Coffee & Books discussion
Bookish!
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What are you reading?
listening to Behind Closed Doors and I HATE it- going to be my first 1 star of the year.My actual books are going much better- Uprooted, The Day of the Triffids and Of Human Bondage
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian TrailOutliers: The Story of Success
Competing Against Luck
Loving the walk, enjoying Outliers, The latter is interesting take (reading for work)
My first book of 2017, was We, The Drowned by Carsten Jensen. 10000000% recommend it! Excellent and addicting read. Right meow, I'm reading IT by Stephen King. I've never seen the movie because I'm scared of clowns. So let's see how many nightmares I can have this month!
Mod
Next up I am Malala and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
When Books Went to War - Molly Guptil Manning - 4****
While Nazis were burning books in Europe, Americans were trying to get more books distributed to the men fighting in the war. Manning does a wonderful job of including the history of the times and the challenges faced by the Council, including efforts to censor the books that would be included. I was completely fascinated and engaged from beginning to end.
LINK to my review
Constellation of Vital Phenomena � Anthony Marra � 4****
I had considerable difficulty getting into this novel. Perhaps it was because I was listening rather than reading, but Marra’s moving back and forth in time, and changing points of view, just confused me. I did not connect to the characters at first and didn’t understand their relationships and connections. But that, I suppose, is Marra’s intention. We do not often know why someone crosses our path, what connections she or he brings, what influence he or she will have on our future. We do not know when hope and grace, courage and dignity may find their way into our lives. We can only pray that they do.
LINK to my review
Yesterday I finished
which as alright and now i am working on
,
and
.
I just finished Go Ask Alice, which was an alright book. I'm about to start The Merciless by Danielle Vega. I'm excited.
The Shooting - James Boice - 3***
There is no question that America’s gun culture needs to be examined and understood, if it is ever to be changed. Boice turns a critical eye on BOTH sides of this issue; there are no easy answers here, but Boice poses some important questions. I like that he manages to give us very complex characters, who have a variety of reasons for behaving as they do. On the other hand, I was not a fan of the constant shift in point of view / voice and time frame. The message is visceral and disturbing and thought-provoking.
LINK to my review
Portrait in Sepia - Isabel Allende � 4****
This is the third book Allende has written about the Del Valle family, after The House of the Spirits and Daughter of Fortune. I love Allende’s writing. There is a decidedly Latin beat to the flow of her sentences. And her descriptions are full of sensory highlights. The characters are larger than life and run the gamut from a wealthy Chilean grand dame to a Chinese herbalist to an English butler and a Serbian physician. I think I need to go back to THotS and read it again.
LINK to my review
I just finished
by Claire Fuller.I started
by Leigh Evans as a recommend through a challenge in another group. I'm just not really feeling it. I think I need to clear my head first.So I started up
by Anne Bishop bc another GR member has been hounding me for the better part of a year to read it and it is really good so far! <3
just finished Awake by Natasha Preston in book form and Butterfly Garden in audible. starting Finding Emma in audible and Head Full of Ghosts in book
The Wedding Bees by Sarah-Kate Lynch.Have to get my BEE fix!
I don't know if I posted my responce in a correct one because there is "what are you reading 2016" and "what are you reading 2017". Either way I'm reading Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs.
Mod
Nine Days to Christmas - Marie Hall Ets & Aurora Labastida � 4****
The subtitle is: A Story of Mexico, and this charming picture book details the preparations and festivities surrounding las posadas, a procession and celebration of Joseph and Mary seeking shelter in Bethlehem. The illustrations by Ets are wonderfully detailed, and she won the Caldecott medal for her work. Labastida’s text, and Ets’s drawings bring the streets of Mexico City alive.
LINK to my review
A Big Sky Christmas - William W Johnstone & J A Johnstone � 2**
It’s a stereotypical Western tale � cardboard characters right out of central casting, a band of “varmints� set on revenge, an actress fleeing from a rich man intent on having his way with her, and the cowboy who loves her, Indians, buffalo, and the kinds of natural disasters that plagued many a wagon train. Still, it’s a fast read, with a plot that kept me interested enough to keep turning pages. Oh, and if you’re looking for a “Christmas� book � look elsewhere. This is really just a Western romance set during early winter, with a plot that culminates on Christmas Day
LINK to my review
I'm reading - My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg
and
Competing Against Luck by Clayton M. Christensen
The Wedding Dress: Stories From the Dakota Plains - Carrie Young � 4****
This is a collection of short stories set primarily during the early part of the 20th century to shortly after World War II. Young explores the lives of the people of Little Butte, North Dakota, who are mostly Norwegian immigrants (or descended from them). All of the stories feature characters that fairly leap off the page, they are so real. The landscape is cold and bleak, especially during the Dust Bowl years, but the kitchens are warm and inviting. This is the first work by Young that I’ve read; it will not be the last.
LINK to my review
A Place Called Hope - Philip Gulley � 3***
I love Gulley’s series; I welcome a gentle read now and again, where I can visit with old friends. He has a gift for writing humorous stories about small-town life, but instilling a message of tolerance, peace and love. Here’s hoping that Sam Gardner’s adventures in Hope will continue to entertain and inspire for years to come.
LINK to my review
Little Bee by Chris Cleave. Reread for book club.
Mrs Lincoln’s Dressmaker � Jennifer Chiaverini � 3***
This was an interesting look at an era in history that we already know much about. I enjoyed the historical references and Elizabeth’s point of view of many of the events. It was an engaging story that held my interest. But � I wish Chiaverini had given us more of Elizabeth in the novel and less of Mrs Lincoln.
LINK to my review
I'm currently reading both of these beauties :)
&
I'm reading Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks. Just finished Home Is Where the Heart Is.
Secret History by Donna Tart...also just placed an order for Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman's...very excited to get started on that
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil � John Berendt � 4****
Berendt was a free-lance journalist when curiosity took him to Savannah and he began to write about the particularly insular culture of that Southern city. Then a murder happened, and his story really took off. I first read this sometime in the mid to late 1990s, and on re-reading it I’m not so keen about it. The murder doesn’t happen until half-way through the book, and that was really the most interesting part. I’m still giving it 4 stars because I believe that was closer to my original reaction to the book.
LINK to my review
The Fall of the Faere and other stories by William Timothy Murray.
Cinnamon Girl: Letters Found Inside a Cereal Box - Juan Felipe Herrera � 3***
This slim volume is told entirely in free verse. The poems are visceral and disturbing, emotional and moving. And yet, I felt somehow removed from Yolanda and her pain. I think part of that was because Herrera does not give us a linear timeline. Nevertheless, from the typical teen lament of “no one understands me� to the joy and freedom of a new friendship, to the very real fear of having lost someone in a tragic accident, Herrera’s Cinnamon Girl will resonate with many readers.
LINK to my review
I'm reading Homesick For Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh :)
I'm reading the little flower shop by the sea by Ali McNamara
The War of the Saints Entertaining read but a little difficult to follow. Most of the "Latin America" reads are based in Spanish speaking countries. For this to take place in Brazil makes the dialect a little bit of an obstacle. I hope this is not the case for my own book.
Book Concierge wrote: "Cinnamon Girl: Letters Found Inside a Cereal Box
- Juan Felipe Herrera � 3***
This slim volume is told entirely in free vers..."
Interesting... adding it to the list.
Rather A Commob Sort Of Crime by Joyce Porter
The Husband - Dean Koontz � 3.5***
Mitch Rafferty runs a two-man landscaping business, so he’s sure there’s a mistake when a kidnapper calls and says that if he “loves his wife enough� he’ll find a way to pay the exorbitant ransom. This is the first book by Koontz that I’ve read. It’s not great literature, but it sure held my attention and I’ll definitely read more from him. Especially when I’m in the mood for a fast-paced, entertaining thriller.
LINK to my review
Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer � 4****
The subtitle says it all: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster . This is Krakauer’s first-person account of the Everest expedition in May 1996 that resulted in the death of six climbers, and severe injuries to several others. I’ve read two of Krakauer’s other books and enjoy his writing. He has a gift for putting the reader in the situation, and I think he works hard to present a balanced story. The result is a book that is compelling and interesting, even when the reader knows the outcome.
LINK to my review
DISREGARD ... stupid copy/paste ....
Maisie Dobbs � Jacqueline Winspear � 2**
This is the first in a series featuring a former housemaid and Army Nurse. The book begins in 1929, and Maisie Dobbs has opened her own private investigation agency. I like Maisie and the supporting characters, but this first book spent way too much time in the past, and not nearly enough time on the actual mystery. Still, although I was disappointed in this book, I’d be willing to try another because of the characters, setting and period.
LINK to my review
The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton
Coffee & Books
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Cheers to the new year!