The Next Best Book Club discussion

I'll let you know, Jackie.

Okey doke.

Heather, I added The Painted Veil con my TBR pile. The story looks interesting.

Sandra wrote: "Heather, I added The Painted Veil con my TBR pile. The story looks interesting."


Hi Sandra! I finished last night and loved it. I liked it much more than expected, actually. Maugham has a fluid writing style that makes for an easy read.

I'm now reading a slightly older mystery (2000), Biting the Moon by Martha Grimes.

Have you read the Martha Grimes trilogy about an old hotel and a child sleuth. Great books.

Nancy from NJ wrote: "Have you read the Martha Grimes trilogy about an old hotel and a child sleuth. Great books."

I have Hotel Paradise in Mount TBR, have not gotten to it yet.

Unfortunately i am stuck writing my first essay in my pre-college English class so i am kind of taking another break. Luckily for me i only have to come up with a new introduction (which i have already done) and my third paragraph, and then i have to come up with the conclusion which i am a little worried about but i think i can figure it out eventually. I hope to finish it today so i can finish reading and tackle on monday. I will then have three more books to read before i go to the library, sadly. Im getting kind of tired of looking at the same books right now

I've just started

Last night i finished since i didn't have any internet. I am now reading and i hope to tackle it after i finish my paper. I also found the world of FanFiction and am in this Seto Kiaba (yu-Gi-oh) phase for some reason. Also since i have had no internet for the past two nights i haven't been able to catch up on my shows. Grr. While i am at school i am also reading on my iPod.

Heather L wrote: "Nancy from NJ wrote: "Have you read the Martha Grimes trilogy about an old hotel and a child sleuth. Great books."

I have Hotel Paradise in Mount TBR, have not gotten to it yet."

The first book is The End of the Pier. This book introduces you to the young girl, her mother and area.

I am beginning to reread a real favorite - I'm just in the mood - Leah's Journey by Gloria Goldreich. I first read this 36 years ago sooooooooo.

And for listening I chose a real oldie classic East of Eden by John Steinbeck. There are so many books I think I should read and this is one of them so this has been a goal.

Nancy from NJ wrote: "Heather L wrote: "Nancy from NJ wrote: "Have you read the Martha Grimes trilogy about an old hotel and a child sleuth. Great books."

I have Hotel Paradise in Mount TBR, have not got...

The first book is The End of the Pier. This book introduces you to the young girl, her mother and area. "


Ah... I have that one as well. I finished Biting the Moon Sunday and started the second in the series, Dakota.

I finished The Raven Boys, which I really liked and have started on Willful Child by Steven Erikson, a big departure for the guy who wrote the Malazan series.

Don’t Ask by Donald E Westlake – 3***
Book # 8 in the John Dortmunder series is a fun, fast, entertaining read. This time out the gang is involved in an international incident centering on an ancient religious relic. Dortmunder is a rather gentlemanly burglar; he’s a mastermind and a great planner, but his plans, however well thought out and featuring split-second timing, never quite work out. The joy comes in watching Westlake’s imaginative, convoluted scenarios unfold.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Heather L wrote: "Nancy from NJ wrote: "Heather L wrote: "Nancy from NJ wrote: "Have you read the Martha Grimes trilogy about an old hotel and a child sleuth. Great books."

I have Hotel Paradise in M..."

I guess you're like me and enjoy reading a series from the beginning.

I just finished Player Piano and enjoyed it more than a lot of Vonnegut's other books but not as much as Slaughterhouse-Five.

I'm starting George Orwell's The Road to Wigan Pier and hope it can come close to being as inspiring as 'Animal Farm' or '1984.'

Nancy from NJ wrote: "I guess you're like me and enjoy reading a series from the beginning."


Yes, I always prefer to start at the beginning of a series and read in order if possible.

I'm returning a pile of really excellent books to the library today. All five stars! My luck can surely not hold?
Two Brothers: A Novel
The Possibility Dogs: What a Handful of "Unadoptables" Taught Me About Service, Hope, and Healing
Silkworm
Accidents of Marriage
Fall of Giants

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion – 4****
Audio book narrated by Don O’Grady. Genetics professor Don Tillman has decided to marry – once he finds the perfect wife with the use of the extensive questionnaire he’s developed. But when he meets Rosie Jarman he sets aside the Wife Project to help her with her Father Project. As the project continues a friendship develops. This is an endearing, tender romantic comedy that had me laughing aloud in places. A delightful surprise!
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Don't get me wrong I am still enjoying Leah's Journey by Gloria Goldreich just not as much as I did the last time I read it. After all of these years of reading similar stories, I am a bit confused as to what I think happened in this book.

The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee – 4****
The subtitle says it all: A Biography of Cancer. Meticulously researched and explained so a layman can understand, Mukherjee has indeed crafted a biography of this disease that scares so many of us. He includes a few patient stories to make the scientific information more personal. Stephen Hoye does a fine job reading the audio version of this book.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra – 4****
This short novel follows two couples in a Taliban-run Kabul. Khadra writes with poetic detail about a city which the residents no longer recognize as their own. They struggle to make sense of a culture that is at once familiar and foreign. This is a tragedy, and things will not end well for all these characters. But I feel that I have gained a little understanding of the situation by reading this novel, and for that I’m grateful.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Just finished

I am reading A Quilt for Christmas by Sandra Dallas, an author whom I have enjoyed in the past. I continue to listen to East of Eden by John Steinbeck which is awfully wordy introducing the backgrounds of the principal characters.

I'm going to start reading We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler today.

I just finished The House Girl that it was good, buy not great.
Now I'll try to finish Pride and Prejudice. I'm 27% done with it, and liking it, but for some reason I'm always putting it apart to read some requested book that come to the library, or my book club book, or a novel that will be due soon at the library... I'm committed now to finishing it before start anything else.

I just finished The Blood of Olympus. Wow. Rick Riordan created this magical world of Greek Gods and Demigods and myths-come-true, and now it's over. I have been taken on a journey through 5 books that have changed my life, and the way I think. I will never forget you, Heroes of Olympus.

I just finished The Blood of Olympus. Wow. Rick Riordan created this magical world of Greek Gods and Demigods and myths-come-true, and now it's over. I have been taken on a journey through 5 books that have changed my life, and the way I think. I will never forget you, Heroes of Olympus.

700 Sundays by Billy Crystal – 3***
This is a memoir of his youth growing up in an extended family on Long Island. Billy Crystal’s father, Jack, died when Billy was just fifteen; he figures he had only 700 Sundays with his father. These Sundays form the framework for this memoir. Based on the Tony Award winning play by the same title, it is not about Crystal’s career as an entertainer, but about the family that nurtured the boy. I wish I could have had an audio version of this, or watched a DVD of the Broadway show, because as I read I couldn’t help but feel that the material is best performed.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just finished Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult. One of her best!

Ooo that's good to hear Rene. I've read most of her books and liked them. I think Nineteen Minutes is my favourite. Look forward to reading Leaving Time!

This afternoon i finally finished and it was pretty good. I am now working my way through 3 books at once. I am reading , and .

The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue – 3***
An ethereal novel that moves back and forth in time from 1920’s to contemporary New Orleans. Raziela Nolan was a vivacious woman planning a career as a doctor when she dies in a tragic accident. Now she watched over a young married couple, Amy and Scott, from her place in “the between.” Both Razi and Amy are dealing with loss and grief. I liked the young Razi, but never connected with Amy. I thought the dual plot lines got away from Domingue, but it was a decent debut novel.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

It Had To Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips – 1*
A blonde bombshell inherits a professional football team she doesn’t want and has to learn to deal with the Coach. I knew it was a chick-lit romance going into it, but it was so stupid I lost 20 IQ points. I finished it only because it satisfied a couple of challenges.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Catcher in the Rye, good or bad? I was thinking of reading it

The Catcher in the Rye is a classic, one I consider a must read.

Luke wrote: "The Catcher in the Rye, good or bad? I was thinking of reading it"


I had to read this one twice and although considered a classic, I personally did not like it.

Jackie wrote: "Ooo that's good to hear Rene. I've read most of her books and liked them. I think Nineteen Minutes is my favourite. Look forward to reading Leaving Time!"

I tried reading Leaving Time but couldn't get into it and then I saw an audio at the library and am trying this now. So far it's Ok, not great.

I am going to begin reading The Union Street Bakery which looks good. And I just found out there is also a sequel.

Sandra wrote: "Hi Karen, Cold Mountain was just wonderful. The writing is so beautiful...
I'm 34% into All the Light We Cannot See, and enjoying it a lot. I'm finding the story of those kids very touching. Curi..."

Sorry it took me so long to respond. I just haven't been around GR very much lately.

The Camomile Lawn was very good and I would recommend it. I bought a used copy which was rather old so you may have trouble finding a copy. Glad you enjoyed Cold Mountain, I just kept saying "beautiful, beautiful" as I was reading it. The descriptive language was wonderful. And All the Light We Cannot See, well it was nominated for the GR Choice Awards!!! Yes!

Jackie wrote: "Will be starting 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff later today."

This one of my favorite books, I re-read it every couple of years.

Just finished The Expats and have moved onto much lighter reading, Corduroy Mansions.

The last time I was here to post news about 3 books I was in the middle of: Perks of Being a Wallflower, My Name is Red and As I lay Dying. That was a month ago.

Now, I'm finishing:
How We Die:

How to go on living when someone you love dies:

Fields of Blood

Life of Muhammad


And I just completed ethical non-reciprocal reviews for 2 books under GR groups:
Nora deLuc's Gone before Goodbye

Piper Templeton's Rain Clouds and Waterfalls:


Plus, am using CreateSpace to launch the paperback version of my own debut e-novel The Governess - to get the copy of the book before issuing pre-order service:


Phew! So yup, have had my plate full.

Loads from Noorilhuda :)

Luke wrote: "The Catcher in the Rye, good or bad? I was thinking of reading it"


Even if you don't like it, it's a quick and easy read so you should definitely give it a shot. But if you do like it, chances are you will absolutely love it. (One of my favorite books of all time).

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly – 5*****
What a magical, wonderful story! This is a quest, a fairy tale, a horror story, a coming-of-age story, and a psychological study all in one. I love David, and I loved how Connolly incorporated so many life lessons in this imaginative tale. The adventures David has while in this “other” land are familiar and yet disturbingly different. Connolly is known as a writer of mystery thrillers, and his skill at writing a fast-paced, suspense-filled narrative shows here. I was immediately engaged in the story and couldn’t put it down.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just finished reading 3 books on Twin Peaks after the show was announced as returning in 2016 and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

I'm going to start reading The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber today.

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

Jackie wrote: "I'm going to start reading The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber today.

I've had this one in my stacks forever but haven't read it yet.

It's a pretty long book Paula, over 800 pages. I hope it's going to be good and worth the time lol

Jackie wrote: "It's a pretty long book Paula, over 800 pages. I hope it's going to be good and worth the time lol

I hope it is too! I just started "Outlander". Maybe the only person to have not read it yet and it's also over 800 pages. Good luck to both of us. LOL

I haven't read that either Paula, so you're not in your own lol.