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message 101:
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Lyn (Readinghearts)
(new)
Oct 27, 2010 02:21PM
I am jumping on The Gargoyle bandwagon. This book by Andrew Davidson was fantastic. Although there were parts of the book I didn't particularly like, the parts I did were well worth the parts I didn't, and the book as a whole would not have been as good without the bad parts. Definitely passes with flying colors!
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Lyn MHave you read The Red Queen
or The White Queen
by Philippa Gregory? I couldn't put either one down! I had to read one of her books for a local book club and got hooked.
Robin - I have not. I own The White Queen, but haven't read it yet. I am waiting for The Red Queen to come out in Trade paperback.
I loved The White Queen! I just got The Red Queen from the library and I can't wait to read it.
Next year I am definitely going to try to key on reading my own books. I get so carried away with library book that once I buy a book it takes me forever to get around to reading it.
I finished Truth: A Novel by Peter Temple. It was a good cop thriller. A little different, but good.
A big thumbs up for Still Missing by Chevy Stevens. A great debut from this author. I hope she writes more thrillers. I will certainly read another one.
Mod
I just finished On Folly Beach by Karen White. This book had everything I like in a book, some historical fiction, a good story, a and good characters. A bit of a love story, but no sappy ending. 5 stars from me.
Mod
I just finished Kindred by Octavia E. Butler and I loved this book. It is the story of a black woman who lives in 1976, but travels back to the antebellum south to save one of her ancestors. The time travel was well done, the characters were well crafted, and the contrast between 1976 and the early 1800s were stark and wonderful. A definite 5 star read for me and a highly recommended book.
Finished another one. This one was the third book in Karin Slaughter's Grant County series, A Faint Cold Fear. I have enjoyed all of the thrillers in this series so far, but this one has been my favorite to date. I liked the story, ending, and the way that Slaughter is developing her main characters. Four and a half stars from me.
Oh wow, 4 1/2 stars huh? I love those books, I haven't hugged a book (usually a 4 or 5 star for me) in a while...
The ending of this book was so unexpected, that it left me literally panting for the next book in the series, lol.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle is a cute story about a trio of kids who travel to another world to save their father. Although I enjoyed it, it was a little young for me. I wish I would have read it when I was in middle school as I think that is the age group that it is targeted to. A C+ from me.
Mod
I just finished one of my non-fiction history books, so probably not many of you would even be tempted to read it, lol. Samurai William: The Englishman Who Opened the East by Giles Milton was full of information on the East India Trading Company's attempt to open Japan to English trade. In addition, the author was very easy to read. Unfortunately, I chose the book because William Adams (the real life person that the book Shogun is based on) fascinates me, but he was such a minor character in this book I was very disappointed. I really think the book is mis-titled. Mostly for that reason, I give this book 3 stars.
I normally don't read Christmas stories, but I picked up Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke at the library. It fit the monthly challenge in another group. This book is actually three stories by three different authors. All three were "cozy" mysteries that involved candy canes. Two were good, the other was just ok. I give the book 3 stars, but would recommend it if you like the Joanne Fluke mysteries, or cozy mysteries in general.
I just finished If I Stay by Gayle Forman. This is the first book that I have read by this author, and I am interested to find out what else she has written. This story of family, love, and loss was at times heart wrenching, but still uplifting in way. I give it 4 and a half stars and highly recommend it.
Lyn - I recently listened to this book on audio and I enjoyed it too. Did you know there's a sequel called Where She Went? I'm looking forward to reading it and seeing what happens next.
I did, Sarah. I think it doesn't come out until next year, like April or something. Supposedly it is told from Adam's point of view, also. I am looking forward to it.
Oh cool - I didn't know it was told from Adam's perspective. That should be interesting!
Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray is a good debut novel by a brand new historical fiction author. It is the first book in a trilogy about the lives of the children of Cleopatra and Marc Antony after the fall of Alexandria and the deaths of their parents. This one is told from the viewpoint of their daughter, Cleopatra Selene. A good story that earns 4 stars from me.
The other book that I finished a few days ago was The Stand by Stephen King. I loved this book. I have to say, I have only read one other Stephen King book, back in the 70s, and always thought that I wouldn't like his books, but this book was a great story. It definitely earns 4 stars from me.
Lyn M wrote: "Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray is a good debut novel by a brand new historical fiction author. It is the first book in a trilogy about the lives of the childr..."Can't wait to read it!
Colleen wrote: "Lyn M wrote: "Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray is a good debut novel by a brand new historical fiction author. It is the first book in a trilogy about the lives..."She is writing a sequel about Selene's time in Africa. I can't wait to read that one.
Since this one doesn't really come out until next week, I'm not sure. I will ask Stephanie when I talk to her next.
I just finished Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, which I read for another group. It was another cute read by this author, and I actually liked it a bit more than The Girl Who Chased the Moon. I gave it 4 stars.
I just finished The Book of Awesome. A good story and a wonderful reminder of we need to stop and be thankful of the wonderful things we have in life. I think I would have better enjoyed the book if I had read it a few "awesome ideas" at a time instead of in 1 or 2 sittings.
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee BenderI told myself that I was going to be more stingy and discerning with my 5 star rating this year, but this book just fits the bill. It was a draws me in, intrigues me, can't wait to see where it goes, WOW! book. Thanks to my friend Scoozer for bringing it to my attention.
The book's central character, Rose, realizes at the age of nine that she can "taste" the feelings of the people that make the food she eats. Although not a mystical book as Like Water for Chocolate is, I actually liked this one better. The author uses this quirk of the central character to weave a great story about growing up and learning to deal with what life throws at you.
Lyn M wrote: "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee BenderI told myself that I was going to be more stingy and discerning with my 5 star rating this year, but this book j..."
Sold! Thank you Lyn. Instead of holding myself accountable to no new books bought this year, I am going to try to keep it to half of last year. So only the ones I have on my wish list are going to make it, and book club reads. This one has been there since I tried to win a ARC :)
It is worth a purchase, Stacy.
I just finished You Are Next by Katia Lief which was a really good thriller. I guess this author has written under another name, but I have not read any of her books before. This one really kept me engaged, I had a hard time putting it down. It was a 4 star read for me. Unfortunately, the author put the beginning of the second book in the series in the back, and now I can't wait to get that one. I hope the library will have it.
Lyn M wrote: "It is worth a purchase, Stacy."Done! The stars aligned and it come up on swap yesterday!
I'm really excited to read this as it just sounds unique.
Thanks for all the updates! Mucho appreciated.
I read Zora Neale Hurston's classic Their Eyes Were Watching God for a banned book challenge. At first I had a hard time getting used to the black dialect in the book, but by the end I liked it. I enjoyed this book, and felt that the use of the dialect made the characters very real. I also felt that the contrast between the gutteral speech of the characters and the poetic phrasing of the author's prose was interesting. As for the story, it was ordinary, good, but not great.
In the Bleak Midwinter is the first book in a series by Julia Spencer-Fleming. The book won a number of awards when it was originally published, and I can see why. Although the mystery was good, the best part of the book, IMO, were the characters. I really like both Russ and Clare, and am looking forward to seeing how their relationship progresses.
Mod
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I just finished The Shack by William P. Young, which was a very interesting book. I am giving this book 3.75 stars. Although the religious overtones were a little too much for me at some points, underneath was a beautifully written story about a man and his search to deal with the tragedies of his life. I also liked the personalities that the author gave to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Really!). Unfortunately, the ending was a little to "perfect" for me.
Just finished reading Patterns of Paper Monsters. Ugh..I found it really hard to get through. Parts were okay, others not..just couldn't get into the main character. Reviews speak of humor in this book but it missed me totally. Yes there were a couple of funny scenes but for the most part I viewed it more as sacastic. It does however do a good job of pointing out the problems that arise in our youth due to dysfunctional families and the dysfunctional institutions we create to try and remedy the problems of our youth.
For the most part I thought this particular book was rather heavy not a good read for winter cabin fever.
This morning I finished the 2nd book in the Sookie Stackhouse series - Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris. It was a great book for a second book in a series. You got more details about the main characters, introduced to some new characters, and let in a bit more on the overall story line. I can tell this series is just about to really heat up.
Indelible by Karin Slaughter. I ended up liking the third Grant County book more than I thought I would at first and liked the way that the past and present tied together in the end. Sara and Jeffrey and their relationship still frustrates me though. 3.5 stars from me.
Mod
I would say yes, Donna. I like them. They have pretty good twists and turns, and they have mostly good characters. I just get annoyed at the two main characters and their "on again, off again" relationship. But I usually just ignore that. The rest of the books are good. They just will not make you caress the covers, if you know what I mean, lol.
Mod
THX!!
Virals by Kathy ReichsI thought it was a good YA read, but not great by any means. It was a quick read, and the story line was interesting, but I thought the ending was a little too trite, and the character development was lacking. I am giving it 3 stars.
I haven't read any John Grisham in a while, but The Confession, his latest gets 4.5 stars from me. A Lutheran minister is approached by an ex-convict and confesses to a crime for which someone else was caught, tried and due to be executed...in four days. There were so many different ways Grisham could have told this story, you kept turning that page to see if your assumptions were right or wrong. Suffice it to say that the book was an emotional roller coaster for me and I couldn't stop reading.
Every one's Choice
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