The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 3,019 
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Sept 9, 2024 20:26:15 GMT
I still have abut 10% to go, but I feel, since it is a nonfiction memoir and I know where it is headed, that I can evaluate the book I am reading:
Wavewalker: A Memoir of Breaking Free
Suzanne Heywood
Memoir, Travel
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sue started sailing across the world on her family’s 70ft yacht when she was seven on what was to be about a two year journey—ten years later, she was still sailing with her family–whether she wanted to or not.
This is her memoir of her experiences—set to a backdrop of adventure and stunning locales that seemed to be “a life of privilege” that was often treacherous and stifling.
The overall story is fascinating, but at times, some of the side storylines just seem thrown in and never resolve or have any meaning to the larger story. I do understand it is her memoir, but it happens enough to be noticeable.
What did you read this week?
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Post by Bridget in MD on Sept 9, 2024 20:31:47 GMT
5 Stars for By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult. Melina Green is a playright struggling to bring her work to the stage. When her play about Emilia Bassano is submitted under "Mel Green", it is assumed she is a he. Emilia Bassano is a contemporary of William Shakespeare, a mistress to the Lord Chamberlain (who oversees all theatre productions in England). Raised with lessons on languages, history, and writing, she has a sharp wit and a gift for storytelling, but like most women of her day, she has no voice of her own. The novel goes between present day Melina and late 16th/early 17th century Emilia. Reading By Any Other Name brought me back to my time as an English major at JMU, where I took several classes with Professor Ralph Cohen, a man who dissected Shakespeare's tragedies, comedies and histories with a passion. He (with another student) created the Shenendoah Shakespear Express (motto: we do it with the lights on!"), a group determined to bring us Shakespeare's plays in a true format: during the day, with little costumes and props. I think about those three semesters in his class from time to time, and I would love to hear his thoughts - I'm sure that he would disarm Picoult's arguments that Shakespeare didn't actually write all his works, but I would love to see him battle why it couldn't be a Jewish woman. "It’s being judged constantly. For your clothes. For your curves. It’s being told every time you turn on the TV that you have to be thinner or more beautiful. It means doing the same job as a man and getting paid less for it. It means if you age naturally you’re letting yourself go, and if you get work done, you’re trying too hard.” She drew in a shaky breath. “Being a woman means being told to speak up for yourself in one breath, and to shut up in the next. It means fighting all the fucking time.” Picoult is in her Barbie era, and I love it. She takes this topic - not just that a woman could have possibly been the author of some of Shakespears sonnets and most known plays, but even today, how it is a struggle for women to be published, to be looked at, to be heard... and the lengths that had to be taken in the 1600s could still be used to this day, just to be seen. "It does not matter if they know you. It only matters that they heard what you had to say." Perhaps... and taken for granted as a man. P.S. For anyone interested, Dr. Cohen's dream to recreate the Globe Theater exists in the Shenendoah valley: americanshakespearecenter.com/ |
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hutchfan
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,600
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Post by hutchfan on Sept 9, 2024 22:22:05 GMT
I read Nine Lives by Danielle Steel.
⭐⭐⭐1/2 from me. This was a fast, action packed read.
After a carefree childhood. Mary Margaret Kelly came of age in the shadow of grief. Her father, a dashing daredevil Air Force pilot died when she was nine. Maggie saw her mother struggle to put their lives back together. As the family moved from one city to the next, her mother warned her to beware of daredevil men and avoid risk at all cost.
Following her mother's advice, and forgoing the magic of first love with a high school boyfriend who was too wild to feel safe. Maggie instead sought out all the things her mother had lost-a predictable partner, a stable home, and a regular paycheck. She chose to marry a dependable, kind man who was a reliable husband and successful accountant. Together they had a son and found happiness in a conventional suburban life. Until tragedy struck again.
Now on her own, feeling a sense of adventure for the first time. Maggie decides to face her fears, setting off on a whirlwind trip from San Francisco to Rome, Paris and Monaco. But when her travels reconnect her with the very same irresistible, thrill-seeking man she's spent thirty years trying to forget. Maggie becomes terrified that rushing into love and sharing his life may very well end in disaster. But ultimately, while Maggie tries to outrun her fears and painful memories of her past, fate will surprise her in the most astounding of ways, as she walks a tightrope between danger and courage, and between wisdom and love.
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Post by cadoodlebug on Sept 9, 2024 23:18:27 GMT
Last week I finished Go As a River by Shelley Read. Although sometimes hard to read, I enjoyed it overall. I knew it would end like it did but wanted a bit more. 4/5 stars
Now I'm reading The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline and am quite engrossed in it!
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Post by monklady123 on Sept 9, 2024 23:26:59 GMT
I'm still on my " ....in Death" binge. J.D. Robb. This week I read four of them, Vengeance in Death, Holiday in Death, Conspiracy in Death, and Loyalty in Death.  As I said last week, there are something like 58 in this series so I'm sure I'll lose interest before I get anywhere near the end, but for now I'm having fun. My goal this month is to try to fill all 15 September prompts for my book group with an "...in Death" book. This month's prompts are all pretty character driven, so I've managed so far to fit in all of the "...in Death" books that I've read. The only prompt I think I'll have trouble with is "includes a dragon or other mythical creature". I plan to ask the admin of my team if I could count the Auto Chef as a mythical creature....You buy your groceries and put them away. Then when you want dinner you just push buttons on the Auto Chef for whatever you have the ingredients for and a few minutes later it pops out, all cooked and ready to eat. If this isn't a mythical creature I don't know what is.  |
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gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,828
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Post by gottapeanow on Sept 10, 2024 1:40:36 GMT
I finished three:
The Best Lies by Ellis. Lots of twists and turns. I definitely recommend this! 4/5 stars.
All My Rage: This was amazzzzzzzzzing! It's YA and tackles tough issues: racism, Islamophobia, assault, DV, and more. Really well done. A bit of a slow start. 5/5 stars.
The Family Experiment: There's a great twist at the end. 4/5 stars.
Lisa
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Post by mnmloveli on Sept 10, 2024 20:04:45 GMT
THE HOUSE OF LAST RESORT (‘24 - 3 STARS) BY CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN
DESCRIPTION : Across Italy there are many half-empty towns, nearly abandoned by those who migrate to the coast or to cities. The beautiful, crumbling hilltop town of Becchina is among them, but its mayor has taken drastic measures to rebuild—selling abandoned homes to anyone in the world for a single Euro, as long as the buyer promises to live there for at least five years. It’s a no-brainer for American couple Tommy and Kate Puglisi. Both work remotely, and Becchina is the home of Tommy’s grandparents, his closest living relatives. It feels like a romantic adventure, an opportunity the young couple would be crazy not to seize. But from the moment they move in, they both feel a shadow has fallen on them. Tommy’s grandmother is furious, even a little frightened, when she realizes which house they’ve bought. There are rooms in an annex at the back of the house that they didn’t know were there. The place makes strange noises at night, locked doors are suddenly open, and when they go to a family gathering, they’re certain people are whispering about them, and about their house, which one neighbor refers to as The House of Last Resort. Soon, they learn that the home was owned for generations by the Church, but the real secret, and the true dread, is unlocked when they finally learn what the priests were doing in this house for all those long years…and how many people died in the strange chapel inside. While down in the catacombs beneath Becchina…something stirs.
REVIEW :
First book by this author for me was All Hallows’ (‘23 - 4 Stars).
Great thrilling writing that kept me on edge. Part ghost story, possession and eerie rats. Great read for halloween time. The storyline kept-up a great pace; kept building, building, building AND then I felt like it fell off a cliff. For this reason my rating went from a 4 to 3 star read.
MORE to come later !
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Post by mnmloveli on Sept 11, 2024 15:16:37 GMT
Two more from last week I finally got to write my review…………
IF YOU TELL A LIE (‘24 - 263 PGS - 4 STARS) BY LUCINDA BERRY
DESCRIPTION : They never considered how his wife might react, or that by the end of the summer a man would be dead. But Blakely always got her way, and the others followed her lead—even when they knew it was dead wrong.
The girls had been friends from day one at Camp Pendleton, a haven for gifted children. But their senior summer was different. When Mr. Crosby, the handsome tennis coach, wound up murdered after a reckless lie, Blakely, Grace, Meg, and Thera swore themselves to secrecy. And never spoke to each other again. Until now. Twenty years later a sinister note claiming to know what they did brings them back together. And once again Blakely is pulling the strings. Unfolding in a dual timeline, If You Tell a Lie is a disturbing journey into the dangerous, sometimes deadly consequences of peer pressure—with a bone-chilling twist you’ll never see coming.
REVIEW :
Previous books by this author for me were Keep Your Friends Close (‘23 - Read ‘24 - 2 Stars), Off the Deep End (‘23 - 4 Stars), Saving Noah (‘17 - Read ‘23 - 4 Stars), The Secrets of Us (‘22 - 4 Stars), Under Her Care (‘22 - 3 Stars), The Best of Friends (‘20 - 4 Stars) and The Perfect Child (‘19 - 4 Stars).
Dark and twisty thriller that kept me shocked at every unexpected turn. I had a hard time pushing the “pause” button when life or bedtime got in the way. One simple lie can cause such horror even many many years later. This book kept getting better and better with each chapter. Don’t think you can call any of the characters likable, but what a story! I don’t want to say too much so I don’t ruin it for anyone else.
BIG FOOT IN THE BRONX (‘21 - READ ‘24 - 178 PGS - 4 STARS) BY HUNTER SHEA
DESCRIPTION : It’s hunting season and Halloween-time for best friends Shay and Vito. This year, with a bad economy and Shay out of work, it’s more important than ever to bag a deer so they can feed their families. Tucking their truck in their secret spot outside a state park in the Catskills, they settle down, waiting for a deer to come to them. Discovery What they get is a giant creature that outruns a speeding deer and savages it with its bare hands and jagged teeth. Someone hidden in the woods shoots it with a tranquilizer dart. Shay knows what the beast at their feet is, and how its discovery can change their lives forever. They load it into their truck and head home. The drugged Bigfoot awakens in a cramped shed in Shay’s backyard. Confused, terrified, angry, it breaks loose in the middle of the night, seeking refuge in a nearby cemetery. When the bagpipes of a morning funeral drive it into a killing rage, the carnage has just begun. Rampage From playgrounds to golf courses, apartment buildings to subway cars, the bigfoot is on the move – and it’s not happy. Can Shay and Vito find and recapture the beast before it burns the Bronx to the ground?
REVIEW :
First book by this author for me was The Montauk Monster (‘14 - Read ‘21 - 4 Stars).
Like how Mr Shea’s writing jumps right in, moves along and doesn’t stop. Some parts reminded me of old Abbott & Costello movies. Made me chuckle at times. Very entertaining. Not my usual genre, but definitely worked for Halloween-time.
HAPPY READING !
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Post by lainey on Sept 11, 2024 16:59:20 GMT
In the last couple of weeks I've read
The Beauty #1 by Jeremy Haun 4.5 stars
Modern society is obsessed with outward beauty. What if there was a way to guarantee you could become more and more beautiful every day? What if it was a sexually transmitted disease? In the world of The Beauty, physical perfection is attainable. The vast majority of the population has taken advantage of it, but Detectives Foster and Vaughn will soon discover it comes at a terrible price.
I really enjoyed this, it's gory and explicit but such an interesting premise, I will continue the series.
The Wall by Marlen Haushofer 2 stars
The Wall chronicles the life of the last surviving human on earth, an ordinary middle-aged woman who awakens one morning to find that everyone else has vanished. Assuming her isolation to be the result of a military experiment gone awry, she begins the terrifying work of survival and self-renewal. This novel is at once a simple and moving tale and a disturbing meditation on humanity.
This was a slog.
The Exorcist's House by Nick Roberts 2.5 stars
In the summer of 1994, psychologist Daniel Hill buys a rustic farmhouse nestled in the rolling hills of West Virginia.
Along with his wife, Nora, and their teenage daughter, Alice, the family uproots their lives in Ohio and moves south. At first, they are seduced by the natural beauty of the farm and enjoy the bonding experience of fixing the old house, but that all changes when they discover a hidden room in the basement with a well, boarded shut and adorned with crucifixes.
Local legends about the previous owner’s predilection for performing exorcisms come to light, but by then, all Hell has broken loose.
I'm always looking for horror books that genuinely scare me, sadly this wasn't it.
The Examiner by Janice Hallett 4.75 stars
Gela Nathaniel, head of Royal Hastings University’s new Multimedia Art course, must find six students from all walks of life across the United Kingdom for her new master’s program before the university cuts her funding. The students are nothing but trouble from day one.
There’s Jem, a talented sculptor recently graduated from her university program and eager to make her mark as an artist at any cost. Jonathan, who has little experience in art practice aside from running his family’s gallery. Patrick runs an art supply store, but can barely operate his phone, much less design software. Ludya is a single mother and graphic designer more interested in a paycheck than homework. Cameron is a marketing executive in search of a hobby or a career change. And Alyson, already a successful artist, seems to be overqualified. Finally, there is the examiner, the man hired to grade students’ final works—an art installation for a local cloud-based solutions company that may have an ulterior agenda—and who, in sifting through final essays, texts, and message boards, warns that someone is in danger…or already dead. And nothing about this course has been left up to chance.
I loved this! Not quite a 5 star because the ending was a bit muddled and drawn out but overall it's a really solid page turner.
Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke 4 stars
At first glance, Phil Pendleton and his son Adam are just an ordinary father and son, no different from any other. They take walks in the park together, visit county fairs, museums, and zoos, and eat together overlooking the lake. Some might say the father is a little too accommodating given the lack of discipline when the child loses his temper in public. Some might say he spoils his son by allowing him to set his own bedtimes and eat candy whenever he wants. Some might say that such leniency is starting to take its toll on the father, given how his health has declined.
What no one knows is that Phil is a prisoner, and that up until a few weeks ago and a chance encounter at a grocery store, he had never seen the child before in his life.
This was really creepy and a perfect reminder not to take candy from strangers!
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scrapngranny
Pearl Clutcher
Only slightly senile
Posts: 4,861
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Post by scrapngranny on Sept 13, 2024 23:34:47 GMT
I read Who Could Ever Love You, by Mary Trump. It was a fantastic autobiography about her upbringing in the Trump family.
The fact that she could come out of that mess a whole person is amazing. There was not one person in that family who was capable of a healthy relationship. It explains a lot about Donald, and the fact that he could have been a completely different person, if raised in another family. It does not excuse him of all of his behavior or complete narcissistic way of life, he still knows right from wrong.
In so many ways it was a heartbreaking story of an entire family of broken people.
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Post by needmysanity on Sept 14, 2024 22:42:47 GMT
I'm about half way through Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.
I am really enjoying it, the little one liners and odd words Demon uses for things is highly entertaining.
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scrapngranny
Pearl Clutcher
Only slightly senile
Posts: 4,861
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Post by scrapngranny on Sept 15, 2024 0:21:50 GMT
I really enjoyed Demon Copperhead.
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As I said last week, there are something like 58 in this series so I'm sure I'll lose interest before I get anywhere near the end, but for now I'm having fun. 
