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

The Thing at 52 by Ross Montgomery is the most beautifully illustrated story of a small child and an enormous creature learning about life. The artwork by Richard Johnson is stunning and as moving as the story. Every child should read this one.

My review of The Thing at 52 with several of the illustrations

Return to Valetto by Aussie author (living in US) Dominic Smith felt like someone's real story to me. Old women in an ancient Italian village conduct Google searches from their crumbling villa. War crimes are not forgotten.
My review of Return to Valetto

I've just finished . I reccommend it to anyone!
This is my review: My review of 'The cat and the city.

Saar The Book owl wrote: "I've just finished . I reccommend it to anyone!
This is my review: My review of 'The cat and the city."

Sounds like a book I’d enjoy - added to my TBR list! Nice review!

Thank, Lilisa, I'm happy that you also added it :)

Saar The Book owl wrote: "Thank, Lilisa, I'm happy that you also added it :)"

😊

This is another good sci-fi story from Amazon's The Far Reaches collection. Falling Bodies by Rebecca Roanhorse has a more advanced "offshore detention" than what is currently used.
My review of Falling Bodies

I finished Dark Corners. It was a great addition to the series. No second book slump here.

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

Slowly reducing the number of books I'm reading. Hoping to get back down to two soon.

I don't think I linked this before, but I also finished The Connellys of County Down, which I loved.

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

A Sydney brothel in 1930 may not sound like a YA setting, but I think teens would enjoy young Violet. Even the title, Violet Kelly and the Jade Owl, sounds good. It's a mystery with some local history by Aussie author Fiona Britton
My review of Violet Kelly and the Jade Owl

I finished Reunion in Death today. After 14 books in the series, it's starting to get repetitive.

Tomorrow, I will start The Only One Left.

I’m reading a book called Let It Snow by Nancy Thayer

Janice wrote: "I finished Reunion in Death today. After 14 books in the series, it's starting to get repetitive.

I've read 54 of them. Don't know how that happened. You're right, they become repetitive after a while. I think it's hard for an author to keep a long series fresh and surprising. Sometimes I think they should just find a way to end them.

Roz wrote: "Janice wrote: "I finished Reunion in Death today. After 14 books in the series, it's starting to get repetitive.

I've read 54 of them. Don't know how that happened. You're right, th..."

I'm just waiting for their daughter to be born, and then I might call it done.

Funny you should say that. I’m waiting for the same thing.

She hasn't been born yet in 54 books? I thought she was born sooner.

I knew that would get your attention! Nope, not in 54 books. She seems to have an aversion to having kids, scares the ..... out of her. You'd think that with all the sex they engage in, something would happen. I'll read the next one and see if she has a kid.

I finished Fairy Tale and Box yesterday. It took me a while to finish both of them. Now I plan to come back to The Secret History, which I had put aside for the monthly read, and luckily has the word "secret" in its title, so it is good for next month's monthly read.

Janice wrote: "I finished Reunion in Death today. After 14 books in the series, it's starting to get repetitive.

Tomorrow, I will start The Only One Left."

Keep up with In Death, I've found that after a while Robb must've realized that because she really picks up. Plus, even with the less good ones I've enjoyed them just for getting to check back in with the characters.

I seem to be late 'discovering' popular UK crime writer Mark Billingham. His new Detective Miller series, The Last Dance, has plenty of scope to move into the next book, which I look forward to. Declan Miller seems very human rather than hard-boiled. Funny. Sad.
My review of The Last Dance

I finished The Wishing Game. I thought it was really sweet. my Wishing Game review

Roz wrote: "I knew that would get your attention! Nope, not in 54 books. She seems to have an aversion to having kids, scares the ..... out of her. You'd think that with all the sex they engage in, something w..."

I googled it, and she said she would not bring a baby into the series, because having kids changes everything.

I'm surprised because I was told that the daughter is so cute. And that the voice she was given by the narrator.

Something occurred to me just now. Isn't Mavis pregnant? Could my friend be referring to her child?

I'm so bummed.

I finished The Only One Left yesterday and really enjoyed it. I dnf Henna House yesterday as well. One was a story and the other an expose.

Today, I started Blue Labyrinth on audiobook, and will start The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches on ebook shortly.

I was hoping to finish Gone Tonight tonight, but it is late and I am tired so I will be finishing tomorrow. So far, it's really good though. A couple minor weird bits, but that seems to come up all the time in this type of story. Looking forward to seeing how it ends.

I am finally getting my "currently reading" under some semblance of control. I am still working through The Space Between and will finish Gone Tonight, then tomorrow I will be starting Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.

Janice, it's Mavis that has the daughter in book #23 (Born in Death). Her name is Bella and being around her freaks out Eve. I read somewhere that the author plans on writing new editions as long as she wants and will end the series with Eve getting pregnant.

That's it, because I was told the baby's name was Bella.

Jeez, is the mum an elephant? As if Janice is waiting now at book 14 and it takes until book 23, that seems an awful long time.

Elephant's gestation is 22 months, so why I am asking...

I finished Gone Tonight, which publishes today. It was interesting and engaging. You had to suspend your disbelief at times, but I was ok with that. It was more of a mystery starting out and you are slowly given bits of the mom's history. The end is where the twists and thriller parts come in. I enjoyed the slow build more than the 'big twists', but that is just my personal preference. If half stars were allowed, I might have considered going down to 3.5 stars, but only because I'm not of fan of (view spoiler)[ the trendy ending twists that are popular right now. It's the whole Gone Girl sort of thing. (hide spoiler)]

- 4★ my Gone Tonight review

I started Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases, but I'm not really in the mood for it right now, so I'm going to finish The Space Between on audio and start The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches on paper. I'm happy to be back down to just two books again. :)

Rusalka wrote: "Jeez, is the mum an elephant? As if Janice is waiting now at book 14 and it takes until book 23, that seems an awful long time.

Elephant's gestation is 22 months, so why I am asking..."

LOL! Those 14 books span a year, so 23 books is presumably less than 2 years - busy people in this series.

I recently read Jhumpa Lahiri's wonderful Pulitzer Prize winner, Interpreter of Maladies, a collection of short stories that mix and stir Indian cultures with others. No matter who people are or where they live, couples are couples, parents are parents, and everyone has customs they can't always explain.
My review of Interpreter of Maladies

Just Out of Jupiter's Reach by Nnedi Okorafor is another intriguing sci-fi story from Amazon's The Far Reaches collection. The astronaut and space ship share DNA, which must be a first!
My review of Just Out of Jupiter's Reach

I’m reading a book called The Summer That Made Us: A Novel by Robyn Carr

Janice wrote: "LOL! Those 14 books span a year, so 23 books is presumably less than 2 years - busy people in this series.."

And I thought I needed a holiday!

This isn't really what I'm reading at the moment, but I'm hoping someone will give me their opinions. My GR friend ratings are all over the place, but most seem to have liked this book.

I was considering reading The Spanish Love Deception for a challenge prompt. I have never read anything by Elena Armas before. I went to Audible to listen to the sample and was immediately put off by the main female character. She was acting so childish that it was annoying.

I don't think it's really a spoiler since it was in the sample, but just in case (view spoiler)[ it was the part where the guy was trying to speak to her and she refused to turn around and made her friend speak to him. She was being super childish and rude and acting like he was the one being rude. (hide spoiler)] You can listen to the Audible sample if you want more details.

Anyway, my question is this - Is the main character that obnoxious, childish, and bratty through the whole book or did they just catch a bad bit in the sample? It is a fairly long book and I don't think I could tolerate her if she was like that the whole time. If anyone who has read it could share their thoughts I'd greatly appreciate it.

Kristie,
I definitely understand your concern there. In my opinion, it changes throughout the book and it is only like this in the beginning. I would say it is worth reading it but please know that I rated the book 5 stars so I feel like I'm a little biased if that makes sense?
I truly found her to be annoying in the beginning only though.
Hope that helps. I don't want to talk you into something :)

Thanks, Fiona. That's just the type of feedback I was looking for. I know that happens often in books and I'm willing to wait it out for character growth or ignore it if it was just a moment she was having, but if that's her personality and she acts like that through the whole book it would bother me. It was just a little over the top. Glad to know I can give it a try.

John Scalzi's short sci-fi story, Slow Time Between the Stars, is more than a little worrying, as he imagines what Artificial Intelligence could do by itself when we turn it loose.
My review of Slow Time Between the Stars

The thriller, The Chalk Man, was a much-hyped debut by C.J. Tudor when it came out a few years ago, and today I needed a horror for a challenge. Yes, there's some creepy stuff.
My review of The Chalk Man

I’m reading a book called The Boardwalk Bookshop by Susan Mallery

I finished The Space Between. It didn't grab me right away and it is a bit long so I was worried that it would drag, but the I couldn't put it down the second half.

my Space Between review ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm currently reading The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches for the group read. I'm about 65% in and I'm enjoying it. I'm finding it a cute read.

I also just started The Prisoner. I'm curious as to what is going on, but I haven't read enough to really have much of an opinion on it yet.

I'm having a couple of meh reads, unfortunately.

In the middle of two girls' coming of age story in Naples with My Brilliant Friend. Which while getting better, I think is very overhyped.

In 1890s Arizona and everywhere else you can think of between the east and west coasts, either homesteading and bringing camels to traverse the desert with Inland. And I just don't care for any of the characters. Except the camels.

Rusalka wrote: "I'm having a couple of meh reads, unfortunately.

In the middle of two girls' coming of age story in Naples with My Brilliant Friend. Which while getting better, I think is very overhyped..."

You are not the first person I've heard say that about My Brilliant Friend. That's too bad. I was in a meh stage for what felt like a long time. I have been reading some good ones recently.

I started The Fires: A Novel which I'm using for the puzzle challenge. I was going to read a book on my want to read shelf that's been there forever, but I couldn't find it on any of my apps. I think it was one of those accidental adds that was put on the wrong shelf.

Kristie wrote: "I'm currently reading The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches for the group read. I'm about 65% in and I'm enjoying it. I'm finding it a cute read.

I also just started [book:..."

I liked the Irregular Witches, too, Kristie. An engaging story.

I loved Aussie author Benjamin Stevenson's quirky murder mystery Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. I enjoyed the mix of humour, snowbound location, and clever plot presentation. Good audio, too.
My review of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

This is a great, deceptively titled (and covered) novel, Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran. It recently won the prestigious Miles Franklin Award, and no wonder. This is Australia.
My review of Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens

I started The Weaver and the Witch Queen today. It's based on Norse legends and mythology.

The Best Bad Day Ever is a cute, simple children's book that shows how nothing looks right when we're having a bad day, until... Author/illustrator Marianna Coppo has made it clear, funny, and universal. Little kids will love it (as did I).
My review of Best Bad Day Ever with several illustrations