You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

I can't do much else but read in this heat. I finished Lost Among the Living on audiobook and A Life Without Water on Kindle. Today, I will start Mischief in Mudbug on Kindle and tomorrow, I will start The Black Echo on audiobook.

Rusalka wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "I'll be surprised if this one doesn't win some more awards. Auē, by Becky Manawatu is centred around a contemporary Maori family. Loved it..."

I reckon we'll be hearing more about it, Rusalka. 😊

I'm ashamed I know so little about Alexander von Humboldt, who explained how important it is to know that everything is connected in nature. Thanks to Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, I know more. Get this into the hands of kids!
5★ My review with illustrations

I started reading The Stepford Wives and listening to Even the Darkest Night.

I am reading The Devil's Punchbowl as a series buddy read for the Penn Cage series with Jannene and Dom.

I started a Vampire Chronicles book but doing some research on a few character names, I found a review from Almeta on Merrick. She posted a reading list for VC and The Mayfair Witches and I realized that I had jumped ahead of myself. I sent Blackwood Farm back to the library and am now waiting for The Vampire Armand.

I am also reading The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music for my yearly challenge. It is very painful at times, but I am almost 3/4 of the way through, after starting it for the third time.

I finally finished Upgrade . I really struggled with the first half of this book, but I thought it was well-written overall and an interesting story. It certainly makes you think and would be good for discussing.

my Upgrade review

I'm now reading Close to Famous and My Sister, the Serial Killer for the monthly challenge, which I need to finish today.

What's not to like in a Mick Herron novella? You don't know have to know Herron's work to enjoy poor old 'retired' spook John Bachelor's dilemma in The Catch.
4.5★ My review

My Name Is Yip by Paddy Crewe is the off-beat 'memoir' of a most unusual character. Yip is like no one I've ever met (or am likely to meet), and I loved the way he told his story of early nineteenth century America.
4★ My review of My Name is Yip

I finished listening to The Shape of Water yesterday, and started now The Kingdom. So far so good.

I also plan to start In the Distance soon since the author is virtually visiting my local library, but I've been so tired at night the last few days that didn't get to it yet.

Shakespeare's Tales Retold for Children by Samantha Newman is a great collection of 16 plays, also available as individual books. Simple language, entertaining cartoon illustrations, characters of all colours. Great for kids and new readers of English.
4.5~5★ My review of the set with a few illustrations

I finished The Black Echo last night. I finally knocked it off my TBR. I also finished Mischief in Mudbug. I enjoy Miss Fortune better I think. This had it moments though. I didn't realize a ghost could eat and burb. Hmmm.

I will start The Secret of Clouds on audiobook and The Little Russian on ebook tonight.

Its the month of India's Independence day! A day when we remember our freedom fighters and military heroes!! Reading https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

a fascinating read as i have found very few books commemorating indian military veterans and heroes!

Change of plans. I have The Little Russian slated for badge 4 and I can't shift things around to include it in badge 3 so I will read The House on the Hill instead.

I'm reading Family Happiness and Other Stories

I finished The Secret of Clouds today on audiobook. I will start Her Dark Lies tomorrow. It was a daily deal a year ago. It now has a 3.5 rating so I don't hold a lot of hope for it.

Jess Kidd has taken the difficult history of the 17th century Dutch ship 'Batavia' and tied it to a contemporary Australian story through two wonderful nine-year-old children. The Night Ship is well-researched and beautifully written, with a little bit of magical realism readers should love.
4★ My review

I am reading "Gently Falls the Bakula" by Indian author Sudha Murthy (Love her writing!!) and Clive Cussler's classic adventure starring Dirk Pitt- "Raise the Titanic"

I just finished Steelheart . I thought it was pretty good, except for all the exclamations of "Stars!" and "Calamity!" They got very tiresome. I listened while traveling with my grandson and he's looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.

I'm now reading The Vanishing Half for the group read. I'm about halfway and think it's really good. I was surprised by how many perspectives it was told from.

I'm going to bail on Her Dark Lies. I cheated and read spoilers that were in various reviews because I was feeling anxious reading it. It sounds (view spoiler)[like a hot mess.
Speaking of anxiety, I'm going to read Anxious People instead. There is a character named Jack in it. I enjoy Fredrik Backman's books. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will be no different. I probably won't start for a couple of days. I have appointments tomorrow and Wednesday afternoon. (hide spoiler)]

I liked learning a bit more of DCI Vera Stanhope's background in The Woman on the Island, a short story by Ann Cleeves. Why did the daughter of a petty crim become a cop?
4★ My review

I tried a few pages of In the Distance, and I can see it is beautifully written, but I just can't focus in something like that right now. I will give it another try in a few days before returning it to the library.

I decided then to start Wanderers.

I finished The House on the Hill on Kindle last night and will start Sea of Tranquility.

I’m reading a book called Hot Target by Suzanne Brockmann

I am just starting Catalyst of Sorrows, a Star Trek Lost Era book.

I started a middle school book this morning, D: A Tale of Two Worlds. I was not sure I was going to continue after the Introduction part, but after the letter "D" was lost from the vocabulary of the people of Cawber, England, it has become very amusing. It is amazing how ones mind fills in the missing letter in the words. Yes - it is missing in the text too!

I finished Where Dogs Bark with Their Tails set in Guadeloupe - nicely done and I enjoyed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Started The Sultan of Sarawak to please Madame Tutti Frutti for the monthly challenge. Also reading Under the Shadow: Rage and Revolution in Modern Turkey.

I reckon Neil Armstrong deserved better than he got from Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara in this addition to a children's biographical series I am usually enthusiastic about.
3.4★ My review with some pictures

I loved The Secret Life of Birds by Moira Butterfield. it is an entertaining delight for kids and their grown-ups. The fact that it's full of information doesn't hurt either (meaning I learned things 😊).
5★ My review with several illustrations

Juggling four books right now!!! Do you folks also read multiple books at the same time? I have one at the office desk, one e book on my work laptop, one in my work desk at home (when i work from home) and one for relaxed reading in the bedroom!!

Prosenjit wrote: "Juggling four books right now!!! Do you folks also read multiple books at the same time? I have one at the office desk, one e book on my work laptop, one in my work desk at home (when i work from h..."

I tend to do one hard copy book and one audiobook, but find that a struggle at times. Particularly when they are a similar genre.

What are the four you are reading?

Same here. One audiobook and one printed book at the same time. If for any reason I add one more, I'm probably pausing one of them until a finish other (for example for my book club). I never actually read more that 2, even if I have more in my currently reading shelf.

I am also usually reading two (1 audio, 1 physical), though that will sometimes jump higher. When I'm reading more than two I usually either pause one, like Sandra, or I start to lose interest in one or more because I feel like I'm just creeping along.

With that said, when my grandson visits I am usually reading 3 or 4 for the summer because we still read / listen together. So right now I am reading The Vanishing Half for the group read, Sundial, which is a late ARC review, and The Last of the Spirits with my grandson. I am about to start Hamnet for my face-to-face book club on Monday (I waited way too long to start this one and may have to pause the others for a couple of days to read it quickly.) and Mitosis on audio with my grandson because it is short and he goes home next week.

This is the most I read at once and after next week I'll be back to my standard two at once.

You are right, Kristie, I usually don't count the books I read aloud to my kids, although those add a lot of pages at the end of the year. I read aloud to them (we are doing The Chronicles of Narnia at the moment) but mostly when it is cold and we can cuddle together. They read more independently during summer, maybe because we go to the library more often and they come back with piles of books that not necessarily everyone wants to read.

I do one print book and one audiobook at the same time.

I add the ones that I am reading with him. He's only here for a few weeks in the summer and reads to himself all year at school, so he still enjoys our reading out loud time. I figure I don't have many summers left that he still wants to do that, so I'm going to take advantage of it as long as I can. This summer we only read Steelheart and The Last of the Spirits together.

Yeah, probably not many summers left. My 13 years old son still likes to sit around when I am reading aloud to my 11, 9 and 7 years old. He kind of pretends he is not there, though. :)

Haha. Yeah, G is the only one so he can't even pretend. lol

Lol. Still it doesn't matter how much longer it lasts. He will have wonderful memories of these summers with you.

I really hope so. He is already talking about next summer, so that is a good sign that this won't be the last year. :)

Rusalka wrote: "Prosenjit wrote: "Juggling four books right now!!! Do you folks also read multiple books at the same time? I have one at the office desk, one e book on my work laptop, one in my work desk at home (..."

So its an eclectic mix Rusalka!

I am reading two books by Indian authors, "Half girlfriend" by popular but much hated author Chetan Bhagat, "Gently falls the bakula" by one of my fav women authors (she is a millionaire entrepreneour as well!!)- Sudha Murthy...

a jack higgins book (forget the name..its a sean dillion one)...

wings of fire..the autobiography of India's late president and scientist APJ Abdul Kalam...

and Raise the Titanic by clive cussler..a dirk pitt madcap adventure :-)

SO its actually 5!!!

I usually have one audiobook, one text copy, and one ebook going at one time.

I just finished listening to The Return of the Pharaoh: From the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D.. Watson and his wife go to Ciaro and Watson bumps into Holmes. They join teams and working with Howard Carter seek to discover the whereabouts of a missing Duke. This takes place prior to Carter discovering King Tut's toomb.

That one sounds fun, Cherie. What did you think of it? Have you read the previous books in the series?

Kristie wrote: "That one sounds fun, Cherie. What did you think of it? Have you read the previous books in the series?"

Yes, Kristie, I have read/listened to all five of the author's books. The Return of the Pharaoh: From the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D. is the latest, written during Covid - 2019. Each story has a unique character and setting in history. The author gives "foot note" information/updates during the story too. The author is a Sherlockian and it helps but is not absolutely necessary, to know the Arthur Conan Doyle stories. (view spoiler)[One would never expect to be in Paris, during the time Holmes was supposed to be dead and find him working as a violinist in the orchastra, meets Irene Adler and the Phantom of the Opera in The Canary Trainer: From the Memoirs of John H. Watson, M.D. (hide spoiler)]

I’m reading a book called Never Tell Them: A psychological suspense thriller by N.L. Hinkens