paigepea
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Posts: 5,609
Location: BC, Canada
Jun 26, 2014 4:28:55 GMT
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Post by paigepea on Oct 27, 2014 2:37:01 GMT
Hi Peas!
I'm almost done Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. It has been ok. I feel like I didn't get into it until over half way through - but with only 15% to go I'm reading quickly to find out what happens. I'm expecting some big twist at the end even though I think I know what is going to happen.
I didn't like all of the dark, satanic, sexual references.
Looking for something to read next. Would love another page turner. Looking for ideas here!!
Paige.
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gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by gottapeanow on Oct 27, 2014 2:57:25 GMT
Hi,
I guess I just read one book this week, but I have a few in progress.
Orphan Train was just amazing. It was so interesting to learn about the history of the era and how the children were treated, the contrasts between the homes, and the trauma inflicted upon the children. I loved the entire book. Especially loved the ending and how the stories between present day and the historical intertwined. Beautiful. 5/5 stars.
I am working on Unbroken. I thought the beginning was slow in this as well - the descriptions of planes, engines, army bases. Now, it is just hard to read - everything that Louie is going through. But so fascinating. I saw the movie previews - wow. It seems as though it was will live up to the book.
Paige, if you want suspenseful page-turners, here are a few I'd recommend:
Defending Jacob - Landay
The Dinner - Koch
The Silent Wife - Hutchinson
The Gods of Guilt - Connelly
Sycamore Row - Grisham
How to Be a Good Wife - Chapman
Precious Thing - McBeth
The Given Day and Live by Night - Dennis Lehane
All of these are mysteries. The ones most similar to Flynn are The Silent Wife and How to Be a Good Wife. I rated all of these a 4 or 5 on GR.
Edit: Two authors: John Katzenbach and RJ Ellory. They seriously leave you on the edge of your seat!
Lisa
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Post by RobbyKay on Oct 27, 2014 4:17:42 GMT
Hi Reader Refugees,
I read Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies. I enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to the book club discussion at the end of the week.
Right now I'm reading Laird Hunt's Neverhome. It's about a young woman who hides her gender and leaves her husband and their farm behind to go off and fight for the Union in the Civil War. It's really good so far, and the writing is excellent.
Happy reading!
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GiantsFan
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Jun 27, 2014 14:44:56 GMT
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Post by GiantsFan on Oct 27, 2014 4:21:52 GMT
Hi Refugpeas that read.
Chick lit for me this week. First was Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin. I thought it was totally funny and quick.
Next was Shadow Spell by Nora Roberts. It's the second of the O'Dwyer Dark Witch trilogy. I vowed to lay off NR but it came in at the library.
Third was Something Blue by Emily Griffin. Another quickie.
My reading group book this month is Love In The Time of Cholera. Wish me luck. I'm going to need the next Emily Griffin book after, I think.
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tuesdaysgone
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Post by tuesdaysgone on Oct 27, 2014 10:31:13 GMT
I'm almost done with The Narrow Road to the Deep North. It is the 2014 Booker Prize winner.
Most of the narrative takes place in a POW camp on the Thai-Burma Death Railway. It's very grim and difficult to take in at times. This was a horrific time in history and knowing that most of the horrors in the book really happened is devastating. At first I had a little trouble getting into the flow of the book but I'm captivated now. Not easy to read but worthy of the Booker Prize.
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Post by pjaye on Oct 27, 2014 11:10:20 GMT
Only one for me this week Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth which is a retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale.
Set in France in the 1500 & 1600s and told from the point of view of 3 women.
Firstly Charlotte-Rose who had a few scandalous love affairs at court and gets banished to a Convent by the King (and who eventually writes the Rapunzel story). While at the convent she meets a nun who tells her the story of Margherita the young girl locked away in a tower by a powerful witch. Then there's the story of the witch Selena and why she imprisoned Margherita in the tower.
I really loved 90% of this book and 90% of it is definitely worth 5 stars. But there was a section in the middle with Charlotte-Rose which was all about her love affairs and prolonged (and I thought needless and boring) account of her sexual escapades. I don't mind a bit of sex in books but for me, this just went on for far too long. It wasn't offensive or anything, but I didn't think it was really needed as a part of the story.
Once we got back to the other two main characters and the main story, it picked up again.
I thought this was a clever and imaginative book and a fun mix of fantasy and historical fiction. Definitely recommend. I gave it 4 stars overall, mainly for the 100-ish pages of boring bit in the middle which made it miss the 5 star mark for me.
Today I started First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen by Charlie Lovett.
I'm only about 10% and enjoying it so far. The book has a dual narrative - Sophie in the modern day and in the past features a young Jane Austen.
Jane Austen, old book shops and historical fiction...what's not to love?
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Deleted
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May 19, 2024 8:13:44 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2014 12:15:45 GMT
I just finished The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. It's a scary, gory murder mystery. The murderer accesses a time portal in a rundown Chicago house, where he can go back and forth in time, murdering a list of "shining" girls over a period of 60 years.
My one criticism is that it's hard to keep track of all the characters, especially the victims, with all the bouncing back and forth through time. It's a really different type of story -- and I'd recommend it. Pretty amazing writing.
I'm not sure what's next -- I picked up a stack of books from the library on Friday. Something got messed up about my emails, so I hadn't been notified they were waiting and I'd sort of forgotten I'd ordered them. I have a feeling some of them were based on reviews from here, so I expect them to be great!
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Post by leannec on Oct 27, 2014 12:57:50 GMT
I'm reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr for the November 2PeasRefugees Book Club ... I'm only a little way in but the writing is really beautiful  Leanne |
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Post by lynnek on Oct 27, 2014 15:36:06 GMT
I read two good ones last week. First was Ashfall by Mike Mullin. It is set in the future after the volcano in Yellowstone has gone off, isolating Alex from his family who was away for the weekend. It was a great story of how Alex had to learn to survive and what he did to try to get back to his family. It also made you think about just what would happen to our society if that volcano erupted. I enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading the second in the series.
Next I read Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer who wrote The Interestings. This is a YA novel, but I enjoyed it so much. Somehow, I have been on a kick of books that are set in boarding schools and this was another one. I think part of it is if an author can set a book at a boarding school it gets rid of those pesky parents so the kids seem to have more freedom. Anyway, in this book, Jam has been sent to The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school. She lost her boyfriend and can't seem to get over it. Once at school she is placed in a class with only five other kids called "Special Topics in English". It is THE class to be in but no one quite knows how you get in the class. This semester the class is studying Silvia Plath. During the course of the class, things happen and it changes everyone in the class. I really enjoyed the book so much! I loved the mismatched group in the class with all their problems that they brought to the table. A great read that I recommend.
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Post by auntkelly on Oct 27, 2014 16:21:14 GMT
I'm reading The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters. I heard the author interviewed on NPR and the book sounded really good, but I'm kind of lukewarm about it. The story is set in London right after WWI. (It seems like everyone is trying to duplicate the success of Downtown Abby). A widow and her spinster daughter have fallen onto hard times, so they must rent out rooms in their once fabulous home to a young couple. The spinster daughter and the young wife fall in love and the husband is of course standing between them and true happiness. The sex scenes are so explicit they seem tawdry.
I'm halfway through the book and something interesting has finally happened, so maybe the book will pick up and I'll end up enjoying it.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by Mystie on Oct 27, 2014 16:45:58 GMT
I read Lock In by John Scalzi, which takes place in the future and is about people who've contracted a flu that cuts their physical and neurological responses. They live in "cradles" with medical care, and use androids connected to them via a brain network to interact with the outside world. It was a very imaginative story; I enjoyed it.
I also read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, which also takes place in the future, after a devastating flu kills off about 99% of the world's population. A small band of actors and musicians travels around Lake Michigan, putting on performances for the tiny settlements that have survived. This was an exceptionally well-written book, moving back and forth between the "present day" (i.e. the coming of the flu) and the future when the whole world has changed. I loved it.
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Post by bc2ca on Oct 27, 2014 16:52:10 GMT
I'm reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr for the November 2PeasRefugees Book Club ... I'm only a little way in but the writing is really beautiful Leanne I'm only 100 pages into this book and 100% agree, the writing is beautiful. I know this is going to be one of my favorite books this year. I finished Big Little Lies earlier in the week and enjoyed it so much more than The Hypnotist's Love Story. I could definitely relate to the characters and dynamics in this book and would say more, but don't want to spoil anything. |
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GiantsFan
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Jun 27, 2014 14:44:56 GMT
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Post by GiantsFan on Oct 27, 2014 17:11:14 GMT
I'm reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr for the November 2PeasRefugees Book Club ... I'm only a little way in but the writing is really beautiful Leanne I read (on audio) this for my IRL reading group and the writing is really good. We had a good discussion and everyone liked it. My only issue was the jumping back and forth. I kept getting confused on who, when and where. But the kindle reading people didn't seem to have that issue. I will try to participate in the refupeas discussion. |
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linda
Shy Member
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Post by linda on Oct 27, 2014 17:29:32 GMT
I am reading Breaking Night by Liz Murray. It is a memoir about a girl who was raised by drug-addicted parents. I recommend this to those who liked The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.
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Post by sues on Oct 27, 2014 19:01:28 GMT
I finished the Gabaldon MOBY book- and I loved it. Then I grabbed an old King book to continue my fairly new tradition of reading something scary during the month of October. I grabbed Night Shift because it was available as an e-book, but it wasn't my first choice. I'm glad I ended up with it though. I forgot how many good stories there are in that book. Last night I started Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming. I've read that it can 'stand alone on it's own as a literary work' and that you don't have to be familiar with the actor to enjoy it. I'm not that far into it -but I'm not feeling the 'literary work' thing yet. It IS interesting though, and I like him a lot. It's well written- though he overuses phrases and words ("You see..." which is my all time MOST hated way to begin a sentence) - I just wouldn't call it a 'literary work'. So far, anyway. I think I'm about to get to the really interesting part- when he participates in the show Who do You Think You Are? - which leads to a lot more info than he counted on. (I think.) I'm in the last few pages of the Theresa Caputo book There's More to Life Than This. It's been dragging for awhile and has taken me much longer to get through than my usual purse book. I like her a lot and there is a lot of good stuff in the book- but I think her co-writer needed a heavier hand in it. |
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Post by elinoah on Oct 27, 2014 20:35:03 GMT
Read two pretty good YA series. Julie Kagawa's The Immortal Rules there are 3 books in this series. And Susan Ee's Angelfall/World After there should be one more in this series but not out until next year. Both were reallly pretty good. |
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Post by ScrappyJac on Oct 27, 2014 20:57:02 GMT
I started One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf last night. I stayed up way to late because it was so hard to put down.
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~Lauren~
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by ~Lauren~ on Oct 27, 2014 22:37:21 GMT
I read quite a bit this week. Just finished "The Auschwitz Escape" by Joel Rosenberg. It's the historical fiction story of several escapees from Auschwitz based upon the stories of two men who actually did escape. Good reads gives it a 4 1/2 out of five stars and I wholeheartedly agree. It was fantastic.
I also read Big Little Lies, by Liane Moriarty...4 out of 5, Mrs Poe, by Lynn Cullen, 4 out of 5 and the Orphan Train 4 out of 5.
All in all, a week of great reading and many sleepless nights.
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paigepea
Drama Llama
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Posts: 5,609
Location: BC, Canada
Jun 26, 2014 4:28:55 GMT
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Post by paigepea on Oct 28, 2014 6:19:37 GMT
Finally finished Dark Places. What a dark book. I enjoyed the twist but found it a bit predictable. Needed to sit with all of the lights on in the house, though, because it got freaky!
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janeliz
Drama Llama
I'm the Wiz and nobody beats me.
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Post by janeliz on Oct 28, 2014 12:25:22 GMT
This is the time of year I start checking out Christmas themed fiction, so I read Elin Hilderbrand's Winter Street. It's a family drama set on Nantucket (per usual with this author), and I enjoyed it very much.
I'm now reading Liane Moriarty's What Alice Forgot. I don't know why it's taken me so long to pick this one up.
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Post by circusjohnson on Oct 28, 2014 13:47:08 GMT
I love theses reading thread I always find books that I want to read from what you are reading. I am currently reading Dodger By Terry Pratchett. It's a middle reader/ya book. It's meant for the tween set but I have loved it.
Tina
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~Lauren~
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by ~Lauren~ on Oct 28, 2014 14:26:05 GMT
I'm reading this now also. So far it's very interesting.
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Post by powderhorngreen on Oct 28, 2014 15:56:49 GMT
Not a big reading week for me, but wanted to add to the post because I enjoy this topic each week.
The Son by Jo Nesbo - This is the first novel I have read by Nesbo (although I have several others hoarded on my Nook). I enjoyed it. For some reason, it lagged a little for me near the end. It was reminiscent of, but not exactly similar to, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series. I would recommend it.
The Julian Chapter by RJ Palacio - a follow-up to WONDER, a great middle school book. It took an hour out of my afternoon - and it was well worth it. I loved Wonder and enjoyed hearing the chain of events from the "bully's" point of view. Nothing heavy, but I would certainly want any 4th or 5th grader of mine to read these books.
Off to Tucson, AZ for the next two weeks. Maybe I can get through some of my huge TBR backlog.
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akathy
What's For Dinner?
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Jun 25, 2014 22:56:55 GMT
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Post by akathy on Oct 28, 2014 16:47:10 GMT
I'm reading Big Little Lies as well. I'm not very far into it but it's ok so far. I loved Me Before You though so I have high hopes.
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Post by 2peaornot2pea on Oct 28, 2014 16:56:09 GMT
I am reading this as well. I have about 100 pages left to go. This book is magnificent.
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gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by gottapeanow on Oct 28, 2014 17:17:45 GMT
My copy of All the Light We Cannot See just came in at the library. Really, really looking forward to reading it!
[HASH]Lauren, The Auschwitz Escape looks fascinating. Thanks for the recommendation - I added it to my to-read list.
Lisa
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Post by 1lear on Oct 28, 2014 18:07:04 GMT
I'm reading My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni. It's a Kindle First October pick so was free. I'm about 30% in and it's ok-not a can't-put-down book but it's keeping my interest so far.
Below is the description from Amazon:
Tracy Crosswhite has spent twenty years questioning the facts surrounding her sister Sarah’s disappearance and the murder trial that followed. She doesn’t believe that Edmund House—a convicted rapist and the man condemned for Sarah’s murder—is the guilty party. Motivated by the opportunity to obtain real justice, Tracy became a homicide detective with the Seattle PD and dedicated her life to tracking down killers.
When Sarah’s remains are finally discovered near their hometown in the northern Cascade mountains of Washington State, Tracy is determined to get the answers she’s been seeking. As she searches for the real killer, she unearths dark, long-kept secrets that will forever change her relationship to her past—and open the door to deadly danger.
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Post by craftygardenmom on Oct 28, 2014 18:22:00 GMT
For my more "literary" read I'm reading Ties That Bind by Marie Bostwick. Quilt fiction, very nice series.
I didn't see any fluff/romance/erotics listed above but I'll share that too since I do enjoy it. I recently read Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella - very bummed because I didn't like it and I'm a big Kinsella fan. I'm also on Week 7 of The Affair by Beth Kery (erotica author, good writer) which is my first ebook serial, and I'm enjoying it.
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loco coco
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Post by loco coco on Oct 28, 2014 18:58:46 GMT
Im trying to expand my reading material, I normally get trapped in the YA comedies or whats popular right now. I want something that will make me think more and out of the box, something I dont want to put down! I just ordered All The Lights We Cannot See based on you peas  Has anyone read The Goldfinch? |
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loco coco
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Post by loco coco on Oct 28, 2014 19:01:01 GMT
For my more "literary" read I'm reading Ties That Bind by Marie Bostwick. Quilt fiction, very nice series. I didn't see any fluff/romance/erotics listed above but I'll share that too since I do enjoy it. I recently read Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella - very bummed because I didn't like it and I'm a big Kinsella fan. I'm also on Week 7 of The Affair by Beth Kery (erotica author, good writer) which is my first ebook serial, and I'm enjoying it. I had no idea this was a series now! I loved the 1st Shopaholic, sad to hear the other isnt as good |
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My original pea date was November 1999 and my number was 1803
