ŷ������

Lillie wrote: "Holy cow! I must’ve seen a different list. Maybe that can be my project for next year.

My only tip for when you start reading the Harry Hole books is to start with #3 The Redbreast..."

Good to know, thanks! I tried #1 The Bat and decided I did not care for this series. I'll try #3 next.

Ioana wrote: "Lillie wrote: "Holy cow! I must’ve seen a different list. Maybe that can be my project for next year.

My only tip for when you start reading the Harry Hole books is to start with #3 [book:The Redb..."

So true! The first 2, I believe, were only translated later when the others became so popular. It's clear why they were not translated at first.

Ioana wrote: "Lillie wrote: "Holy cow! I must’ve seen a different list. Maybe that can be my project for next year.

My only tip for when you start reading the Harry Hole books is to start with #3 [book:The Redb..."

That's interesting, I read the first this month and enjoyed it enough to read the rest, even without the warning. Friend had the opposite view though, but she didn't tell me she was going to read it, or I'd have warned her.

And just like that, you all are adding another series to my TBR...did I need it? NO. Will I try it? You bet! :-)
Even without the first 2, there are still 9 other book in this series, and I need to compare the 2 Harry. Thank you (I think)

I was not super impressed with Harry Hole #1. Now you guys have me thinking I should give him another chance with #3. Another series revived from the ashes to pump up my TBR.

Michelle wrote: "I was not super impressed with Harry Hole #1. Now you guys have me thinking I should give him another chance with #3. Another series revived from the ashes to pump up my TBR."

LOL, I feel the same 🤣🤣🤣

Lillie wrote: "Ok, I know this a weird question but is the Harry Bosch series in any way similar to the Harry Hole series? Or is it more violent? I love the Harry Hole books but I've read the last book the author..."

Bosch is not a drunk; but he is just as troubled. Unresolved family issues, anger issues and not "going by the book." Some things are quite questionable and he is not brilliant, like Hole. With that being said, Bosch is a fabulous character and so far, has a great story arc.

Ioana wrote: "And just like that, you all are adding another series to my TBR...did I need it? NO. Will I try it? You bet! :-)
Even without the first 2, there are still 9 other book in this series, and I need to..."

#3 is the best place to start. #1 is just Harry being a drunk loser with no real back story. Definitely start with #3

Alondra wrote: "#3 is the best place to start. #1 is just Harry being a drunk loser with no real back story. Definitely start with #3"

All right, new series, new Harry...what can be bad?

Book #29 of 2022 A House in the Sky. I don't remember Amanda's story in the news (captured for ransom in Somalia, held captive in horrible conditions for 15 months), and I blamed her in the beginning. So many bad decisions...but nobody deserves what she went through, and in the end she turned out to be a lot stronger, smarter, more resilient than I originally thought. The writing is beautiful, but this was not an easy read. Considering the nightmare she lived through, there is no "why me" or "poor me" attitude...wow! So glad she got freed...

Book #30 of 2022: A Desperate Fortune. I usually enjoy Susanna Kearsley books, and this was no exception. Not perfect, but an easy read when I needed it. One of those books sitting on my TBR for many years, I'm trying to either read them or decide not to bother. 4*

Ioana wrote: "Alondra wrote: "#3 is the best place to start. #1 is just Harry being a drunk loser with no real back story. Definitely start with #3"

All right, new series, new Harry...what can be bad?"

Exactly! Positive thinking works. 😇😇😇😁

Alondra wrote: "Exactly! Positive thinking works. 😇😇😇😁"

Yes, but the correct Alondra emoji is 😈😈😈 don't try to look angelic, we know who you are...

Book # 31 of 2022: The Dutch House. Another book by Ann Patchett, that I had for a few years. Beautiful writing, good story, and on top of it, an excellent narration by Tom Hanks (I had no idea he narrates books).
In a nutshell, it's about a house (yes, the Dutch house) and the people who lived there. The characters and their relationships all seem all real, and the pacing is good. Really enjoyable book, 4*

Book #32 of 2022: The Giving Tree. Short children's book, about a selfless tree that gives, gives everything she has until she's just an old stump, and the boy who takes, takes all his life. I liked it, but it made me very sad...4 *

Books #33 and #34 of 2022: Escape at 10,000 Feet: D.B. Cooper and the Missing Money and Jailbreak at Alcatraz. I found these yesterday and they are short sequential-art books, so easy read. I knew about both cases, but I love true-crime books and I enjoyed the presentation. 4*

Ioana wrote: "Book # 31 of 2022: The Dutch House. Another book by Ann Patchett, that I had for a few years. Beautiful writing, good story, and on top of it, an excellent narration by Tom Hanks (I..."

You're having a great year. Nice diverse mix of books.

Thanks, Bill. No outstanding 5* book yet, but no dud either. Consistent 3-4 stars so far, I'm happy.

Ioana wrote: "Alondra wrote: "Exactly! Positive thinking works. 😇😇😇😁"

Yes, but the correct Alondra emoji is 😈😈😈 don't try to look angelic, we know who you are..."

🙄😫🤧🤭🤭

Ioana wrote: "Books #33 and #34 of 2022: Escape at 10,000 Feet: D.B. Cooper and the Missing Money..."

...but did he escape!!?? 🤔🤔🤔

Alondra wrote: "Ioana wrote: "Books #33 and #34 of 2022: Escape at 10,000 Feet: D.B. Cooper and the Missing Money..."

...but did he escape!!?? 🤔🤔🤔"

Well, one way or another, after he jumped off the plane, he was free. 👼

Great list of books! I used to read a lot of true crime. I need to get back to it.

Martha wrote: "Great list of books! I used to read a lot of true crime. I need to get back to it."

Definitely one of my favorite genres. So many times, life is stranger than fiction, and people worse than literary monsters.

Ioana wrote: "Book #30 of 2022: A Desperate Fortune. I usually enjoy Susanna Kearsley books, and this was no exception. Not perfect, but an easy read when I needed it. One of those books sitting ..."

I read my first book by Susanna Kearsley in February and loved The Winter Sea, so will definitely look at this one.

You're reading some great books this year. The Maddow is also on my list.

Carolien wrote: "I read my first book by Susanna Kearsley in February and loved The Winter Sea, so will definitely look at this one.
You're reading some great books this year. The Maddow is also on my list."

The Winter Sea is my favorite Kearley book, so far.
I think you'll find the Maddow book interesting/scary. Let me know after you read it.

Ioana wrote: "Alondra wrote: "Ioana wrote: "Books #33 and #34 of 2022: Escape at 10,000 Feet: D.B. Cooper and the Missing Money..."

...but did he escape!!?? 🤔🤔🤔"

Well, one way or another, after he jumped off t..."

🤣🤣

Book #35 of 2022: Malibu Rising. I did not dislike it, but I'm definitely not the targeted audience. I finished it though...2.5 stars. Sorry, Alissa.

Book #36 of 2022: Strength in What Remains: A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness. I wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did...The facts on their own, the Burundi history and Deo's journey are interesting, his life and experiences in both Burundi and US are hard to read about (the genocide part is heart wrenching), but overall I was not crazy about the book presentation. It needed to be shorter, and I was not crazy about Tracy Kidder narrating it... 3 stars.

Too bad Strength in What Remains wasn't put together in a way that worked for you. I felt much the same about his book Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World. Sorry you didn't enjoy Malibu Rising as much. I think I enjoyed it more because of the setting. I know where Point Dume is and what it was like in the 1970's, etc. etc. and I think that helped. :-)

Ioana wrote: "Book #35 of 2022: Malibu Rising. I did not dislike it, but I'm definitely not the targeted audience. I finished it though...2.5 stars. Sorry, Alissa."

LOL . All is forgiven

My reading had to take a vacation, because....life.
But I'm back, and sad to report that none of the books I managed to read were amazing.

#37: While the City Slept: A Love Lost to Violence and a Young Man's Descent into Madness - decent true crime story, very well researched. Eli Sanders who covered the story for his newspaper got a Pulitzer Prize for it, but I think I wanted more facts and less "talk" in the book. Sadly, another case where mental health played a role. 3 stars.

#38: Code Name Verity. No, I'm not ready for another WW2 book...I feel this is a case of "it's not you, it's me". 3 stars.

#39: The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer. The summers were not "with" Tony Costa who turned out to be a serial killer...Liza Rodman (the author) knew Tony and they met, a lot of times accidentally, when living in Provincetown. Most of the book was not based on her knowledge or experience, but what she learned later from newspapers or other sources. 2.5 stars

#40: Elevation. Sorry, Mr. King, this did not work for me. 2 stars.

#41: The Death of Ivan Ilyich. This was probably the best of the bunch. Short, easy to read, it's an introspective look into Ivan Ilyich life, while sick and dying. Not the happiest read, I admit. 3 stars.

Good news: my current reads are much better. Phew!

Glad to hear you're enjoying your current reads more.. :)

I'm glad to hear that your current reads are much better, it is too bad that your last five books were very average. I just read my third five star book this year, and I think you'd like it...it's already on your TBR - don't worry. :-) It's The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear written by the same author who wrote The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women. I liked both books, this one maybe a little bit better than the last one. Happy reading! I can't wait to add more nonfiction books. :-)

Ioana wrote: "Good news: my current reads are much better. Phew! "

I hate it when I get a slew of duds in a row. Love to hear that the current ones are much better!

Sorry you've had some duds, but glad things are looking up

Lea wrote: "I'm glad to hear that your current reads are much better, it is too bad that your last five books were very average. I just read my third five star book this year, and I think you'd like it...it's ..."

This one is on my short list, so happy to hear it's a good (very good) one!
My best (so far) NF books of the year were Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth and A House in the Sky. Give them a try if you haven't read them yet.

Ioana wrote: "My reading had to take a vacation, because....life.
But I'm back, and sad to report that none of the books I managed to read were amazing.

#37: [book:While the City Slept: A Love Lost to Violence ..."

I did not read Elevation, even though it's on my list, and I have no desire to. I love King, but no.

Book #42 of 2022: The White Queen. I can't even remember the last time I read about the Plantagenets or the Tudors...It's been ages. And my last Philippa Gregory was in 2009 😱
I really enjoyed this one, the last Plantagenet that will transition (probably in the next book in the series) to the first Tudor.
Amazing times, being a king or queen in real England or France was not a fairy tale. 4 stars.

Alondra wrote: "I did not read Elevation, even though it's on my list, and I have no desire to. I love King, but no."

IMHO, you're not missing much, but you're gaining time for better books. Sorry, SK.

Ioana wrote: "This one is on my short list, so happy to hear it's a good (very good) one!
My best (so far) NF books of the year were Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth and A House in the Sky. Give them a try if you haven't read them yet."

Well, for sure The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear is not a soothing book, but it was a story that I needed to hear. Especially in current times.

Both of those book look really good and I have not read them, so I will move them towards the top of my list.

Maybe I need to go back to Philippa Gregory too. I took a rest from her, but I would like to get back to reading some of her series.

Lea wrote: "Ioana wrote: "This one is on my short list, so happy to hear it's a good (very good) one!
My best (so far) NF books of the year were Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Riches..."

My NF books are never soothing or fun, so this one will fit in perfectly.
I took a break from Philippa Gregory and like, but I did not realize it was that long. I'm ready to go back, while I'm taking a break from WW2 fiction books.

Ioana wrote: "Alondra wrote: "I did not read Elevation, even though it's on my list, and I have no desire to. I love King, but no."

IMHO, you're not missing much, but you're gaining time for better books. Sorry..."

True. Especially with his newest coming out!!

Alondra wrote: "True. Especially with his newest coming out!! Fairy Tale by Stephen King"

Patiently waiting...

Alondra wrote: "Ioana wrote: "Alondra wrote: "I did not read Elevation, even though it's on my list, and I have no desire to. I love King, but no."

IMHO, you're not missing much, but you're gaining time for bette..."

Yeah Elevation was weird.
And I'm a terrible SK fan bc i didn't realize Fairy Tale was coming, so on the TBR it goes!

Alissa wrote: "And I'm a terrible SK fan bc i didn't realize Fairy Tale was coming, so on the TBR it goes!."

That's why we're here, no worries.

Is Elevation scary? Asking very naively because I know King has some scary and some non-scary stuff out there. Guess what I want to know if it's under your blankets, making sure all lights are on when you read scary?

Lillie wrote: "Is Elevation scary? Asking very naively because I know King has some scary and some non-scary stuff out there. Guess what I want to know if it's under your blankets, making sure all lights are on when you read scary?"

I didn't find it such. It's about a man who looks his normal overweight self, but the scale shows he's losing weight at an abnormal rate. To me, it's like the opposite of Thinner, a book King wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, which was a bit more dark and scary. I liked it better than some of the others on here, because I viewed it as kind of a maturation of Stephen King's views over the years. This is a much more light and a bit more preachy. :-)

Lea wrote: "I didn't find it such. It's about a man who looks his normal overweight self, but the scale shows he's losing weight at an abnormal rate. To me, it's like the opposite of Thinner, a book King wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, which was a bit more dark and scary. I liked it better than some of the others on here, because I viewed it as kind of a maturation of Stephen King's views over the years. This is a much more light and a bit more preachy. :-)"

Thanks! Looks like I'm going to have add it to my list.

Lillie wrote: "Thanks! Looks like I'm going to have add it to my list."

On the plus side to it too, it is super short. You'll speed read through it in no time. Just don't have your hopes up too high, it isn't the best King novella. But I thought it was worth reading and at least you don't have to invest 1,000 pages to decide what you think. Like It. My least favorite Stephen King book. Sorry, not sorry. :-)

Lillie wrote: "Is Elevation scary? Asking very naively because I know King has some scary and some non-scary stuff out there. Guess what I want to know if it's under your blankets, making sure all lights are on w..."

I agree with Lea on both Elevation and It. Sorry, Mr.King.

Lea wrote: "Lillie wrote: "Thanks! Looks like I'm going to have add it to my list."

On the plus side to it too, it is super short. You'll speed read through it in no time. Just don't have your hopes up too hi..."

While IT isn't my least favourite SK book, think that goes to The Girl who loved Tom Gordon, I was super excited to get a copy and struggled to read it, so I've never tried re-reading, although maybe I should as I was about 16 or 17 when I got a copy.

Desley (Cat fosterer) wrote: "While IT isn't my least favourite SK book, think that goes to The Girl who loved Tom Gordon, I was super excited to get a copy and struggled to read it, so I've never tried re-reading, although maybe I should as I was about 16 or 17 when I got a copy."

Oh, I haven't tried that one, but I've heard similar reactions from other readers. So I'm in no rush to try it...