The Perks Of Being A Book Addict discussion

Anything by Ross King or Stephen Pinker

Just finished The Ladys Slipper. Eh wasnt impressed. Now im about to start The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro. Very excited about this book:)

Sophie wrote: "I have just finished reading Forever by Maggie Stiefvater. Not a bad series, although enjoyed the final book more than the others.

Now about to start Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and D..."

Try "The Scorpio Races" by Maggie Stiefvater - much better than the wolves series. Also, "The Raven Boys" by her is really good too.

Sidrah wrote: "hiii ok i cant make a choice and it would be cool if you guys helped me, I didn't know where i could ask this so ill just do it here haha. But what book should I read next: City of Glass, An abunda..."

I know that Under the Never Sky is on sale on google books for 2.99 loved the Hobbit but of the ones you listed I have to say An Abundance of Katherines looks fun to me that is.

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES-READ THIS NOW! LOL

Readin': and

Shannon wrote: "Just finished The Ladys Slipper. Eh wasnt impressed. Now im about to start The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro. Very excited about this book:)" His films are wonderful (Pan Labyrinth my favorite) I wonder if I wold expect to much from his novels. But have to add this to my list.

I'm currently reading 'The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared' by Jonas Jonasson and it's such a good read! Descriptive, witty, charming and hilarious at parts - recommended to all in need of some comedic writing. Around 100 pages left, to which I will then start of 'Life of Pi'. Excited!

Started reading so far I'm loving it :)

I'm new to this group but I just wanted to share the book I just finished reading.
Black: The Birth of Evil by Ted Dekker, it was AMAZING! Black is fast paced and suspenseful. I've never read anything quite like this book and I absolutely loved it. I can't wait to get started on the second book of the trilogy.

Has anyone else read ? It was free on Kindle a while ago, and so I got it. And it was amazing! Heart-wrenching—it's not a happy plot or anything—but it is SO well done and I'm finally reading the sequel! I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it.

Can I put in a (totally) shameless plug for my book, Acea and the Animal Kingdom? It's in the same vein as the Percy Jackson, Fablehaven, and Beyonders series. Again sorry for the plug, but I'm a legit member of the group and will be doing other postings! (If interested, see my author site at www.kyleshoop.com)

Michael wrote: "Shannon wrote: "Just finished The Ladys Slipper. Eh wasnt impressed. Now im about to start The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro. Very excited about this book:)" His films are wonderful (Pan Labyrinth ..."
Im not that far yet but it seems to be a good pick:)

Kim wrote: "I'm new to this group but I just wanted to share the book I just finished reading.
Black: The Birth of Evil by Ted Dekker, it was AMAZING! Black is fast paced and suspenseful. I've never read anyth..."
Just added it to my list. Sounds like a great read:)

city of the sun is an amzing book, it is slight sci-fi but nothing too much, it is definatly worth a read, quite a hard book to get a hold of though I think.

Sariah wrote: "Right now I am currently reading Beautiful Creatures I saw the movie trailer so want to read the boom before I watch the movie and so far it is great!"

Hey, I'm reading the third book to series!! Ethan is hot

Bre ~BreXEthanWate~ wrote: "Sariah wrote: "Right now I am currently reading Beautiful Creatures I saw the movie trailer so want to read the boom before I watch the movie and so far it is great!"

Hey, I'm reading the third bo..."

are they any good, I have bought the first one but not got around to reading it yet.

Sidrah wrote: "hiii ok i cant make a choice and it would be cool if you guys helped me, I didn't know where i could ask this so ill just do it here haha. But what book should I read next: City of Glass, An abunda..."

I would pick City of Glass because it's really good plus a fast read, so you could quickly read it and move on to the others. I also enjoyed her prequel series: The Clockwork Angel; The Clockwork Prince; and the latest The Clockwork Princess. I think I make like them better.

I read Dawn of the Knight for Kindle. Its a really cool book. It has all the epicness of high fantasy yet a deep personal plot for all the characters like a sword and sorcery style. Plus, what fantasy fan doesn't like magic items?

I think everyone who reads it will really like the characters. But fair warning, Bryin's MY sweetie ; ) !

Has anyone read The Madman's Daughter? I can't decide if I really want to read it or not. Also, I read there's a love triangle in it and I generally avoid books with those as much as possible (definitely not always possible!), but I also heard that it's not a really central theme to the book, which would be great. Any thoughts?

I read The Silver Linings Playbook and I found it really enjoyable. I would recommend it anybody looking for a new book to read.

Sam wrote: "I read The Silver Linings Playbook and I found it really enjoyable. I would recommend it anybody looking for a new book to read."

Read the book too before seeing the movie. enjoyed the book than the movie though.

ST. CLAIR IS HOOOOOT~! *blushes hard*

Julia wrote: ""

Hey, I'm readin' that to. *smiles*

Emma wrote: "Bre ~BreXEthanWate~ wrote: "Sariah wrote: "Right now I am currently reading Beautiful Creatures I saw the movie trailer so want to read the boom before I watch the movie and so far it is great!"

H..."

Yeah, it's really good. Just too many pages...

going to be hunkered in tomorrow with the snow storm so i ma sure i will get some reading done!

HOPELESS - Dammed it, it's so good. I can't stop my self reading this.


Does anyone can suggest a good romance book which is a GUY'S point of view. Aside from John Green's Novel. Thanks

Trixie wrote: "
HOPELESS - Dammed it, it's so good. I can't stop my self reading this.


Does anyone can suggest a good romance book which is a GUY'S point of view. Because I haven't ..."

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES!!!!

Krystine wrote: "Sam wrote: "I read The Silver Linings Playbook and I found it really enjoyable. I would recommend it anybody looking for a new book to read."

Read the book too before seeing the movie. enjoyed the..."

I agree. Everyone raved about the movie, but the book was SO much better.

Kristie wrote: "I agree. Everyone raved about the movie, but the book was SO much better. "

I have to admit, I didn't even know it was based on a book! I did see the movie and really enjoyed it; I'll have to check out the book soon!

Also, I recently finished a great kid's book, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making So imaginative - it reminded me of Narnia and the Phantom Tollbooth. Definitely worth a look!

Laura wrote: "Kristie wrote: "I agree. Everyone raved about the movie, but the book was SO much better. "

I have to admit, I didn't even know it was based on a book! I did see the movie and really enjoyed it; ..."

Thanks for the recommend! I'll definitely check it out.

I just read "Girls In White Dresses" by Jennifer Close. If you are a "20-something" girl its worth a read, even if it isn't the most sophisticated writing out there. Each story resonates with you at some point. For someone about to enter the same world each of these girls described, their sense of uncertainty really resonated with me. Right now I'm reading "Then Came You" by Jennifer Weiner. It's similar in style but I'm finding the characters and situations much deeper and more compelling.

I have just finished reading "Leftovers" by Laura Wiess and it was great! It keeps you interested and makes you wonder what's going to happen next.

I'm finishing up Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking tonight- it's been very interesting reading about the strength/weaknesses of introverts and extroverts in the professional and personal realms of the world. Susan Cain draws on her own personal narrative, as well as interviews with fellow-introverts and psychologists, to create an enjoyable and enlightening read. I'm moving on to The Wicked series by Gregory Maguire tomorrow.

I'm still reading "The Forgotten Waltz" by Anne Enright. http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Waltz.... Uncertain whether I like it or not, but it's interesting enough to continue.

I am currently reading 'Skylark Farm.'
It is very interesting book but very painful.

I am currently reading and I recommend to everyone who understands Dutch or German - the book isn't released in English, yet...

The Rosebush Murders by Ruth Shidlo – Book Review

The Thorny World Of Humanity

Danielle Hall is found dead in the peaceful grounds of an inner city park in Jerusalem. She had been shot in the back of the head. Investigation soon reveals that Danielle was a psychologist. Could it be that a client has lost their cool? Danielle was married to Mira Morenica and they have a daughter Shelia. How will the family cope with this sudden and violent death? D.I. Helen Mirkin finds that, despite her cool professionalism and objectivity, she cares for the survivors. Helen must use all her skills, her logic and her intuition, to solve this case, even if just to give the Morenica-Hall family closure.

Ruth Shidlo’s first novel, The Rosebush Murders, is a fine police murder mystery. While not quite of the ‘hard boiled’ style, this book is a no-nonsense account of a classic crime investigation case. There is no histrionics here, but we follow the plot with interest as Shidlo step by step reveals the mystery of the murders. At the same time Shidlo reveals to us bit by bit exactly who her character Helen Mirkin is. Even more Shidlo digs into some of the questions of life that fascinate us all.

The novel follows a fairly standard structure. In the first half we are given a complex of defuse plot threads that leave us asking, “What does this all mean?” Life is of course often like this and any crime investigation is at first an open question. Some of us like to think that we understand all about our life but philosophers, psychologists and scientists will tell us that things are not necessarily simple or obvious. The second half of the novel moves more swiftly as the hunt nears its close. Shidlo skilfully draws her themes and imagery neatly together to a satisfying conclusion. One small criticism is that the first half is perhaps just a little too long. Just before midway we begin to grow slightly tired, wondering where will all this lead? The opening of the book has some very well written descriptions. The long section describing Helen’s viewing of the corpse and crime scene is excellently written. We get a real sense of the ugliness of the death. Murder is of course a heavy subject and requires serious writing, however, Shidlo has included some moments of humour to lighten the mood. Most of this humour comes as banter between Helen and her colleagues. In Chapter 8, after a late night and restless sleep, Captain Adam Tamir, Helen’s boss, comments, “You look fresh as a lettuce.” Police detectives need some release from the pressure of their work and so does the reader otherwise reading a novel like this would become a chore. Shidlo has included the occasional ‘aha’ moment and surprise chapter ending which helps us keep turning the pages.

This novel is of the mystery genre; however, Shidlo supplies us with questions beyond the intrigue of the crime. “Who is Helen Mirkin?” we wonder, and as the novel progresses we dig deeper into the character. We get to know Helen as we get to know a friend. On first impression we like her very human responses to the brutal murder and her compassion for the relatives, but then questions arise and we wonder what her life beyond work is, what her past is and what motivates her? By the end of the book we certainly feel we have got to know Helen better. Beyond this many characters in the novel have secrets. We meet a series of people who are unknown to us, as they are to Helen, some leaving us with a good impression, some bad. By the end of the book we have certainly got to know the criminals better. It should be noted, however, that Helen is the only sympathetic character which Shidlo develops. In this array of character sketches one more individual we can relate to, developed to some depth, would have been good for reader empathy.

Murder is an act of dominance and The Rosebush Murders primarily has the theme of power. The philosopher Michel Foucault, and many others, have pointed out that much of society revolves around power and keeping people, organizations, classes and societal institutions in control. This theme is developed in many different ways. We see, for example, right from the Prologue onwards references to Fascism and the Nazis. This group, with its aim of European domination, and perhaps even world domination, is the ultimate example in modern history of the thirst for power. For this book, set in Israel, Fascism is of course a very potent example of the real and extreme effects of a desire for power. Also much of the story revolves around City Hospital, Jerusalem’s prestigious and world famous establishment. Here we see the world of bureaucracy which, as the sociologist Max Weber (Economy And Society: 1922) and the novelest Franz Kafka (The Trial: 1925) have pointed out, are very efficient and rational but can also lead to a “polar night of icy darkness” and an “iron cage” (Weber) which crushes the individual. City Hospital is depicted as literally a very large, complex warren in which Helen fears getting lost. The air is constantly stale. In Chapter 15 we see a visit to Dr. Lev, a cardiology specialist, who is surrounded by cold technology. The specialist, along with others at the hospital, is cold and distant. Doctors in general are depicted as having power over life and death: they decide our fate. Religion also appears as a social institution prying into our lives and pushing us about. Terrorism also makes an appearance in the book. In the nine days the book covers there are two encounters with suspected bombs. Terrorism, nationalist and religious, is of course a fact of life in Israel and this is just how Shidlo depicts it. Terrorism is murder on the large scale and the contemporary equivalent of Nazism: an extreme grab for power.

Religion is indeed so prominent in the book that it can be considered as a theme in its own right. The ecclesia is meant to be a protection but Shidlo depict it more as a controller. Certainly much of the music that Helen listens to, sings, and takes comfort and restoration from, is religious based. In Chapter 38, while Helen rehearses her choir pieces, we read:

“I felt the prayer pour from me and at its conclusion felt somehow cleansed of the oppressive atmosphere of the hospital.”

But of course this is very much a personal, informal, unstructured, untheological experience. This is not the religion of the synagogue, of orthodoxy. In Chapter 8, in the context of a conversation about cancer, the Biblical notion of “sanctuary cities” is disparagingly mentioned as a metaphor. The idea of criminals escaping to a safe city, beyond the grasp of the law, is of course objectionable to police and something objectionable about Judaism is implied. By far the most important plot line in this theme is the scenario about the Morenica-Hall family wanting to bury their family member in a way free from the “despotism of the Orthodox Rabbinate…” Here religion is seen as a kind of ‘fascism’ in the popular use of the term.

Death is central to the book, but this theme goes well beyond the plot line of murders. Death is depicted as something we must come to terms with, something that is pervasive and unescapable. In Chapter 14 Dr. Kate Jordan, head of the interns, comments:

“Makes you wonder what separates you from death, doesn’t it? We take so much for granted…”

As we learn more about Helen we see how important the death of her own father is to her.

Interestingly H.E. Eysenck in his essay The Psychology Of Anti-Semitism (Uses And Abuses Of Psychology: Penguin Books, 1953) identifies “superstition … i.e. a belief in the mystical determinants of the individual’s fate …” and “power and toughness” as statistically discernible features of Fascism. He further notes of this group:

“There also seems to be relatively little enjoyment of sensuality or of passive pleasures such as affection, companionship, or art and music …” (p. 271)

And later:

“… art, music, literature, and philosophy … may be considered … interests [that] contribute substantially to greater resourcefulness, and to the comparative diversion from power and status …” (p. 277)

Power and religion (superstition) are, as we have seen, central themes in The Rosebush Murders. Helen, the central character, seeks her friends to relax, is looking for a partner, looks at the art on the walls of the abodes of those she interviews, is interested in music and quotes literature. She stands against those who would grab power.

Shidlo’s novel is definitely in the main part a no nonsense police drama, however, it also contains some imagery, which gives the book greater depth. As we have seen music, choirs and opera are a part of the characterization. Music also takes on a symbolic nature as a metaphor for life. Music brings Helen great pleasure and relaxation and she uses it as an escape from the pressures of her work. At the end of Chapter 6 we see Helen tuning her car radio to a jazz program while returning to the office after a difficult interview with Mira Morenica. In Chapter 13 Helen unwinds from a tiring day with music. Music communicates feeling and most composers would say that they hope to capture some quality of life. Music can be joyous, help us to express sadness and even be dramatic and tense. Nature also repeatedly is depicted as beautiful and relaxing. It is contrasted with humanity and civilization. In Chapter 3 Helen takes in the quiet beauty of the Morenica-Hall’s garden, but later in the chapter she drives passed the wrecked hulks of vehicles left over from the War of Independence. Nature certainly is restoring to us but there is one or two hints of danger. In Chapter 10 Shira, Danielle and Mira’s friend, comments on a “cute cat” she sees out of the police station window. Helen responds, “It’s not easy to be a street cat.” On a different tack police work is frequently compared to a psychologist’s job. Helen must of course help the victim’s family cope with grief, but also detection itself requires a knowledge of human nature, reading facial expressions, searching below the surface for hidden facts, and a Freudian ‘free association’ of one thing with another. In Chapter 11 Helen jokes with Dr. Sol, Danielle’s psychoanalyst and friend, about the similarity of their professions. Helen comments, “In fact would you care to join the Psychological Service of the Police Force?” Life is full of problems and in a way we are all in need of ‘the psychiatrist’s couch.’

A lesbian couple are at the centre of this murder mystery and GLBTI issues are thus quite prominent. Queer people and their immediate families are generally depicted with respect. In Chapter 3 Sheila shows Helen a photo of her and her two mothers on holiday. We read:

“Shelia was in the middle, looking happy and contained and proud.”

The word “proud” has of course come to have special meaning to LGBTI people, as in, for example, ‘pride marches’. Danielle’s mother is completely accepting of the lesbian matching. (Ch. 10) The problems which queer couples face is also mentioned, for example, the difficulties of donor parenting. (Ch. 56) Bigotry occasionally rears its head. In Chapter 12 Adam, on hearing that the lesbian couple are married comments, “Wonders never cease.” In Chapter 33 a minor character brings on the bigoted, fantasy notion of a powerful heterosexual man “converting” a lesbian woman. Shidlo also does not err in being overly favourable to LGBTI people. In Chapter 24 Daniel blocks a gay couple from receiving IVF. No special favouritism there. None-the-less Shidlo notes the sociological fact that people, including LGBTI, have an affinity for others of similar background. (C. Peter Wagner. Our Kind Of People: J. Knox Press, c1979)

I am currently reading Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. I received an advance copy through a Goodreads giveaway. It is a very interesting premise, the main character gets second chances at life, dying and then surviving, over and over.

Ihave just finished "The Art Forger." Best book so far this year

Ice Station by Matthew Reilly. It's an action-thriller.
It's my favourite book.

Reading two:

On Kindle:Never Knowing and
In hardcopy: All Hell let loose

I am currently reading The Screwtape Letters and its an interesting book. C.S Lewis really surprised me (its a series of letters exchanged between two demons) . I would love some suggestions for a fantasy/scifi book

Pilar wrote: "I am currently reading The Screwtape Letters and its an interesting book. C.S Lewis really surprised me (its a series of letters exchanged between two demons)..."

I love the Screwtape Letters! It's such an interesting concept and has such good advice for life.

Some recommendations of books it didn't seem like you had read and I thought would appeal to someone who likes C. S. Lewis:
Stardust


A Wrinkle in Time


The Crystal Cave

I am currently reading Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer.

Cutting for Stone & Unbroken

I bought the 100-year-old man who climbed out the window and disappeared and the casual vacancy...

I just finished The Silver Linings Playbook today and totally recomend it :). Now I think I'm gonna start Some Girls Are

I'm reading