Book Nook Cafe discussion

I see Goodreads lists it as YA. It didn't sound like such, to me, and was wondering if you agree. The photo on the cover has an older looking woman to me, but that may be just me.

Regardless, well done, Julie, in moving right along with this saga.

Well done on another prompt, Julie !

madrano wrote: "I see Goodreads lists it as YA. It didn't sound like such, to me, and was wondering if you agree. The photo on the cover has an older looking woman to me, but that may be just me.

Regardless, well..."

It is a YA series but I am enjoying it. There is one more book in the series.

Thank you, Julie, for the reply.

Schindler’s List
Thomas Keneally
4/5 stars
This is the fictionalized book version based on the real-true life story of Oskar Schindler which was later made into a film. Schindler during WWII helped a number of the Jewish population escape from the death camps in Czechoslovakia. Lengthy but interesting! Books Off My Never Ending Reading List.

Julie wrote: "
Schindler’s List
Thomas Keneally
4/5 stars
This is the fictionalized book version based on the real-true life story of Oskar Schindle..."

Well done, Julie. I appreciate the explanation, easing the confusion i had about this book.

Well done on another prompt, Julie.

madrano wrote: "Julie wrote: "
Schindler’s List
Thomas Keneally
4/5 stars
This is the fictionalized book version based on the real-true life story of ..."
I had tried to read it a few years ago for a non-fiction prompt but then I realized it wasn't non-fiction. I am glad I picked it up again.

Nice move.

The Edge of the Light Whidbey Island Saga, #4
Elizabeth George
4/5 stars
This is the final book in the Whidbey Island Saga. I enjoyed the series but I was disappointed in the ending. Becca/Hannah who was sent to Whidbey Island to stay with her mother's friend because she and her mother were on the run from her mother's husband Jeff Corrie. There was scant information about Jeff and her mother in this book. I would have liked to see what happened to them. Though everything seemed to work out for Becca/Hannah and she had a good support system regardless that she had not reunited with her mother. Whidbey Island Saga

Nicely done on another prompt, Julie.

Curious way to end the series, it seems to me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on all the books in the series, Julie.

madrano wrote: "Curious way to end the series, it seems to me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on all the books in the series, Julie."

I thought maybe she would of written a 5th book to tie up the ends. Oh well!

Julie wrote: "madrano wrote: "Curious way to end the series, it seems to me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on all the books in the series, Julie."

I thought maybe she would of written a 5th book to tie up th..."

I did do a google search and found this entry on George and Whidbey Island series.

"As for wrapping up the series, Elizabeth George has not yet concluded it. While she plans to eventually finish the Lynley/Havers saga, the exact timing remains uncertain. Perhaps the enigmatic allure of Whidbey Island will continue to inspire her storytelling, leaving readers eagerly awaiting the next installment."

Ahhh, so there is hope. I love that she is confident there is plenty of time to wrap up her beloved series.

Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens
Eddie Izzard
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Eddie Izzard, comedian and entertainer who was born in Yemen but also lived in Wales, Northern Ireland and England. Raised by his dad after his mother died which greatly affected him. He has come out as genderfluid. He is also involved in politics. Very interesting! A Dozen Film and TV Books

Julie wrote: "
Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens
Eddie Izzard
4/5 stars
This is the..."

Someone else here read it and enjoyed it. Sorry I can't recall the name.

Tough story, i'll bet. Well done, Julie, on your continued progress in completing this year's Reading Challenge.

The Burnt House
Faye Kellerman
4/5 stars
Decker and his wife Rina get involved in a mystery of a woman airplane employee who was supposed to be on a flight that crashes. Her body is not identified and Peter Decker gets the assignment to track down Roseanne when her stepfather insists that she was killed by her abusive husband. Great read! Favorite Mystery Authors

Julie wrote: "
The Burnt House
Faye Kellerman
4/5 stars
Decker and his wife Rina get involved in a mystery of a woman airplane employee who was supp..."

I've not read Faye but I've read and enjoyed her husbands novels.
Jonathan Kellerman

Julie wrote: "
The Burnt House
Faye Kellerman
4/5 stars
Decker and his wife Rina get involved in a mystery of a woman airplane employee who was supp..."

Wow, reading the GR blurb & your comments makes this sound like one good story. Thanks for telling us about it, Julie. Like Alias, i've not read anything by her.

Ham on Rye
Charles Bukowski
4/5 stars
"In what is widely hailed as the best of his many novels, Charles Bukowski details the long, lonely years of his own hardscrabble youth in the raw voice of alter ego Henry Chinaski. From a harrowingly cheerless childhood in Germany through acne-riddled high school years and his adolescent discoveries of alcohol, women, and the Los Angeles Public Library's collection of D. H. Lawrence, "Ham on Rye" offers a crude, brutal, and savagely funny portrait of an outcast's coming-of-age during the desperate days of the Great Depression." From the Good Reads Book Synopsis 1982

Julie, did you like this novel? His poetry is a mixed bag for me, but he can nail some things perfectly.

Julie wrote: "
Ham on Rye
Charles Bukowski
4/5 stars
"In what is widely hailed as the best of his many novels, Charles Bukowski details the long, lonely ye..."

I read this one ages ago. I also agree it's very good.

Good job on the prompt, Julie !

madrano wrote: "Julie, did you like this novel? His poetry is a mixed bag for me, but he can nail some things perfectly."

I really enjoyed this book. Didn't know that he wrote poetry!

Poetry is how i know his name, at all. I'll share a favorite of mine.
For more, try this link. https://allpoetry.com/Charles-Bukowski

a song with no end.
Charles Bukowski

when Whitman wrote, "I sing the body electric"

I know what he
meant
I know what he
wanted:

to be completely alive every moment
in spite of the inevitable.

we can't cheat death but we can make it
work so hard
that when it does take
us

it will have known a victory just as
perfect as
ours.

Nice.

I've read and enjoyed his Ham on Rye

What Have We Here?: Portraits of a Life
Billy Dee Williams
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Billy Dee Williams. He has lead a pretty interesting life as an actor. He talks about his family and his movie roles. I enjoyed reading it. A Dozen Film and TV Books

Neat. I've long liked him in the roles i've seen him in. However, i know very little about him. Thanks for the info, Julie.

I am editing this because i went to Wiki after posting. Who knew he was a painter? Very interesting info about his family, too. Neat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_D...

Julie wrote: "
What Have We Here?: Portraits of a Life
Billy Dee Williams
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Bill..."

I recall him being on The View when the book came out in February.

Billy Dee Williams Looks Back At Legendary Career and Discusses New Memoir | The View
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W302Y...

I'm glad to hear the memoir is good. It's an odd cover.

Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune
Anderson Cooper
4/5 stars
This is the wonderfully written book on the Astor Family including John Jacob Astor, the founder of the family who settled in New York in 1783, then came the story of John Jacob Aster IV, who perished on the Titanic and their reign finally ended in 2009. A great read!
One Last Ruth Reichl Book and Eight Other Biographies

Well done on the prompt, Julie !

Nice work, Julie.

Evidence
Jonathan Kellerman
4/5 stars
Alex Delaware is back and his friend Milo Sturgis are on a case where a couple was found dead in a home under construction. The young woman could not be identified but the man who was found was Desmond Backer who was an architect. Also in this story is another woman, Helga Gemein who was his former boss. Who killed the two victims? Favorite Mystery Authors

Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight
Janet Evanovich
4/5 stars
Stephanie Plum is back in her 28th book and she is with Diesel, who also apprehends criminals too! This time they are going after Oswald Wednesday. He is known for hacking computers and he is killing off other hackers who hacked into his network! I like her stories which are fun and not too involved! Favorite Mystery Authors
I read this earlier but never posted the review.

Julie wrote: "
Evidence
Jonathan Kellerman
4/5 stars
Alex Delaware is back and his friend Milo Sturgis are on a case where a couple was found dead in a h..."

I haven't read an Alex Delaware book in a long time. I always enjoyed his writing. Thanks for the reminder.

I like the way you've constructed this category, Julie. When i saw the Kellerman was for your "Favorite Mystery Authors", i wondered who they were. The way you've made it, new ones can become favorites. Neat!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on these two.

The Summer of Katya
Trevanian
4/5 stars
"In the quiet Basque countryside in 1914, Jean-Marc Montjean, a handsome young doctor, moves to the small French village of Salies to assist the village physician. It's there that he meets the seductive, beautiful Katya Treville. Jean-Marc is bewitched, driven to know everything about her. But as he and her family become friendly, he realizes they are haunted by an old, dark secret.
When Jean-Marc learns that the Trevilles are planning to leave the village forever, he insists on a final meeting with Katya. That meeting and the events that follow turn what was an idyllic romance into an unending nightmare. And when Katya’s secret is revealed, the chilling climax will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned." 1983

Synopsis from Good Reads because they do a better job than I could with this book!
I enjoyed this book - Very interesting!

Nice job on the 1983 prompt, Julie !

Julie wrote: "
The Summer of Katya
Trevanian
4/5 stars DEB SNIPPED
Synopsis from Good Reads because they do a better job than I could with this book!..."

Isn't that the truth, Julie?! While i complain about them sometimes, those write ups are easy to read & clear.

Speak
Laurie Halse Anderson
4/5 stars
Melinda is a freshman in high school and is now a pariah in her school. Turns out she called the cops and the kids at the unchaperoned party who are not too happy with her. What caused her to do it and how she is shunned at school will shock her school mates when the truth comes out. Banned Book

Julie wrote: "
Speak
Laurie Halse Anderson
4/5 stars
Melinda is a freshman in high school and is now a pariah in her school. Turns out she called the cops..."

Speak was a 1999 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature. This is banned ? Ugh.

I don't read much YA, except for John Green. However, this one looks interesting. I'm adding it to my TBR notebook.

Well done on the prompt, Julie !

Thanks !

Julie wrote: "
Speak
Laurie Halse Anderson
4/5 stars
Melinda is a freshman in high school and is now a pariah in her school. Turns out she called the cops..."

This cover is excellent, given the topic, especially. Thank you, Julie, for drawing our attention to it.

Unbecoming a Lady: The Forgotten Sluts and Shrews Who Shaped America
Therese Oneill
4/5 stars
This is quite an interesting look at women who have influenced the nation. The book covers several women, including Carrie Nation, Hetty Green (the first self-made lady billionaire) and Aimee Semple McPherson, a preacher who also faked her kidnapping. It was a short read but so fascinating. Non-Fiction

Sounds up my alley! Thanks for the report, Julie.

Thanks, Julie. I've added it to my TBR notebook.

Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women's Football League
Lyndsey D'Arcangelo
3/5 stars
Interesting book about the National Women's Football League and the ups and downs of women playing professional football. Sports

Julie, I really do admire the way you read a wide range of books. It's inspiring !

Neat topic.

The Wasp Factory
Iain Banks
3/5 stars
This a very dark story about a family of all men. Frank Cauldhame is 16 years old and a murderer, but no one knows about it. 1984