kma
Junior Member
Posts: 85
Jun 29, 2014 13:58:23 GMT
|
Post by kma on Feb 8, 2015 23:39:50 GMT
I have so many on my Nook to read and so many great ideas on this post every week!
|
|
|
Post by smokeynspike on Feb 9, 2015 0:24:30 GMT
I am currently reading Erased by Jennifer Rush. It is the second book in the YA Altered trilogy. I really ended up enjoying Altered so I am happy to see where the story takes me.
Melissa
|
|
|
Post by jackietex on Feb 9, 2015 0:33:53 GMT
I'm about half way through Left Neglected by Lisa Genova. I like her writing a lot.
|
|
|
Post by SockMonkey on Feb 9, 2015 0:36:47 GMT
I loved Americanah. The movie is in the works. 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'm actually moving back and forth between reading the book and listening to the audio (depending on where I'm at). The reader for the audiobook is Adjoa Andoh (an actress) and I think she's doing a nice job with the accents where necessary, but my Western ear is certainly not tuned to the nuances between a Nigerian accent and one from say, Ghana. Hopefully they will hire actors whose accents meet her expectations. I can see how it would annoy her!
|
|
finaledition
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,896
Jun 26, 2014 0:30:34 GMT
|
Post by finaledition on Feb 9, 2015 1:19:54 GMT
I am reading The Storied Life of AJ Fikry. I'm about halfway through and the word that comes to mind is enjoyable. It was very easy to get into the story, a pretty fast read. I love the quirky characters. It's a rainy day here and a perfect book to curl up with.
|
|
pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
|
Post by pudgygroundhog on Feb 9, 2015 1:34:17 GMT
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'm actually moving back and forth between reading the book and listening to the audio (depending on where I'm at). The reader for the audiobook is Adjoa Andoh (an actress) and I think she's doing a nice job with the accents where necessary, but my Western ear is certainly not tuned to the nuances between a Nigerian accent and one from say, Ghana. Hopefully they will hire actors whose accents meet her expectations. I can see how it would annoy her! So far David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong'o are attached. I just checked - Oyelowo was born to Nigerian parents in England and Nyong'o was born in Mexico and raised in Kenya - no idea what their accents are. According to Wikipedia, Nyong'o is fluent in her native Luo, English, Swahili and Spanish. That's pretty cool.
|
|
|
Post by stingfan on Feb 9, 2015 1:52:15 GMT
I read The Paris Wife by Paula McLain for book group. We had a really nice discussion about it. I wouldn't say it was an excellent book, but it was an interesting way to learn the history of that time. I also realized I've never read anything by Ernest Hemingway!
Now I'm reading The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (like a pp). I've just started, but it's got my interest.
|
|
|
Post by heartland on Feb 9, 2015 2:20:38 GMT
It was a snowy week around here, so I had quite a few finishes this week First up was the Marriage Charm by Linda Lael Miller. It's her latest book, and a very predictable fluff romance. I live for fluff though... Next was Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger. YA steampunk. This is set in the same world as her adult series, The Parasol Protectorate, about 20 years beforehand, so it's interesting to see a different side of a few of the characters who show up in both. Great story and very engaging, the second book in the series is in for me at the library, can't wait to get started on it. I also finished the audio version of No mercy by Lori Armstrong. Mystery series about a former army sniper who's career has ended and she comes home after her father dies to take over the family ranch. This one wasn't as easy to get into, I'm not sure if it was the story itself, the reader, or what. The author killed off someone pretty early on (which was a major plot point of the book) that really just didn't set well with me. Still it did manage to draw me in and left me hanging a bit at the end...she didn't just wrap everything up in a neat little bow lol. I think there are 4 or so other books in the series, so I will have to look for them and see where she goes next. Hush by Karen Robards was next. She writes an excellent thriller as usual. This one was a bit strange, both hero and heroine have secrets from each other most of the book and have serious trust issues with each other, so I didn't enjoy that part as much. My last finish for the week was Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay. This was a cute story, told in letter format - all from the main characters point of view, to a mysterious benefactor known as Knightley. Samantha had a horrible childhood and found the only way to cope was to retreat into books. She has trouble dealing with people and instead of engaging in conversations, she tends to quote lines from her favorite stories to fit the conversation. Most people cant relate to this, and she has a very hard time making friends. Throughout the story she learns to stop doing this and makes friends, falls in love, and even gains a family. Very good story and such an interesting premise. The one drawback I had with this book was that the use of so many quotes was really hard to get through and so many of them I did not know. Most were from all of Austen's work and Jane Eyre....any others I really couldn't even to begin to guess at, and I do consider myself fairly well read. So this girl was quoting some pretty obscure stuff to a lot of people. I can certainly understand why they wouldn't have been able to connect with her, they would have caught stilted speech, but not been able to reference the fact that this speech was 200 years old.
|
|
|
Post by alittleintrepid on Feb 9, 2015 2:46:57 GMT
finaledition and stingfan , I really liked the characters in The a Storied Life of A J Firky but couldn't shake the feeling that I was reading a YA novel. I was mad on behalf of those characters !
|
|
|
Post by powderhorngreen on Feb 9, 2015 2:48:13 GMT
Perfect by Rachel Joyce - This is a hard one for me to decide exactly how I feel about it. I would give it 4 stars. A good story, but man the characters drove me absolutely nuts. I just wanted to strangle Diane, the mother, more than once. The book tells the story of a young boy and his friend who are focused on the clocks being adjusted with the addition of 2 seconds. That boy then "sees" his mother accidentally hit a girl on a bike and then take off. The father of the family is controlling and it is important that everything be perfect. What ensues in that dysfunctional family as a result of that event is told and the end results are not happy, to say the least. Dispersed in separate chapters in-between the family's story is that of Jim, a mentally disturbed man trying to deal with his ocd and the world. Eventually those two story lines intersect. I liked and would recommend it - it is just not an easy or happy read.
The True Story of Hansel And Gretel by Loise Murphy - OMG, this is awesome!!!! 5 stars for sure. It is the story of two jewish children that escape a ghetto established by the Nazis in occupied Poland towards towards the end of WW2. They assume the Christian names of Hansel and Gretel and are taken in by Magda, the local "witch" that live outside of a small village controlled by the Germans. What ensues is a story resplendent with pure survival, the power of love, and the triumph of hope. The story tells the horror of war in an unflinching and relentless manner. Some of what is endured, and decisions that parents must make, are horrible to read and then contemplate. What was happening in Poland in 1943-1945 is almost too difficult to comprehend. The story does not follow the folk tale literally. There is a witch, an oven, spells, etc. and the way the author weaves those elements into the story is magical. I absolutely loved it.
An Atlas Of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy - another great read. It is set in India and focuses on three individuals and how their lives come together as they deal with coming of age, financial changes, poetical upheaval, and the caste system of that country. It is well-written story and very character driven. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Edited for spelling and grammar. You would think that, just once, I would proofread before I posted.
|
|
|
Post by pjaye on Feb 9, 2015 3:23:21 GMT
I thought I'd have lots of listening time last week but it didn't turn out that way. Last week I had started A Town like Alice by Nevil Shute. I enjoyed most of this story, however it was published in 1950 and therefore the language is pretty racist at times. Even though the characters themselves aren't inherently racist, the author does use the language of the times with words like 'abbo' and 'boon' when talking about native Australians, which is akin to using 'nigger' in the USA. I think because it was an audiobook that made it even more difficult to hear those words constantly being said. Apart from the language, I enjoyed the main story, even though it is a bit more simple than many more modern novels. The language made it 3 out of 5 stars for me.
Now I'm about half way through Fairest: The Lunar Chronicles: Levana's Story by Marissa Meyer. It's a short book that just came out and as I read the other 3 in the series a couple of weeks ago I thought I might as well listen to this while all the characters are still fresh in my mind. Enjoying it for what it is - a light read.
|
|
|
Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Feb 9, 2015 3:36:23 GMT
I'm reading The Husband's Secret by Moriarty at present. I like it so far, but I'm only about half-way through. The parallel stories that it has been telling are staring to converge and make sense as a whole.
Before that I read Defending Jacob by Landay(?). The twist at the end was not what I expected. But I liked the book so much I passed it on to a co-worker to read.
|
|
|
Post by lynnek on Feb 9, 2015 4:09:54 GMT
Last week I read Help for the Haunted by John Searles. Last year sometime I saw something on Facebook that he was looking for a book club from each of the 50 states to talk about this book with. I entered and was pleased to win for my state. So Monday night my book club got the chance to FaceTime with him. I enjoyed the book to start but talking to the author made it even better! It is about a girl whose parents help haunted people. They are killed and the book goes through what happened. I was so interested in how Mr. Searles told us his thoughts about the book but he was more than happy to hear our interpretations of the book. He was such an interesting and very nice person! I kind of just want to go to dinner and eat and drink wine and chat with him even more. So I would definitely recommend the book!
Then, the 2015 Newbery Award was awarded on Monday. I just happened to have the winning book already checked out from the library so I read The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. It us about two basketball star boys, their ex-professional basketball playing dad and their mom who us the assistant principal at the boys' school. But the most interesting thing - it is written in verse. So well done and believe it or not it packs an emotional wallop! I read the book in just a couple hours. I think it would make an outstanding book choice for reluctant middle grade readers especially, obviously, if they are into sports.
I started Girl on the Train yesterday and am finding that, like Gone Girl, I don't like the main character very much but I am very interested in the story and where it is going.
|
|
|
Post by lightetc on Feb 9, 2015 10:09:04 GMT
Binged on audiobooks this weekend.
First was The Children of the King - 4 stars - this was a children's novel but really didn't feel that way. It has depth and touched on many topics that I still explore as an adult. It's set during WW2 but also tells the story of the War of the Roses (think I'm right?!) - the fight for the English monarchy in the 15th century. My history may be a little inaccurate tonight. Apologies.
Next was The Wizard of Oz - 4 stars - I'd only ever seen the movie and had no idea what to expect. I certainly wasn't expecting to laugh. But I didn't. Sometimes because of the cultural differences between 19th Century America and 21st Century Australia. But it was fun and sweet and gruesome and good.
And finally Rose Under Fire - 5 stars. It's not the best written book I've ever ever read but I just sat mesmerised for hours and hours. I couldn't turn it off. A female American WW2 pilot ends up in the Ravensbruek Concentration camp with many Polish women and girls. It's a companion book to Code Name:Verity - which the first time through was another can't put down book for me. The second time through, knowing the twist meant I got something completely different from it, but it was easier to walk away from for things like eating and sleeping.
About to start Burial Rites which I finally got from the library.
Thanks for all the suggestions this week. My list of historical fiction continues to grow :-)
|
|
janeliz
Drama Llama
I'm the Wiz and nobody beats me.
Posts: 5,633
Jun 26, 2014 14:35:07 GMT
|
Post by janeliz on Feb 9, 2015 13:58:13 GMT
I finished Rainbow Rowell's Landline. I didn't love it. I just didn't feel the connection between the main character and her husband, and I think if I had I would have enjoyed the story much more.
I'm now reading The Andy Cohen Diaries. It's a really fun read, and I'm breezing right through it.
|
|
|
Post by mom2luke on Feb 9, 2015 15:47:25 GMT
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!! The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is probably my favorite classic. I hope my son reads it next year in high school he will be a sophomore. If so, I am going to read it with him.
This week I finally finished Winter of the World by Ken Follett. This is the third and final book in the Fall of Giants series. I am glad that I finished the series. But this was definitely the weakest of the three. I really didn't enjoy it. In fact, if you are reading the series I would probably stop at the first book.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 2, 2024 11:22:31 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2015 16:14:43 GMT
Currently reading Night Road by Kristin Hannah. Good so far.
|
|
pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
|
Post by pudgygroundhog on Feb 9, 2015 16:18:29 GMT
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!! The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is probably my favorite classic. I hope my son reads it next year in high school he will be a sophomore. If so, I am going to read it with him.
This week I finally finished Winter of the World by Ken Follett. This is the third and final book in the Fall of Giants series. I am glad that I finished the series. But this was definitely the weakest of the three. I really didn't enjoy it. In fact, if you are reading the series I would probably stop at the first book.
I thought the same thing about Winter of the World. I often don't like the way he writes his female characters, he veers into soap opera too easily, and his sex stuff is ridiculous. He's such an uneven writer. Some of the best and worst books I've read have been written by him.
|
|
|
Post by chedanemi on Feb 9, 2015 17:19:56 GMT
I don't generally participate in the reading thread as I don't have a lot of time to read, but we were on a cruise a couple weeks ago, and I had plenty of time!
I read The Sacrament by David Houser. I really enjoyed the book. It was well-written and had a solid story line with some offshoots that ultimately came back to the main line; sometimes in surprising ways. It was one of those books that left you thinking about it after you finished it. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
|
|
|
Post by kckckc on Feb 9, 2015 18:24:17 GMT
I finished two books this week.
Call of the Wild by Jack London. I have been listening to some classics on audio (my library has a large selection and there is usually no waiting list and I can renew them as needed). I hadn't read this one before (also hadn't seen the movie). The story of a sled dog - I liked it.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown. I read this based on Pea recommendations. It is the first in a dystopian trilogy. I really liked this one. I almost never buy new books, but I had the second in the series on reserve at the library and there was a long waiting list - I couldn't wait to read the rest of the story , so I ordered Golden Son from Amazon. I am almost finished with it, and I hate the fact that the third book won't be out for a while. I don't usually re-read books, but I will probably read these again when the third book is published.
|
|
pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
|
Post by pudgygroundhog on Feb 9, 2015 19:59:32 GMT
I finished two books this week. Call of the Wild by Jack London. I have been listening to some classics on audio (my library has a large selection and there is usually no waiting list and I can renew them as needed). I hadn't read this one before (also hadn't seen the movie). The story of a sled dog - I liked it. Red Rising by Pierce Brown. I read this based on Pea recommendations. It is the first in a dystopian trilogy. I really liked this one. I almost never buy new books, but I had the second in the series on reserve at the library and there was a long waiting list - I couldn't wait to read the rest of the story , so I ordered Golden Son from Amazon. I am almost finished with it, and I hate the fact that the third book won't be out for a while. I don't usually re-read books, but I will probably read these again when the third book is published. I said the exact same thing! I will likely re-read these, which is something I rarely do (last time was Harry Potter). I'm surprised these books haven't been more popular - I think they are better than most of the YA trilogies I have read. Flight of the Silvers is another one that I'm surprised hasn't been bigger than it is (one of my favorites from last year).
|
|
|
Post by kckckc on Feb 9, 2015 20:54:17 GMT
I finished two books this week. Call of the Wild by Jack London. I have been listening to some classics on audio (my library has a large selection and there is usually no waiting list and I can renew them as needed). I hadn't read this one before (also hadn't seen the movie). The story of a sled dog - I liked it. Red Rising by Pierce Brown. I read this based on Pea recommendations. It is the first in a dystopian trilogy. I really liked this one. I almost never buy new books, but I had the second in the series on reserve at the library and there was a long waiting list - I couldn't wait to read the rest of the story , so I ordered Golden Son from Amazon. I am almost finished with it, and I hate the fact that the third book won't be out for a while. I don't usually re-read books, but I will probably read these again when the third book is published. I said the exact same thing! I will likely re-read these, which is something I rarely do (last time was Harry Potter). I'm surprised these books haven't been more popular - I think they are better than most of the YA trilogies I have read. Flight of the Silvers is another one that I'm surprised hasn't been bigger than it is (one of my favorites from last year). I really liked Flight of the Silvers too. I buy my adult sons a book each Christmas - that was my choice for 2014. I think Red Rising will be this year's book.
|
|
|
Post by birukitty on Feb 10, 2015 0:09:25 GMT
This week I finished "Written in My Own Heart's Blood" by Diana Gabaldon which is book number 8 in the Outlander series. Oh, how wonderful! Such incredible writing and story telling. I've read all 8 books in a row, and I didn't want to leave the characters. How in the world can other books even begin to compare after this? Thanks to a tip by another Pea last week, I looked up the author on Facebook and now know that the next novel will be out approximately in 2018-sounds a long, long way off. But they are 800 page novels full of research on history and all kinds of other things, not to mention the new series so I understand. So...in the meantime, what to read? Luckily I have a bookshelf full of options. First I picked up a non-fiction book I'd picked up for free at our local free second hand bookstore in Baltimore-www.bookthing.org. If you are ever near Baltimore on the weekend you've got to stop by. That place is a goldmine for book lovers. DH and I go about 3-4 times a year bringing them about 4 grocery bags full of books to donate and taking home an equal number. Anyway, the book I started to read is "The Water in Between-A Journey at Sea" by Kevin Patterson. It's the story of a man who after a stint in the army and a broken heart decides to buy a 37 foot sailboat (even though he has never sailed before) recruit another brokenhearted guy going through a divorce who has sailing experience and take off from Canada to Tahiti. I'm about 1/3 of the way through so far and it's very good. Interesting and very good writing, all though at times he goes off on a tangent. I've been interested in these types of books since the late 1970's when I read "Dove" by Robin Lee Graham, the story of a 16 year old teen boy who began a solo voyage around the world in his 24 foot sailboat. It was utterly fascinating to me, the freedom, the adventure of such a voyage. I myself didn't learn to sail until 1990 but I've loved it every since and do so as often as I can. The day after starting this book I found another on my bedside table shelf (yep, I keep books here too) that I'd forgotten I'd borrowed from my Father's bookshelf about a month ago. So I started that one last night. It's called, " The Lifeboat" and it's a novel by Charlotte Rogan. This one is about an elegant ocean liner in 1914 (two years after the Titanic sank) crossing the Atlantic when a mysterious explosion sinks the ship, and some people are left in a lifeboat struggling to survive. Well, this huge Titanic fan just had to read this one right away! I dove right into that baby and am about 1/2 way through already. I'm also home with a UTI infection so I have lots of time to read, and it's so amazing to me how quickly one can get through a novel that isn't 800 pages long This novel is very good, especially given the fact that it is the author's first one. Debbie in MD.
|
|
gina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,228
Jun 26, 2014 1:59:16 GMT
|
Post by gina on Feb 10, 2015 4:12:02 GMT
Ok I finished one of my books. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
4 / 5This is the story of a grown son and his dying mother, and the book club they form (membership: 2) and continue as she battles pancreatic cancer. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about the story. I listened to the audiobook and I will say, I did not care for the narrator's voice at all (when he voiced the mother, it was almost laughable). But as the chapters drew on, I found myself enjoying it more and more. As for the "book club" itself, I hadn't read hardly any of the selections, so the content of the specific book choices did nothing for me. I didn't really retain any distinct info on these books (books within a book, if you will). But that's besides the point because book title aside, this is not a story on book club selections at the core. Rather, this is a lovely tribute from one son to his dying mother. I'll say, I am in no rush to go. =P But if I had a choice and could choose to die with creativity, respect, my family close by, surrounded by love, well, I'd choose to live my remaining days out exactly as Mary Anne Schwalbe had.
|
|
|
Post by 1lear on Feb 10, 2015 12:59:42 GMT
Somebody on the thread last week mentioned the book Bird Box-thank you!! I started it last night and couldn't put it down. I've read 65% so far and am loving it. I don't normally read apocalyptic books but I'm going to now.
|
|