The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,983
Jun 25, 2014 21:50:33 GMT
|
Post by The Great Carpezio on Apr 11, 2022 4:59:53 GMT
What did you read this week?
I read: 🟣 Radium Girls:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 I am not sure when I first heard about the young women who painted clock dials and used Radium to do so, but I am sure it was when I was an adult, and until recent years, when this book came out, I hadn’t heard much more than a footnote about the incident.
There is a lot of discussion about teaching history and what “real history” is. Is real history a disturbing, uncomfortable truth, or is it the comfortable glorified concealment of the aforementioned truth? I am sure you know my stance, and so I think this is an important book.
It was really hard to read at times. I am not usually super queasy when reading medical things, but the idea of jaw pieces being pulled out and nonstop abscesses that do not heal, made me almost put it down, but I am glad I stayed with it.
As much as some of my more conservative friends laud the benefits of unbridled capitalism, it is really hard to read a book like this and not question its sustainability and morality.
🟣 Sea of Tranquility: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I was waiting for this since I was a big fan of Station Eleven, so I bought it the day after it was released. This is a short novel, just over 200 pages, and yet it covers multiple timelines– spanning the early 20th century to the distant future of space travel. It is hard to put into words this post-apocalyptic story that somehow touches on past, present, and future pandemics.
I can see where this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I really loved it, and if you liked Station Eleven, multiple timelines, metaphysics, slim sci-fi/post-apocalyptic stories, you have to read this one and then report back to me. I would love to talk about it.
|
|
gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,817
Jun 25, 2014 20:56:09 GMT
|
Post by gottapeanow on Apr 11, 2022 6:24:03 GMT
I didn't read anything this week.
I love Alice Vega, but IMO, her new book is so, so boring. A group of radical White terrorists in the Pacific NW. And a former football hero who just ran off the field and has been missing for 20 years.
That's it. Vega is supposed to search for this guy. Cap is supposed to help. I mean, I'm interested in their storyline, but not enough to keep reading.
I also tried two other books and could not get into them at all. To be fair, I had a family matter that was distracting me.
I am now reading Scrublands, which is holding my interest.
I'll report back next week.
Lisa
|
|
|
Post by guzismom on Apr 11, 2022 12:36:36 GMT
I am in the middle of Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz; it's really like reading two books in one. I enjoy his stories; this one is no different.
|
|
|
Post by ~summer~ on Apr 11, 2022 12:43:39 GMT
I read The Nature of Fragile Things on a long flight. I had high hopes for it, it kept my attention but I didn’t love it.
|
|
|
Post by cannmom on Apr 11, 2022 12:59:41 GMT
I’m reading Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand and Linsey’s Story by Stephen King. Enjoying both, but they are very different.
|
|
|
Post by peasapie on Apr 11, 2022 13:38:27 GMT
I just finished The Last Rose of Shangai by Weina Dai Randal about the period in time where Shanghai was being taken over by Japanese early in WWll. I was particularly interested because my dad served in the Marines in Shangai during that period of history.
I'm also re-reading The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, just because I love his writing style so much. It's a coming-of-age story about three teenagers in the 1960s.
|
|
janeliz
Drama Llama
I'm the Wiz and nobody beats me.
Posts: 5,641
Jun 26, 2014 14:35:07 GMT
|
Post by janeliz on Apr 11, 2022 14:07:26 GMT
I didn't read anything this week. I love Alice Vega, but IMO, her new book is so, so boring. A group of radical White terrorists in the Pacific NW. And a former football hero who just ran off the field and has been missing for 20 years. That's it. Vega is supposed to search for this guy. Cap is supposed to help. I mean, I'm interested in their storyline, but not enough to keep reading. I also tried two other books and could not get into them at all. To be fair, I had a family matter that was distracting me. I am now reading Scrublands, which is holding my interest. I'll report back next week. Lisa I started the new Alice Vega book, as well, and by the time it was due back to the library I wasn’t even halfway through. I’ll probably go back to it this summer when I have more time, but I agree—it was a bit slow.
|
|
edie3
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,631
Jun 26, 2014 1:03:18 GMT
|
Post by edie3 on Apr 11, 2022 14:34:01 GMT
I read Dirt which I thought was okay. I thought it was going to be an autobiographical book, but it was more essays on her life.
|
|
Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,300
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
|
Post by Mystie on Apr 11, 2022 14:49:35 GMT
This is for roughly the past month, not week, but...
I've read three more Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy Sayers, bringing my total to maybe eight? So these are mysteries written in the 1920s and 30s, the same era when Agatha Christie was starting out, but they're very different from her style. I'd recommend the four titles that include the character Harriet Vane, they're by far the most interesting. The rest are kind of meh.
Speaking of Agatha Christie, someone on a recent reading thread here recommended The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont, which is a fictional re-telling of the ten days in 1926 when Agatha disappeared after discovering her husband's affair with their secretary. Fascinatingly, the author decided to tell most of the story from the point of view of the secretary, the "other woman." What she came up with was really terrific and poignant. Thanks to whoever recommended it, I enjoyed it so much!
Also thanks to the Pea who recommended Five Wives by Joan Thomas here a week or two ago. This is also a fictionalized re-telling of an actual event, the deaths of five men attempting to reach an isolated tribe in Ecuador for missionary purposes in 1956. The story is told from the point of view of several of their wives and one of their sisters. It reminded me a lot of The Poisonwood Bible, looking at the unthinking arrogance of white Christians attempting to utterly obliterate native culture in the name of God.
This story was of special interest to me because my grandma was very into missionary stories, and she owned the quite well-known (in Christian circles) memoir by Elisabeth Elliot, widow of Jim Elliot, called Through Gates of Splendour. I remember reading it as a child. It's interesting to me to see how most of society looks at that story with different eyes now. The novel was excellent, and I'm going to recommend it to my mom and a few other people I know.
|
|
hutchfan
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,483
Jul 6, 2016 16:42:12 GMT
|
Post by hutchfan on Apr 11, 2022 14:52:56 GMT
I read The Wife Before by Sanora Williams is an Advanced Readers Copy I won. This is a page turning thriller. Samira Wilder has never had it easy and she takes a lousy job, unexpectedly meets renowned pro golfer Roland Graham who is wealthy, handsome and caring. Samira is dazzled and they marry. Roland's first wife who committed suicide by driving off a cliff but most people believe Roland had a hand in it. Samira moves into the mansion, blissfully happy until she discovers the late wife Melanie journals. With each dusty page Samira comes to realize it was no accident at all. This was a really good book full of twist and turns.
|
|
finaledition
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,896
Jun 26, 2014 0:30:34 GMT
|
Post by finaledition on Apr 11, 2022 14:57:11 GMT
I listened to One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle. Not great! Problematic main character✔️ Problematic narration✔️ Great description of Italian food✔️
|
|
Rhondito
Pearl Clutcher
MississipPea
Posts: 4,798
Jun 25, 2014 19:33:19 GMT
|
Post by Rhondito on Apr 11, 2022 15:05:15 GMT
I was reading The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan and finally gave up on it probably 1/3 through. I just didn't like how it was written - a woman telling what happened to her in the past, as opposed to writing it in present tense, if that makes sense. It left me feeling very far removed from the characters.
So now I'm listening to The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates. The story is very good so far, but the narrator... she reminds of me Sophie Lennon (Jane Lynch) from Mrs. Maisel, when she's being her normal self. Not my fave but not the worst either.
|
|
|
Post by maryland on Apr 11, 2022 16:08:10 GMT
I read The Golden Couple and it was really good! I am reading The New Husband - Palmer and just started but good so far.
|
|
|
Post by trixiecat on Apr 11, 2022 16:33:49 GMT
I finished The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth and really enjoyed it. I have a question about the ending though and what really happened. Or I am wondering if it is one of those books that makes you wonder.
Now I am listening to The Golden Couple and really enjoying it as well.
|
|
The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,983
Jun 25, 2014 21:50:33 GMT
|
Post by The Great Carpezio on Apr 11, 2022 17:43:58 GMT
Just got around to posting mine (also in OP now): BTT
🟣 Radium Girls:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 I am not sure when I first heard about the young women who painted clock dials and used Radium to do so, but I am sure it was when I was an adult, and until recent years, when this book came out, I hadn’t heard much more than a footnote about the incident.
There is a lot of discussion about teaching history and what “real history” is. Is real history a disturbing, uncomfortable truth, or is it the comfortable glorified concealment of the aforementioned truth? I am sure you know my stance, and so I think this is an important book.
It was really hard to read at times. I am not usually super queasy when reading medical things, but the idea of jaw pieces being pulled out and nonstop abscesses that do not heal, made me almost put it down, but I am glad I stayed with it.
As much as some of my more conservative friends laud the benefits of unbridled capitalism, it is really hard to read a book like this and not question its sustainability and morality.
🟣 Sea of Tranquility: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I was waiting for this since I was a big fan of Station Eleven, so I bought it the day after it was released. This is a short novel, just over 200 pages, and yet it covers multiple timelines– spanning the early 20th century to the distant future of space travel. It is hard to put into words this post-apocalyptic story that somehow touches on past, present, and future pandemics.
I can see where this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I really loved it, and if you liked Station Eleven, multiple timelines, metaphysics, slim sci-fi/post-apocalyptic stories, you have to read this one and then report back to me. I would love to talk about it.
|
|
|
Post by fotos4u2 on Apr 11, 2022 19:06:26 GMT
Four more for me this week (partly because I was almost done with one book last week when I posted):
In Every Mirror She's Black by Lola Akinmade Akerstrom. 2 stars. I was so hopeful on this one as the premise sounded interesting and I really do try to read more diverse books as a middle aged white woman, but I just struggled with it. It's about three black women living in Sweden whose lives intersect. One is a marketing director of a company (the only black executive), one is an African immigrant who is part of the cleaning crew of the company, and the final is a flight attendant who becomes romantically involved with the (white) owner of the company.
All Adults Here by Emma Straub. 3 stars. I would have probably given this 4 stars if I'd started with the end of the book as it was actually enjoyable, but the beginning was so slow. The basic premise is a matriarch and her 3 adult children (and one grandchild) and how secrets have gotten in the way of their lives. Each chapter follows a different person in the family (plus a couple chapters are friends of those people).
The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstall. 2 stars. I might mark this down to one eventually because it was just that bad to me. The concept is a young girl who is born when her mother is in her late 50s and so is obsessed with the mother dying on her. This book has pretty good ratings, but I just didn't get it. I didn't love any of the characters or the writing style and read it at a super fast pace just to get through it.
An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn. 4 stars. The 3rd book in the Bridgerton Series. After some not so great books lately I needed something light and fluffy and it was the perfect thing. This book follows the romance of the 2nd Bridgerton brother, Benedict and while it's not exactly amazing writing it's great for what it is. I'll be interested in seeing what they do with the story when the next season of the show comes out.
I'm halfway through "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli which is okay. My oldest daughter read it and enjoyed it so I had high hopes. I have two more books from the library that I'll probably tackle next: "The Animators" and "The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane". Not sure which I'll read first.
|
|
|
Post by mnmloveli on Apr 11, 2022 19:10:30 GMT
Two good books last week.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS (MAR ‘22) BY LISA SCOTTOLINE : 4 STARS DESCRIPTION: Jason Bennett is a family man and an elite court reporter where one of his skills is the ability to read lips. His life takes a horrific turn when he is driving his family home from his teenaged daughter’s lacrosse game, and the family is kidnapped. REVIEW: I’ve read 11 books by this author most of which have received 4 stars, with After Anna and Keep Quiet getting 5 stars and Eternal (‘21) getting 2 stars (historical fiction which I knew in advance was not my cup of tea). This book jumps right-in. I was anxious because so much was happening so quickly and I couldn’t imagine where it would go. Loved Jason’s turnaround in the middle. Lots of action all the way.
THE YOUNGER WIFE (APR ‘22) BY SALLY HEPWORTH : 4 STARS DESCRIPTION: Stephen Aston is getting married again to Heather. The only problem is he’s still married to his first wife, even though she’s in a care facility for dementia. Tully and Rachel, his daughters, look upon Heather as nothing but an interloper. They are determined to get to the truth about their family’s secrets. Will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses in all of them? REVIEW: Previous books by this author were The Good Sister (‘21 - 5 Stars), The Mother-in-law (‘19 - 4 Stars) and The Family Next Door (‘18 - 4 Stars). Loved the smooth flow of the book. Enjoyed the 3 main characters finding their solutions in life, no matter the consequences.
|
|
|
Post by birukitty on Apr 11, 2022 19:10:53 GMT
I adored Station Eleven and felt so-so about The Glass Hotel. Thanks so much The Great Carpezio for reminding me about this author's latest book The Sea of Tranquility. I had it marked "to be read" in my goodreads.com account, but had forgotten about it being published recently. I just put it "on hold" at my local library, but there are 58 names ahead of me. I will let you know how I liked it once my turn comes around.
|
|
|
Post by mnmloveli on Apr 11, 2022 19:19:21 GMT
|
|
|
Post by cadoodlebug on Apr 11, 2022 19:29:27 GMT
Last week I read The Match by Harlan Coben. I enjoyed it but the whole DNA thing was major confusing, in fact I am still puzzled about Wilde and the cousin connection. 4/5 stars
I’m almost finished reading Citizen K-9. "In Citizen K-9, bestselling author David Rosenfelt masterfully blends mystery with dogs and humor to create an investigative team that readers will be rooting for book after book.” I’ve loved all of Rosenfelt’s novels whether part of the Andy Carpenter series or his stand alone novels.
|
|
|
Post by birukitty on Apr 11, 2022 19:36:54 GMT
I started off the week by reading book number 2 (What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand) part of a 3 book series, quickly followed by book number 3 (Troubles in Paradise). I enjoyed both books just as much as I had the first one Winter in Paradise. The books are about a woman who finds out her husband has been killed in a helicopter crash near St. John USVI. She and her 2 adult sons travel down to St. John and all books are set on the island. Since St. John is my favorite place on earth I was very much looking forward to reading this series. It was the first time I'd read any of this author's books. I loved reading about all of my favorite places on St. John since I was just there this past December, and the story line kept me engaged. I gave the two final books of the series 4 stars each.
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue was next and I almost threw this book aside because it contains zero quotation marks! It was very frustrating to read because of this, many times I'd have to stop and think if the character actually said something or if she was imagining it in her mind. It takes place during 3 days in Ireland in 1918 at the height of the Spanish flu epidemic in a hospital. I gave it 3 stars deducting 2 because of the lack of quotation marks.
After watching the series The Queen's Gambit I felt it was the perfect time to read my last book of the week: The Last Checkmate by Gabriella Saab. This is a historical fiction book about Auschwitz and a teen's life. The teen and her family are fictional characters but there were several very real characters in this book including one of my favorite saints, Saint Maksymilian Kolbe. When the book begins Maria (the teen) is living with her family in Warsaw, Poland. Since she is the eldest at 14 she begins helping her mother with Resistance work-her mother smuggles orphans out of the Jewish ghetto and places them in Catholic homes for safety. One day Maria is caught and she and her entire family are sent to Auschwitz. A guard there finds out Maria plays chess and allows her to live so he can use her to entertain the other guards. The book is about Maria's fight for survival and although I read a lot of books about the Holocaust I was surprised this was the author's first book-it was very good! I don't even know how to play chess but that didn't stop me from enjoying this book. I especially loved the extensive author's notes in the back of the books explaining who was real in the book and who wasn't, along with other books suggestions. I gave this book 5 stars on goodreads.
Currently I'm reading Antoinette's Sister by Diana Giovinazzo and am enjoying it very much. I'll review this book next week when I've finished reading it.
|
|
|
Post by birukitty on Apr 11, 2022 19:40:46 GMT
I just finished The Last Rose of Shangai by Weina Dai Randal about the period in time where Shanghai was being taken over by Japanese early in WWll. I was particularly interested because my dad served in the Marines in Shangai during that period of history. I'm also re-reading The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, just because I love his writing style so much. It's a coming-of-age story about three teenagers in the 1960s. I have The Last Rose of Shanghai currently checked out from my local library and I've started reading it getting to about 50 pages in. So far it is not holding my attention. Is it a slow start that gets better? How did you like this book?
|
|
|
Post by kmcginn on Apr 11, 2022 19:43:42 GMT
My book club just read Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain. It was really good!
|
|
gina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,305
Jun 26, 2014 1:59:16 GMT
|
Post by gina on Apr 11, 2022 23:53:59 GMT
My book club just read Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain. It was really good! I read this in April 2020 and gave it 4.5/5 stars. Diane Chamberlain is one of my favorite authors. I love everything she writes! I am currently reading her 2022 novel; The Last House on the Street.
|
|
|
Post by mnmloveli on Apr 12, 2022 0:21:44 GMT
My book club just read Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain. It was really good! I read this in April 2020 and gave it 4.5/5 stars. Diane Chamberlain is one of my favorite authors. I love everything she writes! I am currently reading her 2022 novel; The Last House on the Street.Another big Diane Chamberlain fan here ! Both Big Lies in a Small Town and The Last House on the Street were both 4 star reads for me. All her books that I’ve read received 4 stars with two 5-star reads (The Escape Artist and The Secret Lives of CeeCee Wilkes). Ms. Chamberlain always manages to discuss very real topics in her stories. Never lets her readers down!
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Apr 12, 2022 13:02:40 GMT
I read two really good ones this week:
Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys is a mystery/love story set in Spain in the 60s during the dictatorship of General Franco. I had no idea just how awful life was in Spain under Franco. I thought the author did a great job of writing a really sweet underlying love story while educating the reader about life in Spain under General Franco. The mystery aspect to the story was pretty good too. I'm going to recommend this book to my book club.
I also read Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan. It's a novel based on the true occurrence of the wreck of a steamship off the coast of North Carolina in the 1830s. I thought it was an excellent book.
|
|
|
Post by sudie on Apr 12, 2022 15:51:13 GMT
I read two really good ones this week: Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys is a mystery/love story set in Spain in the 60s during the dictatorship of General Franco. I had no idea just how awful life was in Spain under Franco. I thought the author did a great job of writing a really sweet underlying love story while educating the reader about life in Spain under General Franco. The mystery aspect to the story was pretty good too. I'm going to recommend this book to my book club. I also read Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan. It's a novel based on the true occurrence of the wreck of a steamship off the coast of North Carolina in the 1830s. I thought it was an excellent book.
Another vote here for Fountains of Silence. I read that book last year and loved it!
|
|
|
Post by birukitty on Apr 12, 2022 18:40:34 GMT
I read two really good ones this week: Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys is a mystery/love story set in Spain in the 60s during the dictatorship of General Franco. I had no idea just how awful life was in Spain under Franco. I thought the author did a great job of writing a really sweet underlying love story while educating the reader about life in Spain under General Franco. The mystery aspect to the story was pretty good too. I'm going to recommend this book to my book club. I also read Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan. It's a novel based on the true occurrence of the wreck of a steamship off the coast of North Carolina in the 1830s. I thought it was an excellent book.
Another vote here for Fountains of Silence. I read that book last year and loved it! Me too! I loved that book and the author is one of my favorites. If you haven't read "Salt to the Sea" yet I highly recommend it. That book is my favorite of Ruta Sepetys book so far.
|
|
|
Post by catmom on Apr 12, 2022 19:15:49 GMT
My reading has been pretty sporadic the last few weeks but I've read a couple books. Honor by Thrity Umrigar is about an American journalist who returns to India, her birthplace, and covers an honour killing. Through the events she has to face her past and why she left India. I enjoyed it. 3.5/5 (and for some I think it would be 4/5).
The next book was Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau. It was an enjoyable slice of life book, juxtaposing two opposite families in the mid seventies. There wasn't much of a plot in the strictest sense and I found the two opposite lifestyles to be a bit extreme for the seventies, especially Mary Jane's family. That said, it's a lovely literary visit to the seventies. 3/5.
I wasn't blown away by either book, but they were both enjoyable and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.
I'm currently reading Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, though honestly I'm painting more than reading lately.
|
|
SabrinaP
Pearl Clutcher
Busy Teacher Pea
Posts: 4,408
Location: Dallas Texas
Jun 26, 2014 12:16:22 GMT
|
Post by SabrinaP on Apr 12, 2022 21:53:46 GMT
I finished two books this week.
My first book was Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. This book is told from about 5 different characters perspectives in several different timelines spanning from ancient times all the way in the future. I find some timelines more compelling than others. It took me quite a while to get into this book. I almost gave up on it several times, but a couple of the characters and timelines kept me going. Overall I liked how the story unfolded and all the timelines intersected. 3.5/5 stars
I’ve also been re-reading the Harry Potter series. I finished The Deathly Hallows. I’ve been watching the movies along with the books, so I stopped in the right spot to watch movie 1 and the finished and watched movie 2. So much sadness in their book, but I love it. I think I loved it even more on this re-read.
|
|