Union County Library discussion
What I'm Reading Now
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The Pianist
� Wladyslaw Szpilman � 4****
The subtitle is all the synopsis anyone needs: The Extraordinary True Story of One man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945. ..."
Great review! If you've watched it, do you recommend the film based on this book?
Union County Library wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: " The Pianist
� Wladyslaw Szpilman � 4****
The subtitle is all the synopsis anyone needs: The Extraordinary True Story of One man’s Survival ..."
I HAVE seen the movie - Excellent! Highly recommended.
Ask Again, Yes � Mary Beth Keane � 5
This is the kind of character-driven literary fiction that I absolutely love. Keane focuses this decades-long story on two families living in a suburb of New York City. There is so much going on here. Family expectations. Alcoholism. Denial. Mental Illness. Betrayal. Forgiveness. Love. By the end of the novel I felt that I really knew these people. I cheered for them. Was dismayed by them. Worried about them. Forgave them.
LINK to my full review
Katie and the Cupcake Cure � Coco Simon � 3***
This is the first in the Cupcake Diaries series for middle-school children. This is a delightful read that deals with some of the harsh realities of growing up. Katie Brown is entering middle-school, and she’s understandably nervous. Even worse, it seems that her best friend, Callie, has found new friends and Katie is out. I can certainly see the popularity of the series. The situations are relatable for most kids, and Simon gives each of these girls a unique talent to bring to the mix.
LINK to my full review
The Night Watchman � Louise Erdrich � 4****
Erdrich was inspired by the true story of her grandfather, who successfully fought against a US Senator intent on “eliminating� various Indian tribes to craft this novel, set in 1953, on the Turtle Mountain reservation in North Dakota. There are two main characters, Thomas Wazhashk and his niece Patrice Paranteau. Their parallel and interconnecting story lines highlight the life, struggles and triumphs of the Native Americans during this era. I loved these characters, Patrice, in particular, as well as the many supporting characters.
LINK to my full review
Magic Bites � Ilona Andrews � 3***
Paranormal fantasy is just not my thing, but this was really quite fun to read. I loved that the main character is a kick-ass woman who does not suffer fools (or vampires or shapeshifters or demons, etc) lightly. There were parts of the story line that reminded me of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files stories. The action is nonstop and there’s some interesting sexual / romantic tension. If I need another paranormal fantasy for a challenge prompt I just might turn to Andrews in the future.
LINK to my full review
I've been "on the road" the last couple of weeks, traveling with a friend. But I'm back now and WAY behind in posting reviews. Please bear with me as there will be a larger number than usual posted in the next week or two.--------- * * * * * * * * --------
Have a Little Faith � Mitch Albom � 3.5***
Albom explores what it means to live a life of faith by looking at two very different congregations and their preachers: Rabbi Albert Lewis and Pastor Henry Covington. These two men could not be more different and yet each exemplified what it means to life a life of faith. There were a couple of times when I bristled at the feeling of being emotionally manipulated, but in the end I found it moving and thought-provoking, comforting and challenging.
LINK to my full review
The Spook In the Stacks � Eva Gates � 3***
Book number four in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series. This series features Lucy Richardson, the librarian (and resident) at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library of the coast of North Carolina. It’s a fast, fun cozy mystery. As the title and cover imply, this one is set around Halloween.
LINK to my full review
Five Days in London, May 1940 � John Lukacs � 3.5***
Historian John Lukacs has written over twenty books, several dealing with World War II. In this book he focuses specifically on Winston Churchill and the five days from May 24 to May 28, 1940. We obviously know the outcome already, but Lukacs manages to convey the sense of urgency and tension and uncertainty of this moment in history. This is a slim volume, but very dense.
LINK to my full review
A Tale For the Time Being � Ruth Ozeki � 4****
This is Ozeki’s most widely-read work (if the ŷ ratings are any indication). It was nominated for both the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and it won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like this. Yes, I’ve read other books with multiple narrators and with multiple time lines. But there is an ethereal quality to Ozeki’s novel that I can’t remember ever encountering. I felt transported and immersed in these characters� lives, even though I didn’t always want to be there. Nao’s story is particularly distressing with the bullying she endures, her family’s disastrous financial situation and her father’s deep depression.
LINK to my full review
Evans Above � Rhys Bowen � 3***
Book # 1 in the Constable Evans mystery series. I can’t really call it a cozy because our lead character is a policeman, after all, and NOT an amateur sleuth, but it has many of the hallmarks of cozies. I enjoyed the book, though it was a bit slow-moving.
LINK to my full review
The Wedding Girl � Madeleine Wickham � 3***
Milly is engaged to Simon, the son of the immensely wealthy Harry Pinnacle. But Milly has a huge secret that is likely to derail all her mother’s plans for the “wedding of the century.� I didn’t like either Milly or Simon, but I still found the book entertaining. It was a quick, fast, chick-lit romantic escape.
LINK to my full review
The Book Of Magic � Alice Hoffman � 3.5***
I came late to the Hoffman fan club. I’m not terribly interested in reading about witches and magic, and I had seen the movie of Practical Magic, which I thought was terrible. But I finally read that first in the series last year and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like it. So here I am again. What I really like about the books is the relationships between the generations of women. Hoffman moves back and forth between various characters. She does this quite well, keeping the story flowing and the reader turning pages.
LINK to my full review
Her Royal Spyness � Rhys Bowen � 3***
Book #1 in the “Her Royal Spyness� mystery series introduces us to Lady Victoria Georgina Charlotte Eugenie, daughter to the Duke of Glen Garry and Rannoch, and thirty-fourth in line to the throne, and commonly known as Georgie. There’s little actual spying involved, rather it’s a typical cozy mystery in which Georgie tries to clear her name, and her brother’s, after a body is found in her bathtub! There’s a host of upper-class friends / family to round out the cast, and, best of all, her maternal grandfather, a retired cop. A fun, fast, read.
LINK to my full review
Lightning Men � Thomas Mullen � 3.5***
Book two in the Darktown series continues the story of a newly integrated Atlanta police force in the 1950s. There’s a lot going on here from the basic police procedural involving the crimes the officers are trying to solve, to the racism on the force, to the ugly and dangerous tactics of the Klan, to some personal marital issues, to political corruption. It certainly captured my attention. Mullen crafts a tight thriller, with complex characters, and a couple of stunning scenes. Still, I felt a little lost regarding the relationships between the characters because I hadn’t read the first book in the series first.
LINK to my full review
Pied Piper –Nevil Shute � 4****
An elderly British man, John Howard, goes on holiday to France in April 1940, and must cut his visit short when Germany begins the invasion. He agrees to take two British children back to England with him, expecting a 2-day journey, but � This is a road trip and a suspense thriller with an undercurrent of family relationships and love. On the way he will encounter other refugee children, and of course, he takes them with him as well. Mr Howard is a marvelous character. Courage does not always involve fighting the enemy. Mr Howard and Nicole display the kind of quiet courage that comes from a deep conviction that what they are doing is correct, and a strong faith that somehow, they will prevail.
LINK to my full review
Poirot Investigates � Agatha Christie � 3***
This was the first collection of short stories featuring the little Belgian and his “little grey cells� that Christie compiled. I love Poirot and I really appreciate the friendship and banter between him and Captain Hastings. The short stories do little to give the reader many of the clues which Poirot spends time thinking about, and rely heavily on his explanations to Hastings at the end of each episode outlining his “methodical thinking.� Even so, he is still among my favorite detectives, and I enjoyed these stories very much.
LINK to my full review
Just finished The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James this morningIt was an exciting and spooky murder mystery.
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It was an exciting and spooky murder mystery."
We love spooky books, especially during spooky season!
The Masterpiece � Fiona Davis � 3***
In this work of historical fiction, Davis turns her attention to another New York City landmark: Grand Central Terminal. I really wish Davis had focused more on the building’s historic past, the many reasons it achieved landmark status, and the fight to save it -or- on the feminist issue of unrecognized artists (or other contributors) due to gender bias. Trying to do both resulted in a work that didn’t fully explore either theme. It was a pretty fast read, and I kept turning pages, but I was left with a “Is that all?� feeling.
LINK to my full review
The Kindest Lie � Nancy Johnson � 3***
There’s a good premise here and some interesting family dynamics. Johnson captured my attention early and kept me turning pages. I wanted to know what would happen to these people and how their stories would play out, but I thought Johnson relied too much on the secrets and failed to make sense of the present. Ruth is supposed to be this brilliant scientist and yet she behaves just as impulsively as Midnight, the young white boy she befriends. This is Johnson’s debut novel, and I think a little more work (and editing) might have made this a very memorable work.
LINK to my full review
Something Wicked This Way Comes � Ray Bradbury � 5
Bradbury was a master of suspense and sci-fi. Here he turns his imagination loose on every child’s dream � and nightmare. Who doesn’t love to be scared on a carnival ride? Like the best roller coaster, Bradbury S-L-O-W-L-Y drew me up the incline of suspense, dropped me into terror, and then evened out to let me catch my breath, only to realize there was another, steeper, incline ahead. When, finally, the ride was over I was giddy with relief � and wanted to “go again!�
LINK to my full review
The Last Thing He Told Me � Laura Dave � 3.5***
A book-club friend once said that she dislikes thrillers because she dislikes being manipulated. I am beginning to feel that way about thrillers, too. However � This is a fast-paced, intriguing book. There are several twists and turns that kept me turning pages long after I should have stopped to do other necessary things. Yes, there were some things that bothered me. A few threads that were left hanging. A few inconsistencies that an editor should have caught. As thrillers go, this is pretty good.
LINK to my full review
Mansfield Park � Jane Austen � 4****
Ah, but I love spending time with Austen. Fanny is perhaps the ideal heroine, and reportedly Austen’s own favorite among her heroines. She is intelligent and thoughtful, pretty and graceful, keeps her own counsel, is modest and principled, and still has a loving heart. There is a certain predictable pattern to Austen’s novels, and this one is no exception. Our heroine will remain true to herself, and love will triumph.
LINK to my full review
Life Among the Savages � Shirley Jackson � 3***
This collection of essays / vignettes is about Jackson and her family’s 1953 move to a small town in Vermont, where she and her husband settled into a large house and proceeded to fill it with children and books, a dog, two cats, and “literally thousands of socks.� I’ve read two of Jackson’s classic “horror� tales previously, so, I knew she was a talented writer. But I had no idea she had such a wicked sense of humor!
LINK to my full review
The Thirteen Problems � Agatha Christie � 3***
This is a collection of short stories. The Tuesday Murder Club is a group of friends, including Miss Jane Marple, who regularly meet and take turns relating an interesting murder case they are aware of, but without revealing the culprit. The club members try to guess who committed the crime. Of course, Miss Marple is always right.
LINK to my full review
Evan Help Us � Rhys Bowen � 3***
Book two in the Constable Evans series has Evan looking into two seemingly unrelated deaths. I like Constable Evans, but this one dragged a little. Still I enjoy spending time with the colorful residents of Llanfair.
LINK to my full review
The View From Penthouse B � Elinor Lipman � 3.5*** rounded up
Two sisters and a handsome, cupcake-baking young man share a Greenwich Village apartment and support one another’s efforts to get back into life. What a charming comedy of manners, reminiscent of Jane Austen, but updated to the 21st century. The scenarios and the characters are believable and relatable. Their dialogue sparkles. I love how they support and encourage one another through thick and thin, and many complications relationship wise. Just delightful fun.
LINK to my full review
A Cowboy For Christmas � Lori Wilde � 2.5**
Okay, it’s an Avon Romance and I was expecting something predictable and heart-warming, not great literature. This had a lovely premise: a struggling, young widow with a toddler, meets her late husband’s estranged brother and the sparks fly. But there’s a very weak subplot involving Lissy’s mother-in-law; this tortured character just tortured me every time she appeared on the page, and the book lost a ½ star as a result. That’s not to say that I won’t get back on the horse and try another of Wilde’s cowboy romances in the future.
LINK to my full review
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How To Walk Away � Katherine Center � 3.5***
There are many kinds of “happily ever after…� I’d read one book by Center previously and I wasn’t all that impressed. So, I wasn’t expecting much more than a contemporary romance with possibly “relevant issues� for today’s woman thrown in. I was pleasantly surprised that my expectations were exceeded. Margaret’s journey is what kept me interested. She has many downs, and a few ups, but ultimately, she takes charge of her life in a way that is totally believable and had me cheering her on.
LINK to my full review
A Royal Pain � Rhys Bowen � 3***
Book two in Her Royal Spyness cozy mystery series, has Lady Georgiana Rannoch (Georgie to her friends) hosting a Bavarian princess as part of Her Majesty’s plan to get the Prince of Wales interested in a more suitable partner than that awful American woman. I like Georgie as a character, and love her grandfather, as well as her best friend, Belinda. But the plot here didn’t really capture my attention. Still, it did give an added dimension to Darcy O’Mara. He may be more than just an unreliable rogue�
LINK to my full review
The Christmas Bookshop � Jenny Colgan � 3***
This was a delightful rom-com. The city of Edinburgh is described as a virtual living Christmas card during this season, with fairy lights and snow and decorations, and all the shopkeepers on the street hosting parties. Our down-on-her-luck heroine will meet two promising romantic leads: a famous bestselling author and a bedraggled college professor. Of course, there’s a hugely successful attorney sister Carmen feels inferior to, and the additional drama of the “mean-girl� nanny. But never fear, this holiday romance will deliver on the promise of an HEA ending.
LINK to my full review
Things My Son Needs To Know About the World � Fredrik Backman � 3***
In this collection of essays, Backman speaks directly to his infant / toddler son about life and being a man. He covers such subjects as bullies, getting your child to eat, being careful, the importance of best friends, and love. It’s tender and funny and entertaining.
LINK to my full review
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The Christmas Bookshop
� Jenny Colgan � 3***
This was a delightful rom-com. The city of Edinburgh is described as a virtual living Christmas card dur..."
We love a Christmas romance! Do you have any others you'd strongly recommend?
Get a Life, Chloe Brown � Talia Hilbert � 3***
I was drawn to the book because of the promise of a heroine who faces some significant challenges. I did get that, and some other serious issues, along with the typical rom-com tropes, but the book fell flat for me. I really liked Chloe and totally understood both her insecurities and her desire to break out and DO things. I also liked Red, the super of her apartment building with tattoos, a leather jacket and a motorbike, who promises to help her with her list. The chemistry between the two seemed genuine and I liked their banter. But the graphic sex scenes which just turned me off. I’m still willing to try another book by Hibbert, but I’m in no hurry to do so.
LINK to my full review
Union County Library wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "We love a Christmas romance! Do you have any others you'd strongly recommend?."
I also really liked Colgan's Christmas on the Island (though it's the third book in a series, the others NOT taking place at Christmas)
Nancy Thayer is also always a good option for Christmas romances / family dramas: Let It Snow or An Island Christmas.
I also really loved An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor (though, again, this is # 3 in the series, so reading it before # 1 and # 2 will spoil some of the relationships that grow over time.)
Feel free to peruse My CHRISTMAS shelf though not all are romances, and not all got a high rating.
Eight Perfect Hours � Lia Louis � 3***
Sam and Noelle meet when both are stranded in their cars during a blizzard. When the weather clears they part, strangers still and not expecting to see one another again. But you wouldn’t have a romance if they didn’t keep bumping into one another. It’s a fairly predictable story line and a fast read. NOT a holiday book, though, despite the cover’s promise. There are some serious issues these characters must deal with on the road to HEA.
LINK to my full review
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We love a Christmas romance! Do you have any others you'd strongly recommend?."
I also really liked..."
This is a great list! Thank you so much for sharing!
Union County Library wrote: "This is a great list! Thank you so much for sharing! ..."You're welcome ... that's why I'm called the Book Concierge (LOL)!
The Five Wounds � Kirstin Valdez Quade � 4.5****
What Quade’s characters share is that desire to “be someone else� and/or somewhere else, but no real means of achieving that. They dream, but are somehow powerless to change their circumstances, falling back on old patterns of behavior, afraid to let go of their past to head into the future. Despite how they infuriated me, and how often I wanted to just shake some sense into them, I wound up really loving these characters.
LINK to my full review
How To Raise an Elephant � Alexander McCall Smith � 3***
Book # 21 in the No. 1 Ladies� Detective Agency series set in Botswana and featuring Mma Precious Ramotswe and the other employees (partners?) of the agency, as well as friends and relatives. As is typical for this series, the mysteries are not murders, but a cousin who has some financial difficulties, or a woman with a straying husband, and also figuring out why the suspension in Mma Ramotswe’s beloved little white van seems to have gone bad � not to mention the peculiar smell coming from the back of the van.
LINK to my full review
All I Want For Christmas Is a Cowboy � Jessica Clare � 3***
Young woman with a stressful job decides to go to her family’s cabin in Wyoming over Christmas for some alone time. Misses the turn in a blizzard, crashes her car and is rescued by a handsome cowboy. It's a predictable, fast holiday cowboy romance. And I did so like looking at the cover!
LINK to my full review
The Last Coyote –Michael Connelly � 3.5***
Book # 4 in the Harry Bosch series has our detective on ISL � Involuntary Stress Leave � after an “incident� involving an altercation with his supervising officer. This is a pretty dark episode in the series. But the reader gets to know much more about Harry and the way he operates, his background and what drives him. Despite the attention paid to his psychological problems, though, there is still a mystery to be solved with many clues, multiple suspects and enough twists and turns to keep any fan of thrillers interested and engaged.
LINK to my full review
Letters From Father Christmas � J R R Tolkien � 4****
This lovely volume duplicates the letters from Father Christmas which were sent to Tolkien’s children beginning in 1920 and continuing for the next twenty-three years. The letters relate the many adventures Father Christmas and his helpers � The North Polar Bear, elves, etc � have both in preparation for the big day and throughout the year. I much enjoyed the inventiveness of these missives and loved the hand-drawn illustrations.
LINK to my full review
The Heartbreak Bakery � A R Capetta � 3***
A teen who is unsure which pronouns to use displays feelings through baking. At the outset, I had some difficulty with the constantly changing pronouns � not just Syd but Harley and others seem unsure which pronouns they prefer on any given day. But I got over this and began to enjoy this YA romance. Syd is a great character, and I liked how Capetta explored relationships and changing feelings and how we need to learn to communicate openly and honestly.
LINK to my full review
Shroud For a Nightingale � P D James � 3***
Book 4 in the Adam Dalgliesh mystery series has the detective investigating two deaths at a school of nursing, Nightingale House. I really like how Dalgliesh is so methodical and contemplative. He never rushes to a conclusion, and carefully constructs and explores the possibilities before proclaiming a case is solved. This one took several turns I didn’t expect.
LINK to my full review
Holly Jolly Cowboy � Jessica Clare � 3***
Totally predictable, given the genre, but hey, there are cute dogs in abundance, not to mention that hunky cowboy. And, of course, perky, optimistic Holly will bake and cook her way into his heart. Will there be bumps in the road to romance? How could there not be? Will there be tears shed and hearts broken? Certainly. Will there be a happy ending? No doubt. This Holiday Cowboy Romance is enjoyable at any season.
LINK to my full review
The Burden of Proof � Scott Turow � 3.5***
Turow turns his attention to the defense attorney from Presumed Innocent , Alejandro “Sandy� Stern. It opens with a shocking discovery. And quickly expands to a complicated legal mess, involving securities / commodities trading, that frankly lost me in its complexity. I really loved how Turow wrote Sandy and his relationships. This is really more character-driven than most legal thrillers. But the plot complexities, however puzzling to me, were also what kept me interested and engaged and wondering and guessing right to the end � which is a stunner.
LINK to my full review
The Christmas Cookie Collection � Lori Wilde � 2**
I knew going into it that this collection of novellas (originally published separately) would be a schmaltzy romance. I’ve read another work by Wilde previously and liked it; I found this one charming for its genre, though unremarkable. It was a fast read, but I’ve basically forgotten the characters and their stories already.
LINK to my full review
Union County Library
Books mentioned in this topic
American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures (other topics)Princess of Blood (other topics)
Don't Trust Fish (other topics)
Great Big Beautiful Life (other topics)
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
S.K. Waters (other topics)Amanda Cassidy (other topics)
Emily St. John Mandel (other topics)
The Pianist � Wladyslaw Szpilman � 4****
The subtitle is all the synopsis anyone needs: The Extraordinary True Story of One man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945. Szpilman was a Jewish pianist who managed � by luck, courage, tenacity, and the kindness of others � to stay hidden and survive in the bombed and war-torn city. I found it engaging and gripping. Even though I knew he survived, I simply could not stop reading.
LINK to my full review