Book Nook Cafe discussion

Please share with us what you read July 2019 !

Please provide:

~ A GoodReads link
~ A few sentences telling us how you felt about the book.
~ How would you rate the book

Only one finished in July.

Valencia and Valentine----Suzy Krause
Fiction
Rated 4/5

This was a free book for those that have Amazon Prime. The monthly selections usually are not my type of book, so I usually pass. However, this month the reviews said if you enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, which I did, you might enjoy this novel.

So I downloaded the book to read on my subway rides and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

I am currently reading and enjoying:

The Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It

Isn't it great when a recommendation works out like that? I'm glad you enjoyed the book. I haven't read Eleanor Oliphant yet. It seems to be highly praised.

The Third Reigh is a book I keep wondering whether I want to read or not. If you like it, Alias, I may pick it up.

Here are the books I finished in July. Some are carry-overs from June:

A Noise Downstairs (audio; 2-star) - I'm not the biggest fan of psychological thrillers. In this book, there's no suspense, no tension, no thrills. There is bad dialogue, terrible decisions, unbelievable motives.

A Severed Head (3-star) - a posh, 60's "love in" where everyone's bed swapping.

Bastard Out of Carolina (4-star) - a powerful story of growing up in a dysfunctional home that leaves one powerless, feeling shame, hurt, fear.

Women Of The Outback (audio; 4-star) - Stories of women living in the Outback of Australia. These women are strong, resilient and able. Their stories really are remarkable.

They Were Counted (4-star) - the first of a trilogy following 2 cousins. In this book, the story is set in pre-WWI Romania. These cousins are part of the elite. There's lots of champagne, dancing and hunting. An interesting look at a country in the beginnings of change.

New Boy (3-star) - An interesting retelling of Shakespeare's Othello, set in an elementary school. It fell a bit short in that 11-year olds wouldn't act or think as these kids do, I thought.
This is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series, which I'm enjoying. This is a decent read but the weakest of the series that I've read to this point.

RE: -The Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany-Thomas Childers

Petra wrote:

The Third Reigh is a book I keep wondering whether I want to read or not. If you like it, Alias, I may pick it up. ..."

It's the book I am reading on the subway on my ipod. I am enjoying it and learning a lot. So I purchased a used hardcover copy to transfer my notes & highlights. The fact that I purchased the hardcover for my library reflects that I think it is well done.

The book is around 600 pages and I am about 144 pages in and the discussion has been about the German political parties and NSDAP (Nazi party) rise. I am finding it quite fascinating and even handed. It is gives one a lot of insight in understanding how the Nazi party came to power.

Petra wrote: "Here are the books I finished in July. Some are carry-overs from June:

A Noise Downstairs (audio; 2-star) - I'm not the biggest fan of psychological thrillers. In this book, there'..."

A nice reading month minus the disappointing Noise Downstairs.

At least you liked the one book you read last month. I don't know about you but there are months i read several & am still unhappy with them. Thanks for filling us in on 3rd Reich, i've been wondering.

Petra, you read about a number of different countries last month. I must say the Australian book sounds good.

For myself, i read the following:

Razing the Dead by Sheila Connolly, a mystery series i like more as i continue. Why wouldn't i, the main character runs the non-profit Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society in Philadelphia, which is mostly a library!? In this case a nearby Revolutionary War site is explored via old papers & such. Interesting that the history could lead to murder today.

Need to Know by Karen Cleveland. Dem reviewed this one last month & i ran to read it. Basically a CIA analyst's life is turned upside down when she uncovers an agent of espionage within her own world.

The Paris Librarian by Mark Pryor. I think i just found this on my library's web page as i looked to see if one of my books was in. It's 6th in a series but i didn't feel lost. (One could tell it was a series, though, as he introduced new characters to the story & let us know he met them through some intrigue or another.) In this case the setting is the American Library in Paris (who knew?) & i enjoyed the story, although i do not really intend to pursue the series further. But, it whet my appetite for France!

In that book i read about James W. Ziskin's Styx & Stone, the first in a mystery series set in 1960. The female protagonist is in NYC because her father's apt. was broken into & he's hospitalized. She decides to investigate her dad's Columbia University Italian Lit department--which professor of the works of Dante Alighieri is the bad guy? I won't read more in the series, as i felt it tried too hard but i did enjoy learning more about Inferno: Edição Anotada e Ilustrada .

In my physical library (not the website, for once) i found Dorothy Hoobler and Thomas Hoobler's The Crimes of Paris: A True Story of Murder, Theft, and Detection in the Art Books section. It seems to me it should have been in "True Crimes" or something but i see many fraud & theft of art books there, so who am i to argue with Dewey? It's a good book about Paris around the turn of the 19th century into the 20th. I was unaware of how fond Parisians were of criminals who outsmarted the police. This enthusiasm spilled into Real Life Criminals, too, at times. Then someone stole the Mona Lisa. The book is mostly about Paris at that time, criminal investigative procedure development and only partly about Leonardo's work. Still, i learned so darned much!

Before i even completed that above book i learned the Hooblers also wrote a YA mystery series set in Japan in the 1700s. I read the first, The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn, and liked it very much. The young protagonist is a fan of Samurais and learns lessons about them as he helps a Judge investigate. And, yes, for once i will read more in the series.

Also strolling the aisles of my library, the same day, i found The Cave Painters: Probing the Mysteries of the World's First Artists, which is a topic which has intrigued me for over a decade. This book, by Gregory Curtis, i have mentioned elsewhere on Book Nook, was the one it turned out i'd read a decade or so ago. And yet, i recalled NONE of it. This time i felt he was drastically unfair to the female researchers but areas of interest remained with me beyond those issues.**

Finally, i wanted a fictional art theft mystery and found A Deceptive Clarity by Aaron Elkins. In it a San Francisco curator goes to Berlin to help with an exhibit which covers art stolen by Nazis & retrieved for their rich owner. There was plenty to learn about forgeries and individual artists, so i really liked the series & will (shock!) read more in the series. This book was set in the 1980s and the military was hosting the exhibit, which fascinated me as i learned more, too.

**Ok, here i complain about Mr. Curtis's evaluation of the female researchers on the caves full of prehistoric art work. I'm only sharing about one of the women, a Mary Boyle, who served as assistant to Abbe Henri Breuil, who sketched almost every single animal & other drawings in the many caves uncovered during his career. This was mostly before electricity, so candles were often used for the long hours. Apparently Boyle most often served as what Breuil called his "human candelabra" because she would stay still, whereas other assistants didn't.

Boyle was a poet and amateur historian but over the years translated many of Breuil's books, as well as wrote some of her own. However, Curtis's language depicted her as quivering whenever Breuil touched her to move the light and thrilled to her secret love for him. Nowhere did he give any citation for that, nor could i find any online. So, Curtis basically took the candelabra comment and torqued it into a pathetic love story. What an insult to the woman!

Rant Ended!

Wow, deb. What an interesting eclectic reading month you had.

I enjoyed reading your reviews very much.

madrano wrote: "At least you liked the one book you read last month."

I was reading 3 at the same time but only managed to finish one for august.

Today I finished The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It and I liked it so much I immediately ordered a used copy from Amazon.

Deb, you've had a terrific, varied reading month!

I've also got an interest in our ancient ancestors, artwork and all. Too bad this author is rather negative towards the female researchers.

You've had an interesting reading month.


Until you pointed it out, Deb, I hadn't realized how global my reading was last month. Hahaha...

I haven’t finished any books the last month or so but I did start 2. Just haven’t had time to read 😢

Stephanie wrote: "I haven’t finished any books the last month or so but I did start 2. Just haven’t had time to read 😢"

It happens. I hope August give you some time to relax and read.

My eclectic reading month is mostly thanks to allowing myself to be led by library walks & random choices. As i typed up my list, i was a tad disappointed that none of these were from my To Be Read list. Having now read Samantha Silva's Mr Dickens and His Carol, i hear Mr. D calling to me! Maybe it's time to return to my old authors again. We'll see.

Alias, you & i both tend to buy books we really like after reading them. It's a guaranteed winner. Of course, i don't do this when we are traveling...i tend to buy first. And have i been reading those??? Heck no!

madrano wrote:i tend to buy first. And have i been reading those??? Heck no! "

:) I was at the library the other day to return books. Now mind you I must have at least 300 unread books in my home. But did that stop me from perusing all the library book shelves? Nope. I didn't take any home with me but I did write down titles as I surfed the shelves. It's crazy.

You are probably wiser to take notes from the shelves, rather than pick up the darned book & take it home, as i do! Naturally, their "deadline" (AKA due date) means they are instantly prioritized. Duh, Deb!

first time posting on this trend.

I finished the sci-fi epic 'solar war' by John French, part of the Horus Heresy - siege of terra mini series.

For anyone keen on gigantic space fleet battles, this deliveries by the truck load. at the same time, the story expertly weaves a very personal narrative around a number of key characters dealing with problems brought on by a galaxy spanning war.

recommended.

The Solar War by John French has high praise from other GoodReads members, i see. I haven't heard of French nor his incredible number of other novels. The ones from which this new series spreads had over 50 in the series, if i understand correctly. Wow.

Thanks for posting, J.G.

My July reads
The Way Life Should BebyChristina Baker Kline
Rating 3/5
This book by the author of The Orphan Train. I really enjoyed The Orphan Train though I thought the ending was a bit contrived. In this book I felt no emotional connection to any of the characters. I was happy I had only paid $1.99 for the Kindle edition and it only took 3 nights to read
Walking Shadows by Faye Kellerman
Rating 4/5
This is part of Kellerman's Peter Decker/Rina Lazuras series. The mystery was good. I am impressed that Kellerman has successfully moved her main characters for LA to upstate NY and has kept their integrity
Less Than Angels by Barbara Pym
Rating 2/5 This author writes about social classes in post war England. No character rang true to me. I have read other Barbara Pym novels and have enjoyed them. Another one I was happy to get for $1.99 for the Kindle.
Murder in Merino by Sally Goldenbaum
Rating 4/5
This is part of the Seaside Knitter series. It was a nice cozy and cleaned my palate after the Pym book
The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner
Rating 3/5

wrote:Walking Shadows by Faye Kellerman
Rating 4/5
This is part of Kellerman's Peter Decker/Rina Lazuras series. The mystery was good. I am impressed that Kellerman has successfully moved her main characters for LA to upstate NY and has kept their integrity.."

I used to read all her husbands Jonathan Kellerman books as soon as they came out in HC. For some reason I haven't read his books in ages. Maybe they got too repetitive or maybe my book preferences have just changed.

Thanks for sharing your monthly reads, Meredith. I look forward to reading this thread most of all.

Nice reading month, Meredith.

I read Stegner's The Big Rock Candy Mountain and enjoyed it. I've meant to pick up another of his books. Thanks for the reminder.

Alias, this is one of my favorite threads, too.

Ditto on Favorite Threads! Meredith, it appears to me that you had a pretty decent reading month. Of course the disappointment when an author seems unable to please us with another of their books is sad but there is much to say for the effort, imo.

The Rosie Project. A lighthearted and whimsical love srory. Looking forward to reading The Rosie Effect.

Kathy wrote: "The Rosie Project. A lighthearted and whimsical love srory. Looking forward to reading The Rosie Effect."

Welcome to Book Nook Cafe, Kathy.

I really enjoyed The Rosie Project, too. I haven't yet read the follow-up.

Kathy, welcome to the group. Like you, i found The Rosie Project a delight to read. I haven't read more from Graeme Simsion, however. Please let us know what you think of it when you give it a try.

Kathy wrote: "The Rosie Project. A lighthearted and whimsical love srory. Looking forward to reading The Rosie Effect."

I loved that book too-have the sequel on my reading list!

My July pick is very easy as the subject of the French Revolution and strong women is engrossing to me.

Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution


Collaboration of six talented female writers brings an epic story about historical female figures, who came from different backgrounds, but had one common goal to give women a voice. They were passionate about politics, which wasn’t a place for women to be meddling in. But they did.

I highly applaud the two extraordinary aristocratic women, Sophie and Manon. They were ahead of their time and they stood for what they believed in. Manon felt the most free, when she was in prison, knowing that the guillotine was inevitable for her, she wrote without any restrains, with every fiber in her body she expressed what she believed in. (Her words were smuggled out of prison).

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

Annette wrote: "My July pick is very easy as the subject of the French Revolution and strong women is engrossing to me.

Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution
[bookcover:Ribbons of S..."

Thanks for sharing this title, Annette. And Welcome to Book Nook Cafe !

Welcome to Book Nook Cafe, Annette. I've already read a couple of your other book review selections. This is a good way to allow us to know about some of your reading tastes, too. This one about lesser known women throughout history sounds like the sort i enjoy reading. Thanks for sharing.

madrano wrote: "Welcome to Book Nook Cafe, Annette. I've already read a couple of your other book review selections. This is a good way to allow us to know about some of your reading tastes, too. This one about le..."

Thank you Madrano. If I don't get to your reviews today. I'll do it tomorrow.

Annette, my writing is pretty much limited to posts. I marvel when people can put into words their thoughts and opinions on books they've read. I enjoy reading reviews from others very much, though.

Madrano: when I started writing reviews, they were very short as well. It is a learning process. The more you write the better you get. But I understand that not everyone is interested in writing reviews. Some are just looking for recommendations :)

You "got" me, Annette!

July reads and reviews for all of you - I think you know by now I will be backtracking for awhile so no since to keep mentioning it! lol :)
This was an excellent month as well - a mix of four and five star reads.

Riding the Bullet by Stephen King - short story - four stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Crimson Siege by Jay Raven - this book is the first in a series - five stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Uninvitedby William W. Johnstone - four stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

13 Bullets by David Wellington - first book in a series - five stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Method by Duncan Ralston - five stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Haunted Objects: Stories of Ghosts on Your Shelf by Christopher Balzano - four stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Marie, did The Uninvited make you start itching or alert for bugs? It would drive me crazy!

The book on haunted objects reminded me of my teenage years when i read many books on psychic phenomena. So often objects seemed haunted but readers wondered how. Back then there were fewer answers & not much fiction about the topic. Enjoy!