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Post by kckckc on Aug 17, 2015 15:39:31 GMT
I read this several years ago - I gave it 1 star . It went down as the worst book I read that year. I thought the writing was terrible, the situations contrived, and the preachy message overwhelmed the story. I just picked up the latest in this series at the library. I have enjoyed the series.
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Post by stine on Aug 17, 2015 16:45:42 GMT
Nothing new from me as I get most of my books from you guys but I read Once We Were Brothersand The Nightingale this week. I read a lot of WW2 books and enjoy the different viewpoints. Both of these were great books.
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gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,736
Jun 25, 2014 20:56:09 GMT
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Post by gottapeanow on Aug 17, 2015 16:59:23 GMT
I waited to post until I finished Luckiest Girl Alive. I thought it was decent but not my favorite of these books that have been labeled as the next Gone, Girl. 4/5 for me. Before that, I finished Candlemoth by R.J. Ellory. Spectacular. If you like crime fiction, mystery or thriller, he is a must read. Here is the Amazon summary: Daniel Ford has thirty days to live: accused of the horrific murder of his best friend Nathan twelve years before, he has exhausted all appeals and now faces the long walk to the electric chair. Father John Rousseau is the man to whom the last month of Daniel's life has been entrusted. With time running out, Ford begins to tell his story, beginning with his first meeting with Nathan, aged six by a South Carolina lake, through first loves, Vietnam, the death of Kennedy, and finally their flight from the draft which ended in Nathan's brutal murder. A stunning suspense novel and tale of a lost friendship, Candlemoth is for all fans of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Here is my GR review: Sigh. R.J. Ellory proves once again why I simply *adore his books. As a big time fan of his, Candlemoth definitely did not disappoint. I thought this was one of his best to date. My favorite parts of the book were A. The analogy of the candlemoth and all of the great symbolism throughout the book. B. The friendship between Daniel and Nathan and how they were way before their time. C. The flashbacks from present to future. The order of the story just worked. D. The ending. Oh, my. The ending. I won't say more as I don't want to post a spoiler. E. Justice. Tied in with the ending. F. Although this book is a mystery, suspenseful and a thriller, Ellory's writing has a beautiful literary and lyrical quality that truly sets it apart from others of this genre. G. Heck, I might as well just say the plot, the characters, the setting, the theme and the whole book. It was all my favorite. In case it's not perfectly clear, 5/5 stars for this gem. Definitely one of the best books I have read this year. Lisa
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Post by tara595 on Aug 17, 2015 18:05:02 GMT
I was away for a couple of weeks so I got a lot of reading done!
First was Behind the Gates of Gemorroh by Steven Siegler for my book club. It was non-fiction about a psychatrist who works in a state mental hospital with the criminally insane. Pretty interesting and creepy. 3.5 stars.
Next was something completely different, Public Secrets by Nora Roberts which I really enjoyed. It was hard to put down and I loved the characters, I missed them when it was over! 4 stars.
The third book I read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah which I know a lot of peas have read. I loved it. It was heart-breaking and beautiful. 5 stars. I do think I need a break from WW 2 novels. I've read a few of them in the past couple of years and they're just so heart-wrenching!
Yesterday on the plane, I started The Sound of Glass by Karen White. I didn't get too far into it but I like it so far. I'm hoping to read at least a couple of more books before I have to go back to work!
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Post by Karen-in-Indiana on Aug 17, 2015 19:22:34 GMT
I was able to pick up the Outlander 7 book series earlier this month when someone posted that it was for $1.99. I just started reading it last week and I love it!!! I have a hard time putting it down. Karen
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Post by maryland on Aug 17, 2015 19:37:04 GMT
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. Who wrote this book? I usually skim the Weekly Reading thread (spoilers if I haven't read the book) and look the books up on barnes and noble. There were a few different authors and some look really good!
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Post by 3SugarBugs on Aug 17, 2015 19:40:23 GMT
Hi Peas! I haven't posted to this thread in awhile, but I'm finally back on a reading kick. Like others, I finished Go Set a Watchman this past week, and while I was glad I read it, it was not outstanding by any means. It was nice to get the perspective of the original manuscript versus what came to be To Kill a Mockingbird.
Last night I began, Judy Blume's In the Unlikely Event.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 27, 2024 14:28:28 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2015 19:47:11 GMT
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. I thought it was dreadful so I'll be interested in your take on it. The only books I've read this week were about toy/retro cameras.
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Post by birukitty on Aug 17, 2015 21:51:57 GMT
I'm happy to see two Titanic book recs as that is my one of my favorite historical topics to read up on. I've bookmarked both, so thanks! (p.s. I read A Night To Remember by Walter Lord almost 3 years ago and gave it 5/5 stars!) I did a combo read/audio of Sandra Brown's Mean Streak. Pediatrician & marathon runner Dr. Emory Charbonneau goes missing on a running trail. Her husband is suspected. Meanwhile, she's being held captive and we know nothing about her captor. Gave this 4.5/5 stars! I also read Completely Smitten by Susan Mallery. This book was a giant cheesefest but that is precisely what I was in the mood for coming off of two books centered around school shootings. :/ I started something right before this and shelved it because it was too juvenile. This gave me the same light read with a cute love story intertwined (with steamy scenes mixed in as well!) but on a more adult level. It is not rocket science or deep thinking or based on anything historical (which are my faves!) but its a great little escape. 4/5 I just started Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave. last night. I got into it right away and am looking forward to reading more tonight! Just wanted to say that I read A Night to Remember by Walter Lord back in the last 1970's and I agree with you-that book is a solid 5 stars. It's considered the classic book on the Titanic. It started my whole Titanic craze and I've been nuts about the Titanic since then. These books are so interesting because they are written from the survivors viewpoint. Debbie in MD.
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Post by birukitty on Aug 17, 2015 22:00:10 GMT
I finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. On a previous weekly read thread tuesdaysgone had mentioned how much she enjoyed it and I did too. It is based on real events and for the first bit I kept pulling up google and checking out the "real" story (I am a history major, it's what I do ). Eventually though, I just gave in to the story and enjoyed the ride. I also read The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels. It's an interesting read, about different kinds of loss - villages, history, people and ways of life from rerouting rivers (The Nile to build the Aswan Dam and the St Lawrence to create the Seaway), from war (in particular Warsaw which is an incredible story among so many during WWII) and personal loss as well. I've just started A God In Ruins by Kate Atkinson and All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and so far, I am enjoying both. Interesting that two posters mentioned reading The Loss of the SS Titanic by Lawrence Beesley - he was a fictional character in a chapter of A History of the World in 10.5 Chapters by Julian Barnes which I read a couple of weeks ago. Of course I had to look up the real story (see above) and had put Beesley's book on my list. Actually I didn't read the book by Lawrence Beesley this past week but a book with the same title-different author. This was the title of the book-it was really two books in one. It's called Titanic-a Survivor's Story by Archibald Gracie and The Loss of the S. S. Titanic by John B. Thayer John Thayer's book is really short, so they added it to the back of Archie Gracie's book. You can get it at Amazon in paperback or check your local library. I did read Lawrence Beesley's book a few months ago. The big difference between the 3 men is that Lawrence Beesley was a 2nd class passenger who fortunately found a seat in a lifeboat (he was asked to get in) and Archie Gracie and John Thayer were first class passengers who went into the water when the ship sank, but survived by managing to get onto the overturned lifeboat that several men clung too and stood on throughout the night. Both books are well worth reading as they have two very different viewpoints. One from the lifeboat side, one from the side of being on the ship until the end and going into the water. Debbie in MD.
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janeliz
Drama Llama
I'm the Wiz and nobody beats me.
Posts: 5,632
Jun 26, 2014 14:35:07 GMT
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Post by janeliz on Aug 17, 2015 23:15:08 GMT
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. Who wrote this book? I usually skim the Weekly Reading thread (spoilers if I haven't read the book) and look the books up on barnes and noble. There were a few different authors and some look really good! AJ Banner.
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shawsee2
Shy Member
Posts: 39
May 12, 2015 23:49:50 GMT
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Post by shawsee2 on Aug 18, 2015 3:04:35 GMT
Hello all...just gotta say that I love the reading thread and now I will commence posting my first post on it...lol
Recently read All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews...really like it...made me really miss my sister. It's one that makes you think about sibling relationships and family mental health issues long after you finish it...well it did for me anyway. Not to give the whole book away but you will likely question what would you do if your ill sister requested you assist her in committing suicide. I thought it was really well written, beautiful prose at times, and gave it a 4 out of 5 stars.
Next was The Troop by Nick Cutter...gah...where do I start with this one. It was recommended to me by a friend because my son was camping on a remote island in Northern Ontario with his Scout Troop. Stephen King apparently wrote that this book "scared the hell out of him" and so with both those reasons I thought "yep gotta read this one" and boy did I regret it. It wasn't that I felt it was scary nor did I really have a hard time with the premise, as my boy was camping in real life with a scout troop, it was that it was that it was soooooo disturbing and disgusting that by page 35 I thought for sure I was done. But no, I had to finish it...and I did...and then I needed brain bleach and a hug... Gave it a 4 out of 5 for just making me have such intense reaction to it...lol
Now I am half way through Boo by Neil Smith...so far so good...don't think it's going to reach any top 10 list of best reads this year but I am finding it okay.
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Post by mom2jnk on Aug 18, 2015 3:41:59 GMT
I just finished Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight. Wow! Has this book been discussed here? I may have just read the entire thing in less than 24 hours. It is one of the best books that I have read this year.
The book is told from several perspectives, one being Molly Sanderson, a freelance journalist, who is called upon to cover the disturbing news of the discovery of the body of an newborn found at the fringes of the local college campus in well-to-do Ridgedale, New Jersey. It is especially heartbreaking for her as she had suffered an infant loss and subsequent deep depression, but is struggling to put the pieces of her life back together and be a good parent for her young daughter again. Another character that touched my heart is teenage Sandy, who lives with her struggling single mother.
All of the characters in this book pulled me in, and the chapters were short, each one giving a little tidbit of information about each character and the story line. I was amazed at how well the author wove together all of the stories and the ending had quite a few punches that I did not expect. I won't say any more, but go read this one!
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Post by MorellisCupcake on Aug 18, 2015 4:13:36 GMT
I read The Bird Box after a "scariest book" thread on here, and yep.. it was.
I've been re-reading older books lately.. The Dead Zone (Stephen King), The Brightest Star in the Sky(Marian Keyes), The Truth (Terry Pratchett Discworld #25).
I have a ton on hold at the library, just patiently waiting my turn...
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luckyexwife
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,067
Jun 25, 2014 21:21:08 GMT
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Post by luckyexwife on Aug 18, 2015 23:44:13 GMT
I just finished Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight. Wow! Has this book been discussed here? I may have just read the entire thing in less than 24 hours. It is one of the best books that I have read this year. The book is told from several perspectives, one being Molly Sanderson, a freelance journalist, who is called upon to cover the disturbing news of the discovery of the body of an newborn found at the fringes of the local college campus in well-to-do Ridgedale, New Jersey. It is especially heartbreaking for her as she had suffered an infant loss and subsequent deep depression, but is struggling to put the pieces of her life back together and be a good parent for her young daughter again. Another character that touched my heart is teenage Sandy, who lives with her struggling single mother. All of the characters in this book pulled me in, and the chapters were short, each one giving a little tidbit of information about each character and the story line. I was amazed at how well the author wove together all of the stories and the ending had quite a few punches that I did not expect. I won't say any more, but go read this one! I just started this book...this makes me want to put the kids to bed early to get more reading time tonight!
I finished two this week: Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand and Finding Jake by Bryan Reardon
Summerland was the 4th Hilderbrand book I have read this summer. I'd give it a 3.5/5. The story starts with graduation night, and 4 soon-to-be seniors leave a graduation party on the beach, and there is an accident where the driver is killed, her twin brother is severely injured, and her boyfriend and another friend walk away from the accident uninjured. The book focuses on those left to pick up the pieces, and figure out what happened at the party before they left. It was a good story, and I liked the depth the author went to with most of the characters.
Finding Jake I'd give 4/5. It's been discussed here several times, and there is a separate thread as well. I thought it was a powerful book about a sad subject. There were a few things that I didn't like, but overall I would recommend it.
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ComplicatedLady
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,037
Location: Valley of the Sun
Jul 26, 2014 21:02:07 GMT
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Post by ComplicatedLady on Aug 19, 2015 3:40:44 GMT
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. Me too! i swear I'm going to post the same thing every week. I hope to finish it by the end of the year.
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Post by cadoodlebug on Aug 19, 2015 3:46:10 GMT
I tried to read Luckiest Girl Alive and gave up. I'm too old to read books that don't grab me pretty quickly.
Now I'm reading The Auschwitz Escape by Joel C. Rosenberg. It has me riveted. DH read it before me and said the writing is so good he actually felt like he was in the camp. I don't read as fast as most of y'all but I'll report back when I'm finished.
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Post by peasapie on Aug 20, 2015 22:59:19 GMT
I am just finishing up rereading some books by Philippa Gregory. The Queen's Fool, The Virgin's Lover, and the Other Queen. Looking forward to finishing so I can start The Invasion of the Tearling. I loved the first one, and can't wait to find out what happens next. Then after that I just ordered another Philippa Gregory book from Amazon that comes out next week. Is there a series that the one coming out is associated with? I'd like to read them in order, but I'm confused about where to begin. Thanks!
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QueenoftheSloths
Drama Llama
Member Since January 2004, 2,698 forum posts PeaNut Number: 122614 PeaBoard Title: StuckOnPeas
Posts: 5,955
Jun 26, 2014 0:29:24 GMT
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Post by QueenoftheSloths on Aug 21, 2015 1:08:56 GMT
I am just finishing up rereading some books by Philippa Gregory. The Queen's Fool, The Virgin's Lover, and the Other Queen. Looking forward to finishing so I can start The Invasion of the Tearling. I loved the first one, and can't wait to find out what happens next. Then after that I just ordered another Philippa Gregory book from Amazon that comes out next week. Is there a series that the one coming out is associated with? I'd like to read them in order, but I'm confused about where to begin. Thanks! The new Philippa Gregory book is about Katherine Parr, part of her Tudor series. She has one series about the Tudors, and another series about the Wars of the Roses. I would recommend you start with whichever time period interests you the most. Her website has a lot of info about chronology and history to help you decide where to start.
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zookeeper
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,909
Aug 28, 2014 2:37:56 GMT
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Post by zookeeper on Aug 21, 2015 1:48:48 GMT
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. I completely fell in love with this book. I laughed and cried and cried some more but in a good way.
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Post by pjaye on Aug 21, 2015 10:43:59 GMT
I am just finishing up rereading some books by Philippa Gregory. The Queen's Fool, The Virgin's Lover, and the Other Queen. Looking forward to finishing so I can start The Invasion of the Tearling. I loved the first one, and can't wait to find out what happens next. Then after that I just ordered another Philippa Gregory book from Amazon that comes out next week. Is there a series that the one coming out is associated with? I'd like to read them in order, but I'm confused about where to begin. Thanks! This site: Fantastic Fiction will give you all the books in series/order for any author that you look up. I've linked directly to the Philippa Gregory page, but in general it's the best resource I've found to find books in chronological order and in series order, especially if an author is a prolific writer.
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Post by peasapie on Aug 21, 2015 13:49:28 GMT
Is there a series that the one coming out is associated with? I'd like to read them in order, but I'm confused about where to begin. Thanks! This site: Fantastic Fiction will give you all the books in series/order for any author that you look up. I've linked directly to the Philippa Gregory page, but in general it's the best resource I've found to find books in chronological order and in series order, especially if an author is a prolific writer.
Thanks so much, pjaye. So it looks like this upcoming books is a stand-alone novel and not part of a series. Great. Less catching up I need to do before getting ready for it. Bookmarking that site. :-)
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 27, 2024 14:28:28 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2015 2:41:34 GMT
I read The Handmaid's Tale at work today! Great book. Wish I had read it years ago when I first picked up my copy at a garage sale.
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gina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,202
Jun 26, 2014 1:59:16 GMT
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Post by gina on Aug 22, 2015 3:02:32 GMT
I just finished Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight. Wow! Has this book been discussed here? I may have just read the entire thing in less than 24 hours. It is one of the best books that I have read this year. The book is told from several perspectives, one being Molly Sanderson, a freelance journalist, who is called upon to cover the disturbing news of the discovery of the body of an newborn found at the fringes of the local college campus in well-to-do Ridgedale, New Jersey. It is especially heartbreaking for her as she had suffered an infant loss and subsequent deep depression, but is struggling to put the pieces of her life back together and be a good parent for her young daughter again. Another character that touched my heart is teenage Sandy, who lives with her struggling single mother. All of the characters in this book pulled me in, and the chapters were short, each one giving a little tidbit of information about each character and the story line. I was amazed at how well the author wove together all of the stories and the ending had quite a few punches that I did not expect. I won't say any more, but go read this one! LOL I had the exact opposite reaction regarding the characters! My Goodreads review begins with: {barely} 3 / 5. More like 2.5 stars from me. Aside from Molly, NONE of the characters were likeable. In fact, they were all so forgettable and interchangeable that I had trouble keeping them all straight throughout the entire book.
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gina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,202
Jun 26, 2014 1:59:16 GMT
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Post by gina on Aug 22, 2015 3:03:55 GMT
I tried to read Luckiest Girl Alive and gave up. I'm too old to read books that don't grab me pretty quickly. I gave it 4/5 stars on Goodreads but in my review, I specified it felt more like 3.5/5. I totally get that you weren't feeling it because it certainly wasn't a 5/5 star read for me. Apparently I am a really tough critic though.
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