The Next Best Book Club discussion

Nancy from NJ wrote: "Paula wrote: "I've just started and am enjoying it so far."

I loved this book but was greatly disappointed in her second book [book:Looking for Me|16158...

Thanks for letting me know. I'm really enjoying this one.

I'm starting The One You Love by Paul Pilkington. Seems to divide opinions in the reviews.

I am now on the 3rd book of The Dept. Q series by Jussi Adler-Olsen. Likeable characters, interesting plot and enough mystery at the end you will go on to the next book, then the next. If you have come to the end of the Wallander series & are looking for a worthy replacement, look no future then Dept. Q.

True Sisters by Sandra Dallas – 4****
Based on a true episode in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Dallas’s novel focuses on four fictional women and their families as they make the arduous trip from Iowa City to Salt Lake City pushing two-wheeled handcarts. Dallas excels at painting the landscape of this journey across the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. What I particularly liked about the novel, however, were the women themselves. Not just the main four characters, but several other women in the group showed themselves to be strong, intelligent, resourceful, skilled, compassionate, and good judges of character. A fast and compelling read.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am starting American Pastoral by Philip Roth. The last I read of his was Portnoy's Complaint. Wonder how life has changed?

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

Lori wrote: "Hi Everyone,

So the last What Are You Reading was glitching something serious, and I apologize for that.

Here's a clean new thread by which you can share your current reads, because we are curi..."

I am reading The wife, maid and mistress by Ariel Lawhon. It is about the disappearance of Supreme Court Judge Joseph Crater.

Savage Run by C.J. Box – 4****
Book # 2 in the Joe Pickett series starts with the death of an infamous environmentalist. Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett is an honest-to-God, highly-principled “good guy.” However, he does have a tendency to naively overreach and not consider the political ramifications of his black-and-white thinking. Box is skilled at crafting a fast-paced page-turner. I’ll definitely keep reading this series.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm going to start reading Capital by John Lanchester.

Am about halfway through The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.

I've just started

Still reading A Dance with Dragons. This is book five and I believe book six is scheduled for 2015 but if you go to George R.R. Martin author lookup page it looks like there may be two more after book six.

3/4 of the way through Don DeLillo's The Body Artist. I think it's nice that he can write sparsely hundred-page novellas and call them novels and we're just like, "You're Don Delillo, so okay."

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley – Audiobook performed by Michael York – 4****
This is a classic science fiction novel in which Huxley imagines a future world that is focused on mass production, consumption, and a homogenous civilization. First published in 1932 this is a brilliant work of imagination. I was particularly struck by the focus on consumerism especially given that it was written during the Great Depression. This is not my preferred genre, but I was caught up in the world Huxley imagined and was interested in the characters and where the story would go. The audiobook is capably performed by Michael York.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Stuck in a rut
… but it's not a bad rut. I'm currently reading Sandstorm by James Rollins . The rut is I seem to be deciding on a read based on setting location. I think I was compromised by Dan Brown. The Da Vinci code, of course, is primarily set in Paris. I lived a few years in an Isle de France banlieue outside Paris so much of The Da Vinci code is familiar or interesting to me for location. Yes, it is kind of a good book for other reasons as well but I think that set me off. Sandstorm has, at least to the point I'm at now, a significant part in London, a quick EuroStar trip from Paris, so still the trend for me. Others books I've read recently have had similar locations or the books have been parts of series with similar or other European locations so it seems more than a rut perhaps an addiction. Not a bad one because I have enjoyed the books; Sandstorm so far is very interesting. Perhaps I need a bad read to cure me.
Anyone know a bad Paris, London or Euro based book to help cure my addiction?

I've just started reading Paisley Mischief,

Well if you want Paris; Cara Black has a Mysteries series with each Paris neighborhood as the location for the murder.

I'm reading by Olga Lengyel and by H.G Wells.

Gabriella wrote: "I'm reading by Olga Lengyel and by H.G Wells.

I LOVE the Time Machine.

After reading his work 15 years ago, I'm rereading Gabriel Garcia Marquez, both Of Love and Other Demons and One Hundred Years of Solitude. Hearing that he was in the hospital prompted me to pick him up again. He died a week ago today, so reading his work feels like a quiet way to honor a masterful writer. I suppose I reread Love in the Time of Cholera next.

Just started the Hour of Peril, a true crime book.

Currently reading A Clockwork Orange.
A science-fiction dystopian classic which, I think, should be read by every modern youth.

Stephen wrote: "Well if you want Paris; Cara Black has a Mysteries series with each Paris neighborhood as the location for the murder."

Thanks Stephen, I checked out the series and Cara Black's website. Certainly Paris based and does look very interesting so I will be adding to my 'to read' list. You do realize, however, this is fueling the addiction. I'll take the chance though. Thanks again.

Scot wrote: "Anyone know a bad Paris, London or Euro based book to help cure my addiction? "

a "bad book" ... Ha ... okay this one got only 2** ...The Paris Enigma

One True Thing by Anna Quindlen – 4****
This is a thought-provoking read for several reasons. On the surface it deals with death and dying and the way in which our society treats the terminally ill. The book also deals with the complicated relationships between adult children and their parents. I found this a very compelling read. I was interested and engaged from beginning to end. That being said, there are some scenes which are difficult to read, because Quindlen is brutally honest about what it means to be a caregiver to a terminally ill loved one.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Komal wrote: "Currently reading A Clockwork Orange.
A science-fiction dystopian classic which, I think, should be read by every modern youth."

Hi Komal,
I have to say, as a modern youth, at least I was in the era 'A Clockwork Orange' was written, I agree.

The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly – 3.5***
Book # 3 in the Harry Bosch series is a fast-paced, suspenseful read. Connelly keeps the reader (and Harry) on their toes, with multiple twists in the plot. He also gives us a little more of Harry’s personal life. But the main focus is the mystery of the Dollmaker, and that is exactly what this genre requires. Connelly is a master at surprising the reader and I definitely did NOT solve this one ahead of Harry.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Alpine for You by Maddy Hunter

In reading The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.

The Wedding Officer by Anthony Capella – 4****
This is a delicious novel that begins as a romantic comedy but moves on to give the reader a lesson on the history of Naples in 1944. Capella writes with humor and pathos in describing the war-time experiences of the citizens and soldiers trying to survive not only a war but a volcano’s eruption. I’m glad he included the grittier scenes of chaos and destruction, but where he really excels is in writing about the sights, sounds, smells, textures and tastes of the cuisine, and the effects of those scrumptious meals on the human spirit. I was completely caught up in the story from beginning to end.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am reading . What a great and informative memoir.

Sister by Rosamund Lupton.

Jackie wrote: "In reading The Paris Wife by Paula McLain."

I loved this book but I definitely ended up really disliking Hemingway although I still appreciate his writing, just don't like the person he was.

I'm enjoying it too Karen. I really didn't know anything about him and have been looking little bits and pieces up as I've been reading. He certainly was a character. I haven't read any of his work.

Finished The Paris Wife. Very good! Now reading Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup.

Jackie wrote: "I'm enjoying it too Karen. I really didn't know anything about him and have been looking little bits and pieces up as I've been reading. He certainly was a character. I haven't read any of his w..."

I researched him as I went along too :) was a great story.

N or M? by Agatha Christie – Audiobook narrated by James Warwick – 3***
Book # 3 in the Tommy & Tuppence series has the intrepid couple ferreting out spies during World War II. They are quite the pair, but the books are definitely dated. Still the intrigue is there and I was kept guessing right up to the end. James Warwick’s narration on the audio is quite good.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler (Audio book performed by Jenna Lamia) – 4****
Of course I already knew the basic story of the famous couple who embodied the Jazz Age. Fowler has crafted a wonderfully personal story of a fascinating woman and the man she loved. She peppers the novel with real incidents and the large circle of friends and acquaintances that surrounded the Fitzgeralds. But it’s wise to remember that this a work of fiction, told strictly from Zelda’s point of view. Still, I was mesmerized. Jenna Lamia does a fine job narrating the audio version of the book. Her Southern debutante Zelda is spot on perfect.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

On Folly Beach by Karen white – 2**
Two story lines – 2009 and 1943 – involving the loss of a loved one, and a great secret. I guessed the big secret fairly early on and was impatient for the characters to catch up. There’s actually a nugget of an interesting story here, but the book is full of pat answers to major life problems, and I didn’t believe in the characters. It was a fast read, and occasionally the plot kept me interested.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just finished Donna Tartt's 'The Goldfinch'. Just loved it - hated to see the last audio disk end.

Gonna' miss you, Boris.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Just finished A Circle of Wives and will be starting Into The Woods.

The Time of My Life by Cecelia Ahern

The Associate by John Grisham

I am about a third of the way into One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcí­a Marquez. Strange, not a fast read, and the two-page long paragraphs tend to irritate.

Heather L wrote: "I am about a third of the way into One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcí­a Marquez. Strange, not a fast read, and the two-page long paragraphs tend to irritate."

One of my favorite quotes comes from this book (I'm going to paraphrase, because I don't have the book handy)

"The world must be all f**ked up," he said, "when men travel first class and literature goes as freight."

Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman – 3***
In his fiction debut, physicist Lightman imagines the kinds of dreams Einstein might have had when he was working on his theory of relativity. This collection of essays on the “relativity of time” is engaging, interesting, fascinating, and thought-provoking. The writing is beautiful, with an ethereal quality reminiscent of dreams.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have just startedThe Golem and the Jinni which hooked me immediately. What a brilliant concept, the location and time period is perfect. I am at Chapter 5 and already have a list of people to send this great book to.

Starting Bridget and Joan's Diary by Bridget Golightly.

I finished glass houses and the dead girls dance. I also finished the Vincent Boys. I am now reading the Vincent brothers, midnight alley, and the grass is always greener.