The Next Best Book Club discussion

Reading "A Year of Extraordinary Moments" Bette Lee Crosby.

I started Ready Player One by Ernest Cline last night

I read I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death. 4 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession

Started last night...

:
Crazy Rich Asians – Kevin Kwan – 2.5**
Okay I knew it was chick-lit going into it, and of course I’ve seen the incessant trailers for the movie. Sounded like a fun, quick, breezy beach-read kinda book. But I have to say that I really hated most of these characters. Rachel and Nick were okay but Kwan does little to really explore their relationship. I also got tired of all the “product placements” for designer this and designer that … much of which was lost on me. Not impressed. I’ll just put on my Walgreen’s sunglasses and Kohl’s sandals and enjoy a different book at the beach.
LINK to my review

Marisa wrote: "I started Ready Player One by Ernest Cline last night"

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did - and lots of other people!

I am such a fan of acclaimed Aussie author Tim Winton. Whether it's fiction, non-fiction or articles about the environment, politics, or men and boys, he captures places and voices, young and old, better than anybody.

Of course I loved his recent The Shepherd's Hut.
5★ Link to my review

I just finished The Bookshop which was okay but I am around half way through The Alice Network which is really good. Well defined characters.

I read Refuge. 4 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Just finished: by Kitty Zeldis
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: Sept 4

I read The Sadness of Beautiful Things: Stories. 5 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Notebook – Nicholas Sparks – 1*
An elderly man recalls how he met his wife, writing the couple’s story in a notebook and reading sections to his wife, who is in a nursing home with dementia. I found it maudlin and simplistic, though I did like Noah’s devotion to Allie as she is lost in her dementia. On the whole, I was bored and rolled my eyes frequently. Not my cup of tea.
LINK to my review

The Wonder – Emma Donoghue – 3.5***
A nurse trained by Florence Nightingale is sent to watch a young Irish girl who claims to not have eaten for four months. Is the child a “living wonder” or a fraud? As she records her observations, Lib Wright gets to know Anna, the intelligent and devoutly religious young girl. Along the way the novel explores issues of faith, belief, guilt, abuse, family dysfunction, social mores and the role of the Roman Catholic Church and her priests in protecting (or not) children. I had to remind myself a few times that the time frame of the work is the mid-19th century. I think it would result in a great book-group discussion.
LINK to my review

Just finished Everything Here Is Beautiful, although of course it isn't. Mira T. Lee tells the story of what I'd describe as the frustrating devotion of an older sister to her younger.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm currently alternating between a non-fiction and a classic:

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari - Very interesting read, I'm learning a lot

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - I can't believe I've not read this before (nor seen the film). Looking forward to see if it lives up to they hype.

I just finish The Way Home and it was really good.

I read Virgil Wander. 4+ stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Just read and LOVED Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor. No wonder his work regularly makes the Man Booker Prize longlist. Such beautiful, easy reading.
5★ Link to my review

Reading/listening to “Ravensbruck” by Sarah Helm. Hitler’s concentration camp for women. Author has researched this little-known torture chamber/death camp for years. I became interested in this place, not only because its inhabitants were all women, but because I heard it mentioned in the movie “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” and several times in the British series “A Place To Call Home”. Sarah was incarcerated there. I’m only one chapter in, but I will finish it by Christmas, 2018.

I've just started reading Boardwalk Summer

The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzmán – Louis de Bernières –
3.5***
The third and final installment in this author’s “Latin American Trilogy” returns to the village of Cochadebajo, in the mountains of an unnamed South American country. I love these books. I love de Bernières’s clever writing and vivid imagery, the outlandish plot points, and outrageous scenarios. The reader who can suspend disbelief and tolerate a great deal of magical occurrences will be delighted. However, I definitely recommend you begin with the first book in the trilogy: The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts.
LINK to my review

Finished Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding

A psychological thriller

Rating: ★★★

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

I haven't updated goodreads yet but I grabbed The War that Saved My Life from the library and almost 100 pages in.

Up the Down Staircase – Bel Kaufman – 4****
An idealistic teacher clashes with school bureaucracy and struggles to reach her students in a large metropolitan high school. This is written in a kind of epistolary style – notes in the suggestion box, memos from the school principal or nurse or clerk, letters written to a college friend, messages from fellow teachers, items posted on the bulletin board, etc. It makes for a fast and very engaging read, and lends an air of verisimilitude. Hard to believe this was written in the ‘60s and still stands up today.
LINK to my review

--------- * * * * * * * * --------


Moonraker – Ian Fleming – 3***
Book three in the original James Bond series. This novel focuses on cold-war sensibilities about a decade post WW2. The reader gets what’s expected: danger, car chases, explosions, dastardly villains, beautiful women, and ever debonair, intelligent and resourceful Bond.
LINK to my review

If it were a novel, you wouldn't believe it! Ali Gripper has written the story of The Barefoot Surgeon: The inspirational story of Dr Sanduk Ruit, the eye surgeon giving sight and hope to the world's poor.

Indefatigable isn't a strong enough word for him.
4.5★ Link to my review with photos

I just finished: The Secrets Between Us by Thrity Umrigar

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

This was the riveting sequel to The Space Between Us

I read Whiskey When We're Dry. 4 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm reading The Wife by Alafair Burke. I'm enjoying it so far 😀

I'm reading . Pretty good so far.

I just read a kids' book, Power to the Princess by Vita Weinstein Murrow. Get rid of the Disney and the poor grammar and it could have potential.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver. Fantastic! It's a dystopian novel about the US in economic freefall. Must read.

Sharon wrote: "Finished The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver. Fantastic! It's a dystopian novel about the US in economic freefall. Must read."

I've had The Mandibles: A Family, 2029–2047 on my list for ages, Sharon. I'd better unearth it, I think. :)

I read the first of a thriller series, Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz. Evan Smoak is the Nowhere Man, the one you need to find when you can’t get help anywhere.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I recently started Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor Brown. It's potentially very good, but I'm distracted by the extreme use of similes to enhance the descriptions.

I finished The Caregiver. 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

After the Funeral – Agatha Christie – 3***
Oh, I love Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells. Always entertaining and always keeping me guessing. Here we have quite a number of characters, all of whom seem to have some motive for killing Cora Lansquenet and/or Richard Abernathie. The killer and Dame Christie cleverly give us many red herrings, false clues, misleading statements, and seemingly meaningless occurrences to confuse, baffle and thwart any attempts at solving the mystery. But, of course, Poirot will unveil the killer.
LINK to my review

Some historical 'faction' in R.J. Gadney's fictionalised biography, Albert Einstein Speaking. He was a real character and a trial to his teachers (and lovers).
3.5★ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished Not Our Kind. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Starting to read The Midwich Cuckoos which was made into a movie called The Village of the Damned. I've been looking for this book for a while. Love so many genres but scifi is special to me.

I am reading Behind The Scenes at the Museum by KATE ATKINSON.

Cactus Blood – Lucha Corpi – 1*
Book two in the Gloria Damasco mystery series. She’s a private detective in training, with a gift for premonition…. Or at least vividly violent dreams that seem to come true. The plot was all over the place and I didn’t care about any of these characters. If it wasn’t a selection for my F2F book club, I would not have finished it.
LINK to my review

Finished The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Currently Reading, Effective Saturday 15Sep18

TEXT: The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon

AUDIO in the car: Educated by Tara Westover

MP3 audio: The Cider House Rules by John Irving

The Pearl Thief – Elizabeth E Wein – 3.5***
This is a prequel of sorts to Wein’s Code Name Verity , giving readers a little background on the character of Julia Beaufort-Stuart. It’s a good mystery and coming-of-age tale set in 1938 in the Scottish Highlands. I thought Wein did a good job of moving the plot forward and keeping the reader guessing. There are plenty of suspects and certain bits of evidence point first in one direction and then in another. Author notes at the end give additional information on the Travelers and on Scottish river pearls.
LINK to my review

The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne. A true, funny book about a body building librarian overcoming Tourette's Syndrome. The other book I am starting is a Young Adult book called "The Book Shop of Yesterdays".

I read Moon of the Crusted Snow. 4 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm – Kate Douglas Wiggins – 4****
What a delight this classic is! From the first introduction, as she boards the stagecoach as the lone passenger, Rebecca charms and entertains. She is ever curious, constantly moving, always exploring, and chattering away. I wish Wiggins had written a sequel; I sure would read more about Rebecca as a young woman. She’s every bit as engaging and interesting as Anne Shirley (of Green Gables).
LINK to my review

I've started read Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan. This was selected by my FTF BC (I missed the meeting so I had nothing to do with the choice). I've enjoyed reading two other books by Amy Tan but this book is so different that I'm not sure if I'm going to read it to the end. Pretty harsh judgement since I'm only 50 pages in so I'll probably give it at least another 50 before I decide. Right now I feel more disappointed in this book than anything else. Has anyone else read this????

I finished War and Peace. No review yet. I need a break.

I finished Unsheltered. 3.5 stars rebounded up to 4 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...