Book Nook Cafe discussion

Hi everyone!

I'm Tessa Smokes, a not-so-new-Goodreader who is BIG on procrastination. I love books, especially fantasies, crimes and contemporary in the fiction genre. As we speak, I have over 400 books on my shelf to be read, all of which falls in to six categories: business books, marketing and consultancy books, writing books, self-improvement and coaching books, novels, and heavy nonfiction.

So as I set up my blog this month I also set a challenge to read at least one of the books. The ones currently on my radar are Gone Girl by Flynn and On Writing by King.

So, anyone wanna support this lazy procrastinator in meeting this challenge? I'd love to have an accountability buddy at this stage of my life.

Thanks.

Tessa.

Hi, Tessa !

I read King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft years ago. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I hope you enjoy it, too. If I recall correctly, at the back of the book he gives a reading list. Just in case you feel the urge to increase those 400 books on your shelf. :O

I can sympathize. I probably have at least 400 myself. Yet that doesn't seem to stop me from getting more from the library and buying a few, too.

As you can see, some of us at Book Nook Cafe not only have a reading addiction but a book hording issue.

Right on point, Alias! The addiction is just too tough; the more good stuff you see the more you're compelled to add.

And thanks on the encouragement to add more, it's good thing they can be saved digitally; that way I could read one on my way to the labor corner as I give birth to my first set of twins!

Lol!

Congratulations !

Hi Tessa! I've read both of those books already or else I'd join you. But I can hopefully provide some encouragement and motivation by saying I enjoyed both of them and I think you're in for a treat! Good luck!

Thanks Amy, that's encouraging! I've actually started reading On Writing, I think I stopped where King and his brother blew up the transformer. Lol!

Thanks Alias!

Best of luck as the birth of your twins approach, Tessa. Using the time to read will really make time fly. I read quite a bit after my children were born, mostly while nursing them, however, they weren't twins, so there's no telling!

madrano wrote: "Best of luck as the birth of your twins approach, Tessa. Using the time to read will really make time fly. I read quite a bit after my children were born, mostly while nursing them, however, they w..."

Thank you madrano, I know exactly what you mean.

Anyone want to tackle One Hundred Years Of Solitude this summer? My Modern Library edition mocks me from the bookcase.

Oh, Laura. I've tried to read that book 3 times. I first tried it on my own. Then again when Oprah selected it. Lastly, when I read it was one of President Clinton's favorites. The last time I actually made it to around page 300. It's just not my kind of book. I am not a big fan of the magical realism genre.

I know a lot of people love it. I hope you find someone to Buddy with.

By the way, Welcome to Book Nook Cafe !

Thanks for the friendly welcome! If someone takes me up on it, then it's reading destiny. If not, that's ok, too.

I read and liked, not loved, the book, too. Hope it's a good one for you, Laura.

Looking for a book buddy that has read or is currently reading Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

Clayton wrote: "Looking for a book buddy that has read or is currently reading Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari"

Hi, Clayton. I own the book but have not read it yet. Unfortunately, I can't commit right now. Though I do hope to read it sometime in the coming year.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari sounds good but i cannot commit at this point, either. I hope you find a reading buddy for it, Clayton.

Alias Reader wrote: "If VijayaRaghavan responds, I will set up a folder for you all to discuss

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee"

Alias, I am not sure if this is the right place for my question, so excuse me if is not, are we having a group/buddy read in January?

Francesca, we are not having a group read.

I found it hard to get enough people interested in a monthly or even bi-montly group read.

We recently seem to have a lot of new people join the group. Maybe we can start things up again if there is interest.

If we can get a handful of people who say they would like to select a book to discuss during January/February for a group read, I will take book nominations and get things rolling. I have found if we do one book over two months it's easier for people to fit it into their reading schedules.

If not, maybe if there is a book you would like to read you can see if you can Buddy up with someone. That is what I recently did. I mentioned what my library book group was reading and if anyone here wanted to join me in reading it. We did Animal Farm and The Wright Brothers.

For January I am reading with my library group--
The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus --- Richard Preston
Would you like to join me? If so I'll set up a January thread for the discussion. Anyone else interested in reading it?

The bestselling landmark account of the first emergence of the Ebola virus. A highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest suddenly appears in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. There is no cure. In a few days 90 percent of its victims are dead. A secret military SWAT team of soldiers and scientists is mobilized to stop the outbreak of this exotic "hot" virus. The Hot Zone tells this dramatic story, giving a hair-raising account of the appearance of rare and lethal viruses and their "crashes" into the human race. Shocking, frightening, and impossible to ignore, The Hot Zone proves that truth really is scarier than fiction.

The book is really interesting...and scary! Probably one I wouldn’t read for my own choice as I am quite impressible when we’re talking about diseases :) but I don't mind to do it as a buddy read. So, yes I am happy to join you, I will start after the 7th when I am back in UK so I can finish My Brilliant Friend and get the other from the library. Hopefully more will join too!!!

Awesome !

I know that's a good book, as my husband read it & raved, but i'm just not sure i can read it now. I'll keep it in mind, though.

The next book that I am going to start is
Ragtime---E.L. Doctorow
if anyone wants to join me.

I am going to see the musical version of the book in a few weeks at a local community theater and I want to read it first.

synopsis

Published in 1975, Ragtime changed our very concept of what a novel could be. An extraordinary tapestry, Ragtime captures the spirit of America in the era between the turn of the century & the First World War. The story opens in 1906 in New Rochelle, NY, at the home of an affluent American family. One lazy Sunday afternoon, the famous escape artist Harry Houdini swerves his car into a telephone pole outside their house. Almost magically, the line between fantasy & historical fact, between real & imaginary characters, disappears. Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, J.P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Sigmund Freud & Emiliano Zapata slip in & out of the tale, crossing paths with Doctorow's imagined family & other fictional characters, including an immigrant peddler & a ragtime musician from Harlem whose insistence on a point of justice drives him to revolutionary violence.

Brilliant!!! This was already in my reading list...so I'm definitely up for it!!! When are you planning to start Alias?

I'm starting Thursday or Friday. However, it will probably take me at least two or 3 weeks to finish. Let me know if you are still interested and I'll put up a thread.

Alias Reader wrote: "I'm starting Thursday or Friday. However, it will probably take me at least two or 3 weeks to finish. Let me know if you are still interested and I'll put up a thread."

Yep, I'm ok with it. I will try to get hold of the book before the end of the week, nearly finished with the one I am currently reading, so timing works out perfectly :)!

Excellent !

I like the book but not enough to reread it. Enjoy!

I have to read this by April 20th if anyone would like to join me.

My library selected group


The Harder They Come----T.C. Boyle

Acclaimed New York Times bestselling author T.C. Boyle makes his Ecco debut with a powerful, gripping novel that explores the roots of violence and anti-authoritarianism inherent in the American character.

Set in contemporary Northern California, The Harder They Come explores the volatile connections between three damaged people—an aging ex-Marine and Vietnam veteran, his psychologically unstable son, and the son's paranoid, much older lover—as they careen towards an explosive confrontation.

On a vacation cruise to Central America with his wife, seventy-year-old Sten Stensen unflinchingly kills a gun-wielding robber menacing a busload of senior tourists. The reluctant hero is relieved to return home to Fort Bragg, California, after the ordeal—only to find that his delusional son, Adam, has spiraled out of control.

Adam has become involved with Sara Hovarty Jennings, a hardened member of the Sovereign Citizens’ Movement, right-wing anarchists who refuse to acknowledge the laws and regulations of the state, considering them to be false and non-applicable. Adam’s senior by some fifteen years, Sara becomes his protector and inamorata. As Adam's mental state fractures, he becomes increasingly schizophrenic—a breakdown that leads him to shoot two people in separate instances. On the run, he takes to the woods, spurring the biggest manhunt in California history.

As he explores a father’s legacy of violence and his powerlessness in relating to his equally violent son, T. C. Boyle offers unparalleled psychological insights into the American psyche. Inspired by a true story, The Harder They Come is a devastating and indelible novel from a modern master.

Much as i liked Boyle's The Tortilla Curtain i haven't been interested in reading more by him. I think i tried one more but it didn't call to me enough to finish. Yet, Curtain was so good & i could barely put it down. I'm not sure why something like that happens. Enjoy the story & the group, Alias.

I like the way he writes. That is why I suggested the novel. I hope it's a winner.

I didn't know the book and the author either, but after reading some of the info it got me interested! When are you planning to start Alias?

As soon as I finish Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis I hope to finish that this weekend. So next week or so.

If you are interested in reading The Harder They ComeI would be open to discussing it until my next book club meeting which is April 20th. So anytime you can read it between now and then would be cool.

Just a note. The Book Buddy threads and the Group Read threads always stay open and I never delete them.

I nearly finished Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter, really enjoying it by the way, so will be fine for me too start The harder they come next week. I will try to get hold of a copy of it this weekend :)!

Awesome ! Let me know if you get the book and then I will set up a thread. I look forward to reading The Harder They Come with you.

Alias Reader wrote: "Awesome ! Let me know if you get the book and then I will set up a thread. I look forward to reading The Harder They Come with you."

I ordered the book Alias and I should get it next week!!

Terrific !

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics~~Daniel James Brown

For readers of Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit and Unbroken, the dramatic story of the American rowing team that stunned the world at Hitler's 1936 Berlin Olympics

Daniel James Brown’s robust book tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936.

The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not for glory, but to regain his shattered self-regard and to find a place he can call home. The crew is assembled by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a visionary, eccentric British boat builder, but it is their trust in each other that makes them a victorious team. They remind the country of what can be done when everyone quite literally pulls together—a perfect melding of commitment, determination, and optimism.

Drawing on the boys’ own diaries and journals, their photos and memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, The Boys in the Boat is an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate story of nine working-class boys from the American west who, in the depths of the Great Depression, showed the world what true grit really meant. It will appeal to readers of Erik Larson, Timothy Egan, James Bradley, and David Halberstam's The Amateurs.

If anyone wants to Buddy Read, let me know. I have to have it read by May 25th.

I'm definitely up for it!!!!! The book seems really interesting and also different for anything I've read before. When are you planning to start Alias?

Awesome. Since my meeting is May 25th. I'll probably start it around May 11 or so. It will depend on what else I am reading at the time.

I'll put up a thread and you can begin whatever works best for you. I'll just mark the thread a May read beginning May 1.

I hope some others join in, too !

I read this last year and really enjoyed it. I'll try to pay attention and contribute if I can.

Great !

I am glad so many have enjoyed it as I was the one who recommended it to my library group.

If anyone is interested in a Buddy Read with me, this is my next read that I have to read with my library group. I have to have it read by the end of June. So I will probably start it around the second week or so in June. But we can post about if for the whole month of June.

Everything I Never Told You---Celeste Ng

New York Times Bestseller · A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice · Winner of the Alex Award· Winner of the APALA Award for Fiction · NEA Big Read Selection

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY:

NPR · San Francisco Chronicle · Entertainment Weekly · The Huffington Post · Buzzfeed · Amazon · Grantland · Booklist · St. Louis Post Dispatch · Shelf Awareness · Book Riot · School Library Journal · Bustle · Time Out New York · Mashable · Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos. A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.

Sounds interesting. Let me see how things go here. My daughter will be here for a week starting Sunday, so the timing should be good. I've added my name to the waiting list and am 7th.

Cool, deb.

Francesca is on board for this read, too.

I have to have it read by June 29th. So we have plenty of time.

I'll put up the thread and people can read and discuss at their own pace.

Looking forward to it!

This sounds good. If my library cooperates I will too. LOL

:) Good !

I read this book but don't remember anything about it! Apparently I liked it though....so hopefully you do too.

That's encouraging, Julie. Maybe if you read our posts once we begin they will remind you of some details. I know when the group reads books i've read, more comes back to me as i read comments from others.

Bobbie, i hope your library is nice to you so you can join us.

Book secured for Wednesday, looking forward to start :)!