The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,930 
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Feb 6, 2023 14:06:38 GMT
I am going back to last week and reviewing Demon Copperhead and then I finished three books this week...starting to get my groove again. What did you read this week?
BTW: I have started a Google Doc ( I am copying/pasting from that and that is why it is in this format)
🟣 Demon Copperhead
Barbara Kingsolver
-Realistic Fiction
-Classic Retelling
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Like all Kingsolver books, it’s incredible. The narration and characterization are perfect. It’s heavy. It is a take on David Copperfield—but the Appalachians in the 90s/2000s. Orphaned kids. Opioid addiction. Foster care horrors. For a variety of reasons, it took me a while to plow through this one. It was just a lot.
🟣 Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries. Book #1
Heather Fawcett
-Fantasy
-Magical Realism
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was utterly charming. Just such a smooth, cozy, and enjoyable ride. If you are looking for a little delight, this might be it. Yes, faeries and magical Icelandic-like islands with hidden people abound, but the narration and characters are endearing without being ridiculous or too cute. Looking forward to book 2.
🟣 The Book of the Unnamed Midwife
Meg Elison
-Post Apocalyptic
-Feminist
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
The Midwife wakes in a hospital after most of the world’s population has died of a plague…one that hit women and children particularly hard and has made it incredibly dangerous to be a woman survivor. It has all of the same normal post-apocalyptic tropes, but much of the story is told through a series of journal entries (I did not love the font on the Kindle App). I have to admit, I found this one hard to put down.
🟣 The Housemaid
Freida McFadden
-Mystery/Thriller
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m pretty harsh on mysteries, so I can see why many really like this one, but I’m giving it a solid four. Enjoyable, I had the main twist figured out, but how it got there was not what I was expecting.
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hutchfan
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,133
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Post by hutchfan on Feb 6, 2023 14:27:24 GMT
I read The Reunion by Kayla Olson.
A cute romance story about Liv and Ransom who come to gather after a decade to do a reunion show with their costars and Liv realizes she still has feelings for Ransom that she never acted on and just maybe he has had secret feelings for her too.
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Post by monklady123 on Feb 6, 2023 14:58:21 GMT
The Book of the Unknown Midwife Meg Elison -Post Apocalyptic -Feminist It's actually the "Unnamed" midwife... And, it's book one of a trilogy! Second is "The Book of Etta" and third is "The Book of Flora".  Can you tell I love dystopian/apocalyptic type books. lol |
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
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Post by Mystie on Feb 6, 2023 15:55:05 GMT
My reads from the past few weeks:
All Things Bright and Strange by James Markert. This was a story of magical realism that takes place in a tiny town in South Carolina a couple of years after WW I. I'm not even sure how to describe the plot...the town is in mourning, a tiny chapel is discovered in the woods that seems to impart healing, it soon becomes apparent that what's happening to the townspeople is destructive, not healing. It's up to an embittered veteran to step up and lead the town in a battle against the evil that's been unleashed. This isn't my typical type of read but I really did enjoy it. I picked it up at the thrift store because the cover caught my eye.
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins. I don't know why I keep trying with these types of psychological thrillers but I did. It was okay. A young man is found dead on a houseboat in London and the story is revealed through several of the women who knew him: his middle-aged houseboat neighbor, his estranged aunt, the mentally ill young woman who slept with him the night he was killed. It was a perfectly okay example of its genre.
Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley. This 100-year-old novella popped up in my Kindle recommendations and I gave it a try. I was glad I did! The Story is told by a middle-aged woman who is getting fed up with running her brother's farm. They were supposed to be farming together, but her brother became a published writer, much to her disgust. One day, a horse-drawn traveling bookshop and its owner come to the farm and she decides to buy the bookshop and have herself an adventure. It was a really funny, sweet, quick read; I recommend it.
Let Me Be Frank: A Book About Women Who Dressed Like Men to Do Shit They Weren't Supposed To Do by Tracy Dawson. Please read this book. Please have your teenaged and young adult daughters and granddaughters read this book! The author tells brief stories of women of many races, cultures and times who dressed as men, posed as men, allowed themselves to be perceived as men, in order to write, serve in the military, compete in sports and more. The style is informal and it has great illustrations. I was both bummed out and inspired by the stories; most of the women I'd never heard of, and I'm glad their stories are being told.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Feb 6, 2023 16:08:39 GMT
I listened to Demon Copperhead and really liked it. I also listened to I Must Betray You by Ruta Supetys and it was good as well. I am about 35% of the way through Lessons in Chemistry but don’t think I will finish it. I just don’t like it at all especially how it’s developing at this point.
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The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,930
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Feb 6, 2023 16:14:42 GMT
The Book of the Unknown Midwife Meg Elison -Post Apocalyptic -Feminist It's actually the "Unnamed" midwife... And, it's book one of a trilogy! Second is "The Book of Etta" and third is "The Book of Flora". Can you tell I love dystopian/apocalyptic type books. lol Changed it. I noticed it was a part of a trilogy. I am considering reading the next one. |
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The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,930
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Feb 6, 2023 16:16:43 GMT
Let Me Be Frank: A Book About Women Who Dressed Like Men to Do Shit They Weren't Supposed To Do by Tracy Dawson. Please read this book. Please have your teenaged and young adult daughters and granddaughters read this book! The author tells brief stories of women of many races, cultures and times who dressed as men, posed as men, allowed themselves to be perceived as men, in order to write, serve in the military, compete in sports and more. The style is informal and it has great illustrations. I was both bummed out and inspired by the stories; most of the women I'd never heard of, and I'm glad their stories are being told. I just added it to my Goodread's list to read. Thanks. |
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Post by monklady123 on Feb 6, 2023 16:34:34 GMT
Let Me Be Frank: A Book About Women Who Dressed Like Men to Do Shit They Weren't Supposed To Do by Tracy Dawson. Please read this book. Please have your teenaged and young adult daughters and granddaughters read this book! The author tells brief stories of women of many races, cultures and times who dressed as men, posed as men, allowed themselves to be perceived as men, in order to write, serve in the military, compete in sports and more. The style is informal and it has great illustrations. I was both bummed out and inspired by the stories; most of the women I'd never heard of, and I'm glad their stories are being told. I just put a hold on it at the library, and told dd about it and she also requested it.  |
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Post by mnmloveli on Feb 6, 2023 17:35:39 GMT
Good reading week for me………..
THE NEW HOUSE (‘22 - READ ‘23 - 4 STARS) BY TESS STIMSON
DESCRIPTION :
Three couples. Three houses. One home to die for.
Stacey and Felix are the glamorous owners of the stylish, modern Glass House, with its pool and floor-to-ceiling windows. Now they’re downsizing, but Stacey can’t sell to just anyone. She needs the right buyer, who will keep her secrets.
Millie and Tom have always imagined living in the Glass House. Now it’s for sale. With property prices booming, if they can sell quickly, it could be theirs. But are the house and its charming owners all they seem?
Harper and Kyle are moving up in the world. They need a new house, in the right school district, to give their children the start in life they never had. Millie and Tom’s house is perfect. It’ll take every penny they have, and more, but it’ll be worth it. Won’t it? When one of the sales falls through, how far will someone go to get everything they’ve always wanted?
REVIEW :
First book by this author was Stolen (‘21 - Read ‘22 - 5 Stars). New author for me. The Facebook Group - Psychological Thriller Readers, recommended THE NEW HOUSE (‘22) by this author. I decided to try Stolen first.
TRIGGER ALERT for some - domestic abuse and psychological issues. Right away you know this is much more than just two couples house hunting. Great writing just like my first book by this author. Kept me intrigued what was really going on. Enjoyed the whole reveal, including the great ending.
THE DRIFT (‘23 - 4 STARS) BY C.J. TUDOR
DESCRIPTION :
Three situations during a worldwide pandemic-like situation.
HANNAH awakens to carnage, all mangled metal and shattered glass. During a hasty escape from a secluded boarding school, her coach careened over a hillside road during one of the year's heaviest snowstorms, trapping her inside with a handful of survivors, a brewing virus, and no way to call for help.
MEG, a former detective, awakens to a gentle rocking. She is in a cable car suspended far above a snowstorm and surrounded by strangers in the same uniform as her, with no memory of how they got there. They are heading to a mysterious place known to them only as “The Retreat”.
CARTER is gazing out the window of the abandoned ski chalet that he and his ragtag compatriots call home. Together, they manage a precarious survival, manufacturing vaccines against a deadly virus in exchange for life's essentials.
REVIEW :
The first 3 books by this author for me were The Burning Girls (‘21 - 3 STAR STORY / 4 STAR CREEPINESS), The Chalk Man ('18 - Read '20 - 4 Stars) and The Other People ('20 - 5 Stars).
The opening “chapter” pulled me right in. The book starts alternating 3 locations with quite a few people in each location. The reader is definitely thrown right in the middle of some disaster. The author does get you connected to the characters in the 3 different locales which helped me remember who everyone was, but it was a tough read. Interesting twists that bring the whole tale together. Suitable ending for a chaotic, end-of-world thriller. The action never lets up which was exhausting for me but did earn this book 4 Stars.
Hope everyone gets to read a good book this week !
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Post by mnmloveli on Feb 6, 2023 17:46:24 GMT
🟣 The Housemaid Freida McFadden -Mystery/Thriller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’m pretty harsh on mysteries, so I can see why many really like this one, but I’m giving it a solid four. Enjoyable, I had the main twist figured out, but how it got there was not what I was expecting. I loved this book also and gave it 5 Stars. The sequel, The Housemaid’s Secret, is coming out 2/20/23. I’ve already pre-ordered. Looking forward to this one. |
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Post by maryland on Feb 6, 2023 18:38:45 GMT
I read Do You Want to Know a Secret - Freida McFadden and it was really good! I finished her other book One by One which I also gave 5 stars. I love all of her books and can't wait for The Housemaid's Secret mnmloveliI am listening to Phantom Limb - Lucinda Berry and really enjoying it! Has anyone read She's Gone - Dave Ellis? Or On a Quiet Street - Seraphina Nova Glass? I am going to read one of those next. I am reading That Night at the Beach - Kate Hewitt on my kindle and so far it's really good. I have a lot of books going at once, but so many good ones from the library became available at the same time! |
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Post by cadoodlebug on Feb 7, 2023 19:54:27 GMT
I just finished One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner which is the sequel to Before She Disappeared. The main character is Frankie Elkin who searches for missing people/cold cases. Although the ending got a tad far-fetched, it kept me entertained and, on occasion, terrified! 4.5/5 stars
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Post by katiescarlett on Feb 7, 2023 20:09:55 GMT
I just finished One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner which is the sequel to Before She Disappeared. The main character is Frankie Elkin who searches for missing people/cold cases. Although the ending got a tad far-fetched, it kept me entertained and, on occasion, terrified! 4.5/5 stars I just listened to this one too and really enjoyed it! It was definitely creepy in parts! 4 stars from me. I liked it better than Before She Disappeared which I gave 3 stars. I enjoy all of Lisa Gardner's series. |
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The Birdhouse Lady
Drama Llama
Moose. It's what's for dinner.
Posts: 7,175
Location: Alaska -The Last Frontier
Jun 30, 2014 17:15:19 GMT
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Post by The Birdhouse Lady on Feb 7, 2023 21:33:33 GMT
I read It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover.
This is the 4th book of hers that I have read.
Verity is still my favorite of hers.
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Post by monklady123 on Feb 7, 2023 22:10:07 GMT
I forget exactly where I left off on my list... lol. In the past week or two I've read: Murder and Mendelssohn by Kerry Greenwood. Yet another in the Phryne Fisher series. I LOVE these books but wasn't wild about this one. It had some odd scenes in it that just seemed unrelated to the main storyline. Winterland by Rae Meadows. Set in the Soviet Union in the 70s and 80s it tells the story of a young girl who gets plucked out of a very-rural Siberian gym, is brought to Moscow to train, and goes to the Olympics. It's a novel but all the real-life gymnasts from that era are mentioned -- Olga Korbut, Nadia Comaneci, Ludmilla Tourischeva, etc. It's a sad commentary on the Soviet athletic training machine. The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker -- The very first sentence of the book is "I killed a little boy today".  A very sad book about a little girl in England (or maybe Ireland...not sure they ever said for sure) who has a horrible home life... no love, no food except what she gets at school. I read this for an online book group that I belong to. After "Winterland" and "The First Day of Spring" I needed something fun, which I found in The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. I'm not quite done with it yet but so far it's just lighthearted fun about witches in ordinary life....i.e., not set in some fantasy world. It's about a young woman, a witch, who's hired to help train three young children who are also witches. |
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Post by pjaye on Feb 8, 2023 1:43:49 GMT
Those People Next Door by Kia Abdullah.
Set in the UK, a Pakistani couple move to a new (mostly white) neighbourhood with their 18yo son. Their son put a small "black lives matter" banner in their garden and their neighbour Tom takes it down...and from there things gradually escalate between the two couples.
I really liked the overall premise for this story and how things can quickly get out of hand, and how some things can be misunderstood easily when it comes to racism, but I couldn't buy into the author's explanation about a major plot point...plus right at the end she has the main character do something that is a giant 'WTF?' moment that really annoyed me.
3 stars
Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders by Kathryn Miles
In May 1996, Julie Williams and Lollie Winans were murdered while backpacking in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park, adjacent to the world-famous Appalachian Trail. The main suspect had the charges dropped and the evidence seems to suggest it was very unlikely he was the real killer. The murders are still unsolved.
The author became fascinated with this case and has done a lot of research & investigations of her own. She also covers other murders in National parks (particularly women) and how badly they are often handled.
4 stars.
A Killer by Design: Murderers, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind by Ann Burgess.
Non-fiction. In the 1970s a small group of FBI agents started what would become the behavioural science unit (BSU) and they gradually developed the technique now known as criminal profiling. Two FBI agents John Douglas and Robert Ressler had started interviewing all the serial killers in custody at the time and they recruited Ann Burgess who started her career as a nurse & eventually worked with rape victims to help them (which is all covered in in the TV series Mindhunter).
I've read all of Douglas' books, but now Burgess has written her own book about that time and her own career.
I found it completely fascinating.
4 stars
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mimima
Drama Llama
Stay Gold, Ponyboy
Posts: 5,020
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Post by mimima on Feb 8, 2023 3:17:33 GMT
Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese. Luminous writing, the cover captures the tapestry of the story. An imagined backstory of Scarlet Letter, a favorite curriculum reading (and upcoming Close Reads book.) Does delve in to witch trials, as a content warning. 4/5 stars
The Women in Black by Madeline St. John. I kept waiting for the witty humor that the reviews promised. 2.5/5 stars
Marmee by Sarah Miller. In an accident of library holds, this happens to coincide with a read-along of Little Women, so - while I commented recently that LW is in the fiber of my being - it is also top of mind. This retelling from Marmee's point of view is wonderfully done and hits the right notes. Kleenex warning - the scenes around the loss of Beth are complex and beautiful and heartbreaking. 4/5 stars.
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Post by boys5times on Feb 8, 2023 4:18:24 GMT
I read It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover. This is the 4th book of hers that I have read. Verity is still my favorite of hers. If you loved Verity try some of Freida McFadden's books! |
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Post by boys5times on Feb 8, 2023 4:20:07 GMT
I read Do You Want to Know a Secret - Freida McFadden and it was really good! I finished her other book One by One which I also gave 5 stars. I love all of her books and can't wait for The Housemaid's Secret mnmloveli I am listening to Phantom Limb - Lucinda Berry and really enjoying it! Has anyone read She's Gone - Dave Ellis? Or On a Quiet Street - Seraphina Nova Glass? I am going to read one of those next. I am reading That Night at the Beach - Kate Hewitt on my kindle and so far it's really good. I have a lot of books going at once, but so many good ones from the library became available at the same time! Yes! I just discovered her books and have read 4 or 5 in the last 2 or 3 weeks! |
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The Birdhouse Lady
Drama Llama
Moose. It's what's for dinner.
Posts: 7,175
Location: Alaska -The Last Frontier
Jun 30, 2014 17:15:19 GMT
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Post by The Birdhouse Lady on Feb 8, 2023 20:22:12 GMT
I read It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover. This is the 4th book of hers that I have read. Verity is still my favorite of hers. If you loved Verity try some of Freida McFadden's books! I think I wll!! Thanks for the recommendation!!! |
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Post by maryland on Feb 8, 2023 20:34:53 GMT
I read Do You Want to Know a Secret - Freida McFadden and it was really good! I finished her other book One by One which I also gave 5 stars. I love all of her books and can't wait for The Housemaid's Secret mnmloveli I am listening to Phantom Limb - Lucinda Berry and really enjoying it! Has anyone read She's Gone - Dave Ellis? Or On a Quiet Street - Seraphina Nova Glass? I am going to read one of those next. I am reading That Night at the Beach - Kate Hewitt on my kindle and so far it's really good. I have a lot of books going at once, but so many good ones from the library became available at the same time! Yes! I just discovered her books and have read 4 or 5 in the last 2 or 3 weeks! There is a Freida McFadden facebook group! She has a lot of fans! I love her books because they aren't too long and they hold my attention. I bought a lot on amazon for my kindle as they are inexpensive and sometimes have sales. |
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Post by maryland on Feb 9, 2023 4:24:33 GMT
I forget exactly where I left off on my list... lol. In the past week or two I've read: Murder and Mendelssohn by Kerry Greenwood. Yet another in the Phryne Fisher series. I LOVE these books but wasn't wild about this one. It had some odd scenes in it that just seemed unrelated to the main storyline. Winterland by Rae Meadows. Set in the Soviet Union in the 70s and 80s it tells the story of a young girl who gets plucked out of a very-rural Siberian gym, is brought to Moscow to train, and goes to the Olympics. It's a novel but all the real-life gymnasts from that era are mentioned -- Olga Korbut, Nadia Comaneci, Ludmilla Tourischeva, etc. It's a sad commentary on the Soviet athletic training machine. The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker -- The very first sentence of the book is "I killed a little boy today". A very sad book about a little girl in England (or maybe Ireland...not sure they ever said for sure) who has a horrible home life... no love, no food except what she gets at school. I read this for an online book group that I belong to. After "Winterland" and "The First Day of Spring" I needed something fun, which I found in The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. I'm not quite done with it yet but so far it's just lighthearted fun about witches in ordinary life....i.e., not set in some fantasy world. It's about a young woman, a witch, who's hired to help train three young children who are also witches. Those books sound good! My daughter bought The Last Day of Spring so will have to borrow from her. Winterland sounds good too. I always loved Nadia and the gymnasts in that time and read many books on them when I was young. |
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Post by ihaveonly1l on Feb 9, 2023 16:29:08 GMT
I finished Early Morning Riser and really liked it. The story was super detailed and then it just ended.
I also finished A Quiet Retreat for book club and really liked it.
I am halfway done with Tell The Wolves I'm Home and also really like it.
Lately I've had really good luck!
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Post by lainey on Feb 9, 2023 17:18:56 GMT
I finished Ponti by Sharlene Teo. 2003, Singapore. Friendless and fatherless, sixteen-year-old Szu lives in the shadow of her mother Amisa, once a beautiful actress and now a hack medium performing séances with her sister in a rusty house. When Szu meets the privileged, acid-tongued Circe, an unlikely encounter develops into an intense friendship and offers Szu a means of escape from her mother's alarming solitariness. I did enjoy this, the story is told from the viewpoints of the three main characters with Amisa's being the most interesting, however, it never actually goes anywhere. I gave it 4 stars.
I'm now reading The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell and enjoying it so far.
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finaledition
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,896
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Post by finaledition on Feb 9, 2023 18:32:26 GMT
I finished Early Morning Riser and really liked it. The story was super detailed and then it just ended. I also finished A Quiet Retreat for book club and really liked it. I am halfway done with Tell The Wolves I'm Home and also really like it. Lately I've had really good luck! I read Early Morning Riser last year and it seems like an underrated gem of a book. The characters are over the top, but it was just a fun escape book. |
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Post by cadoodlebug on Feb 10, 2023 18:12:14 GMT
For fans of Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan books (Finlay Donovan Is Killing It and Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead) she has a new one out: Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun. I just put a hold on it at the library as they will be getting the book soon. I find them an easy, fun read.
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Post by monklady123 on Feb 10, 2023 20:44:40 GMT
I finished The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches that I mentioned above. I started it after my two previous books which were both fairly depressing. "Witches" was exactly what I needed. Light, funny, a little bit of romance, fun plot twist, satisfying ending. Perfect. lol
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Post by guzismom on Feb 11, 2023 15:32:04 GMT
I am finding my library's digital collection leaves much to be desired; so I have requested physical copies of a number of books listed here....thanks, friends!
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Post by ihaveonly1l on Feb 11, 2023 15:35:27 GMT
For fans of Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan books (Finlay Donovan Is Killing It and Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead) she has a new one out: Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun. I just put a hold on it at the library as they will be getting the book soon. I find them an easy, fun read. I am also in the hold line from my library. I really liked the first one, but not so much the second. I'm hoping the third is better for me. |
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Post by cadoodlebug on Feb 11, 2023 18:34:34 GMT
I am finding my library's digital collection leaves much to be desired; so I have requested physical copies of a number of books listed here....thanks, friends! Do you have access to more than one library? Our county is small but the library has a decent amount on Kindle to be checked out. However, the next county over is huge so I'm a member there too and they have lots to choose from. Just a thought. |
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Can you tell I love dystopian/apocalyptic type books. lol
A very sad book about a little girl in England (or maybe Ireland...not sure they ever said for sure) who has a horrible home life... no love, no food except what she gets at school. I read this for an online book group that I belong to.
