The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,930 
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Jun 7, 2015 16:19:36 GMT
I finish teaching for the year and, of course, I get a horrible cold, so I only read one book again this week. I hope your week was healthier than mine.
This week I read: Our Endless Numbered Days. This novel is about a young girl whose dad is a doomsday prepper (circa late 1970's). He takes her away to a remote location and tells her the world is gone. It's the story of their relationship and the aftermath. 3.5/5
I'm reading a decent historical novel right now, but I'll wait to write about that next week when I am done.
What did you read this week?
As far as this poll goes, I have read about 90 books a year the last couple years, but this year I think it will end up being less. Maybe around 75 or so.
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anniebygaslight
Drama Llama
I'd love a cup of tea. #1966
Posts: 7,394
Location: Third Rock from the sun.
Jun 28, 2014 14:08:19 GMT
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Post by anniebygaslight on Jun 7, 2015 16:30:50 GMT
I'm reading 'In Plain Sight:The life and Lies of Jimmy Savile' by Dan Davies at the moment. It is hard going.
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MsKnit
Pearl Clutcher
RefuPea #1406
Posts: 2,648
Jun 26, 2014 19:06:42 GMT
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Post by MsKnit on Jun 7, 2015 16:42:00 GMT
I'm reading Unitended Consequences by Marti Green.
It's about a man who was convicted of murdering his daughter 20 years before and is facing the death penalty. A group that is set up to help innocent prisoners is trying to find evidence of what happened to keep him from being put to death. It's ok. Some of the writing bugs me. But, it's readable.
Next up, The Origin of Species, I think.
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MsKnit
Pearl Clutcher
RefuPea #1406
Posts: 2,648
Jun 26, 2014 19:06:42 GMT
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Post by MsKnit on Jun 7, 2015 16:45:00 GMT
What a poll. LOL! How about it depends on what is going on? Sometimes I can read 4 to 5 books a week. Then there are times that I am lucky to read 1 in 2 to 3 weeks.
Also, has anyone read The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs? It looks interesting.
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Post by RobbyKay on Jun 7, 2015 16:48:02 GMT
Hey Readers!
I attended a fundraiser for a local writing organization for at-risk youth, and Cheryl Strayed was the featured speaker. So I picked up her first novel, Torch. Since I read her non-fiction work, Wild, and I saw the movie, Torch very much seems to be the novelization of her youth and the death of her mother. It was a lovely book, just a little bleak.
Now I'm reading How to Start a Fire by Lisa Lutz. She's the author of the Spellman Detective Agency books, and this is her first novel since completing that series. It's quirky so far, but I'm looking forward to reading more.
Happy reading!
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Post by checkwheelsdown on Jun 7, 2015 17:09:57 GMT
I only read at night before bed so it's slower going for me. I'm one of those who feels guilty reading during the day when so much else is calling to me to get 'er done (cold, snowy days are the exception lol).
Right now I'm reading both Amy Tan's The Valley of Amazement (about a madam mother and courtesan daughter in early 1900s China) and Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson (a psychological thriller about a woman who loses her memory every time she goes to sleep). I'm enjoying both!
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tuesdaysgone
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,832
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Post by tuesdaysgone on Jun 7, 2015 17:11:33 GMT
I read a biography of E.B. White called The Story of Charlotte's Web. It was interesting to learn more about White and especially about how he wrote Charlotte's Web. He was a wonderful writer, but struggled as he created Charlotte's Web; it took several years to complete it. When you read this children's classic, it seems flawless and I can appreciate it even more now knowing how much work and thought went into it.
After reading the biography, I went to my shelf and did a quick re-read of Trumpet of the Swan. It's not the classic that Charlotte's Web is, but it's a cute story.
I'm in chapter 1 of How to Start a Fire. We'll soon see if I enjoy it as much as I did Lutz's other books.
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caro
Drama Llama
Refupea 1130
Posts: 5,222
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Post by caro on Jun 7, 2015 17:23:57 GMT
I am reading The Cinderella Murder by Mary Higgins Clark right now. I just finished James Patterson's book 14th murder club book. I like suspenseful books.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 5:56:09 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2015 17:34:10 GMT
I finally finished Outlander. I decided it is not the series for me. Up next is Along Came a Spider by James Patterson. I was needing a change of pace. Apparently, this is the first book in the Alex Cross series. I love to read and I do it everyday in some form. I need it to be quiet when I read a book and that's hard to come by in my home. So, I take breaks from books. Sometimes for a month of two. Sometimes for a week. I don't like to keep track of the number of books I read. I found when I do that, I tend to pick books with less pages.  ETA: I do keep track of books I've read on goodreads, so I looked back and I've read 11 total books this year. |
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Post by belgravia on Jun 7, 2015 17:41:18 GMT
I'm about to start Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll. It's received good reviews, so we'll see. I've been in a reading slump lately, and it seems like I've started a lot of books that I haven't been able to get into. I hate that! I'm a pretty avid reader but it seems like I've got a lot of unread titles on my shelf right now.
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Post by Lexica on Jun 7, 2015 17:45:57 GMT
I've been reading a book a day! I used to love reading and as my life got too busy, pleasure books were replaced with technical books. I wanted to learn to program my software, creating useful things to use at work. It seemed there just wasn't the time or desire for pleasure reading anymore.
Then a few weeks ago my iPad died on me and I ordered a Paperwhite because I needed something to do during the multiple times a day that I need to rest my back.
OMG! I have been having so much fun reading books from true crime, various biographies, a couple of romance novels, and a few weird fiction books regarding the end of human civilation.
Since I am taking care of my mom, we do a lot of hanging around home since she is still rehabbing from her hip surgery and various issues that have popped up since her fall. Also, my niece's daughter is constantly bringing home multiple illnesses. Last week it was pink eye. Of course, she infected my mom with it too. She has been unable to go out for weeks.
As she heals, we sit around and read books. Mom will recommend something that she wants me to read so we can discuss it, Also, I frequently get insomnia, so I read until I can fall asleep again.
I'm sure the pace will slow down here eventually, but sure enjoying my reading time now.
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Post by GamGam on Jun 7, 2015 17:49:00 GMT
Almost finished with Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper. Have to say I'm a little disappointed with this book. It received such glowing reviews. Homer is her blind cat, so this is the diary of their life together. Homer is exceptional, and I've marveled at his creative adaptability, and loved the way she describes his personality and quirky behavior . But, there's too much of the book devoted to her relationship with her husband, and I've been anxious to end the book.
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Post by sues on Jun 7, 2015 20:09:19 GMT
I'm reading book 20 and 21 for the year - Finder's Keepers by Stephen King and The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead by Paul Elwork.
Finder's Keepers is terrific so far- but I love King. I always love his characters and his story - but sometimes I hate the ending.
The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead is interesting so far. It's a slow starter though. I can't tell where it's going or if it will really grab me. So far so good.
Finder's Keepers- A masterful, intensely suspenseful novel about a reader whose obsession with a reclusive writer goes far too far—a book about the power of storytelling, starring the same trio of unlikely and winning heroes King introduced in Mr. Mercedes.
“Wake up, genius.” So begins King’s instantly riveting story about a vengeful reader. The genius is John Rothstein, an iconic author who created a famous character, Jimmy Gold, but who hasn’t published a book for decades. Morris Bellamy is livid, not just because Rothstein has stopped providing books, but because the nonconformist Jimmy Gold has sold out for a career in advertising. Morris kills Rothstein and empties his safe of cash, yes, but the real treasure is a trove of notebooks containing at least one more Gold novel.
The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead - "A debut novel about 13-year-old twins, Emily and Michael, who live on a large estate that borders the Delaware River.
The year is 1925 and the twins' father, a wealthy doctor who was something of a hero, is dead. He died in the service of his country while in France, trying to save the lives of American troops injured in battle during the war. The two children thrive on stories of their father, doled out by their mother, Naomi, and the family's only live-in help, Mary. The twins want for nothing but perhaps a little excitement, which they find in an odd and disturbing way: Emily discovers a talent she cannot explain. She can make an odd sound using her ankle bones.
Soon, she and Michael employ her talent; they pretend that Emily can talk to the spirit of one of their ancestors. Regina, who died mysteriously from drowning in the Delaware while still a teenager, becomes the focus of the twins' seances, to which they invite impressionable young friends. Their sessions soon grow increasingly elaborate and before they know it, they are performing for adults, a feat Michael savors, but Emily finds more and more uncomfortable with each lie she tells. In the meantime, Emily has been piecing together her own family's history, reaching back to the days when her forbears moved from a plantation in Virginia to their present home, and discovering family secrets planted along the way. While her mother reacquaints herself with an old friend, Emily digs into the past and finds a family she never knew existed. Meanwhile, the ghost sessions become more serious and disturbing, leaving Emily with the uncomfortable impression that she and Michael have been opening doors that should have remained closed.
An intricate yet beautifully told story that is less about ghosts and more about secrets and how destructive they can be." -Kirkus
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Post by brina on Jun 7, 2015 20:27:12 GMT
I just finished Inside The O'Briens the new book by the Lisa Genova who wrote Still Alice. This one examined a family affected by Huntington's Disease. I would say it was as good as Still Alice and better than Left Neglected. Last week I read The Invention of Wings which I thought was excellent.
As to the poll, last year I averaged a book a week. This year there has been a lot going on and I am averaging just over a book a month. With summer coming I will probably catch up some, although I downloaded The Emperor of All Maladies which seems like a bear, so maybe not.
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Post by littlefish on Jun 7, 2015 22:21:27 GMT
I haven't finished anything (or really had time to read much of anything) this last week, but after I turn in my classroom keys tomorrow I'm free for the summer, so I see a lot of finished books in my near future!
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Post by freecharlie on Jun 7, 2015 23:08:22 GMT
I read The 5th Wave, a book about survival when aliens infiltrate the Earth.
It was a little confusing at first, but I figured it out and I enjoyed it enough that I really want to read the second one.
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Post by freecharlie on Jun 7, 2015 23:09:45 GMT
As for the poll question, I go in spurts. Some months I read 0-1 and others I read 5-6. It depends on how much hockey is on and how busy I am plus whether I find books I want to read or not.
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Post by tampascrapper on Jun 8, 2015 0:34:54 GMT
I average 1-2 books a week but most of them are audiobooks. I listen on my commute, answering emails at work, etc. This week I listened to Cemetery Girl and really liked it even though I hated one of the main characters and really wanted to punch him more than a few times! www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0052RDIN2/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1433723459&sr=1-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&keywords=cemetery+girl&dpPl=1&dpID=51Og5iukbmL&ref=plSrchDescription from Amazon: Four years after Tom and Abby's 12-year-old daughter vanishes, she is found alive but strangely calm. When the teen refuses to testify against the man connected to her disappearance, Tom decides to investigate the traumatizing case on his own. Nothing can prepare him for what he is about to discover. |
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breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,919
Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Jun 8, 2015 0:54:06 GMT
Has anyone else noticed the "girl" theme in book titles lately?
Gone Girl
Girl on a Train
Cemetery Girl
and I know I'm missing quite a few.
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Post by grace2882 on Jun 8, 2015 1:07:03 GMT
I am currently reading It Starts With Food This book is about the Whole 30 plan which is helping me to better understand different types of food and its connection with how my body reacts to it. I am doing the whole clean eating thing right now and am feeling much better. Many of my prior physical symptoms that I thought that I just had to live with have completely gone away within the first 2 weeks of doing the plan. |
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Post by cindyupnorth on Jun 8, 2015 1:23:52 GMT
I read two in the last few wks while on vaca!!
History of the Rain by Niall Williams-Gave it a 7/10. I had a hard time getting in to it, due to how it's written. I was about 1/2 way in to it before it really drew me in.
The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman. I love anything by Alice Hoffman. She has such great writing skills. 9/10 for this one. Loved the story, the plot, everything. Would make a good movie. Finished it in 3 days. Which is a record for me!!
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Jun 8, 2015 1:41:42 GMT
I read three books:
Girl at War by Sara Novic. 5/5 stars. This is one of the best books I've read so far this year. The book starts with Ana as a ten year old girl living in Zagreb at the breakout of the Croatian War for Independence in the early 90s and picks up ten years later in NYC where Ana is a college student.
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll. 4.5/5 stars. This one has been mentioned in the same vein as Gone Girl and Girl on the Train. I think it gets mentioned because the main character is unlikeable (at first anyway, I like her growth throughout the story), but it doesn't have a big mystery as much as the other books. I really enjoyed it.
The Long Way Home (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #10) by Louise Penny. 3/5 stars. I like Penny's writing and descriptions, but the story in this one wasn't compelling to me and it got repetitive. As a whole I have still enjoyed the series though.
Next up: Inside the Obriens, The Accidental Empress, and Uprooted
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gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,752
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Post by gottapeanow on Jun 8, 2015 2:00:07 GMT
Last year, I read 100 books. I thought I would read that many this year as well. Sadly, doesn't look like that will happen as I am about 10 books behind this year. I think I have probably read 35 books this year.
I finished nothing this week. Nothing! Blech. I am reading Middlesex but need to finish At the Water's Edge by Sara Groen and return it to the library by next week. I hope I can do it!
Lisa
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akathy
What's For Dinner?
Still peaing from Podunk!
Posts: 4,546
Location: North Dakota
Jun 25, 2014 22:56:55 GMT
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Post by akathy on Jun 8, 2015 2:40:10 GMT
I just finished Emily Griffin's The One & Only which I enjoyed. Light but it held my interest.
I've got Karen White's The Sound of Glass downloaded and ready to read next.
I go in spurts. Some weeks I read 4-5 books and some weeks I don't read at all. It just depends on what's happening in the rest of my life. I probably read around 50-75 books a year.
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Post by pjaye on Jun 8, 2015 4:15:04 GMT
I listened to 95 books last year and this year I’m on track for about 120 (currently on my 67th book) However this is only because I listen to audiobooks, there is no way I’d have the time to be able to enjoy so many if I was reading them in the traditional way. Apart from time at work, I can have my book on most of the day. Most audiobooks are 10-15 hours and that’s generally 2-3 work days of listening for me and more on the weekend. Audiobooks have been a godsend for me I went from ‘reading’ about 5 books a year to ‘listening’ to 120!
Fist up this past week was The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (also narrated by the author). Set in Afghanistan in the 1970s and the story of two boys Amir and Hassan (the servant) and then follows their lives through the next 50 years and the different paths they travel. I have mixed feelings about this mainly because Amir isn’t a very likable character; he’s selfish and lacks compassion right throughout the book. It’s a difficult and uncomfortable book, but I did appreciate the insight into the culture. I ended up rating it 4 stars, but probably closer to 3.5.
What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson. OMG I hated this book! Brought it on sale a while ago but do yourself a favour and give it a miss.
Basically it’s something I could have written at school if the teacher had set the essay topic “what I think heaven is like” It’s just the authors made up drivel of what he thinks will happen when we die – the kicker though is right at the start of the book he claims this is all *fact* and can be verified by textbooks. He makes up words like “he saw my look of startlement”. There’s pretty much no story, it’s just all a giant word dump about this heaven he made up (you travel by thought, no need for toilets, there will be giant spiders, especially for those of you who hate spiders). Bad, do not read. 1 star.
The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay. Set in Paris in the 1860s, when Napoleon had decided to ‘modernise the city’ and large sections of houses were being pulled down for the renovations. One woman, Rose has decided she will not leave the house she has lived in for so long, and she tells the story of her life there. This was entertaining enough, but despite the melancholy content, it is a ‘light’ read. Excellent narration though from one of my favourites Kate Reading. 3 stars from me.
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. A classic I’ve been meaning to read for a long time. Sadly it didn’t live up to my expectations. Set in 1870 New York, there’s a love triangle between Newland who is about to marry May but then he meets her cousin Ellen (who has fled from an unhappy marriage) and he decides he’s in love with her instead. It also has the usual content of the time about society and manners and doing what is expected of you, and that’s the problem, every character ends up doing what is expected of them, no-one has any spark, they are all dull and boring and live their lives regretting that they didn’t do something else when they had the chance.
Glad I can say I read it, but it was just OK, 2 out of 5 stars.
Have just started Mambo in Chinatown by Jean Kwok.
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Post by pjaye on Jun 8, 2015 4:29:39 GMT
I've been reading a book a day! I used to love reading and as my life got too busy, pleasure books were replaced with technical books. I wanted to learn to program my software, creating useful things to use at work. It seemed there just wasn't the time or desire for pleasure reading anymore. As she heals, we sit around and read books. Mom will recommend something that she wants me to read so we can discuss it, Also, I frequently get insomnia, so I read until I can fall asleep again. I'm sure the pace will slow down here eventually, but sure enjoying my reading time now. Have you read The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe? the books isn't as depressing at it sounds & I don't mean to suggest that that your mother won't recover, but it's a similar experience. The author goes to chemotherapy appoints with his mother and they set up their own little book club and then they discuss the books. I lost my Dad last year and we also talked a lot about books when he was in palliative care. I enjoyed the book and the way it was written & learning about the author and his mother.
There's also Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading by Nina Sankovitch, it's on my list but I haven't read it yet, about a woman who reads a book a day for a year.
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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 Jun 8, 2015 4:44:15 GMT
I read three books: Girl at War by Sara Novic. 5/5 stars. This is one of the best books I've read so far this year. The book starts with Ana as a ten year old girl living in Zagreb at the breakout of the Croatian War for Independence in the early 90s and picks up ten years later in NYC where Ana is a college student. Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll. 4.5/5 stars. This one has been mentioned in the same vein as Gone Girl and Girl on the Train. I think it gets mentioned because the main character is unlikeable (at first anyway, I like her growth throughout the story), but it doesn't have a big mystery as much as the other books. I really enjoyed it. The Long Way Home (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #10) by Louise Penny. 3/5 stars. I like Penny's writing and descriptions, but the story in this one wasn't compelling to me and it got repetitive. As a whole I have still enjoyed the series though. Next up: Inside the Obriens, The Accidental Empress, and UprootedI'm reading Accidental Empress right now. I agree, The Luckiest Girl doesn't have a twist with a capital "T." It still kept me wondering along the way and I didn't have it all figured out. |
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Post by powderhorngreen on Jun 8, 2015 12:03:53 GMT
Working on a couple, but haven't finished anything this week. Will report back on them when finished - enjoying one, the other to so much.
To date, I have read 32 books, but like others, I count audiobooks into that total. Like others, reading quantity ebbs and flows depending on what is going on for me. This past week was crazy busy and I only did some reading just before bed and listening time was cut into by meetings and family fun.
Love this thread every week. Thanks to all that participate.
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Post by brina on Jun 8, 2015 12:13:30 GMT
Has anyone else noticed the "girl" theme in book titles lately? Gone Girl Girl on a Train Cemetery Girl and I know I'm missing quite a few. I noticed the same things with 'Wife' books a few years ago: The Pilot's Wife The Assassins Wife The Paris Wife The Reliable Wife The Govenor's Wife The Liar's Wife the list goes on and on |
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Post by Goldynn on Jun 8, 2015 12:57:09 GMT
I read several last week.
The Boys in the Boat. Loved the story, but definitely thought the book should have been shorter and not so overly descriptive. At times it felt as if the story was nearly occluded by a bit too much extraneous stuff.
Wreckage. I could definitely find some things to criticize about this one, particularly the fact that the male characters in the book were not written well or believable. Nevertheless, the book captured my attention and I enjoyed it as a quick, easy read.
Blind Descent: Surviving Alone and Blind on Mount Everest. I am usually a big fan of this type of book, however I cannot recommend this one. Although the info about Nepal, Everest, climbing, etc was interesting, I felt the book focused too much on religion. The author touts his Christianity too much for my tastes, and starts every chapter with a scriptural reference.
Station Eleven. Loved this one, it's a gem.
Currently reading China Dolls by Lisa See, which I'm already enjoying and will probably love because I love several of her previous books.
I generally read around 100 books a year, and have for over a decade. Some years I read more, some less. In 2012 or 2013 I only read 40-something, and this year I've only read 25. I just spent 3 weeks in Greece and didn't finish a single book - too many other fun things to do!
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