Weekly Reading Thread: Week of February 8th

I read Lucky Us. I thought it was well written and interesting - but it lacked something.
I kept waiting for something to happen, something to resolve...something bigger than what did happen.
In the end I was kind of wondering what the point was- I mean, there didn't seem to be huge growth or advancement of the characters. But, like I said - it was well written and it held my interest. I just didn't love it.

Now I'm reading Wolf Hall. I want to make sure I read it before the show starts in April. It kept getting postponed when my library wait list produced something more current.

My purse book is Last Scene Alive- the next-to-last book in the Aurora Teagarden series. I'm ready to be done with this series. They're light and easy to stop reading when I need to- which makes them good purse books, but it sure seems like Charlaine Harris was phoning it in with the end of this series.

Snow days have helped my reading greatly in the past few weeks. I've read a lot since the last time I've posted:

The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanat Khan, 4 stars. This is the author's first book, published this year, and I really liked it. Classified as a mystery, but it also has threads of historical fiction relating to the Bosnian War. I hope the author write more novels!

Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, 4 stars. This has been compared to Gone Girl and it it does follow the same vein as Flynn's books with unlikeable characters and a fast paced story. Quick read adn I liked it.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, 4 stars. Similar to her other books with unlikeable characters, but the story moved and kept me engaged.

The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister, 3 stars. This one has been compared to The Night Circus, but it is missing the rich imagery of that book. Even the writing was just okay, I did like the story and how it moved along.

Fram by Steve Himmer, 3 stars. I picked this one up because of the interesting concept, but in the end didn't click with the book. No faults I could really pinpoint in the book, but more of a "it's not you, it's me" type of thing.

10:04 by Ben Lerner, 3 stars. I wanted to like this book, but the writing was often pretentious. Either the author was too smart for his own good or I'm not smart enough for this book.

Wildalone by Krassi Zourkova, 1 star. I rarely give one star to books, but I really disliked this one. I should've known better since some of the write ups name checked Twlight and 50 Shades of Grey (definitely not my type of books).

And I'm so excited to be reading the Harry Potter books with my daughter (she's 7). We finished Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and we both loved it. I asked her what she would rate it from one to five stars and she said six.

I just finished All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It was a great and touching read.

I'm still reading Lawrence in Arabia by Scott Anderson. I'm learning a lot about WWI and the modern history of the Middle East that I didn't know.

I'll definitely be ready for some light reading after I finish this one.

I read this book about a year ago and thought it was excellent.  It does take some time to get through, but in the end I learned so much and thought it was very interesting.

I just finished All the Light We Cannot See and am about 1/4 of the way through Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It's interesting so far.

We are reading a classic this month for my book club. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I am enjoying it way more than I expected!!

I saw Chimamanda Adichie speak in September and she was talking about the movie.

She said her greatest hope is that they don't give the Nigerian characters the "one African accent" that is used in American films. She described movies set in all different African countries and then imitated the accent of each one--all the same.

I read The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes and didn't really enjoy it. I think it's one of her earlier books? It just did not grab me at all.

And I read I Must Say, Martin Short's memoir. I'm not even really a fan of Martin Short, but I saw it at the library and remembered that someone here or maybe on FB had read and liked it. Well, I thought it was terrific, one of the best "show biz" memoirs I've read. And surprisingly moving, too. I recommend it.

I'm listening to All the Light We Cannot See on audiobook and reading Yes, Please! by Amy Poehler. I haven't really cared about taking time to read books lately, so not sure what will be next and when.

I'm reading 'Mean Streak' by Sandra Brown and it's so good! I'm a big fan of her books.

Also still reading 'Landline' by Rainbow Rowell. It's a slow read to me but I'm hoping to finish it this week.

Hi Reading Peas!

This week I read The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. It was a great read! Sometimes the main character was so pathetic, it was painful to read; but I had to keep going!

I picked up Mike Greenberg's (one of the Mikes from the Mike and Mike radio show) latest title, My Father's Wives, about a man who seems to have everything, then discovers his wife may be having an affair. He works back through his late father's ex-wives, trying to find something that will put his situation in perspective.  It's interesting so far.

I'm also reading The Hadassah Covenant by Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen. It alternates between a story told by Queen Esther set in biblical times, and a modern day Israel. It's not my usual genre, but it's intriguing and well paced.

Happy reading!

I did but you probably don't want my answer.   I gave it 5/5 stars last Summer. I thought it was very suspenseful and fast-paced!

I finished The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christoper Scotten earlier this week. It was well-written and difficult to read. A lot of heavy & sad topics are covered (in some painful detail) & I had to finish it in part to see if the main character was ever going to catch a break.

I also finished The Same Sky by Amanda Eyre Ward which was another sad, difficult read. It was told through two different women and dealt with infertility and illegal immigrants.

I'm now working on Belle Cora by Philip Margulies and it's slightly lighter/easier going so far.