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What are you reading?
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Christine
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Apr 25, 2022 11:59AM
I finished my book called Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus
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I just finished
, Julia Brewer It’s about 3 birth mothers, all giving birth on 8/28/66 and how harsh each was treated. The women continue to have a bond throughout their lives.
Malice In the Highlands – Graham Thomas – 3***
This is a police-procedural mystery with a likeable lead character. There are plenty of suspects, and a mishmash of clues and subplots to keep things interesting. I did not solve the case ahead of Powell and was happy to be surprised by how things turned out. A thoroughly satisfying mystery, and I would read more of this series.
My full review HERE
Send For Me – Lauren Fox – 3***
This is an historical fiction work set both in 1930s Germany and in contemporary Wisconsin, that tells the one family’s story. There were parts of the novel I really liked, when I was completely engaged and caught up in the story. But there were other parts that just fell flat for me. I think this is my fault; I am just so over the dual timeline in historical fiction.
My full review HERE
My review for Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter by Lizzie Pook
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
L.A. Weather – María Amparo Escandón – 3.5*** Rounded up
This is a funny, engaging, endearing novel that looks at a year in the life of one affluent Mexican-American family. It starts with a near tragedy and the characters (and reader) hardly have time to recover from that event when yet another crisis looms, and before long everyone in the family is spinning and bouncing from issue to issue, like balls in an out-of-balance pinball machine. The winds, drought and fires add more tension to the family’s internal strife, and ultimately help them focus on the things they CAN change, rather that what they have no control over. They still make bad decisions, and there is no HEA ending, but I was completely invested in these characters by the end, and I want more!
My full review HERE
The Power Of One – Bryce Courtenay – 4****
A challenge to travel the world combined with a challenge to read a book that “made-me-cry” brought this one to my attention, and am I ever glad it did! I’m not the writer Courtenay is, so can’t really do justice to the plot of this coming-of-age story. But the writing grabbed me from page one and I was sorry to see it end. I was cheering for Peekay throughout. And while I’m no fan of boxing, I even enjoyed the lessons on strategy and technique.
My full review HERE
Tonight I am reading
. I definitely recommend this to everyone. It is a great resource to see all the upcoming books in 2022. I know we all need more TBR for sure. If you are a member of NetGalley it is especially helpful. There are sample reads of new books and if you like them, you can directly request that book from the publisher. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Then later getting back to current books I’m reading.
, by Maggie Shipstead is an amazing book and I hate that I keep putting it down since I am reading other books, but have been staying up late to get time to read this one. 4* Stars, Really Epic and Strong Story. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Last, reading new book,
, by Jacqueline Bublitz. This is a thriller, but is different then usual. It’s also a character study about why we have so much interest in dead girls. 5* Book! Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished all these, so will leave reviews, if anyone is interested in reading. All 3 Great, but for différent Reasons.
Tooth And Claw – Jo Walton – 4****
What a fun romp of a story! It’s a typical regency (or Victorian) romance, but all the characters are dragons. I was captured from the first page and enthralled and entertained throughout.
My full review HERE
My review for The Very Last List of Vivian Walker by Megan Albany
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
What We Keep – Elizabeth Berg – 4****
Do we ever really know our parents? Would we still love them if we did? Could we forgive them their mistakes? Berg writes family relationships so very well. All the ways in which we rely on and trust one another, show our love and loyalty, and hurt or betray one another. There are always two (or more) sides to any story, and it takes a mature person to wait to pass judgment until all parts are known. My heart broke for all the family members, and my loyalties shifted as I learned more.
My full review HERE
Eat Cake – Jeanne Ray – 4****
Ruth Hopson likes to bake cakes. She finds comfort in comforting others, and lately everyone – including Ruth – needs some comfort. I have loved every book I’ve read by Jeanne Ray, and this one is no exception. Her writing reminds me of Anne Tyler and Elizabeth Berg. Her characters experience everyday life, with all its joys, crises, heartaches and triumphs.
My full review HERE
Devil’s Peak – Deon Meyer – 4****
Book #1 in the Inspector Benny Geissel mystery series, starring the South African detective. Benny is such a flawed character and watching him try to make sense of his life and keep away from the bottle while he tracks the serial killer had me backtracking and re-reading sections to try to make sense of what was happening. Meyer does a great job of adding layers to an already complicated plot. And the final chapters are a wild ride!
LINK to my full review
Elizabeth Blackwell: Girl Doctor – Joanne Landers Henry – 3.5***
This is part of a series for middle-school readers about the “Childhood of Famous Americans.” This fictionalized biography focuses on Elizabeth Blackwell’s childhood in England and the United States, the incidents that piqued her interest in healing, and her constant goal to become a doctor and practice medicine. It is both entertaining and informative.
LINK to my full review
I just finished
, by Dawnie Walton. I found this to be a very strong book about a powerful woman, Opal Jewel. She is the main person in this book. It is also great to read about the music scene in the 1970’s, but it is deeper then that, both exploring race and a woman’s right to be speak boldly. 4* and definitely recommend. I liked the book with the 🎧, too.Here is my Review if anyone is interested: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel – Renee Nault / Margaret Atwood – 5*****
I’ve read and reviewed Margaret Atwood’s novel previously, so will confine this review to the graphic novel adaptation. Nault’s interpretation of Atwood’s novel is marvelous. Her imagery is even more vivid and memorable than some of the same scenes as described in the original novel. I do not recommend that you skip Atwood’s novel, but this is a great introduction.
LINK to my full review
Book Concierge wrote: " The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel
– Renee Nault / Margaret Atwood – 5*****
I’ve read and reviewed Margaret Atwood’s novel previously, so will conf..."
I agree this was a really good Graphic Adaptation.
I just finished
, by Lynda Cohen Loigman. I really loved this Story. 5* Beautiful Book. It has such an uplifting story about love and family. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just started:
, by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I was really interested in this one, but have only read 1 chapter.
The House of Broken Angels – Luis Alberto Urrea – 3.5***
A large Mexican-American family plans a get-together for the patriarch’s birthday. I have read two of Urrea’s novels previously and am a fan of his writing. He peoples the work with a wide variety of characters and balances tender scenes against highly comic ones or anxiety-producing tragic occurrences. I do wish I had had a family tree handy, however.
LINK to my full review
Finished A Girl's Ride in Iceland (1895) by Ethel Alec-Tweedie (1862-1940).Now reading Historic Papers on the Causes of the Civil War (1909) by Eugenia Dunlap Potts (1840-1912).
Circe – Madeline Miller – 5*****
In this marvelous work of literary fiction, Miller, tells us the story of Circe, daughter of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, and possibly best known for turning Odysseus’s men into swine. I studied the classics in high school so was familiar with the basic story line, and some of the family connections, but Miller gives me so much more detail and really fleshes out these characters. Miller’s writing wove a spell that completely enthralled me. I was so beguiled that a part of me wished the novel itself were immortal, and that I could keep reading forever.
LINK to my full review
My review for Summer at Kangaroo Ridge by Nicole Hurley-Moore
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Young Jane Young – Gabrielle Zevin – 4****
The novel is divided into five sections, each narrated by a different character: Rachel, Jane, Ruby, Embeth and Aviva. The basic plot is that a young woman gets a job interning with a congressman, and then begins an affair with him. Can you forgive yourself your youthful mistakes? Can you recover from such a public humiliation? Will you make further bad decisions to compound the problem? Or will you be able to put it behind you and go forward with grace and dignity and courage? Will the public let you? This is a wonderful exploration of the ways in which women deal with such personal disasters.
LINK to my full review
Olga Dies Dreaming – Xochitl Gonzalez – 2.5** (rounded up)
I really wanted to like this. I’d heard the author in a virtual event and felt her enthusiasm for the story and for her characters. I liked that her focus was on two successful siblings and their rise to those positions, and on the issues of living up to expectations (our own and those of our parents and community). But I never warmed up to the characters, even though I like how Gonzalez portrayed the siblings’ relationship.
LINK to my full review
A Fall of Marigolds – Susan Meissner – 3***
A vibrantly printed scarf connects two women across a century; both lost someone in a horrific tragedy, both experience grief, guilt and PTSD. Meissner does a good job of weaving these stories together and moving back and forth in time across a century to explore the common elements. I liked Clara’s story better than that of Taryn, probably because of it’s setting on Ellis Island. Both women struggle with the ethical dilemma of what (and when, if ever) to reveal or withhold to others. My F2F book club had quite the discussion about this.
LINK to my full review
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