Weekly Reading Thread: Aug 16 through 22

I'm on the second Outlander book, Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon. I think I like it better than the first book. So far, it is much less violent. I'm a little more than halfway, though, so there's time yet.

I'm also reading Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. I absolutely love him. The essays are pretty short, and always great, so it's easy to pick up and put down.

I skipped last week so here's what I've been reading:

Titanic-A Surivor's Story by Archibald Gracie which is actually two books in one. In the back is a short book The Loss of the S. S. Titanic by John B. Thayer The first part of the book was published in 1913 and is the personal account of Colonel Archie Gracie who was a first class passenger on the Titanic. He did not make it into the lifeboats, but went into the water when the ship sank, and then was fortunate enough to make in onto the back of the overturned collapsible lifeboat that several men stood on, sat on and clung to throughout that night. His writing is superb and reading his account is like being there. Sadly he died 8 months after the Titanic sank from his injuries. The first 113 pages are dedicated to his first hand account. The following 200 pages are compiled of testimony from as many eyewitnesses as Col. Gracie could find. Many are from the official enquiries  that were done in New York and Great Britain. The last part of the book is the first person account of John B. Thayer, another first class passenger who was 17 years old when the Titanic sank. He also went into the water when the ship sank and he too was able to get on back of the collapsible lifeboat with the other men and thus was saved. This was a truly amazing book, and well worth reading. I've read a lot of Titanic books, but this one is one of the best. 5 stars.

True Colors by Kristen Hannah as usual I turned to some light reading after reading nonfiction, and this one was very light. It was good for what it was. The story of 3 sisters, a grumpy father, a ranch, some sisterly rivalry, and a great romance-throw in an unfair murder conviction and you've got a great story line.

Fly Away by Kristen Hannah This is the sequel to the wonderful Firefly Lane, which I loved, but honestly I thought this sequel sucked. Normally I like Kristen Hannah. But this book just dragged on and on, with one sad depressing thing happening after another. 1 star and that's being generous.

Currently I'm reading The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah (yep finally got it from the library-thought that wait list would never get to me!) and it's wonderful! I"m about 2/3 of the way through and I now realize I'm going to have to break down and just buy this book. It's that good, and I read books over and over anyway. I'm loving it! Should have just bought the darn thing months ago.

Debbie in MD.

I read "How to start a fire" by Lisa Lutz. It was recommended on one of these threads. I rated it a 5/10. I was really disappointed. The trouble I had was all the jumping around. one chapter was in 1996, then 2014, then 1998, then 2012, then 2014, then 1996, etc. It was just too much to try and follow, and then keep the 3 girls straight, because they were actually quite bland for being hyped as not.

From Amazon:
From a bestselling writer, a story of unexpected friendship—three women thrown together in college who grow to adulthood united and divided by secrets, lies, and a single night that shaped all of them
When UC Santa Cruz roommates Anna and Kate find passed-out Georgiana Leoni on a lawn one night, they wheel her to their dorm in a shopping cart. Twenty years later, they gather around a campfire on the lawn of a New England mansion. What happens in between—the web of wild adventures, unspoken jealousies, and sudden tragedies that alter the course of their lives—is charted with sharp wit and aching sadness in this meticulously constructed novel.
Anna, the de facto leader, is fearless and restless—moving fast to stay one step ahead of her demons. Quirky, contemplative Kate is a natural sidekick but a terrible wingman (“If you go home with him, might I suggest breathing through your mouth”). And then there’s George: the most desired woman in any room, and the one most likely to leave with the worst man


Now I am starting the Poldark series!!! I'm looking forward to it. I am 3 chapters in, and really liking it.

I'm reading soccer player which I can't put down. It's the story of white trash and lots of crazy drama.

I'm reading one of the August Kindle First books, The Good Neighbor. I'm not far in, so I'll review further when I'm finished.

Her life is a train wreck. 

I need to start posting to this thread. Maybe it will help keep me to my goal of one book per week.

This week I finished Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell for my book club. It was awful. I would give it a 1.5/5. It was O.K. in parts but the ending was ridiculous. There were too many flat, unlikable characters with several unrealistic plot points. I hate wasting my time on insipid books.

This summer I did read a few books that I liked -- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (yes, I'm late to the party on that one), The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight, and Where Did You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple.

I've also been reading a mystery series by Linda Castillo. They're about a female police chief who was raised Amish. The main character has some weird reactions/feelings about situations that seem a bit unnatural, but I let it go because I like the plots. The first book is Sworn to Silence and there are a total of seven books. I think Lifetime made a movie based on the first book? An Amish Murder?

I finished Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer. 

Tillman was a complex man for sure. Loved his wife deeply. Very philosophical and and incredible sense of self. 

The actions of the US Military all the way up through the White House during/after his death are disturbing. 

Very good, in a "makes you feel unsettled" kind of way. 

I have a few books on my shelf that I'll start somewhere in the midst of back to school craziness. 

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman is on there. It's one of our state award books for the year and I love Neil Gaiman so I picked it up at the beginning of the summer. No time like the end of the summer to start, right? 

I just finished Who Do You Love, the newest book by Jennifer Weiner. It was a nice easy read, and I enjoyed it more than the one she published last summer. I read it in a couple of days, which is good for me, as I get easily distracted these days. 

One finish for me and that was the audio version of The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I enjoyed it. It's about a man who is remembering an event that happened when he was seven. It was narrated by the author and he did a good job.

I just finished The Housekeeper's Tale by Tessa Boase. It is an account about 5 housekeepers in England. They played an interesting role in English history and not alot is know about their lives. The author was able to find out more about these 5 women than usual. One was H.G.Wells' mother. One was housekeeper to Virginia Woolf's sister. One later on became housekeeper to the Vanderbilts. It was an interesting read.

I have also read Jane Casey's books, The Last Girl, The Missing and now am reading The Burning.
And I read a couple of Elizabeth Berg books.

Another book I finished was by Susan Cain, called Quiet- The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. It is an interesting read about the roles introverts and extroverts play in society.

I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it. That's our next book club book.

I have just finished reading The Good Girl.....think it was a recommendation from one of these threads. Different, bit of a twist, but I thought I was right with the ending....not sure if I enjoyed it or not

I have just started reading a series - Tom Wood, Victor the assasin. So far, so good - I'm hooked on both the author and the series. (Big Lee Child/Michael Connelly fan here)

I have also reserved from the library Tess Gerritsen Rizzoli and Isles series - thought I might give them a go. read the first two, didn't realise they continued on.

I do like JR. Ward - not sure if I want to re-read them, so glad to see there is a new series?

I finished three books this week.

The Dead Lands by Benjamin Percy.  A post-apocalyptic novel - set after the world as we know it is destroyed by a super virus and nuclear fallout.  I liked this one. 4/5

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee.  I had read enough spoilers that I wasn't surprised or disappointed  by the characters, but I was disappointed by the writing.  It seemed very amateurish and I thought the story itself was pretty boring.  If I had just randomly picked this one up, I would have quit 25 pages in. 2/5

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman.  Backman is the author of A Man Called Ove, which I liked.  It's the story of a precocious 7 year old, Elsa, whose only friend is her grandmother, who tells her elaborate fairy tales that are woven with the grandmother's life story.  The grandmother dies and leaves a series of apology letters that Elsa is supposed to deliver.  This story is interwoven with the fairy tales.  I enjoyed Elsa's story, but didn't like the interwoven fairy tale.  The entire story seemed liked it was written for 10-12 year olds.  3/5