Weekly Reading Thread: April 15-21

Today, I downloaded and read Robert Bryndza's latest in his Erika Foster series “ Deadly Secrets”. It was, as all are, fantastic.

Hi fellow reading peaps,

I had two that I could not finish this week. Anatomy of a Miracle and Silver Girl.

I thought the writing was strong in the first book, but I couldn't connect with the plot. And the two MCs -- the man and his sister -- are hugely stereotypical and very unlikable.

As to the second book, it skipped all over the place, and the plot did not make sense. It has strong ratings on GR, but I don't get the love. I wonder how it ended, though.

I read a third book, The Neighbors. This has a great premise. In 1992, Abby kills her brother in a terrible car accident. She is devastated and, in the aftermath, pushes away the love of her life, Liam. She instead marries Nate, who rescued her that fateful night. Nearly 20 years later, Abby and Nate meet their new neighbors, when --surprise! -- it's Liam and his wife. Abby and Liam decide to keep their history a secret. What happens next is a lesson to all. This was wonderful for the first 90 percent. Then it completely jumped the shark with three or four head-spinning twists. It was way too much for me. But other readers are loving it. 2/5 stars.

Finally, I just finished Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh. The first half dragged; then the pace picked up. Again, the ending had three or four wild twists that were pretty unbelievable. But I still thought this was pretty good. 4/5 stars.

Lisa

I'm glad to hear this I haven't read it yet

I'm still reading the Alice Network but after a trip to the library I also started The Little French Bookshop which I absolutely adore. I would think most people on this thread would like it . I'm also still reading The Dirty Life, The Third Plate and The Genius of Birds....

Last week I finished Rules of Civility which I ready for my bookclub. All winners so far...


Very interested to see who wins the Pulitzer tomorrow, aren't you? I'm kinda hoping for a book I read (Sing Unburied Sing or Pachinko) but a new book would be fun too. Does anyone have a guess?

Two for me this week. First one up was a non-fiction book called What To Wear For The Rest Of Your Life by Kim Johnson Gross. This is basically a closet makeover book of fashion ideas for women over 50. I did find lots of ideas and learned a few things. I wouldn't call it the best book I've read on this subject but I also wouldn't call it the worst. I think it had a few more ideas than the French book I reviewed last week. I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads. 

Next was a crime/thriller book called The Couple Next Door by Sheri Lapena. This isn't my favorite genre but I was out of library books and another migraine was keeping me at home. So I hit my bookshelves and came up with this. I'd bought it at the Dollar Store. It was a very interesting read with good characters and I didn't see the twist coming so I liked that. It's about a couple who leave their baby in their townhouse with the baby monitor on while they go next door to a dinner party with the next door couple. They check on the baby every 30 minutes but somehow the baby is kidnapped. My first thought was, "You idiots! Why did you leave your baby alone!" because even 28 years ago I didn't do that. Who in their right mind does? Oh, by the way-the video portion of their baby monitor was broke. Does anyone else argue with book characters or is it just me? This was a quick read and passed the time nicely but it wasn't as good as Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris so I gave this book a 3 stars on Goodreads. 

I'm currently reading Beneath A Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan which is a historical fiction book which is my favorite genre. I'll review it next week when I'm finished. 

I saw that! I wonder if they panel will be biased to Sing Unburied Sing since Obama said it was one of his favorite books of 2017?? I would love for that one to win. I also loved Homegoing, don't know why that isn't on the list (unless it wasn't written last year?)

     If you haven't seen it yet there is an excellent film on Netflix made from the book "First They Killed My Father" that came out in 2017. It is told from the view of the little girl. I haven't read the book yet but it has been on my list for a long time. I need to get to it. Now that I've seen the film I want to read it that much more. 

I read The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 1/2 Years Old. This one is a true delight and very much in the same vein as A Man Called Ove. It is the day-to-day goings on inside a senior living facility and is told with wit, empathy, and some sadness. It's about friendship and dignity in our final years. Highly recommened! As a bonus, I also learned a lot about the Netherlands.

I next read Amsterdam by Ian McEwan. I've read many of his books over the years and always enjoyed them. This one was ok, but despite winning the Booker prize several years ago, wasn't one of my favorites. The novel is set in London with two old friends who are in the twilight of their careers. They both make questionable moral decisions and consequences follow. It's dark and the characters are difficult to like and support. I don't mind characters I don't care for, but I at least have to be interested in them.

I'm about to finish my second reading of Rules of Civility. I rarely re-read books, but I'm so glad I did this one. Even better the second time.

Still Me by Jojo Moyes. I loved it so, so much. Wonderful characters. Tons of heart. I hope Louisa Clark doesn’t go away anytime soon. 

Homegoing was written in 2016 (and I agree - a wonderful book!).

I finished The Rooster Bar by John Grisham. It was just okay. 2 stars.

Currently reading Love you More by Lisa Gardner. It is in the D.D. Warren series. I'm liking it alot. I always love Lisa Gardner books.

I read two this week. First was The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore. This was a fascinating look at two young men from the same rough neighborhood with the same name - Wes Moore. On the day there was a newspaper article about the author Wes Moore getting a scholarship, there was also an article about the other Wes Moore being arrested and charged with murder. That stuck with the author - why did two boys who came from the same neighborhood have lives that went so drastically different? Was there any one thing that made the difference? I would recommend this one!

The other was Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson. This was a bit of a slow start, but it eventually picked up and I liked it. A high school girl that is obsessed with solving crimes and detectives applied and gets into a private boarding school where a murder took place years ago. She goes to the school with the intention of solving that crime. While working on that, one of her classmates dies and there is another crime to be solved. There was quite the cliff hanger and I will read the next book in the series to find out more of the story.

I finished The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman. 4.5/5 stars from me!

This book came recommended to me by my Aunt and as soon as I read the premise, I was intrigued. I am glad I decided to start it right away because it is the fastest I've read a book in a while. I stayed up until 4am finishing this one! "Brooklyn, 1947: in the midst of a blizzard, in a two-family brownstone, two babies are born minutes apart to two women. They are sisters by marriage with an impenetrable bond forged before and during that dramatic night; but as the years progress, small cracks start to appear and their once deep friendship begins to unravel. No one knows why, and no one can stop it. One misguided choice; one moment of tragedy." You see what happens in the beginning. There is no mystery here. But the author did say in the Q&A after that she didn't want to write a mystery. Rather, she wanted the secret to wear on the reader as it did the characters, and she accomplished that for sure.  This book was so REAL. The characters were superbly developed. You felt the strength of the bonds, the happiness, the moodiness and at times, so much sadness. Sacrifices were made, and sadly, much was lost. The house itself was such an important part of the storyline and I enjoyed the setting.

Also worth noting: I mixed in some audiobook with this and I HIGHLY recommend it! The characters are all Jewish and have heavy Brooklyn accents. I really thought the audio brought them to life much more so than I could have in my head.

I read Force of Nature by Jane Harper This is the follow-up to The Dry, the second in an Aaron Falk series. Anddddddd.....my reading slump continues! 2/5 for me with this one. Really REALLY pales in comparison to The Dry. The writing is just sort of flat, as are the characters. There are all sorts of subplots that don't really lead anywhere.

I'm starting Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance tonight - please let this be the end of my slump!