Coffee & Books discussion
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What are you reading?
The Girl With no Shadow – Joanne Harris – 3***
In this follow-up to Chocolat Vianne Rouche and her daughter Anouk are living in the Montmartre section of Paris with new identities – Yanne Charbonneau and Annie – and a second daughter, Rosette. This was an interesting sequel but I missed the humor and romance of the original. It’s a much darker tale and the three narrators makes it a bit confusing. It held my attention, but I’m not sure I’ll bother with book three in the trilogy.
My full review HERE
Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia – 3***
This is not the kind of book I normally read, but I was fascinated by the story and gripped by the tension. The atmosphere is dark and chilling. It reminded me a bit of The Ruins by Scott Smith, and/or Stephen King’s The Shining . But it entirely Moreno-Garcia’s own story. I did wonder why she incorporated an English family with their English-style mansion; perhaps she felt her readers wouldn’t identify with malevolence in an adobe hacienda.
My full review HERE
Ordeal By Innocence – Agatha Christie – 3***
I really enjoy Agatha Christie’s mysteries; there’s a good reason she’s often called “the Queen of Crime.” But this one didn’t really capture my attention. Of course, I was listening to the audio and the many characters were sometimes hard to differentiate. It also seemed somewhat melodramatic and “overacted” … but perhaps that is the fault of the narrator and not Christie’s writing.
My full review HERE
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When Life Gives You Lululemons – Lauren Weiberger – 3***
Book three in the Devil Wears Prada trilogy focuses on Emily, the first assistant to Amanda Priestly in the original book. This is not quite so snarky as the original, which I found to be great fun to read, but it’s very entertaining. The suburbs take a beating with Weisberger making fun of the “moms who lunch” (or, more often, fast and do Pilates). A fun, fast beach read of a novel.
My full review HERE
The Virgin Suicides – Jeffrey Eugenides – 3.5***
Eugenides’ debut work focuses on one family in a Detroit suburb. The five Lisbon sisters chafe against their mother’s strict rules and attract the attention of the neighborbood boys. Eugenides can write characters that fairly jump off the page, they are so real and so passionate about their feelings. But this book is somewhat different. There is an ethereal quality to this novel. We never really know what happens inside the Lisbon home, we have only the memories of men who, some twenty years later, cannot let go of the events of that year. What they remember most clearly is how they felt – their hopes, dreams, passions, fears. And although they witnessed the girls’ final acts, they are haunted by what they did not – and never will – know.
My full review HERE
I am Reading:
- Murder At The Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah This book is really good. This is my own Physical Paperback Copy of the book. I love this Book. The Chapters are short.
The Yellow Wallpaper and Selected Writings – Charlotte Perkins Gilman – 4****
The title short story is Gilman’s classic story of a woman driven mad by her husband’s controlling “remedy” for her post-partum depression. . First published in 1892, Gilman’s story ignited some controversy, and she has been hailed as a feminist. She certainly is that. Frankly, I was not a great fan of this story and dreaded reading the rest of the collection as a result, but I’m glad I persisted. The stories celebrate the advantages of living a full life, identifying one’s strengths and nurturing those talents, and following one’s dreams. While the focus is on women – how they are repressed, how they overcome, how they succeed – more than one man benefits from adapting to a change in traditional roles.
My full review HERE
Sand Castle Bay – Sheryl Woods – 2.5**
I’ve never read anything by Sheryl Woods before, but this seemed to fit the bill for a “beach reads” challenge. It’s a pretty formulaic plot: long-lost lovers reconnect, but there are complications keeping them apart, they jump to conclusions and have fights over their mutual misunderstandings. But hot kisses seem to solve everything and remind them how much they mean to one another. I thought it was overly complicated and there are several threads that are just left hanging. But I suppose Woods did this to ensure a repeat audience for books two and three in the trilogy.
My full review HERE
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Cockroaches – Jo Nesbø – 3***
Book two in the popular Norwegian mystery series, has Inspector Harry Hole traveling to Bangkok to investigate the murder of Norway’s Ambassador to Thailand. Nesbø crafts a complicated plot with many twists and turns and enough suspects, and side plots, to distract the most dedicated detective – and reader. His descriptions definitely evoked the sights, sounds, smells and flavors of Bangkok for me. I did find myself cringing quite a bit at the more violent scenes. So, if you are bothered by such graphic depictions this is probably not the series for you.
My full review HERE
My review for The Last of the Apple Blossom by Mary-Lou Stephens
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
¡Hola Papi! – John Paul Brammer – 3***
This collection of essays serves as a memoir and self-help guide to pressing questions about growing up, surviving break ups, finding love, and all the issues young people – both gay and straight – have to navigate in the process of becoming adults. The beginning of each chapter poses a question asking for advice. And by way of answering such queries, he recounts his experiences in a small Oklahoma town, his horrible middle-school years, his confusing teenage years in the closet, his awakening in college, and his eventual move to New York.
My full review HERE
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Jumbo: This Being the True Story Of the Greatest Elephant In the World – Paul Chambers – 3***
This is a “biography” of the African elephant who gave the world a new word for large, gigantic, stupendous, huge, magnificent: Jumbo. Chambers details how the young calf was captured by nomadic Hamran traders, subsequently became the darling of Victorian England, and eventually was a star attraction of P T Barnum’s circus in America. I found it fascinating to learn how the giant elephant was trained and appreciated learning more about the various personalities surrounding Jumbo. But there were times when the story dragged even for me, an admitted fanatic when it comes to elephants.
My full review HERE
Shadow of Night – Deborah Harkness – 3***
Book two in the All Souls Trilogy picks up where book one left off. Diana and Matthew find themselves in 16th-century England, in search of the elusive Ashmole manuscript and a tutor for Diana so she can learn her craft. I didn’t feel the same passion between the central characters that I found so enjoyable in book one. The full story hasn’t yet finished and I’ll probably read book three in the trilogy, but I’m in no hurry to do so.
My full review HERE
Longbourn – Jo Baker – 3.5***
I really enjoyed this follow-up version to Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice . Yes, the major events from P&P are all present, but Baker gives us a rich background to the Longbourn and Netherfield servants that are mostly invisible in Austen’s classic. Regency England had many rules and restrictions that governed proper behavior, whether for the ladies and gentlemen of the upper class, or the servants, farmers and tradespeople in the towns. And this adds an additional layer of suspense in the slow-burn romance between Sarah and her paramour.
My full review HERE
I’m just finishing The Christie Affair, by Nina de Gramont.
A Children’s Bible – Lydia Millet – 4****
I’m not a great fan of post-apocalyptic stories but this one grabbed me. Evie’s narration is often times emotionless, almost a “just the facts, M’am” recitation. But nevertheless, the tension builds, as the children fend for themselves in a world devastated by a major hurricane and plagued by lawlessness. I think it would be a good candidate for a book group discussion, with the symbolism, allegory, and inherent warnings about global warming and consumer excess.
My full review HERE
Nice Work – Celia Imrie – 3***
Book two in the Nice series. Love the double entendre of the title as this book is set near Nice, Cannes and Marseille in a charming small French town full of colorful characters and a tight group of expats who are trying to make a new life on the Cote d’Azur. This is a fun, enjoyable read with a bit of intrigue and a likeable cast of recurring characters. Some of the family drama from book one spills over into this tale.
My full review HERE
Fiction:I'm reading a Newbery list novel... The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg - I've been reading from this list for quite a while now, though I'm still only 30% done with it. There are now 433 books on the list and of those, 101 are winners, and the rest are honor books.
Nonfiction:
American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, The Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century (audiobook)
Breath For the Bones: Art, Imagination and Spirit: Reflections on Creativity and Faith (paperback)
Shadows on the Klamath: A Woman of the Woods (paperback memoir)
My review for The Unusual Abduction of Avery Conifer by Ilsa Evans
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
, Andrea Elliott. Love Dasani, hope her life can get better, such a smart and curious girl. 
and
My review for How Animals Saved My Life: Being the Supervet by Noel Fitzpatrick
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen – 4****
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. From Mrs Bennet’s hysterics, to Lydia’s self-centered teen-aged giddiness, to Mr Collins’ simpering diatribes, to Jane’s cautious and measured observations, to Elizabeth’s outrage and clever responses to Darcy and Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the dialogue simply sparkles.
My full review HERE
I just finished
, Christy Lefteri. Beautiful and moving book and written so well.
Devil in Winter – Lisa Kleypas – 3***
Book number three in the Wallflower series is a fun romp of a regency romance. The action moves forward at a steady pace, there are dastardly villains, innocent damsels, mysterious foreigners, handsome heroes, and a feisty heroine.
My full review HERE
Here's my review of Fever 1793.Next: The Secret Keeper, by Kate Morton
and
All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque
Leonard and Hungry Paul – Rónán Hession – 4****
Two thirty-something single men are friends. They each live at home, they play board games, take satisfaction in their work, like to read, and are, in general, nice. Can quiet, gentle people change the world? Oh, I loved this book! I liked how Hession showed us these two men slowly and gently, revealing their strengths and flaws, as we got to know them. The ending is perfect. Happy and hopeful but not tied up in a nice, neat bow.
My full review HERE
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)
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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)
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“O” Is For Outlaw – Sue Grafton – 4****
Book # 15 in the popular Alphabet series starring private investigator (and former cop) Kinsey Millhone. I love that the series is set in a time before computers and cell phones, when investigators (whether police or private detectives) needed to be both inventive and persistent in tracking down all the leads and possibilities.
My full review HERE