Pick-a-Shelf discussion

What did you read for conspiracy-theory?

What are your thoughts? Have you heard of this particular conspiracy previously? Do you think it could possibly be true?

Hello dears,

I recently read The Jesus Christ Cypher. An interesting potential sequel to the The Da Vinci Code

Have a great day,

MT

I read The Men Who Stare at Goats
3 stars

This is an investigation into some of the weird things the US military have tried to use for interrogation and espionage. It includes subliminal messaging, psychic spying, blasting children's music, and of course, staring goats to death. I saw the movie years ago, but don't really remember it. I enjoyed So You've Been Publicly Shamed, so thought I'd give Ronson another go. This book was well written and fairly interesting, but the topic didn't interest me particularly.

I nominate time travel

I have been reading for the shelves for past months but found myself forgetting to come here!! oops -great mod lol

The Innocent (Will Robie #1) by David Baldacci
★★★★

This one has been on my TBR forever. I enjoyed thrillers and Baldacci is well known for them but I guess, on the surface, this sounds too much like The Professional; not my kind of movie but hubby's favourite so I was introduced to it early in the relationship. However, it turned out to be rather different. At least, in plot... because Will Robie may be a killer but apparently, there's a higher motive behind it all. And who can resist a precocious teen characters?! A thrilling fast-paced story - just as promised.

How this book relates to conspiracy-theory is pretty much hangs upon the protagonist's job which is basically an assassin for the government so it's a rather indirect relation but it's there :p

I read This Savage Song

this definitely felt more dystopian than conspiracy theory. however, since there were secrets/backstabbing starting at the highest level on both sides, I can see why it's tagged conspiracy theory.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

★½

My GR friends were all raving about this book, so obviously I had to read it. Hm. What a total waste of time. I was sooo let down. The premise is intriguing, the solution to the mystery is original - but the plot is full of holes and inconsistencies, which made me so angry! Sometimes it was so stupid I actually wanted to laugh. Never again.

*

I didn't use this book for any PAS challenge. However, I would like to nominate greece.

Sorry you didn't like that book, Marina. I loved it

Lusie, I noticed that most people loved it. I may be too hard to please :D

lol or maybe you just have got a different taste in books :D

Marina and Lusie, I agree with you both. My review was something like... "I hated the characters, the plot, and the writing. But overall I liked the book." :D

I wanted to read something about the Salem Witch Trials so I went with I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Condé. 4 stars!

Beautifully written and a haunting story of someone who deserves their tale to be told. Part 2 was weaker for me but overall I'm glad Tituba was given a voice and by someone so talented as Condé.

I nominate vampire

Meg wrote: "Marina and Lusie, I agree with you both. My review was something like... "I hated the characters, the plot, and the writing. But overall I liked the book." :D"

Hahaha, that's an interesting review! I'm not sure how you managed to like the book if you hated characters, plot, and writing, but I'm glad you enjoyed it after all :D

I read Stone's Fall which was written in three parts, each part by a different narrator going further back in time. I really liked the first two parts but didn't like the third part at all. it wasn't really about a conspiracy theory but it did have lots of secret plotting in it.

I read The Lost Symbol. It was a great sequel to the other two in the series. I like the mix of historical fiction with the investigative story.

I read The Inner Circle. It definitely qualified as conspiracy theory, and I enjoyed it. It certainly didn't hurt that much of the action centered around the National Archives. I'll probably continue to read others in the series. I used it for seriously serial.

I nominate time travel.

I read The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson. ★★★★

This was book begins with some kind of threat to the United States and the president goes missing in order to save the world. It did keep me turning pages to find out what was happening next and there were a few surprises.

I nominate dystopia!

I read You Are Not Alone [30-nov-2020] ★★★

I had expected more of this book. I liked it enough to finish it, but didn't love it. Shay witnesses the suicide of a young woman, which has shaken her up. Shay is obsessed with data and wants to know more about who the young woman was. I liked Shay and her statistics. Her investigation leads her to meet a group of woman. This is where the book turns strange and confusing.

I'd like to nominate: past and present https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

I read The Ministry of Fear by Graham Greene (1943) ★★★★

The protagonist is living in London during the Blitz, each week seeing another block disappear. His life has been destroyed by a series of events that have also left him friendless, so he decides to go to a fair to remember happier times, when there was no war and people worried about simpler things; times when he was young, felt safe and had no responsibilities, and life was still full of promise. But going to the fair doesn't have the expected effect and, after some of the other visitors start acting weirdly, he decides to go home. But trouble follows him, and he decides to get to the bottom of the matter.

It was an interesting novel, full of descriptions of life during the Blitz, quite short and well written, the kind one has to read for school. The plot gets really convoluted with loads of funny details that add to an atmosphere that is more pathetic than humorous, and one keeps reading in hopes of finding some answer in all the nonsense. There are some teachings too: among others, be careful with what you wish for and that (view spoiler)[it's impossible to return to the safety and lack of responsibilities of childhood, escaping the adverse results of all our adult decisions, without paying a hefty price. The knowledge and experience acquired keep the gates of Arcadia closed and, even if you could force its doors open, owing to that same knowledge and experience you'll find Arcadia and its rules unsatisfying and empty. (hide spoiler)] As The Go-Between starts: "The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there".

Rating: 4 stars ~ Shelf nomination: Africa

I only managed to read one this month...
Book: Deal with the Devil


# Tags: 1

Review:
I absolutely loved this book. I should really change my rating to 5 stars I think. Why didn't I initially? Maybe because I felt too much like a gushing fangirl? But the more I let the book resonate, the more I want to change the rating. The authors were perfectly able to create a character in Nina who was both idealistic and realistic. And Knox. a perfect tortured hero if ever there was one. At the beginning, I was a little worried about getting lost in the world building. But there wasn't a need to have perfect understanding of the dystopian world in order to connect with the characters or care about what was happening. There was enough detail that the characters' actions made sense for the world they live in but not so much detail as to get distracted from the story. The love story and character love interests might be a bit predictable but there were some twists in the plot that kept things exciting and not predictable. I can't wait for the 2nd book! Oh, and there was a teeny tiny nod to the Beyond series if you're a fan of that series!

Challenges: n/a

I read Welcome to Night Vale
I really enjoyed it. I gave it 5 stars.
Review:
Night Vale is a town where just about anything can happen. It is a magical town that simply people do not leave or cannot leave. There are strange rules there. This is based on a podcast that I already enjoyed so I was aware of the strangeness of the stories. A mystery man shows up and gives people a piece of paper with the name of "King City " on it. Two main people Jackie and Diane try to figure out what it means and then try to get out of Night Vale to go to King City.

There is a Newscast telling people what is happening in the town and it is obvious that they are always being watched and they are fine with it.

Nominated shelf: Music