linda~lou
Pearl Clutcher
Keep calm and eat crumpets
Posts: 2,744
Location: Motown but my heart is in San Francisco
Jun 25, 2014 21:57:08 GMT
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Post by linda~lou on Aug 25, 2014 17:45:54 GMT
Did not care for So Far Gone, Girl I stopped reading after three chapters. It was silly and stupid. Glad it was free. Now starting Longbourn from a recommendation on here!
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mimima
Drama Llama
Stay Gold, Ponyboy
Posts: 5,022
Jun 25, 2014 19:25:50 GMT
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Post by mimima on Aug 25, 2014 18:38:50 GMT
Currently listening to The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. There's two different audiobook versions and the one I have is narrated by Jenny Agutter (who plays Sister Julienne in "Call The Midwife") She has a lovely voice and I'm really enjoying the narration. The main story is about a reclusive author who is dying and she hires a biographer and finally tells the true story of her life. It has a dark/Gothic Victorian feel and I'm about 50% through and liking it very much. One of my favorite quotes of all time about reading comes from The Thirteenth Tale,
My Dh had a medical procedure this past week, so I had a lot of reading time. I read a cozy mystery in a series that I enjoy a lot, Murder on Fifth Avenue by Victoria Thompson. There's been a relationship brewing between the main character and one of the supporting characters, and it has finally started to move forward, so this one was a delight. I figured out the motivation, but not the murderer. I re-read a favorite, Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck. It is a sequel to Cannery Row and in fact I tend to conflate the two storylines. Always a fabulous read. Then, I read Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. I think my heart is still broken. Sob. As I will turn 42 in a few days, I read for the first time in probably 25 years The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Sadly, I don't think it aged well. Sigh.
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Post by Karene on Aug 25, 2014 18:53:38 GMT
I loved [Big Little Lies[/b] by Lianne Moriarty.
I've read a few books by Diane Chamberlain.
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Post by GamGam on Aug 25, 2014 19:09:32 GMT
One and a half for me this week. I read about 1/3 of North River and gave up. The story was OK, but the language did not fit the characters or time period. Next I read The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes. This book was winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize, and I was looking for a keeper. I didn't care for this one either, though I did finish it (It's short: 163 pages). It's a very quick read and a "page-turner". But don't look for likeable characters or even the nice feeling of working out a puzzle of a story. The puzzle is there, but there's nothing satisfying or rewarding about its solution. This is very much a character driven book and reads like a memoir of a very narcissistic man. The writing is good--but I wouldn't give it such a "prize".
I need to find something satisfying to read. I'll check over the thread, and see if something seems to be calling me.
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Post by birukitty on Aug 25, 2014 20:48:17 GMT
I finished reading "Mrs. Poe" also for the RefuPeas bookclub so I won't give too much away except to say that to me it was just okay. Given any other time I probably would have really liked it. Right before reading it I'd just finished Book 3, "Voyager" of the Outlander series and with the show also being broadcast on Starz my mind was so full of that-and all I really wanted was to get on to Book 4, "Drums of Autumn" which was sitting there taunting me on my nightstand table.
Finally a couple of nights ago I was able to start reading it-and get back to seeing what Claire and Jamie are up to. I did enjoy what "Mrs. Poe" had to offer and especially the look it gave me into the time period of Baltimore during which it took place.
Debbie in MD.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 2, 2024 8:09:08 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2014 20:56:09 GMT
I'm reading a Discovery of Witches. I don't like it very well. Everything I've read so far has reminded me other books I've read before. Did anyone else have that impression? However, I will continue with the trilogy. I just hope the story gets better. I'm enjoying Discovery of Witches. It does remind me of other urban fantasy books, but I liked those too. I really like the historical and academic parts of the story, especially the parts in Oxford. I'll definitely read the next books.
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Post by Erica on Aug 25, 2014 23:30:01 GMT
I finished listening to The Next Time You See Me by Holly Goddard Jones. I liked it. Although there's a murder in the book, it's not a 'whodunit' it's more of a character study about the people in a small town and how their lives intertwine and interact. I thought it was well written and if you like character driven books rather than action books, then you'd like this one. I'd give it 3.5/5 stars. I did exactly the same thing with my next book! The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard. Great title, nice cover...but it was a bad book. Unbelievable story line, unlikeable characters and the writing wasn't good either. It's the story of a girl who's father was shot and who's mother vanished 23 years ago when she was aged 3. The book starts when the man who was sentenced for their murder is let out of prison and is on his way back to town. The story had promise, but the writer couldn't make it work and it just got more ridiculous as it went I listened to the audiobook and I also didn't like the narrator, she bordered on 'screechy' much of the time. I wouldn't recommend this 1.5/stars. Currently listening to The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. There's two different audiobook versions and the one I have is narrated by Jenny Agutter (who plays Sister Julienne in "Call The Midwife") She has a lovely voice and I'm really enjoying the narration. The main story is about a reclusive author who is dying and she hires a biographer and finally tells the true story of her life. It has a dark/Gothic Victorian feel and I'm about 50% through and liking it very much. [b The premise of the book sounds interesting though.
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purplebee
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,738
Jun 27, 2014 20:37:34 GMT
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Post by purplebee on Aug 26, 2014 0:03:08 GMT
Reading a fluffy book, TEN BEACH ROAD by Wendy Wax, first in a series of three, I believe. Three women suffering financial crises a la Bernie Madoff are given a run down Florida mansion as settlement. About their efforts to restore it over a summer for resale. Good easy read for back to work, no effort involved but pretty enjoyable so far, about 100 pgs. in.
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The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,936
Jun 25, 2014 21:50:33 GMT
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Aug 26, 2014 0:06:18 GMT
It's been two weeks since I posted, so I've read five books.
The Good Girl. Like the op, I enjoyed it. Some hood twists and interesting character development. I didn't get bored. 4 out of 5
Opposition (Lux series): This was the concluding book of the Lux YA (older audience IMO) series. The series was pure fluff, but overall fun, engaging and flirty. Aliens and hybrid humans vs the government, other humans and other aliens. The last book wasn't my favorite (neither was the first), but if you are looking for a fluff series, give it a try. Series on literary merit 2.5. Series overall based on genre 4 out of 5. This book 3.5 out of 5.
A Better World: this was the second in the Brilliant saga. I really liked this book a lot. I had forgotten how much I loved Brilliance (the first in the series). Thirty years ago, for unknown reasons, there was a baby boom. A boom of gifted children. Now the world is trying to deal with these Brilliants. The protagonists is a tier one Brilliant that works for the government to stop other Brilliants from doing bad things. Mystery, thriller and sci-fi. 4.5 out of 5.
The Plague: this book was free for Kindle. It's another Outbreak/Hot Zone type thriller. I gave it a 4 out of 5 because it was decent for a free book, and I kept reading. Some pretty obvious plot holes, but I can deal with that. Nothing knew but still engaging. (Again, for a free book). I'd normally give it a 3 out of 5.
The Pestilence: the sequel to The Plague. Meh. The plot holes got bigger and more annoying. More of the same. 2 out of 5 but I'll likely still read the last in the trilogy coming out on the 30th.
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Post by pjaye on Aug 26, 2014 11:35:50 GMT
Thanks, that one sounds interesting and co-incidentally... If anyone is an Audible member there's currently a "Daily Deal Anniversary Sale" on, 100 books all priced $1 - $6. Brilliance ($3.95) is on there and I've just added it to my shopping cart along with 4 others. link to the Audible sale
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Post by heartland on Aug 26, 2014 20:53:26 GMT
It's been several weeks since I posted, so I'll try to just hit the highlights Plus One by Elizabeth Fama. YA dystopian. During the time of the 1918 flu epidemics the government decided to split the population into two shifts, day and night to help curtail the illness. Years later, the split still continues, turning into have/have not societies. The heroine is a young girl on the night shift who decides to kidnap her newborn "day" niece so that her dying grandfather can see her. She runs into a whole lot of trouble and more than she could ever have imagined. EXCELLENT story and just a great "world" that the author built. I got done with the book and was a little disappointed in the ending, and then immediately had to google the author to see if she had a sequel coming out. I don't think that she does, and it really made me question what the book world has come to sometimes, that I couldn't take this book just for what it was, but had to seek out the next installment. And maybe it was the genre too, so many books of this type are trilogys - not stand alones. Designated Daughters by Margaret Maron. Latest in the Deborah Knott mystery series. Kept me guessing about the killer till almost the end, always fun to read about her family and the southern culture. Torment, Passion, and Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate. [HASH]2, 3 and 3.5 in this YA para/sci series. It wasn't until the 3rd story that we really started to find out some of the backstory with the main couple and what really was the point in the series. I'm listening to these on Audiobook - otherwise I probably wouldn't have kept going with this series. Like I mentioned above, I think this one was written to be drawn out into 3-4 books, it just doesn't get the story all out there and that bugs me. Currently listening to the last book, we'll see how it all ends up, so many unanswered questions in my head. The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent YA steampunk scifi. This was a great story (unlike above lol) and I'm looking forward to reading the second book, The Tinker King. Great worldbuilding and storytelling. Survival of the Fittest by Jonathon Kellerman. This is an old one, probably [HASH]10 or so, out of 30 some in his Alex Delaware series. I'm slowly making my way through them. They're a pretty typical murder/thriller mystery, but for some reason I have a lot of trouble reading many of his books back to back. I usually enjoy this type of story, so I'm not sure why. So I read one every couple months. This book was interesting because it brought in a character from one of his stand alone books, The Butcher Theatre, and mentioned the hero in his wife's (Faye Kellerman) mystery series - Pete Decker. Decker is an LA cop, and Alex Delaware frequently consults with the LA police, so they are living in the same worlds. It'll be interesting to see if we ever meet this character. Love Letters by Debbie Macomber. Third in her Rose Harbor series, which is set in the Cedar Cove world. Picked this up at the library yesterday noon, and was finished before work this morning. It's about a widow who buys a bed and breakfast inn to help her heal her broken heart. She tells these stories round robin, so part of this is the widows story, and parts belong to the guests staying at her inn that week. I recently read two newer republications of some of her early work from the 80's - and quite honestly, the stories just didn't really hold up and weren't that good. But this series really is. I'd say over time she's only improved her writing skills.
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Post by craftsbycarolyn on Aug 26, 2014 22:03:42 GMT
I read What a Mother Knows, pretty good read
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peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,630
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Aug 26, 2014 22:09:29 GMT
I finished "Lucky Us" by Amy Bloom. I didn't love it.
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Post by Goldynn on Aug 27, 2014 16:01:34 GMT
I read The End of Boys by Peter Hoffmeister. Peter Hoffmeister was a nervous child who ran away repeatedly and bit his fingernails until they bled. Home-schooled until the age of fourteen, he had only to deal with his parents and siblings on a daily basis, yet even that sometimes proved too much for him. Over the years, he watched his mother disintegrate into her own form of mania, while his father—a scholar and doctor who had once played semi-pro baseball—was strict and pushed Peter particularly hard. He wanted only the best from his son but in the process taught Peter to expect only the worst from himself.
I also read Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns by Mindy Kaling. In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.
Fun book!
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Post by sues on Aug 27, 2014 17:25:17 GMT
I'm reading a Discovery of Witches. I don't like it very well. Everything I've read so far has reminded me other books I've read before. Did anyone else have that impression? However, I will continue with the trilogy. I just hope the story gets better. Ohhhhh Erica. I am so with you on this. I hated that book. It took me forever to finish it. 100 pages in, I didn't like it and I was going to stop reading- but so many people loved it, I made myself push through. I thought it HAD to get better. And if it did- well, YAY because it's part of a trilogy! I love series. But no. It felt like a mash up of several different books I've read or heard about. There were so many things that made me roll my eyes, it was ridiculous. The characters didn't appeal to me. The story had potential, but I thought it was carried out in a really absurd manner. I was so relieved when that book was done. This past week I started reading The Life of Elizabeth by Alison Weir. It's non-fiction, interesting, but a little dry. I got about a third of the way through it and my library reserve for Written in My Own Heart's Blood came in. I returned Elizabeth- I'll get it again later. I'm about 100 pages into the Gabaldon book- and there's no way I'm finishing it in 2 weeks. 1100 pages? Not happening. I mostly read at night before I go to sleep. I'd have to start going to bed at 6 or something. And since there is a wait list, I can't renew it. I guess I will have to read it in two or three parts. My purse book was Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead. It was OK for the first half-ish. The writing isn't stellar but it was OK. The second half was CRAZY though. It was like someone dared the author to throw as many plot twists in as possible- each one bigger and less plausible than the one before. I was telling my sister about it, and she thought I was pulling her leg. Happily, as soon as I was finished, I posted the book on paperbackswap and it went to someone's wishlist immediately. Yay for that. I started My Fair Lazy, by Jen Lancaster as my next purse book. I have a few of her books here and I keep putting them off. I used to read them as soon as they came out. But meeting her IRL ruined things. I'm trying to get past it- and every once in awhile I will read one of her books and enjoy the story. I really have to put her out of my head while I read, though.
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mimima
Drama Llama
Stay Gold, Ponyboy
Posts: 5,022
Jun 25, 2014 19:25:50 GMT
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Post by mimima on Aug 27, 2014 22:29:41 GMT
The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent YA steampunk scifi. This was a great story (unlike above lol) and I'm looking forward to reading the second book, The Tinker King. Great worldbuilding and storytelling. Oooh, that looks good. Thanks, I've added it to my list! I didn't love her previous book ("Away") but I'm sad to hear this, as I heard a great review of the novel recently.
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gina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,228
Jun 26, 2014 1:59:16 GMT
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Post by gina on Aug 27, 2014 22:30:25 GMT
I also read Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns by Mindy Kaling. In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka. Fun book! I really enjoyed this book too! I read it last year, and it got me hooked on her show. She's a funny gal.
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gina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,228
Jun 26, 2014 1:59:16 GMT
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Post by gina on Aug 27, 2014 22:31:27 GMT
I finished a book so far this week. As per my GoodReads review:
The Girl Who Chased The Moon
4.5 / 5
So, I am quickly becoming a fan of Sarah Addison Allen. This is my third book by her. I remember not enjoying the first one (Garden Spells) as much and describing some of it as hokey. Book two for me (The Peach Keeper) was better and this, even better than that.
I realize that the magical & unbelievable aspects are a part of the way SAA storytells and I'll say, it's grown on me! I would have easily given this 5 stars because I really did love the characters, but I didn't enjoy the Win development as much.
If you are looking for a really good story with well-written characters, something you look forward to picking up each day with a cup of tea in hand, this is your book.
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Post by Erica on Aug 27, 2014 22:44:46 GMT
I finally finished A Discovery of Witches. For me, this book was absolutely horrible. Totally unoriginal. And as Sues said this book was a total mash up of other books.
This is only the second book I've read this year I didn't like.
The book I'm reading right now is Gone Girl. I know I'm late to the party and I don't have an opinion yet. I haven't rolled my eyes yet so maybe I'll enjoy it.
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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 Aug 27, 2014 23:05:14 GMT
I started My Fair Lazy, by Jen Lancaster as my next purse book. I have a few of her books here and I keep putting them off. I used to read them as soon as they came out. But meeting her IRL ruined things. I'm trying to get past it- and every once in awhile I will read one of her books and enjoy the story. I really have to put her out of my head while I read, though. Ooh, will you share about this meeting? She does come off as a part time condescending bitch in her books, so it wouldn't shock me, but I've read a number of her books so I'd be interested.
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kma
Junior Member
Posts: 85
Jun 29, 2014 13:58:23 GMT
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Post by kma on Aug 28, 2014 0:09:19 GMT
Just got back from vacation. I read A Hundred Foot Journey and really enjoyed it. It was a light read and I really like cultural stuff. Next up is The Husband's Secret. Started that and other than the confusion of the chapters containing a different set of characters in each chapter of the beginning I'm liking it. I guess they're going to cross each other which seems to be the premise of the book. I'm just fond of books that jump around like that but in this case I think it will wrap up.
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Post by heartland on Aug 28, 2014 17:18:42 GMT
I also read Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns by Mindy Kaling. In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka. Fun book! I really enjoyed this book too! I read it last year, and it got me hooked on her show. She's a funny gal. Loved this book too - and the show is one of my favs now. I really didn't care for her character on The Office at all, so at first I really had no interest in this show all about her. But reading that book totally changed my mind
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Post by sues on Aug 28, 2014 20:09:39 GMT
I started My Fair Lazy, by Jen Lancaster as my next purse book. I have a few of her books here and I keep putting them off. I used to read them as soon as they came out. But meeting her IRL ruined things. I'm trying to get past it- and every once in awhile I will read one of her books and enjoy the story. I really have to put her out of my head while I read, though. Ooh, will you share about this meeting? She does come off as a part time condescending bitch in her books, so it wouldn't shock me, but I've read a number of her books so I'd be interested. She was part of an author fair at a library in a town near mine. My sister and I thought her books were the funniest things we'd read in a long time. We read her blog all the time and anxiously awaited new books, etc. We were so excited she was going to be close by. So- we went to the library armed with a book each, and a camera. As luck would have it- we got there early and everyone was set up and waiting. We walked up to her table and started talking to her about how much we loved her blog and her books- tried to be complimentary without gushing like morons. She seemed like she was on the edge of snark the whole time. She was a little abrupt, a little off putting. I thought maybe it was just her schtick- but I also wondered if I had inadvertantly annoyed her. You know how you hear about authors at signings who are -if not chatty, friendly and personable? That is not Jen Lancaster. She seemed barely able to pull off staying on the edge of snark, instead of going full blown snarky. Anyway- right before we were going to leave her table I asked if she minded if I took a couple of pictures. That did it. She rolled her eyes and sighed and said (I'm paraphrasing, because it's been awhile) 'Well duh! Of course not. It's what I'm standing here for. Meet the people, blah blah blah. Go ahead. Take your pictures.' Then she looked at the author at the next table- who she was obviously friends with- and said 'Get a load of them- do you mind if I take your picture?' and they laughed- as if we weren't standing there. She did not say it in a funny way- she said it in a ' can you believe how stupid people are' way. It was embarrassing. I thought it was polite to ask permission to take a picture first. For one, she's a human being- not a piece of meat. Two- not all people allow pictures. But she thought it was the dumbest question ever. When we left, the two of us felt so stupid. It was the most deflating experience. I don't think we ever even downloaded the pictures. I did not keep my autographed book. I traded it on Paperbackswap. It took me a long time to shake the bad feeling I had associated with her, to bother reading another one of her books. And the only reason I did, was because I had been on a wait list on Paperbackswap forever, and finally received a couple of them. I didn't want to waste the credits. A Pea told me on the old board, that she (Jen Lancaster) eventually acknowledged that she had a history of treating fans badly, and was trying to make up for it. How- I don't know. I've never read anything else about her having this revelation. I hope it's true though- because she really was a bitch.
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