Book Nook Cafe discussion
What did you read last month?
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What did you Read in ~~ July 2022

The Things They Carried--Tim O'Brien. A collection of stories about soldiers marching in the jungles of Vietnam during the US war there. Well written, amusing at times, sad at others but it felt quite honest.
The Premonition: A Pandemic Story--Michael Lewis. Well presented story about those who worked best during the first few months of '20 to battle COVID when the CDC & White House seemed inert. THANK YOU, Michele, for mentioning this book. I am awaiting The Premonitions Bureau: A True Account of Death Foretold--Sam Knight, which you also mentioned.
The Art of Papercraft: Projects Techniques to Spark Creativity with Just One Sheet of Paper--Helen Hiebert. Well assembled book about projects to create with paper. Not only were the instructions written clearly but there were both drawn instructions (numbered for each step) and photos of the instructions.
I wasn't "in love" with any of the novels i read in July. I'm glad to have read Appointment in Samarra--John O'Hara because i've long wondered about his writing. It wasn't for me, although i did like the ending.
And The Book of Cold Cases--Simone St. James kept me reading late into the night.


I'm interested in the Pandemic book. The backstory of what was going on sounds like it would be interesting.
I'm usually happy if a novel entertains me. I love a stellar one that I fall in love with, but an amusing, entertaining one is good, too.

Thank you, Alias & Petra for your comments. Petra, you make a good point about novels. Their job is to entertain, so if it kept me reading & returning once i put it down, i should be satisfied. Until i was 50, i was usually pleased with the novels i read. Suddenly, i became critical but that's also about the time more & more novels employed dual timelines & multiple POVs. This may be cause & effect or it could be my brain isn't as agile!

Some novels are too "something" for me to like. Either too simple storied, too slow, too....I don't know....something. I put those down quickly.
But if it keeps my interest, even if not well written or best paced, I can forgive it and just enjoy it for what it is. I don't usually read more by the author, though.

Should We Stay or Should We Go - (4-star) The author starts with one situation & decision, then leads us to about a dozen possible endings. I really liked this exploration of events and outcomes.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Last Days of the Dinosaurs: An Asteroid, Extinction, and the Beginning of Our World - (4-star) A bit of a poor choice in title because the dinosaurs die off at the beginning of this book. However, a book that puts you into the Eras being explained and looked at. While we may never know exactly what happened and how the World recovered, Riley Black does use the fossil evidence to give us a good picture of how the World recovered from the disaster of the asteroid. I quite enjoyed the story. The author, though, was repetitive with some words and sayings. For example, she likes the word "little".
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail - (3-star) A courageous and strong story of a Grandmother who one day started to walk the Appalachian Trail from beginning to end. She was a marvellous walker. Interspersed with the tale of the walk, are her history plus a snapshot of Society at the time of the walk.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Greenwood - (4-star) A family saga covering about 100 years of a family's history. It asks the questions: what is family? what keeps them together? how do they connect?
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Book of Eve - (4-star) A short book with a lot of themes. A 65-year old woman walks out of her comfortable life and begins to find herself, her core values, her beliefs and her feelings. A well told tale of personal discovery and growth.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

What a nice mix of books, Petra. As always, I enjoyed reading your reviews.

Petra, your entire post could have been written by me! I can understand why dual timelines appeal to novelists. This allows them to just state things which, in the past, were carefully inserted into the prose without interpretations. However, it is not old because not many writers don't do this nowadays.
Petra wrote: " Some novels are too "something" for me to like. Either too simple storied, too slow, too....I don't know....something. I put those down quickly.
But if it keeps my interest, even if not well written or best paced, I can forgive it and just enjoy it for what it is. I don't usually read more by the author, though...."
"Something" is a perfect word for it...until i find a better one. I've been trying to define what it is i don't like but have been unable thus far to come up with the word i want. It's almost an instant feeling when i begin a book. Often, however, i'm reading the novel because it's been well praised, both here at Book Nook Cafe, as well as other places.
Staying with the book works and i often end up content with what i've read. Yet, i wish someone else had told the story in a way i might have liked better. (This is the first time i've thought the previous sentence, so may take it back. Presently, it fits.) Usually i feel this way because i like the underlying story but the prose/writing has distracted me from the book, so to speak.
And i find myself less & less likely to read more than that sampling of the writer's work. It takes a good premise to bring me to another of that novelist's books.
Thanks for putting all this together, Petra. I'm still working out my thoughts and feelings about my own taste change in reading. Your comments helped.

Should We Stay or Should We Go - (4-star) The author starts with one situation & decision, then leads us to about a dozen possible endings. I r..."
This first one sounds good. It's on my hold list at the library. I tend to like alternative looks at the same series of events. (This kinda puts me at odds with my dual timeline thoughts in the post above, however.)
The dinosaur book is on my TBR because i would appreciate such a look at that time frame. When my kids were young and into dinosaurs, i learned bits (having had no interest myself as a child) but didn't take the time to learn more. It seems this book can fill me in.
I added a note to your Grandma review. Something i wondered about when i read the book a couple of years ago.
I've also added Eve to my list. Your enjoyable month of reading has lead to my increased TBR. Thanks. I believe.


Fiction
Rate: 4/5 stars
Molly is on the Asperger's spectrum. She struggles with social skills, is a bit too naïve and takes things literally. Molly is a maid in an upscale hotel and she loves her job. One of the hotel guests is murdered and so begins the mystery. I probably would put this novel in the cozy mystery genre. I did like Molly and was rooting for her. If you are looking for a light interesting fun summer read, I would check this one out. I will say the book had some surprising twists that I didn't see coming.

Non Fiction
Rate: 2 /5 stars
I first learned of Julia Haart when she appeared as a guest host on The View.
The first part of the book was interesting. It explains her life in an ultra orthodox Jewish community. She is unhappily married when she is 19 and has four children. She decides at age 42 she doesn't like her strict religious life or her husband and leaves him with the children.
The second half of the book is a complete disaster. It jumps from one odd business dealing to another as Julia decides to become a shoe designer. This section is repetitive and disorganized.
Everyone seems to be scamming someone, including Julia whose motto is, fake it till you make it. Julia also never tires of telling you how brilliant and sexy she is.
The book ends abruptly. However, if you Google, you find out that she ended up marrying the businessman in the last chapter of the book. He is now her ex and they are in a legal battle over fraud. It's such a jumble. I honestly don't care.

Fiction
Rate: 2/5 stars
The mayor of a small town of 212 people in Italy finds himself in a bind as the towns water pipes failed inspection and if they aren't repaired by a certain date the towns water will be shut off and the town will cease to exist. The mayor comes up with a convoluted plot to raise the money for the repairs.
I had a few smiles but this books one note joke carried on too long for me.

Fiction
Rate: 4 / 5 stars
I enjoyed this engaging debut novel that's become a huge bestseller. It takes place in the late 50's early 60s. The main character, Elizabeth, is women in a male dominated profession. She's a chemist. She also is probably on the spectrum, though that is never discussed.
It has a lot of twists, so I wont spoil that and discuss the plot.

Fiction
Rate: 4/5 stars
This is Shelby Van Pelt’s heart-warming debut novel. It's become a mega hit.
The story is about 70 year old Tova who works the night shift cleaning at the local aquarium. She doesn't need the money but it keeps her busy and helps her cope with the death of her husband and the disappearance of her 18-year-old son who mysteriously vanished on a boat more than 30 years ago.
While working at the aquarium, Tova realizes that the Giant Pacific octopus, named Marcellus, is highly intelligent. They bond when she realizes Marcellus can get out of his tank and roam around at night. The chapters narrated by the octopus are excellent. The other chapters about 30 year old Cameron in search of his dad dragged for me. Also the plot was very predictable.
Still, all in all, I enjoyed this feel good book.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Brazil: Life, Blood and Soul by John Malathronas ⭐⭐⭐
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Marrow and Bone by Walter Kempowski ⭐⭐⭐
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Things They Carried--Tim O'Brien. A co..."
The O'Hara book is one I've considered as a "classic I should probably tackle sometime" Holding back as it might be grim and/or dated.

Should We Stay or Should We Go - (4-star) The author starts with one situation & decision, then leads us to about a dozen possible endings. I r..."
madrano wrote: "Petra wrote: "I had an enjoyable month of reading:
Should We Stay or Should We Go - (4-star) The author starts with one situation & decision, then leads us to about a dozen possibl..."
Thanks for bringing Gatewood and Eve to my attention.


Fiction
Rate: 4/5 stars
Molly is on the Asperger's spectrum. She struggles with social ski..."
Nice selection - useful comments! 👍

John, there is a podcast by the BBC called
A History of the World in 100 Objects
Most episodes are under 15 minutes. You noted you liked
the book you read in small doses. I thought you might enjoy these brief podcasts.
You can listen to some episodes here
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

John, there is a podcast by the BBC called
A History of the World in 100 Objects
Mos..."
I have the complete 100 objects as an audiobook. I've a bit left to go. Wasn't as interested in the initial prehistoric items, but the series is well done, definitely recommended!

Your question about whether there is, in fact, a coffee table book about concentration camps had me searching the web. Thankfully i didn't see any with photos of the camps. However, there were a couple along the lines of Witness: Passing the Torch of Holocaust Memory to New Generations, in which Eli Rubenstein honors survivors who participate in educating younger generations about the Holocaust.

It covered my Modern Library Novel challenge, as well as sampling O'Hara, so i'm glad i read it. Not knowing that he is partly known for the sexual aspects of his novels, i wasn't expecting the sexism but, rather, a basic ignoring of females. Wrong.
Never having been a part of a country club set, i'm not sure how dated his presentation of that was. However, i cannot imagine that much has changed for them.
Grim? Somewhat. It was sad to watch the main character's quick decline with his set. In my opinion it all happened too fast, which gave a false tone to that aspect. Yet attributing it all to his overdrinking gave it some credibility. It's a challenge for me to read novels about alcoholics, so that may have tainted my opinion, as well.

None of my libraries had the Constance Beresford-Howe book available. I'll have to stall my reading of it but it is one i will seek.

I have the complete 100 objects as an audiobook. I've a bit left to go. Wasn't as interested in the initial prehistoric items, but the series is well done, definitely recommended!."
:)

You made my day. Not all my book recommendations turn out this well, but wasn't Premonitions a great read?


Well-written memoir by and about Jason Kander, classic overachiever, and his overachieving wife and their struggle to recognize and deal with their joint PTSD., a souvenir of his service in Afghanistan. Although his new wife stayed at home while her husband served four months at a Forward Operating Base, she was able to explain how his PTSD was a shared consequence that deformed their lives and their marriage. Being overachievers, they kept trying till they figured it out, and both are doing so much good for others while they heal themselves. Inspiring and recommended. 5 stars

Tim Miller, still working in politics and punditry, husband and father, started adult life as a closeted gay Republican who relied on compartmentalization to avoid empathizing with the victims of his political hijinks. And to avoid his own conflicted feelings about the "game" of politics and his sexuality. He analyzed himself to the best of his ability at this point on his life journey, but where he shines is in the character sketches of others. You will laugh, you will cry, you will vote Democratic. 4 stars

A primer on domestic terror groups in the US and the world. Malcolm Nance brings his spy skills once again and gives a basic lesson on how domestic terrorism grows, who is joining up, and what they would like to do to us. Scary and sad. 4 stars

Very odd book. It was supposed to be funny, but I didn't think it was. A Chinese-American girl, first generation American, grows up with a lack of appreciation for the sacrifices her parents made. By the time she is ready for her PhD, she is convinced by her smarmy academic advisor to write her dissertation on the Chinese-America poet Chou, although she'd really rather do something else. We find her hiding in the library for months on end trying to get her dissertation started. She is in her 8th year of work on it, and it's getting worse, not better. We meet her friends, her fiancee, a few enemies. The plot of this book is fantatastically stupid, and the author smacks you in the face with the moral of the story. Firm pass.

I listened to every last word of this terrible book waiting for something to happen. The baby ate the rotten sausage and got sick and the violinist died. Then they pulled into Istanbul. The end. Don't recommend it.

I read a book about urban Native Americans in Oakland (called There, There) and I loved it. So this one is about black folks in Oakland, and I thought it would be fun to compare them. But this book defeated me. The heroine was a young girl living with her older brother after their parents died. The child relied heavily on him and was very aware that if he did not keep a job, she would be out on the street. When he quit his job and started hanging around a local recording studio hoping to make it as a rapper, this smart little sister took matters into her own hands in a shocking way, at least to me. I couldn't get inside her head or her thinking process. I feel I failed this book, and I will get back to it again. Maybe it was too raw and real. I don't know. I felt like I did when I tried "Watchmen" a TV series about the Tulsa massacre. I could not crack the code.
And my hour is up. Thanks for the therapy session.
Michele

I listen to Tim sometimes on The Bulwark podcast. I'll put his book on my TBR list.
LOVED your review of Last Train to Istanbul LOL :)
I very much enjoyed your reviews, Michele. Thank you for sharing.

Now i've begun The Premonitions Bureau: A True Account of Death Foretold and am hooked. I think Knight strays afield more than Lewis in covering his main character, Barker, but the overall story is worth the alleys where he takes us.

LOL! I had to start with your ending, as i understand what you mean. Sometimes i have to rein myself in when i'm baffled by what i'm reading. Your last 3 reviews were terrific but, as Alias noted, Istanbul takes first prize. I appreciate these but value your comments on the other three. Thanks.
Your comments on Kandar's book was strong. I didn't think i would want to read it but, particularly upon mentioning the deformed marriage, i now have added it to my list. It sounds to me as though he has performed a service in writing the book. Yet another reason to thank the man.
I'll be reading Miller's book as fast as i can get hold of it. I'm still working on figuring out how the Republican party backed and is still backing the Trump horse. It's beyond my ability to understand the lust for power that is politics but what we've seen (on both sides) has stunned me. I fight hard not to give up entirely because that is what i think they want. *sigh*
I've read and liked Nance's work, so appreciate your review.
Honestly, Michele, it sounds to me as though we are in similar circumstances. I'm finding a tough time finding a contemporary novel which pleases me. Like you, i keep going even when i sense a book is going to fail me. Hope Springs Eternal, i reckon.



This was the story of a woman married to a silent film star in the 1920's. She lives the high life in Hollywood until a doctor notices a scaly lesion on her hand and immediately labels her as a leper. She is shipped off to Carville, the US's only leper colony. At this point, she basically has to start life over again.
Rated 4 Stars

This was a funny read about a woman who finds out that her husband is cheating on her and ends up doing her own private investigating to catch him in the act. She owns her own boutique and drags her assistant into her wild antics with her. A nice light read for the summer.
Rated 4 Stars

Liz Talley has a prolific career. This is the first time i remember hearing the name. Your comments have me adding this book to my TBR list.


This was the story of a woman married to a silent film star in the 1920's. She lives the high life in Hollywood until a doctor notices a scaly ..."
I see that The Second Life of Mirielle West is free for Amazon Prime !
Somehow I wasn't aware that the U.S. had a leper colony.
I can't even imagine being ostracized like that . How horrible.
I read a book that I gave a top rating to on the same topic.
Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa

The Rebel Nun
The Paper Daughters of Chinatown
The Judge's List

Rated 4 Stars..."
This sounds like the perfect book to read when I need a break from serious non fiction. Thanks for the title, Kim !

The Rebel Nun"
Oh, Nun sounds very good. Thanks, Simon, for sharing these titles.

The Rebel Nun
The Paper Daughters of Chinatown
The Judge's List"
When checking on Amazon The Judge's list, I saw amazing fact.
"John Grisham is the author of forty-seven consecutive #1 bestsellers, "
I see the book you read, Simon, is book 2 in the The Whistler series. The first book in the series is aptly called The Whistler.
I used to read legal thrillers all the time. I haven't read Grisham in a long time. Maybe I'll try this series.

Wax part 3 by Amy Cross - 4 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Come Closer by Sara Gran - 5 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Behind the Horror: True Stories That Inspired Horror Movies by Lee Mellor - 4 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Odds by Jeff Strand - 5 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Wax part 4 by Amy Cross - 4 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Redwood Asylum by L.A. Detwiler - 4 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A Gift of Death by Daniel J. Volpe - 4 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Horror Collection: Nightmare Edition by Simon Clark - 4 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Wax part 5 by Amy Cross - 4 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Date by Mort Stone - 5 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Wax part 6 by Amy Cross - 3 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Night They Got Out by Patrick James Ryan - 5 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
OGRE by Brian G. Berry - 5 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
That is my wrap for this month! It seems I read quite a few books. The Cross series were short reads as they were under 80 pages each. :)

Sara Gran has a mystery series i really like. John, a regular on this board introduced her Claire DeWitt series of 3 books (thus far), Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian Highway. They are busy, fascinating, druggy, intriguing stories. I didn’t realize she wrote much else but your review has set that right. Thanks!

Sara Gran has a ..."
Thank you, Deb! :) Yes - the Cross series was a disappointment but sometimes Cross is hit and miss anyway. This was a miss unfortunately.
I didn't realize Sara Gran wrote a mystery series - so thank you - I will need to check those out as well. I do know that she wrote a couple more horror books as well so she is no doubt a multi-genre author. :)

Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


Good review, Simon. I really appreciate the way you are open to new reading experiences that are outside of your comfort zone. Well done !

Historical fiction is my favorite genre, but love finding historical fiction that speaks of those "little known" time periods/events. I really think WWII absolutely dominates the historical fiction market.

You're welcome :)

..."
Yes. It does seem to. I tend to be drawn to books on WWII both fiction and non fiction.

Books mentioned in this topic
The Rebel Nun (other topics)Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian Highway (other topics)
The Redwood Asylum (other topics)
Behind the Horror: True Stories That Inspired Horror Movies (other topics)
Come Closer (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Lee Mellor (other topics)Sara Gran (other topics)
Brian G. Berry (other topics)
L.A. Detwiler (other topics)
Jeff Strand (other topics)
More...
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