Coffee & Books discussion
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What are you reading?
I have started reading "I can't make this up" by Kevin Hart. I actually got the Audiobook and I really recommend it! It's hilarious and very moving :)I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons
Death at Wentwater Court - Carola Dunn – 3***
I really enjoyed this cozy mystery debut. Daisy is a delightful central character and amateur sleuth. I’m a little unhappy with how the book ends –but it’s true to the time, place and social class.
LINK to my review
'IT' by Stephen King, I wanted to read the book before the movie- but I didn't realize the book was a 1000+ pages, like I could be beat someone to death with this book. So it may be a week or so before I finally make it to go see the movie
Under Fishbone Clouds - Sam Meekings – 3***
This is a love story and family saga set against the backdrop of 20th century Chinese history. We watch Jinyi and Yuying grow through their childhoods, courtship, early marriage, and mature years. Meekings also gives the reader insight into how the wars, Japanese invasion, and Mao’s Cultural Revolution impacted the people of China.
LINK to my review
The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick – 5***** and a ❤
What a treasure! This inventive, unusual novel in words and pictures, won the Caldecott medal for illustration. The book is intended for children, but will delight adults as well. The story of Hugo, Isabelle and Papa Georges is enthralling, and kept me guessing. But the drawings … oh, the drawings! The reader really needs to spend some time pouring over these intricate illustrations.
LINK to my review
Finished this one!
★★★★★ and a ♥
What a great read! An official favorite! You can't call yourself a fan of horror until you've read this book. It's pure horror gold, a rite of passage for paranormal enthusiasts. And no, watching the movie doesn't count. The movie was excellent, the book is so much better.
Click here for my full review
My all time favorite SaiKing. There is nothing like a purely evil hotel in the wilderness.
Sept 17 - Currently ReadingTEXT –
Lamb in His Bosom / Caroline MillerAUDIO in the car –
Blood, Bones, and Butter / Gabrielle Hamilton MP3 Player AUDIO –
Dreams of Joy / Lisa See
The Good Girl - Mary Kubica – 3.5***
What I most look for in this genre is a plot that keeps me interested, and keeps me guessing. Kubica delivered that. I was caught up in the intrigue, and interested in these characters and how they fit together. The changing points of view and time lines kept me off balance, much as the characters in such a scenario might feel.
LINK to my review
The Zookeeper’s Wife - Diane Ackerman – 4****
When the Nazis occupied Poland during WW2, many Polish citizens helped to shelter their Jewish friends and neighbors. This is the story one of family, and the wife and mother in particular: Antonina Zabinski, the zookeeper’s wife. It’s a fascinating story, and well told.
LINK to my review
Eventide - Kent Haruf – 5*****
Continuing the story of the residents of fictional Holt, Colorado, the novel features some of the same characters that readers came to love in Plainsong . Life can be hard in Holt. Accidents cause injury and death. Alcohol fuels violent tendencies and foolish behavior. Then again, some people rise to the occasion and help one another, moving forward with courage and grace. I came late to the party when it comes to reading Haruf. But better late than never.
LINK to my review
Saint Monkey - Jacinda Townsend – 3***
In the late 1950s, two friends in a small town in Kentucky share big dreams. But their paths diverge and the lose one another in the process of growing up. This debut novel shows that Townsend is a talented writer, and some of the scenes she paints are very vivid, but the novel never really captured my attention. Still, I would read another book by her.
LINK to my review
My review for: Silkworm Secrets by Lea Davey
5★https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
LOVED THIS ONE!!!!
Lamb In His Bosom - Caroline Miller – 5*****
This 1934 Pulitzer winner deals with a backwoods existence in rural Georgia, following the Carver / Smith families from 1832 until shortly after the Civil War. They battle weather, wild animals, disease, and injuries. And, when called, the men leave to fight a war they never wanted, and have no stake in. Descriptions so vivid you can feel the heat, smell the blood, hear the birds or the wail of panthers. It is a simple story, of simple people, but their lives are anything but simple.
LINK to my review
Blood, Bones and Butter - Gabrielle Hamilton – 3***
Subtitle: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef. I’ll say this for Hamilton – she can definitely write. I was fascinated by the stories of her upbringing. I laughed, cheered and gasped at the anecdotes of her years working for the big catering companies, the summer camp and her own restaurant. But she kind of lost me when she got to her marriage. But what really shines in this memoir is her relationship with food. I relished in the descriptions of both simple and elegantly complicated meals.
LINK to my review
The Complete Maus - Art Spiegelman – 3***
This book combines the two original graphic novels: Maus I and Maus II. In general, I am not a great fan of graphic novels. I usually find the artwork too dark and the text too minimal and simplistic. That’s not the case for this work. I thought it was easily accessible and a way to introduce the subject to an audience that might not read a traditional book. However, while I appreciate it, and understand why it has garnered such acclaim, it just didn’t work very well for me.
LINK to my review
Dreams of Joy - Lisa See – 3***
This is the sequel to Shanghai Girls, but this book really focuses on China and the results of the cultural revolution. The novel gives the reader an horrific look at the devastating results of Mao’s Great Leap Forward. I was already familiar with this episode in China’s recent history, but watching it unfold through these characters made is somehow “personal” and gave it much more impact. My main problem with the book was the central character: Joy. She was so immature and naïve … I just wanted to throttle her.
LINK to my review
Death on the Nile - Agatha Christie – 3***
Hercule Poirot may be on holiday in Egypt, but his “little grey cells” are working overtime. There are plenty of suspects and almost as many motives.
LINK to my review
Oct 08 - Currently ReadingTEXT –
The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy AUDIO in the car –
The Three Weissmanns of Westport / Cathleen SchineMP3 Player AUDIO –
Double Indemnity by James M. Cain
Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse.
Dracula - Bram Stoker – 5*****
If you’ve seen any of the movies, you know the basic plot, but the original novel is so much more! To begin there is the typical Victorian theme of strong men coming to the rescue of pure damsel in distress. However, Stoker turns the tables a bit when he gives Mina the intelligence, foresight and courage to fight the evil forces in her own way. The novel is wonderfully atmospheric; time and again Stoker puts the reader smack dab in the middle of the scenes.
LINK to my review
Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor - Lisa Kleypas – 3***
I knew going in that this was a cheesy holiday romance. Despite the book jacket’s promised “magic” there isn’t much of it here … unless you count a child’s belief in fairies and Santa Claus as magic. But that’s okay, it’s still a fun read.
LINK to my review
The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden. Second in series Bear and the Nightingale. ARC thanks to Del Ray Publishing House.
Miller's Valley, by Anna Quindlen★★★★
A good family drama. Anna Quindlen has an interesting writing style and her character development is excellent.
Click here to see my full review.
In the Woods - Tana French – 4****
This is a stunning debut. Gripping and suspenseful, with many twists and turns. I guessed the culprit fairly early on, but was still enthralled by the psychology of the characters – whether police, victims or perpetrator.
LINK to my review
My review for: And From Longbourn, A Wedding Comes by Margaret Lynette Sharp
4★https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Living To Tell the Tale - Gabriel Garcia Marquez – 3***
This is the first in a planned three-volume autobiography, taking the reader from Marquez’s birth in 1927 to his young adulthood in the mid 1950s. In recounting his early life, the author also tells the history of Columbia – the politics, culture, troubles and triumphs of the people. Magical realism is a style that is ingrained in the oral story-telling traditions of Latin America, and I loved those little hints of magical realism in this work. Reminded me of listening to my grandparents recount tales of their own childhoods.
LINK to my review
Oct 15 - Currently ReadingTEXT –
Norwegian by Night by Derek B. MillerAUDIO in the car –
Drums of Autumn by Diana GabaldonMP3 Player AUDIO –
Murder in the Paperback Parlor Ellery Adams
The Three Weissmanns of Westport - Cathleen Schine – 3.5***
This is a charming re-telling of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility . I had great fun trying to match Schine’s characters with Austen’s, and trying to figure out how certain plot elements might play out. Despite my familiarity with the original, Schine surprised me more than once.
LINK to my review
The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza.
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, by Anna Quindlen★★★★★
An excellent and comforting memoir, that I strongly recommend for women readers.
Click here to see my full review
Double Indemnity - James M Cain – 5*****
Cain is a master of the roman noir. His writing is every bit as seductive as the temptress at the heart of his story. You just know this is going to end badly but you cannot tear yourself away, you just HAVE to continue.
LINK to my review
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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Dune - Frank Herbert – 3***
Okay … science fiction epics are just not my thing. That being said, I do recognize and appreciate what has made this such an enduring classic in the genre. Herbert has created a complex world, with warring factions, political intrigue, and a great main character in Paul Muad’Dib. I think if I had read this when I was in high school or college I would have rated it higher, but it just doesn’t appeal to my reading tastes at this stage of my life.
LINK to my review