was June --- Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young gave an outdoor concert in Cleveland. It was the first time they sang the song Ohio, and it was chilling. People were on their feet, you know, clapping their hands, moving their bodies, crying. Everybody was just sort of shaking. ... You listen to music now and it seems so candyish. ... Then it seemed to have a purpose. I'll never forget that night. ... {Sings softly.} 'This summer I hear the drumming, Four dead in Ohio...' "
For anyone interested in social history, as well as in what the 1960s signified and how it impacted a nation, read this book. I have, and been deeply moved by the experience.
Mod
[bookcover:F..."
This is an interesting way to look at the 60s, from people who were there.
Mod
by William A. HaseltineHazeltine has strived to improve human health and welfare for all his life. He tells his story in this memoir.
Interesting and informative book. 4 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Justin HalpernHalpern tells funny stories about his life, starting from childhood.
The book is good fun. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Barbara wrote: "I Suck at Girls by Justin HalpernHalpern tells funny stories about his life, starting from childhood.
The book is good fun...."
++++++++++++++++++++
I second that. I also read Justin Halpern's other book several years ago. His father - whom he often mentions in his books - is quite a character. LOL.
Today I finished reading "Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years" by Sarah L. & A. Elizabeth Delany.
It was about 30 years ago that, while watching TV, I was first made aware of the Delany sisters (Sadie and Bessie), two centenarian African American women whose lives spanned almost the entirety of the 20th century. I enjoyed hearing about their lives, being given a glimpse of their family history (which this book expands upon in greater detail), as well as their insights into so many different things. Both women reminded me so much of my maternal grandparents (who were of the same generation) from my childhood in the early 1970s.
This is a book I would highly recommend to all people. Indeed, in reading this book, I felt as if I were a guest in Sadie and Bessie Delaney's house, where both shared with me their life histories.
KOMET wrote: "Today I finished reading "Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years" by Sarah L. & A. Elizabeth Delany.[bookcover:Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' Firs..."
I did not read this tome by the sisters, but I did read "The Delany Sisters' Book of Everyday Wisdom". Advice from sisters who have probably seen and heard most of it all. In this book, the advice offered still stands.
Mod
by Catherine CoulterA judge on vacation finds an abducted child, which leads to danger and romance.
For fans of romantic suspense. 2 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Elly GriffithsPolice detective Harbinder Kaur investigates several suspicious deaths.
Good characters and twists. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Paris Architect
is a good war-is-hell-in-occupied-Paris story laboring under writing issues that should've been ironed out in editing. The Fallen Architect proved the author can write; this one seems to imply that he needs a strong editor and a much better audiobook producer. That's a shame. I was primed to like this book and came away disappointed. Three cans of black-market coffee.Read the full review here.
Mod
by James Lee BurkeAaron Holland Broussard, grandson of former Texas lawman Hackberry Holland, looks back at the summer of 1952, when he was seventeen and in love and getting in trouble.
Good book. 4 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Robert GalbraithCormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott investigate the disappearance of a woman four decades ago.
Good story. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Billy Boyle: A World War II Mystery
by James R. Benn (Billy Boyle #1) 3.5 starshttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished reading today "The Odds Against Us" by Peter Townsend.
The Odds Against Us deals with the Blitz of 1940-41 as experienced by British civilians and RAF [Royal Air Force] Fighter Command when the Luftwaffe shifted from daytime operations to nocturnal bombing of British cities and ports to defeat Britain. Townsend himself was in command of a Hurricane squadron at the time that was ordered to convert to night fighting after September 1940. From time to time, he shares with the reader the challenging and at times frustrating experiences his squadron had during those grim nights between October 1940 and May 1941.
A very fascinating story.
I really liked Gary Inbinder's - 'The Flower to the Painter'.
Here is my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Jon StewartA tongue-in-cheek guide for aliens that visit the Earth after humans are extinct.
Mildy clever and entertaining. 3 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
by Josh WeissIn this alternative history novel, commie-buster, anti-Semitic Joseph McCarthy is U.S. President and there's a nefarious plot afoot that involves a Jewish LAPD detective.
Interesting noir novel. 3 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
Books mentioned in this topic
The Skull Mantra (other topics)Murder With Chocolate Tea (other topics)
The Left Hand of Darkness (other topics)
The Good Neighbors (other topics)
Listen for the Lie (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Eliot Pattison (other topics)Karen Rose Smith (other topics)
Holly Black (other topics)
Amy Tintera (other topics)
Rachel Hawkins (other topics)
More...
Joe Biden and Barack Obama investigate the death of an Amtrak Conductor.
Fun Mystery. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...