Weekly Reading Thread: Dec 23-29

I’m reading WHERE THE CRAWDAD’S SING by Delia Owens.

I’ve only just started. Is this as good as all of the reviews say? We have a long travel day tomorrow and then 2.5 weeks of travel, over a week at the beach, and I’m wondering if this will keep me interested enough. I’ve been wondering if I should jump into a thriller today. After finishing THE GREAT ALONE last week and loving it I was trying for something deeper but now wonder if I should stick to a vacation read.

THE GREAT ALONE was as wonderful as the reviews have said. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a 5/5 for me.

Paige.

I loved The Great Alone. I thought Where the Crawdad's Sing was just okay, wasn't a fan of any of the characters. 

Finished Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee, 4.5/5 stars. I think I liked this book more than Pachinko, the author's other novel. About a first generation young Korean American woman finding herself in Manhattan and the expectations of her family. I absolutely LOVED this book. There are about 4 characters that you follow in the book and you really get inside their head. Even though some of the characters did some awful things, I couldn't truly hate them. Warning though, the book is almost 600 pages long, not a light read. But the stories were truly fascinating and I didn't think it was too long at all. 

Finished What We Were Promised by Lucy Tan, 2/5 stars. About a Chinese family who moves back to Shanghai from America after realizing that they couldn't live the American dream. Such a great premise but the book was not well executed. The characters were flat, the story line was boring, there is a twist, and just don't waste your time.

Currently reading The Other Woman by Sandie Jones and enjoying this fluffy read about a young couple and a overbearing mother who seems borderline crazy. 

I have been working on my annual holiday reread of the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace. Nobody celebrates the holidays like the Ray family! I know a stack of new books is under the tree for me to open tomorrow, and I can't wait!

I finished The Wife between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. I really enjoyed this book although it had a giant twist 1/3 of the way in that took me a few minutes to grasp. The ending also had a zinger which I enjoyed. 4/5 stars. Now I'm reading a short book whose title escapes me on my Kindle.

Thanks for the heads up! I just placed a hold at my library too! They had it ordered in large print with no holds yet but had 20 holds for the regular print. I love large print, especially when I'm reading on my treadmill!

I was mildly irritated at my local library. I received a notice on Friday that a book that I requested was ready for pick up. I was so excited that I would have it to read over the weekend and this week. When I arrived at the library on Saturday I saw a notice that they were closed until the day after Christmas! Bummer!

I'm reading "Becoming" by Michelle Obama and am bored to death. Only half way through, perhaps after she gets to the White House it will get more interesting.

Next up is 57 Bus and An American Marriage

cadoodlebug, the things that irritate us readers!

It bugs me when I haven't had time to read a book, so I plan to renew it online on the day it's due so that I can keep it as long as possible. But a day or two before it's due, the renewals then drop to zero because someone else had the nerve (!!!) to decide they wanted to read it.

First world problems. Sometimes I just give up and don't read it. Other times, I take it back and put a hold on it again.

After seeing it on gift lists and top 10 lists, I finished reading An American Marriage. I thought it was good, but not great or top 10 worthy.

I'm glad to know about the book "Becoming" by Michelle Obama. I've been wanting to read it but only if it's interesting. I've read a variety of books these past two weeks. Crisis of Character by Gary J. Byrne. He was the secret serviceman who guarded the oval office when Clinton was President. He ended up having to testify in the Monica Lewinsky case. He does not admire the Clintons to say the least. He said Bill Clinton was very charismatic and people were drawn to him but Hilary could scream and go on long tirades. She, especially, had no love for the secret service who guarded her family.

I also read Buseyismsby Gary Busey which was a memoir of his life. I found the book very interesting. Although he made some bad decisions in his life, there is also much to admire about him.

The book I recently finished was Calculated Riskby Jonna Doolittle Hoppes. This was the life story of Jimmy Doolittle who was an aviation pioneer and WWII hero. The book was written by one of his granddaughters. I found the book fascinating and learned a lot about early aviation. As you can tell my favorite genre to read are memoirs.

I finished up Of Mess and Moxie by Jen Hatmaker. To be honest, you probably have to be a fan of hers to enjoy the book. It’s kind of everything and the kitchen sink thrown in, but I enjoy her humor and it was a great book to listen to this week to keep my anxiety low. She is the queen of making you feel good about mediocre.

Then I read Deal of a Lifetime by Frederik Backman twice. It’s short-like 50 pages. It’s a Christmas story and I try to read one this time of year. I am a huge Backman fan and thought it was a poignant story.


Then I listened to All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin. This was actually the first book I’ve read by this author and had heard it was a bit meatier than just chick lit. And I did think that for about the first 50%. The premise was very timely, but the second half didn’t dive deep enough and made what could have been a really powerful subject a little easier to swallow. Enjoyed, but a bit let down.

I finished I Found You by Lisa Jewell last night. After an iffy start I ended up thoroughly engrossed and really enjoyed it. Very good mystery. 4/5

I'm listening (off and on) to Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield. It's not gripping me but it's gotten good reviews so I'm trying to stick with it.

I just finished People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks. - This is a historical fiction about the real Sarajevo Haggadah (a type of Jewish prayer book). The real book was created in the late 1400's in Spain and is now in Sarajevo, Bosnia. The story lays fictional characters over the real history of the book in a way that is totally believable and the writing was very well done. I highly recommend it. (4.4/5 stars at Amazon)  I have a physical copy and will be putting on the bookshelf.


Some of what I've recently read:

Swimming Lessons by Mary Alice Monroe - Book 2 in The Beach House series, but the only one I've read and it stands alone. -- I liked it far more than I expected to (since it's a love story), so that's always a treat. The main character rescues sea turtles and I really enjoyed how the turtles wove throughout the story. (Rated 4.6/5 stars at Amazon)


Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon - This was an oldie, first published in 1989, and I borrowed it for free from Kindle Prime. The setting is a dystopian post-nuclear US, yet there is a fantasy element that sets it apart from anything else I've ever read. I'd probably rate it about a 3/5. (4.6/5 stars at Amazon)  I downgraded it for being too fantastical for me, even though my favorite thing about the story was probably the most mystical. 


Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued A Million Yiddish Books by Aaron Lansky - I mentioned this one before I finished reading it. LOVE what the man has accomplished. Some of the stories were really touching. It's an overall account of how he began up to about 2005, so some parts drag more than others. I highly recommend as both an inspirational piece and as a historical piece. (4.7/5 stars at Amazon)  This is one I kinda wish I had a physical copy of.



The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - late to the party here. 4/5 stars at Amazon, and that's right about where I rate it, too. It was a hard book to put down, but another that is a bit too fantastical for me. Interesting enough, though, that I've begun to watch the series on Hulu. 

I just finished American Marriage Not sure what I thought about it. It was okay, but not sure about all the hype.

I am half way through Where the Crawdads Sing and unlike some of the other posters on this thread, I'm loving every word of it...

I also thought the Great Alone was 5/5 if that means anything...