|
Post by maryland on Jan 24, 2022 23:28:38 GMT
I am having trouble getting into a book, we have a lot going on with our dog right now. I started Brave Girl Quiet Girl, Hush Little Baby - Redfearn and Story Hour - (can't remember author). Then I gave on them because I need something lighter, so started It Ends With Us - Colleen Hoover, mainly because I can read it on my kindle.
|
|
finaledition
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,896
Jun 26, 2014 0:30:34 GMT
|
Post by finaledition on Jan 24, 2022 23:39:36 GMT
I read Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby. I don't know that anyone has reviewed it here, but this mystery/thriller ended up on quite a few best of lists for 2021. The longer I sit with this book, I'm inclined to give it 5 stars. Warning-some parts are violent and graphic. I'd perhaps compare it to the tv show Ozark in terms of the violence and the grittiness. These are not things I'm normally drawn to, but when done well, I can appreciate it. "Ike and Buddy Lee, two ex-cons with little else in common other than a criminal past and a love for their dead sons, band together in their desperate desire for revenge. In their quest to do better for their sons in death than they did in life, hardened men Ike and Buddy Lee will confront their own prejudices about their sons and each other, as they rain down vengeance upon those who hurt their boys." I'm a big audio book fan, but Covid has made it much more challenging with my husband working from home and on the phone all day. I can multitask when I listen, but I can't have two conversations, I need peace and quiet and I don't get that as much anymore. Outlander's narrator Davina Porter has spoiled because she is my absolute favorite narrator and I was so bummed to hear that she will not be narrating Diana's final book. I can't even imagine who will step in and finish that job.
|
|
|
Post by tamiq on Jan 25, 2022 0:08:42 GMT
I would love to participate in these threads more often this year! I have a goal to read at least 2-3 books a month. This is my tally for January: Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier (4/5) All it takes to unravel a life is one little secret...Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They're admired in their community and are a loving family—until their world falls apart the day their son Sebastian is taken. A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman. This discovery sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix. Permanently. REVIEW: This book was pretty good. It kept me entertained and flowed pretty smoothly. I didn't catch onto the ending until almost done with the book. I might check out another book by this author. The End of Her by Sheri Lapena (4/5) A long-ago accident--and a visitor from out of the blue. . .Stephanie and Patrick are adjusting to life with their colicky twin girls. The babies are a handful, but even as Stephanie struggles with the disorientation of sleep deprivation, there's one thing she's sure of: she has all she ever wanted. Then Erica, a woman from Patrick's past, appears and makes a disturbing accusation. Patrick had always said his first wife's death was an accident, but now Erica claims it was murder. Patrick insists he's innocent, that this is nothing but a blackmail attempt. Still, Erica knows things about Patrick--things that make Stephanie begin to question her husband. Stephanie isn't sure what, or who, to believe. As Stephanie's trust in Patrick begins to falter, Patrick stands to lose everything. Is Patrick telling the truth--is Erica the persuasive liar Patrick says she is? Or has Stephanie made a terrible mistake? REVIEW: Another good book. I finished this one in a day. I have started to not read reviews before I read the book because I think it taints my view. There were a few bad reviews of this book for plausibility but, honestly, I enjoyed the story. It was a nice quick read. The Dilemma by B.A. Paris (4/5) t’s Livia’s 40th birthday, and her husband Adam is throwing her the party of a lifetime to make up for the wedding they never had. Everyone she loves will be there, except her daughter Marnie, who’s studying abroad. But Livia is secretly glad Marnie won’t be there. Livia has recently uncovered a secret about their daughter which, if revealed, will shake the foundation of their family to its core. She needs to tell Adam, but she’s waiting until the party is over so they can have this last happy time together. Adam, meanwhile, has his own surprise for Livia: he’s arranged for Marnie to secretly fly back for the party. But before Marnie arrives, Adam hears some terrible news. Now he too is faced with a dilemma: Does he share what he's learned with his wife? Is hiding the truth the same as telling a lie? And how far are Adam and Livia willing to go to protect the ones they love—and give each other a last few hours of happiness? REVIEW: Also a quick read. This one had me scratching my head at times but the story was interesting so I gave it 4 stars. The description seems a little misleading and it definitely wasn't a suspenseful storyline but I finished it in a couple hours. I can say this isn't my favorite B.A. Paris book but it was a good one to get started on my reading journey with. Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier I enjoyed this one too!
|
|
|
Post by mnmloveli on Jan 25, 2022 0:39:17 GMT
I am having trouble getting into a book, we have a lot going on with our dog right now. I started Brave Girl Quiet Girl, Hush Little Baby - Redfearn and Story Hour - (can't remember author). Then I gave on them because I need something lighter, so started It Ends With Us - Colleen Hoover, mainly because I can read it on my kindle. Sending ((HUGS)) and hoping your loved 4-legged family member is feeling better soon ❤️
|
|
|
Post by guzismom on Jan 25, 2022 0:46:28 GMT
I finished To Paradise, the new one by Hanya Yanagihara. The 700-page book (!!!) is divided into three sections 100 years apart: past, recent past and future. The first two include alternate histories of the US. All three use characters with the same names, but the characters are not the same people. (It sounds more confusing than it is.) Honestly, Hanya would've done better to make this a trilogy. The first two sections are really novellas; the third, a novel. (I liked the third section the best, especially the creative timeline and the letters.) Maybe she'll listen to me when she writes her next book! 5/5 stars. Lisa I have this one on the nightstand; it will be next after I finish The Lincoln Highway, which I started two days ago. I finished A Line To Kill by Anthony Horowitz; I really enjoyed it.
|
|
mimima
Drama Llama
Stay Gold, Ponyboy
Posts: 5,022
Member is Online
Jun 25, 2014 19:25:50 GMT
|
Post by mimima on Jan 25, 2022 1:42:59 GMT
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie. I had only read a couple of Christie books before, and never this one, so was not expecting the reveal. I tend to not be very good at working out the puzzle, I am just along for the ride. I am listening to the Close Reads Podcast discussion.
Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher. This wasn’t as good as The Shell Seekers, but still enjoyable.
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau. It wavers between three and four stars – a very fun read and I enjoyed the characters.
|
|
|
Post by catmom on Jan 25, 2022 4:18:02 GMT
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman. It's the follow up to Beartown. I loved Beartown but I just wasn't feeling this book - the amount of exposition just seemed over the top. 3/5
The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury by Marc Levy. Great start and really interesting premise but the last half was very average. 3/5
Your Perfect Year by Charlotte Lucas. Formulaic but very enjoyable. 3/5.
|
|
ComplicatedLady
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,037
Location: Valley of the Sun
Jul 26, 2014 21:02:07 GMT
|
Post by ComplicatedLady on Jan 25, 2022 4:47:26 GMT
I read Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby. I don't know that anyone has reviewed it here, but this mystery/thriller ended up on quite a few best of lists for 2021. The longer I sit with this book, I'm inclined to give it 5 stars. Warning-some parts are violent and graphic. I'd perhaps compare it to the tv show Ozark in terms of the violence and the grittiness. These are not things I'm normally drawn to, but when done well, I can appreciate it. "Ike and Buddy Lee, two ex-cons with little else in common other than a criminal past and a love for their dead sons, band together in their desperate desire for revenge. In their quest to do better for their sons in death than they did in life, hardened men Ike and Buddy Lee will confront their own prejudices about their sons and each other, as they rain down vengeance upon those who hurt their boys." I read this book and thought it was really good. A lot of emotion in that book. I finished Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford. I gave it four stars on Goodreads but I was torn between 3.5 and 4. It started off slow and kind of confusing because the timeline bounces around quite a bit. Once I knew the characters names and got into the book a little more, it got much better. Plus, her emotions come out more as the book goes on. I’d recommend it if you like memoirs about lives that may be “normal” from the outside view but very different from yours. Here’s the description: Through poverty, adolescence, and a fraught relationship with her mother, Ashley C. Ford wishes she could turn to her father for hope and encouragement. There are just a few problems: he’s in prison, and she doesn’t know what he did to end up there. She doesn’t know how to deal with the incessant worries that keep her up at night, or how to handle the changes in her body that draw unwanted attention from men. In her search for unconditional love, Ashley begins dating a boy her mother hates. When the relationship turns sour, he assaults her. Still reeling from the rape, which she keeps secret from her family, Ashley desperately searches for meaning in the chaos. Then, her grandmother reveals the truth about her father’s incarceration . . . and Ashley’s entire world is turned upside down.
Somebody’s Daughter steps into the world of growing up a poor Black girl in Indiana with a family fragmented by incarceration, exploring how isolating and complex such a childhood can be. As Ashley battles her body and her environment, she embarks on a powerful journey to find the threads between who she is and what she was born into, and the complicated familial love that often binds them.This evening, I started Everything We Didn’t Say by Nicole Baart because I wasn’t ready for back to back biographies/memoirs. I wanted an easy read fiction thriller. Hopefully this is it. From the author of Little Broken Things, a “race-to-the-finish family drama” (People) following a mother who must confront the dark summer that changed her life forever in order to reclaim the daughter she left behind.
Juniper Baker had just graduated from high school and was deep in the throes of a summer romance when Cal and Beth Murphy, a childless couple who lived on a neighboring farm, were brutally murdered. When her younger brother became the prime suspect, June’s world collapsed and everything she loved that summer fell away. She left, promising never to return to tiny Jericho, Iowa.
Until now. Officially, she’s back in town to help an ill friend manage the local library. But really, she’s returned to repair her relationship with her teenage daughter, who’s been raised by Juniper’s mother and stepfather since birth—and to solve the infamous Murphy murders once and for all. She knows the key to both lies in the darkest secret of that long-ago summer night, one that’s haunted her for nearly fifteen years.
As history begins to repeat itself and a dogged local true crime podcaster starts delving into the murders, the race to the truth puts past and present on a dangerous collision course. Juniper lands back in an all-too-familiar place with the answers to everything finally in her sights, but this time it’s her daughter’s life that hangs in the balance. Will revealing what really happened mean a fresh start? Or will the truth destroy everything Juniper loves for a second time? Baart once again brilliantly weaves mystery into family drama in this expertly-crafted novel for fans of Lisa Jewell and Megan Miranda.
|
|
|
Post by trixiecat on Jan 25, 2022 12:53:48 GMT
I just started His & Hers by Alice Feeney, same author of Rock, Paper, Scissors.
|
|
|
Post by thundergal on Jan 25, 2022 13:45:21 GMT
I finished The Push last night. 4.5 for me. The ending wasn't disappointing for me at all. Not sure what I'll start tonight.
|
|
|
Post by jill225 on Jan 25, 2022 13:52:28 GMT
I finished The Ten Thousand Doors of January. I struggled with it the entire time. I know most people loved it but it just wasn’t for me. I am about half way through The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Interesting twist in the story. Next up is The Flatshare.
|
|
scrappyesq
Pearl Clutcher
You have always been a part of the heist. You're only mad now because you don't like your cut.
Posts: 4,032
Jun 26, 2014 19:29:07 GMT
|
Post by scrappyesq on Jan 25, 2022 14:10:21 GMT
5/5 Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen: It amazes me how he is a writer who is well known for not being the nicest and being cold in person, because he has a way of capturing human emotions that is unique to him and so moving. This book is no different. It's about a family: husband, wife and 4 kids. Each chapter is written from the perspective of everyone except the youngest child. Switching perspectives usually annoys me, but in Crossroads it didn't bother me at all. It actually added layers to the story because all of the perspectives were from each person talking about the same event. Usually with lots of their own history as the foundation, so you almost don't know where they are going with the story until the event happens. I LOVED it. Not to mention the fact that a lot of people find Franzen problematic because of the way he doesn't write Black characters. Reading him is frowned upon in many 'woke' reading circles (I almost didn't buy Crossroads because of that but then so many people I trust in the book world said it was amazing so I got it when BN had the big sale.) In that regard he nailed it. I have zero expectation that any writer can capture certain things cross culturally. If they do it well that's great and if they don't my feelings aren't hurt. Its like Franzen took all of the criticism, digested it and came back like bam. I don't know a better way to say it. I was floored. Needles to say I'm happy I read it. To come down from the literary fiction high I'm reading a historical romance this week. "After Dark With the Duke" by Julie Ann Long. finaledition and ComplicatedLady I LOOOOOVED Razorblade Tears. I cried an ugly cry at the end.
|
|
gina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,228
Jun 26, 2014 1:59:16 GMT
|
Post by gina on Jan 27, 2022 19:42:16 GMT
I finished The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and I know I'm in the minority but, eh. My full review is on Goodreads but, I was underwhelmed and gave it barely 3/5 stars.
I am about 75% done with The Night Swim by Megan Goldin which is holding my attention!
|
|
|
Post by ~summer~ on Jan 27, 2022 19:53:51 GMT
I finished The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and I know I'm in the minority but, eh. My full review is on Goodreads but, I was underwhelmed and gave it barely 3/5 stars. I am about 75% done with The Night Swim by Megan Goldin which is holding my attention! I also didn’t love the invisible life book - it was a stretch to give it 3 stars. I thought it started out super strong but then just dragged.
|
|
|
Post by mnmloveli on Jan 27, 2022 19:58:38 GMT
I finished The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and I know I'm in the minority but, eh. My full review is on Goodreads but, I was underwhelmed and gave it barely 3/5 stars. I am about 75% done with The Night Swim by Megan Goldin which is holding my attention! I also didn’t love the invisible life book - it was a stretch to give it 3 stars. I thought it started out super strong but then just dragged. I wasn’t even that generous; I gave it 2 stars on Goodreads.
|
|
|
Post by ~summer~ on Jan 27, 2022 20:06:01 GMT
I finished The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and I know I'm in the minority but, eh. My full review is on Goodreads but, I was underwhelmed and gave it barely 3/5 stars. I am about 75% done with The Night Swim by Megan Goldin which is holding my attention! I also didn’t love the invisible life book - it was a stretch to give it 3 stars. I thought it started out super strong but then just dragged. oops I just realized I was thinking of a different book lol. I was thinking of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. I have not yet read the invisible life book
|
|
|
Post by maryland on Jan 27, 2022 20:59:48 GMT
I finished The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and I know I'm in the minority but, eh. My full review is on Goodreads but, I was underwhelmed and gave it barely 3/5 stars. I am about 75% done with The Night Swim by Megan Goldin which is holding my attention! What is your name on goodreads (if you want to share)?
|
|
|
Post by flanz on Jan 28, 2022 1:33:09 GMT
The Book of Essie by Megan McLean Weir. 5 stars. The premise behind this one was so unusual and it was so easy to read and the story wasn't quite as predictable as you'd think. Essie is a teenager being raised in a Christian evangelist household where her whole life has been filmed. She finds herself pregnant and the story unfolds about how that changes everything. Thanks! I just bought it on Amazon for $5 I read the first chapter - sounds great!
|
|
|
Post by flanz on Jan 28, 2022 2:06:25 GMT
Oooh, started reading the free content - I'm hooked. It's a Kindle Unlimited selection right now.
|
|
|
Post by lesserknownpea on Jan 28, 2022 9:53:46 GMT
I’ve never listened to audiobooks. Reading is my special time at night and I’ve never felt the need or desire to listen to someone else read.
I’ve read the three most recent Tom Thorne books by Mark Billingham. I found this series by picking up the first at the Dollar Store years ago, and they have not lost my interest. Tom is your classic flawed London detective, focusing on The Job because his personal life is such a mess.
The author is excellent at character development, plot, all the little details that make good detective novels. 4.5
|
|
|
Post by iamkristinl16 on Jan 28, 2022 13:03:05 GMT
I read Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby. I don't know that anyone has reviewed it here, but this mystery/thriller ended up on quite a few best of lists for 2021. The longer I sit with this book, I'm inclined to give it 5 stars. Warning-some parts are violent and graphic. I'd perhaps compare it to the tv show Ozark in terms of the violence and the grittiness. These are not things I'm normally drawn to, but when done well, I can appreciate it. "Ike and Buddy Lee, two ex-cons with little else in common other than a criminal past and a love for their dead sons, band together in their desperate desire for revenge. In their quest to do better for their sons in death than they did in life, hardened men Ike and Buddy Lee will confront their own prejudices about their sons and each other, as they rain down vengeance upon those who hurt their boys." I'm a big audio book fan, but Covid has made it much more challenging with my husband working from home and on the phone all day. I can multitask when I listen, but I can't have two conversations, I need peace and quiet and I don't get that as much anymore. Outlander's narrator Davina Porter has spoiled because she is my absolute favorite narrator and I was so bummed to hear that she will not be narrating Diana's final book. I can't even imagine who will step in and finish that job. Have you tried using headphones? That is the only way I can listen to an audiobook in the house.
|
|
edie3
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,497
Jun 26, 2014 1:03:18 GMT
|
Post by edie3 on Jan 28, 2022 16:09:29 GMT
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby That was an incredible book. Not my usual genre but it was well written. Blacktop Wasteland was good too.
|
|
edie3
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,497
Jun 26, 2014 1:03:18 GMT
|
Post by edie3 on Jan 28, 2022 16:12:32 GMT
I read Saint X. Wasn't that impressed with it. Seemed to go on and on.
Hailed as a "marvel of a book" and "brilliant and unflinching," Alexis Schaitkin's stunning debut, Saint X, is a haunting portrait of grief, obsession, and the bond between two sisters never truly given the chance to know one another. Claire is only seven years old when her college-age sister, Alison, disappears on the last night of their family vacation at a resort on the Caribbean island of Saint X. Several days later, Alison's body is found in a remote spot on a nearby cay, and two local men–employees at the resort–are arrested. But the evidence is slim, the timeline against it, and the men are soon released. The story turns into national tabloid news, a lurid mystery that will go unsolved. For Claire and her parents, there is only the return home to broken lives. Years later, Claire is living and working in New York City when a brief but fateful encounter brings her together with Clive Richardson, one of the men originally suspected of murdering her sister. It is a moment that sets Claire on an obsessive pursuit of the truth–not only to find out what happened the night of Alison's death but also to answer the elusive question: Who exactly was her sister? At seven, Claire had been barely old enough to know her: a beautiful, changeable, provocative girl of eighteen at a turbulent moment of identity formation.
|
|
edie3
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,497
Jun 26, 2014 1:03:18 GMT
|
Post by edie3 on Jan 28, 2022 16:16:12 GMT
Oh, forgot about Jar of Hearts another book that was just okay.
This is the story of three best friends: one who was murdered, one who went to prison, and one who's been searching for the truth all these years . . . When she was sixteen years old, Angela Wong—one of the most popular girls in school—disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever suspected that her best friend, Georgina Shaw, now an executive and rising star at her Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in any way. Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was close with both girls back in high school. But fourteen years later, Angela Wong's remains are discovered in the woods near Geo's childhood home. And Kaiser—now a detective with Seattle PD—finally learns the truth: Angela was a victim of Calvin James. The same Calvin James who murdered at least three other women.
|
|
gina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,228
Jun 26, 2014 1:59:16 GMT
|
Post by gina on Jan 28, 2022 16:54:05 GMT
I finished The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and I know I'm in the minority but, eh. My full review is on Goodreads but, I was underwhelmed and gave it barely 3/5 stars. I am about 75% done with The Night Swim by Megan Goldin which is holding my attention! What is your name on goodreads (if you want to share)? me
|
|
gina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,228
Jun 26, 2014 1:59:16 GMT
|
Post by gina on Jan 28, 2022 16:54:41 GMT
I finished The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and I know I'm in the minority but, eh. My full review is on Goodreads but, I was underwhelmed and gave it barely 3/5 stars. I am about 75% done with The Night Swim by Megan Goldin which is holding my attention! I also didn’t love the invisible life book - it was a stretch to give it 3 stars. I thought it started out super strong but then just dragged. Thank you! I feel better reading this. lol
|
|
gina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,228
Jun 26, 2014 1:59:16 GMT
|
Post by gina on Jan 28, 2022 16:55:54 GMT
I also didn’t love the invisible life book - it was a stretch to give it 3 stars. I thought it started out super strong but then just dragged. oops I just realized I was thinking of a different book lol. I was thinking of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. I have not yet read the invisible life book Well I'm cracking up because I already quoted your other post (I am reading all out of order) BUT... I didn't like Henrietta Lacks either. LOL And I know that's usually a fan fave. So maybe you should skip Addie LaRue.
|
|
|
Post by maryland on Jan 28, 2022 16:56:33 GMT
What is your name on goodreads (if you want to share)? me Thanks, I just "followed" you!
|
|
pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
|
Post by pudgygroundhog on Jan 29, 2022 4:18:53 GMT
5/5 Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen: It amazes me how he is a writer who is well known for not being the nicest and being cold in person, because he has a way of capturing human emotions that is unique to him and so moving. This book is no different. It's about a family: husband, wife and 4 kids. Each chapter is written from the perspective of everyone except the youngest child. Switching perspectives usually annoys me, but in Crossroads it didn't bother me at all. It actually added layers to the story because all of the perspectives were from each person talking about the same event. Usually with lots of their own history as the foundation, so you almost don't know where they are going with the story until the event happens. I LOVED it. Not to mention the fact that a lot of people find Franzen problematic because of the way he doesn't write Black characters. Reading him is frowned upon in many 'woke' reading circles (I almost didn't buy Crossroads because of that but then so many people I trust in the book world said it was amazing so I got it when BN had the big sale.) In that regard he nailed it. I have zero expectation that any writer can capture certain things cross culturally. If they do it well that's great and if they don't my feelings aren't hurt. Its like Franzen took all of the criticism, digested it and came back like bam. I don't know a better way to say it. I was floored. Needles to say I'm happy I read it. To come down from the literary fiction high I'm reading a historical romance this week. "After Dark With the Duke" by Julie Ann Long. finaledition and ComplicatedLady I LOOOOOVED Razorblade Tears. I cried an ugly cry at the end. I always joke that "I'm not supposed to like Franzen" but I seriously think he is one of the best authors writing right now. Crossroads was one of my top ten last year.
|
|