The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,930
Jun 25, 2014 21:50:33 GMT
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Apr 3, 2016 21:10:11 GMT
Hello Readers!
I seem to still be on the one book a week trend.
This week I read Half Resurrection Blues. This is the first in what appears to be a series that follows a half dead guy. Urban supernatural mystery genre with a dose of romance.
It it is not really deep, but it is cleverly written and enjoyable. Quick and easy read. The second in the series is out too.
What did you read this week?
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Post by Neisey on Apr 3, 2016 21:29:21 GMT
I read "Where All Light Tends To Go" by David Joy. Haven't checked in here in a long time so not sure if this book has been reviewed before. I really enjoyed it but it is very dark. 18 year old Jacob was raised in a small town in the south where his father was the major drug dealer and his mom was a meth head. He is resigned to be stuck in this place. Lots of violence but also some tender moments. Not your typical coming of age. Disturbing but if you can handle the violence it is a well written story.
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Post by mnmloveli on Apr 3, 2016 22:03:01 GMT
Finished Harlen Coben's new one - Fool Me Once. Very good if your a Harlan fan. He doesn't disappoint.
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tuesdaysgone
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,832
Jun 26, 2014 18:26:03 GMT
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Post by tuesdaysgone on Apr 3, 2016 22:16:51 GMT
I read Staggerford a book written back in the 1970s. It follows five days in the life a 35 year old English teacher in a small rural upper midwestern town. The story is full of eccentric characters, some humor, and some sadness. It too me awhile to warm up to the book and characters because nothing "happens" for much of the book. But I think that's the point. It's a study of a small town and all the dynamics you find in such a setting. By the end of the novel, I loved it. The author has written several other books about the town and I'll probably try them too.
I'm about 3/4 done with The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair. This book was written in French and has been translated into English. It's almost a novel within a novel. A writer, struggling with writers block, goes to visit with his former professor and mentor. Shortly after, his mentor is arrested and implicated in the 30 year old murder of two women. The younger writer returns to the small coastal town (set in New Hampshire) to unearth the truth and begins to write a book about the murders. Not until I was reading it for some time, did I discover that it's being made into a movie staring Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling. It reads like a movie script, so I'm not surprised it's headed for the big screen. Even at this point, I have no idea how it will end...that's always good when an author can keep you guessing.
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Post by GamGam on Apr 3, 2016 22:37:35 GMT
I'm about half way through A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute, and finding it a very satisfying read. The writing is so smooth; it is classic literature. The characters are so well created, and the struggle endured by the protagonist produces a heart warming response. There's a sweetness to this story that I find very refreshing. Highly recommended.
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Post by maryland on Apr 3, 2016 22:51:35 GMT
Still reading The Admissions and love it! They do go off on a tangent a lot, and I have to go back a few pages to see what they were talking about before changing the subject, but it's a great book!
Got What She Knew - Gilly Macmillan from the library probably got the recommendation here!
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marianne
Pearl Clutcher
Not my circus, not my monkeys. . . My monkeys fly!
Posts: 4,176
Location: right smack dab in the middle of SC
Site Supporter
Jun 25, 2014 21:08:26 GMT
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Post by marianne on Apr 3, 2016 22:59:15 GMT
I started The Malcontenta by Barry Maitland. It's a police procedural about a detective on temp duty away from London who investigates the death of a therapist at a naturopathic spa. I haven't read that much because I switched books after my sister-in-law recommended Abandoned by Cody McFadyen.
It's a thriller about an FBI agent on the trail of a psychopath who abducts the wife (an LAPD cop) of a man who wants to be rid of her, and keeps her imprisoned in dark and isolation for 8 years. When the husband is paid life insurance, he's supposed to turn over half to the abductor for services rendered or suffer dire consequences. I've only read about 30% but am enjoying it so far.
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daisydonna
Full Member
Posts: 265
Sept 5, 2015 11:45:16 GMT
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Post by daisydonna on Apr 3, 2016 23:29:13 GMT
Just finished Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham. Really love his books. This one is split into 3 parts...three fairly separate stories.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Apr 4, 2016 0:01:30 GMT
I read The Summer Before the War, which is the new novel by Helen Simonson. She wrote Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, which is one of my favorite books ever, so I was looking forward to this one. Aaaand...of course it was a disappointment. It just was not well-done, the characters were flat, the story was flat. So disappointed. And I read The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule, about Ted Bundy the serial killer. I had seen something about Bundy on TV and decided to read a book about him. This was pretty good. Rule got her start as a crime writer out of her friendship with Bundy--they were friends for several years before his horrible murders came to light and he came under suspicion. I do not read true crime any more, it's too disturbing, but this was pretty good, and made me want to gather up all six of my nieces and hold them tight.
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Post by hollymolly on Apr 4, 2016 0:40:15 GMT
I finished The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It's about a depressed, over-achiever high school senior who is obsessed with a set of children's fantasy stories set in a land called Fillory. It's similar to Narnia, but without the Christian allegory. He gets whisked away to a secret college for Magic and finds out that all of his fantasies are real. This is not a kid's book, they are college aged and act like it, with drinking, drugs, and sex. I loved the take on the traditional magical fantasy land. The pacing seemed a little off in places, but I liked the characters. I didn't particularly enjoy their time in Fillory, and since that seems to be a major part of the second book, I don't know that I will continue to read the series. I'm very content to leave the story the way this book ended. It was satisfying and I don't feel like I need more. It's been made into a series on SyFy, so I watched the first episode. The show is not bad by itself, but it is so far from the book that it's really just a completely different story using the same setting and (most of the) characters. The overlap between the book and the show is minimal. This weekend I started two new books, one on paper and one on audio. On paper, I have The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I had picked up a few different books recently that all had a blurb saying things like: If The Secret History was written by Bret Easton Ellis, and, If The Secret History was set at Hogwarts, etc. So I decided I should probably go ahead and read The Secret History. On my run today, instead of music I listened to Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. It made me wish I was a better runner, because I did not want to stop. I'm forcing myself to only listen when I run, so I should have no problem getting my exercise over the next few weeks.
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gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,752
Jun 25, 2014 20:56:09 GMT
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Post by gottapeanow on Apr 4, 2016 0:51:10 GMT
I finally finished Gone with the Wind. I won't paste my whole GR review here, but I just did not expect the last 100 pages. At all. I loved the classic literature. But that ending. Gah. And I *know that it fits the book, but the racism was hard to handle. I am prepared for the backlash, but rating this 4/5 stars.
If you're still reading after a less-than-perfect review of GWTW, I just finished another one today, a new release. Hurt People by Cote Smith. Here's my review on GR.
Hurt People is a bit of a coming-of-age story, although not in the traditional sense. Told from the younger brother's point of view, we glimpse a broken and well, hurt family that so desperately wants to connect with each other but isn't quite sure how to do it.
It's summer in Leavenworth, KS, and two young brothers who are trying to find their place in their family and in the world spend their time hanging around their apartment and sneaking out to the pool, while their mother works odd hours at her minimum-wage job. There, they meet Chris, who develops a strong attachment to the older brother despite the narrator's concern.
At the same time, an inmate has escaped from the nearby prison, putting the town on edge. As a member of the police force in line for promotion to chief, the father feels the pressure of the escape.
From the very first page, the reader feels the angst, loneliness and pain of the characters. We can see what's coming and feel paralyzed to stop it. Even so, the end brings a measure of hope and redemption. Amazing job for a first novel. Looking forward to more from Cote Smith. 5/5
Lisa
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TXMary
Pearl Clutcher
And so many nights I just dream of the ocean. God, I wish I was sailin' again.
Posts: 2,811
Jun 26, 2014 17:25:06 GMT
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Post by TXMary on Apr 4, 2016 1:17:47 GMT
I haven't posted in awhile, but I did (finally!) finish 11-22-63. I didn't love it but I enjoyed it a lot. I sometimes have trouble focusing these days so it got a little long for me. It was good though and I'm glad that I read it. I will have to watch the mini-series now.
I'm just starting The Summer Girls by Mary Alice Monroe. It's the first in a series and I was looking for some light, beachy reading. I love books about the Lowcountry and I loved her book Last Light Over Carolina so I think I will enjoy these.
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Post by pjaye on Apr 4, 2016 1:54:22 GMT
I read The Summer Before the War, which is the new novel by Helen Simonson. She wrote Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, which is one of my favorite books ever, so I was looking forward to this one. Aaaand...of course it was a disappointment. It just was not well-done, the characters were flat, the story was flat. So disappointed. I'm listening to the audiobook for the same reasons you described. I am about 80% done and sadly have to agree with you. Major Pettigrew had me laughing out loud in several places and this book is missing the same humour. Lots of pointless talking and nothing happens.
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finaledition
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,896
Jun 26, 2014 0:30:34 GMT
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Post by finaledition on Apr 4, 2016 2:45:50 GMT
I've been #1 on an overdrive wait list for the last week or so (All the Bright Places). So I've been hesitant to start another book. Just marking my spot so I can continue to check this thread for recommendations throughout the week.
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Post by utmr on Apr 4, 2016 2:56:36 GMT
Finished Harlen Coben's new one - Fool Me Once. Very good if your a Harlan fan. He doesn't disappoint. Are his stand alones better than Myron Bolitar? I gave up on those after the long lost child showed up and I got bored. People rave about Harlen Coben though, and I wonder if I should give him another chance.
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Post by kellybelly77 on Apr 4, 2016 14:59:22 GMT
This past week I finished up One Lavender Ribbon by Heather Burch. I liked it but it had some not so great reviews on goodreads. I thought the male main character was a jerk but I liked the concept of the story and I liked the other characters.
A woman finds a stack of long lost love letters in the attic of the house that she is refurbishing. She tracks down the writer and the recipient and tells the story of the reunion. The book has snippets of the letters throughout.
I am currently reading 3 books. I don't know why I do this to myself!! I need to devote my attention to one at a time but I get antsy. I have read 14 books so far this year but a friend on Goodreads has read 35 already! Crazy!!
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Apr 4, 2016 15:15:57 GMT
I read:
Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones. 5/5 stars. It would've benefited from some tighter editing (started to feel repetitive partway through), but I thought the ideas explored were very interesting.
Sweetgirl by Travis Mulhauser. 4/5 stars. Debut novel in the grit lit/rural noir genre (has been compared to Winter's Bone). It's dark but doesn't feel as bleak as other reads. I liked it.
Currently reading Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys.
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Apr 4, 2016 15:32:35 GMT
I am listening to Fates and Furies on Audible.. it is really good. It is the story of a couple told from both of their points of view.. I'm still on his.
I just finished When Breath Becomes Air. It is a beautifully written book about a doctor who is diagnosed with cancer. One of the most beautiful books I have read in a long time.
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Post by mnmloveli on Apr 4, 2016 16:04:34 GMT
Finished Harlen Coben's new one - Fool Me Once. Very good if your a Harlan fan. He doesn't disappoint. Are his stand alones better than Myron Bolitar? I gave up on those after the long lost child showed up and I got bored. People rave about Harlen Coben though, and I wonder if I should give him another chance. I've never read any of Coben's Myron Bolitar novels - they just didn't appeal to me. I would definitely try one of his stand-alone novels.
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Post by lynnek on Apr 4, 2016 16:05:50 GMT
Finished Harlen Coben's new one - Fool Me Once. Very good if your a Harlan fan. He doesn't disappoint. Glad to hear you liked it. This is my book club selection for May. I have never read anything of his so I am looking forward to it.
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Post by lynnek on Apr 4, 2016 16:12:32 GMT
I've been #1 on an overdrive wait list for the last week or so (All the Bright Places). So I've been hesitant to start another book. Just marking my spot so I can continue to check this thread for recommendations throughout the week. All the Bright Places is worth the wait! A very good read!
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Post by lynnek on Apr 4, 2016 16:20:50 GMT
I listened to The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner last week. It is the true story of a girl who grows up primarily in rural Mexico in a polygamist family. The author is the narrator and I am not sure she has a real career in narration, but is was ok once I got used to it. The other thing that bothered me was that there were several times when the girl was supposed to be only 5 or 6 or 7 and the things her mom was telling her about and her responses were totally unrealistic. I imagine the conversations did happen but I question the timing although, overall in the story it is neither here nor there, bad stuff happens I guess it doesn't matter when. I have not read a lot about the culture so it was a very interesting read.
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Post by pjaye on Apr 4, 2016 16:26:21 GMT
This week I finished listening to The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald. This is about a Swedish woman, Sara who has been writing to Amy, her elderly American penfriend for a few years. Sara finally goes to the USA to visit Amy for 2 months, only to find she just died. So now Sara is stuck living in a recently deceased woman's house in a very small American town. I liked the main part of the story of Sara settling in and getting to know everyone and as both women were avid readers there's lots of books are mentioned throughout the story. But then it turned into a weird sort of romance and I didn't care for that or the ending at all. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars.
Next up was Girl at War by Sara Nović. Set initially in the 1990s in Croatia and tells the story of Ana and her family just before and during the Serbian/Croatian civil war. Then it jumps forward 10 years and Ana is now a college student in America and the rest of her story is told in flashbacks as well as her current life. I thought this was interesting and well written as I really didn't know much about this war or the culture of Croatia. Like most books about war, it's was quite grim at times. I ended up giving this 3 out of 5 stars, but would have been 3.5 if Goodreads had half stars.
As I mentioned above I also just finished The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson. As the title suggests it is set in England in 1914 and follows a small community dealing with the outbreak of WW1. I didn't think this was a 'bad' book, but there's just a lot of people sitting around talking and nor much happened for about 2/3 of the book. It finally gets going near the end but too late to save it. I agree that most of the characters were a bit one dimensional. I didn't dislike it, but I was disappointed in comparison to Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (which I rated 5/5). I ended up giving this a somewhat generous 3 stars.
In the last hour or so I've just started The Good Girl by Mary Kubica.
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Post by pjaye on Apr 4, 2016 16:30:15 GMT
I have read 14 books so far this year but a friend on Goodreads has read 35 already! Crazy!! I've just started book 38 for the year...all audiobooks though which means I can multitask. I can only ever listen to one book at a time, I've tried to read more then one in the past, but I just end up getting consfued about which characters are in which book.
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Post by kellybelly77 on Apr 4, 2016 18:08:55 GMT
In the last hour or so I've just started The Good Girl by Mary Kubica. I really liked this book! I wasn't expecting some of the twists and turns!
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Post by merry27 on Apr 4, 2016 19:09:08 GMT
I just finished The Golden Son and really enjoyed it! Even though it was just released, certain parts seemed really familiar- almost as it I had read it before?
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Post by miominmio on Apr 4, 2016 20:01:10 GMT
I have just started reading The Collaborator by Murray Davies (the Nazis have invaded Britain, and our hero returns from a POW camp and joins the resistance.)
And also, because I'm a nerd, I'm reading a book on Old Norse grammar.
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Post by annabella on Apr 4, 2016 20:06:25 GMT
I'm finishing up Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
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purplebee
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,734
Jun 27, 2014 20:37:34 GMT
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Post by purplebee on Apr 4, 2016 20:25:04 GMT
I read Staggerford a book written back in the 1970s. It follows five days in the life a 35 year old English teacher in a small rural upper midwestern town. The story is full of eccentric characters, some humor, and some sadness. It too me awhile to warm up to the book and characters because nothing "happens" for much of the book. But I think that's the point. It's a study of a small town and all the dynamics you find in such a setting. By the end of the novel, I loved it. The author has written several other books about the town and I'll probably try them too. Oh thanks so much for mentioning Staggerford. I'd forgotten all about Jon Hassler and his books. I really enjoyed them, and it's been a good 10 years since I read them. Will definitely be up for a re-read!
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Post by littlefish on Apr 4, 2016 20:56:24 GMT
I am so, so disappointed that I've only finished two books so far this year. I read A Place At the Table, based off the documentary. It was tedious to get through, but my mom works with the Salvation Army and wanted me to read it so I got through it.
I also finished Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. It's an older elementary level series based on Peter Pan. I liked the previous books in the series and liked this one too.
Right now I'm reading Rising Strong by Brené Brown. I'm a big fan of all of her stuff and this is no exception. Big picture, its about getting up after life knocks you down, but that's simplifying it.
Hopefully I ramp up my book finishing rate soon!
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