All About Books discussion
Book Chat
>
What have you just read? Opinions, Recommendations, and Reviews, part 3
I read The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner. It's the first novel I've read by Wallace Stegner, but it won't be the last. I thought it was wonderful. I loved the narrator's voice.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
Finally caught up with two (very different) classics and enjoyed both!1. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Can't believe I waited so long to read this!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2. The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
Poetry isn't really my cup of tea, but this one worked excellently because I heard it.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just loved this rural Australian mystery/romance. ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 for
Snowy Mountains Dawn by Alissa Callen https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Arsenic Eater's Wife by Tonya Mitchell
A historical fiction based on an actual 1890s case where a woman was arrested for killing her husband. A compelling work, despite a slightly OTT finish.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The Cottage by the Shore by Rachael Lucas
4 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Into the Fire by Gregg Andrew HurwitzMy review 5★ (of course)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro. My review is here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
my review of The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs
3 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Secret Ingredient by Sue Heath
A good story with great characters. Will work well for a soothing read.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
So behind with posting reviews so this will be a long update:Bad Vibrations by Christine Pope - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Ciphers of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Behind You by Rylie Dark - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Murder at the Book Festival by Jane Bettany - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Ancient Fire by Ellen Read - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens by David Mitchell - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Institution by Helen Sarah Fields - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Institute by Stephen King - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and The Housemaid's Secret by the same author - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A Very English Scandal: Sex, Lies, and a Murder Plot at the Heart of the Establishment by John Preston - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and finally
Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The Stellar Debut of Galactica MacFee by Alexander McCall Smith
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of A Courtship on Huckleberry Hill by Jennifer Beckstrand
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... 4 stars
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
5 starsThis is a satire on man's tendency and idiocy to pine for what is not given by nature or to twist nature to suit his endless needs.
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
5 starsI enjoyed this book very much, may be because i like Sir Walter Scott's books, this plot revolves around Arthurian Legend, multi layered symbolism and the concept of memory is involved.
Mod
Nidhi, all four of your books sound wonderful!I read a light Charles Dickens
Master Humphrey's ClockReview: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And a very heavy James Baldwin
Go Tell It on the MountainReview: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, a darkly humorous book about the publishing industry and the way social media influences it & of course, as the title implies, a critique of how publishers use diversity/inclusion as selling points.
Leslie wrote: "I just finished Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, a darkly humorous book about the publishing industry and the way social media influences it & of course, as the title imp..."I’ve been reading Yellowface on kindle intermittently between other stuff. I’ve found it very thought provoking and rather an eye-opener vis-a-vis the publishing industry about which I know very little. Interestingly I wouldn’t have described particularly it as humorous although the author has a light touch and through the naïveté of the would be “celeb author” steers the reader away from dwelling on the horrors of internet bullying. The protagonist is so good at self justifying and shrugging things off. A great book for a book group to chew over don’t you think?
I’ve just finished The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell. A historical novel about Lucrezia de Medici, Duchess of Ferrara. Brilliantly imagined and utterly gripping.
I re-read a classic--The Plague by Albert Camus, translated by Stuart Gilbert.It is as relevant and as powerful today as it was when it first came out in 1947.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Tweedledum wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I just finished Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, a darkly humorous book about the publishing industry and the way social media influences it & of course, a..."Yes, I agree it would be a good book for a book club or group read!
Mod
By her I've read Babel, and appreciated it quite; I'll look for this then!
Little Witness by S.A. Dunphy
An Irish police procedural initialising what promises to be an interesting series around children caught in the aftermath of adult crimes.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power about three generations of Dakota women. In the first three sections, the women are young girls speaking in first-person voices about the traumas they experienced. Each girl has a doll who communicates with her. The final section consists of the dolls speaking to an adult. I enjoyed the first three sections, but the final section didn't work for me.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
Only the Children by S.A. Dunphy
Didn't work as well as the first book for me, though the ratings suggest otherwise.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
. Horror fantasy - scary, imaginative and funny all at the same time. A great read!https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished
(Berta Isla) by Javier Marías.A great book from the spanish novelist; but beware this is not an actual spy story, this a book about life, love and relationships.
My review of On a Coastal Breeze By Suzanne Woods Fisher
3 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman and gave it a 2 start review. 
Very disappointing for a book that started off so intriguing.
I had high hopes for this book, but could barely stand to finish it. It started out with a great mystery, and I liked the plot development in the first half of the book. Then it started getting lost in the medical science, and crumpled in the boring ending. I expected a more interesting turn of events that would include characters that seemed significant through out the book, but they were all left hanging and excluded from the actual finale.
She's a Killer by Kirsten McDougall
A wacky cli-fi satire set in dystopian NZ. Not for everyone, but if you like dark humour, you'll possibly enjoy this.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
All About Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Lady Like (other topics)Woman of Mystery (other topics)
Thomas Hardy (other topics)
A Distance Too Grand (other topics)
The Wedding Engagement (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Mackenzi Lee (other topics)Claire Tomalin (other topics)
Jaimie Admans (other topics)
Beka Gremikova (other topics)
M.L. Wang (other topics)
More...
3 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...