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Post by freecharlie on Feb 7, 2022 22:19:20 GMT
I read The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. This book is a reimagining of history based on the premise that Jesus had a wife and told from the feminine perspective. It took me some time to get invested in the story, but once I did I was glad Iâd stayed with it â and then couldnât put it down. I typically donât like reimagining stories, but this one was (I feel) very well done and believable. In her notes afterward, Sue Monk Kidd says she spent a year researching and taking notes, and it shows. Her novel walked a fine line between fiction and historical accuracy that allowed me to suspend my disbelief and learn some things along the way. Itâs a reimagining of history based on the premise of âwhat if Jesus had a wifeâ and told from the feminine perspective. It took me some time to get involved in the story, but once I did I was glad Iâd stayed with it and then couldnât put it down. I typically donât like reimagining-type stories, but this one was (I feel) very well done. In her notes afterward, she says she spent a year researching and taking notes, and I think that allowed her to spin her fictional tale with a believable tone. âď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸ I finished this one too. It did take a while to get into it, but then I had to know what was happening. I have about 3 chapters to go in Gods of Jade and Shadow
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Post by Patter on Feb 7, 2022 22:51:57 GMT
I am a very slow reader thus I don't usually jump in this thread. But I wanted to share an amazing book I started the other day: "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten BoomOh my, it brings such heartache for me especially since my hubby is half Dutch and I have heard stories from his family about this time period. And then my personal visit to Dachau. Definitely a hard read but so good. That is one of my very favorite books. I read it several years ago and one year found myself in the very same town (Haarlem in Holland) where the book takes place. We have family friends that live there and were visiting them. Anyway, there is a wonderful small museum above the jewelry shop (used to be the Ten Boom watch shop) that's been made from the family home. I've actually gone twice and was able to stand in the "Hiding Place" itself-it's part of the tour. Haarlem is only a 10-15 minute train ride from Amsterdam if anyone is interested in going to this museum. Also, there's a great movie that was made in 1975 (although it doesn't seem that old) also called "The Hiding Place". Oh how cool! I would LOVE to see the house. Oh my. Maybe when hubby and I go back sometime. And I knew there was a movie. Our church library has it. I'm going to check it out next. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/5645536/images/MNrJDkDuSwqIMVw33MdD.jpg)
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edie3
Drama Llama
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Posts: 5,507
Jun 26, 2014 1:03:18 GMT
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Post by edie3 on Feb 7, 2022 23:09:25 GMT
I am reading Billy Summers and there is a lot going on in this book. It is good though. I am about 3/4 the way through.
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gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,780
Jun 25, 2014 20:56:09 GMT
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Post by gottapeanow on Feb 7, 2022 23:19:58 GMT
I finished These Silent Woods and absolutely fell in love. Massive gushing over here. 5/5 stars. This will be one of my favorite reads of the year.
Still reading The Only Plane in the Sky, but I own it, and my library books came in. I agree with everyone else who has said it's excellent.
I read The Hiding Place as a teen and loved it.
Lisa
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Post by mnmloveli on Feb 7, 2022 23:24:46 GMT
I finished These Silent Woods and absolutely fell in love. Massive gushing over here. 5/5 stars. This will be one of my favorite reads of the year. Still reading The Only Plane in the Sky, but I own it, and my library books came in. I agree with everyone else who has said it's excellent. I read The Hiding Place as a teen and loved it. Lisa I LOVED These Silent Woods ! I still find myself flashing back to those Appalachian woods.
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gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,780
Jun 25, 2014 20:56:09 GMT
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Post by gottapeanow on Feb 7, 2022 23:30:23 GMT
mnmloveli, the writing was gorgeous, and you felt like you were there. I loved the unexpected ending. I loved the story of not judging people. I loved the idea of "greater love has no man than this that a man lays down his life for his friend." All. The. Feels. Lisa
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Post by maryland on Feb 8, 2022 0:20:28 GMT
I finished an audio book-The School for Good Mothers. It was a Read With Jenna book pick and it was very disappointing. The narration was terrible and the main character was fairly unlikable so I never felt truly vested in the story. I am reading this now, but also don't like the main character.
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Post by pjaye on Feb 8, 2022 1:12:27 GMT
I finished These Silent Woods and absolutely fell in love. Massive gushing over here. 5/5 stars. This will be one of my favorite reads of the year. ... Lisa I read it at the end of last year...and even with a year of books ahead if it, it made it into my top 5 for the year. I think it's one of those unexpected books that has the ability to just carry you away with the story. It hasn't had that much attention, the only reason I picked it up was because one of my GR friends also rated it 5 stars and I bought it on a whim based only on that (although I listened to the audiobook and the narration was excellent) It deserves to be a best seller, and I can easily see it as a movie and it could stay true to the book as there would be no need to change anything.
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Post by pjaye on Feb 8, 2022 1:24:27 GMT
I also read The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoroff. A quickie ghost story, sort of the Breakfast Club meets the Shining? Kids stuck in their old dorm over Thansgiving weekend unleash an evil presence by playing qith an old outta board. It was fairly meh. I've read a few other books by her, Huntress Moon, which I though was excellent, and then she wrote several more in the series and it went on too long and I gave up. She should have stopped after the first 2 I think. Sounds like I shouldn't bother with this one. FAMILY MONEY (â22) BY CHAD ZUNKER : 4 STARSDESCRIPTION: Alex MAHAN is married to his high school sweetheart, Taylor. They have two daughters and a beautiful home and Alexâs start-up business is about to explode thanks to massive private funding from his compassionate and supportive father-in-law, Joe. With millions more to come, all is perfect until Joe is abducted and murdered on a family trip to Mexico. Alexâs world is about to be turned upside down. He canât bear to tell his grieving wife why. The man theyâve both idolized has been keeping secrets. REVIEW: This book was a Kindle First Read for Feb 2022. This sounds good - but it wasn't the one I picked!
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Post by mnmloveli on Feb 8, 2022 1:29:00 GMT
pjaye - I think Feb First Reads for Prime Members is 2 freebies.
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Post by mnmloveli on Feb 8, 2022 1:32:55 GMT
I finished These Silent Woods and absolutely fell in love. Massive gushing over here. 5/5 stars. This will be one of my favorite reads of the year. ... Lisa I read it at the end of last year...and even with a year of books ahead if it, it made it into my top 5 for the year. I think it's one of those unexpected books that has the ability to just carry you away with the story. It hasn't had that much attention, the only reason I picked it up was because one of my GR friends also rated it 5 stars and I bought it on a whim based only on that (although I listened to the audiobook and the narration was excellent) It deserves to be a best seller, and I can easily see it as a movie and it could stay true to the book as there would be no need to change anything. I would never have found this book if it wasnât for you. I put it to the top of my TBR pile after reading your review. I can still picture those characters and those Appalachian woods weeks later. I would love to see the movie made.
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SabrinaP
Pearl Clutcher
Busy Teacher Pea
Posts: 4,371
Location: Dallas Texas
Jun 26, 2014 12:16:22 GMT
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Post by SabrinaP on Feb 9, 2022 12:37:31 GMT
I finished 2 books this week. The first is The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna. This is a fantasy book that is the first book of a series. The next book comes out this summer. The writing was very good. Fantasy is not really my thing, so I struggled a little, but the ending was very good.
The 2nd book I finished was City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert. This one I loved. Itâs historical fiction that takes place from the late 1930âs to present day in New York. Itâs about a young girl who goes live with her eccentric aunt who owns a quirky theater. I loved the way the story was told and the way it unfolded.
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Post by mnmloveli on Feb 9, 2022 17:47:49 GMT
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SabrinaP
Pearl Clutcher
Busy Teacher Pea
Posts: 4,371
Location: Dallas Texas
Jun 26, 2014 12:16:22 GMT
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Post by SabrinaP on Feb 9, 2022 20:57:39 GMT
Last night I started The Sixth Wedding by Elin Hilderbrand. It is basically an update on her book 28 Summers which I loved. I didnât realize it was so short until I was at 25% after reading for about 40 minutes! It is only available by eBook. Oh I loved 28 Summers! I just bookmarked The Sixth Wedding. I am not ready for it yet - have two books on deck. But I don't want to forget about it. My library has the audiobook which is how I "read". I finished The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner. 4.5 / 5 stars If you want exactness, I am hovering somewhere around 4.3 for this one... lol Yes, that specifically. It was a wonderful book! I just didn't feel like final push into 5 stars. I thought every single character was well-developed and interesting. The relationship between Elise & Mariko was special. I wish it could have continued on for longer as children. These two American-born teenagers (Elise being of German descent, Mariko being Japanese) met at an internment camp in Texas during the war before they were sent back to their families respective home countries. They made a pact to meet back up in the United States when they turned 18. This book is a great big ball of hope, determination and forgiveness. I thought the final chapters could have been a bit better. I won't say too much but I think that is where my lack of the extra full star is stemming from. Susan Meissner is a very talented author. I know I am going to enjoy anything I pick up by her! (I had already given 5 stars to Secrets of a Charmed Life, also by her). This weekend I started The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer. I am only about 15-20% in. I hope you love The Things We Cannot Say. It was one of my very favorite books in 2019. I remember I recommended it on Facebook and my aunt messaged me a few weeks later saying she started the book and woke up one morning at 2 AM and had to get out of bed just to finish it. It's a great book!
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ComplicatedLady
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,043
Location: Valley of the Sun
Jul 26, 2014 21:02:07 GMT
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Post by ComplicatedLady on Feb 10, 2022 5:24:52 GMT
I finished Everything We Didnât Say by Nicole Baart. Itâs a fiction mystery thriller that I gave four stars for keeping me interested up until the very end.
From the author of Little Broken Things, a ârace-to-the-finish family dramaâ (People) following a mother who must confront the dark summer that changed her life forever in order to reclaim the daughter she left behind.
Juniper Baker had just graduated from high school and was deep in the throes of a summer romance when Cal and Beth Murphy, a childless couple who lived on a neighboring farm, were brutally murdered. When her younger brother became the prime suspect, Juneâs world collapsed and everything she loved that summer fell away. She left, promising never to return to tiny Jericho, Iowa.
Until now. Officially, sheâs back in town to help an ill friend manage the local library. But really, sheâs returned to repair her relationship with her teenage daughter, whoâs been raised by Juniperâs mother and stepfather since birthâand to solve the infamous Murphy murders once and for all. She knows the key to both lies in the darkest secret of that long-ago summer night, one thatâs haunted her for nearly fifteen years.
As history begins to repeat itself and a dogged local true crime podcaster starts delving into the murders, the race to the truth puts past and present on a dangerous collision course. Juniper lands back in an all-too-familiar place with the answers to everything finally in her sights, but this time itâs her daughterâs life that hangs in the balance. Will revealing what really happened mean a fresh start? Or will the truth destroy everything Juniper loves for a second time? Baart once again brilliantly weaves mystery into family drama in this expertly-crafted novel for fans of Lisa Jewell and Megan Miranda.
I started another Book of the Month mystery/thriller called The Collective by Alison Gaylin. Description from Goodreads: Just how far will a grieving mother go to right a tragic wrong?
Camille Gardner is a grievingâand angryâmother who, five years after her daughterâs death, is still obsessed with the privileged young man she believes to be responsible.
When her rash actions attract the attention of a secret group of womenâthe collectiveâCamille is drawn into a dark web where these mothers share their wildly different stories of loss as well as their desire for justice in a world where privilege denies accountability and perpetrators emerge unscathed. Fueled by mutual rage, these women orchestrate their own brand of justice through precise, anonymous, complexly plotted and perfectly executed revenge killings, with individual members completing a specific and integral task in each plan.
As Camille struggles to comprehend whether this is a role-playing exercise or terrifying reality, she must decide if these women are truly avenging angels or monsters. Becoming more deeply enmeshed in the group, Camille learns truths about the collectiveâand about herselfâthat she may not be able to survive.
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edie3
Drama Llama
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Posts: 5,507
Jun 26, 2014 1:03:18 GMT
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Post by edie3 on Feb 11, 2022 0:36:30 GMT
Well I finished Billy Summers. I liked it, but... it was so long! And not typical Stephen King. I can't say that it was his best ever book.
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Post by freecharlie on Feb 11, 2022 1:55:21 GMT
This weekend I started The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer. I am only about 15-20% in. This is our book club book for Feb/March. I read to our stopping place and I cannot wait to start it again.
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