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2025 Independent Challenge
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Ioana's 2025 Independent Challenge
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I really liked the first quarter or third, and I think the book had great pot..."
You will notice that I haven't continued yet.. LOL
Bill wrote: "Ioana wrote: "Bill wrote: "It took me awhile to get into it as I recall. I enjoyed it enough that I think I'll continue the series."I really liked the first quarter or third, and I think the book..."
Well, as you liked the 1st one, I hope you will continue...someday. I know we all struggle with too many series...there is no hope there for me, I will forever have too many going on...
Taking Turns: Stories from HIV/AIDS Care Unit 371 Good graphic novel, NF, written by a nurse in an HIV hospital unit during the early 90s, about the daily events and activities in the unit. Some patients surrounded by family, some by nobody, but befriending the nurses who helped them along. Helping the caregivers. Dealing with grief.The panic when she got nicked with a needle used by a patient, the months of preventive treatment, the relief when test results came back negative.
The hope when HIV-specific drugs became available.
"Dying is not about death, but rather facing the fact that our life will come to an end."
"There are no days to be wasted, there's not a life after. It's now, this is all we get". 4.5 stars, rounded up.
The Fifth to Die I've enjoyed this 2nd book in the series, another sick and intelligent serial killer, and the hunt to find and capture him. There is another book in this series so of course he's still out there, but we got more information on his early life and his relationship with his parents (real and foster), which might explain his actions and the reasons he selects his victims.I hope they get him by the end of the 3rd book. 4 stars
Blood Over Bright Haven This was a very good fantasy, and a stand-alone of normal size, which is rare for this genre. Very interesting magic world, combining gods, faith, science, truth and lies. I want to read more by this author, 4 stars, maybe 4.5 for the good ending.
Glad you liked BOBH. I thought it was great. Excellent world building. Good story. Characters you can care about.
Michelle wrote: "Glad you liked BOBH. I thought it was great. Excellent world building. Good story. Characters you can care about."Yes! Have you read her The Sword of Kaigen?
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I love a good fantasy. Once i'm back inside, i'll move it up on the list. Glad you enjoyed it Ioana.
Alondra wrote: "I love a good fantasy. Once i'm back inside, i'll move it up on the list."I love books, but given the choice, I prefer to be outside, so enjoy the warm weather and the garden!
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly "I'll be right here. Until they drag me off the line. I'm not going anywhere." is the last sentence in the book. Oooh, Chef Bourdain....I will never think again about opening/owning a restaurant after reading this book but I loved reading his descriptions of food, the interactions with other people in the industry, the crazy, stressful times and the fun times. 4 stars
You've been reading some interesting books! I always add so much to my TBR every time I come to your thread. :-)
My son is a chef & we were talking about this book a few days ago. I kind of want to read it, but am also hesitatant because I know it is a bit rough. Kind of like I don't like to read about plane crashes since my daughter became a flight attendant. lol
Patricia wrote: "My son is a chef & we were talking about this book a few days ago. I kind of want to read it, but am also hesitatant because I know it is a bit rough. Kind of like I don't like to read about plane ..."The audiobook is narrated by Bourdain himself, and it's very well done.
Ioana wrote: "Patricia wrote: "My son is a chef & we were talking about this book a few days ago. I kind of want to read it, but am also hesitatant because I know it is a bit rough. Kind of like I don't like to ..."Does sound interesting & my son does most of his reading with audio, so I'll pass that on. Thanks!
Patricia wrote: "Ioana wrote: "Patricia wrote: "My son is a chef & we were talking about this book a few days ago. I kind of want to read it, but am also hesitatant because I know it is a bit rough. Kind of like I ..."I hope he'll enjoy it was much as I did. Actually, I'd be interested to hear what a chef thinks about the book and the environment it describes.
Ioana wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Ioana wrote: "Patricia wrote: "My son is a chef & we were talking about this book a few days ago. I kind of want to read it, but am also hesitatant because I know it is a bit rough..."I'll keep you posted!
James Retelling of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, from Jim's (the slave) point of view. I've read that one too long ago to remember it, so I can't say how close the story resembles the original, but I really enjoyed this one.Jim is a runaway slave, and Huck helps him escape. There are many encounters with white and black people, some helpful, some vicious, some crooks. Jim is not a typical slave, he knows how to read and write, he knows how to speak like white people, but he hides it well. The journey is his transformation from Jim to James, (view spoiler)
Ioana wrote: "James Retelling of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, from Jim's (the slave) point of view. I've read that one too long ago to remember it, so I can't say how close t..."Will be reading this for August's book club. Good to hear that you liked it. I've never read either The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (which I'm reading now) or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (up next). Thought I should read what the book is an offshoot of.
Lillie wrote: "Will be reading this for August's book club. Good to hear that you liked it. I've never read either The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (which I'm reading now) or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (up next). Thought I should read what the book is an offshoot of."I want to re-read both of these books. Other that I've enjoyed them both, I only have very vague memories, so they will read like "new". Hope you enjoy them too.
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken HeartsAttila Ambrus, the Whiskey Robber, nicknamed the Robin Hood of Eastern Europe. He's the one-time pelt smuggler, professional hockey goalie (possibly the worst in the sport's history), pen salesman, Zamboni driver, gravedigger, church painter, roulette addict, building superintendent, whiskey drinker, and native of Transylvania who's decided that the best thing to do with his time is to rob as many banks as possible. About 29 of them...each time after driniking a healthy dose of whiskey, hence the name. The last 2 robberies were after his jailbrake.
I did not understand the "Robin Hood" nickname, he was just a bank robber, he did not share the loot, he gambled it...but he was polite and offered the bank tellers flowers
But the story taking place in the 1990s is told with fun and flair, and it's very entertaining. The audio production is very well done. 4 stars
Mod
Mmmm, I may need to read this. It sounds good. I have yet to add it because EVERYONE is reading it. I like your sensible review. :)
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. Bonhoeffer was definitely a very interesting person. This book ends with one (of 15) attempt to kill Hitler, which failed and meant Bonhoeffer's demise. But the book is about his life, his formative and adult years, his thinking and his morals. Funny enough, we just happened to watch the Valkyrie movie with Tom Cruise playing Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, who played the major role in this assassination plot while I was reading the book.
Very interesting book, but very religious heavy. 3 stars
The Next Accident the 3rd in the series, a good page turner. A series I will definitely continue, 4 stars.
Ioana wrote: "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. Bonhoeffer was definitely a very interesting person. This book ends with one (of 15) attempt to kill Hitler, which failed and meant Bonhoeff..."Bonhoeffer was a tough read but a good one. Glad you found it interesting. I have enjoyed other books by this author as well.
Michelle wrote: "I have enjoyed other books by this author as well."This was my 1st by him, which others do you recommend?
I've enjoyed several by Metaxas as well; most recently Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World. However, if you object to "religious heavy", he may not be the author for you as his subjects are all from Chrisitan history, but I thought this was very interesting.
Mod
It sounds interesting.
The one about Martin Luther was also interesting but I enjoyed AMAZING GRACE about William Willberforce the most.
Ioana wrote: "The Next Accident the 3rd in the series, a good page turner. A series I will definitely continue, 4 stars."I knew I shouldn't have clicked the link, lol. I remember reading Lisa Gardner (I don't want to date myself but) back in the 90s. And I remember liking her quite a bit. Ok, another series to put on my series list! 🙃
Patricia wrote: "I've enjoyed several by Metaxas as well; most recently Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World. However, if you object to "religious heavy", he may not be ..."I think I will wait a little, then try this one. We're currently watching The Tudors, and Martin Luther and his new ideas are part of the story. I'm interested...
Lillie wrote: "I knew I shouldn't have clicked the link, lol. I remember reading Lisa Gardner (I don't want to date myself but) back in the 90s. And I remember liking her quite a bit. Ok, another series to put on my series list! 🙃"I think you'll enjoy her books, I do.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls was my first book by Grady Hendrix and it was good. GR puts it in the "horror" category, only because it has to do with some magic. There is nothing horror, no gore....just mean, selfish people and young, pregnant girls abused, abandoned or ignored by the rest of the world.Nobody should have to choose between having a baby or having a life. 4 stars
Never It seemed that someone else, not Ken Follett wrote this book. Slow plot, weak characters (I know he can write a good female character, what happened here?), a not needed romance…meh. 2.5 stars
An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude In their 40s, Ann and Steve Vanderhoof decided to take a 2-year break from crazy corporate jobs and sail around the Caribbeans, immerse in the local culture, learn to fish and cook local ingredients, and just enjoy life, adjusting to "just now" island time. It's a wonderful travelogue sprinkled with lots of recipes that I'd love to try. 4 stars
Ioana wrote: "An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude In their 40s, Ann and Steve Vanderhoof decided to take a 2-year break from crazy corporate jobs and sail around the Caribbeans, imme..."That sounds like a fun summer book. Will need to add it for when I need to run away.
Ioana wrote: "Witchcraft for Wayward Girls was my first book by Grady Hendrix and it was good. GR puts it in the "horror" category, only because it has to do with some magic. There is nothing ho..."I've read several by Grady Hendrix and really liked them. Looks like I'm going to be adding this one to the TBR too.
Lillie wrote: "That sounds like a fun summer book. Will need to add it for when I need to run away."I normally don't like travelogues, but I really enjoyed this one. There is a lot of talk about food, local ingredients and local recipes, so I hope you like that stuff...
Michelle wrote: "I've read several by Grady Hendrix and really liked them. Looks like I'm going to be adding this one to the TBR too."I hope to read more of his books, too. Any recommendation?
My RL book club picked The Personal Librarian followed by a visit to The Morgan Library & Museum in NYC. I've been wanting to visit the library for a long time, so I'm very excited about it.The book was ok, but the life of Belle da Costa Greene was fascinating. 3 stars
Ioana wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I've read several by Grady Hendrix and really liked them. Looks like I'm going to be adding this one to the TBR too."I hope to read more of his books, too. Any recommendation?"
I really enjoyed The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires.
Ioana wrote: "My RL book club picked The Personal Librarian followed by a visit to The Morgan Library & Museum in NYC. I've been wanting to visit the library for a long time, so I'm very excited ..."That sounds like so much fun. I really wish there were more book related destinations near me. I love to follow up a good read with a real-life adventure.
Michelle wrote: "Ioana wrote: "My RL book club picked The Personal Librarian followed by a visit to The Morgan Library & Museum in NYC. I've been wanting to visit the library for a long time, so I'm..."We've been doing this type of reading followed by a visit or culinary adventure for a while, and it's been so much fun. Sometimes the selected book is based on one of the group member's travels, or life event, or it happens the other way around.... we have something we want to see/visit, and find a book to match it. It's all good :-)
Across the Sand was published 8 years after the 1st book in the series, which I read as the "Sand Omnibus" about 7 years ago. While this new one was entertaining, I don't think it was necessary. 3 stars.
Ioana wrote: "Across the Sand was published 8 years after the 1st book in the series, which I read as the "Sand Omnibus" about 7 years ago. While this new one was entertaining, I don't think it was necessary. 3 stars."I feel this way about a lot of "late" sequels. I haven't added this series yet, but it is on a maybe someday list. :-) Happy October!
False Claims: One Insider's Impossible Battle Against Big Pharma Corruption. I love reading medical and pharma-related NF books, so this fit the bill perfectly. Lisa Pratt was a sales rep at Questcor Pharmaceuticals, later acquired by Mallinckrodt. Their wonder drug was Acthar, not because its medical properties against multiple sclerosis, but because it was cheap to make and could be sold for over $28,000 a vial (it had "orphan drug" status, which prevented any generics to be developed or sold for 7 years, so they could set the price as high as they wanted). That was legal.
The not legal part - the sales reps practices. Gift cards to doctors' offices staff, pre-filling referral forms, wining and dining the doctors, and on top of that, promoting the off-label use of the drug in a manner not approved by the FDA, just to compete with another similar drug on the market. The greed was astonishing, the company and the sales reps got super rich super fast, while people suffering from MS were left suffering and insurance companies paid for the ineffective drug.
Pratt says she did not use these tactics while a sales rep for 7-8 years at Questcor, but somehow it's hard to believe she was able to compete with the other reps otherwise. But she was the whistleblower that uncovered the entire scheme, worked to bring this to light for years, and her actions are to be admired. 4 stars
There's so much to read on medical and pharma. The truth is so shocking!
Lea wrote: "There's so much to read on medical and pharma. The truth is so shocking!"Sadly so. The greed....oh, the greed....and the indifference to human suffering have no limits.
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I've been reading some of the shorts of this on kindle, and enjoy them; but they do not have the spark of the Silo series.
On The Same Page
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Belcanto (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
T.Kingfisher (other topics)Karin Slaughter (other topics)
Karin Slaughter (other topics)
oh boy....not happy....they'd better hurry up then.