The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,930 
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Apr 24, 2016 23:45:53 GMT
Good evening (or whatever the time is in your neck of the woods)!
I read one book this week: Decent
I gave it 4/5. I am somewhat second guessing this one. There were parts I truly enjoyed, but I don't know how memorable this will be in the long run, and the frantic multiple person point-of-view shifting bothered me for most of the book. It helped to create the frantic and disjointed feel of a good mystery, but was it just a way to hide "meh" writing? I didn't think so, but afterwards, I'm not so sure.
A brother and sister go running in the mountains and only one comes back. What happened? What happens to a family gutted? Where did the sibling go?
What did you read this week?
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
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Post by Mystie on Apr 24, 2016 23:55:01 GMT
I knocked out three quick novels this week. The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin--I wasn't sure I was going to like this, but I ended up loving it. I've loved all of her books. This one's about Truman Capote and his friendships with a group of socialite women in New York in the 50s and 60s.
Then I read What she Knew by Gilly Macmillan because it was a $1.99 buy for Kindle this week. I was sort of "meh" on this one. It's about a mother whose son vanishes on a walk in the woods, and the investigation afterwards, told from several points of view. I can't quite figure out what failed for me in this one.
And I read The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty, I've had that one sitting here for a while. I think it was another Kindle cheap buy. I always love this author's books, and this one was pretty good. Not her best, but definitely a fun read. All her books are set in Australia, and that is a really fun place to read about.
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Post by peasapie on Apr 25, 2016 0:04:01 GMT
I read Under a Dark Summer Sky by Vanessa Lafa, about Key West, a group of WW II Veterans, racial tensions, and an impending hurricane. Yes, all of those things in one plot!
It was ok - I'd give it a 3 out of 5. I enjoyed reading about their lives, and it was interesting to think about what black veterans encountered after the war - having been in a position of authority and respect during the war and coming back to being treated unfairly. But the impending hurricane's influence on things was just a little too formulaic for me, and some parts dragged, while other parts went quickly. I think this is her first book, though, so she is probably learning.
Now I'm reading The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley, set in Scotland and reminding me a bit (only just started it) of Outlander due to the historical references.
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Post by peasapie on Apr 25, 2016 0:05:05 GMT
I knocked out three quick novels this week. The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin--I wasn't sure I was going to like this, but I ended up loving it. I've loved all of her books. This one's about Truman Capote and his friendships with a group of socialite women in New York in the 50s and 60s. I felt exactly the same way about this book! |
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Post by cindyupnorth on Apr 25, 2016 0:06:41 GMT
I am reading the sequel to You before me, "after you". I'm eh on it so far. The whole long lost dd? ugh.
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Post by annabella on Apr 25, 2016 0:25:16 GMT
I'm reading Shonda Rhimes - Year of Yes
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Post by maryland on Apr 25, 2016 1:21:33 GMT
I'm reading Save the Date - Mary Kay Andrews and really like it!
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Post by vi on Apr 25, 2016 1:35:29 GMT
I read A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley. It was an interesting book that went from a journal written in the 1700's to the present. It was done very well. The main character had Aspergers and it helped me understand some of the symptoms and how people cope with this.
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lisaknits
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,357
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Post by lisaknits on Apr 25, 2016 1:44:40 GMT
I finally finished reading The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald. I was surprised how much I liked it. It was charming and sweet and if you love books, you'll enjoy all the book references. At the end of the book the author even provided lists of all the books and authors mentioned in the book.
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Post by stingfan on Apr 25, 2016 1:59:24 GMT
I finished up Matched by Ally Condie. It was just okay. I wasn't very satisfied with its ending.
Now I'm part way through The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I don't like it. I think I'm going to abandon it and start something else tomorrow.
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Post by cadoodlebug on Apr 25, 2016 2:03:19 GMT
I started Gray Mountain by John Grisham, got about a third of the way through it and quit. It was my least favorite book of his I've ever read and, when it started to feel like a campaign against coal mining, I realized I didn't like the characters so I gave up.
I am now reading Harlan Coben's latest Fool Me Once and am really enjoying it. It is one of his stand-alone novels.
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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 Apr 25, 2016 2:23:49 GMT
I've only had the ability to read what needed to be read for English class.
So, The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle and its short story sequel. Next up was The Road by Cormac McCarthy. For such a depressing world, the story itself is beautiful.
Now to write the darned papers. Ugh!
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Post by birukitty on Apr 25, 2016 2:30:11 GMT
I'm in the middle of reading a book-Brooklyn by Colm Toibin It came in on hold from my library so I put aside the book I was reading (which wasn't that great and I couldn't get into it anyway), and started reading this one. So far I really like it, but I feel I can't really give a good review since I haven't finished it. I haven't seen the movie yet, because I was waiting to read this book first. That's the way I am with movies made from books-I always want to read the books first. So that's it for me this week-very short, which is unusual.
Debbie in MD.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 7:44:35 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2016 2:35:35 GMT
I'm almost done with Into The Wild It's like reading a news article. I'm very intrigued by the subject Chris McCandless...the book has been interesting.
I have no idea what to read next....
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finaledition
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,896
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Post by finaledition on Apr 25, 2016 2:46:09 GMT
I really enjoyed listening to All the Bright Places. If you are a John Green fan, you'd like this one. In fact, if there wasn't an author listed, I would have assumed it was by him. While the overall theme was sad and I believe regretful, there were parts of the book that the main character was very reminiscent of Ferris Bueller and there were some smiles mixed with the sadness. Would recommend this one.
My next book is an audible recommendation and a new release-Eligible which is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice.
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gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,752
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Post by gottapeanow on Apr 25, 2016 2:46:17 GMT
cadoodlebug, I am reading Fool Me Once as well. I am almost done - zipping through it. I think it's great! This week, I also finished The Golden Son. I really liked it and would read more by this author. 4/5 stars. And I finally finished The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared. It was a bit too far-fetched, filled with some goofy political stuff for my taste. Decent enough, though. 3/5 stars. Lisa
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Post by Crack-a-lackin on Apr 25, 2016 2:57:26 GMT
] I am now reading Harlan Coben's latest Fool Me Once and am really enjoying it. It is one of his stand-alone novels. Is this violent/gory? I like his books but stopped reading mystery/suspense because they've been too gory. |
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Post by pjaye on Apr 25, 2016 3:13:22 GMT
Last week I was listening to:
Mr Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt. This book is all sorts of weird. In the past we have Rose and Nat orphans living in a cultish/religious foster home. Then it forwards 20 years Rose, now mute, comes to see Cora, her pregnant niece and takes her on a journey. I have no idea what is happening or where this is going...half way through and not loving it, but will finish it to see what happens.
It just got weirder as it went, the author added a psycho religious cult who snorted bathroom cleaner and in the end I didn't know who was dead and who was alive. Not a book I would recommend and I gave it 1 star.
Next was Flight of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon. This is fiction but based on the Hindenburg disaster. The author's note at the end is the characters are all based on the real people, whether they survived or not was what actually happened, the facts of the Hindenburg are real as are many of the situations described in the book, but around that he wove his own fictional story of what may have started the fire.
I really enjoyed this and some of the facts were fascinating (they even had a smoking room on board!). This is one I would recommend and I gave it 4 stars out of 5 (narrowly missing 5 out of 5)
Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson. This is the true story of the first born daughter of Joe and Rose Kennedy, who had a traumatic birth (the midwife delayed the delivery of the baby to wait 2 hrs to wait for the doctor) and it is speculated that as a result there may have been some brain injury. Rosemary was deemed to be intellectually disabled (but not physically) at the time - something her high achieving parents could not come to terms with. At the age of 12 they sent her away to various boarding schools. They kept her hidden away out of the public eye so as not to affects JFKs run for president! Then in her 20s Rosemary became more difficult and emotionally labile so her father consented to her having a prefrontal lobotomy. The procedure went wrong and ended with her being semi-paralysed and unable to speak or care for herself. She then lived hidden away in various "clinics" under full time care for the next 50 years. Her mother didn't see her at all for the first 20 years. It's not a very flattering book to the Kennedy parents, especially Rose. It's quite heartbreaking what they did to Rosemary and how she was exiled after their attempts at "fixing" her went wrong. Interesting, but really sad, I gave it 4 stars.
Currently listening to The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown. This is about 3 sisters who all come back home when their mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. Their father is a Shakespeare professor (hence the Macbeth reference in the title) and there are lots of Shakespeare quotes throughout the book. All of the sisters have their own personal problems to work through. I'm about half way through and liking it so far.
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my3freaks
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,206
Location: NH girl living in Colorado
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Post by my3freaks on Apr 25, 2016 3:25:54 GMT
Now I'm part way through The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I don't like it. I think I'm going to abandon it and start something else tomorrow. I love Neil Gaiman in general, but I didn't care for this book either. I'm on the waiting list for a Kindle version The Graveyard Book at my library, and have high hopes for that one. I read The Shadows by J.R Ward I didn't love it, it was just okay. I enjoy The Black Dagger Brotherhood stories even though they're so predictable. This one wasn't specifically about one of the brothers, but was in their world, and they were involved. I'll probably keep reading them as long as she keeps writing them. I'm just about finished with Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb. Again, predictable, but I love this series. I can't believe I forgot that I'd bought this one! It was on like page 3 of my book list on my Kindle, so I wasn't seeing it anymore when I go to my home screen. I'll finish it tonight, not sure what I'm going to read next. I have several books downloaded from the library, I'll have to see which one is expiring soonest. |
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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 25, 2016 3:45:03 GMT
I'm about 1/4 of the way through The Lake House by Kate Morton. I'm enjoying it, but jumping back and forth between story lines and time frames is somewhat distracting. I've already forgotten who the heck Charlotte was and have to reread somewhere!
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
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Post by Mystie on Apr 25, 2016 3:54:49 GMT
I knocked out three quick novels this week. The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin--I wasn't sure I was going to like this, but I ended up loving it. I've loved all of her books. This one's about Truman Capote and his friendships with a group of socialite women in New York in the 50s and 60s. I felt exactly the same way about this book! Have you read any of her other books? The Aviator's Wife is especially good. |
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Post by RobbyKay on Apr 25, 2016 4:23:40 GMT
Hey readers,
I'm rapidly trying to finish my book club title for our meeting on Monday night. We're reading Ivan Doig's The Eleventh Man. It's set in WWII, from the perspective of a member of a championship football team in Montana. During the war, he is assigned to write feel-good stories about all of his teammates' exploits in the war. But as the war drags on, he is increasingly challenged to write those stories. It's a good story, and it communicates the flavor of the time really well, but it's been a struggle to get through it. Doig wrote some long paragraphs in this one, and since the action keeps moving around the world, there is a lot of scene setting and battle scene descriptions that take a lot of concentration.
Happy reading!
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tuesdaysgone
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,832
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Post by tuesdaysgone on Apr 25, 2016 10:12:21 GMT
I'm reading a book from my own (elementary) library. Redwall by Jacques. It's fantasy (animals living is a mythical kingdom) and used to check out very well and now it doesn't check out at all. I decided to read it in order to evaluate if I want to keep it in my library and if so, to figure out which of my students might like it.
I'm really enjoying it. It reads more like an adult novel. I have almost the entire Redwall series in the library and I'll probably being reading more and encouraging the kids to try it. I usually read more serious, literary novels and this is a nice balance to that.
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Post by littlefish on Apr 25, 2016 10:46:56 GMT
Now I'm part way through The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I don't like it. I think I'm going to abandon it and start something else tomorrow. I love Neil Gaiman in general, but I didn't care for this book either. I'm on the waiting list for a Kindle version The Graveyard Book at my library, and have high hopes for that one. I really enjoyed The Graveyard Book. A little dark, but I expected that. I finished Rising Strong by Brené Brown and really loved it. So much to think about and in her words, rumble with. It's going into my "reread" basket. I started The Good Lord Bird, which someone sent me as part of a gift once and just haven't gotten to yet. It's not what I'd usually read but entertaining so far. |
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Post by peasapie on Apr 25, 2016 12:01:00 GMT
I felt exactly the same way about this book! Have you read any of her other books? The Aviator's Wife is especially good. Not until now, but I'm putting it in my list. Thanks! |
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Apr 25, 2016 13:48:50 GMT
I'm almost done with Into The Wild It's like reading a news article. I'm very intrigued by the subject Chris McCandless...the book has been interesting. I have no idea what to read next.... You might like to read the book Chris McCandless's sister wrote - The Wild Truth: The Untold Story of Sibling Survival by Carine McCandless. I haven't read it yet (I did read Into the Wild), but it sounds like she fills in some gaps about Chris's childhood and more of what drove him to do what he did. |
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Apr 25, 2016 13:52:06 GMT
I read:
What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan. 4/5 stars. Suspense story about a boy that goes missing.
Breaking Wild by Diane Les Becquets. 3/5 stars. Another suspense story told from two points of view: a woman who goes missing in the CO wilderness while elk hunting and the woman ranger who is part of the search effort.
I'm currently reading and enjoying The Last Painting of Sara de Vos.
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Post by cadoodlebug on Apr 25, 2016 14:46:47 GMT
] I am now reading Harlan Coben's latest Fool Me Once and am really enjoying it. It is one of his stand-alone novels. Is this violent/gory? I like his books but stopped reading mystery/suspense because they've been too gory. I haven't found it violent or gory. I can't recall any of his books having either of those traits. |
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Post by lynnek on Apr 25, 2016 15:38:11 GMT
I started Gray Mountain by John Grisham, got about a third of the way through it and quit. It was my least favorite book of his I've ever read and, when it started to feel like a campaign against coal mining, I realized I didn't like the characters so I gave up. I am now reading Harlan Coben's latest Fool Me Once and am really enjoying it. It is one of his stand-alone novels. I felt that same way about Gray Mountain. Definitely my least favorite of his books. |
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Post by miominmio on Apr 25, 2016 15:43:32 GMT
I picked up several old books in a thrift store this weekend (yay!) and I am now reading "I heard that song before" by Mary Higgins Clark.
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