|
Post by RobbyKay on Oct 26, 2015 4:44:35 GMT
Hey Reading Peas!
First up this week, I read Bill Clegg's Did You Ever Have a Family. The reviews were mixed, but i gave it a shot anyway, and I enjoyed it. A woman is the sole survivor of a house fire that kills her daughter and fiance, her ex-husband, and her boyfriend. We get glimpses of the family, the community and the relationships via short vignettes from people surrounding the family. It was challenging to keep track of who the storytellers are, and why there stories were important, but stick with it, it works out in the end.
My book club is reading Sara Gran's Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead. It's a murder mystery set in post-Katrina New Orleans. The main character, Claire DeWitt, is a private investigator with a dark past and a substance abuse problem. It was a good story.
I picked up Jane Smiley's Early Warning, book two in her Last Hundred Years series. It's a year-by-year saga of an Iowa farm family. I'm enjoying it, but I'm struggling to keep track of the characters, since the family members keep having kids an adding to the story.
Happy reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Oct 21, 2015 17:39:16 GMT
Left-handed mom to two left-handed kids here.
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Oct 13, 2015 3:59:16 GMT
Hi Peas Who Read,
I've been missing for the last couple of weeks, but I have a few titles to share...
I read J. Ryan Stradal's Kitchens of the Great Midwest. It's a series of stories that all feature the same woman, Eva, at different points in her life. We see her as a baby, as a young woman, and as a full grown woman. Her life revolves around food, and her food adventures are featured in the stories. I really enjoyed this one.
I'm working my way through After You by Jojo Moyes, Some of the reviews were pretty negative, so I haven't been excited to jump into this one, but I am starting to enjoy it.
I read Jason Segel's newest title, The Sleep Tonic; it's No. 2 in the Nightmares! series. It was cute.
On a whim, I picked up Al Roker's The Storm of the Century. It's about the hurricane that wiped out Galveston in 1900. It's an interesting story about a horrible disaster.
I've been working my way through the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, and I'm working on the third book, Life, the Universe and Everything. I was really enamored with this series when I was 17, Now, thirty years later, I'm not feeling it. But I'll keep going, just to meet my goal.
Happy Reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Oct 13, 2015 3:58:52 GMT
Hi Peas Who Read,
I've been missing for the last couple of weeks, but I have a few titles to share...
I read J. Ryan Stradal's Kitchens of the Great Midwest. It's a series of stories that all feature the same woman, Eva, at different points in her life. We see her as a baby, as a young woman, and as a full grown woman. Her life revolves around food, and her food adventures are featured in the stories. I really enjoyed this one.
I'm working my way through After You by Jojo Moyes, Some of the reviews were pretty negative, so I haven't been excited to jump into this one, but I am starting to enjoy it.
I read Jason Segel's newest title, The Sleep Tonic; it's No. 2 in the Nightmares! series. It was cute.
On a whim, I picked up Al Roker's The Storm of the Century. It's about the hurricane that wiped out Galveston in 1900. It's an interesting story about a horrible disaster.
I've been working my way through the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, and I'm working on the third book, Life, the Universe and Everything. I was really enamored with this series when I was 17, Now, thirty years later, I'm not feeling it. But I'll keep going, just to meet my goal.
Happy Reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Oct 1, 2015 2:24:56 GMT
Maybe your new BFF is in your book club, but you need to draw her out. Ask if anyone would like to meet for coffee afterwards, or bring a snack to share that was inspired by the book you are discussing.
My book club is not like the clubs you read about. it's in a classroom at a church, no wine is served, and snacks are rare. But out of that group, a few of us meet afterwards for a little sipping and socializing at a local restaurant. We probably wouldn't meet up if we didn't have book club first, but it's a nice way to get a little girl time in.
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Sept 14, 2015 1:29:05 GMT
Hi Reader Peas!
I've been absent from this thread for a few weeks, so here's my list:
I read Christopher Moore's newest title, Secondhand Souls. It's a continuation of his previous novel, It's a Dirty Job. it was an enjoyable read, but had a few weird parts that made me go, "huh?"
I read Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me. It's a middle grade book, but had a twist that made my breath catch. It's a good, quick read.
Ivan Doig's final title was published last week. Last Bus to Wisdom is a story about a 11 year old boy who is shipped off to stay with relatives when his grandmother has to have surgery over the summer. I'm about a third of the way through, and it's a kick. The misadventures of a boy traveling alone cross country are charming - it's set in 1951, so it's not so scary, and I'm enjoying all of the characters he runs into.
Happy Reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Aug 31, 2015 1:32:19 GMT
Does he ever deliver cakes for you? You could have all of the attendees gathered at the venue, and he could walk in with his own cake!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Aug 31, 2015 1:17:28 GMT
Does he ever deliver cakes for you? You could have all of the attendees gathered at the venue, and he could walk in with his own cake!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Aug 24, 2015 5:08:44 GMT
Hi Reading Peas. I've been absent for a couple of weeks, so I have a few titles to share. I've been working my way through the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. I finished the first book, and now I'm reading Restaurant at the End of the Universe. It's not really catching my interest, but I'll persevere. I read Ernest Cline's newest title, Armada. I picked it up because I liked his first book, Ready Player One. He's known for his geeky 80's music and sci-fi references, and this new one is much the same. The story was a little weak, but it was a fun read. Next, I picked up a title by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, A Shadow in the Wind. It's a twisty mystery set in Barcelona at the first half of the 20th century. I really liked it. Now I'm reading the newest JR Ward title, The Bourbon Kings. It's good so far, but I keep waiting for a vampire or an angel to walk into the story Happy reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Aug 16, 2015 4:19:08 GMT
How about Bingo Used Books at 33rd & SE Powell?
Vintage Books in Vancouver gets my vote as well.
I know you said no used library books, but Title Wave used books on Knott near Emanuel Hospital is Multnomah County Library's used book depot.
Happy Hunting - it sounds like a fun mission to complete!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Aug 13, 2015 12:21:28 GMT
I love to stir it into cream cheese and spread the mixture on bagels. I also like to mix it with peanut butter and dip celery sticks into it. Or my fingers.
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Aug 8, 2015 19:20:17 GMT
I enjoyed The Martian by Andy Weir.
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Aug 3, 2015 3:12:57 GMT
Hi Reader Peas!
I'm struggling to begin a new novel this week. I've picked up and put down several. I'm slowly working my way through Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
That's all I've got.
Happy Reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Jul 27, 2015 2:19:21 GMT
Hi Readers,
I finished Julia Pierpont's Among the Ten Thousand Things. It started off well, then jumped into the future to summarize the story, then went back to fill in more details. I wanted to enjoy the peek into the future, and think of it as a modern, youthful way of storytelling, but it fell flat for me. Read at your own risk.
On the recommendation of one of my book club buddies, I picked up Andrew Meredith's The Removers. It's a memoir of a young man who takes a job picking up dead bodies for a local mortuary. I was expecting a "here's a funny story about the death business," treatment, but it was more like the work served as a metaphor for the emotional death he was working his way through, while the city he called home went through it's own death. It was short, but poignant.
Happy Reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Jul 19, 2015 22:58:05 GMT
Hi Reader Peas!
This week, I took the plunge and read Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman. I enjoyed it. I had read the hype about Atticus Finch being not as honorable as he was in To Kill a Mockingbird, but I was willing to risk my perception - and I was fine with it. Honestly, more than anything, I think it's a shining example of why even a great author can benefit from the advice of an editor.
Right now, I'm reading Among the Ten Thousand Things by Julia Pierpont. It's about a family that starts to break apart when the father's affair is revealed when he breaks up with his mistress, and she sends all of their intimate communications to his home - where the kids discover it. I heard about it on a book review podcast, so I'm hoping something interesting pops up soon. I'll let you know next week.
Happy reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Jul 12, 2015 18:47:47 GMT
Hi Reader Peas!
I knocked down two this week. First up was A Man Called Ove. It has been highly recommended in these threads. For the first 75 pages, I wondered why, but then it turned for the better and I really enjoyed it.
Then I tackled 13 Reasons Why - angst riddled YA title. It was a quick read, and compelling. I think it might be a better audio book than a traditional book; I struggled to keep track of which character was speaking - it would switch off paragraph to paragraph sometimes. Overall, I enjoyed it.
I'm looking forward to the new Harper Lee title, Go Set a Watchman. It releases on Tuesday the 14th.
Happy Reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Jul 5, 2015 14:53:42 GMT
Hi Reading Peas! . I finished Under a Dark Summer Sky by Vanessa LaFaye. It's set in the early 1930s on a small island in the Florida Keys. It's a fictionalized telling of the the story of the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. There's racial tension, there's unrequited love, and there are strong social and political undercurrents to the story - and then a massive hurricane hits! I really enjoyed this one, and I liked it even more when I discovered it was about a true-life event. I love learning about different events in our past through novels.
And keeping with the theme, I picked up Judy Blume's newest title, In The Unlikely Event. It's set in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1951-1952, when three commercial airliners crashed there in an eight-week period. I was reluctant to pick it up, since the reviews on Goodreads weren't very favorable, but I changed my mind when it was recommended on last week's thread. It's excellent! We watch events unfold through the eyes of a variety of people all living in Elizabeth. There is romance and intrigue, middle school drama and college aged angst, and Judy Blume does what she does so well, weaving the small details of life in the 1950s into the story.
Happy reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Jun 29, 2015 4:14:38 GMT
Hi Reader Peas!
I have a confession to make: I read E.L. James latest, Grey. It's supposed to be the re-telling of the first Fifty Shades book, from Christian Grey's point-of view. It was supposed to make the Christian character seem sympathetic and lovable. It failed. Miserably. The only saving grace was that no one ever said "Oh my" or "Down there," and I have a title to add to the Worst Book of 2015 thread that will appear sometime late in December.
On the other hand, one of my Goodreads friends really enjoyed Vanessa LaFaye's Under a Dark Summer Sky, so I picked up that title. So far, it's excellent! It's set in rural Florida between the first and second world wars. It's loaded with quirky characters, there is some racial/social class tension, the plight of WWI veterans is a theme, and an alligator tries to steal a baby - and that's just the first chapter! I'll let you know more next week!
Happy Reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Jun 22, 2015 3:19:31 GMT
Hi Reading Peas!
I finished Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll. It was dark and twisty and I enjoyed it.
For book club, I read Hilary Davidson's The Damage is Done. It's a debut mystery novel, and it's a good one. I look forward to continuing with the series.
Happy reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Jun 14, 2015 23:52:07 GMT
Hi Peas Who Read
Like tuesdaysgone, I read Lisa Lutz' How to Start a Fire. I loved it! I struggled through the first third of the book, because I couldn't wrap my head around the chronological jumps, but once I let go and stopped stressing over the jumps, it was a great story. I loved how people would pop in and out of the story, depending on which point in time you were reading, and it made for a great foreshadowing technique.
Now I'm reading The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll. I'm enjoying it. Some have commented that it's hard to enjoy a book when all of the characters are so unlikeable. I'm not having that problem - the characters are deliciously unlikeable (and incredibly hungry!).
Happy reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Jun 7, 2015 16:48:02 GMT
Hey Readers!
I attended a fundraiser for a local writing organization for at-risk youth, and Cheryl Strayed was the featured speaker. So I picked up her first novel, Torch. Since I read her non-fiction work, Wild, and I saw the movie, Torch very much seems to be the novelization of her youth and the death of her mother. It was a lovely book, just a little bleak.
Now I'm reading How to Start a Fire by Lisa Lutz. She's the author of the Spellman Detective Agency books, and this is her first novel since completing that series. It's quirky so far, but I'm looking forward to reading more.
Happy reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on May 31, 2015 18:49:43 GMT
Hi Peas Who Read!
I just finished Francisco X. Stork's Marcelo in the Real World. It's a story told from the perspective of a young man with Asperger's. He lives a happy life full of order and rules, but his father wants him to have more real world experience. It was very good. It's a YA title, and I would definitely recommend it.
Sticking with the Spectrum theme, I read The Boy Who Loved Tornadoes. It's a nonfiction work, about a family whose oldest son struggles with autism, then becomes psychotic. It really focuses on the struggles of finding adequate mental health care for the most vulnerable. I enjoyed it.
On a whim, I picked up Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson. It's a magical story set in an unnamed Middle Eastern nation, and it blends political intrigue with magical realism My description doesn't do it justice. In the end, I loved it, but I didn't know it until I finished the book.
My book club chose Losing Mum & Pup by Christopher Buckley. It's the story of his mourning the loss of his well-known parents, (Pat & William F Buckley). I thought it was a lovely testament to his relationship with his father.
Earlier this week, I went to a fund-raiser featuring Cheryl Strayed (Wild). So now I'm reading her fiction work, Torch. I'm just a few chapters in, but I am enjoying her writing.
Happy reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on May 4, 2015 3:52:04 GMT
Hi Peas Who Read!
I just finished Sara Gruen's latest At the Water's Edge. It was an engaging story, and I enjoyed it, but it was a lot like Water for Elephants.
From last week's thread, I'm reading Lost and Found by Brooke Davis. I'm enjoying it, but I'm finding it very sad.
Happy reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Apr 27, 2015 3:14:35 GMT
Hi Reading Peas!
My book club title this month was Grant and Twain by Mark Parry. It's a book devoted to describing the friendship between Ulysses S Grant and Mark Twain towards the end of Grant's life. It was good enough, but I'm not convinced that the two men were much more than friendly business associates. The only reason I could see that they were more intimate friends was that Mark Twain finished Huckleberry Finn after a 8 year break after he met Grant.
I'm also reading a couple of fiction books. One title is Danielle Paige's Dorothy Must Die. It's OK, but I got a little bored with it, so I picked up another one, Sara Gruen's newest one: At the Water's Edge. It's set during WWII, and three wealthy, bored Americans go in search of the Loch Ness Monster. I'm liking it so far.
Happy Reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Apr 20, 2015 13:43:21 GMT
Hey Reading Peas!
This week, I read The Children Act by Ian McEwan. It's the story of a family court judge who has to rule over a case where a young man and his family's religious beliefs prevent them from accepting lifesaving treatment. The judge's ruling sets forth a series of interesting events. This one is good, but it's short, and I'm not sure the male author quite catches the female protagonist's voice accurately, but it will definitely make you think.
Now I'm reading The Dead Wife's Handbook by Hannah Breckerman. A wife and mom dies suddenly, and then gets to peak down on her family a year after her death. She works through the stages of grief as she watches her family cope. It's good, just a little painful to read.
Happy Reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Apr 12, 2015 22:08:05 GMT
I just finished the latest Black Dagger Brotherhood title, The Shadows. I think this series has jumped the shark for me, but I still enjoy the world JR Ward has built, and every book revisits some of the original characters. I enjoyed this one, it made me cry, and I'll read the next one.
I just started Ian McEwan's The Children's Story. So far, so good.
Happy Reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Apr 7, 2015 15:04:40 GMT
Hi Reader Peas!
I finally finished I Am Radar by Rief Larsen. I loved the author's fist book, and I was hoping to love this one as well. but it fell flat for me.
My daughter and I went to see an exhibit about Anne Frank at the local Jewish history museum, and I had to admit that I had never read her book, so next I tackled Diary of a Young Girl. On the surface, it's an honest portrayal of the views of a thirteen-year old girl - self centered and hormonally driven as they may be. But it was heartbreaking to read the parts where she had hopes for the future, and to realize her future was very different from the one she dreamed of.
Now I'm reading the next Black Dagger Brotherhood book The Shadows. So far, so good!
Happy Reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Mar 29, 2015 18:47:12 GMT
Hi Readers!
I'm still slogging away on I Am Radar. It's good, just really long, and I'm itching to start something else.
Speaking if itching, the next Black Dagger Brotherhood book, The Shadows, comes out on the 30th, and I'm looking forward to it!
Happy Reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Mar 17, 2015 3:07:45 GMT
Hey Readers!
I picked up Ruth Rendell's The Girl Next Door. It was a sort of cozy mystery set in London. It reminded me of the old Columbo movies, where you get to see the murder and the murderer, and then spend the rest of the film watching Columbo figure it out. In this one, a murder was committed in a village near London during WWII. 60+ years later, evidence of the murder is uncovered, and the people who were children when the murder occurred are now old and dying off, and they all reunite over this mystery. It was enjoyable.
For book club, I'm reading The Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse. It talks about the immigrant experience in Los Angeles. I'm enjoying it.
I'm also reading Reif Larsen's I am Radar. So far, it's about a white couple who bear a son who has incredibly dark skin. Mom and Dad don't agree on whether to seek out the reason for their son's skin color, or to just accept him as he is. I'm not sure where the story is going, but I'm enjoying it so far.
I just picked up a new one from the library. The Carry Home by Gary Ferguson tells the author's story of the death of his beloved wife on a canoe trip in the Canadian Rockies. I'm just a few chapters in, but I'm really enjoying this one.
Happy Reading!
|
|
|
Post by RobbyKay on Mar 8, 2015 22:56:11 GMT
Hi Readers!
Add me to the list of readers of Daniel Price's The Flight of the Silvers. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next one.
Next up was Michael Sears latest Jason Stafford mystery, Long Way Down. The main character is a former Wall Street wizard who served time for insider trading. Now he's a freelance finaicl investigator who seems to keep getting himself into and out of hot water. My favorite parts of the stories are when the main character spends time with his autistic son. I don't always follow the financial stuff, but the family stuff is pretty good.
Now I'm reading Ruth Rendell's The Girl Next Door. I'm just starting it, but so far it's creepy!
Happy Reading!
|
|