Weekly Reading Thread: Aug 26-Sept2

Only one for me this week: I Liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi. This is about a woman who commits suicide, and her after-death attempts to help her husband and teenage daughter deal with their grief and move on. It was a good read, and posed some interesting questions about just how well we know those closest to us. Despite the subject matter, I did not find it at all depressing. A strong 4/5. 

I also started Amanda Wakes Up by Alysin Camerota, but gave up about 20% in. I just couldn't engage with it at all. I've read some great books recently, with strong storylines and excellent writing, and this seemed facile and kinda boring by comparison. 

I have been reading so much on my kindle that I received notice from my library that my card would expire for not using it. It had handy links for e-books so I went looking for a book. I keep a list on my phone of books I want to read to watch to see if the price goes down on kindle. I found a book that was available and read it yesterday. I will have to take advantage of the library more often now!

I read a great book The Expats by Chris Pavone. I give it 5 stars for its fast pace. It really sucks you in and gives you plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested.

kibblesandbits - Had to share that Power Of One is one of my son's favorite books. It was assigned reading in 6th grade and for some reason it really grabbed him. So, I read it and thought - meh. Since then, he and I have agreed on many books (A Prayer For Owen Meany, A Constellation Of Vital Phenomena, A Little Life) being favorites. He is now 22 and I think his taste has improved. :-)

This week I read:

The Leavers by Lisa Ko. It is the story of an 11 year old Chinese boy who is orphaned when his mother is picked up in an illegal immigrant raid on her place of business. It was good, but slow to get started. 4 stars.

The Child by Fiona Barton. Not a great one for me. Obvious what the "twist" was and so no surprise in the book. 2.5/3 stars.

Lab Girl by Hope Jarhen. I kept passing this by, but this group seemed to give it high praise, so I gave it a try. Glad I did. 4 stars.

Arcadian Nights by John Spurling. I loved this retelling of classic Greek myths. Of course, greek mythology has been a nerdy passion of mine for years so may not be everyone's cup of tea. For me, 5 stars.

I read Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson by Jeff Guinn. I've read Guinn's other books, about the OK Corral shootout and Bonnie and Clyde, and they were excellent...this one was, too. There's a lot of very interesting background information, about Manson's family history and upbringing, his experiences in prison, the atmosphere of Berkeley and LA in the 60s...just lots of scene-building that helped explain how he was able to build his "family" and commit such horrible acts. I'm very interested in reading about cults, and Manson definitely created a cult for himself. I recommend this one.

I am still making my way through Dublin: Foundation by Edward Rutherford. It is an Irish saga, so I think I will be on this one for a while yet - after a week, my kindle tells me I am only 11% in! I am enjoying it so far; very descriptive of pre-Christian, Druid era Ireland.

I had a good reading week and finished three.

First was How To Raise An Adult by Julie Lithcott-Haims. I know I heard about this book from here years ago and it took me literally years to finish because I read just little bits at a time. But I really enjoyed the book and it gave me so much to think about!! I am not generally a reader of parenting books. Mostly, they annoy me. But this book was different. It talks about how we have a tendency to over-parent. I could see several examples of it in my own life. I liked how she challenged me to think about why I do it and did I need to. She is very much in favor of letting kids do and make mistakes while they are young so they learn how to deal with failure before they are on their own. This is a good book for parents of any aged child but she really concentrates on middle school, high school and even college students. As with any parenting type book, there were a few notable times that I had to disagree with her, but I still loved the way she challenged my thoughts and parenting practices and I have grown and changed based on thinking about her theories.

Second was The Hush by Skye Melki-Wegner. I heard about the Once Upon A Book Club Box from someone on here. You get a book each month along with several wrapped gifts that go along with the book. As you read the book, there are sticky notes in it that tell you to stop and open a gift. The gift has to do with that part of the story. Such a fun concept! This was the first book I received. Although it was published several years ago, I had never heard of it and probably never would have picked it up on my own. I am so glad that I read it! In this fantasy book there is a world controlled by music. Everything has a song but only Songshapers can connect to the music. Chester is not a trained Songshaper but somehow has the ability to connect to the song. As he is out searching for his father, who has disappeared, he has to be careful that no one realized\s his talent. He is kidnapped and joins an outlaw gang who steal from the rich Songshapers and give to the poor. But they need Chester's help for their biggest and most important job ever. I really enjoyed this YA book, but I would think it would be even better in a book club where you could talk out the story because it was a little hard to imagine. A great book for middle and high school kids especially if they love music.

Lastly, I read I Liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi. When I first read the description of this book (a man and his daughter trying to move forward and understand his wife's suicide) I figured it would be "just" a good chick lit read. I am up for that sometimes and had seen several good reviews so I jumped in to read it. But, really, this book is so much more! It is told from three points of view, the husband, the daughter and the wife who has died and is trying to make sure her family moves on after her death. There are a lot of little gems of advice and things to think on in here. It may be a case of reading a book at the right time but I really connected to it. I have never experienced a suicide by a person close to me but I have had people close to me die and this was such a great story that it made me think about those people. I would recommend the book for sure!

I finished The Life We Buried by Allen Eskens this weekend - it was a good one! I'm currently reading The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland by Rebekah Crane. I'm hoping for another strong read. It's been a pretty quiet year for me this year with regard to good books!

Just finished reading today Eleanor Oliphant is just fine. So good! Reminds me a little bit of A Man Called Ove but with a younger woman. Really heartwarming book!

I finished The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood yesterday. I get annoyed with ambiguity, which this had a lot of, so... Maybe 3/5 stars for me. It does make me curious about the Hulu show based on it though. Maybe I'll get the 30-day trial to see it...

I'm not sure what to start on next. I have Shanghai Girls (Lisa See), Between the Lines (Jodi Picoult and daughter), and Truly Madly Guilty (Liane Moriarty). But I'm not too excited about any of them. What would you pick next ?

Shanghai Girls was really good. 

I finished P.S. From Paris by Marc Levy, which was my Kindle First pick this month. It was a nice, easy to read romantic story with an unexpected plot twist toward the end.

Three books for me last week.

A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena. You get a call you hoped would never come. You go back to a neighborhood you hoped to never visit again. Then you wake in a hospital & remember nothing. They tell your husband you had a car accident in a bad part of town. Lots of twists & turns. This author could keep you on the edge of your seat reading her grocery list; great writer.
Loved this book.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Recommended here by a few Peas. A book similar to A Man Called Ove. Eleanor struggles with social kills and says whatever she wants. Her life is very closeted until a coworker and her save an old man on the street. Her life starts to change. Very sweet. Loved watching Eleanor blossom.

Last Word (Kate Reid Series Bk 7) by Robin Mahle. Someone sending messages to Congressman Grant Copeland by killing people with single shot to head and a single word on a piece of fabric in their mouth. Kate investigates while waiting for a transfer to join Nick Scarborough at Quantico. Det Anthony Phelps attempting to derail Kate's investigation. This is a series that got me hooked by giving me the first book free back in the winter.

Hope everyone has some good books saved for Labor Day Weekend !

Happy Reading !

I read and enjoyed The Girl Who Came Home several years ago and I always mean to read another of Hazel Gaynor's books but have not done it yet. I need to moved her up my to read list! How fun that you get to see her in person!

I felt the same way about Did You Ever Have a Family?  I thought the premise of the novel was good, but I never really identified w/ any of the characters.  I would give it a 3 as you did.  I didn't love it or hate it.