ŷ������

Here is the Folder to tell us what your monthly reads for July 2020 were.

Please provide:
~ A GoodReads link
~ A few sentences telling us how you felt about the book.
~ How would you rate the book

Here are my August reads


Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
Audio Book - Narrator- Cassandra Campbell
Fiction
Rating- 3/5
This book is a ReadWithJenna Book Club Pick as Featured on the Today show. I enjoyed the narrator of the audio book. The book centers on 12 year old Edward who is flying with his family to California. The plane crashes and he is the sole survivor. He moves in with his childless aunt and uncle and we follow him he tries to cope. Dear Edward was inspired by the true story of Ruben Van Assouw, the sole survivor of a plane crash in 2010. Though I found parts of this story a bit too unrealistic.

Such a Fun Age---Kiley Reid
Audio book - Narrator Nicole Lewis
Fiction
Rating 2/5
This was a A REESE'S BOOK CLUB x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK PICK
Emira is confronted by a grocery store security guard late one night as she is babysitting two year old Briar. The guard is alerted by a fellow shopper who seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, accuses Emira of kidnapping. I thought the narrator for the audiobook was very good. However, I thought this story was unrealistic. Why the mom in this book would want to become best friends with Emira was just weird. It also seemed to contain a lot of stereotypes.

Little Fires Everywhere--Celeste Ng
Fiction
Rate: 4/5
This is also a very popular Hulu original series starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.
I enjoyed this novel. There are some plot twists so I won't discuss it. Unfortunately, I thought the last third of the book became a bit too much chick lit or maybe YA. The book is a bestseller, so I am in the minority. I still gave it a above average rating. I was on the library wait list a long time for this one. Maybe my expectations were just too high.

Alias, it looks as though it's been a mixed reading month for you. Isn't this the second Reese Witherspoon BC book you've been disappointed in reading? Pity. Still, it's a way to have conversations with people about books and to keep up with what's being read across the nation.

Another nice reading month for me. As i've shared some about a few of these books as i read them, i've tried to limit myself in this post. Ha! It wasn't as easy as i thought it would be.

Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff--Rosemary Mahoney. This is the true travel story of one woman's efforts to find and rent a row boat, then row on the ancient Nile for several days. The parts about the rowing, the sites she saw and the feelings she experienced were great, just what i wanted to know. Getting to that point became tedious after a bit but maybe that's because it was nothing i want to do, so didn't feel i needed to learn as much. Overall, no complaints, as i finally got the part i wanted. I liked that she was honest to exploring her own bias as she found she misread people.

Love in a Dish . . . and Other Culinary Delights by M.F.K. Fisher--M.F.K. Fisher, gave me a sample of her writing. I've heard of her essays about food for decades but i'm not one to read about food. This was part of my new challenge, reading work by an author who uses initials. And she does write about food well. My husband & i are grateful to the book because we now know how to fry eggs, a task neither of us needed before this year. Now, they are perfect every time!

Eloise--Kay Thompson. This is a classic children's book, which has been on my TBR for a long time. I wasn't charmed but i'm no longer a child, either. No parents are involved and only a mother is even mentioned. I've since learned that one of my favorite children's books, Sandra Scoppettone's The Wonderful Adventures of Suzuki Beane, is supposed to be a sort of "reply" or whatever to this one. One thing i liked about this edition is that it gave a short bio of the author & illustrator (Hilary Knight), sharing how they got together. Thompson had a healthy career in show business, including films and teaching.

March: Book One, as well as books 2 & 3--John Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell. This graphic novel is a great way to learn about the Civil Rights struggle of the late '50s & early 60s. Lewis shares his own story in this three volume collection. For me, it helped keep the chronological order of events in mind. It seems i had some mixed up, which was important. Lewis shared the story and his feelings well. The graphics are in shades of black and white, which was an interesting approach. I feel good about these books. I read this for my Graphic Book challenge on my DL.

The Homesman--Glendon Swarthout. Apparently the author created this occupation--the person who takes those whose mental collapse was the result of homesteading in the new Plains States territory. I really liked the female character, Mary Bee Cuddy, a former teacher & successful homesteader. Her heart went out to the women and she worked to get them to safe family back East. She recruits George Briggs to help her. Nice story.

Buffalo Soldiers: A Narrative of the Negro Cavalry in the West--William H. Leckie & Shirley A. Leckie. Good history of the beginning works of African American soldiers in the post Civil War era. They were given assignments in the territories where Native Americans were being moved to reservations, with the idea of freeing up the land for homesteaders. As a result they were in midst of heat, hatred and hard work. They often built forts from nothing, using the second hand, failing equipment the US Government sent them (often leftovers from the War, including old horses). When the book just shared about their duties, it was less interesting than when stories about a broader scale of events in which they worked were shared, the book shined.

Walking the Kiso Road: A Modern-Day Exploration of Old Japan--William Scott Wilson, is another travelogue, this time about Japan. Wilson had traveled throughout Japan several times but wanted to write about this specific road. Calling it a rather easy walk, the fact he had an inhibiting blister fairly early on had me wondering. It must have been the monsoon which caused it. Regardless, i liked learning about the shrines along the ancient trail, as well as the places he stayed and people he met. It was nice to read about a "regular" Japan, not Tokyo.

Death in Her Hands--Ottessa Moshfegh. Short novel about an old woman, recently widowed, who finds a note in the nearby woods. From the note, she learns someone named Magda is dead but wasn't killed by the writer of the note. From this the main character spins a tale of who Magda was, what her life was like and how she ended up dead. A highly unsatisfactory book, despite some interesting use of language and Moshtegh's writing skills.

An Honest President: The Life and Presidencies of Grover Cleveland--H. Paul Jeffers. This straightforward biography gave me all i wanted to learn about Grover Cleveland. He appears to have been an open, forthright man whose meteoric rise to the Presidency caught him off guard. However, he handled it rather well, particularly given his determination to take action with his beliefs in mind and not only popular opinion. This is why he had two terms but not consecutive ones. He was a happy man who knew how fortunate his life was.

madrano wrote: "Another nice reading month for me. As i've shared some about a few of these books as i read them, i've tried to limit myself in this post. Ha! It wasn't as easy as i thought it would be.

[book:Dow..."

Great selection! I'm familiar with Scoppetone from her Lauren Laurano detective series.

The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau and The Accident on the A35 are related, so treating them as one item. Both feature Inspector Georges Gorski in the relatively small French town of Saint Louis. Each features alternating chapters from Gorski's POV and that of the main suspect. That worked fine for me in the first book, though in the second I found the guy often tedious. Gorski I really liked as a character, with great audio narration. Second book doesn't really stand on its own, but worthwhile for more Gorski fix.

The Death of Lyndon Wilder and the Consequences Thereof might be dismissed as a Regency romance, but it really wasn't. More historical fiction I'd say. Secondary characters were well done, setting seemed well enough fine to appeal to Austen fans. I liked it well enough to consider its spin-off title Castle Orchard.


Appreciated Then & Now: A Memoir by singer Barbara Cook more than I expected. Lots there for musical theater fans, but her life story was impressive on its own.

Finally, the Japanese novel A Man I found a good read. Double mystery of "stolen" identity (victim and thief) from the POV of the attorney trying to straighten out the status of the widow. Some reviewers didn't care for the lawyer's personal life being drawn into the story, but I was fine with that.

madrano wrote: "Alias, it looks as though it's been a mixed reading month for you. Isn't this the second Reese Witherspoon BC book you've been disappointed in reading? Pity. Still, it's a way to have conversations..."

My preference is non fiction. However, I thought I would step outside of my comfort zone with these TV book clubs.

I did think A Woman Is No Man which was a
A read with Jenna Today Show book Club Pick was very good.

madrano wrote:
Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff--Rosemary Mahoney. This is the true travel story of one woman's efforts to find and rent a row boat, then row on the ancient Nile for several days. The parts about the rowing, the sites she saw and the feelings she experienced were great, just what i wanted to know. Getting to that point became tedious after a bit but maybe that's because it was nothing i want to do, so didn't feel i needed to learn as much. Overall, no complaints, as i finally got the part i wanted. I liked that she was honest to exploring her own bias as she found she misread people.
..."

One of my friends love travel books. I'm going to pass this title on to her. Even though it wasn't totally your cup of tea, I think it might interest her.

Also

"Walking the Kiso Road: A Modern-Day Exploration of Old Japan--William Scott Wilson, is another travelogue, this time about Japan. Wilson had traveled throughout Japan several times but wanted to write about this specific road. Calling it a rather easy walk, the fact he had an inhibiting blister fairly early on had me wondering. It must have been the monsoon which caused it. Regardless, i liked learning about the shrines along the ancient trail, as well as the places he stayed and people he met. It was nice to read about a "regular" Japan, not Tokyo."

Great diverse reading month, Deb.

John wrote: "The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau and The Accident on the A35 are related, so treating them as one item. Both feature Inspector Georges Gorski in the relatively smal..."

Very eclectic month, John. Nice.

Alias, you've had an interesting assortment of books last month. Your average rating is a fairly good one, which is encouraging.

Deb, what an amazing month of reading!
Graphic novels depicting real life incidents can be a good way to get a feel and background for specific situations.
Bothe travelogues sound really interesting. I'd love to go to Egypt one day, although I don't think I have the courage to row down the Nile on my own. I'd also love to go to Japan one day.

John, you've got an interesting selection, too. I haven't heard of any of these books. I read a Japanese "noir" book last year and really liked how the story played out. I will see if A Man is available at my library. It sounds intriguing.

I managed to finish 3 books last month, all of them murder mysteries:

The Night Nurse: A Massage Therapy Thriller (2-star.....and I may have been generous) - there wasn't anything in this that really worked for me. Not the mystery, not the main character's "problem", not the storyline.
Review: /review/show...

Zombie, Ohio (4-star) - a surprisingly interesting story. I really enjoyed Peter and finding out what happened to him and how he reacts to zombie-hood.
Review: /review/show...

The Coroner's Lunch (3-star) - I liked this story and it's characters. There's a touch of mysticism mixed in as well. I found some of the political situations a bit too detailed for a murder mystery. However, it is the way in this part of the world, so it did influence how people reacted and acted, so is important.
Review: /review/show...

John wrote: "Great selection! I'm familiar with Scoppetone from her Lauren Laurano detective series...."

John, i had a disconnect from the author of Suzuki Beane & the author of Laurano series. What good reading i have ahead. Thanks for connecting me.

As usual, John, your July books mention books i know nothing about, so look forward to reading a couple. Of course the one set in Japan is a must.

Alias, i was pleased with the variety of books i read last month, so appreciate you echoing that. Both travel books were good, i just have a bit of an issue with too much extraneous. I suppose this means i am one who wants to know of the adventure & not how one got there. :-)

Re. book clubs. Funny you should mention that. My daughter & i were talking titles yesterday and she named two books from Oprah's book club. I believe you read one but i hadn't realized Autumn knows both authors. The first was the rather controversial one about Mexican immigrants, American Dirt. Apparently author Jeanine Cummins was surprised by the negatives, as she's long considered herself a part of the Latino community.

The other is The Twelve Tribes of Hattie. Autumn was working with Ayana Mathis when her book sold. Mathis was Glamour magazine's fact checker when they worked together. Daughter really liked this one, suggesting it to me. Did you read it?

Petra, thanks for the comments. One thing i realized from both my travel books was that a knowledge of the local language (or one akin to the primary language) helps enormously. Particularly when Mahoney was seeking a boat to rent, as one might imagine. We try to learn some phrases but usually only end up with a few words when we arrive. Often, this, along with miming, works. :-)

When we sailed down the Nile in 2013, i thought that it would be neat to sail in a small boat on the Nile. It was quiet, i could see folks washing along the river & hear the call to prayer. One can rent a felucca for a couple of days but the crew comes with you. This would be what we would do. Wishful thinking, so i compromised with this book.

I remember reading and liking Colin Cotterill's novel very much. I think it was the first mystery i read about overseas political murder. Talk about learning plenty!

And i'm on the list for Scott Kenemore's Zombie novel! Like that idea.

madrano wrote: "John wrote: "Great selection! I'm familiar with Scoppetone from her Lauren Laurano detective series...."

John, i had a disconnect from the author of Suzuki Beane & the author of Laurano series. Wh..."

I think you'd appreciate Barbara Cook's story quite a bit. The Japanese ebook is available to Prime members as a free monthly selection (via Kindle or Fire tablet). But easily worth $5 if that's not an option.

Petra wrote: "I managed to finish 3 books last month, all of them murder mysteries:.."

Nice mix of mysteries, Petra.

madrano wrote: Re. book clubs. Funny you should mention that. My daughter & i were talking titles yesterday and she named two books from Oprah's book club. I believe you read one but i hadn't realized Autumn knows both authors. The first was the rather controversial one about Mexican immigrants, American Dirt. Apparently author Jeanine Cummins was surprised by the negatives, as she's long considered herself a part of the Latino community."

Yes. A friend from my gym gave me the hardcover of American Dirt She was a bit of a germaphobe and just could do library books. This was pre covid.

I wrote about the "controversy" here. I honestly don't get the criticism. Authors are only allowed to write about things they personally experience ? Anyway, on Amazon currently about 80% of the reviews are 5 or 4 stars. I thought the book was quite good and it also made me aware of many things I hadn't known about.

If you or your daughter read it, I'll be interested in your thoughts.

Petra wrote: "Alias, you've had an interesting assortment of books last month. Your average rating is a fairly good one, which is encouraging. ."

Petra, fiction is generally not my thing and I can be sort of harsh when it comes to my ratings. For some reason I usually am more forgiving when it comes to non fiction.

I understand, Alias. I can be tough on ratings, too.....for both fiction and non-fiction.

I prefer the reviews of "hard" raters. It means something when they rate a book high and I can take their lower ratings with a grain of salt, if I so wish.

Thanks, John. I should admit i haven't purchased an e-book as of this date. I don't know why. Perhaps that i can't "see" them on my shelf? Thus far it's proven challenging finding A Man, so i may have to bite that bullet.

Alias, my daughter read American Dirt & liked it. She was as surprised as the author at the negative reactions. They discussed this because my kid is a bit over 1/8 Native American (Caddo tribe) and has been called out for her comments about tribal issues. It seems some people feel only members of that race have the right/experience to make comments. I understand where those objections are coming from but how often do we know the background/ethnicity of acquaintances? ANYway, Autumn liked the book, too.

Re: American Dirt

madrano wrote: "Alias, my daughter read American Dirt & liked it. She was as surprised as the author at the negative reactions. They discussed this because my kid is a bit over 1/8 Native American (Caddo tribe) an..."

I think the book did a lot to bring this topic to the general public.

I think people care care about an issue like Native American Rights or as in the book, people fleeing from insanely dangerous drug cartels. So why shouldn't they speak out ? I think it all helps. It seems at times they we are in a world that no matter what you do, there will be negative comments.

Just one recent example. A local councilman of mine collected funds for a bagel store that hoodlums came in and trashed the place to the tune of $13,000. It broke my heart to hear the owners on the radio. They are barely hanging on during Covid and now this.

The councilman was able to raise $3000. He brought the check to the store and posted a photo on FB. Some complained that he was doing a photo op. He then replied that people gave money and he wanted to show that he indeed did hand it over to the owners. You just can't win with some people. I thanked him on FB. Personally, I think he is super responsive and a terrific hands on councilman.

We are in such a skeptical age, so doubt even the good doers, when we hear about it. There truly is no winning. I suppose we just have to do follow that ole Golden Rule and turn our backs to those whose lives lead them to express the disappointments of their lives to those acting in positive ways.

Hurrah for your Councilman!

With the recent publication of the third book in Michael Connelly's Jack McEvoy series, I'm going back to the first book, The Poet which was published in 1996 and was the first book by Connelly not to have Harry Bosch as the protagonist.

I read that Michael Connelly book for the title alone, much as i like poetry. While i liked it, not enough to revisit when a new one was published. This being only the third in the series is nice--it doesn't feel like an industry. I hopw you enjoy it as much this time 'round, Larry.

madrano wrote: "I read that Michael Connelly book for the title alone, much as i like poetry. While i liked it, not enough to revisit when a new one was published. This being only the third in the series is nice--it doesn't feel like an industry. I hopw you enjoy it as much this time 'round, Larry...."

Deb, I could have been clearer ... I actually never read that book. I did read the second one in the series, The Scarecrow, but have only vague memories of the plot. So I'll probably re-read that one, before I take up Fair Warning.

madrano wrote: "Alias, my daughter read American Dirt & liked it. She was as surprised as the author at the negative reactions. They discussed this because my kid is a bit over 1/8 Native American (Caddo tribe) an..."

Deb (and AR), the controversy over this book doesn't seem to have affected its popularity. I just checked with our local library and see that there is a waiting list of 861 people for 124 copies for the ebook. (That translates into an estimated 14 week wait.) I added my own request, so now there are 862 people on the list.

Larry, it sounds as though you have some good Connelly reading ahead, in that case.

What a wait for one book. I haven't tried to get it, so have no idea how long the wait is. My longest wait thus far this year has been for The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz--Erik Larson, coming in at 10 weeks & holding for 112 copies!

madrano wrote: "Larry, it sounds as though you have some good Connelly reading ahead, in that case.

What a wait for one book. I haven't tried to get it, so have no idea how long the wait is. My longest wait thus..."

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz is very much worth the wait :)

I am in the middle of The Splendid and the Vile and it is so good! I love Larsen.

Julie wrote: "I am in the middle of The Splendid and the Vile and it is so good! I love Larsen."

This was the first novel by Erik Larson started & finished for me!

Larry wrote: Deb (and AR), the controversy over this book doesn't seem to have affected its popularity. I just checked with our local library and see that there is a waiting list of 861 people for 124 copies for the ebook. (That translates into an estimated 14 week wait.) I added my own request, so now there are 862 people on the list..."

It's been on the NY Times list for a long time. Amazon reviewers are around 85% positive. (4-5 stars)

Hope you enjoy it, too !

Oh, thank you all for the encouragement. It seems as though i've been waiting since January, although i know that's not true.

July was a good month for me as I "kicked" a few more off my tbr! LOL :)

Lonely is the Night by David Brian - 4 stars.

My review: /review/show...

(Thoughts: I have read this author before so I kind of knew what to expect but there was more twists in this book.)


Whisper by Michael Bray - 5 stars.

My review: /review/show...

(Thoughts: This was a reread for me as I had read the book a couple or so years ago, but it is the first in trilogy and I never finished reading the other two. I decided to do a refresher course on it. Planning on reading the other two books this year. This is a haunting story with lots of atmospheric creepy ghosts. It would be a good book to read around Halloween.)


House of Secrets by Darcy Coates - 3 stars.

My review:
/review/show...

(Thoughts: I am usually never disappointed with a Darcy Coates book as most of her books are always centrally located along the lines of ghost and hauntings. With this book it was a continuation from another book. Two book series. I read the first book which was House of Shadows and it was really good as I gave that book five stars, but then I thought this book would follow the same theme, but it just totally dropped for me as though the same characters are in the first book they just didn't do anything for me in the second book. I am not sure what happened but to me it was not as good as the first book.)


Ode To Death by Andrew Lennon - 4 stars.

My review:
/review/show...

(Thoughts: This was the first full book I had read by this author as I had read a few of his short stories in horror anthologies, so this full book by him was impressive and I enjoyed all the stories.)


Easy Money by Sea Caummisar - 4 stars.

My review:
/review/show...

(Thoughts: First time reading this author but I had this book sitting in my kindle for awhile. I finally decided to try it out and I wasn't disappointed. She does write extreme horror, but this one was mild compared to some books I have read. I have a few more by her on my kindle that I need to read including the other three books in this series.)



Food: A Horrific Northwest Short Story by Jeffrey Caston - 5 stars.

My review:
/review/show...

(Thoughts: I didn't really know what to expect with this book as the last book this author wrote was a whole different type of horror. This one was more extreme and the suspense build up was great then the author lowered the boom near the end of the book giving it all one big twist.)


The Pendle Curse by Catherine Cavendish - 3 stars.

My review:
/review/show...

(Thoughts: I love this author and I have read a couple of her books which were awesome, but this one just fell off the board for me because of the time travel within the story. For me there was too much confusion as the book flips back and forth between the past which is set in the early 1600's and the present day. I don't read time travel books unless the book stays in the whatever era it is travelled back to - but the jumping around from chapter to chapter between the past and present is rough for me.)

So those were my July reads! :)

Overall you had a good reading month, Marie. This is the first time i recall seeing the term "splatter punk" and it is chilling. Unlike "steampunk", it fairly obvious this is going to be bloody.

I think writing time travel is tough enough but author Cavendish seems to have failed. It's a fine line and when it doesn't "work", the book suffers. Pity about this one.

The Caummisar book sounds intriguing but i don't know that i could handle it. One hates to read how low people will go for money. Regardless, i'm grateful to you for sharing about it.

Congratulations on a full reading month!

Marie wrote: "July was a good month for me as I "kicked" a few more off my tbr! LOL :)

Lonely is the Night by David Brian - 4 stars.

My ..."

That's a few more then just a few ! Well done, Marie.

madrano wrote: "Overall you had a good reading month, Marie. This is the first time i recall seeing the term "splatter punk" and it is chilling. Unlike "steampunk", it fairly obvious this is going to be bloody.

I..."

Thank you, Madrano!

Yeah splatterpunk is basically a mild term for "extreme gore/blood". Sometimes with horror though you might pick up a book that seems mild, but then halfway through it you are swimming in splatterpunk! LOL I have seen this countless times when reading horror books! You just never know what you are going to find between the pages! :)

Marie, you've had a wonderful reading month.

I also haven't heard the term "splatter punk". Sounds gruesome. :D

Time travel stories can be hit or miss. In general, I like them but some don't blend the stories together well.

Alias Reader wrote: "Marie wrote: "July was a good month for me as I "kicked" a few more off my tbr! LOL :)

Lonely is the Night by David Brian -..."

Thank you Alias! :)

Petra wrote: "Marie, you've had a wonderful reading month.

I also haven't heard the term "splatter punk". Sounds gruesome. :D

Time travel stories can be hit or miss. In general, I like them but some don't bl..."

Thank you, Petra!

You are right about the time travel books. It all depends on how the author weaves it together. I have read one book by an author a couple of years ago that did jump around like that but it was every few chapters instead of every chapter which helped in one way as I was able to stay in one era for about four to five chapters before going to the next era, but that author was able to mesh it all together smoothly so there was no hiccups.

Marie wrote: "You just never know what you are going to find between the pages! :) ..."

Truer words were never spoken! And more so with horror, i think. That's the fun.

madrano wrote: "I read that Michael Connelly book for the title alone, much as i like poetry. While i liked it, not enough to revisit when a new one was published. This being only the third in the s..."

Deb,

I finished The Poet and found it to be just so-so. It was hard to recognize it as a Michael Connelly novel. I'm half-way through the second book in the series, The Scarecrow and find it much better. What was totally missing in the first book was any real sense of place, which is one of my favorite things about Connelly's Bosch books and their depiction over the series of a changing LA. There's a little of that in The Scarecrow but what makes it really interesting is its description of the declining fortunes of the changing newspaper industry. (It was written in 2009.)

Interesting, Larry. It sounds as though i should give this series another chance. If nothing else, i'll get a glimpse of what Connelly saw coming with newspapers. I appreciate the comments. Thanks.