Weekly Reading Thread: July 22-28

I'm currently reading The First Family by Michael Palmer. It's a real book.

I bought a Kindle Paperwhite on Prime Day and am still trying to figure it out. I somehow got a book on it from our library but still haven't figured out how. It's a mystery. Not the book, how I got it on there.

I finished Circe. 5/5. Hands down the best book I've read so far this year. I can see it being my 2018 favorite. So so amazingly good. I can't even think of words to describe it.

I just started The Duke and I by Julia Quinn. I actually read it when it came out during the early 2000's. I'm reading it again now because Shonda Rhimes is adapting the entire 8 book series (historical regency romance, no less) for Netflix. So my book girl gang and I are doing a group series re-read.

ETA: I'm also reading Spinning Silver, the latest by Naomi Novik which I FINALLY got from the library yesterday.

I read Miss Julia Raises the Roof . I have read most if not all of the Miss Julia books. I did not like this one. Miss Julia seemed very whiny and not very charitable. I was very disappointed in this book.

I have almost gotten Circe like 5 times! Now it’s going on my TBR list for sure. 😊

craftmepink, I really enjoyed The Kitchen House but thought the sequel, Glory Over Everything, was even better.

I tried to read The Life Lucy Knew about a woman who wakes up from a coma with a skewed sense of reality. This had some potential, but I could not get into it. She has an amazing life and keeps wishing for this alternate life instead.

I feel the same about another one that I am reading right now, The Summer List by Doan. I keep trying to figure out if I should keep reading. It does have a great rating on GR, so I am plodding through.

I actually finished one book, The Banker's Wife by Alger. I felt there was a bit of telling not showing, and it was hard to connect with the two main characters. 2.5/5 stars.

I'm going on a short vakay tomorrow til Thursday, so hope I read some good ones while I'm gone.

Lisa

I read You Think It, I'll Say It a collection of short stories by Curtis Sittenfeld. I enjoyed it a lot. 4.5 stars

Ooo!

I read  Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris. It’s a story about a young woman who goes missing while on a trip with her temperamental boyfriend. Did he kill Hill her? Did something else happen to her? Has she come back? The book picks up twelve years later and alternates between three characters’ perspectives. The premise was interesting, but the characters were all so odd (not sure I cared about any of them) and the story pretty implausible. I will admit I read it quickly, wanting to know how things would wrap up, but found it is in satisfying. older sister disappeared.

I’m still reading I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara for book club. Still making myself read xx number of pages a day so I’ll be done by our 7/27 meeting. Interesting but It’s just a little too dry for me.

I just started I’m Watching You by Teresa Driscoll. A woman is on a train and sees two men with two young girls on a train. The guys make her uncomfortable and she wants to do something about it but decides to mind her own business. The next day, one of the girls go missing. Not sure what happens from there, but like the premise and am enjoying it so far, but it’s too early to tell. 

I’m also still reading The Daughter on my kindle by Lucy Dawson. I’m at the early stages in this one, but it just got VERY sad. Still too early to say too much.

Lastly I’m still listening to The Outsider by Stephen King. I’m about 3/4 or so of the way through. Love the characters and the story. Tension is pretty high at this point.


Next audio book when I’m done with this is Born A Crime. Heard so many good things about it.

Last week I finished The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams. Excellent summer read.

This week I am starting on Circe and re-reading the Harry Potter series.

Do I need to read The Song of Achilles first? I love fantasy.

I finished Iron Gold by Pierce Brown, the fourth book in the Red Rising trilogy.  It took me forever to get into it -- I couldn't remember the myriad of characters from the previous books. It switches between four different characters' points of view, so a little confusing. Once I got about halfway through, it started to make a lot more sense. I'd give the second half high marks. It continues the saga of Darrow, set ten years after the uprising. Peace has eluded the inner solar system, and Darrow is torn between spending time with his family and continuing to fight. I'd recommend at least refreshing your memories of the previous books before starting this one.

That book has stayed with me for a number of years now. Talk about making an impact an leaving a lasting memory! It ranks right up there with Anne Frank, IMHO.


I've been struggling to finish The House By The River by Lena Manta for months now. It's a good book, but I know disaster is always just a page away and I have to inch into that a little at a time. I read a few pages and everybody's happy and I have to close it before everything comes crashing down. I almost feel like it needs to come with a warning label: This book will not cheer you up!


I give The Tenth Island by Diana Marcum 5 stars. It was fast and easy to read and I had no trouble happily zipping right through it. Diana is a Pulitizer Prize winner and this is a personal story of her time in the Azores. Her sense of humor shines throughout the book, so pick it up this summer and enjoy!

I finished The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan I usually love Amy Tan but this really dragged and I felt like I'd read it before, all in all, a bit too melodramatic for me.

The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews. Friendship, drama, love, history, and a little mystery on an island off the coast of Georgia. I enjoyed it very much.

Finished:
How to Stop Time by Matt Haig - Although it had a little bit of a Forrest Gump vibe to it (meeting all the famous people), I really liked it. I finished yesterday morning and immediately chose it for my book group to read in September. I think it has some great ideas that will lead to a fun discussion.

Started:
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin - No opinion yet .