Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jun 13, 2016 15:37:16 GMT
I finished How To Be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman, which was excellent. Then I read The Accidental Terrorist by William Shunn, which was a memoir of his time as a Mormon missionary in the 1980s. That was pretty good--funny and unnerving at the same time. LDS Peas might not want to read this one, he's pretty blunt.
Right now I'm getting ready to start The Badass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer, which is non-fiction, the story of a man in Mali who amassed a huge and precious collection of Islamic texts and then had to smuggle them to safety when al-Qaeda came calling.
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Post by kckckc on Jun 13, 2016 15:55:57 GMT
Hi readers! I am off to Hawaii tomorrow. Sorry for the late post. I'm reading The City of Mirrors (last of The Passage series). It's a long one, and I hope to finish it on the plane. What did you read this week? Have fun in Hawaii! I have a couple of library books to finish, then I am going to reread the first two Passage books and then read The City of Mirrors - I read the first one when it came out and it has been too long for me to remember much about it.
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Post by kckckc on Jun 13, 2016 16:02:35 GMT
I read: Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler. 4/5 stars. Stephanie Danler's debut novel, a coming of age story of a young women newly arrived in NYC, draws heavily upon her experience in the restaurant industry and I think that's the strength of the novel. Tess lands a job at a fictionalized version of Union Square Cafe and Danler immerses the reader in this whirlwind world of restaurant logistics and the workers' friendships/relationships, often fueled by their boozy, drug filled late nights. Initially the plot feels too thin - Tess mooning over bad boy bartender Jake doesn't make a crackling story, but I found myself getting into the story more as it continued, especially watching the triangle of Tess-Jake-Simone (a senior server who becomes a mentor of sort to Tess) play out. Danler signed a two book deal and I am interested to see how she follows up Sweetbitter, which was a solid four star read for me. All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage. 4/5 stars. George Clare came home from his job to find his wife murdered - or did he know what he was going to find? The book opens with this scene, then rewinds to set the stage of the Clares, their move to an old farmhouse in upstate New York, and the various supporting characters that intersect with their lives. Knowing what is coming, there is a sense of underlying dread as the reader gets a better sense of the characters and events that lead up to Catherine's murder. The book is not so much a whodunit story, but a slow burn, how-did-this-happen story with a closer look at relationships and what lies beneath the surface. Overall the story was straightforward, but it kept my interest and I liked the book. I'm currently reading The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee. I heard the author of Sweetbitter interviewed on NPR and added the book to my to-read list. It's not a book I would have picked out if I were browsing. Glad to hear you liked it. I listened to The Emperor of All Maladies on audio. It was long - I'm not sure I would have made it through the book if I had been reading it. It was very interesting.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 16, 2024 1:48:50 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2016 16:34:05 GMT
I read that on vacation a couple of years ago and just couldn't put it down. I had read some reviews that were not so keen on it, but I found it enthralling. I'm enjoying it so far
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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 13, 2016 17:47:50 GMT
I read: Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler. 4/5 stars. Stephanie Danler's debut novel, a coming of age story of a young women newly arrived in NYC, draws heavily upon her experience in the restaurant industry and I think that's the strength of the novel. Tess lands a job at a fictionalized version of Union Square Cafe and Danler immerses the reader in this whirlwind world of restaurant logistics and the workers' friendships/relationships, often fueled by their boozy, drug filled late nights. Initially the plot feels too thin - Tess mooning over bad boy bartender Jake doesn't make a crackling story, but I found myself getting into the story more as it continued, especially watching the triangle of Tess-Jake-Simone (a senior server who becomes a mentor of sort to Tess) play out. Danler signed a two book deal and I am interested to see how she follows up Sweetbitter, which was a solid four star read for me. All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage. 4/5 stars. George Clare came home from his job to find his wife murdered - or did he know what he was going to find? The book opens with this scene, then rewinds to set the stage of the Clares, their move to an old farmhouse in upstate New York, and the various supporting characters that intersect with their lives. Knowing what is coming, there is a sense of underlying dread as the reader gets a better sense of the characters and events that lead up to Catherine's murder. The book is not so much a whodunit story, but a slow burn, how-did-this-happen story with a closer look at relationships and what lies beneath the surface. Overall the story was straightforward, but it kept my interest and I liked the book. I'm currently reading The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee. I heard the author of Sweetbitter interviewed on NPR and added the book to my to-read list. It's not a book I would have picked out if I were browsing. Glad to hear you liked it. I listened to The Emperor of All Maladies on audio. It was long - I'm not sure I would have made it through the book if I had been reading it. It was very interesting. I'll be interested to hear what you think of Sweetbitter. I wasn't sure at first, but it grew on me. If it weren't for her industry details, the story would've been too thin for me, but I did end up enjoying it. At any rate, it's a quick read so not a big time investment (unlike Emperor of All Maladies. I'm already planning to break up the read with other books - so far it is interesting, but yea, long!).
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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 Jun 13, 2016 17:53:44 GMT
Then, I read a biography (autobiography I think...?) and it snapped so much of her historical references more into place for me. Thanks for that info... I'm thinking I may just read and learn more about Ms. Christie.
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my3freaks
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,206
Location: NH girl living in Colorado
Jun 26, 2014 4:10:56 GMT
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Post by my3freaks on Jun 13, 2016 18:04:52 GMT
I read Blood Kiss by J.R Ward, which is book 1 in a spin off series of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series called the Black Dagger Legacy series. Typical BDB book, it was an easy, fun read. I'm now reading A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley. Before Blood Kiss, I read The Firebird, also by Susanna Kearsley. I just found her a month or two ago when I read the The Winter Sea, and I really like her. Historical Fiction, with a different "time-travel" element to them. Not science-fiction at all though. Not my normal genre at all, and I've been really enjoying them.
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mimima
Drama Llama
Stay Gold, Ponyboy
Posts: 5,019
Jun 25, 2014 19:25:50 GMT
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Post by mimima on Jun 13, 2016 18:51:29 GMT
I read Uprooted by Naomi Novick. I was so disappointed as I thought I was going to love it and I was not engaged at all and struggled to finish it.
I read that last week for Book Club. I enjoy Moriarty's writing but did not enjoy the story, it was just really odd.
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Post by peasapie on Jun 13, 2016 20:35:08 GMT
I just finished Someway Outta Here by Mark Lauden, which I think someone here mentioned. It's a memoir set in the late 1960s and written in the first person, from his own perspective as a high school student. I was a little younger than Mark would have been at that time, (by about 4 years), but close enough to relate to most of the experiences he describes (walking out of class to protest the war, coffee houses, feeling motivated to take a political stand, etc.). It was bittersweet to remember those days, when we wanted to change the world and felt both empowered and powerless to do it. The only thing I would change is that I felt the teenager he describes (himself) is almost too perfect in his responses to the crises around him, both personal and social. Sometimes we look back and see things in not quite the same way as how they really happened, and I think that might have happened here. But I definitely enjoyed the book and recommend to anyone interested.
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Post by fotos4u2 on Jun 14, 2016 0:02:50 GMT
Yes, that was me! We had the same feelings on that story it seems. SaveSaveMe three! It sounded like a great idea, but it all bundled up too nicely in the end. Add me to this list too! Oldest dd is reading it now and she's already saying some of the things that I thought while reading it. I don't have the heart to tell her it deflates quickly at the end.
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Post by SockMonkey on Jun 14, 2016 0:16:34 GMT
It's finally summer so I can read again with some consistency!
I just finished The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin, which is the first book in a sci-fi trilogy. I liked it a lot, but it's translated from Chinese so sometimes the language is a bit strange. And, it's loaded up with lots of science that sometimes made my head spin! But, overall it was good and I just downloaded the second book.
I'm currently reading Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. It's...strange. But, I'm reading it with some friends and am going to see how it goes. It's definitely a strange one, but not uninteresting.
I'm also flipping over to Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl, which is an older memoir but one I never got around to. It's delightful! SO interesting (and there are recipes). So, when the Murakami gets too weird, I hit up Ruth for a bit of reality.
Next up will be Siddhartha Mukerjee's new one The Gene and/or The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney.
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Post by SockMonkey on Jun 14, 2016 0:18:51 GMT
I'm now reading a YA book, Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen. She's one of my favorite YA writers, and I'm hoping to get my 14 y/o DD (who does not love to read for pleasure) to check out a few of her books this summer. I always recommend Sarah Dessen. Her books are YA without being whiny or lame. They're light, but have enough substance to them to be worth the read. SaveSave
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Post by pjaye on Jun 14, 2016 1:12:44 GMT
I enjoy Moriarty's writing but did not enjoy the story, it was just really odd. I remember you said something about it being odd in last week's thread, so I was a bit apprehensive because I hadn't started it yet, but I actually didn't think there was anything odd about it at all. I thought they were all quite normal! There's a few Australianisms that might seem strange if you aren't used to the language, but overall I didn't think there was anything too strange about the characters or the story....well by that I mean more than any other fictional story. I thought the post natal depression story line was quite well handled, that women can have these strange and irrational thoughts while people around them don't really realise what is going on can happen.
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mimima
Drama Llama
Stay Gold, Ponyboy
Posts: 5,019
Jun 25, 2014 19:25:50 GMT
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Post by mimima on Jun 14, 2016 3:10:21 GMT
I enjoy Moriarty's writing but did not enjoy the story, it was just really odd. I remember you said something about it being odd in last week's thread, so I was a bit apprehensive because I hadn't started it yet, but I actually didn't think there was anything odd about it at all. I thought they were all quite normal! There's a few Australianisms that might seem strange if you aren't used to the language, but overall I didn't think there was anything too strange about the characters or the story....well by that I mean more than any other fictional story. I thought the post natal depression story line was quite well handled, that women can have these strange and irrational thoughts while people around them don't really realise what is going on can happen. I agree, that was well done. I didn't find the Australianisms odd (although I giggled at packing the dishwasher) just thought it was an odd grouping of people and stories. I do like her writing and will definitely pick up others she writes.
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Post by birukitty on Jun 14, 2016 4:41:03 GMT
Today I finished "The Lilac Girls" by Martha Hall Kelly. This was a historical fiction book and the author's first book. It tells the story of three main women during World War 2, one a New York socialite, Caroline, who works at the French Consulate and helps charities during the war, a Polish girl, Kasia, and her sister who are arrested and sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany, and a female doctor, Herta, who works at the camp. The chapters each start with a different woman's story which very much annoyed me because I wanted to find out what happened at the end of one chapter and move ahead to find out what continued to happen to that character. But soon the stories all started to weave together. I loved this book! The story line itself was incredible, although the story line of Caroline, was boring for a great part of the book. Much later it really picks up and I understood why she was such an important part of the book. At the end you find out that many of the characters were based on real people. I give it 5 stars and highly recommend it if you are into historical fiction. Before that I read " The Girl You Left Behind" by Jojo Moyes. This is by the same author who wrote "Me Before You", although this is a historical fiction novel, in part-half is about World War 1, and half takes place during current times. It's about a couple who are separated by war and a painting her artist husband painted that catches the German commandants eye. Nearly a century later the painting finds it's way into the hands of a newly wed couple, and after the husband dies young expectantly the history of the painting comes into question. I really liked this book very much. I give it 4 stars. And lastly because I skipped last week I read "Tempest" by Julie Cross. This was I think a YA book about time travel. It was pretty good and I'm glad I read it but I have no desire really to read the other sequels. I give it 3 stars. BTW Pjaye, I read The Girls With All the Gifts and I loved it! I normally don't read zombie books either, at all, but I started this not knowing it was a zombie book. I started it in the Barnes and Noble cafe and it got me hooked right away. It was a really great read. I thought it would make an amazing movie and then after I read it I read the bio on the author on the back and found out he'd written some movie scripts. No wonder he writes like that! I hope you like it. Debbie in MD. The Girl You Left Behind is one of my favourites. Have you read The Last Letter From Your Lover? A great love story by Jojo Moyes. I can't decide which of those two I like better. P. I tried reading "The Last Letter from Your Lover" and read about 3 chapters but just couldn't get into it. I put it aside and gave up on it. I'm sorry. I saw on Goodreads that there are those who love it and that there are those who feel like I do. Debbie in MD.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 16, 2024 1:48:50 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2016 14:26:14 GMT
I finished The Prophet by Michael Koryta....this is the 5th book of this author that I've read and I've really liked all of them....murder mysteries and some of them with a supernatural twist.
I just started End of Watch by Stephen King....I'm only about 50 pages into right now and so far, very compelling and unlike Finders Keepers, Bill Hodges is in the story right off the bat.
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Post by tampascrapper on Jun 16, 2016 1:59:49 GMT
I just finished Britt-Marie Was Here: A Novel by Fredrik Backman (author of A Man Called Ove). It's a cute, sweet book and I really enjoyed it. I definitely recommend it for a light read.
From Amazon: Britt-Marie can’t stand mess. A disorganized cutlery drawer ranks high on her list of unforgivable sins. She begins her day at 6 a.m., because only lunatics wake up later than that. And she is not passive-aggressive. Not in the least. It's just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms, which is certainly not her intention. She is not one to judge others—no matter how ill-mannered, unkempt, or morally suspect they might be.
But hidden inside the socially awkward, fussy busybody is a woman who has more imagination,bigger dreams, and a warmer heart that anyone around her realizes.
When Britt-Marie walks out on her cheating husband and has to fend for herself in the miserable backwater town of Borg—of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it—she is more than a little unprepared. Employed as the caretaker of a soon-to-be demolished recreation center, the fastidious Britt-Marie has to cope with muddy floors, unruly children, and a (literal) rat for a roommate. She finds herself being drawn into the daily doings of her fellow citizens, an odd assortment of miscreants, drunkards, layabouts—and a handsome local policeman whose romantic attentions to Britt-Marie are as unmistakable as they are unwanted. Most alarming of all, she’s given the impossible task of leading the supremely untalented children’s soccer team to victory. In this small town of big-hearted misfits, can Britt-Marie find a place where she truly belongs?
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Post by smokeynspike on Jun 20, 2016 4:55:56 GMT
I read the latest collection of novellas from the I Am Number 4 series by Pittacus Lore. The final box in the series comes out at the end of this month.
I just started We're All Damaged by Matthew Norman. He wrote Domestic Violets too, which I loved. It took me a whole 25 pages before I was literally laughing out loud in this new book. I'm excited to see where it goes.
Melissa
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