The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,929 
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Jul 2, 2018 3:49:02 GMT
What did you read this week?
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Post by cawoman on Jul 2, 2018 4:07:17 GMT
I have about 100 pages left (out of 900+) in one of the best books I’ve ever read! Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts.
The author is an Australian who escaped from prison there and fled to India. He becomes involved with the India Mafia. There is everything in this book! It is really gripping and beautifully written. It was written in 2003. I came across it in a used book store. I checked and you can find it on EBay for $5.00 and free shipping. My husband and a friend of mine read it before I could get to it and they both raved about it too. My husband is now reading the sequel.
The book has rave reviews by listed in it by major publications and authors. His writing really comes alive. There are definitely parts that are hard to read. I really am amazed that the author came out of everything alive to have been able to write the book!
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my3freaks
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,206
Location: NH girl living in Colorado
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Post by my3freaks on Jul 2, 2018 4:33:19 GMT
I finished I'm With The Band: Confessions of a Groupie by Pamela Des Barres. I'm still waiting for the next book in the Selection series to become available, so on a fluke I downloaded the first 2 Gossip Girl books. I liked the show, so thought, "why not". OMG. I'm reading the "prequel" to the first book, and it's horrible. The characters have the same names, but otherwise are nothing like they are on the show and it's driving me crazy. I don't know that I'll even finish this first one, and even if I do, chances are slim I'll read any more. I'm kinda bummed, I thought they'd be fun, easy reads. I'm almost done listening to Goblet of Fire. I'll start Order of the Phoenix (that's book 5, right?) I was planning to drive to my parents, so I would've had 8 hours or so to listen, but decided to fly instead. The Great Carpezio Are you reading anything right now? |
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gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,752
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Post by gottapeanow on Jul 2, 2018 6:14:17 GMT
@cawomon, Shantaram has super high GR ratings. So I'm sold! Lol.
I just finished Jar of Hearts, which is also highly rated. I did not like it. At all. Here is what I wrote on GR:
What on earth was that?!
That twist at the end was completely unrealistic, out of character and made no sense. I thought this totally jumped the shark.
In addition to the excessive gore. In addition to the suspending absolute belief at the relationship between Kaiser and Geo from the start. 2/5 stars.
I also read Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris. Wasn't a huge fan of this, either. Layla disappeared more than a decade ago. Finn is now engaged to her sister, Ellen. But strange messages and reminders of Layla start showing up. Is Layla back? Where has she been all these years?
The story alternates in POV. But this one just fell flat for me, especially at the end. I had a pretty good idea of what was coming. A bit disappointing. 2.5/5 stars, rounded up to 3 stars.
Finally, I read Us Against You (Beartown #2). In Us Against You, the saga of Beartown, Hed, the hockey team, and the families within continues in all the glory that surrounds the sport. A few new players join the cast of Ana, Maya, Leo, Benji, Amat and Bobo. Games, friendships, hopes, dreams and love are won and lost.
One thing is for sure: Backman once again slams the puck into the goal, scoring a decisive win with this stellar novel. 5/5 stars.
I hope to finish at least two this week. On deck are two new ones: A Place for Us and A Possible World.
Lisa
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scrappyesq
Pearl Clutcher
You have always been a part of the heist. You're only mad now because you don't like your cut.
Posts: 4,029
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Post by scrappyesq on Jul 2, 2018 12:54:37 GMT
I read a bunch of cowboy romances...coming to terms with the fact that I can't go any deeper than the fluffiest of fluff.
I got an advanced reader copy from one of my favorite authors, Kerrigan Byrne. The book has the worst title ever, The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo but boy did I LOVE it. Devoured it in less than a day.
I also made a quick dip return to Highlanders, I'm reading The Highlander's Promise by Lynsay Sands. It's actually quite good, but I was skeptical after the first book in the series (The Highlander Bride series) ended up being a DNF and throw out the window kind of book.
I'm waiting on a special order of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte. I was the kid that spent all of her allowance on every dinosaur book available back in the day. My friend told me about this one last week; it just came out and I wanted it soooo bad. The Barnes and Noble website said it was in stock at a particular store, but when I went they didn't have it. Which kind of ruined part of my weekend reading plan but fingers crossed it gets here by tomorrow so I can read it Wednesday. |
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Post by kckckc on Jul 2, 2018 13:11:06 GMT
I have about 100 pages left (out of 900+) in one of the best books I’ve ever read! Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts.
The author is an Australian who escaped from prison there and fled to India. He becomes involved with the India Mafia. There is everything in this book! It is really gripping and beautifully written. It was written in 2003. I came across it in a used book store. I checked and you can find it on EBay for $5.00 and free shipping. My husband and a friend of mine read it before I could get to it and they both raved about it too. My husband is now reading the sequel. The book has rave reviews by listed in it by major publications and authors. His writing really comes alive. There are definitely parts that are hard to read. I really am amazed that the author came out of everything alive to have been able to write the book! I would also recommend Shantaram - excellent book. I bought the sequel (The Mountain Shadow) but haven't read it yet - I am undecided about whether to reread Shantaram first - I read it 8 years ago and am sure I have forgotten a lot of it. |
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
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Post by Mystie on Jul 2, 2018 13:48:40 GMT
I read Stephen King's new book, The Outsider. I'm a big fan of Mr. King, but I have to say...just skip this one. It's a remix of about ten of his previous ideas, monsters, themes. And like a lot of his stuff, it started out very promisingly and then fizzled about halfway through. Not worth it unless you really feel like you need a walk through King's world, no matter what.
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Post by SockMonkey on Jul 2, 2018 14:28:15 GMT
I'm reading China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan (sequel to Crazy Rich Asians). Needed something frothy, and it is. If you like fashion and gossip, it's a great read.
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janeliz
Drama Llama
I'm the Wiz and nobody beats me.
Posts: 5,633
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Post by janeliz on Jul 2, 2018 15:23:42 GMT
Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison. I’m a big fan of a domestic thriller, but the last few I’ve picked up have been underwhelming. This one in particular read like a Lifetime movie script.
I’m in the middle of We Are Never Meeting in Real Life: Essays by Samantha Irby. Someone here (pudgygroundhog?) recommended it recently and I’m very grateful. Irby touches a bit on her tough upbringing, but still manages to make me laugh until I’m crying. She’s a brilliant storyteller.
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Post by caribbeangirl on Jul 2, 2018 15:46:01 GMT
Last week I read:
1. Calypso by David Sedaris - Really love this one. His stories are hilarious.
2. Jurassic Park - I don’t know why I didn’t read this before now.
3. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - I’m about 200 pages into this one, and I’m hooked.
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Post by SockMonkey on Jul 2, 2018 15:54:15 GMT
Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison. I’m a big fan of a domestic thriller, but the last few I’ve picked up have been underwhelming. This one in particular read like a Lifetime movie script. I’m in the middle of We Are Never Meeting in Real Life: Essays by Samantha Irby. Someone here (pudgygroundhog?) recommended it recently and I’m very grateful. Irby touches a bit on her tough upbringing, but still manages to make me laugh until I’m crying. She’s a brilliant storyteller. |
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Post by fotos4u2 on Jul 2, 2018 15:56:23 GMT
Three more for me this week, none of them winners sadly:
Outside the Lines by Amy Hatvany. I gave this 3 stars on Goodreads as it was just okay. The book rotates between two narrators (a mentally ill man and his daughter) and also rotates between two time periods (when the girl was young and her father was still in her life and years later when she's searching for him on the streets). I preferred the older time period. It was interesting to sort of see in the mind of a mentally ill person and also how his disease effected his family. However, the daughter growing up and thinking "oh, if I find my dad, I'll be able to save him from himself in a way that my mother and all the health professionals somehow haven't and we'll have the happy little family I always wanted" was kind of annoying.
The Address by Fiona Davis. Another 3 star read. Another book that has two time periods (the 1880s and the 1980s) and two narrators. Again, I preferred only one part of the story. In this case, the historical part. Reading about life in the 1800s in New York was much more fascinating than reading about a struggling addict in the 1980s.
Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford. Yet another 3 star. I almost gave this a 2 star, but bumped it up one because I did like parts of the book. I'm always looking for different historical fiction (I'm actively trying to stay away from the WWII stuff because I've read SO MUCH lately and felt like it was time for some variety) and this definitely fit the bill about a young orphan boy during the Depression that believes a film star is his biological mother. That being said, the story was very depressing.
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lesley
Drama Llama
My best friend Turriff, desperately missed.
Posts: 7,179
Location: Scotland, Scotland, Scotland
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Post by lesley on Jul 2, 2018 16:24:38 GMT
I haven’t posted here in a few weeks, so I have a few books to mention.
The Staus of All Things by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke was a light fluffy read. Kate is addicted to FB, and is always posting updates, selfies, etc. But when her fiancé leaves her the night before their wedding, she's devastated. She’s used to editing her FB posts to make her life seem perfect, and she doesn’t know how to appear 'normal' anymore. But then she finds that she has the power to make wishes using Facebook. She posts a status, and magically, that status becomes real! This was a pretty predictable book, and not particularly special, but it was fun, and just what I needed at that time. 3/5.
Pretend I’m Dead by Jen Beagin was an odd book. The heroine, Mona, is a woman in her 20s whose life is pretty ordinary. She falls in love with an addict almost twice her age whom she meets when she volunteers at a needle exchange programme. Some of the people in the book are not particularly agreeable, but you do find yourself rooting for Mona as she begins to learn more about herself, her dysfunctional childhood, and how she got to where she is. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone looking for something contemporary that’s a bit different. 3.5/5
All Dogs Go To Kevin by Jessica Vogelsang is a wonderful memoir written by a vet, and talks not only about the animals she treats, but also about the three dogs she owned from her childhood onwards. It’s a lovely book, especially if you’re a dog-lover, full of humour and warmth. 5/5
The Ex-Wife by Jess Ryder is a psychological thriller, full of twists and turns. Some of them you see coming, but others are pretty unexpected. I’m very sceptical of all the hype around thrillers - every single one is described as nail-biting, gripping, best thing since _________, etc, and very few of them live up to the description. This was above average, and I’ll give it 4/5.
I'm in the middle of They Left Us Everything, a memoir by Plum Johnson about her large loving family, and the difficulties of dealing with aging parents. I’m really enjoying it so far.
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Post by lynnek on Jul 2, 2018 16:31:20 GMT
I finished three and gave up on one. I read Bring Me Back by BA Paris that someone mentioned above. I liked it a little more than she did  but would agree that it was not the greatest thriller ever to be written. I read All We Ever Wanted by Emily Griffin. Somehow I have missed reading anything by her ever so I gave this one a try. I actually really liked it. It started out being typical chick lit but really built into more. A high school girl goes to a party and a photo is taken of her when she is passed out. The story deal with the fall out of the photo and is written from the perspective of the girl, her dad, and the mom of the boy accused of taking the photo. I liked this one quite a bit. I also read Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky. I have not read anything by her for years. This was a decent read. A woman is distracted by her GPS for just a moment and missed a stop sign and causes an accident that kills her daughter. Four years later after everything including her marriage has ended she is living in a small town trying to reinvent herself. I enjoyed the story until the end there were a few convoluted things and then it ended fairly quickly. I gave it 3 1/2 stars. I did not finish The Fact of a Body it was just getting to me and was hard to read. It made me sad and mad and I just had to stop. It was very well written and I may pick it up sometime again, but just not now. |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 15, 2024 13:19:09 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2018 17:33:29 GMT
I also read Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky. I have not read anything by her for years. This was a decent read. A woman is distracted by her GPS for just a moment and missed a stop sign and causes an accident that kills her daughter. Four years later after everything including her marriage has ended she is living in a small town trying to reinvent herself. I enjoyed the story until the end there were a few convoluted things and then it ended fairly quickly. I gave it 3 1/2 stars. I'm so glad to find out she has written another book. I thought she had stopped writing. She is one of my all time favorites. I'm trying to find out if I have missed any others, now. |
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tuesdaysgone
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,832
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Post by tuesdaysgone on Jul 2, 2018 17:34:19 GMT
Two wonderful books this week:
The Nix has been mentioned on this thread at least once. I loved it; a 5 star book for me. A college English professor who is a want-to-be writer, accidently discovers the mother who abandoned him many years before. Because she is somewhat of a viral video sensation, he sets out to write a book about her and in doing so uncovers much about her past and his own unknown past. It's written with great humor. The ending isn't great, but the satire, characters and writing more than makes up for the ending.
Skeletons on the Zahara is the non fiction account of an American ship that ran aground off the Africa coast in 1815. The crew becomes hostages of roaming Arab nomads and suffer tremendous hardships in the desert before they are eventually ransomed and set free. It is a difficult story to read, but the book is well written.
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Post by kckckc on Jul 2, 2018 18:40:03 GMT
I finished two books this week.
Gateway to the Moon by Mary Morris. This one is told as two alternating stories. The first is set in 1992 in a small town in New Mexico. We meet Miguel, a fourteen year old who is into astronomy and feels trapped by his life and Rachel, an unhappily married woman who has recently moved to the area and hires Miguel to babysit her sons. The other story begins in 1492 in Spain. During the Spanish inquisition, all Jews have to convert to Catholicism to risk being tortured and killed. Many of the Jews choose to officially convert, but covertly they still practice Judaism - these are the Crypto-Jews. (this is a part of history I knew nothing about!) One of these Crypto-Jews is on Columbus' ship and ends up in the New World. His ancestors eventually trace down to Miguel. Both of these stories were good and I think the author could have written two separate books that would have been excellent. I felt like the connection between the two stories was tenuous, and the switching back and forth was jarring. As written, I still liked the book. 4/5
So Lucky by Nicola Griffith. This one is the story of a woman loses her partner, then is diagnosed with MS and eventually loses her job. There is also a small mystery thrown in. The author has MS and this is billed as an autobiographical novel. I thought it was okay. 3/5
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Rhondito
Pearl Clutcher
MississipPea
Posts: 4,662
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Post by Rhondito on Jul 2, 2018 18:54:43 GMT
I read All We Ever Wanted by Emily Griffin. Somehow I have missed reading anything by her ever so I gave this one a try. I'm working on this one right now. I love Emily! She's from Atlanta and is very interactive with her fans. The Address by Fiona Davis. Another 3 star read. Another book that has two time periods (the 1880s and the 1980s) and two narrators. Again, I preferred only one part of the story. In this case, the historical part. Reading about life in the 1800s in New York was much more fascinating than reading about a struggling addict in the 1980s. I felt the same way about this book. I wish it would've stuck with the historical time period. |
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Post by lynnek on Jul 2, 2018 20:24:08 GMT
I read All We Ever Wanted by Emily Griffin. Somehow I have missed reading anything by her ever so I gave this one a try. I'm working on this one right now. I love Emily! She's from Atlanta and is very interactive with her fans.
The Address by Fiona Davis. Another 3 star read. Another book that has two time periods (the 1880s and the 1980s) and two narrators. Again, I preferred only one part of the story. In this case, the historical part. Reading about life in the 1800s in New York was much more fascinating than reading about a struggling addict in the 1980s. I felt the same way about this book. I wish it would've stuck with the historical time period. Yes! Even before I read this book I somehow followed her on Facebook (maybe a contest to win a book and you had to follow her) and I really enjoy following her. I actually think she would just be so fun to meet! |
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Post by birukitty on Jul 3, 2018 0:05:27 GMT
Just one for me this week.
I read The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman. This is the 4th Alice Hoffman novel I've read and so far my favorite. This one is about the lives of 3 women from 3 different decades all in love with the wrong man. Their lives are interconnected and their stories are woven together in such a brilliant (using the British terminology) way. This novel is very well written and I thought the characters were well developed. I enjoyed it so much. I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.
I'm currently about 1/2 way through The Room on Rue Amaelie by Kristen Harmel and I'm really loving this one. So far it's looking like a 5 star read for me.
Caribbeangirl-I read Jurassic Park for the first time last year and loved it! I also don't know why it took me so long to getting around to reading it. I adored the movie but the book was so much better! It was different, I'd love to see them make a mini-series that is closer to the book, while still retaining the classic version of the first movie. Hope you liked it too.
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Post by mnmloveli on Jul 3, 2018 1:14:32 GMT
Just finished The Dog by Amy Cross. Not for everyone; end-of-world and zombies. Lots of action. Like a roller coaster ride with a crash landing.
3/5 Stars for me.
When Jon takes his dog Harry to a remote cabin for the week, he just wants to get away from the rest of the world. And then one morning, after finding that his phone is dead, Jon looks at the city in the distance and realizes that something seems very wrong.
Forgot to mention, the book is told thru the dog’s point of view and it’s still free on Amazon as of today, Monday 7-2.
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Post by bc2ca on Jul 3, 2018 2:42:48 GMT
I'm peeking in looking for a new titles to put on hold and glad I did. Thanks for mentioning Us Against You, gottapeanow , I loved Beartown and look forward to getting my hands on this one. lynnek , thanks for mentioning All We Ever Wanted. Emily Giffin is a favorite author and I didn't realize she had a new book out. I just finished Sara Gruen's At the Water's Edge. I've seen it criticized as being too close to Water for Elephants, but read that so long ago and see enough differences that I didn't feel that way and gave it 4/5. The main characters are from Philadelphia society and somehow head off to search for the Loch Ness monster towards the end of WWII when Scotland is still deep into war restrictions and rations. I also read Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians at the urging of a medium rich Asian friend. An easy and fun read and I'm looking forward to the movie coming out later this summer. The Lewis Man by Peter May also gets a 4/5 from me. It is the second book in a trilogy, but stands alone very well. The book starts with the discovery of a well preserved body while cutting peat in northern Scotland. At first, it is assumed that the body could be 1000s of years old and of historic value until the presence of an Elvis tattoo suddenly changes the discovery into a much more recent murder investigation. Set in a quiet, small village on the Isle of Lewis makes the pool of potential murders pretty small. I love that part of the story is told through the eyes of an elderly character suffering from dementia. Still Me by Jojo Moynes and Educated by Tara Westover round out my most recent reads. Still Me was definitely the weakest Louisa Clarke story so far, but I'm invested in this character the same way I'm invested in Bridget Jones and Rebecca Bloomwood and will always catch up on what is happening in her life. I saw Tara Westover interviewed and was really looking forward to reading her story, but found Educated to be a huge disappointment. |
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QueenoftheSloths
Drama Llama
Member Since January 2004, 2,698 forum posts PeaNut Number: 122614 PeaBoard Title: StuckOnPeas
Posts: 5,955
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Post by QueenoftheSloths on Jul 3, 2018 2:58:19 GMT
I happened to be in the middle of rereading the complete Little House series when the news about the award came out last week. I enjoyed the series, even with the racial stereotyping, enforced traditional gender roles and child marriage.  I was struck by something in The First Four Years. Laura had left Pa's home, where they had "gotten over the hump" of poverty, and ended up so much worse off in her marriage. The string of bad luck they have is just unrelenting. I also feel like Almanzo compounded the problem with all his purchases on credit. He always had to have some new piece of machinery. The old ways were good enough for Pa. And Pa certainly wasn't buying on credit! It took years for Pa to afford to paint the house on the claim. Almanzo went $500 into debt building the house for he and Laura on the tree claim. Finally, I thought some peas would enjoy seeing this: www.archives.gov/files/research/land/ingalls/images/ingalls-page-10.gifIt's the original document Pa filled out when he won his bet with Uncle Sam and proved up on the claim. |
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Post by auntkelly on Jul 3, 2018 3:03:01 GMT
I read An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. This book gave me a lot to think about with regard to racism in America. I thought the author did a great job of making her point w/out being too preachy or dramatic. I thought the book was well written and had a great plot twist.
I also read The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, It was a good story w/ an important message, but I didn’t really care for the author’s writing style. (I’m sure it’s because I’m an old fogey).
When we go on car trips, I always read aloud to my husband while he drives. We just finished Issac’s Storm by Erik Larsen about the Galveston hurricane of 1900. I previously read this book many years’ ago and it is one of my all time favorite nonfiction books.
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Post by ~summer~ on Jul 3, 2018 3:05:34 GMT
I'm about to finish A Hundred Summers, great beach read, I thought it was really good, did anybody else ready it??
I think my next read is A Gentleman In Moscow, I started it and really liked it but then got derailed by the above book and for some reason am not super excited about restarting it (I was on like page 5)
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Post by ~summer~ on Jul 3, 2018 3:06:41 GMT
Last week I read: 1. Calypso by David Sedaris - Really love this one. His stories are hilarious. 2. Jurassic Park - I don’t know why I didn’t read this before now. 3. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - I’m about 200 pages into this one, and I’m hooked. I loved The Great Alone! Might be one of my favorite books of 2018. |
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Post by ~summer~ on Jul 3, 2018 3:09:18 GMT
I have about 100 pages left (out of 900+) in one of the best books I’ve ever read! Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts.
The author is an Australian who escaped from prison there and fled to India. He becomes involved with the India Mafia. There is everything in this book! It is really gripping and beautifully written. It was written in 2003. I came across it in a used book store. I checked and you can find it on EBay for $5.00 and free shipping. My husband and a friend of mine read it before I could get to it and they both raved about it too. My husband is now reading the sequel. The book has rave reviews by listed in it by major publications and authors. His writing really comes alive. There are definitely parts that are hard to read. I really am amazed that the author came out of everything alive to have been able to write the book! I would also recommend Shantaram - excellent book. I bought the sequel (The Mountain Shadow) but haven't read it yet - I am undecided about whether to reread Shantaram first - I read it 8 years ago and am sure I have forgotten a lot of it. I'm impressed you got through Shantaram, I've been reading it on my kindle for like 2 years, I love it, but I can't get through it!! My book club read it and I don't think a single person finished it.... |
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Post by marie on Jul 3, 2018 3:24:32 GMT
This week I finished A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza. I think this is my best book so far this year. This was a fabulous story , very well written It's about family, about culture, about where we fit in the world. Really loved this book!
The second book I read was for book club. It was called Before the Fall by Noah Hawley. It was a good page-turner but the ending fell flat for me . As I kept reading I began to like the main character less and less.
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Post by redhead32 on Jul 3, 2018 4:03:28 GMT
I read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. 3/5. Some good stuff but it was too long for what I got out of it.
Started Hillbilly Elegy tonight and LOVE it. I’m 6 chapters in and can’t wait to read more.
I’ve also been working through Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. His explanation of honor culture meshes really well with Hillbilly Elegy. I love Gladwell and I know he’s leading me to a specific point of view, but t doesn’t bother me.
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Post by auntkelly on Jul 3, 2018 19:18:01 GMT
I think my next read is A Gentleman In Moscow, I started it and really liked it but then got derailed by the above book and for some reason am not super excited about restarting it (I was on like page 5) I read the book and really liked it. My friend keeps insisting that I listen to the audio version. She says the narrator is wonderful, and while she really enjoyed reading the book, she absolutely loved listening to the audio. |
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but would agree that it was not the greatest thriller ever to be written.
