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Book Chat > What have you just read? Opinions, Recommendations, and Reviews, part 3

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message 1: by Greg (new)

Greg | 8313 comments Mod
The "What Have you Read?" folder had gotten so big that some people were having trouble opening it. Here is a fresh thread for new posts.

Here is a great place to let us know what books you've read and share your reviews.


message 2: by Phrynne (new)

Phrynne | 2456 comments Thanks Greg. I have not been able to open this thread for several days!

My review of A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality by Kate Khavari A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality (Saffron Everleigh Mystery #2) by Kate Khavari

/review/show...


message 4: by Dale (new)

Dale Harcombe | 1882 comments My reviews of The Village Green Bookshop by Rachael Lucas
The Village Green Bookshop (Little Maudley, #2) by Rachael Lucas
3 stars
/book/show/5...
The Anniversary by Roisin Meaney
The Anniversary by Roisin Meaney
3 and a half stars
/review/show...
and
Coming Home to Puddleduck Farm by Della Galton
Coming Home to Puddleduck Farm by Della Galton
3 and a half stars
/review/show...


message 5: by Suz (new)

Suz | 1061 comments The Last Girl To Die by Helen Sarah Fields The Last Girl To Die by Helen Sarah Fields

My review, resounding 5�

/review/show...


message 6: by Leslie (new)

Leslie | 16369 comments I have recently finished:

Lake Wobegon Days in audiobook format - fun though I remember the radio show (NPR's Prairie Home Companion) as being more laugh out loud funny.

The Long Divorce in ebook format. This was a reread of one of Edmund Crispin's Gervase Fen mysteries, which I love :) Less humor in this entry in the series but a great plot.

The Commitments in Kindle book format. Enjoyable but one of the few books I thought not as good as the movie adaptation. Being able to hear all the great music in the film made a big difference!


message 7: by Greg (new)

Greg | 8313 comments Mod
Leslie wrote: "I have recently finished:
"


Leslie, do you think I should start with the first in the Gervase Fen series to follow it well? I noticed that most friends rate that one lower than the later ones, but I'm wondering if I would miss out on too much setup if I started with the second or third in the series?

I've never read anything by Crispin and the series sounds fun!


message 8: by LauraT (last edited Feb 27, 2023 11:47PM) (new)

LauraT (laurata) | 14327 comments Mod
Greg wrote: "The "What Have you Read?" folder had gotten so big that some people were having trouble opening it. Here is a fresh thread for new posts.

Here is a great place to let us know what books you've re..."


Well done Greg!
I've just finished The Benefactress The Benefactress by Elizabeth von Arnim . I like the way Elizabeth von Arnim writes and her stories. Also this one was a good book, but the ending was a bit abrubt, too swift. She could have explained better!!!


message 10: by Leslie (new)

Leslie | 16369 comments Greg wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I have recently finished:
"

Leslie, do you think I should start with the first in the Gervase Fen series to follow it well? I noticed that most friends rate that one lower than the ..."


You won't miss anything important if you skip the first book. The books really are almost stand alones so can easily be read in any order. I would recommend starting with The Moving Toyshop (book 3) but I am prejudiced in that it's my favorite one.


message 11: by Tamara (new)

Tamara Agha-Jaffar | 1374 comments I read Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.
The intrepid Elizabeth Zott is a chemist in the 1950s and 1960s who has to contend with gender discrimination and harassment in a male-dominated profession. The novel is entertaining, funny, and an easy read if one is prepared to overlook some of the obvious cliches.

My review: /review/show...


message 12: by Greg (new)

Greg | 8313 comments Mod
Leslie wrote: "You won't miss anything important if you skip the first book. The books really are almost stand alones so can easily be read in any order. I would recommend starting with The Moving Toyshop (book 3) but I am prejudiced in that it's my favorite one."

Thanks Leslie! :)


message 13: by Pam (new)

Pam Baddeley | 1527 comments Greg wrote: "The "What Have you Read?" folder had gotten so big that some people were having trouble opening it. Here is a fresh thread for new posts.

Here is a great place to let us know what books you've re..."


Thanks, Greg. I've not been able to open the old thread for a few days now.


message 14: by Pam (new)

Pam Baddeley | 1527 comments Read book 3 of two series:

Murder by Ghostlight by J C Briggs - reviewed - /review/show/5315246141
and
The Numbing by Flint Maxwell - reviewed - /review/show/5374921527


message 15: by Pam (new)

Pam Baddeley | 1527 comments Now read books 4 and 5 of the Flint Maxwell series:

The City of Light - reviewed - /review/show/5374937811

The Feeding - reviewed - /review/show/5375691999


message 16: by Pam (new)

Pam Baddeley | 1527 comments Read first two books in a series by Christopher Coleman, another post apocalypse story but quite different from the Flint Maxwell one:

They Came with the Snow - reviewed - /review/show/5374941793
and
The Melting - reviewed - /review/show/5374942142


message 20: by Dale (new)

Dale Harcombe | 1882 comments My review of Murder on Pleasant Avenue by Victoria Thompson
Murder on Pleasant Avenue (Gaslight Mystery #23) by Victoria Thompson
4 stars
/review/show...


message 22: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma Greg wrote: "The "What Have you Read?" folder had gotten so big that some people were having trouble opening it. Here is a fresh thread for new posts.

Here is a great place to let us know what books you've re..."


Thanks from me, too, Greg. The old page (200!) hasn't loaded for ages.


message 23: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma Doris Lessing showed in 1963 that it wasn't possible for even A Woman on a Roof to escape unwanted attention. I'm not sure things have changed that much in 50 years, have they?
A Woman on a Roof by Doris Lessing 2.5´Ê3â˜� My review of A Woman on A Roof with a link to the short story itself


message 24: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma I was hoping to find an answer to What Are Mondays Good For, Anyway?, not being a fan of Mondays, and while I enjoyed the illustrations, I don't think I'd have been happy sending my kids to school with these suggestions.
What Are Mondays Good For, Anyway? by Nicole Frankel 2.5� My review of What Are Mondays Good For, Anyway? with illustrations, of course


message 26: by Greg (new)

Greg | 8313 comments Mod
Sorry everyone that the old page hadn't been loading, and I'm glad the new thread helped. I'll take a look at the various group threads over the weekend and create new ones for anything getting massive. Seems like Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ doesn't like it when threads get too big! :)


message 27: by Leslie (new)

Leslie | 16369 comments Phrynne wrote: "My review of Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin ..."

Thanks for the review - I need to get back to this series! Have you read any of his non-Rebus books? I have several of the Malcolm Fox books inherited from my parents...


Rosh ~catching up slowly~ (roshreviews) | 365 comments The Edge of Madness by K.A. Last
The Edge of Madness (Wonder in Neverland, #2) by K.A. Last
The second book in the 'Wonder in Neverland' series combining Alice in wonderland and Peter Pan. Loved this book as much as the first.
/review/show...


message 29: by Pam (new)

Pam Baddeley | 1527 comments Another catchup:

Read the first two in the Detective Inspector Hilary Greene series by Faith Martin:
Murder on the Oxford Canal - reviewed - /review/show/5368052823

Murder at the University - reviewed - /review/show/5380344636

a collection of two creepy short stories by Anna Willett - Beast - reviewed - /review/show/5387934213

and Athena's Child by Hannah M Lynn - reviewed - /review/show/5387884199


message 30: by Dale (new)

Dale Harcombe | 1882 comments My review of The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
3 and a half stars
/review/show...


message 31: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma A classic that I somehow missed! A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle has everything I'd have loved as a young reader: kids on a quest, a mysterious missing father, magic spirits, time travel, and Evil to be overcome! I still enjoyed it now.
A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet, #1) by Madeleine L'Engle 4� My review of A Wrinkle in Time


message 32: by Phrynne (new)

Phrynne | 2456 comments Leslie wrote: "Phrynne wrote: "My review of Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin ..."

Thanks for the review - I need to get back to this series! Have you read any of his non-Rebus books? I..."


I have only ever read his Rebus books Leslie. I haven't read any of the Malcolm Fox books because I don't like him as a character!!!


message 34: by Leslie (new)

Leslie | 16369 comments Phrynne wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Phrynne wrote: "My review of Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin ..."

Thanks for the review - I need to get back to this series! Have you read any of his non..."


Thanks for the input. I'll put those on the back burner!


message 35: by Leslie (last edited Mar 04, 2023 01:11PM) (new)

Leslie | 16369 comments Phrynne wrote: "My review of The Barrakee Mystery by Arthur W. Upfield The Barrakee Mystery (Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte #1) by Arthur W. Upfield

/review/show..."


I love this series partly because of that historical aspect you mention in your review. Somehow I have never read this first book - I 'll have to remedy that soon.

Added later
I have located a copy of this book in my library's digital holdings and borrowed it. Hope to start it in the next couple of days!


message 36: by Pam (new)

Pam Baddeley | 1527 comments Read book 3 of the 'They Came with the Snow' series - The List by Christopher Coleman - reviewed - /review/show/5387949300


message 37: by Phrynne (new)

Phrynne | 2456 comments Leslie wrote: "I have located a copy of this book in my library's digital holdings and borrowed it. Hope to start it in the next couple of days!"

I hope you enjoy it Leslie!


message 38: by Leslie (new)

Leslie | 16369 comments Thanks Phrynne!


message 39: by Pam (new)

Pam Baddeley | 1527 comments Another five star read from this JC Briggs series - The Quickening and the Dead - reviewed - /review/show/5315246249


message 40: by Leslie (new)

Leslie | 16369 comments I finished The Sea, The Sea audiobook (which turns out not to be on the Guardian's list as I had thought, oh well). At first I didn't think that I was going to like this book but in the end it was a 4* read. The main character Charles was incredibly conceited!


message 41: by Greg (last edited Mar 05, 2023 12:38PM) (new)

Greg | 8313 comments Mod
Leslie wrote: "I finished The Sea, The Sea audiobook (which turns out not to be on the Guardian's list as I had thought, oh well). At first I didn't think that I was going to like this book but in..."

It's been on my to-read list forever!


message 42: by Tamara (new)

Tamara Agha-Jaffar | 1374 comments Leslie wrote: "I finished The Sea, The Sea audiobook (which turns out not to be on the Guardian's list as I had thought, oh well). At first I didn't think that I was going to like this book but in..."

Like you, Leslie, I didn't think i would like it. It had been sitting on my book shelf for ages. I finally picked it up and read it. It had a slow start, but it ended up being great.
Murdock did a great job in depicting Charles as a character who lures people into his orbit, exploits and manipulates them, while being totally oblivious to the suffering he causes.


message 43: by Leslie (new)

Leslie | 16369 comments I have been wondering how being an actor factors into Charles' self-absorption. If, in fact, he took to the theater because it gave him somewhat of an excuse to be so self-centered! Though he does show some glimmerings of growth at the end (maybe?).


message 44: by Tamara (new)

Tamara Agha-Jaffar | 1374 comments I read it several months ago, but I don't recall thinking he showed glimmerings of growth at the end. I said this about him at the end of my review:

He is a sympathetic character in so far as he wants to resurrect the innocence and promise of young love. But his insanity lies in believing he can forcefully resurrect it through the sheer force of his will.


message 45: by Dale (new)

Dale Harcombe | 1882 comments My review of Love in Lowercase by Francesc Miralles Love in Lowercase by Francesc Miralles
3 stars
/review/show...


message 46: by Leslie (new)

Leslie | 16369 comments Tamara wrote: "I read it several months ago, but I don't recall thinking he showed glimmerings of growth at the end. I said this about him at the end of my review:

He is a sympathetic character in so far as he w..."


Great summation Tamara!


message 47: by Tamara (new)

Tamara Agha-Jaffar | 1374 comments Leslie wrote: "Great summation Tamara!..."

Thank you, Leslie.


message 48: by Tamara (new)

Tamara Agha-Jaffar | 1374 comments I read Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes.
It is supposed to be a retelling of the myth of Medusa. But it really wasn't. Haynes was all over the map with the too many characters, too much happening. Medusa was relegated to a relatively minor role. Medusa's head interrupts the narrative to address the reader in a sort of chummy tone. Really weird. It was a disappointing read for me, especially since I enjoyed Haynes' A Thousand Ships.

My review: /review/show...


message 49: by Pam (new)

Pam Baddeley | 1527 comments Read Backwoods Ripper by Anna Willett and reviewed it - /review/show/5387930105


message 50: by Leslie (new)

Leslie | 16369 comments Tamara wrote: "I read Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes.
It is supposed to be a retelling of the myth of Medusa. But it really wasn't. Haynes was all over the map with the too many ch..."


Too bad :(


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