What Are You Reading - 2024

[Kristie, Moderator]

I decided to start Half a Heart for the monthly challenge. Hopefully, I'll finish pretty quickly.

[Janice, Moderator]

No I haven't. I don't think I have enough time. Slowpoke here.

[Janice, Moderator]

On second thought, there's a weekend approaching and maybe I can do it. I have to read The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane for my real life book club meeting coming up, so maybe I'll start it today and kill two birds with one stone.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Good idea, Janice. Hopefully, it will draw you in right away and make for a quick read. I'll be interested to see what you think of it. I have it on my TBR.

[Janice, Moderator]

I'll have a mini toppler to myself. :)

[Kristie, Moderator]

The challenge toppler, just for us this weekend. lol

[Christine]

I’m reading a book called Lost December by Richard Paul Evans

[PattyMacDotComma]

Andrew McGahan was a fine Australian writer who won the 2005 Miles Franklin Award for The White Earth, which certainly meets the criteria, being of the highest literary merit and presenting Australian life in any of its phases. I do love a good historical mystery.
My review of The White Earth

[Janice, Moderator]

I finished The Neon Rain which was just okay for my tastes. It's a hard hitting police procedure with lots of corruption and crime.

I also finished The Body Counter. It's also a hard hitting police procedure with less corruption but lots of crime. I enjoyed it so much better. It must be the corruption quotient tipping the balance.

Today, I start The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music for a real change of pace.

I'm continuing The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane which I started the other day. I'm enjoying is, but it's a dense read that makes it slow going.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I finished Half a Heart for the monthly challenge.

I'm not sure what I'm going to read today. I think I may continue with Check & Mate, but I keep having to put it aside for other reads. I'm hesitant because I need to start Nosy Neighbors for the July challenge tomorrow, so I'll likely have to put it aside again. I'd like to just get through it without having to stop.

[Janice, Moderator]

Kristie wrote: "I finished Half a Heart for the monthly challenge.

I'm not sure what I'm going to read today. I think I may continue with Check & Mate, but I keep having to put it..."

I have a few short audiobooks and they work perfectly in a situation like this.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Oh, I didn't even think of that, Janice. I also have some short audios that I haven't read yet. I ended up going back to The Frozen River to read the author's note. I also need to take a few notes on it. My face-to-face book club is planning to read it in September and I don't want to forget too much to discuss.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I settled on With Any Luck for tonight. :)

[Christine]

I’m reading a book called The Mistletoe Inn by Richard Paul Evans

[Kristie, Moderator]

I finished With Any Luck. It was a very short story. It was cute, but unfortunately I didn't love the female MC and there wasn't enough time for her to have any growth.

I started The Song of Achilles for the group read and Nosy Neighbors for the group challenge. So far, I'm enjoying them both.

[Christine]

[PattyMacDotComma]

I was glad to hear Aussie author and former journo Tim Ayliffe say he plans to continue his John Bailey series in and around Sydney. I just enjoyed the latest, #5, The Wrong Man. I know those parts of Sydney but luckily not the dangerous kinds of people Bailey gets mixed up with.
My review of The Wrong Man

[Christine]

I’m reading a book called A Christmas Bride by Hope Ramsay

[Christine]

[PattyMacDotComma]

It sounds macabre when a police archaelogist draws a map of an area in LA where old remains are found and titles it a City of Bones, but it makes perfect sense in Michael Connelly's 8th Harry Bosch novel. Another great read.
My review of City of Bones

[Heather]

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons

A light mystery for the weekend!

[Christine]

I’m reading a book called Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

[Christine]

I’m reading a book called The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

[Christine]

I’m reading a book called Fatality by Caroline B. Cooney

[Kristie, Moderator]

I'm currently reading House of Glass and working my way slowly through Thor.

I need Thor for my yearly challenge and need to read Run first (which I'm starting as soon as I finish House of Glass), so I'm trying to not read too much each day.

[PattyMacDotComma]

There are plenty of people I'd swap for the hero of Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! by T.J. Klune, who wrote The House in the Cerulean Sea, a favourite of mine. This one is a thought-provoking short read.
My review of Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! with a link to the story online.

[PattyMacDotComma]

This is South Africa during its time of turbulent change. The author didn't know she was a privileged white girl until her eyes were opened. It Wasn't Roaring, It Was Weeping: Interpreting the Language of Our Fathers Without Repeating Their Stories. It's quite a story.
My review of It Wasn't Roaring, It Was Weeping...

[Christine]

I’m reading a book called Missing Since Monday by Ann M. Martin

[Janice, Moderator]

I thought it would take forever to finish the two books I had on the go - Clytemnestra and A Fatal Grace but I can finally call them done and dusted.

Yesterday I started Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown on audiobook, and will start The Body Keeper on Kindle today.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I am starting Run today for the yearly challenge and I am still reading Thor also for the yearly challenge. I put Thor aside for a few days because I need to finish Run first, but am able to pick it up again now.

[Christine]

I’m reading a book called Garden of Angels by Lurlene McDaniel

[Janice, Moderator]

I finished Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown last night. I didn't enjoy it all that much. It spotlighted (not intentially) just how out of touch the aristocracy is to normal living. Yet, I felt sorry for Anne Glenconner because she had a difficult life.

I started listening to Twilight Territory. It's being presented as the Big Library Read on Libby. There are no holds on the Big Library Read and I was able to download it immediately. I fell in love with the cover. Big mistake. I returned the loan today after about 4 chapters.

While I was there, I decided to see if The Cruelest Month was available. There are 68 holds on the ebook. There are holds on the audiobook as well. I've noticed that most of the books I look at on Libby have big holds. You'd think this book would be more accessible since it was published in 2007.

I'll start Sisters of Fortune tomorrow.

[Christine]

I’m reading a book called Must Love Flowers by Debbie Macomber

[PattyMacDotComma]

Now I'm really looking forward to Irish author Donal Ryan's August follow-up to The Spinning Heart, because the characters in this award-winning novel are unforgettable. Terrific read.
My review of The Spinning Heart

[Christine]

I’m reading a book called Home Sweet Christmas by Susan Mallery

[Kristie, Moderator]

I finished both Run and Thor for the yearly challenge.

I have started A Tempest of Tea for the August theme and Tangled Up in You.

[Sandra, Moderator]

I finished Cat’s Eye yesterday. I was underwhelmed. It is not bad, but my expectations were high. I found the writing a little pretentious in places.
I've been reading a lot of classic short stories. With my lack of time to read, short stories have been working great to fit here and there during my day.

I will start Homeland later today.

[Janice, Moderator]

I finished Sisters of Fortune yesterday and was overall disappointed with the book. The first 3/4's of the book was building a romance tie-in and a super snoozefest. The only reason I didn't return it to Audible was that it was ineligible for refund, so I decided to carry on.

The author didn't miss any of the characters or events from the movie Titanic. In fact, you could even say the romance storyline was reminiscent of the movie. The only thing of note was that she found real life passengers that haven't appeared in other novels of the disaster. The Mark Fortune family of Winnipeg, Manitoba, were passengers on the ship.

I started reading Find Me today for my hiking challenge.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Oh that’s disappointing, Janice. I own the book and was planning to start it soon myself. I will have to lower my expectations for that one.

I really enjoyed Find Me. I hope that one works better for you.

[Sandra, Moderator]

FIND ME looks really good. I'll see if my library holds it.

[Janice, Moderator]

Wasn't Find Me a group read a couple of years ago? Several members have read it and gave it high ratings, so I hope I'll enjoy it.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Yes, I think it was. I think that's when I read it.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

I'm finishing up all my challenge and toppler reads from my last failed months. Just finished:
The Thursday Murder Club - July Challenge
Lagoon - May Challenge

Currently reading and have 50 pages left of:
The Wind Knows My Name - June Toppler

Then finishing:
A Golden Age - June Challenge

[Kristie, Moderator]

Almost all caught up, Rus! You even got your July challenge book completed in there.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Lol I dumped everything so I could finally complete a challenge I set!

[Janice, Moderator]

I'm starting two new books today. I need to tackle my TBR lists. Some of those books go back to 2017.

All the Birds in the Sky (audio)
The Dry Grass of August (kindle)

I must have moved about 5 books from the TBR shelf to my Z-Owned but likely won't read shelf. My mindset in 2017 was a whole lot different than it is today. I was into scouring Amazon for free kindle books. Oh well, no loss.

[Christine]

[Christine]

I’m reading a book called Save Me by Sharon Sala

[Sandra, Moderator]

Janice wrote: The Dry Grass of August

This one has been in my TBR since 2017 too.

[Janice, Moderator]

Sandra wrote: "Janice wrote: The Dry Grass of August

This one has been in my TBR since 2017 too."

I'm actually a bit reticent about reading it and the racial discrimination it portrays. I find these stories to be disturbing and I'm not sure why I picked it up.