Coffee & Books discussion

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

My Name is Lucy Barton – Elizabeth Strout – 5*****
I love character-driven novels such as this one. Strout writes beautifully, with prose that reveals her characters to the reader with nuance and grace. Lucy’s recollections and probing questions lead her mother to reveal some of the “why” behind how Lucy came to be the woman she is.
LINK to my review

Go Set A Watchman by Harper. Lee.

I just finished Allegedly, Allegedly, which is a YA book about a 9 year old girl who girls a baby, allegedly. She is in baby prison until she is 16 and is then moved into a group home. She has covered for her mother but now that she is pregnant with her own child she wants the truth to come out. Sounds like a soap opera...but it is a dark story and how the mind works.


Then I read the 3rd book in the JD Robb series....what fun:) Immortal in Death


I am almost finished with The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness which is an excellent book that everyone should read. It shows why America has the highest number of jails and incarcerations in the world....and for very minor offenses. I cannot believe that crack and powder cocaine have such different sentencing. "just 1 gram of crack are given the same sentence as those found in possession of 18 grams of cocaine" which of course targets poor and mostly black people. It's an eye opening book and sad for the people who are caught up in a crooked system and seemingly will and can never get out of. Things need to change.


Next up is Desperation Road. I am in a few chapters and it has grabbed me already. I have no idea what it is about other than it has gotten very good reviews and supposedly has beautiful writing.

The Route – Gale Sears – 2.5**
This was okay, but I found little substance here and I felt it was predictable. Some of the patrons on Carol’s route were charming, some were irascible. A few needed more help than Carol could provide, and a couple of them helped her more than she helped them.
LINK to my review

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp For Girls – Anton DiSclafani – 3***
The story is told in alternating time frames: the events back home in Florida, and the events at the school during Thea’s year at Yonahlossee. As Thea related what is happening and how she felt, I found myself worried for this emotionally distant girl, who seemed unable to control her impulses or to recognize the potential consequences of her actions.
LINK to my review

Listening to The Fireman and finishing up Brave New World tonight. Then I'm starting All the Missing Girls.

Epitaph – Mary Doria Russell – 4****
In a sequel to her earlier novel, Doc, Russell explores what REALLY happened at the OK Corral. I love Russell’s writing. She does extensive research and is not content to give us only one side of the issues, or one facet of the characters. The novel focuses on Josie Marcus and Wyatt Earp, but every character fairly leaps off the page.
LINK to my review

One Two Buckle My Shoe – Agatha Christie – 3***
Christie always delivers a well-constructed plot, with plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. While I did catch on to a few of the tricks, I didn’t figure out the real culprit until Poirot revealed the answer.
LINK to my review

Expecting Adam – Martha N Beck – 4****
3.5*** rounded up. The subtitle of this memoir is: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic. Beck writes well, and she is very honest about what she went through. Her self-deprecating humor is refreshing, and a few scenes had me laughing out loud.
LINK to my review

Dead Wake by Erik Larson about the ill fated voyage of the Lusitania that happened 102 years ago today(5-1-1915) that made USA get into World War 1 and how President Wilson was so despondent over his wife's death that he wanted someone to kill him !!

Alexw wrote: "Dead Wake by Erik Larson about the ill fated voyage of the Lusitania that happened 102 years ago today(5-1-1915) that made USA get into World War 1 and how President Wilson was so despondent over h..."


Great book.

I am reading The President's Hat which is just a cute/fun read about a hat that gets lost and picked up by different people. Each person that is in possession of the hat has some kind of positive change in their lives. I'm up to the 4th person.


Last night I started Dark Matter which is a sci fi thriller by the same author who wrote the Wayward Pines series. It is intriguing to the point that I have no idea what is going on, lol.

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy – Rachel Joyce – 5*****
Oh, I love Queenie! She admits that her first instinct when faced with a difficult situation has always been to flee. Now, at the end of her life she faces the secrets she has been hiding, and hiding from, with courage and grace, and pours out her heart in a long letter of love and forgiveness.
LINK to my review

Alexw wrote: "Dead Wake by Erik Larson about the ill fated voyage of the Lusitania that happened 102 years ago today(5-1-1915) that made USA get into World War 1 and how President Wilson was so despondent over h..."

I love Larson's writing!

I just finished,The Boy on the Box, The Boy on the Wooden Boxby Leon Leyson. This could be the flip side of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. This is a true story about a 10 year old Jewish boy in Poland when Germany invades. He tells his story of how he and his family lived and just tried to survive what they went through. He is, I believe, the youngest one on Schindler's List. Without Schindler and his list of factory workers Leon and his parents and two siblings would not have lived through the war.


Now I am reading a PIFM(Pick it for me) book, Inside Mrs. B.'s Classroom, Inside Mrs. B.'s Classroom: Courage, Hope, and Learning on Chicago's South Side by Leslie Baldacci. Mrs. Baldacci used to be a journalist for the Chicago Sun Times. She decides to quit her job and enroll in a 2 year grad program that certified her as a teacher in an inner city school. So far I am reading about her time as a 7th grade teacher dealing with the kids who's lives are surrounded by poverty and crime. So far it is a good one.

The Mighty Miss Malone – Christopher Paul Curtis – 4****
In Bud, Not Buddy, Bud met a precocious girl at a camp next to a railroad track near Flint, Michigan. That girl was Deza Malone and this is her story. I just love Deza Malone! She’s smart, courageous, resilient and big-hearted. The family’s journey is perilous at times, and Mrs Malone’s worry is well-founded. But they also have moments of joy, and meet with kindness and compassion from total strangers. Curtis doesn’t shy away from the tragedies of the era, but he also gives a strong message on the power of family unity, and of never giving up your dreams.
LINK to my review

Rocket Boys – Homer Hickam – 4****
Homer Hickam Jr (a/k/a Sonny) grew up in Coalwood, West Virginia – a “company town” in built and owned by the mining company for whom his father worked. In his memoir, Hickam brings the residents of Coalwood to life. He shares stories of growing up, of high school football, a beloved teacher, unlikely allies, young love, and his mother’s determination that her boys would NOT go into that mine.
LINK to my review

My review for: Tallowood Bound by Karly Lane 5★

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

The Atomic Weight of Love by Elizabeth J. Church.

Death in the Clouds – Agatha Christie – 3***
Christie’s Belgian detective has become my go-to comfort read. I never tire of watching Poirot exercise his “little gray cells” to the amusement and astonishment of fellow investigators, suspects, innocent bystanders, and, of course, the culprit.
LINK to my review

The Christmas Thief – Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark – 3***
There’s not much holiday spirit in this slim volume; it is more a fun and entertaining comic crime caper than a mystery. I do like the cast of characters, and while the coincidences required for the plot to work stretch credulity a bit, but they do add to the suspense and enjoyment.
LINK to my review

NOTE - I finished Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but I'm holding off on posting my review until the June discussion is well underway.

I just finished A House in the Sky which I thought was excellent. It's about a young woman taken and held hostage in Somalia for 460 days. Here is my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


I started The Pecan Man The Pecan Man and also The Tortilla Curtain Tortilla Curtain Both of these have been on my WTR list for a long time.

I'm reading Stardust, I love me some Neil Gaiman. I'm enjoying the story so far, and at the same time I already know it's a long way from being as good as many of his other novels.

I'm also listening to The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet on Audible which is a lot of fun.

The escape by Cl Taylor

IT by Stephen King. Reread for SK book club.

Explosive 18 by Janet evanovich

Trying to catch up on posting what I've read:


Stargirl – Jerry Spinelli – 5*****
I’m long past high school, but I still remember the “pack” mentality that required conformity. It’s painful to revisit that, but Spinelli does a great job exploring what might happen, and how the events might affect some of the students.
LINK to my review


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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Grace Lin – 4****
What a delightful story for middle-school readers (and adults). Inspired by Chinese folklore, Lin weaves a fantasy tale of one young woman’s quest to help her family. Minli’s courage, grace, kindness and perseverance are to be admired. I am reminded of the stories my grandparents, aunts and uncles told on many a night, as we sat on the front porch in the dark, my imagination running wild with tales of adventure.
LINK to my review

The Sound of Glass by Karen White.

How the Light Gets In; Where Dead Men Meet ; and Congo Kitabu

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins – 3***
In a future dystopian North America, twenty-four contestants fight to the death on live TV. Collins draws the reader in and made me care about Katniss. She’s a strong, intelligent, resourceful female heroine. The cliff-hanger ending is a pet peeve and I dropped a star for that.
LINK to my review

Maurice – E M Forster – 4****
Written between 1913 and 1914, Forster’s novel of a young man’s awakening homosexuality was not published until 1971, a year after the author’s death. I loved the way that Forster developed this character, showing Maurice’s progress from a naïve student, to a young man awakening to the possibilities that a mature and loving relationship might offer him.
LINK to my review

Transgressions by Sarah Dunant.

Fates And Furies – Lauren Groff – 4****
The book is told by the two central characters: Lotto (Fates) and Mathilde (Furies). Groff is masterful building these characters, with qualities that draw the reader into their circle. One revelation breaks the bond. Forcing first Lotto, and then Mathilde to examine their relationship. By the end I’m left feeling battered and bruised and stunned. I want to start reading it again from the beginning so I can pick up any clues Groff may have buried.
LINK to my review

Trophy Hunt – C J Box – 3***
I like this series, mostly because I really like Joe Picket. Box gives us plenty of action, but I was dissatisfied with the ending. All the talk of “aliens,” and a too-convenient demise made me feel as if Box had run out of ideas and turned to 1950s sci-fi films for inspiration. Still, it’s a good story and a fast read.
LINK to my review

22 Britannia Road – Amanda Hodgkinson – 4****
Hodgkinson’s debut novel is a beautifully told story of how a family torn apart by war slowly comes back together. Hodgkinson divides her chapters by location/time and by character, telling parallel stories: Poland during the war, England after the war. I was engaged and interested in the story from beginning to end.
LINK to my review

Finished my first read for June!


Throne Of Jade (Temeraire #2), by Naomi Novik
3.5 stars

A re-read for me that was better the second time around.

Broken prey by john sandford

Parapsychology by Kelly Buffon.

Finished my second read of the month! I am on a roll!

Nobody's Fool, by Richard Russo
4 stars

A book that you can both love and hate.

Here's a link to my review

The Whole Town’s Talking – Fannie Flagg – 3***
This is Flagg’s fourth book about the residents of Elmwood Springs. In this volume, she tells the history of Elmwood Springs, beginning with the 1889 founding of the settlement and up to about 2020. This isn’t great literature, but Flagg spins a darn good yarn. It’s entertaining and full of lively characters.
LINK to my review

Finally finished this one!


Uncle Tom's Cabin
4 stars

A brilliant, yet heart-wrenching novel. Probably won't read this again because it broke my heart.

Here's a link to my review

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman.

Jenny wrote: "I love me some Neil Gaiman.



Me too :)

joyce g wrote: "The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman."

I have wanted to read this for a while!

A Burglar’s Guide to the City – Geoff Manaugh – 3***
Manaugh looks at architecture and the central role it plays in the crime of burglary. The book begins and ends with the 19th-century New York superburglar George Leonidas Leslie, who used his training as an architect to figure out new and unexpected ways to gain entry to building. There were parts of this book that I found completely fascinating, however Manaugh has a tendency towards repetition.
LINK to my review

Columbine – Dave Cullen – 4****
Gripping, fascinating, and horrifying. Cullen has done extensive research and made every effort to remain an impartial journalist, ferreting out facts and revealing them without judgment. The result is perhaps even more disturbing than what I thought I knew about it.
LINK to my review

Finished another one!

Black Powder War (Temeraire #3), by Naomi Novik
4 stars

Another enjoyable installment in the Temeraire series.

Here's a link to my review

Done! This went by pretty fast!


The Woman In Cabin 10, by Ruth Ware
★★★ 1/2

A very quick and intriguing thriller.

Here's a link to my review