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 Nov 7, 2016 1:28:41 GMT
Your wayward reading thread starter is back.
What did you read this week?
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Post by refugeepea on Nov 7, 2016 1:45:07 GMT
With recent construction in the home, I was not able to locate my paperwhite until today. We buy a bag or 2 of books each year at the Bookmobile sale, so I am reading an actual paper book Gracie: a Love Story by George Burns. You can really hear his voice and comedic humor shine through. It's fascinating to read about Vaudeville and how black face wasn't a big deal to perform back in the day. You can feel the love for his wife throughout the book. He highly praises her talents. I'm not too far, but it's a fun read. I'm still reading Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery the second to the last book in the Anne of Green Gables series. Mostly boring, but cute stories about Anne's kids and other children in the book. Rilla of Ingleside will be next.
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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 Nov 7, 2016 2:00:26 GMT
I'm almost through Dirty Little Secrets by Liliana Hart. Another one of my cheapies, it's #1 in a series and a pretty good read.
I also downloaded my on-hold book from the library Friday and started it - Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson - a true story about our broken justice system.
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Post by RobbyKay on Nov 7, 2016 3:18:24 GMT
Hey Readers!
I just finished the second book in the Illuminae Files series, Gemina. It was a can't-put-it-down YA sci-fi read. It was fun to pick up a book and have trouble putting it down. If you decide to pick it up, get the hardback version, rather than the ebook. The graphics in the book help tell the story, and the ebook version doesn't do them justice.
I'm also reading Jade Chang's Wangs vs. the World. The Wangs came to America, and found great success in manufacturing. In the 2008 recession, they lost it all, and are now finding their way back to China. It's a funny yet sad road trip across America to collect thee children and head back to China.
Happy Reading!
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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 Nov 7, 2016 4:00:09 GMT
I finished Apprentice in Death and now I'm reading a collection of short stories that has an Eve Dallas short in it called The Other Side. I had started it a while back and my download expired. It came up again from the library, so I'm finishing it now. Not my favorite, I'll be glad to finish the stories and move on to one of the many others I have downloaded b/c they expire and I have to go on the wait list again!
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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 Nov 7, 2016 4:34:16 GMT
I finished The Nest by Cynthia D 'Aprix Sweeney which has been recommended here many times. I really enjoyed it-4 star read. It was like a good juicy family soap opera.
I'm "up next" for 2 books on Overdrive- When Breath Becomes Air and Behind Closed Doors so will probably listen to a couple podcasts until they become available.
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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 Nov 7, 2016 5:33:55 GMT
The Great Carpezio, glad you are back! I read The Whistler, the brand new one by John Grisham this week. It was decent but a bit predictable with one surprising twist thrown in. Grisham rarely disappoints, but this was just meh. Even so, I read everything that he releases. Everything. 3/5 stars. Lisa
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Post by PolarGreen12 on Nov 7, 2016 5:55:11 GMT
I just started reading The Alchemyst by Michael Scott. I've been looking for a good series ever since I finished A Discovery of Witches. I'm only a few chapters in and am loving it.
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Post by scrappintoee on Nov 7, 2016 8:16:19 GMT
1..... I recently enjoyed West of Here (by Jonathan Evison) .... It follows families from the 1800's to present-day.....SO good! 2......And, THIS book was FASCINATING!! SO happy my library had it! Lists of Note (by Shaun Usher ) It has lists from MANY people, I'm only giving a small sample here:**Galieleo's SHOPPING list!!! *Darwin *Thomas Edsion *Michelangelo *Einstein **JFK's secretary--it's a handwritten note she jotted down right after his assasination--- she wrote many different people/ organizations she thought might've killed him ** ** A hand-written list of suspected witches the The Salem Witch Trials *John Lennon **MANY presidents, artists, and famous authors (Hemingway, Twain, F.Scott Fitzgerald, etc. etc!)
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Post by ShesaRenegade on Nov 7, 2016 12:10:00 GMT
I recently enjoyed West of Here (by Jonathan Evison) .... It follows families from the 1800's to present-day.....SO good! And, THIS book was FASCINATING!! SO happy my library had it! Lists of Note (by Shaun Usher ) It has lists from MANY people, I'm only giving a small sample here:**Galieleo's SHOPPING list!!! *Darwin *Thomas Edsion *Michelangelo *Einstein **JFK's secretary--it's a handwritten note she jotted down right after his assasination--- she wrote many different people/ organizations she thought might've killed him ** ** A hand-written list of suspected witches the The Salem Witch Trials *John Lennon **MANY presidents, artists, and famous authors (Hemingway, Twain, F.Scott Fitzgerald, etc. etc!) This sounds really interesting! I just put a hold on it at my local library. Thanks! Save
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Post by jtmom on Nov 7, 2016 14:55:54 GMT
I'm on David Baldacci Amos Decker series that someone on here posted about a few weeks ago. Memory Man & The Last Mile. Enjoyed the first one and just starting the second.
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janeliz
Drama Llama
I'm the Wiz and nobody beats me.
Posts: 5,633
Jun 26, 2014 14:35:07 GMT
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Post by janeliz on Nov 7, 2016 15:08:41 GMT
Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple. It had some clever and funny moments, but I agree with pudgygroundhog---it was very uneven. It just never came together for me. I'm just about finished with Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. It's a tough read in parts, but I'm enjoying it very much.
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Post by annabella on Nov 7, 2016 15:46:20 GMT
I just started reading The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen for my bookclub. The winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is about a communist double agent, who in 1975 with other Vietnamese refugees moves to Los Angeles and is secretly reporting back to his communist superiors in Vietnam.
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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 Nov 7, 2016 15:47:07 GMT
I'm almost through Dirty Little Secrets by Liliana Hart. Another one of my cheapies, it's #1 in a series and a pretty good read. I also downloaded my on-hold book from the library Friday and started it - Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson - a true story about our broken justice system. Just Mercy was depressing, but so good. I want to watch the documentary 13th on Netflix, which sounds like a good complement to the book.
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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 Nov 7, 2016 16:01:01 GMT
I read:
The Mothers by Brit Bennett. 4/5 stars. Great debut novel about three teens and how the decisions they make affect them as they grow up.
Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman. 3.5/5 stars. I liked this one better than the previous book and after a rocky start it grew on me, but still was only okay for me (especially compared with A Man Called Ove).
Playing Dead: A Journey Through the World of Death Fraud by Elizabeth Greenwood. 3/5 stars. Interesting subject matter, but didn't like the writing (particularly the author inserting herself into the story - I found her mostly annoying)
I'm currently reading The Portable Veblen.
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Post by lynnek on Nov 7, 2016 17:42:52 GMT
I read The Whistler by John Grisham. I really enjoyed it but I seem to always enjoy his books. There was quite a twist that I didn't see coming a ways into the book. Kind of unexpected for him. It was one of those books that if you generally like him you will like it, if you don't you should probably pass. I also read Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. I kind of have a love hate relationship with her books and their twists. Sometimes, the twist is good and sometimes it makes me want to throw the book across the room. Good news - I did not throw this book. I thought she did well writing from the point of view of a black woman and a white supremacist man. Picoult is a researcher and I think that it paid off on this novel. Actually, some of the books that she listed as sources sound pretty good too. Both books have a little novella that came out a bit before the book came out and I read both. They both give some good background info that you don't have to have but was nice. Does anyone else read those novellas that seem to be so popular these days? I see so many authors that write them. And lastly, I read The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. It has been reviewed here a lot. I enjoyed the suspense although there were a few point that I just thought she should move the story along. Now I am reading To The Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey who also write The Snow Child. I am really enjoying it so far.
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Post by kckckc on Nov 7, 2016 18:01:58 GMT
I finished two excellent books this week!
News of the World by Paulette Jiles. The story of an old, traveling "news reader" who agrees to return a young girl who was captured and raised by the Kiowa back to her family. This one was a National Book Award nominee. A very good read.
Work Like Any Other by Virginia Reeves. Set in rural Alabama in the 1920s. Roscoe is an electrician who has a real passion for his work, but gives it up when his wife inherits a farm. An accident on the farm sends Roscoe to prison. This one is definitely character driven; it was longlisted for the Man Booker prize. Another excellent read.
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Post by kellybelly77 on Nov 7, 2016 18:46:07 GMT
I only finished one of the books I was reading. Actually listening to! Still slogging through the other. It's interesting and gives me wanderlust but I only get about 20 min at night to read.
Tell The Truth and Shame the Devil: The Life, Legacy and Love of my Son Michael Brown by Lezley McSpadden. Lezley is the mother of Michael Brown who was killed by a Ferguson, Mo police officer in 2014. I have mixed feelings about the book! I thought she spent too much time in the beginning telling her story from when she was a child. The stories of poverty and abuse were pretty bad. She was a teen mom and had Michael when she was 16. I guess I wanted more of the story of her son and what actually happened that day in Ferguson rather than their entire life story. Without a doubt listening to her tell about his death and how the police officer was not charged was very difficult. The sadness/desperation/depression just oozed out. I do feel terribly sad for her as a mother.
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Post by freeatlast on Nov 7, 2016 19:09:37 GMT
Finished Circling the Sun by Paula McLain last night. Pretty sure I got the recommendation here. Liked it a lot. Now I'm on to Homegoing for book club.
Adding Just Mercy and Lists of Note to my "to read" list. No wonder the list keeps growing - I knock one off and add two!
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Post by Tamhugh on Nov 7, 2016 19:31:25 GMT
I finished The Book of Joe by Jonathon Tropper last night. I really enjoy his books and this was one of his older ones, I believe. I liked it a lot, but not as much as This is Where I Leave You.
I started The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett because I found it on my Nook and forgot I had downloaded it awhile back. So far so good, but I am not very far into it.
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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 Nov 7, 2016 20:16:13 GMT
Just Mercy was depressing, but so good. I want to watch the documentary 13th on Netflix, which sounds like a good complement to the book. Oohh, I didn't know there was a documentary - thanks! Hopefully I'll get it read before then.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Nov 7, 2016 20:29:25 GMT
I just finished the Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Loved it. 5/5. I know plenty have posted about it here.
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Post by maryland on Nov 7, 2016 20:49:41 GMT
I read Don't Try to Find Me - Holly Brown and it was pretty good. Seemed to drag on at times, but I looked forward to reading it each night.
Now I am reading The Deepest Secret - Carla Buckley and so far it's good!
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Post by beachbum on Nov 7, 2016 20:56:55 GMT
I read The Light Between Oceans and Truly Madly Guilty last week. I was a bit disappointed in Truly Madly Guilty, I kept thinking something more was going to happen after the "incident", but it didn't. I enjoyed The Light Between Oceans, an easy read. I also finished Home by Harlan Coben, he never disappoints. Now I'm reading The City of Mirrors, the last book in the Passage apocalyptic trilogy. So far, so good. I've got Before the Fall and Middlesex both checked out from the library on my Kindle. Housework will just have to wait.
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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 Nov 7, 2016 23:42:43 GMT
Just Mercy was depressing, but so good. I want to watch the documentary 13th on Netflix, which sounds like a good complement to the book. Oohh, I didn't know there was a documentary - thanks! Hopefully I'll get it read before then. The documentary is separate from the book, but similar subject material. I have read it is very powerful.
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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 Nov 8, 2016 0:52:01 GMT
I hope it's okay to post this here, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that A Man Called Ove was going to being playing at an independent theater near me. Since I think just about everyone has read this book, I wanted to share the movie trailer-it looks like it follows the book well. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNe371HykY8&sns=em
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Post by leannec on Nov 8, 2016 17:10:24 GMT
I finished Fat Girl Walking by Brittany Gibbons ... she is a blogger who talks about things like loving the body you are in ... I thought it was very good and great for those of us who struggle with being happy in our own skin Now I'm reading Coming Clean which was recommended by a Pea ... it's told from the POV of the daughter of a hoarder ... interesting so far ... I'm obviously into non-fiction right now
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Post by stingfan on Nov 8, 2016 17:27:15 GMT
I finished The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. It tells the story of a slave girl intertwined with the owner's daughter's story. At the outset, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like it. But I did actually quite enjoy it. At the end (in the author's note), it was interesting to find out that it was based on actual people and events.
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