Book Nook Cafe discussion
What did you read last month?
>
What did you read in ~~ January 2024
date
newest »
newest »
I think all the books i read in January were for my prompts Challenge. All were fine, none outstanding. But, i'm finding it more & more difficult to be pleased by fiction, of late. However, Sara Gran and Vendela Vida both continue to satisfy my fiction reading search for pleasure. Thank goodness.Excavations--Kate Myers should have been perfect for me. It is set in Greece, on an archaeological dig. I love Greece, having been there several times and archeology has fascinated me since i was a teenager. While the idea of a female-participant Olympics (Heraean Games) is explored, the leader of the dig doesn't believe there was such a thing, so too much time was spent setting him up as a villain. A relic had its own voice in the book, btw.
Dope--Sara Gran is a mystery, set in the early 1950s. Josephine is a recovered addict, hired to locate a co-ed who has gone missing after being caught with drugs at university. Readers get a good sense of NYC of that era, as well as a taste of the ongoing battles a former user must face. The ending was good.
August Snow--Stephen Mack Jones is about a former Detroit police officer, who was awarded millions from a wrongful termination suit. I do not know this city but after reading this mystery, i know what i have missed. The story was fine and the writing satisfying.
And Now You Can Go--Vendela Vida opens with a man threatening grad student Ellis, telling her he wants to kill himself but wants to take her with him. The book is about how she survives and continues to cope with the event.
The Murder of My Aunt--Richard Hull is set in the early 20th century, in Wales. Nephew Edward, who has lived with his aunt most of his life, decides to kill his aunt, who he believes is stunting his intellectual life. The story is about different plans he conjures.
Secret Lives --Mark de Castrique is set in Washington, DC. Retired FBI agent Ethel Crestwater runs a boarding house, primarily for Secret Service and FBI operatives. One is murdered in front of her home, so she decides to investigate it herself, in conjunction with the officials. Of course she is smart, fit, commanding and solves the puzzle. This is the first in the series but i doubt i'll read further.
It's clear i should be stepping away from fiction for awhile, eh?
madrano wrote: "I think all the books i read in January were for my prompts Challenge. All were fine, none outstanding. But, i'm finding it more & more difficult to be pleased by fiction, of late. However, [author..."They all sound so good, Madrano!
Petra wrote: "This one sounds emotional. I've heard a few good comments on it and have it on my radar. Thanks for reminding me of it."
Oh, it is emotional, especially as a parent.
Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "The Unhoneymooners sounds like one I'd like when looking for a lighter, fun read. Thanks for bringing it to our attention, Kim."It is! I kind of wish I had it to read right now after Saving Noah. LOL! I started a fluff book yesterday, but just couldn't get into it. So I'm on to find something else.
~*Kim*~ wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "The Unhoneymooners sounds like one I'd like when looking for a lighter, fun read. Thanks for bringing it to our attention, Kim."It is! I kind of wi..."
Have you tried People We Meet on Vacation Journal: Summer Journal to write the memories that a person goes through in the summer? I think it's a fun read, but I can't be sure since I haven't read it myself yet. Then there's Playing James. I know it's fun! Gook luck, Kim. I hope you find the perfect book!
madrano wrote: "I think all the books i read in January were for my prompts Challenge. All were fine, none outstanding. But, i'm finding it more & more difficult to be pleased by fiction, of late. However, [author..."Thanks for sharing your January books with us, Deb. You did have quite the eclectic mix.
I hope whatever non fiction you book you select it will be a winner for you. I enjoy NF so I look forward to your selection.
Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "Have you tried People We Meet on Vacation Journal: Summer Journal to write the memories that a person goes through in the summer? I think it's a fun read, but I can't be sure since I haven't read it myself yet.t ..."The link appears to be to a blank page journal, is that what you meant to link, Kiki? It sounds as though you create your own story.
Kim, i know what you mean about following up a strong or heavy book with a lighter one. I hope you find one soon.
Alias Reader wrote: "I hope whatever non fiction you book you select it will be a winner for you. I enjoy NF so I look forward to your selection. ..."Thanks. My selection is one i'm reading slowly, one chapter at a sitting. My point being, i won't be finished with it by the end of this month, either. :-)
madrano wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "Have you tried People We Meet on Vacation Journal: Summer Journal to write the memories that a person goes through in the summer? I think it's a fun ..."No, Madrano, I didn't mean to link to a blank journal. I'm sorry. I'll have to try to find the book on Amazon because I can't remember who the author is.
I can't seem to find the book here, but here it is on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/People-Meet-Va...
It's called PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION and it's by Emily Henry.
I have it on my Wish List, but I haven't read it yet.
Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote:post 60
I can't seem to find the book here, but here it is on Amazon:..."
Here is the GR link.
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Alias Reader wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote:post 60
I can't seem to find the book here, but here it is on Amazon:..."
Here is the GR link.
[boo..."Thank you, Alias. I might read that one after I finish PROPHET SONG. That book gets heavy and dark very fast, and only grows darker and darker. It's dystopia, not horror, but given the divisive political climate of the US, I feel more than a bit horrified by the book.
I'm sorry, the book link wouldn't work, and I couldn't find anything wrong with the code. (Like I would know! LOL)
Joy wrote: "So many interesting sounding books in this thread! Here are my reads from Jan 2024:..."Joy, thanks for your excellent concise reviews, much appreciated!
madrano wrote: ". . . However, Sara Gran and Vendela Vida both continue to satisfy my fiction reading search for pleasure. Thank goodness.."And thank you for suggesting those two for a couple of the add-on prompts in the 2024 Book Challenge (that was you, right?)
My January reading was really lit up by Vida's Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name and We Run the Tides, both of which at their heart revolve around lies and the repercussions of those lies. She writes at times like she's narrating from the inside of the most clear and lucid dream, and I've so enjoyed these two books.
Sara Gran's The Book of the Most Precious Substance was smart and a little scary, a story about the hunt for a very special book and how trying to get hold of it -- and trying to make use of the mysteries it reveals -- unravels everyone who gets involved. I am now reading her The Infinite Blacktop and it is so right up my alley -- funny, razor-sharp, and at times with a hard, cold edge like a slap in the face. One of my favorite passages so far --
"By the time Jay came along, the world had largely passed Silette by, if it had ever paused for him at all. He'd gone from dull respect to a quick moment of notoriety to a long jag of ridicule and then been forgotten, like the Brownie camera or the IWW. "
Looking forward to more from these two (I have Dope on hold at my local public) and thanks again, madrano!
Alias Reader wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote:I can't seem to find the book here, but here it is on Amazon:..."
Here is the GR link.
[boo..."Thanks for the correction, Alias & Kiki.
James wrote: "And thank you for suggesting those two for a couple of the add-on prompts in the 2024 Book Challenge (that was you, right?)..."I appreciate your pleasure in these books & authors, James. Our "own" John here at BNC introduced me to Sara Gran with his comments on her Claire De Witt mystery series, the last of which is the one your are reading now, Infinite Concrete. It is different from most of her writing, imo. There are only three in the series and she's promised a fourth, to conclude the group. But not really soon.
I appreciate the titles you shared from both authors. Learning what other readers have read by our favorites reveals future reading pleasure. Btw, i was introduced to Vida when seeking a book written in the second person.
Thanks for the comments, James.
madrano wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote:I can't seem to find the book here, but here it is on Amazon:..."
Here is the GR link.
[bookcover:People We Meet on Vacation|5..."
Thank you for the correct link.
Alias Reader wrote: "Joy, congratulations on a wonderful January. We seem to be on the same page when it comes to the books we are reading."Thanks, Alias Reader! And yes, we had similar impressions of these books...always fun to find others who have similar tastes.
I wasn't aware of Transcendent Kingdom. I just looked it up and it sounds like something I'd enjoy. Thanks for mentioning it!
madrano wrote: "I quoted the above, from the comments on Prophet Song, because it summed up precisely what i wondered, having read other reviews."Choosing books is such a personal thing...so subject to individual tastes and, for me, even my mood on a particular day! I'm very happy if my reviews are in any way helpful :-)
James wrote: "Joy, thanks for your excellent concise reviews, much appreciated!My pleasure, James. And thanks for your kind note!
Joy wrote: "I wasn't aware of Transcendent Kingdom. I just looked it up and it sounds like something I'd enjoy. Thanks for mentioning it!.."
You're welcome !
For January I read a few books. :)Stitched Together by Juliet Rose - 5 stars
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Dead End House by Bryan Smith - 3 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Abberton House by Debbie Ioanna - 4 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Deadlocked Dollhouse by Mixi J. Applebottom - 3 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Bad Moon Rising by Jonathan Maberry - 4 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
That is my wrap for January. :)
A nice start to the new year, Marie !
Marie wrote: "For January I read a few books. :)Stitched Together by Juliet Rose - t stars
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......"
I like the idea of this one, Marie. As we travel across the US, it's been neat to see how many small towns provide income for sewing neighbors. Not this kind, of course, i hasten to add. Still, it struck a chord for me. Thanks.
The others are curious, as usual. Cursed Dollhouse!? Awful.
And i agree with your comments about the Maberry books. A good recap encourages me to continue reading. Sometimes, it's been so long since i read earlier installments that i end up quitting the later books.
Thank you for sharing these opinions & reviews, Marie.
madrano wrote: "I think all the books i read in January were for my prompts Challenge. All were fine, none outstanding. But, i'm finding it more & more difficult to be pleased by fiction, of late. However, [author..."It looks like you read some interesting mysteries Deb. One of them intrigues me - the book you read by Sara Gran. I read her book Come Closer which was a creepy suspense thriller. I need to check out her other books. :)
Alias Reader wrote: "A nice start to the new year, Marie !"Thank you, Alias! :)
madrano wrote: "Marie wrote: "For January I read a few books. :)Stitched Together by Juliet Rose - t stars
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......"
I like the idea of this one, Marie. As we travel across the US, it's been neat to see how many small towns provide income for sewing neighbors. Not this kind, of course, i hasten to add. Still, it struck a chord for me. Thanks.
The others are curious, as usual. Cursed Dollhouse!? Awful.
And i agree with your comments about the Maberry books. A good recap encourages me to continue reading. Sometimes, it's been so long since i read earlier installments that i end up quitting the later books.
Thank you for sharing these opinions & reviews, Marie...."
I have always wondered about small towns too with things that go on within them - the sewing book was unique but scary. That author is one of my newest reads of late - I have read three books by her so far - she is a multi-genre author - she writes within some different book genres meaning that not everything she has written is horror. She is a new indie author that hasn't been around very long but the three books I have read by her I have enjoyed.
The cursed Dollhouse book - it is in a series of books and at this point I don't know if I will continue on with them considering this first book did nothing for me really.
As far as Maberry doing recaps - I love how he does his recaps as he goes into tons of details too with the characters and just goes back over what all happened and with what characters. Quite amazing to me but it helps me a lot to remember exactly what took place in the books.
Some fantasy authors do the same thing - not all of them though but if authors are writing a long series I would love it for them to do recaps because sometimes it is years before stepping back into a series. If every book had a recap then we wouldn't have to reread the books. lol
You are welcome, Deb!
Marie wrote: "It looks like you read some interesting mysteries Deb. One of them intrigues me - the book you read by Sara Gran. I read her book Come Closer which was a creepy suspense thriller. I need to check out her other books.. ..."I'll have to check that out next, Marie. Although, in her author space, where readers ask her questions i found the following about the book: "In "Come Closer", what's behind the surreal incident with the psychiatrist? Is it the demon?"
Sara Gran "I could tell you, but then I'd have to send you to a possibly-demonic psychiatrist to erase the memory. It's better for both of us if I don't--but thank you for asking."
Love the idea of a "possibly" demonic psychiatrist. Thanks for the info on this Gran novel.
Marie wrote: "I love how he does his recaps as he goes into tons of details too with the characters and just goes back over what all happened and with what characters. Quite amazing to me but it helps me a lot to remember exactly what took place in the books...."Again, this is re. Maberry. It's even better when an author can recap but give a reader the details that bring the entire scene/book to mind. Great intro to the subsequent book.
1. Ancestry: The Untold Rise Of The Fourth Reich (Truthseekers: The David Clark series Book 3)2.
Never Doubt Nadine
3. Homo Novus: A Brief His-story of Tomorrow
Thanks for sharing your monthly reads, Elizabeth. Did you enjoy them?
Ancestry: The Untold Rise Of The Fourth Reich--Mike Handcock sounds intriguing, and world-wide. Have you read the earlier books in the series? I see Truthseekers: The Biggest Question in World History but couldn't find the second of the group. Do you recall?Never Doubt Nadine--Roger Skrypczak. The description is vague enough, isn't it?
Homo Novus: A Brief His-story of Tomorrow--Amakiri Welekwe.
I note all three of these have a high number of 5-star ratings.
Thanks for the links, deb !I should also note we are in the Jan. 2024 thread.
Alias Reader wrote: "Thanks for the links, deb !I should also note we are in the Jan. 2024 thread."
How on earth did that happen? I just replied but didn't realize how far back it went. Gee Whiz!
Book Nook Cafe
Books mentioned in this topic
Truthseekers: The Biggest Question in World History (other topics)Ancestry: The Untold Rise Of The Fourth Reich (other topics)
Homo Novus: A Brief His-story of Tomorrow (other topics)
Never Doubt Nadine (other topics)
Stitched Together (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Amakiri Welekwe (other topics)Roger Skrypczak (other topics)
Mike Handcock (other topics)
Juliet Rose (other topics)
Juliet Rose (other topics)
More...
Joy, thank you for sharing your opinions of the books you read last month. I quoted the above, from the comments on Prophet Song, because it summed up precisely what i wondered, having read other reviews. I do not know how people can concisely review books they've read & liked. But i'm grateful they try!
Again, thanks.