What have you just read? Opinions, Recommendations, and Reviews, part 3 Showing 101-150 of 2,358

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash


An emotional debut work, though not exactly a WWII love story as promised. Worth a read though.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[PattyMacDotComma]

The Secret Scripture, by Sebastian Barry, is the mysterious story of the most beautiful girl in Sligo, Ireland, who has been in a mental institution for decades and is now 100. No wonder Barry was Ireland's Laureate for Irish Fiction. It's terrific.
5★ My review of A Secret Scripture

[Greg]

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "The Secret Scripture, by Sebastian Barry, is the mysterious story of the most beautiful girl in Sligo, Ireland, who has been in a mental institution for decades and is..."

This looks good Patty! Maybe I'll nominate it for next month's group read.

[Kim]

My review of Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

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

Sorry to say I didn't like this one much!

[Phrynne]

My review of What Happens in the Ballroom by Sabrina Jeffries

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

[Suz]

Paper Cup by Karen Campbell and narrated by Caroline Guthrie I just loved.

My review 5★

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

[Dale]

My review of Mothers and Daughters by Erica James

5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Phrynne]

My review of The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams

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

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner

Could have been outstanding had the focus stayed on the mystery and the seances.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Suz]

Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes

My review 2.5★

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

[PattyMacDotComma]

Greg wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "The Secret Scripture, by Sebastian Barry, is the mysterious story of the most beautiful girl in Sligo, Ireland, who has been in a mental insti...

This looks good Patty! Maybe I'll nominate it for next month's group read."

It should be easy for readers to get copies, since it's not a new book and it's an award-winner.

[PattyMacDotComma]

Ah, I remember the heady scent of racing fuel at trackside! Young Lewis Hamilton was bitten early by the Grand Prix bug and grew to be the top Formula One driver and a Sir, no less. Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara shows how a talented black kid made good in a white man's sport.
5★ My review of Lewis Hamilton
(Yes, we need more electrics.)

[PattyMacDotComma]

It's hardly worth writing a review of Jane Austen's much-loved Pride and Prejudice, is it? But since I finally read it (for a reading challenge), I will admit it has its charms.
4★ My review of Pride and Prejudice

[Leslie]

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "It's hardly worth writing a review of Jane Austen's much-loved Pride and Prejudice, is it? But since I finally read it (for a reading challenge), I will admit it has its c..."

Your first time reading this? I am a bit envious - it would be fun to read this again for the first time!

[Leslie]

I have recently finished several of Inspector Littlejohn mysteries:

The Case of the Demented Spiv (terrible title!)
Death in the Night Watches
Calamity at Harwood

All solid 3-3.5 star mysteries.

I also read the Chinese sci fi novel The Three-Body Problem, winner of the Hugo and Nebula awards. 4* but a quite science-y sci fi which might turn off some readers.

And I read/reread The Jungle Book. I thought I had read this before but I only recognized 2 of the stories - Mowgli and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. My Kindle edition from Project Gutenberg had marvelous illustrations, both line drawings and color plates.

[Dale]

My reviews of Will They, Won't They?By Portia MacIntosh

3 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and
Relying on the Holy Spirit: Biblical Foundations for Living the Christian Life by Charles F Stanley
4 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

The Nursery by Szilvia Molnar

Great in some ways, below average in other ways.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Dale]

My review of How To Be Remembered by Michael Thompson

4 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Esther]

Babel: An Arcane History
An alternative history set in a Colonial England whose power is based on magic.
This book didn't live up to either the hype or its own potential.
A disappointing 3 stars but the narration was very good.

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

[LauraT]

Leslie wrote: "I have recently finished several of Inspector Littlejohn mysteries:

The Case of the Demented Spiv (terrible title!)
Death in the Night Watches
[book:Calamity at Harw..."

Don't know them! We usually have the same taste in myseries; I'll look for the first at least; thanks Leslie!!!

[Suz]

You Talk, We Die: the battle for Victoria’s first safe injecting facility by Judy Ryan

My review 4★

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

[Leslie]

LauraT wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I have recently finished several of Inspector Littlejohn mysteries:

The Case of the Demented Spiv (terrible title!)
Death in the Night Watches
[book:C..."

I haven't read the first couple - some are not available in digital format yet! But many are available in Kindle Unlimited, so I am taking advantage of that while my promotional membership lasts :)

[Esther]

Somehow I forgot to review this 5 star book.
It is set in the late 16th century in Shakespere's theatre company and was a very enjoyable read.
Fools and Mortals

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

[Greg]

Esther wrote: "Somehow I forgot to review this 5 star book.
It is set in the late 16th century in Shakespere's theatre company and was a very enjoyable read.
[book:Fools and..."

Looks fun Esther - and quite different for Cornwall!

[Phrynne]

My (confused) review of Foster by Claire Keegan

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

[PattyMacDotComma]

A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon certainly has some strange, tidy characters as well as a strange, tidy ending. There is a lot of love out there for this one twisty mystery.
3★ My review of A Tidy Ending

[PattyMacDotComma]

My original post had a broken link, so here it is again.
Robert Dugoni's latest, Her Deadly Game, is a courtroom drama with a good investigative dilemma at the heart and a most intriguing solution.
3.5~4★ My review of Her Deadly Game

If you're a NetGalley reviewer, it's on NetGalley until 11 April.

[Esther]

I had heard good things about Jess Kidd so was a bit disappointed by The Night Ship .
Her description of the 17th Century setting was quite evocative but the story seemed to lose direction.
3.5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

The Ghosts of Thorwald Place by Helen Power

An interesting debut work with an unusual theme. Pretty good.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Leslie]

Well, I have finished Extinction: A Novel but am still not sure what I think about it! It certainly is a book that will stay with me for a while so perhaps after some time my opinion will solidify. For now, I am giving it 3* which is sure to move either up or down. Probably up as I didn't dislike it the way I did Ulysses...

[Suz]

Headcase by Jack Heath

My review 4★

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

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni

An entertaining legal thriller. Enjoyed it!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[PattyMacDotComma]

Rosh [busy month; will catch up soon!] wrote: "Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni

An entertaining legal thriller. Enjoyed it!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Good one, eh? I just fixed the broken link in my own post -oops!

[PattyMacDotComma]

A Good Man Is Hard To Find: Short Story by Flannery O'Connor is a thought-provoking and startling story that has nothing to do with someone seeking romance!
5★ My review of A Good Man is Hard to Find with a link to the story online

[PattyMacDotComma]

One of America's most celebrated black authors, James Baldwin wrote Sonny's Blues in 1957 about Harlem, drugs, music, and two brothers. Another memorable Baldwin story.
5★ My review of Sonny's Blues with a link to the story online

[LauraT]

Leslie wrote: "Well, I have finished Extinction: A Novel but am still not sure what I think about it! It certainly is a book that will stay with me for a while so perhaps after some time my opinion ..."

Maybe because it's much shorter!!!

[Greg]

Just finished the space horror novel Dead Silence (3.5 stars). Not deep at all but quite entertaining as a horror/suspense novel with a central mystery as to what's causing all of this to happen. I had guessed the mystery half way through, but I still enjoyed the execution quite a bit. Some parts were a little gory, and the narrator was unstable and wildly insecure, but for readers not put off by those things, I do recommend it as fun diversion.

[Leslie]

LauraT wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Well, I have finished Extinction: A Novel but am still not sure what I think about it! It certainly is a book that will stay with me for a while so perhaps after some t..."

Maybe! But I really struggled with Ulysses, had to force myself to read it for at least 30 minutes before switching to something else. I didn't have that problem with Extinction. Perhaps it was the translation that smoothed over some of the difficulties? Or perhaps it is Bernhard's writing itself - so hard to tell when one reads in translation...

[Leslie]

Greg wrote: "Just finished the space horror novel Dead Silence (3.5 stars). Not deep at all but quite entertaining as a horror/suspense novel with a central mystery as to what's causing all of t..."

That sounds like my sort of light reading except for the "horror" bit, lol! Though I do much better with horror in books than in movies!

[Greg]

Leslie wrote: "That sounds like my sort of light reading except for the "horror" bit, lol! Though I do much better with horror in books than in movies!"

I definitely like to mix in lighter books, about half usually. I can't handle all deep and dark; my mind needs some breaks! :)

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Good one, eh? "

Very good one! ;)

[Pam]

Greg wrote: "Just finished the space horror novel Dead Silence (3.5 stars). Not deep at all but quite entertaining as a horror/suspense novel with a central mystery as to what's causing all of t..."

sounds intriguing - have TBR'd it

[Pam]

Review catchup:

The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R King - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5380100907

Two volumes of J C Briggs' Charles Dickens and Superintendent Jones series:
The Chinese Puzzle - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5315246753
and
Summons to Murder - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5315246879

Grimm Up North by David J Gatward - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5451779003

What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5451093919

and

Fix Your Damn Book!: A Self-Editing Guide for Authors: How to Painlessly Self-Edit Your Novels & Stories by James Osiris Baldwin - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5453063734

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

Andaza: A Memoir of Food, Flavour and Freedom in the Pakistani Kitchen by Sumayya Usmani

If you like food memoirs, you'll like this one. Authentic and interesting.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Dale]

My review of The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan

2 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Phrynne]

My review of How to Kill a Client by Joanna Jenkins

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

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan

An imaginative dystopian sci-fi written in an unusual style. This is still available for request on Netgalley, but I got it from Edelweiss.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Phrynne]

My review of The Lighthouse by P.D. James

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

[Phrynne]

My review of The Levee by William Kent Krueger

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

[Tamara]

I read The Vegetarian by Han Kang, translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith, a very powerful and unusual book. It has little to do with being a vegetarian and everything to do with agency and the pressure to conform.

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