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Post by stingfan on Mar 30, 2020 20:48:16 GMT
Finished... Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - I listened to this for a second time in preparation for my April book group. I guess we'll be having a zoom group now? We'll see...Anyway, I liked it the first time and the second time ... Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain - After reading the summary, I didn't think I would find it very interesting. But I got started with it anyway and got sucked in. It's definitely one I'd recommend now. Started... Nothing yet ...
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Post by birukitty on Mar 31, 2020 0:01:27 GMT
It's been a few weeks since I've posted. My reading has really slowed down. I've been very caught up with my new hobby of knitting which has taken over my reading time or I'm spending time reading non-fiction books about knitting. I finally got back into reading fiction books recently.
After The Flood by Kassandra Montag. I loved this book so much! It's a sci-fi book only in the fact that it takes place 100 years in the future and a great flood has taken place covering most of the earth's surface. The main characters in the book are a strong woman named Myra and her 7 year old daughter Pearl who travel from outpost to outpost (the few dry land spots that are left) trading fish for supplies in the small sailing boat that Myra's father built. Myra is on a mission-her husband left her while she was still pregnant with their other daughter Row thinking he was saving Row. Myra is desperate to find her daughter Row. The writing, tension, and story telling are perfect in this novel and I found myself biting my fingernails in anticipation of what was going to happen next. I knew almost all of the sailing terms which really helped because there isn't a glossary of them included in this book and this book could have benefited very much having one-they are all over the pages of this book. If you read this in the traditional book form (not an e-book) I suggest printing out a couple of sheets of sailing terms that you can refer to as you read. Please do not let this discourage you from reading this amazing book. It's one of the best books I've read recently and when it was over I wanted to go back and read it again from the first page-that almost never happens to me. I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads.
Currently I'm reading a fiction book called Where Dandelions Bloom by Tara Johnson. I'm more than halfway through this one and really enjoying it. It's a historical fiction romance book (I usually don't care for romance books) with a religious flavor but luckily it's light on the romance and religious side and heavy on the fiction and historical side. It begins with a female character named Cassie who's abusive alcoholic father has more or less "sold" her into marriage with a horrible neighbor. To escape she does the only thing she can she joins the Union Army at the start of the Civil War disguised as a man. The other main character is Gabe- man who grew up poor, the son of Scottish immigrants in N. York city slums but who's been scrimping, saving and working his way up to become a photographer and luckily lands a job under photographer Mathew Brady to help record images of the war. With my interest in photography and strong women I thought this would be a book I would like, and it is. So far it's been a good book. Not great, but good.
Before these I read a non-fiction book called A Delayed Life: The True Story of the Librarian of Auschwitz by Dita Kraus. I thought I'd like this one because I read the historical fiction book The Librarian of Auschwitz two years ago. Sadly the non-fiction book barely spent any time at all going over that time period where the survivor was a librarian which is what I wanted to know more about in the non-fiction book-only about a page in the non-fiction book. In fact, only 1/3 of the book covers the war and the Holocaust. The rest of the book is about recovery and life after the war. While it was interesting to read it wasn't what I was expecting.
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Post by lesserknownpea on Mar 31, 2020 9:29:32 GMT
I read in bed at night while the rest of my family sleep.
The Speckled People by Hamilton Hugo a memoir of an Irish boy whose dad was a hard core Irish Activist, and mother was a refugee from Nazi Germany. Bullied by the local children and called “nazis”, but not allowed to speak English even though all the other children did because their Dad expected them to speak Irish, these kids never felt they fit in. This is written beautifully, especially the way the mother’s story unfold gradually as the boy is mature enough to understand it. It’s often a grim story, but there are elements of that irrepressible Irish humor. 4
Admissions Henry Marsh another memoir, this one by a neurosurgeon at the end of his life. Henry is a fascinating, self deprecating man. Some reviewers called him negative, but I tend to think similarly, and found him just realistic. Although he’s had hundreds or thousands of successful surgeries in his life, he’s dwelling on the few that did not go well here. Also, he gives his opinion of the state of medicine in general and the NHS in particular here, and he’s not optimistic about it. Another 4, this time for clear, well formed thoughts, honesty, and kept my interest.
Beyond the Miracle Worker Kim Nielsen is what I am currently working on. This is a well researched bio of Anne Sullivan Macy, and I think it would be a bit of a slog for anybody not genuinely interested in Anne. Fortunately, I very much am, and have been since I was a small girl. I currently read about Helen and Anne to my 3YO dgd, it’s one of her favorite books, so when I saw this on sale on Bookbub, it was perfect timing.
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Post by adoette on Apr 2, 2020 17:06:18 GMT
Finished Night Tiger Almost done with Kiss Quotient
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Apr 2, 2020 18:56:35 GMT
I'm about half way through Daisy Jones and The Six I wish they made this into a movie. Reese Witherspoon is adapting the book for a tv series o Amazon!
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Post by circusjohnson on Apr 3, 2020 5:20:30 GMT
I read two really good books this week. Keep in mind I am a Jr High Librarian so I generally read stuff that is for that age group. The first was Stamped, Racism antiracism and you. By Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi. It is the YA version of Ibram X Kendi's Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. Incredibly good! Then I read Black Brother Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Two must reads. Tina
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Post by auntkelly on Apr 3, 2020 13:47:43 GMT
I read MyDark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. I thought it was really good.
The book brought back memories of a married junior high teacher who was obsessed with my friend. One time in class she was turned around talking to me and I looked up and he was glaring at me. I hadn’t said a word to her, but he was jealous because I had her attention. He looked at me like he wanted to kill me and yelled my name and said “shut up right now” in front of the entire class. He just lost it.
My friends and I were 8th graders and had no idea how harmful this teacher’s unwanted affections were to my friend. She never talked about it and we just kind of giggled behind her back. I feel so badly about it now.
The teacher finally left town in the middle of the year. My friend stayed home sick with a cold on his last day of school. He ended coming by her house to say good by. When she told us about it we all just went “oh gross.” I lost touch with that girl, but I hope she found someone she could talk to about the matter..
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Post by thundergal on Apr 3, 2020 14:12:45 GMT
I was having trouble concentrating but I found the ability to start THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Krueger. Has anyone read this? I’ve heard it’s wonderful but the start is a bit slow. I don’t know if that’s my mood or the book. My girls finish spring break this week so perhaps I’ll have more time to read. Or the opposite could happen - that they require more support with on line school and I end up with even less time. We shall see. I’d love to get on the deck to read. I usually read in bed when I can’t sleep or next to a dd who is reading and asked for me to read together. Outside is a good idea. I'm way late to the thread but wanted to comment...I'd recommend sticking with it. I thought this book was special. Loved it.
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Post by thundergal on Apr 3, 2020 14:19:01 GMT
I recently finished Catch & Kill by Ronan Farrow. Dark and infuriating subject matter, but I found it fascinating and got through it quickly.
I just started The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes. I hope it grabs me. I feel like I'm having a hard time concentrating.
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Belle
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,309
Jun 28, 2014 4:39:12 GMT
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Post by Belle on Apr 4, 2020 21:39:06 GMT
I just finished The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings. I have seen the movie several times. Made me really want to go to Hawaii.....
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