The Next Best Book Club discussion

Reading Kafka on the Shore and Hater A strange pairing but that's the fun.

I just finished Girl With a Pearl Earring. I loved the idea of make up a story about the girl in such a beautiful painting. I enjoyed the book though I found the plot predictable and the characters pretty plains.

I'm starting now The Prize Winner Of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids On 25 Words Or Less that is a memory that looks really interesting.

I'm presently reading . It's a pretty interesting series, but you do have to read all three books. It almost seems as if the author wrote all three and them just divided it up into three books. The first book of the trilogy just seems to stop and pick right up in the second book. The book is part thriller, part sci-fi and part religion.

Reading The Fault In Our Stars now.

I'm reading That Close by Suggs.

Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende

Going to start reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

Jackie wrote: "Going to start reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen."

Jackie, I didn't really like it as most of the people did. Hope you enjoy it.

I feel like I've been reading Night Film forever... Its starting to hook me finally!!

Just finished Me Before You by JoJo Moyes. Sooooo good. I cried. Highly recommended!!

Finished reading Mrs Jeffries and the Mistletoe Mix-Up by Emily Brightwell – 3***
This is a gentle historical cozy set in Victorian London and featuring the Woman-behind-the-Man … or rather the women and men who are far ahead of the Man. Housekeeper Mrs Jeffries and the other servants in the household will solve the case and then let Inspector Witherspoon take the credit. This is book #29 in the series; I was entertained enough that I’ll probably read another.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle this afternoon and started The Hound of the Baskervilles for a classic group read.

This memoir is one of the best I've read.

Over the past week I've read and now I've just picked up

I have been reading the Tom Wolfe tome I Am Charlotte Simmons off and on for 2 years and finally the end is in sight.

Thanks Sandra. I'm only a chapter or so in at the moment.

Heather L wrote: "Finished A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle this afternoon and started The Hound of the Baskervilles for a classic group read."

Arthur Conan Doyle is such a good writer! I should read and reread more of this books!

M.A. wrote: "Over the past week I've read and now I've just picked up "

M.A. what did you think of Gone Girl? Is in my TBR list.

I finished and have now started . I'm enjoying it so far.

I am currently reading the iron king #1. I am actually enjoying it. It is really funny and has lots of action. I can't wait to start the iron daughter and the iron queen.

I won a copy of The Guts by Roddy Doyle. This is a continuation of The Barrytown Trilogy: The Commitments / The Snapper / The Van by Roddy Doyle. I've seen the three movies made from the trilogy but decided to go ahead and read the books first and then go on to The Guts. I've finished The Commitments and am into The Snapper.

Karen M wrote: "I won a copy of The Guts by Roddy Doyle. This is a continuation of The Barrytown Trilogy: The Commitments / The Snapper / The Van by Roddy Doyle. I've seen the three m..."

Ilove the movie and soundtracks of The Commitments, but never new it was based on a book--nor have I heard of the other two stories/movies. Looks like the book has received some rave reviews--I hope you are enjoying it.

Karen M wrote: "I won a copy of The Guts by Roddy Doyle. This is a continuation of The Barrytown Trilogy: The Commitments / The Snapper / The Van by Roddy Doyle. I've seen the three m..."

I love the movie and soundtracks of The Commitments, but never new it was based on a book--nor have I heard of the other two stories/movies. Looks like the book has received some rave reviews--I hope you are enjoying it.

Currently re-reading one of my all-time favorites: Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West. I'll always be partial to The Road just because I love apocalyptic stories, but holy cow, Blood Meridian is excellent.

Also, reading The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. I'm only 1/4 of the way through, but so far I like Ghostwritten and Cloud Atlas more.

I finished Cujo last week. I never took so long to finish such a short book.

Now I'm reading Hard Magic. It is really good so far.

About halfway through the prequel to the Gordianus the Finder series of novels

Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince by J.K. Rowling and Dog Stories by James Harriot.

Finished reading The Poisoner’s Handbook by Deborah Blum (Book on CD read by Coleen Marlo) – 5*****
The first time I read a book about forensic science I was in 7th grade. The subject has continued to fascinate me ever since. This is a wonderfully told, compelling work of nonfiction about the early 20th century New York City’s Medical Examiner’s office and the pioneering work done by Alexander Gettler and Charles Norris. Highly recommended, even for the non-science-geek.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Heather L wrote: "Karen M wrote: "I won a copy of The Guts by Roddy Doyle. This is a continuation of The Barrytown Trilogy: The Commitments / The Snapper / The Van by Roddy Doyle. I've ..."

It took a little getting used to the Irish slang and the author writes mostly in dialog and not much description but I enjoyed the first two and I'm on the last one The Van which it seems some people had trouble getting through. We'll see. Oh, The Snapper is slang for baby.

Just finished The Prize Winner Of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids On 25 Words Or Less by Terry Ryan, a very funny memoire.

I'm starting today The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

I have that on my TBR list Sandra. I'd like to know what you thought of it when you finish.

I'm reading The Believers by Zoe Heller.

I have abandoned The Secret Life of Bees because 2 books I was waiting for arrived today to the library. Books have the bad habit of arrived all at the same time. So I'm now reading The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida and The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier.

Finished reading The Untelling by Tayari Jones – 4****
This is the second book I’ve read by Jones, and I continue to be impressed by her writing. She really explores her characters, slowly letting the reader get to know these women, who suffer from unspoken guilt and regrets. Aria narrates and that does give us a skewed perspective of her mother and sister, as well as other characters in the book. She is forever expecting things to turn out badly, and she is sometimes proven right, but she fails to see how she influences the outcome. An unexpected diagnosis is the catalyst for Aria’s finally coming to terms with her loss and facing her present and future.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished reading Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt (Audiobook read by the author) – 4****
When the author’s daughter died suddenly, Roger and his wife, Ginny, moved in with their son-in-law and three small grandchildren. This is a tender and loving memoir of one family’s efforts to recover from a devastating loss. The love is so evident in these pages. Rosenblatt is restrained where he could have been sentimental, and the book has all the more impact because of that. It is a simple recording of the everyday events that helped this family get through a seemingly impossible year of grief.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I like to read a few books simultaneously and I like diversity...




(audiobook)

Today I started The Guts, .

I have finally finished stay with me for my book club I thought I was never going to finish it. I really liked it but it was extremely slow and it took me forever to get into it. I really liked the concept of the story though. I have also finished reading the iron king. I am currently reading the iron daughter and a corner of white

I started Sergeant Rex and I'm already half way through.

Finished reading Sixpence House by Paul Collins – 3***
Paul Collins moved his wife and baby from San Francisco to the small Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye. It is “The Town of Books” – with only 1500 residents and forty bookshops (almost all of them specializing in used / antiquarian books). This is a memoir of their family adventure. I enjoyed it but I wasn’t particularly moved by it.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finally, here is my review of The Book Thief, one of the three best books I read in 2013 - and, in fact, one of the best books I have ever had the privilege of reading:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm just starting Notes From An Exhibition by Patrick Gale.

My Booky Wook by Russell Brand

I just finished The Last Runaway by Terry Chevalier. What a pleasant reading!

I'm starting now The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.

I just started . A little late for the season but, oh well.

Have finished the iron daughter and starting to read the iron queen. I will also be reading a corner of white if I don't get to the library before that.

Finshed and . Loved both of them. Now reading and really liking it.

I'm listening to Accused,

Finished reading I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley (Audio performed by Jayne Entwhistle) – 3***
In this 4th installment of the Flavia DeLuce series we find Buckshaw overrun with a cinema crew just at Christmas. As much as I love Flavia, I read the series for the mysteries and her efforts to solve them. The murder doesn’t happen until half-way through this book, and Flavia spends much more time on her elaborate schemes for Christmas. As usual, Jayne Entwhistle is marvelous voicing Flavia and the other characters on the audio version. She is simply perfect!
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A "medical" thriller - but that title hardly does it justice. It a hilarious, fun read written by a Dr.

Just finished the new book by Dan Hurley called Smarter: The New Science of Building Brain Power. The book gets past the hype of the brain-boosting industry, and explores the actual science on which it is based. Many types of interventions are explored, from brain-training exercises and activities (including meditation), to physical exercise, to diet, pills and even zapping the brain with electrodes (a la transcranial direct-current stimulation, tDCS). A timely look at a very interesting topic. I've written a full executive summary of the book available here: http://newbooksinbrief.com/2014/01/14...