MsKnit
Pearl Clutcher
RefuPea #1406
Posts: 2,648
Jun 26, 2014 19:06:42 GMT
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Post by MsKnit on May 30, 2016 23:52:22 GMT
I'm reading The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashars. I was looking for light, but I'm pretty meh about this book so far. I was confused when I saw the author--I though she wrote another book that I enjoyed, but she actually wrote The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. Ann Brashares is the author of My Name is Memory. I loved that book until the end. She just dropped the story. She's never bothered to write the sequel. I was so angry at the manner in which it ended that I was doubtful of reading anything else she wrote, including the sequel. However, a few month ago, I checked to see if she had written that sequel. Nope.
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Post by birukitty on May 31, 2016 0:01:38 GMT
I just finished some light reading in a novel called The Girl in the Glass by Susan Meissner. This is the same author of the historical novel I reviewed last week of the Salem witch trials The Shape of Mercy. These two books are completely different but I thought I'd try another from the same author because I like her writing style. I've discovered now (this is the 4th book of hers I've read). Let's get back to reviewing The Girl in the Glass. This book is about a woman who's father has always promised her a trip to Florence, Italy-the place her grandmother came from and where she was supposed to visit with her grandmother but sadly she died when the main character's grandmother was a child before the trip could take place. Meg is now an adult working as a book editor for travel books and she still hasn't taken that trip to Florence because she still believes her father will keep his promise. It is her life long wish to go.
One day he promises her once again that he can make the trip and so she begins to make the arrangements. What great timing because as it turns out she's not only working on one book with a brother/sister team she knows in Florence but she's working on another one too that's different, intriguing and very promising.
I liked the book. It was great to read about Florence (a place I've always wanted to travel to) but it didn't have much meat to it I guess is how I'd put it. It's a good read for what it is. I give it 3 stars.
Debbie in MD.
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Post by stingfan on May 31, 2016 2:52:50 GMT
I finished Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult. Since she always has a 'twist' in her stories, I was thinking of all sorts of different options as the book went along. When the twist was finally revealed in the end, I was really annoyed. I felt like it was a cop out. I really need to stop reading her books!
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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 May 31, 2016 17:41:36 GMT
Well, okay then! I'm about to start Uprooted--finally. I have been trying to read this for months, but other things keep getting in the way! Recently finished No One Knows, a book I got from Book of the Month. I enjoyed it--similar to Gone Girl and Girl on the Train except the main character was not so unlikeable. I loved Uprooted!
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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 May 31, 2016 17:42:59 GMT
This week I read The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, which several people here had read and liked. I liked it, too. I love to read about art and art forgery, I love to read about Dutch masters, and though the 20th century characters didn't really grip me, the writing was really wonderful. I've got The Last Painting of Sara de Vos coming up soon, so good to hear you enjoyed it. There's an Australian book club TV show and they just reviewed this last week and all 5 people on the panel liked this as well - although I did mute my TV a few times because I didn't want to hear too much about the story when they were discussing it. I'm excited to listen to it now.
I liked it too and gave it four stars, although for me it suffered from high expectations and advance praise. Still liked it though.
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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 May 31, 2016 17:52:42 GMT
I always see this thread but then forget to post. I'm reading The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee. Its about an opera singer who has a past that no one knows about (at least she thinks no one knows). Then an opera writer approaches her to star in an opera that has a storyline exactly like her life. I'm enjoying it so far, I'm relatively early in the book, but I've already read one passage that nearly brought me to tears. A good sign. I'm also waiting until 12:01am tomorrow to download Lisa Kleypas' latest, Marrying Winterbourne. I've been waiting for this book since last August when I first heard about it!! It killing me that May 31 is finally here, and I'm annoyed that I don't have one more day of vacation to sit here and devour it. I read The Queen of the Night and enjoyed it (although my interest did flag in the middle some). I read The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney. I liked it very much. I enjoyed the quirky characters and multiple layers to the story. I liked this one a lot too. Compulsively readable. Just finished Faithful Place by Tana French. Frank Mackey is an undercover detective in Dublin. He has not been back home in 22 years, since he was ditched by his girlfriend on the night they were supposed to run away together. His sister calls to tell him that the girlfriend's suitcase was found in the house where they were supposed to meet. Now Frank has to re-examine the biggest moment in his life, as well as deal with his crazy family. It was a tense thriller with great characters. Their were a couple of times I laughed out loud, but it's not a funny book. I like this one better than her first, In The Woods. Her books are related and involve the Dublin Murder Squad in some way, but they are each from the perspective of a different main character. I'm anxious now to read the other books in which Frank is a minor character, because I'd like to see him from other perspectives. Have started The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It's the first in the Cemetery of Lost Books series. I love books, and I love books about books and booklovers, and I love books about secrets and mysteries. I'm having a hard time putting it down. I've read all of Tana French's books (although I almost didn't after I was disappointed at the end of In the Woods). I think they got progressively better and I really loved Broken Harbour (didn't like The Secret Place, her most recent, as much - but still liked it). Goodreads has her sixth book listed as being publishes this year - hope so! I didn't read the rest of the Cemetery of Lost Books series, but thought The Shadow of the Wind was great.
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Post by debmast on May 31, 2016 17:56:32 GMT
Currently reading The Girls by Emma Cline. Her first novel.
About a teenage girl in the 1960's. Parents split and she's pretty much left to her own devices. Ends up falling in with a "Mason" like cult.
A little over halfway. So far, pretty good!
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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 May 31, 2016 18:02:00 GMT
I read: The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney. 4/5 stars. After all the buzz, finally read this one. I really liked it - hard to put down. Even though I didn't like all the characters, I wanted to see where the story took them. Kind of a breezy read - probably won't think about it much again - but still enjoyed it. Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. 3/5 stars. I want to love Vonnegut, but just don't. Read this one for book club and while I was only so so on the book, I think it will be a good one for discussion. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel. 3/5 stars. Disappointed with this one. I felt disinterested through most of the book (but would watch the movie ). Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. 3.5/5 stars. I liked that this one had a different setting than books I usually read (Mexico City) and it was a quick read, but I just kept thinking the main character Meche was like Fairuza Balk's character in the movie The Craft. And my daughter and I finally finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I had already read this one several times and it's my least favorite book of the series, but was reading it with my daughter. I won't lie - it was mostly a slog. Several times she wanted to just stop reading. I promised her the last two books are better and we kept going - but it took us a looong time. Influenced by this most recent reading, I downgraded my rating to 3/5 stars. On deck I have: Zero K, Larose, and Sweetbitter. Anybody read those?
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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 May 31, 2016 18:02:48 GMT
Currently reading The Girls by Emma Cline. Her first novel. About a teenage girl in the 1960's. Parents split and she's pretty much left to her own devices. Ends up falling in with a "Mason" like cult. A little over halfway. So far, pretty good! This is probably the most buzzed about book of the year so far. I'm looking forward to reading it - although I hope I'm not expecting too much. Curious to hear what you think!
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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 May 31, 2016 18:05:42 GMT
I've got The Last Painting of Sara de Vos coming up soon, so good to hear you enjoyed it. There's an Australian book club TV show and they just reviewed this last week and all 5 people on the panel liked this as well - although I did mute my TV a few times because I didn't want to hear too much about the story when they were discussing it. I'm excited to listen to it now.
I liked it too and gave it four stars, although for me it suffered from high expectations and advance praise. Still liked it though. That's why I like to come to books "cold"--no expectations! Recommendations here and from other friends are fine, but I try to avoid hearing the reviewer buzz, because I am usually disappointed.
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Post by debmast on May 31, 2016 18:08:52 GMT
Currently reading The Girls by Emma Cline. Her first novel. About a teenage girl in the 1960's. Parents split and she's pretty much left to her own devices. Ends up falling in with a "Mason" like cult. A little over halfway. So far, pretty good! This is probably the most buzzed about book of the year so far. I'm looking forward to reading it - although I hope I'm not expecting too much. Curious to hear what you think! I wish I had more time to sit and JUST READ. But this time of year is crazy at work (last week of school) and home (soccer/soccer/soccer). I really like it so far but I wish I could just sit and finish it up! Will let you know what I think when I do finish.
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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 May 31, 2016 18:11:14 GMT
I liked it too and gave it four stars, although for me it suffered from high expectations and advance praise. Still liked it though. That's why I like to come to books "cold"--no expectations! Recommendations here and from other friends are fine, but I try to avoid hearing the reviewer buzz, because I am usually disappointed. I agree no expectations is better, although it's kind of hard when I often rely on reviews to help sift through all the books out there! I can't help but want to read the "Books to look for this year" or "best of" lists.
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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 May 31, 2016 18:39:30 GMT
I finished The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and I have to say, I seriously don't get what all they hype was about. To compare it to Gone Girl is ridiculous... not even close in terms of writing quality, the flow of the story, or plot content. The only similarities for me were the totally unlikeable characters in both. Anyway, I wasn't impressed, it was just okay in my book (pardon the pun!)
I've started reading The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins and I think I may be in for a ride with this one. I read that it's considered to be the first English novel of note of the psychological mystery genre and has been continuously in print for 150 years. With 600-plus pages of Dickensian-type, Victorian, and majorly descriptive writing that goes on and on... and on, I think I'll be at it awhile.
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Post by chlerbie on May 31, 2016 19:09:11 GMT
I'm reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime for my book club and am really enjoying it.
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NoWomanNoCry
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,856
Jun 25, 2014 21:53:42 GMT
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Post by NoWomanNoCry on May 31, 2016 19:14:44 GMT
I picked Still Missing back up to finish reading. I left off on chap 3 because I got bored with it but I'm glad I started it back up! It really picked up and im enjoying it.
ETA. Just finished Still Missing. So good!!!!! Crazy ending.
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gina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,225
Jun 26, 2014 1:59:16 GMT
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Post by gina on May 31, 2016 19:22:08 GMT
I haven't read in so long but I finally carved out some time this past week and finished a book. I read What Was Mine by Helen Klein Ross. It was so... odd! Has anyone else read it? The chapters were very short and told from different characters perspectives, so I really enjoyed the way it was moving. Then it just kind of ended and I don't know. It felt rushed and weird. lol Oh well! I give it 3/5 stars. I just started A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold last night after seeing a recommendation thread here (RE: Columbine). I put my name on the e-library's wait-list and it came up pretty quickly.
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scrappyesq
Pearl Clutcher
You have always been a part of the heist. You're only mad now because you don't like your cut.
Posts: 4,032
Jun 26, 2014 19:29:07 GMT
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Post by scrappyesq on May 31, 2016 19:28:46 GMT
I liked it too and gave it four stars, although for me it suffered from high expectations and advance praise. Still liked it though. That's why I like to come to books "cold"--no expectations! Recommendations here and from other friends are fine, but I try to avoid hearing the reviewer buzz, because I am usually disappointed.
I'm totally that person too....but then I read Harry Potter and I was so annoyed that I didn't listen to the hype when it first came out so now I have FOMO about my books. Darnit.
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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 May 31, 2016 19:38:01 GMT
That's why I like to come to books "cold"--no expectations! Recommendations here and from other friends are fine, but I try to avoid hearing the reviewer buzz, because I am usually disappointed.
I'm totally that person too....but then I read Harry Potter and I was so annoyed that I didn't listen to the hype when it first came out so now I have FOMO about my books. Darnit.
Well, that's understandable! I lucked out with Harry Potter--I was oblivious till the fourth book came out in 2000, and I picked up the first one and read it for fun on vacation that summer and got hooked. So I came to it before the buzz got insane, and got to enjoy the peak of it. It IS true that when you come to things late, then you want desperately to talk about it with people...and they've all moved on to the next thing. Story of my life.
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Post by cadoodlebug on May 31, 2016 19:44:08 GMT
I finished reading The last September by Nina de Gramont and didn't see the end coming. I enjoyed the book. I'm now reading What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan and am enjoying it as well. I hope the ending doesn't disappoint me.
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Post by kckckc on May 31, 2016 21:33:26 GMT
I finished three books this week.
Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall. Starla is a nine year old girl being raised by her very strict grandmother. She runs away, going to find her mother who she thinks is a country singing star in Nashville. On the way she is picked up by Eula, a black woman. This one is set in the early 1960s and you get a picture of what it meant to be black in the south at that time. Although the story was a little implausible, I still enjoyed it. It had a young adult feel to it, although it hit on a lot of heavy topics. 4/5
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. This one is set during WWII and is the story of three girls - Caroline, a New York socialite who volunteers at the French Consulate; Herta, a young German doctor who goes to work in a concentration camp; and Kasia, a Polish teenager who is sent to that camp. Kasia's story was definitely the best - her story of survival in the camp and her life afterward is fully fleshed out. Herta's story was not - she arrives at the camp and is horrified by what is going on, but a few weeks later is fully taking part in the torture and I have no idea what changed her. Caroline's story was actually kind of dull (and had an extraneous romance story thrown in). All in all, I thought this one was just okay, although I do think a lot of people will really like it. 3/5
Simple Matters: Living with Less and Ending Up with More by Erin Boyle. A book about making choices - what to bring into your home, what to do without. The author leads a minimalist lifestyle and evidently hates plastic and "chemicals". She comes across as a little holier than thou. 3/5
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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 Jun 1, 2016 1:18:33 GMT
I finished three books this week. Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall. Starla is a nine year old girl being raised by her very strict grandmother. She runs away, going to find her mother who she thinks is a country singing star in Nashville. On the way she is picked up by Eula, a black woman. This one is set in the early 1960s and you get a picture of what it meant to be black in the south at that time. Although the story was a little implausible, I still enjoyed it. It had a young adult feel to it, although it hit on a lot of heavy topics. 4/5 Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. This one is set during WWII and is the story of three girls - Caroline, a New York socialite who volunteers at the French Consulate; Herta, a young German doctor who goes to work in a concentration camp; and Kasia, a Polish teenager who is sent to that camp. Kasia's story was definitely the best - her story of survival in the camp and her life afterward is fully fleshed out. Herta's story was not - she arrives at the camp and is horrified by what is going on, but a few weeks later is fully taking part in the torture and I have no idea what changed her. Caroline's story was actually kind of dull (and had an extraneous romance story thrown in). All in all, I thought this one was just okay, although I do think a lot of people will really like it. 3/5 Simple Matters: Living with Less and Ending Up with More by Erin Boyle. A book about making choices - what to bring into your home, what to do without. The author leads a minimalist lifestyle and evidently hates plastic and "chemicals". She comes across as a little holier than thou. 3/5 Bummer on Lilac Girls. It's in transit to the library for me now.
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NoWomanNoCry
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,856
Jun 25, 2014 21:53:42 GMT
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Post by NoWomanNoCry on Jun 1, 2016 2:01:46 GMT
I finished reading The last September by Nina de Gramont and didn't see the end coming. I enjoyed the book. I'm now reading What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan and am enjoying it as well. I hope the ending doesn't disappoint me. I read What She Knew last week. It had me on the edge of my seat and for really good midway through. There is a twist in the book a little more than midway and I found that more interesting than the final ending on "who done it"
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Post by cadoodlebug on Jun 1, 2016 2:05:27 GMT
I finished reading The last September by Nina de Gramont and didn't see the end coming. I enjoyed the book. I'm now reading What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan and am enjoying it as well. I hope the ending doesn't disappoint me. I read What She Knew last week. It had me on the edge of my seat and for really good midway through. There is a twist in the book a little more than midway and I found that more interesting than the final ending on "who done it" Is it that her parents jumped off a cliff with her brother because of his disease? I just got past that part and it was a shocker to me AND to Rachel!!
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NoWomanNoCry
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,856
Jun 25, 2014 21:53:42 GMT
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Post by NoWomanNoCry on Jun 1, 2016 2:12:14 GMT
I read What She Knew last week. It had me on the edge of my seat and for really good midway through. There is a twist in the book a little more than midway and I found that more interesting than the final ending on "who done it" Is it that her parents jumped off a cliff with her brother because of his disease? I just got past that part and it was a shocker to me AND to Rachel!! Yes!!!! That's the most shocking thing in the whole book IMO.
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luckyexwife
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,067
Jun 25, 2014 21:21:08 GMT
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Post by luckyexwife on Jun 1, 2016 2:13:42 GMT
I read What She Knew last week. It had me on the edge of my seat and for really good midway through. There is a twist in the book a little more than midway and I found that more interesting than the final ending on "who done it" Is it that her parents jumped off a cliff with her brother because of his disease? I just got past that part and it was a shocker to me AND to Rachel!! I have this in my to read pile, just marking my spot to come back and read this!!
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Post by 5peanutsnana on Jun 1, 2016 3:39:35 GMT
Bummer on Lilac Girls. It's in transit to the library for me now. This was recommended to me today, by my cousin, who is a librarian. She really liked it!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 3:17:54 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 14:15:45 GMT
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Post by debmast on Jun 1, 2016 14:36:08 GMT
Currently reading The Girls by Emma Cline. Her first novel. About a teenage girl in the 1960's. Parents split and she's pretty much left to her own devices. Ends up falling in with a "Mason" like cult. A little over halfway. So far, pretty good! This is probably the most buzzed about book of the year so far. I'm looking forward to reading it - although I hope I'm not expecting too much. Curious to hear what you think! I finished! Stayed up too late to finish and I'm dragging a bit today. I really liked it. I felt like it really showed you how the young girls of that era could get sucked into a "Manson-like" cult. It is narrated by middle aged Evie looking back on her life as a young teen getting caught up in the madness of it all.
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Post by kckckc on Jun 1, 2016 16:01:27 GMT
I finished three books this week. Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall. Starla is a nine year old girl being raised by her very strict grandmother. She runs away, going to find her mother who she thinks is a country singing star in Nashville. On the way she is picked up by Eula, a black woman. This one is set in the early 1960s and you get a picture of what it meant to be black in the south at that time. Although the story was a little implausible, I still enjoyed it. It had a young adult feel to it, although it hit on a lot of heavy topics. 4/5 Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. This one is set during WWII and is the story of three girls - Caroline, a New York socialite who volunteers at the French Consulate; Herta, a young German doctor who goes to work in a concentration camp; and Kasia, a Polish teenager who is sent to that camp. Kasia's story was definitely the best - her story of survival in the camp and her life afterward is fully fleshed out. Herta's story was not - she arrives at the camp and is horrified by what is going on, but a few weeks later is fully taking part in the torture and I have no idea what changed her. Caroline's story was actually kind of dull (and had an extraneous romance story thrown in). All in all, I thought this one was just okay, although I do think a lot of people will really like it. 3/5 Simple Matters: Living with Less and Ending Up with More by Erin Boyle. A book about making choices - what to bring into your home, what to do without. The author leads a minimalist lifestyle and evidently hates plastic and "chemicals". She comes across as a little holier than thou. 3/5 Bummer on Lilac Girls. It's in transit to the library for me now. I hope you like it better than I did - I do think a lot of people will.
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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 Jun 1, 2016 16:58:28 GMT
This is probably the most buzzed about book of the year so far. I'm looking forward to reading it - although I hope I'm not expecting too much. Curious to hear what you think! I finished! Stayed up too late to finish and I'm dragging a bit today. I really liked it. I felt like it really showed you how the young girls of that era could get sucked into a "Manson-like" cult. It is narrated by middle aged Evie looking back on her life as a young teen getting caught up in the madness of it all. Glad you liked it!
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