Book Nook Cafe discussion
What did you read last month?
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What I read in April 2011
Hi, Donna and group. This month I read The Kitchen Daughter, by Jael McHenry. A wonderful mystery in which a young woman with Asperger's Syndrome (that looks wrong, but you know what I mean) attempts to uncover her family's secrets after her mother and father die unexpectedly, and finds that she can summon ghosts by cooking said ghost's handwritten recipes. Along the way, the young woman learns coping skills, and earns the right to make her own decisions. I liked the book very much, and there's another story line that was super but I won't spoil it.Every Man Dies Alone is by Hans Fallada, which is a pen name used by an alcoholic, drug addicted, mentally ill German man who actually lived in Germany through the Nazi era. I read in a short bio of him that he both collaborated and resisted the Nazis at different times in his life. He wrote this book in less than a month, and died of illnesses related to his addictions before it was published. This work describes in novel form the small acts of resistance that many Germans performed during the war, and how they and the people who came in contact with them were affected. Very dark, but well-written and unexpected.
Operation Mincemeat described a huge and unlikely WWII disinformation effort to convince the Germans that the Allies would invade anywhere but Sicily, which is, of course, where they were planning to land all along. Everybody knew it had to be Sicily, but the Germans, say the author, were just asking to be fooled. Very lively descriptions of Spanish, German and British spies, soldiers, and other characters, as well as a few Americans, including Col Darby of Darby's rangers. Operation Mincemeat was part of a much larger disinformation effort with thousands of parts, and seemed to be a very grand achievement as well as a superb rehearsal for the disinformation campaign surrounding the D-Day landings. The story was fascinating, and the book well-written. Some of the characters were truly memorable.
Room, by Emma Donoghue was unusual. I see by the discussion that some of you have already read it, so I will just say that once the shocking situation was elucidated in the first part of the book, the second part wasn't as good. It was very predictable from the point where the plan is developed. But the first part was really good, so I would recommend this book.
The Eichmann Trial by noted historian Deborah Lipstadt looked like it would describe the trial and its era, but I was very disappointed in the lack of detail. The author had been sued (in England) for libel by a Holocaust denier, and spent some time explaining how she defended herself and why. The descriptions of the capture and trial of Eichmann took up less of the book than the descriptions of the reaction to these events and the reasoning behind the strategies of the Israeli government, the prosecutor, the judges, and curiously, Hannah Arendt. Then there is a many-page summing up which again goes over what the trial did to change attitudes and make the Holocaust real for the younger generation of Israelis who tended not to understand. There is also much discussion of the fact that many Jews thought that Holocaust survivors must have done something to be ashamed of in order to survive, that most behaved like sheep to the slaughter, and that those who joined the Judenrat and helped the Nazis identify and organize the Jews were to be reviled. In short, it's a book that didn't give me the history I wanted at all, and I can't say I really cared about the things the author cared about so much.
Emerald City by Jennifer Egan was a collection of stories, some of which were interesting, and some of which were not. I love books like The Imperfectionists and Olive Kitteridge where each story illuminates a different aspect of a person's - or a newspaper's--life and character. I couldn't find a theme in this one. I was totally confused by it.
It was not such a good month for reading. Looking forward to a better month in May.
Michele wrote: "finds that she can summon ghosts by cooking said ghost's handwritten recipes. ..."This has to rank as one of the more unusual ideas for detecting answers to mysteries. Thanks for sharing, Michele.
deborah
Thanks for sharing Michele. I enjoyed reading your reviews.
My reads for this month:
Review
Review
Review
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ReviewSlight disclaimer, aside from being a fan of YA fiction, I'm also currently attempting to write a YA book, so am reading as much of the popular fiction that I can. :)
Also in the middle of
but it's pretty long so I probably won't finish. I'll leave that for May!
Hi Michele! Thanks for sharing! I ordered 
for me, and
for my husband. I love being able to have my Library website open to order at the same time I read the posted reviews! Thanks so much!
Donna
Maree wrote: "My reads for this month: Review Review[bookcover:Begga..."
Good luck with your book. My daughter is a big fan of fantasy and is also a writer, though unpublished. Let us know if you have any success. I'll be one of your first sales.
Michele wrote: "Hi, Donna and group. This month I read The Kitchen Daughter, by Jael McHenry. A wonderful mystery in which a young woman with Asperger's Syndrome (that looks wrong, but you know what I mean) attem..."
Donna in Southern Maryland wrote: "Hi Michele! Thanks for sharing! I ordered for me, and[bookcover:Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an All..."
I sure hope you like them. I will feel very responsible if you don't!!
This month I read two books:1."Finding Family" by Tonya Bolden.
2."Other People's Husbands" by Judy Astley.
Michele wrote: "Good luck with your book. My daughter is a big fan of fantasy and is also a writer, though unpublished. Let us know if you have any success. I'll be one of your first sales."Thanks Michele! I appreciate the support. :D
Manhattan Is My Beat - Jeffery Deaver (was ok)Bloody Valentine - James Patterson (good)
The Various Flavours Of Coffee - Anthony Capella (disliked)
Goddess of Vengeance - Jackie Collins (massive fan n loved)
My April Reads were: Fatal Remedies by Donna Leon
Rating 4/5
This one off my determination list for 2011
The Shadow of Your Smile byMary Higgins Clark
rating 3/5
This was a good suspense tale written by a good soryteller.
Knit Two by Kate Jacobs
rating 2+
I thoroughly enjoyed Jacobs first book, The Friday Night Knitting Club, however the plotlines in this book had too many coincidence.
Meredith
I think I went pretty much all over the place last month. Cool. Bones of the Barbary Coast: A Cree Black Novel
Lying Awake
Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America
The Living Dead
Another scanty month of reading for me. We've just been too busy. I really hope that summer finds me reading nonstop!Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. Late 19th century humorous novel about 3 men who plan a fortnight trip on the Thames. Several chapters of planning, followed by history, humor and many stories, either personal or about people they know. The secondary title (or, rather, a continuation of the first part) is To Say Nothing of the Dog.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Eleven year old Flavia de Luce loves chemistry, so this mystery is scattered with references to that. This is the first in what promises to be a series, set in 1950. In this one a crime involving a stolen famed stamp & a murder 30 years later. While it kept me interested, at almost 400 pages, i don't think i'll read any future parts of the series. Not that good, imo.
The Jasmine Moon Murder by Laura Childs
Set in Charleston, this is about tea shop owner Theodosia Browning. It turns out this wasn't the first in the series but i didn't really care for it, so won't read more. There were recipes for teas, as well as tips for using tea. It was lovely to "visit" Charleston again, though. :-)
The Monster of Florence by Douglas and Spezi
True life story about a series of murders in Tuscany, the last of which was in the '80s. The magistrate judge, which is a prosecutory position of sorts, was/is the same one as the recent Amanda Knox case (US woman accused of killing her British roommate). I don't know how i could handle such miscarriages of justice as indicated in this book. The judge has a fascination for conspiracy murders, which is part of this "Monster" case, as well as the Knox case.
Here is my list of April reads. Although I give star ratings in my reviews, I'm not good at it and they are relatively useless. The number of stars depends how good I think the book is for the genre as well as in general, my expectations of the author, whether the author is experienced, my mood at the time, and whether the planets are properly aligned. In other words, it is pretty much a crap shoot. Emerson said “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds..." and I'm going with that.Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
This historical novel didn't work for me. Extrapolated from the known facts of Frank Lloyd Wright's and his lover, Mamah Bothwick Cheney's lives together, I expected to like this novel that I read for my F2F bookclub. I found I didn't like either of the main characters (what do you call characters in a novel who are also real people?). Their self-involvement and poor decisions were off-putting to me. Still, I probably would have liked the book more if the writing had drawn me in. But it never did. I never felt connected to the story or the people in it.
The ending did surprise me – I didn't see that coming. If you don't know it, I'm not telling.
And I was pretty much the lone ranger in the book club discussion. Most people loved the book even when they disapproved of some of the decisions made by Wright and Mamah.
Decision Points by George W. Bush
Full disclosure – I have never been a Bush fan. Nevertheless, I wanted to read what this president had to say about his presidency, about the reasons behind his decisions, his decision points. Surprise! I liked this book more than I expected. Unlike some readers, I didn't find it boring; it interested me throughout. Well, maybe a little bored in a couple of places. There was even a bit of humor in it, especially when Bush quoted his acerbic mother.
Some of his decision points seemed more to me like hindsight rationalizations and excuses, and I know that is somewhat colored by my political outlook. I don't think I would have liked Bush much if I had been a college student with him. He seemed like the quintessential heavy-drinking, self-absorbed party boy. Fortunately, he did give up drinking and started trying to live by the morality of his religion.
Autobiographers generally make themselves shine in the brightest light, and Bush is no exception. However, I like that he did admit to mistakes, especially after Hurricane Katrina. There was plenty of blame to go around, and he did make sure that blame was spread, but he also said he did things wrong, or more importantly, failed to do them when he should have. He was quite hurt by criticism that his reaction to Katrina was racially motivated. I agree with him on that one, even though there are many who don't. I think his reactions would have been just as poor if more whites instead of blacks had been in the worst-hit areas. Ineptitude is not the same as bigotry.
He had lots of help writing this book, and the result is an interesting and informative book that I took with a couple of grains of salt. I still disagree with him on many of his political stands but I appreciated this look at why he made them.
Dog Tails by Tara Chevrestt
This collection of three short stories by new author Tara Chevrestt is a fun, quick read that animal lovers, especially dog lovers will enjoy. Can you spell anthropomorphism? Even if you can't, there is plenty of it here. All the dogs are creative extensions of the author's own dogs, her imaginings of what they could think and do, what they really think of us, their people, and each of them has plenty of attitude.
The author is a Goodreads friend of mine who gave me an advanced copy of her e-book for review. I expect great things from her in the future.
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
In my earliest memory, my grandfather is bald as a stone and he takes me to see the tigers.
The Tiger's Wife is a rather odd novel, not quite like anything I have read before, and it took a couple of days of reflection for me to decide how much I liked it. In the end, I decided that I liked it very much, in part because it did cause me to think about it rather than close the book with a “well, that's that.”
Natalia is a doctor who is traveling to an orphanage, with her friend and fellow doctor Zora, to inoculate the children. In two war torn but unnamed countries, there is fresh hostility and suspicion, not the way things used to be. While waiting for a border crossing approval, Natalia learns that her grandfather has died, and he was not where he was supposed to be when he died. Something of a mystery.
The story actually told surprisingly little about Natalia and Zora. It was really the grandfather's tale. He had two important stories in his life: The Deathless Man, which he told to Natalia, and The Tiger's Wife, which she had to discover for herself.
This is not a straightforward, linear book. Tales branch off into other tales, characters that seem initially inconsequential have important stories of their own. It all has a fairytale feel to it. There is much description and relatively little action, but it all ties together beautifully. The last paragraph of the book is absolutely gorgeous.
I was given an advance reader's edition of this book by the publisher for review. Thank you to Random House.
Unsaid by Neil Abramson
Every living thing dies. There's no stopping it. In my experience – and I've had more than my share – endings rarely go well. There is absolutely nothing life affirming about death. You'd think that given the prevalence and irrevocability of death, whoever or whatever put the whole thing together would've given a little more attention to the process of exit. Maybe next time.
So begins the novel Unsaid. A young veterinarian who has died of cancer looks down on her life knowing that she did some things right and some things very wrong. Especially wrong is what happened to the bonobo named Charlie. And what may happen to Cindy, a chimp who seems to be able to “speak” at the level of a 4-year old. Her husband is unwillingly drawn into the battle to protect Cindy.
The crux of this novel is whether we have the right to intentionally cause great pain and suffering to sentient beings in order to try to alleviate some of the suffering of mankind. And does it make a difference if that animals in question are more intelligent than other animals? If they are capable of communicating with humans? Does the end justify the means? Most people who have given the subject any thought stand firmly on one side of the fence or the other, knowing that there are valid arguments on the other side.
For the first few pages of the book, I thought it was going to be too agenda-driven for me. I'm better informed than many people on the subject of animal research and vivisection, and I didn't want to hear a sermon. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the message of the book was wrapped up in a good and very entertaining story.
The reader who is easily moved to tears while reading emotionally charged books should have a box of tissues or an eco-friendly hankie handy. The writing was good but not stellar. Those who love animals will find some parts very hard to read. And everyone will come away with food for thought, whether or not they care to pursue those thoughts.
I was given an advance reader's copy of the e-book by the publisher through NetGalley.com, for which I am grateful.
The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O'Neal
Chef Elena had a rough childhood – a father who died before her birth, a mother who abandoned her, and as a saving grace, a grandmother who loved her completely. Her childhood ended with a horrible car wreck, and Elena was the only passenger who survived, barely. So, of course, she carries a lot of emotional as well as physical damage, and certainly doesn't want anyone too close to her. Not even the ghosts of her past.
This is a sweet romance novel but not the type I would normally choose to read. I picked it up because I wanted to read something by this author before she meets with local bookclubs.
For me, the book didn't have enough storyline and was too long for the story it was telling. There was too much repetition – how many times do I have to read another description of Elena's scars? There were too many sex/food metaphors and the explicit sex scenes were a bit on the cheesy side. “He supped of her lower lip....” and “...his organ, ruddy and proud, leaking and leaping....” Blaugh. There were some recipes that sound wonderful, although I'm not likely to try them. They did put me in the mood to make some black bean and green chile tamales, though.
Prophecy by S. J. Parris
It is 1583 and excommunicated monk Giordano Bruno is not what he seems. He is living in the French embassy in England, and finds himself investigating the murder of one of Queen Elizabeth's maids of honour. And he is embroiled in plots to replace Elizabeth with Mary Stuart, and to restore Catholicism to its rightful place in England. It doesn't help that Bruno is a foreigner, a heretic who doesn't believe that the sun revolves around the earth. Who is on what side? Who is a traitor or a spy? And who can Bruno trust?
This historical thriller mixes history and intrigue during a time that was full of plots and danger, wrapped in tales of prophecy and astrology and forbidden arts. It's the second Giordano Bruno thriller, but a reader who has not read the first, Heresy, won't be lost.
It took me about 50 pages to really get involved in the story. During the first few pages, I felt like I needed a cast of characters but that quickly sorted itself out. And then there was a little too much dialogue used to explain the background story. After that, the story moved more quickly, and kept my interest. Both the fictional story and the very real history behind it were well told, making for a very good read.
Thank you to Doubleday for giving me an advance reader's copy of this book.
Henry V by William Shakespeare
A tiny dent in my 2011 determination list.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
“If our mother so important to science, why can't we get health insurance?”
There are already more than enough excellent reviews and discussions of this remarkable book, so I'll keep this short. Henrietta Lack's cancerous cells were taken and cultured without her knowledge, much less her permission, leading to amazing scientific breakthroughs along with some wrong turns. Her family did not find out until many years later, and private information was made public. There were so many missteps along the way, and such huge moral and ethical issues. And there still are. I'm not a Luddite, but some of the things done in the name of science are Frankensteinian (apparently, that is not a proper word) and incredibly cruel.
By intertwining the stories of the cells, the Lacks family, and the author's search for the story, this book never gets boring. Ms. Skloot showed compassion, empathy, and a remarkable amount of patience towards family members who had learned to distrust anyone interested in the HeLa cells. Because the family was uneducated and no one took the time to explain any of the science to them, they believed every tabloid, science fiction article they found.
I highly recommend this book. Even for those who are not fond of nonfiction, the well-written story will entertain and enlighten.
I'm too wordy and Goodreads cut me off, so here are the links to these books:
by Nancy Horan
by George W. Bush
by Tara Chevrestt
by Téa Obreht
by Neil Abramson
by Barbara O'Neal
by S. J. Parris
by William Shakespeare
by Rebecca Skloot
Madrano wrote: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley Eleven year old Flavia de Luce loves chemistry, so this mystery is scattered with references to that. This is the first in what promises to be a series, set in 1950. Not that good, imo.
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The Jasmine Moon Murder by Laura Childs
Set in Charleston, this is about tea shop owner Theodosia Browning. It turns out this wasn't the first in the series but i didn't really care for it, so won't read more. There were recipes for teas, as well as tips for using tea.
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Deborah, I see you read some mysteries this month. I, too, am reading one.(Bookmarked for Death) I haven't read one in ages. Mine also has recipes in it. Is this some new trend in mysteries? At the library I noticed a lot of mystery titles that also alluded to food.
Susan wrote: "I'm too wordy and Goodreads cut me off, so here are the links to these books:-----------
Not for me ! I sincerely enjoyed reading your reviews.
Thanks,Alias. :)Deb, Three Men in a Boat sounds intriguing.
I liked The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie even though it was improbable. One of those fun, escapist books for me.
Monster of Florence was certainly an interesting story, but I didn't care for the way it was written, thought that the writing and editing were substandard.
I rate 0-5 plus or minusMiddlesex~Jeffrey Eugenides
Fiction
Rate 2+
Greek family saga about a hermaphrodite.
I read this with my f2f book club.The book is a Pulitzer winner. Most in the group enjoyed it. Only a few really loved it. I didn't care for it. I found the story pointless and not very entertaining. The author went on to too many tangents for my tastes. I think I may have liked this novel if it were 200 pages shorter.
The Confession~John Grisham
Fiction
Rate 3 minus
Innocent man on death row.
The writing style did not grab me. There were big stretches of surprising dull plot and it was repetitive. It's not the usual page turner I expect from this author. Looking back I am not sure why I gave this a 3 rating. It probably is more of a 2 plus.
Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian~Avi Steinberg
Non fiction
Rate: 3 plus
Young Orthodox Jewish Harvard graduate gets a job as the prison librarian.
I enjoyed this interesting memoir. I liked that it was different from most memoirs. The writing was good with some nice turns of phrase. For example, "She was an alchemist of misery, she could turn anything into pure negativity."
All That Is Bitter and Sweet: A Memoir~Ashley Judd
Non fiction
Rate: 3
Memoir that alternates between the authors AIDS humanitarian work and her life growing in a very dysfunctional family. The book seems like an honest account of what really went on in the Judd family.
I am not a Judd music fan. I decided to read the book because I've been watching their new show on the OWN network.
My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey~Jill Bolte Taylor
non ficiton
rate 2 +
37 year old brain scientist has a stroke.
I was disappointed in this memoir. It became too new age for me. It was also surprisingly very repetitive for such a slender book. The best part was two mnemonics.
S=speech or any language problem
T= Tingling or any numbness
R = Remember,any memory problem
O = Off balance, problems with coordination
K = Killer headache
E = eye, any vision issues
if you have these symptoms call 9-1-1 immediately.
Fear, while not always true, I still thought this could be useful mantra to recall when dealing with fear.
F-False
E= expectations
A= Appearing
R= Real
Not a great reading month for me. No book was above a 3. Let's hope the lovely month of May is more engaging.
I really enjoyed Middlesex when I read it a few years ago, but know people who didn't bother to finish it.And I loved Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian. Differences of opinion -- keeps things interesting. I had My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey on my radar, but think I'll skip it.
I'm not especially interested in the Judd family but might give this book a try because I do like memoirs. I think that it would have been very difficult to grow up with Naomi for a mother. All That Is Bitter and Sweet: A Memoir
Susan wrote:I had My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey on my radar, but think I'll skip it. -------------
My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey
Mad Dog, who is a member here, I noticed also read it and gave it a negative review.
My April reads, a short list, since I've been back to a fairly normal life/schedule after 3 months of surgery recovery: 
I read this one because it got rave reviews everywhere I looked. I wasn't impressed. I guess it's billed as Young Adult book and it certainly was better than the vampire YA book that I read, but it still wasn't very interesting to me. Gave it a 2 out of 5. 
Started out well, dragged in the middle, and had an emotional ending. I think it repeated too much and even though the ending was supposed to resolve all the bad feelings for the 2 daughters, I still was unable to like or feel sympathy for the mother who was so cold to them all their lives.
Madrano wrote: "Another scanty month of reading for me. We've just been too busy. I really hope that summer finds me reading nonstop!Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. Late 19..."
Loved The Monster of Florence and Flavia. I have the new one by Alan Bradley, but I haven't gotten to it yet. Looking forward to it, though.
Nancy/nanckopf wrote: "My April reads, a short list, since I've been back to a fairly normal life/schedule after 3 months of surgery recovery: --------------------
I'm glad to hear your all mended. :)
Michele wrote: "Loved The Monster of Florence..."It's engendered plenty of conversation between DH & me. He's set to go to Florence, feeling he can solve the case. I told him to finish the book first. Given what happened to the two journalists who pursued the case, i don't think anyone will solve it now.
deborah
Alias Reader wrote: "Nancy/nanckopf wrote: "My April reads, a short list, since I've been back to a fairly normal life/schedule after 3 months of surgery recovery: --------------------
I'm glad to hear your all mende..."
Thanks Alias...still mending but at least mobile now.
Here are my books for April:
- Very interesting book!
- It was fine, not outstanding.
- I hung in there, tried it for the second time and finally finished it. I like the movie!
- A novel about the Civil war battle - it was ok.
-Good, but not his best(see below).
- The above book inspired me to re-read this book for the third time. I love Griff, she is such a tough kid. The book shows we all have done things we regret.
Thanks for sharing, John. I'll have to check out An Unfinished Life.
I appreciate your list, John. I am interested in the book about Chile and the tiger hunt in Russia. Haven't seen these before.Michele
John, I had a hard time getting through "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" I'm not fond of books that have so much background that doesn't even seem to tie in with the rest of the story and doesn't even start getting good until 2/3 of the way through. It had a good ending, but I'm not planning on reading the second two books in the series. I have far too many other books I really WANT to read.
Have to admit I loved the Hunger Games, Nancy. They had a lot of realistic grit to them, and I'm a sucker for the goings on 'behind the camera' angle.The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series was fine for me. I mostly enjoyed them, but they weren't 'couldn't put them down' reads and I rather disliked the main character at times, especially with his 'every woman in this book will fall madly in love with me' trope.
It was not a great month for me although I have to say John Adams was a wonderful read for me. If you would like to see my reviews, you can go here...
http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...
I loved The Hunger Games trilogy too! Maree!
Cleaning Nabokov's House - Leslie Daniels. A divorced woman loses custody of her children and moves into a house that she discovers was once owned by Vladimir Nabokov. In the house she discovers a manuscript that might or might not have been written by him. Along the way to discovering who really wrote the manuscript she opens a brothel - always referred to in the novel as a "cat house" - staffed by young male athletes from the local college, to service the women of their small upstate New York town. She may or may not find true love in the process too. Yeah, I'm confused too. B-New York - Edward Rutherfurd. Reader, I finished it! It turns out I enjoyed the first 200 pages and the last 200 pages, but it was those 400 pages in the middle that almost made me stop reading it. I used to enjoy historical fiction, but I just don't seem to have the fortitude or patience anymore for those big fat, Michener-ish books I used to love. Another thing I didn't like about New York was the way the fictional characters were always running into real historical figures - dinner with Benjamin Franklin or hearing Lincoln speak at Cooper Union. That made the story seem less authentic and more contrived than it might have been otherwise. B-
Bossypants - Tina Fey. I enjoyed everything about this book, right down to the font it was printed in. Honestly, each exclamation point looked like it was hand-painted on the page! I always thought Tina Fey was funny, and she's often made me laugh, including a few dozen more times while reading Bossypants. A
Malled : My Unintentional Career in Retail - Caitlin Kelly. I really intended to like this book, instead I hated it. After losing her job as a reporter for a New York newspaper, Kelly took a job working at a North Face store in an upscale mall near her home. Apparently she didn't understand the difference between the two professions. In one, you chat with the Queen of England on the royal yacht Britannia (a fact she mentioned 3 times in the first 30 pages) and in one you have to clean the bathrooms in a store. Kelly couldn't get over the fact that they had the audacity to give her an employee number and expect her to clock in and she was shocked to be working with people who had visible tattoos. Oh, the horror. She worked an average of 1 day a week for 2+ years and quit because she couldn't stand the abuse from customers. Not recommended D-
Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand. Fascinating, horrifying, and ultimately inspiring true story of Louis Zamperini. After beating the odds of a troubled childhood, he competed as a runner in the 1936 Olympics. When his plane crashed in the Pacific during WWII he somehow survived on a raft for 40+ days, only to be "rescued" by the Japanese, who sent him to a series of POW and slave labor camps where he suffered almost unimaginable abuse. But true to the title, he remained "unbroken." At times a troubling read, but I think it's an important book that speaks volumes about the strength of the human spirit. A
Cleaning Nabokov's House: A Novel
New York: The Novel
Bossypants
Malled: My Unintentional Career in Retail
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
As usual, I enjoyed reading your reviews, Connie.I'm on the library waiting list for Unbroken. All the reviews on this book have been excellent.
Marialyce wrote: "It was not a great month for me although I have to say John Adams was a wonderful read for me...."David McCullough's John Adams is one of my all-time favorite biographies.
Connie, you read some excellent books last month. I hope to start Bossypants in the next day or two, and Unbroken has been sitting on my shelf, patiently waiting to be read, for far too long.
I don't know where April went exactly, but here are my reads --Moving on from Church Folly Lane: The Pastoral to Program Shift Robert T. Latham Read this book for a workshop I attended. Pretty good of its kind, but I read too many sociology books when I was in college so it was a bit of a slog.
Stitches David Small
This is a graphic novel. Generally not my thing. It was the book for my F2F library book club. They seem to choose one each year. Along with everything else it was incredibly dark. We asked if they could find one that was a bit more cheerful next year. Interesting but ...
The Oracle of Stamboul Michael David Lukas This was a buddy read on BNC. A discovery for me as I wouldn't have found it on my own. An interesting read. Still thinking about it, so that isn't a bad thing.
Pete HamillA Drinking Life This is an old book that I just got up to as it was offerred at a low cost on my Nook. Always loved and still love his writing and this is a picture of Brooklyn in his early years. Looking at it from the distance is good and I know the places.
Lying Awake Mark Salzman I think we wound up with a good discussion on this one. I enjoyed the book.
Looking back at my reads for April, I can only say, it sure has been a "different" month of choices.
Loved A Drinking Life,too. I've been thinking about The Oracle of Stamboul. You've convinced me!
Bobbie57 wrote: Pete HamillA Drinking Life This is an old book that I just got up to as it was offerred at a low cost on my Nook. Always loved and still love his writing and this is a picture of Brooklyn in his early years. Looking at it from the distance is good and I know the places.
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Barbara, two of my friends who are readers loved this book. I do plan on reading it one day. You know how it goes...too little time...too many books. A good problem to have. :)
Susan wrote: "Loving Frank by Nancy HoranThis historical novel didn't work for me...."
You are not alone. The beautiful cover fooled me. Fortunately a BN friend sent me her copy (she was only so-so about it, too), which i still have. I kept the copy because i like the cover & i have it on display because it accents some of my other Wright-ish decor.
The story was new to me but i just couldn't like it. At first i thought it was the people & their actions but finally it seemed to me that a better writer might have overcome the people. Horan didn't.
You have a patience for Bush's book that i would not have. Not just his Presidential bio, either. It seems that i really don't want to read presidential self-serving books. I've tried but i just keep choking on my memories of events. This was true of Democrats as well as Republicans.
On the other hand, i seem alright with reading some other political books, just not those written by politicians. Apparently they buy into their own hubris. ANYway, i appreciate your review, Susan.
And the reviews of others here, as well. It makes decision making easier to read what others think of books i'm considering. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to share.
deborah
Susan wrote: Deb, Three Men in a Boat sounds intriguing. ..."There were several LOL moments, in addition to some other pleasant ones. Overall, i can see why it has stood the test of time.
Alias Reader wrote: "Deborah, I see you read some mysteries this month. I, too, am reading one.(Bookmarked for Death) I haven't read one in ages. Mine also has recipes in it. Is this some new trend in mysteries? At the library I noticed a lot of mystery titles that also alluded to food. ..."It seems as though recipes have become part & parcel of many cozy mysteries. One series by
Susan Wittig Albert specializes in using herbs, meaning she covers more than just food. Same with the one i mentioned upthread, which came up with ideas for using tea, as well as "how to" ideas.
(As an aside, i've used tea to stain the borders of posters, to "age" them. I liked the look.)
How old this trend is, i do not know. Virginia Rich had a series in the '80s which featured a culinary teacher. When she died, Nancy Pickard wrote a few more in the series. This is the oldest one i know.
How many are there? I know one features sweets, Joanne Fluke is another i know but i am aware there are others, even though no names come to mind. I used to like the idea but the more there are, the less i care for them. :-)
deborah
Diane Mott Davidson also writes books with food themes and includes recipes.
Madrano wrote: " When she died, Nancy Pickard wrote a few more in the series. This is the oldest one i know. ."
I do not think Pickard is dead....at least not according to her Wikipedia bio or her website.....
The cover of
is gorgeous, Deb. And the book did lead to a very lively discussion, always fun. As for the political writers, I agree with your thoughts, especially about the hubris, but I sometimes want to see what they have to say anyway.I enjoy some of the cozy mysteries. I've read only one Joanna Fluke mystery and I didn't care for it. To me, the plot was simplistic and dialogue & actions were just silly, and not silly in a good way.
I have enjoyed some of the Diane Mott Davidson books for a quick, light read. Part of that is because I enjoy the Colorado setting.
It seems that the cooking/recipe mysteries started the trend but now there are knitting ones, scrapbooking ones, about anything you can imagine.
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Madrano wrote: " When she died, Nancy Pickard wrote a few more in the series. This is the oldest one i know. ."
I do not think Pickard is dead....at least not according to her Wikipedia bio or he..."
I think Deborah meant that when Virginia Rich died, Nancy Pickard wrote a few more of the books in the series.
I hope Nancy Pickard is still alive as I've really enjoyed a few of her books!
Connie
Sorry, Deb, I read your post incorrectly!
My April list:True Evil This was an okay thriller with a villain who was just a little too evil and lucky. 600+ pages which went by very quickly. There are a lot of other writers in this genre whom I prefer to read.
Minding Frankie Love this author, and sometimes I am in just the mood for her type of novel, and I have never been disappointed.
Through a Glass, Darkly This series, set in Venice, featuring Police Commissario Guido Brunetti, is one of my favorites, and I'm glad I have many more to read.
The Things We Cherished: A Novel I received this book to review through the BookBrowse First Impressions program. I liked it a lot, and plan to look for more by this author. An elderly Polish financier has been accused of a war crime, and Charlotte Gold and Jack Warrington are reunited in Europe, working on his defence. Chapters alternate between the present and various times in the past, and it worked for me in this case (as it did in Geraldine Brooks' PEOPLE OF THE BOOK.)
Carolyn (in SC) C234D wrote: "Minding Frankie Love this author, and sometimes I am in just the mood for her type of novel, and I have never been disappointed. .."I totally agree! Love her books.
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Sorry, Deb, I read your post incorrectly!"I'm sure i could have worded it better, JoAnn. It must have jarred you to think Pickard is dead. I've enjoyed both her Jenny Cain series, as well as her stand alone mysteries. I felt her continuation of the Eugenia Potter books were okay but less successful. I wonder what fans of Rich thought of Pickard's attempts but have no way to find out.
deborah, thanking Connie for figuring out my pronoun problem
Book Nook Cafe
Books mentioned in this topic
True Evil (other topics)The Things We Cherished (other topics)
Minding Frankie (other topics)
Through a Glass, Darkly (other topics)
Loving Frank (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Diane Mott Davidson (other topics)Joanne Fluke (other topics)
Susan Wittig Albert (other topics)
Joanne Fluke (other topics)
Virginia Rich (other topics)
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I know it is just the 24th, but I thought I'd start this thread now, while I was thinking of it. Some of us have terrible memories, so it's nice to get a start on your lists before they are forgotten....at least for me!
As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd take the time to add the link for the book, or the cover (or both.) That makes it so much easier for the rest of us to look up the book, and add it to our own lists!
If if you don't want to write a 'Book Report,' please indicate somehow what your thoughts were on the books you read. As our group has grown larger, there are so many different kinds of books being read. That helps us all diversify our own reading. :o)
Happy Reading!
Donna in Southern Maryland