The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,973
Jun 25, 2014 21:50:33 GMT
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Dec 31, 2018 8:30:21 GMT
How did you round out your year? What did you read this week?
There is another thread started, but if you’d like, please post your favorite(s) of the year too!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 28, 2024 22:49:54 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2018 10:50:55 GMT
Novel about post ww2 Germany. A Very interesting and different viewpoint and insight into the nazi mind as well as the resistance and what life was like after the war. The Road Beyond Ruin by Gemma Liviero
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kibblesandbits
Pearl Clutcher
At the corner of Awesome and Bombdiggity
Posts: 3,305
Aug 13, 2016 13:47:39 GMT
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Post by kibblesandbits on Dec 31, 2018 11:21:41 GMT
I started "The Birdcage" by Marcia Willett. Not sure what I think of it yet, it wasn't what I expected.
I DNF'd "Becoming" by Michelle Obama. My gawd, what a snooze.
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tuesdaysgone
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,832
Jun 26, 2014 18:26:03 GMT
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Post by tuesdaysgone on Dec 31, 2018 12:32:51 GMT
I finished the 2nd book in the Michael Vey YA series, Rise of the Elgen. Although I enjoyed it, I'm ready to move on to some adult fiction. I'm almost done with The Gallow's Curse (Maitland) and if I finish it before midnight, it will be my 61st book for 2018. Like other books by Maitland, this novel/mystery is set in 1210 England. I've not enjoyed this one as much as her other books, but it's still historical fiction done very well.
Looking forward to a happy 2019 for reading. So happy to be part of this great thread. Thanks The Great Carpezio for getting us started each week.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,300
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Dec 31, 2018 14:34:18 GMT
I finished Slaves in the Family by Edward Ball, which is a book I started about 18 months ago! It's a very good book, but I got sidetracked about 2/3 through it and never got back to it. So I finished it off this week to squeak one more book into my yearly total. The book is about 20 years old, the author's ancestors were rice planters around Charleston (where i bought the book) and slave owners. The author tried to trace descendants of the slaves his family owned. Fascinating read.
And i finished The Ruin by Dervla Mctiernan, a mystery about a cold case that resurfaces in the life of the Irish cop who was involved with it. I really enjoyed it. This was one of Amazon's top books of 2018...I went through the list a couple weeks ago and got a stack of them from my library, so I'll be reporting on more soon.
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Post by candygurl on Dec 31, 2018 15:39:14 GMT
Finished reading the second book of a series by Gregg Olsen called The Weight of Silence. His books are enjoyable to read and are about a detective solving cases and also about her family life.
Currently reading Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain and so far so good. About a woman who needs to time travel to save her unborn baby in her womb. Interesting idea for sure.
Happy New Year!!!
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Post by Really Red on Dec 31, 2018 15:56:24 GMT
I read Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney. It was a 5/5 for me and one of very few that I give 5 stars. It held my interest from page one when I read about how she is in a coma and what she is thinking/hearing (terrifically frightening) to the last words of the book. I did not want to stop reading.
I tried and failed to read Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield. I just couldn't get into it.
I'm picking up The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah today. One of my favorite written books was All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer. That is an odd statement, but the words in the book were stunning, and while I loved the story, it wasn't my favorite story. But his words - he is such an artist with his words. I am hoping The Nightingale will be similar.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Dec 31, 2018 16:04:13 GMT
I read 13 books this yr, and listened to 2 audio books. That's pretty good for me. I'm currently reading American Marriage and really liking it.
My favorite of the yr. The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish My least fav book was The Arrangement by Sarah Dunn.
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Post by SockMonkey on Dec 31, 2018 16:29:41 GMT
I have ONE book left to meet my goal of 50, so I've been reading like a fiend.
I finished The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai, one of my favorites of the year. Also read this weekend:
Odd One Out, by Nic Stone (Author of Dear Martin) Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot (Memoir/series of essays from an Indigenous writer The Final Six by Alexandra Monir (Good if you liked Hunger Games or Red Rising series)
And now I'm currently reading The Space Between: Embracing Blackness in a White-Dominated World by Austin Channing Brown, which I should be able to finish today and meet my goal. (It's also quite good, and a complement to texts like "So You Want to Talk About Race," White Fragility" and "Between the World and Me."
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Rhondito
Pearl Clutcher
MississipPea
Posts: 4,792
Jun 25, 2014 19:33:19 GMT
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Post by Rhondito on Dec 31, 2018 16:42:51 GMT
I tried and failed to read Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield. I just couldn't get into it. Me too! I've been trying to listen to the audio book but I keep zoning out. I can't keep up with who is who, or what is happening. I thought it was just me because it has such high ratings.
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Rhondito
Pearl Clutcher
MississipPea
Posts: 4,792
Jun 25, 2014 19:33:19 GMT
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Post by Rhondito on Dec 31, 2018 16:55:05 GMT
This morning I finished Watching You by Lisa Jewell, her latest novel. It was a very good mystery with some unexpected twists. I gave it a 4/5.
With this book I rounded out the year with 41 books. An overwhelming record for me - I think the most I've ever read before was around 17-19. Next year I'm shooting for 50, but hoping I can surpass that goal. I'd like to say how much I enjoy this post each week. I look forward to seeing what each of you have read and your thoughts on the books you read. So many times I find a great book here that otherwise wouldn't even be on my radar. Here's to another year of reading together!
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kibblesandbits
Pearl Clutcher
At the corner of Awesome and Bombdiggity
Posts: 3,305
Aug 13, 2016 13:47:39 GMT
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Post by kibblesandbits on Dec 31, 2018 17:29:10 GMT
I'm picking up The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah today. One of my favorite written books was All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer. That is an odd statement, but the words in the book were stunning, and while I loved the story, it wasn't my favorite story. But his words - he is such an artist with his words. I am hoping The Nightingale will be similar. lololol Don't bet on it. Hahahaha! Anthony Doer is indeed an artist. Kristin Hannah - not so much. Hilarious Book Review of The Nightengale - be aware, there's spoilers all over the place. Maybe wait until you've tried slogging through Hannah's constant inconsistencies and Danielle Steele tendencies before fully appreciating the review.
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Post by birukitty on Dec 31, 2018 19:07:49 GMT
I truly can't believe this but I am still reading the same book A Dangerous Inheritance: A Novel of Tudor Rivals and the Secret of the Tower by Alison Weir and it's been 3 weeks! The only other books it's taken me this long to read are Diana Gabaldon's epic door stopper novels in the Outlander series. Although this book is long too at 507 pages vs. 800 pages and the print is much smaller so maybe they are about the same. In any case, I am truly enjoying every minute of this book. The writing is truly wonderful and I am learning so much while having fun fun at the same time.
I want to thank each and every one of you that participates in these threads because without you we wouldn't have them. I get so many great ideas for books to read from them and enjoy reading this thread each week. A special thank you shout out to you thegreatcarpezio for getting us started each week! Here's to another great year of our reading thread!
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Post by birukitty on Dec 31, 2018 19:15:53 GMT
I'm picking up The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah today. One of my favorite written books was All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer. That is an odd statement, but the words in the book were stunning, and while I loved the story, it wasn't my favorite story. But his words - he is such an artist with his words. I am hoping The Nightingale will be similar. lololol Don't bet on it. Hahahaha! Anthony Doer is indeed an artist. Kristin Hannah - not so much. Hilarious Book Review of The Nightengale - be aware, there's spoilers all over the place. Maybe wait until you've tried slogging through Hannah's constant inconsistencies and Danielle Steele tendencies before fully appreciating the review. Well personally I don't know if I'd go quite that far in comparing Kristin Hannah to Danielle Steele. In her earlier books maybe there are some shades of Danielle Steele in them. But in The Nightingale I think Kristen Hannah blows Danielle Steele out of the water. Danielle Steele writes like she's using a formula. I refuse to read her and I used to when I was much younger. kibblesandbits I think you should try The Nightingale for yourself. You might like it or not. A lot of people loved it. To save money in case you don't like it try your local library. I'm sure they have it.
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milocat
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,569
Location: 55 degrees north in Alberta, Canada
Mar 18, 2015 4:10:31 GMT
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Post by milocat on Dec 31, 2018 19:31:34 GMT
I started "The Birdcage" by Marcia Willett. Not sure what I think of it yet, it wasn't what I expected. I DNF'd "Becoming" by Michelle Obama. My gawd, what a snooze. Oh my gosh the only thing you missed was she mentioned Euclid Avenue eleventy billion more times! I listened to it on audio at 1.75x speed. We picked it for book club so I wanted to finish. It was interesting to hear a few snippets of being a mom and her DDs in the White House. I wouldn't have finished if I was reading it. I just listened while doing things. It would have been 19 hours at regular speed, ugg.
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Post by mnmloveli on Dec 31, 2018 19:48:51 GMT
This morning I finished Watching You by Lisa Jewell, her latest novel. It was a very good mystery with some unexpected twists. I gave it a 4/5.
With this book I rounded out the year with 41 books. An overwhelming record for me - I think the most I've ever read before was around 17-19. Next year I'm shooting for 50, but hoping I can surpass that goal. I'd like to say how much I enjoy this post each week. I look forward to seeing what each of you have read and your thoughts on the books you read. So many times I find a great book here that otherwise wouldn't even be on my radar. Here's to another year of reading together! Looking forward to reading Watching You. Just bought this week for $4.99. Should be starting it tonight or it will be my first book of 2019 ! Just finishing This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel. What a touching, moving story. Another recommendation from this weekly thread which I never would have found. THANKS to all the Peas who contribute to this weekly thread. You have all broadened our reading lists ! Happy New Year’s Eve !
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Post by Really Red on Dec 31, 2018 20:20:45 GMT
lololol Don't bet on it. Hahahaha! Anthony Doer is indeed an artist. Kristin Hannah - not so much. Hilarious Book Review of The Nightengale - be aware, there's spoilers all over the place. Maybe wait until you've tried slogging through Hannah's constant inconsistencies and Danielle Steele tendencies before fully appreciating the review. Well personally I don't know if I'd go quite that far in comparing Kristin Hannah to Danielle Steele. In her earlier books maybe there are some shades of Danielle Steele in them. But in The Nightingale I think Kristen Hannah blows Danielle Steele out of the water. Danielle Steele writes like she's using a formula. I refuse to read her and I used to when I was much younger. kibblesandbits I think you should try The Nightingale for yourself. You might like it or not. A lot of people loved it. To save money in case you don't like it try your local library. I'm sure they have it. I am about 40 pages into The Nightingale. It is definitely better than Danielle Steele, but nothing whatsoever like Anthony Doer. You are correct, kibblesandbits . I have already found quite a few puzzling things. Not outright wrong, but they would have been highly unusual if they had happened. I thought people loved this book? I've been on the wait list for at least 6 months for this one. So far, I find it interesting enough to continue. The writing is no worse or no better than most "regular" authors at this point.
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kibblesandbits
Pearl Clutcher
At the corner of Awesome and Bombdiggity
Posts: 3,305
Aug 13, 2016 13:47:39 GMT
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Post by kibblesandbits on Dec 31, 2018 20:30:02 GMT
lololol Don't bet on it. Hahahaha! Anthony Doer is indeed an artist. Kristin Hannah - not so much. Hilarious Book Review of The Nightengale - be aware, there's spoilers all over the place. Maybe wait until you've tried slogging through Hannah's constant inconsistencies and Danielle Steele tendencies before fully appreciating the review. Well personally I don't know if I'd go quite that far in comparing Kristin Hannah to Danielle Steele. In her earlier books maybe there are some shades of Danielle Steele in them. But in The Nightingale I think Kristen Hannah blows Danielle Steele out of the water. Danielle Steele writes like she's using a formula. I refuse to read her and I used to when I was much younger. kibblesandbits I think you should try The Nightingale for yourself. You might like it or not. A lot of people loved it. To save money in case you don't like it try your local library. I'm sure they have it. I HAVE read it. I appreciate the money saving tip, though. Me with my tight budget and all.
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Post by birukitty on Dec 31, 2018 20:52:51 GMT
Well personally I don't know if I'd go quite that far in comparing Kristin Hannah to Danielle Steele. In her earlier books maybe there are some shades of Danielle Steele in them. But in The Nightingale I think Kristen Hannah blows Danielle Steele out of the water. Danielle Steele writes like she's using a formula. I refuse to read her and I used to when I was much younger. kibblesandbits I think you should try The Nightingale for yourself. You might like it or not. A lot of people loved it. To save money in case you don't like it try your local library. I'm sure they have it. I HAVE read it. I appreciate the money saving tip, though. Me with my tight budget and all. Woops, I meant Reallyred. And the tip about finding it at your local library was made in kindness. Every book I read I get from my local library.
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kibblesandbits
Pearl Clutcher
At the corner of Awesome and Bombdiggity
Posts: 3,305
Aug 13, 2016 13:47:39 GMT
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Post by kibblesandbits on Dec 31, 2018 22:34:52 GMT
I HAVE read it. I appreciate the money saving tip, though. Me with my tight budget and all. Woops, I meant Reallyred. And the tip about finding it at your local library was made in kindness. Every book I read I get from my local library. Whoops.
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gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,813
Jun 25, 2014 20:56:09 GMT
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Post by gottapeanow on Dec 31, 2018 23:04:43 GMT
FWIW, The Nightingale is one of my favorite books ever. All the Light You Cannot See was amazing but not nearly the same caliber, IMO.
Lisa
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gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,813
Jun 25, 2014 20:56:09 GMT
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Post by gottapeanow on Dec 31, 2018 23:12:22 GMT
I read two books this week. The first, The Christmas Star, makes most fluff look like it has loads of substance. Lol. Even so, it was enjoyable.
The second was Ways to Hide in Winter by Sarah St. Vincent. The ending bugged me and was not my favorite. The MC suffered serious injuries, and exactly what happened is told in bits and pieces. I thought that part was well-done, and I was surprised. 3/5 stars.
Lisa
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Post by birukitty on Jan 1, 2019 0:31:47 GMT
FWIW, The Nightingale is one of my favorite books ever. All the Light You Cannot See was amazing but not nearly the same caliber, IMO. Lisa I know exactly what you mean. I loved The Nightingale. While I can appreciate the excellent writing of All the Light You Cannot See and understand why it won the Pulitzer I hated the ending and much prefer The Nightingale between the two.
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Post by pjaye on Jan 1, 2019 0:43:02 GMT
Kristin Hannah - not so much. I agree. I've read two of Hannah's books and I call her "the over-writer" she has to explain every detail of everyone's thought process. Nothing is ever left to the reader to contemplate for themselves, everything is over explained to the nth degree. That sort of detail is something I'm not a fan of. IMHO Doer is a far far better writer and storyteller.
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Post by pjaye on Jan 1, 2019 1:06:18 GMT
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Post by femalebusiness on Jan 1, 2019 20:13:59 GMT
I just finished Past Tense, the latest Jack Reacher book. A couple of books ago one of the books had Tom Cruise on the cover. I honestly couldn't finish the book which irritated me as I love the Reacher books, usually such an enjoyable read.
I really liked this one. He goes back to his father's childhood home and there is a genealogy part of the storyline. I was happy to be able to mentally block out the movie guy again.
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Post by femalebusiness on Jan 1, 2019 22:08:12 GMT
I HAVE read it. I appreciate the money saving tip, though. Me with my tight budget and all. Woops, I meant Reallyred. And the tip about finding it at your local library was made in kindness. Every book I read I get from my local library. So do I and I now do it from home with the library app, Overdrive.
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Post by birukitty on Jan 1, 2019 23:18:19 GMT
I find books from home too at my local library using their website. I gather book titles that sound like books I might be interested in reading from this weekly thread and from two reading groups I belong to on Facebook. I add the titles to my TBR list on Goodreads, and then look up the book titles on my library's website to see if they have them. If they do I put them on hold from home. I've extremely lucky to have an excellent local library about 3 miles from my house. They get in new titles very quickly and have an excellent stock of books, and if they don't have it they can get it from any library in MD. With my library we can check books out for 3 weeks and renew them 5 times unless someone else requests them which is a very long time.
Using the library I'm able to check out a vast assortment of books I wouldn't otherwise read because I can "try them out" since they cost nothing. At the end of the year using my Goodreads list of read books I buy the books that were my very favorite to add to my collection of books at home.
Albert Einstein said, "The only thing you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library." I agree with him wholeheartedly. I feel a lot of happiness when I step into my local library.
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Post by mnmloveli on Jan 3, 2019 18:46:47 GMT
Catching-up on posting my last few books for 2018.
Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard : 5 STARS I loved The Liar's Girl that I read first so much, I bought this one immediately after. That one got 4 stars.
Strangers by MichaelBrent Collings : 4 STARS A horror book that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire book.
You Will Know Me by Rachel Abbott : 4 STARS About the world of a gymnast. Was a little slow but Rachel's writing style was very comfortable and flows along at a steady pace. Might not have been my choice for an ending, but it suited the path the story was on.
Harvest Deep by Trent Pettry : 3.5 STARS Another horror one for me. Weird happenings in an old mine. Definitely not for everyone.
Your Son Is Alive by James Scott Bell : 3 STARS This was a good story but had no character development before all the action started. Never knew I would miss "character development". Missed it a lot !
My first book for 2019 is ……………….
This is How It Always Is by Lisa Frankel : 4 STARS This book was recommend by a number of Peas and you were all right ! I thought the author did a good job showing that the issue of transgender affects the whole family. The book was based partially on her family's personal experience. Very touching. Good way to start the new year !
Happy Reading !
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Post by alsomsknit on Jan 3, 2019 19:46:39 GMT
Finished reading 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill.
2/4 down.
Now, reading #3...Becoming by Michelle Obama. I am enjoying it.
The fourth one is Adnan’s Story by Rabia Chaudry.
Going through my Kindle, I realized there are a few more unfinished books. Not because they aren’t good. The subject matter requires more attention.
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