You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

After you have read your chosen book(s) for this month's group theme read, please report in the thread below.

Please state what book you read (and link it), that you discussed it (and where), and briefly summarise what you thought of the book and/or link to your review if you have written one.

Here is an example for how to report your read:
“I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and discussed it in the [Harry Potter/Buddy Read/Other books in theme] thread. I really enjoyed the book. I watched the film first so I already knew the storyline but I was surprised how much I enjoyed the book more as there was more detail involved. Plus I listened to the audio which was narrated by Stephen Fry who is a superb narrator. 4 stars.”

If you read more than one book which fits the theme, please report all your reads in the same post rather than in separate posts.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. have read the book(s) before or during April 2016.
2. discussed it in the relevant thread. Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read, for example, thoughts, opinions, impact it had on you, what was your favourite part, was it what you expected it to be like etc. You may also like to review the book and post a link to the review in that thread.
3. Report that you have read AND discussed the book in the reporting thread below, along with a brief summary of what you thought.

I have read both of the monthly books and discussed in their threads. I still plan to read The Girl You Lost, but wanted to report on the others, so I don't forget.

The Girl on the Train - I enjoyed this book. The characters were unlikeable and unreliable, but somehow that didn't ruin the story. I found the story to be engaging. 4 stars

The Girl with All the Gifts - I wasn't a fan. I felt that the characters were hollow and there were inconsistencies in the story. I just couldn't connect with it, though I seem to be in the minority. 2 stars

I read The Girl on the Train and discussed it in its thread.

A very quick read with a captivating story. I really enjoyed this mystery and the way all the clues were slowly revealed. It was possible for the reader to piece together what happened before the characters did, but still not at the very beginning. The characters were all flawed and damaged and not necessarily likable, but I still felt and rooted for them. I think this makes it different from other books. I couldn't put the book down, but it still didn't take my breath away - that's why 4 and not 5 stars.

I listened to The Girl on the Train last month and really enjoyed it. I thought the audio was a wonderful production and may have even added to my experience giving it a 4.5 star rating. I've been discussing it over in the monthly thread and am really enjoying hearing how others are progressing through the book and the reactions they are having to the various characters and the ending!

The characters in this story were all so flawed which gave this book so much depth. It was a compusively readable book as well. I did not see the direction in which the ending was headed so it was a suprising twist! I'm usually pretty dense when it comes to guessing endings but I think this one is pretty well hidden.

I definitely rec the audio of this one.

I read The Girl on the Train and discussed it in its discussion thread. The discussion was really lively and fun, and more like a buddy read than our usual monthly discussion. It's only April 3rd, and several of us read the entire book in the first couple of days of April. It's the sort of book that is hard to put down, and very fast-paced, and full of surprises. The characters are seriously flawed and difficult to like, but the author keeps you rooting for them anyway. There are so many levels of misdirection in the book that I am still sorting them out. I gave the book four stars. Here is a link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

For those still looking for a book, The Good Girl is on a Kindle Daily Deal today (at least in the U.S.) for $1.99.

I've read Luckiest Girl Alive and put my thoughts in the appropriate thread. Another book marketed as 'next Gone Girl', I really need to stop reading them as they only disappoint. This one more than any other, only rating it 1 star.

@Casceil - out of curiosity, how do you see the group reads/buddy reads differ? Would be great to hear what you think.

Lynn wrote: "I've read Luckiest Girl Alive and put my thoughts in the appropriate thread. Another book marketed as 'next Gone Girl', I really need to stop reading them as they only disappoint. This one more than any other, only rating it 1 star. "

I've also read Girl on the Train and started to discuss in the appropriate thread. Another 'next Gone Girl' but not quite as disappointed as the above. However I do think it may have influenced what I felt about the book as I came out of it feeling a little underwhelmed. Probably because I didn't find it as suspenseful in comparison.
As I said, no more listening to 'the next ..... ' for me!

@Sarah, as to how buddy reads and group reads differ. The main difference seems to be that a buddy read has an agreed start date, so everyone starts at the same time, and the thread provides a place to have a conversation about the book while you are all discovering it together. The first of the month is often not the best time to start reading a book, particularly if you participate in different groups and they each start a new book each month. It seems to me like there has been at least one month when someone posted in the group read thread that they would be reading the book at a certain time (usually because that is when they could get it from the library.) When I see comments like that, sometimes I make an effort to read the book when I know other people will be reading it. But there are many availability issues that come up with various books, and we won't always be able to get everyone starting at the same time. I think, though, that having a "discussion leader" to keep the discussion going as later people come in may help achieve some of that effect. I nominated "Girl on the Train," and I plan to keep an idea on that discussion and make sure anyone who comments later in the month is not just talking to themselves.

Thanks for explaining Casceil. That makes sense. And thanks for keeping an eye on the thread. I'm hoping to join in too. Just waiting on my library reservation. I had no luck on last month's book with a reservation so fingers crossed for this month.

I read The Girl on the Train and discussed it in the discussion thread.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick and engrossing read that was hard to put down. In fact, I overslept this morning because of staying up late cause I had to finish it, lol.
Anyway, as others have said most of the characters had serious flaws and were hard to like but that didn't stop you from wanting to know how the story plays out. I also liked how the author just revealed bits and pieces with different points of view. I kept changing my theories with every other chapter which made for a great mystery.
It was a great read and I gave it 4 stars. Looking forward to more books by this author.

I read The Girl on the Train and discussed it in the discussion thread

If I could I would give it 3.5 stars - I liked but did not love it, but will recommend it to friends
I listened to the audio book which probably depressed my rating. The narrator did an excellent job with the women's voices, not good with the men- they all sounded like Monty Python to me.

an emotional roller-coaster in the style of Hitchcock - I recommend you read this book- excellent plot, well written dialog and monologues, compelling characters, and enough twists to keep you puzzled! The premise, action and resolution are all believable - this is not a made for t.v. fairy tale but is emotionally satisfying.

It does drag a bit in the middle - which may be a bit of clever authorial technique to help you identify with the friends and family of Rachel -

I discussed The Girl with All the Gifts in the group discussion thread set up for it.

This book was unexpected in many ways. The title, cover, book blurb all don't really prepare you for what the story is about. True to form, the ending was unexpected. The author has a new book out and I'll be sure to read it.

I read The Girl on the Train and discussed it in the group discussion thread.
I like the pacing of the novel, and the way it is told from different characters' perspectives. This combined with short chapters makes the book a fast, interesting read.
Although the characters are difficult to connect with, the plot is engaging and kept me hooked until the end. Rachel's continued bouts with alcohol did tend to bog the story down in the middle, but the boredom with her drinking may be the effect the author was going for. It was also a clever way to hide the clues about Tom.
My favorite part of the book is the end when Anna helps Rachel.

I read Third Girl by Agatha Christie.

I have read this book before, and I was again amazed at how the author describes human nature, whether good, bad, or messed up. I think that's what I like best about her stories, the psychology involved.

And for all the Agatha Christie books I've read, never once have I figured out who the bad guy is before the big reveal at the end.

I read The Girl You Lost and posted in the Girl in the TItle Discussion thread. This was a disappointment to me, as I generally love psychological thrillers. I gave it two stars out of five. It is a book about a couple who have their infant kidnapped, and then after 18 years of not know anything, they meet a college student who may be their daughter.

I read De Rosebud Atletiekclub voor Vrouwen (the Dutch version of Girl Runner) by Carrie Snyder. I discussed it in the 'girl in title'-thread. A wonderful story about a woman athlete, who wins the Olympics in Amsterdam in 1928 and about her life afterwards. Fiction, so not about the real winner. I gave it 5 stars.

I read The Girl with All the Gifts and discussed it in the thread. This book had a lot of ethical aspects to think about, which was quite intriguing. Apart from this, it also had enough horrifying suspense, that one could read through it quickly. One thing I liked was how the writing style changed with the development of the story and the main protagonist. But i’m afraid i’m not such a big fan of the horror genre. There were a lot of scenes, which i really found disgusting and it was hard to read them.

I read The Girl on the Train and discussed it in the group read discussion thread. I gave it 3 stars. It was enjoyable but it wasn't as memorable or thrilling as I thought it was going to be. It was well written, it held my interest through to the very last page and it got me asking lots of questions but it ultimately left me feeling a bit underwhelmed and unsatisfied. There were also a couple of things that happened that felt a bit too convenient or cliche. I am glad I picked it up but it's not the best book I have read by any means.

I read The Girl with All the Gifts - listened to the audio book actually - and discussed it in the thread. I really enjoyed this book. It was different from the books that I usually read and very though-provoking. Not what I would expect from a book of this genre. I would certainly read another book by this author. Speaking of the author, I was surprised when I read that the author was a male. I probably assumed a female author since the narrator that I listened to was a woman but also, much of the book was told from the perspective of female charachters.

I read The Girl on the Train and posted my review in the discussion thread. At the time I rated it a 4 but now I'm not sure I feel that strongly about it. It was hard to like the characters, in particular Rachel. I did like the pace of the story and some of the twists and turns. This would not be my usual choice in book so that may have something to do with it as well.

i read The Girl on the Train and discussed it in the April thread. Only gave it two stars though.

I wasn't that impressed to be honest (gave it 3 stars). I was expecting an Agatha Christie type mystery, which it wasn't / isn't. I'm not sure why I thought this... the title probably. I was wishing for a type of book I never got).

I disliked the main character. She was so annoying! I thought she did some pretty wet and dumb things and there were plenty of 'face palm' moments for me - I wanted to give her a good shake every 10 minutes or so.
The start of the book had promise. I started out giving Rachel the benefit of the doubt –many of my colleagues at GR were much more patient with her than I was – but I rapidly grew bored with her. None of the other characters held my interest either.

I wanted to know what happened just enough to finish the book and find out. All in all, not a good choice for me… although having read the discussions, lots of people really liked it.

I read The Story of Beautiful Girl. I posted in the discussion thread as well but didn't get round to really discussing it there, because I read it while on holiday but with no internet access.

It started off really intriguing and I was hooked, but it didn't keep that up. I wanted to finish it and I was curious what would happen, but it wasn't as good as the first chapters made it seem. Also a bit too many inconsistencies or things that were just too convenient. I did like the setting, and how people with disabilities were treated in the 60s and 70s (I didn't like that obviously, but it was interesting to learn more about it). I also liked many of the characters, Martha, Kate, Lynnie, Homan. I rated it 3 stars.

I read The Girl on the Train and participated in the discussion thread.

I thought it was very well written. I thought the characters felt very human. I did not like any of them, but I think that was the point. It is not really the kind of book that I go out of my way to read, normally, but I was sucked into the story and carried along. 100 pages flashed by before I knew it. I read the rest in one more long session. I did not enjoy it, but there were some shocking moments and twists that I did not see and I have enough - or too much - curiosity, to give it up before I got to the end. My plan was to read an alternate "girl" book, but there was so much discussion going on that I felt that I needed to see what it was all about. I will be passing on the movie, but my daughter and I discussed the book (she had already read it) and she is anxious to see the movie.

I discussed The Girl on the Train in its thread. I have read it a couple of months ago, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to discuss it now. I gave it 3 stars, since it was a book I enjoyed, and actually couldn't put down, but I don't think it's amazing. But the fact that it is the first novel by this author, makes her very promising IMO.
Besides the good pace of the story, I liked the fact that it made me wonder about the way we see some people. (view spoiler)[Rachel is an alcoholic, and her behavior is pretty annoying. It's difficult to empathize with her at the beginning. But at the end we know she is, and has been, victim of severe abuse. This made me wonder how many times I have avoided people because of their erratic, exasperating behavior, and it actually might be the consequence of what they are going through. We dislike victims because they are irritating, and we like abusers because they are are manipulative and masters in the art of pretend. That scared me. (hide spoiler)]

Very true, Sandra.

I read A Girl's Guide to Moving On. and discussed it in the thread. Though I have enjoyed other books by Debbie Macomber, this book was an OK read for me. The daughter-in-law and mother-in-law courage walks away from their respective cheating husbands and try to live happily with new friends.

Finished my book, I read Girl in the Train, chatted about it in the thread. I liked this one it wasn't great but wasn't bad.

I liked how you saw the same story through multiple characters. I really didn't connect to the characters though so I only rated it 2 stars.

I liked how the whole thing was designed just a person who rides the same train and how it changed her life.

I'm a bit late reporting, but read and discussed The Girl with Ghost Eyes. It's an urban fantasy that takes place exclusively in San Fransisco's Chinatown of the past. I really enjoyed the different cultural setting, the way the difficult circumstances of Chinese immigrants were integrated into the story, and the incredible growth the heroine must go through. She begins as docile, obedient, and naive. She ends strong and assured.

Badges are done. Let me know if I've missed anyone.

Beautiful badge, Sarah! Thanks.

Sarah wrote: "Badges are done. Let me know if I've missed anyone."

Sarah, I like the way you put all the book titles into the badge BUT you led me to add another book to my to-read shelf! The Girl I Left Behind (I found it while looking for a summary of The Girl You Left Behind)

Pleased to be of service Joan ;-)

I didn't realize I needed to come here to report. (Lack of reading directions on my part! Lol :) So a little late but, here goes!

I read The Girl on the Train and discussed it in the group read thread. Overall I will say I liked the book. It ended up going from 2 stars to 3 stars for me. I had a hard time reading the unreliable narrators and the characters (which I believe was on purpose). However once I got into the meat of the story I wanted to know what happened and couldn't put the book down! I absolutely loved the ending!

You have been badged Heather.

Thank you Sarah :)

I just noticed that I have not received my April You'll Love This One! Group Read badge for reading The Girl on the Train.

I participated in the discussion thread but forgot to report it here. Is it too late?

I only go by what's in the reporting thread when it comes to allocating badges. Not too late though Almeta - I'll get a badge sorted for you asap.

Sarah wrote: "I only go by what's in the reporting thread when it comes to allocating badges. Not too late though Almeta - I'll get a badge sorted for you asap."

Yeah, it was my fault for not posting in the reporting thread.

Thanks though for issuing the "girly" badge!☺