Coffee & Books discussion
Bookish!
>
What are you reading?
message 451:
by
joyce g
(new)
Jan 24, 2018 07:11AM
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
reply
|
flag
Letters For Emily – Camron Wright – 1.5*
Harry is dying of Alzheimer’s and he struggles to complete a book of wisdom for his favorite granddaughter. I thought the plot was predictable and emotionally manipulative, and that the characters were straight out of central casting. If it hadn’t been a book-club selection I would not have finished it. I will say that some of the advice Harry leaves is poignant and resonated with me, but the book’s construct really irritated me.
LINK to my review
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen – 4****
One of the best opening lines of literature: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” It's no wonder this is a classic. Austen is simply the master of dialogue. The way in which the characters interact brings them to life.
LINK to my review
Hidden Figures – Margot Lee Shetterly – 3.5***
The subtitle is all the synopsis anyone needs: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race. I had seen the movie, but it covers just a few years, and compresses the story of many women into three characters. Shetterly’s book covers the time from the early years of WW2 to the Moon Landing in August 1969. I’m glad I read it, and that these women’s stories are finally brought to the forefront of America’s consciousness.
LINK to my review
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara.
Inside the O’Briens – Lisa Genova – 5*****
A diagnosis of Huntington’s Disease affects not only Boston cop Joe O’Brien, but his entire family. Genova writes so well about neurological disorders, making the story both entertaining and informative. I really felt as if I knew these characters – their fears, joys, dreams, and anxieties.
LINK to my review
The Emperor's Soul, by Brandon Sanderson (Elantris #1.3)
★★★★★ and a possible ♥
A novella that had the pace of a short story, but the depth of a full-length novel. Wonderful story!
Click here for my full review
In the meantime, I'm still working on this one (it's going slower than I wanted because I didn't like the audiobook):
And I'm about to start this one:
I just finished ' Moby Dick'. Well... it's all I can say. Jumping right to Gogol, 'Dead Souls'- superhigh expectations.
A Murder In Time (Kendra Donovan #1)
by Julie McElwain
★★★★
A fun debut historical mystery novel with a time-traveling twist!
Click here for my full review
Now working on these two:
The Midnight Watch – David Dyer – 2.5**
Subtitle: A Novel of the Titanic and the Californian. Like many people, I am fascinated by the Titanic’s story, and I was eager to read Dyer’s debut novel. But his changing points of view somehow failed to capture my attention. The last sixty pages of the novel, however, were gripping.
LINK to my review
Finished this one!
The Final Empire (Mistborn #1), by Brandon Sanderson
★★★★★
An excellent start to what promised to be an excellent trilogy!
Click here for my full review
The Longest Night – Andria Williams – 4****
A young military couple, Nat and Paul Collier vs his supervisor at the nuclear power plant where Paul works, and MSgt Reynolds’ mean-spirited wife, Jeannie. Add a handsome local cowboy and a reactor with problems that are being ignored and it’s only a question of which will blow first: the reactor, Paul’s career, or Paul and Nat’s marriage. Great character-based novel with a gripping story line. I was engaged and interested from beginning to end.
LINK to my review
Packing For Mars – Mary Roach – 3***
Subtitle: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. Another entertaining and informative read from an author who has become a favorite “science” writer for me. As she has done for sex, our alimentary canal, and cadavers, Roach turns her curiosity, sense of adventure and wit to the topic of space travel. Entertaining and informative (and with some laugh-out-loud moments).
LINK to my review
Etta and Otto and Russell and James – Emma Hooper – 3***
Eighty-two-year-old Etta has never seen the sea, so she decides one day to leave her Saskatchewan farm and head out on foot. It reminded me of Rachel Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, but it was not quite as engaging. Use of magical realism and non-linear timeline.
LINK to my review
Barbaro: A Nation’s Love Story – Tom Philbin and Pamela K Brodowsky – 1*
It seemed that some of this must have been written for a contemporary magazine or journal piece, and perhaps the other author came in to expand it to book length. The result is uneven and boring.
LINK to my review
The Butterfly’s Daughter – Mary Alice Monroe – 2.5**
I knew this was a chick-lit, road-trip, find-yourself kind of novel going in. I was intrigued by the link to the monarch butterfly migration, and by the main character’s journey. I liked how Luz grew through the novel, and liked the various characters she picked up along the way and how they helped her. I also liked that the ending, while hopeful, was NOT just wrapped up in a pretty little happy-ever-after bow. But there were elements that dropped it a half-star, chiefly how bad the audio performance was. If you want to read it, do so in text format. Skip the audio.
LINK to my review
Just finished reading Phillipa Gregory's, "The Other Boleyn". It was awesome----and long! I'm now starting "The Handmaid's Tale.
’Round Midnight – Laura McBride – 3.5***
As she did in her debut work, McBride tells the story of four different characters with little apparent connection, until their stories come together in one specific event. The reader gets a pretty clear idea of the connection of at least two of these women early on but must wait for events to unfold over several decades before the characters will catch on.
LINK to my review
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders.
It’s All in the Frijoles – Yolanda Nava – 2**
Subtitle: 100 Famous Latinos Share Real-Life Stories, Time-Tested Dichos, Favorite Folktales, and Inspiring Words of Wisdom. Nava has compiled the wisdom of our ancestors through the stories, legends, folktales and sayings they imparted. She divides the book into chapters, each dealing with a basic value: Responsibility, Respect, Hard Work, Prudence, Chastity, etc. These short vignettes (many barely a page long), are perfect for a daily meditation, so it’s a nice book to have around the house for that purpose. But reading it straight through just emphasizes how repetitious it is.
LINK to my review
Autobiography of a Face – Lucy Grealy – 4****
What is more important to your sense of self than to recognize yourself in the mirror? What if the face you saw in the mirror was one you could not bear to look at? A face that could not possibly reflect the you inside? Grealy writes so eloquently and honestly about what she went through as a result of childhood cancer, and how she felt growing up “ugly.”
LINK to my review
You Remind Me of Me – Dan Chaon – 3.5***
Chaon’s skill as a short-story writer shows in his debut novel. The first four chapters of the book introduce us to four different characters and time frames. Eventually the connections between them will be clear to the reader. What I really like about Chaon’s writing is how he explores issues of identity, how characters are shaped by their environment, by chance and opportunity, and by the choices they make. There is much to dislike about these damaged people, and yet I am drawn to these characters and their stories.
LINK to my review
My review for: Cracks in the Sidewalk by Bette Lee Crosby
5★https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finally finished another book! (This is what I get for trying to read 4 books at once)
Heat And Light, by Jennifer Haigh
★★★★★
Beautifully written literature with a lot of depth.
Click here for my full review
The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff.
The First Deadly Sin – Lawrence Sanders – 4****
I first read this back in about 1975 and was completely gripped by the writing and the suspenseful story. I liked it just as much on re-reading it.
LINK to my review
The Girl Before by JP Delaney.. it’s so good!
Isn’t It Romantic – Brett Fletcher Lauer & Aimee Kelley – 2**
Subtitle: 100 Love Poems By Younger American Poets. I like poetry, and I do not need a neat rhyme or rhythm to enjoy the form. However, many of these poems did absolutely nothing for me. Definitely not a “romantic” collection, in my humble opinion.
LINK to my review
Silas Marner – George Eliot – 3***
A classic tale of the redemptive power of love, first published in 1861. A reclusive, miserly weaver’s life is changed when he finds a toddler on a snowy evening. As is typical of the novels of the era, the plot includes numerous coincidences that stretch this reader’s tolerance. There is much misery, but Eliot does give us a few moments of joy, and an ending full of hope.
LINK to my review
A Morbid Taste For Bones – Ellis Peters – 3***
I’ve heard about this series set in 12th century England for some years, and always wanted to try them. I found it rather slow moving, but really liked the lead character, Brother Cadfael. I’d be willing to read another in the series.
LINK to my review
Big Little Lies – Liane Moriarty – 4****
Moriarty uses the “minor” drama of helicopter parents to explore larger issues of school bullying and domestic abuse. The reader knows from the first chapter that someone has died … but who died and who was responsible will have to wait until the last 40 pages of the novel. Using multiple narrators, and different timelines seems a popular technique in novels these days. It’s difficult to do this well, but Moriarty is a master. Even the secondary characters fairly leap off the page.
LINK to my review
Ha HA .... just noticed that the title of this thread is '2017: What are you Reading?Guess we're all living in the past .... LOL
Elephant Winter – Kim Echlin – 3***
When she learns that her mother is dying, Sophie Walker must give up her nomadic lifestyle and leave Zimbabwe to return to the family farm in southern Ontario. This is really a character-based story, though there are some significant events, including a couple of violent altercations. Mostly, however, Echlin treats the reader to Sophie’s thoughts as she considers her mother’s condition, her role as daughter, lover, friend, her past and future. I really liked Echlin’s writing style. There was something so quiet and comforting about it. And still her imagery is very vivid.
LINK to my review
Trying to catch up in posting my reviews (I do not know how I got so far behind!)FRIDAY – 16 Feb 18
The Shack – William P Young – ZERO stars
Several people have recommended this to me, but it’s really not my cup of tea. I found the message heavy-handed and the writing simplistic.
LINK to my review
--------- * * * * * * * * --------
MONDAY – 19 Feb 18
The Silver Linings Playbook – Matthew Quick – 4****
What a delightfully quirky and touching story. I never saw the movie, but knew it was very popular. I put the book on my tbr knowing basically nothing about it and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. Pat is a wonderful character and narrator. Tiffany is so confused and hurt and hopeful, that she, too, just pulls me in.
LINK to my review
3rd Degree – James Patterson and Andrew Gross – 2**
This is book three in the Women’s Murder Club series with Patterson’s name getting top billing on the cover, but I suspect mostly written by Andrew Gross. The formula must not have been working well because there’s a significant change among the club members. I’ll say this for the team of writers – they keep things moving quickly.
LINK to my review
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.
Coffee & Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Day I Died (other topics)Summit Lake (other topics)
Under an Alaskan Sky (other topics)
Oxygen (other topics)
The House in the Pines (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Lori Rader-Day (other topics)Charlie Donlea (other topics)
Jennifer Snow (other topics)
Carol Cassella (other topics)
Ana Reyes (other topics)
More...
