What Are We Currently Reading?

[surreysmum]

24 minutes ago, Katy M said:

150 copies of the same book?  In the same library?  That sounds insane.    

Not that this has to do with what I'm reading, but I have to share the story since I am so honestly bowled over by a library having 150 copies of the same book.  I was in Seattle a few years ago, and we drove by a library.  Apparently there is more than one library in Seattle. Anyway, I could see all these books through the window and my eyes widened and I was like "Ive never seen so many books in my whole life."  I came back and told a friend about it and she said, "You know the Boston Library is that big, right?"  I had no idea.  I have the urge to take a road trip to Boston just to hang out in the library all day.

Sorry, I wasn't quite clear.  They have 150 copies (i.e. licenses) of this book on their e-service, which is what I usually use. I didn't bother to look to see how many physical copies they have over at the Metro Reference Library and the various branches (which do inter-branch loans on a really fast and efficient basis, so essentially regardless of which branch you use you have access to the full collection).  It's the Toronto Public Library, which is a huge and much-beloved system, and I honestly believe (as a librarian, though not their employee) one of the very best in the world.  

You made me curious, though - I did a very quick check of the main catalogue, and it looks like they've got 87 regular print copies and 7 large-print copies (all buried in holds).  Obviously they anticipate a large readership for "The Woman in the Window"!  Interesting, though, that the electronic licenses are about double the print copies; that's a real indicator of how library use has changed since I grew up and trained.

I became a librarian just to hang out in the library all day. :)  Didn't quite work out that way unfortunately (I ended up in another profession), but yeah, big-city libraries that really serve their public are wonders of the world.  

Don't get me started braggin' on my library. <g>

[surreysmum]

23 minutes ago, partofme said:

Not sure what book this was in reference to, but the NYPL has 547 copies of Fire and Fury.  I'm currently #381 of 1662 holds.

I'm not surprised! Is that just print copies? The NYPL system is insanely huge and rich - I have happy memories of visiting and using the main branch and some of the research collections.

The comment was about "A Woman in the Window", and my "I'm #913th hold on 150 copies" response was about the Overdrive collection for Toronto Public. 

[Katy M]

Just checked for the fun of it.  My library has four copies of Fire and Fury.  Must be popular.  That's the most they ever have of anything and it's pretty rare to have more than one or 2.

[partofme]

2 hours ago, surreysmum said:

I'm not surprised! Is that just print copies? The NYPL system is insanely huge and rich - I have happy memories of visiting and using the main branch and some of the research collections.

The comment was about "A Woman in the Window", and my "I'm #913th hold on 150 copies" response was about the Overdrive collection for Toronto Public. 

This was hard copies.  The NYPL has 594 ecopies of "Fire and Fury" and I'm position 649 of 1984 on that.  (They had the hard copy book in first which is why I have a hold on both, I usually only read ebooks)

They have 225 ecopies of "Woman in the Window" and I'm currently position 275 of 898.

[aradia22]

The NYPL usually gets a lot of copies of the bestsellers/most popular books. I was reading a hard cover of Roxane Gay's book Hunger that I had to return before I finished it. I just checked the other day and now they have so many e-book versions that I could have checked one out immediately. That's another thing. Sometimes it takes them a little longer to figure out what demand will be.

[aradia22]

Has anyone chosen their February Amazon First Reads book yet? I feel like I'm never going to get to these because I have such a long list of books I want to read but since they're free, I feel obligated to pick one every month. This month I'm torn between "Go" and "Silent Victim." Once again none of the options seem that great. I usually get frustrated at young man coming of age/love stories but I also don't really like thrillers and mysteries except on TV.

[DearEvette]

After a month or two of picking one book and wishing I had picked another.  I now wait a couple of weeks and read a few reviews before deciding.  I agree, not too thrilled with this month's picks, and yes, they seem to love psychological thrillers!  But I am leaning toward Silent Victim

[Mabinogia]

I went with Neighborly. I didn't start it yet but it sounded similar to the last ep of Lucifer and nothing else sounded that interesting. 

[LilWharveyGal]

I chose "Go" because the Japanese/Korean issue was unfamiliar to me.  But to be painfully honest, I rarely get around to reading the Amazon First books.

[stormy]

I'm cleaning out the book shelf. Have you read The Razor's Edge? Do you recommend?

[Qoass]

I'm reading The Girl in the Spider's Web with a weird sense of déjà vu. I don't know if if it's just the frequent references to the original trilogy or that I've read it before and subsequently forgotten how it ends. 

[Hanahope]

Just read The Rooster Bar by John Grisham.  I generally enjoy his books, even though they play a bit fast and loose with facts. But this one seemed even more nonfactual than usual.  

Idk, maybe times have changed since I went to lawschool, but I certainly didn't have a loan officer hounding me/sending me emails on a regular basis inquiring how my studies were going, whether I had a job lined up, and to set up a payment plan.

The fact that these students could actually appear in court, and be listed as attorney of record for the various charged defendants is ridiculous.  Grisham did finally mention the fact that attorneys have bar numbers, but they aren't just numbers on a paper.  Those numbers are actually entered into a court's computer system and if one isn't registered with the state bar, the court's going to know immediately.  Maybe someone could get away with practicing law without a license in a rural/small county (which maybe isn't fully computerized) and/or represent injured people in pre-litigation negotiations with an insurance company, before anything is filed with a court, but once a court filing is needed, so is a valid bar number.

And finally, the idea that these kids could just make up 1100 names for a class action and get away with $3,800 for each is more than ridiculous.  First off, I've never gotten a 'class action' settlement check that isn't coming from the settlement fund set up by lead firm.  With this number of class participants, the customers of a huge bank, the lead firm isn't going to just cut a check to some 'firm' representing some members.  Class members usually go online to fill out a form, or mail one in to one address of the lead firm, not to some local firm.  And the settlement amounts aren't anywhere close to $3,800, its more like $38.00.  I had to chuckle over the kids decision to pay their loans, even though they were leaving the country and fleeing the FBI.  But lets make sure their credit is good, lol.

I do agree that law schools don't really teach students a whole lot about how to actually practice law.  It teaches them how to pass the bar exam, with general theory and knowledge of legal principals.  It might teach some generalities about statutes of limitation, but not specifics.

[Katy M]

46 minutes ago, Hanahope said:

Just read The Rooster Bar by John Grisham.  I generally enjoy his books, even though they play a bit fast and loose with facts. But this one seemed even more nonfactual than usual.  

I've been over John Grisham for a while.  I still read his books, because every once in a while he'll throw in a good one.  But, I just get the feeling that he's mostly phoning it in, figuring anything with his name on it will be a best-seller.

[Hanahope]

10 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I've been over John Grisham for a while.  I still read his books, because every once in a while he'll throw in a good one.  But, I just get the feeling that he's mostly phoning it in, figuring anything with his name on it will be a best-seller.

I haven't bought a Grisham book in years, I just get them from the library.  I've got Gray Mountain to read too, but had to do Rooster first, as it was still a "new book" and limited on time.

Next to read, though, is What Happened by Hillary Clinton, as its also still "newish" and I think there's still people on the wait list.  I may get one renewal, which I may need, as I'm not sure I'll have time to finish in a week.

[Katy M]

7 minutes ago, Hanahope said:

I haven't bought a Grisham book in years, I just get them from the library.  I've got Gray Mountain to read too, but had to do Rooster first, as it was still a "new book" and limited on time.

Next to read, though, is What Happened by Hillary Clinton, as its also still "newish" and I think there's still people on the wait list.  I may get one renewal, which I may need, as I'm not sure I'll have time to finish in a week.

Yeah, I get them from the library also. Gray Mountain was one of my least favorite books by him.  I think the only one I liked less was The Racketeer.

[Hanahope]

40 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Yeah, I get them from the library also. Gray Mountain was one of my least favorite books by him.  I think the only one I liked less was The Racketeer.

Now there's a ringing endorsement of what I have to look forward to. :)

I realized a few months ago that I hadn't read any of his books for some time, so went to catch up.  I had missed Camino Island and The Whistler as well.  Camnio Island was pretty decent, if predictable ending.  I had to laugh that the investigators/FBI knew about the connecting door to the furniture/antique shop, yet didn't bother monitoring that shop's doors when they made their move.  Dumbasses.  I didn't care much for the Whistler either, but it was better than Rooster.  The only thing about these books that did ring true was how much people can hide behind shell companies, how easy it is these days.  

On 2/3/2018 at 7:54 PM, aradia22 said:

Has anyone chosen their February Amazon First Reads book yet? I feel like I'm never going to get to these because I have such a long list of books I want to read but since they're free, I feel obligated to pick one every month. This month I'm torn between "Go" and "Silent Victim." Once again none of the options seem that great. I usually get frustrated at young man coming of age/love stories but I also don't really like thrillers and mysteries except on TV.

None of the books really seemed that interesting, they appeared to have very convoluted and contrived plots.  I too usually pick something, but the chances of getting around to actually reading it are low.  someday maybe.

[aradia22]

I finally went for "Go." I'm not expecting them to offer me bestsellers (or presumed bestsellers like any celebrity memoir) for free but would it kill them to throw in more historicals or romances? At least some stuff from Kindle Unlimited that isn't terrible. I'd really love a reissue of a classic book but that might be a reach. 

[Athena]

Last night I started and stayed up a little later than usual to finish The Book of Dust: Vol 1. La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman. As all the reviewers have said, it is very cozy. At the same time, it is as thrilling as the first books. While some parts of the last third meandered a wee bit, I still loved the experience. It also reminded me of the first wonderful time I read The Golden Compass/Northern Lights almost twenty years ago. I liked it so much that I think I'll buy the hard cover, will do so for the second volume as well, and probably need to a buy new set of the first trilogy. 

[Thrifty]

This is not particularly interesting, and maybe it's not a standard book per se.  But I have been reading my old Dungeons and Dragons 3rd edition source books.  I bought a bunch of them from 2001 through 2004, but never got around to reading them.  I like to collect these books and I hope to be able to run a game some day.  But I have made a pledge that I won't buy another one until I read all the ones I currently have.  And I have around 60 books (maybe more, I keep counting then forgetting the count).

 

Most recently, reading the Epic Level Handbook.

[luna1122]

Read The Ghost Writer...I liked but didn't love as much as many on Goodreads did. Some nice twists and turns, but a main character so prickly and rigid that I found it hard to sympathize with her, and she's definitely in straits that would normally arouse empathy.

Also read Confession of a Teenage Jesus Jerk, Tony DuShanes novel/sort of memoir about growing up and coming of age as a Jehovah's Witness. I also grew up JW, so I found much of it instantly relatable and familiar and funny and sad. Eric Stolz has recently directed a film version of this, which I can't wait to see, tho I doubt it will go out in any kind of wide release.

And just finished American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse....which I thought was brilliant. I'm minorly acquainted with the area of the Eastern Shore, having vacationed in Chincoteague and Tangier Island a few times and driving along all those little towns, and I love good true crime stories. This one is batshit and intimate and I love her writing, which is skilled but familiar, like you're just having a conversation with her over a beer. Highly recommend.

Just started Karin Slaughter's The Good Daughter.

[Spartan Girl]

Just finished Only Child by Rhiannon Navin, and oh my god this is a killer.  It's very relevant to all the school shootings that's happened in the past 10 years, ESPECIALLY Sandy Hook.  Not for the faint of heart, but beautiful nonetheless. 

[Danny Franks]

Currently reading Crisis by Frank Gardner. A very pedestrian spy thriller, and the sort of book that really reassures me that becoming a published author honestly doesn't require a whole amount of talent. The prose is utterly workmanlike and uninspired, the characters paper thin.

[Thrifty]

I just got started on The Amazing Adventures of Captain Gladys Stoat Pamphlet and Her Intrepid Spaniel Stig Among the Giant Pygmies of Beccles Volume 8.

[Danny Franks]

Finally got around to Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. So far, it's written in a really engaging way, and even fifty pages in, it's already got me thinking about things I'd never considered before, as well as teaching me plenty of things I either didn't know, or sort of knew something about.

[aradia22]

Any opinion on Paolo Coehlo? I've obviously seen his name a lot but I've never picked up one of his books. The kindle editions of The Witch of Portobello and Brida are on sale today. The goodreads reviews are all over the place from "this is brilliant" to "this is sexist, new-age-y crap." I am firmly in the atheist and feminist camps so you can see how the latter would give me pause. 

[Mindthinkr]

Just finished The Kraken Project by Preston Child. It had to do with AI and what could happen if it went haywire. 

Edited February 11, 2018 by Mindthinkr
I got a word wrong.

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

And just finished American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse....which I thought was brilliant. I'm minorly acquainted with the area of the Eastern Shore, having vacationed in Chincoteague and Tangier Island a few times and driving along all those little towns, and I love good true crime stories. This one is batshit and intimate and I love her writing, which is skilled but familiar, like you're just having a conversation with her over a beer. Highly recommend.

So glad to hear this - I had it from the library but didn't get to it before its due date, so just re-requested it.

I just finished The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory in under 24 hours. Frothy fun and sexy; highly recommend. I've since started An American Marriage by Tayari Jones which I'm pretty sure is going to be the furthest thing from frothy but has already captured my interest.

[Qoass]

Well, as @Spartan Girl warned, Only Child just about killed me so now I'm following that up with The Wedding Date to try to put my heart back together.

Edited February 13, 2018 by Qoass
corrected title of book

[WritinMan]

Just finished Tishomingo Blues by Elmore Leonard. Better than the last book of his I read (Stick), but I have to say I am not a fan of Mr. Leonard. I thought I would be based on his ten writing rules, but unless the story involves his Raylan Givens character, I think I'll pass on his other books.

Edited February 12, 2018 by WritinMan
Typo

[Spartan Girl]

12 hours ago, Qoass said:

Well, as @Spartan Girl warned, Obvious Child just about killed me so now I'm following that up with The Wedding Date to try to put my heart back together.

You mean Only Child right? And yeah, I warned you.

[DearEvette]

On 2/11/2018 at 11:33 PM, hendersonrocks said:

I just finished The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory in under 24 hours. Frothy fun and sexy; highly recommend.

Seconded.  I especially loved their first meeting, the dialogue was a lot of fun.  It also ended a mini book slump for me.  Started and stopped about six books before I settled in with this one.

[rmcrae]

I've just started The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner. She was the 39th of 44 kids born to a polygamist father who died when she was a baby so she was raised by her mom and abusive stepdad in the Mexican desert. It grabbed my attention from the first page.

[aradia22]

I finished a Julia Quinn book I mostly liked though it might be a little fluffy for some people as far as romance goes. I like to keep up with popular writers to just have a sense of what's going on in the romance world but I'd say my current top favorites in historical romance are Lisa Kleypas, Courtney Milan, and Tessa Dare in that order (though Tessa is getting a little too pleased with herself and anachronistic). I know Julia Quinn is popular but she's never been in my top tier.

I read How To Be Happy by Eleanor Davis in one sitting though "read" feels questionable because it has very little text. It had a very promising blurb/description but it was just a series of unfinished ideas. None of the "stories" had a point or came to a satisfying conclusion. Very Emperor's New Clothes in the way it dared you to admit you didn't get it. 

Also, as usual, I've been skimming through romance novels. I raced through a Christina Dodd that had a very unbelievable premise. The hero had a bit of a Mr. Darcy vibe but more dickish but I don't think it's worth reading cover to cover because that's a lot of pages for such a iffy plot and shaky characterization. Other than that, I've been reading Harlequin Presents box sets. A couple worth going through cover to cover that I've bookmarked and also a truly amazing story by Caitlin Crews called Unwrapping the Castelli Secret. I want to be clear that this book is not indicative of the quality or content of romance novels in general. And maybe if you like angst-fic this isn't unusual. But for Harlequin Presents and especially marketed as a Christmas story this was an extremely questionable choice. It's poorly plotted and in many other ways badly written. But at the level of the prose, it's actually not bad. So if you want to read something for the lulz, maybe think about it. I skimmed it so I didn't get the full impact of the stupid. The heroine spends more than half the story trying to trick the hero into thinking she has amnesia (actually didn't hate this) even though they both know she's lying and they have sex all over the place and also he was her stepbrother and subjected her to an incredibly cruel, emotionally abusive relationship but still manages to be mad at HER through most of the story. If you actually track all the emotional twists and turns it makes even less sense but in the moment, the writing is good enough that it's still compelling (though very hard to forget how awful he is for long enough to care about what he thinks or their relationship). 

[Katy M]

I'm reading One Hundred Years of Solitude and I'm ruing that decision.  but, I hate not finishing books, so, I've got to finish it.  But, gee whiz, put some kind of warning on a book, when you're going to inundate people with incest and child sex.  No, it's not graphic, but it's still icky to think about.

[Mindthinkr]

Reading The Immortlists by Chloe Benjamin. Not finished but it follows four siblings from their childhood in NYC to various pursuits and far differing career paths. Interesting so far.  

[Constant Viewer]

17 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I'm reading One Hundred Years of Solitude and I'm ruing that decision.  but, I hate not finishing books, so, I've got to finish it.  But, gee whiz, put some kind of warning on a book, when you're going to inundate people with incest and child sex.  No, it's not graphic, but it's still icky to think about.

 I'm actually really glad to know about this. I've heard so many people raving about this book, but now it's moving down on my reading list. I'll still get to it, but will read other things first.

[Zola]

"Margaret Thatcher: The Authorised Biography, Volume One: Not For Turning" - Charles Moore

Continuing my foray into the political world of biographies, I have decided to read up on Britain's first Prime Minister - Margaret Thatcher, who's reign lasted from 1979 to 1990, when she was ousted from power by her own cabinet.

 It follows her steady rise to power, confronting and confounding a male-dominated political world, confronting unions that were bringing the country to its knees, and hell-bent on ending socialism and replacing it with a new conservatism of deregulation, private enterprise, competition and more choice. 

From what I have read thus far, it feels quite a balanced and objective analysis by Charles Moore. However, because her premiership happened before my time I can't really argue with his views. But it is very true to say she left a lasting legacy on the country when she was eventually forced to step down - depending on your political views this "legacy" either enhanced the country's standing on the world stage, or diminished it. 

Either way, it's a fascinating book and a very easy read.

Edited February 17, 2018 by Zola

[Haleth]

10 hours ago, Katy M said:

I'm reading One Hundred Years of Solitude and I'm ruing that decision.  but, I hate not finishing books, so, I've got to finish it.  But, gee whiz, put some kind of warning on a book, when you're going to inundate people with incest and child sex.  No, it's not graphic, but it's still icky to think about.

I rarely don't finish a book but this one was too much.  I decided I had better things to do with my life than slog through a book I was not enjoying.

Recent reads:
The Martian.  Very good but more technical stuff than I could understand or care about.  I'm glad I saw the movie first.

The Girl in the Tower.  Sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale.  Not quite as good as Bear, but delightful nonetheless and I'm looking forward to the third book this summer.  (Any writer who can make a winter spirit/death god sexy is ok with me.)

A Column of Fire.  Third in Ken Follett's Kingsbridge series.  I'm only halfway through and am enjoying it probably even more than Pillars of the Earth.  Less rapey.  The bad guys are still cartoonish though.

[helenamonster]

Just finished: Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff. It was exactly the kind of petty, dishy, sensationalized tell-all that this administration deserves. I'm sure many will/would find Wolff's style of writing off-putting (using a hundred words when ten will do and then barfing up a thesaurus on the whole thing) but it fits the mood of the "story." What I found most interesting were the details of the first year's different "tribes" in the White House--the Bannon people, the Priebus people, and the Jarvanka people. It was really interesting to revisit every batshit insane thing that has happened so far and trace it back to one of those three camps and their agendas. Overall it's really not a story about Trump but about Bannon, given he's the primary source for most of the book's information. It's less a book about the first year of the Trump White House and more a book about the nationalist Bannon agenda and how it used Trump to raise its platform and then steamrolled over the whole thing and hijacked the GOP. It's hard to say whether or not the book will age well at this time, but I do think it laid the groundwork for a lot of the stuff we're going to start seeing, especially with Mueller having just talked to Bannon and the new indictments against the Russian nationals.

Next up: The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle.

[mjforty]

On 2/16/2018 at 6:01 PM, aradia22 said:

I finished a Julia Quinn book I mostly liked though it might be a little fluffy for some people as far as romance goes. I like to keep up with popular writers to just have a sense of what's going on in the romance world but I'd say my current top favorites in historical romance are Lisa Kleypas, Courtney Milan, and Tessa Dare in that order (though Tessa is getting a little too pleased with herself and anachronistic). I know Julia Quinn is popular but she's never been in my top tier.

I read How To Be Happy by Eleanor Davis in one sitting though "read" feels questionable because it has very little text. It had a very promising blurb/description but it was just a series of unfinished ideas. None of the "stories" had a point or came to a satisfying conclusion. Very Emperor's New Clothes in the way it dared you to admit you didn't get it. 

I like a lot of your favorite authors.  I was wondering if you’ve tried either Madeline Hunter, Loretta Chase or Ilona Andrews?  Ilona Andrews is a husband/wife writing team but the writing is seamless.  It reads as a single author.  I can particularly recommend the Innkeepers series.  They’re paranormal and fantasy, though so that might not be your thing.  Madeline Hunter and Loretta Chase are straight up historical romantic fiction.  My favorite Loretta Chase is Mr. Impossible and Madline Hunter’s Romantic Series is my favorite of hers.

On a non-romantic side, I just finished reading “The Power” and “Lincoln in the Bardo.”  I honestly don’t know what to think of “Lincoln in the Bardo.”  For those of you unfamiliar with the book, it tells the story of one night after Willie Lincoln died.  The Bardo is a term that means in-between so we spend the night with Willie Bardo and a host of other characters in the Bardo.  The setup of the story made it a confusing read at first, making it hard to keep track of characters.  There were some wonderfully written monologues and the author does a good job of writing about grief and loss but it is also interspersed with sections that seem to belong in a farce and parts of it are a bit vulgar.  There’s a character that sports a large, erect penis through the whole story.  It’s definitely not a book for everybody but if you’re looking for something different, it’s worth a try.  

I was disappointed in “The Power.”  I felt that the author set up a situation that was not wholly believable or realistic and she also went down a path that I felt was simplistic.  I think so much more could have been done with this story.  There were parts I enjoyed but overall, not my favorite read.  I did see that it made Barack Obama’s list of favorite books of last year so, you know, go with who’s opinion you trust.

Edited February 19, 2018 by mjforty

[aradia22]

Quote

I like a lot of your favorite authors.  I was wondering if you’ve tried either Madeline Hunter, Loretta Chase or Ilona Andrews?  Ilona Andrews is a husband/wife writing team but the writing is seamless.  It reads as a single author.  I can particularly recommend the Innkeepers series.  They’re paranormal and fantasy, though so that might not be your thing.  Madeline Hunter and Loretta Chase are straight up historical romantic fiction.  My favorite Loretta Chase is Mr. Impossible and Madline Hunter’s Romantic Series is my favorite of hers.

Nope. But I love recommendations! Is there another name for the Madeline Hunter series? I can't find it in goodreads.

https://www.goodreads.com/series/list?id=37814.Madeline_Hunter

The Ilona Andrews thing is intriguing. I don't think I could write with someone else, much else a significant other, without getting into massive fights. I've had editors and been an editor but I tend to ride roughshod over people. ;)

[Minneapple]

OK popping back into this thread after awhile. My New Year's resolution was to read more and to read more books in particular by women authors and authors of color.

Over the last few weeks I've read:

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black: Pretty good for YA fantasy. I know Black is popular but I've never read her stuff before. I might look into some of her other series. This one, too, appears to be the start of a series

Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan: Hilarious and amazing that he can support that cast of characters. Crazy Rich Asians is on hold for me at the library (I know, I'm reading them out of order).

Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson: A Southern novel from a Southern writer. Good characterization and funny.

Twist of Faith by Ellen J. Green: This was an Amazon Kindle First selection a couple months ago. Decently written for a suspense/thriller. I like the Amazon First selections because I don't feel bad if I hate them and stop reading them. After all I haven't spent any money on them!

Am now starting The Widows of Malabar Hill, a new one by Sujata Massey. The Wedding Date is also on my list.

Edited February 20, 2018 by Minneapple

[Browncoat]

Just now, Minneapple said:

Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson: A Southern novel from a Southern writer. Good characterization and funny.

I enjoyed that one quite a lot.

[nodorothyparker]

I still don't know what to think of Lincoln in the Bardo either, probably because I keep picking it up and putting it back down and haven't finished it yet between other reads.  It's a subject I'm interested in and I keep thinking I want to like it, but I admit I find the style really offputting and not at all helpful to drawing me in.

I'm currently halfway through Timothy Tyson's Blood Done Sign My Name after burning through his more recent book, The Blood of Emmett Till, that featured that controversial interview with Carolyn Bryant.  Once upon a time I got college credits in classes on African American and Civil Rights Movement history and still probably learned less than I have in these two books.  It helps that Tyson writes about very tough things so conversationally. 

[alias1]

I hated Lincoln In The Bardo.  Yes, the style was totally off-putting (a good way to describe it!) 

[partofme]

I just read Fire and Fury.  I have to say I expected more.   It was boring, I felt like I was reading something I was being forced to read for school.   I was expecting more of a take down than this was. 

Edited February 21, 2018 by partofme

[buffynut]

I started to read Fire and Fury a while back, and also found it incredibly boring. I might have gotten a third of the way before I gave up and returned it to the library.

I recently finished The Great Alone. I enjoyed some parts of it, but found the

Spoiler

domestic violence

that I wasn't expecting, difficult to read. And the last 1/4 seemed rushed.

Currently reading Little Fires Everywhere.

Edited February 21, 2018 by buffynut
finicky computer

[OtterMommy]

I have far too many books going...again, but some that I wanted to mention.  I recently finished The Lucky Ones by Tiffany Reisz.  I think it is categorized as a thriler, but it really is more of a psychological novel.  It's set about an hour or so away from where I live and, even though the author isn't local, she really got the place right.  I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

I've just started Hot Mess by Emily Belden.  I'm only a couple of chapters in, so I'm not yet sure how this one is going to go.  But, it's set in the foodie/restaurant world and I tend to enjoy those books.

I just downloaded The Glass Forest by Cynthia Swanson from my library (now that I've finally figured out how to get library ebooks onto my kindle).  Honestly, I know nothing about this book, but I really enjoyed Swanson's first novel, The Bookseller, so this was sort of a must-read for me.

I also recently (yesterday!) finished doing an "audio re-read" of Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong.  I read this last year and was lukewarm about it, but it is this month's selection for my bookclub, so I thought I'd give it a listen.  Honestly, I think this was better in audio for me.  It's still not my favorite book, but I did enjoy it more the second time around.

[Katy M]

On ‎2‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 10:10 PM, Katy M said:

I'm reading One Hundred Years of Solitude and I'm ruing that decision.  but, I hate not finishing books, so, I've got to finish it.  But, gee whiz, put some kind of warning on a book, when you're going to inundate people with incest and child sex.  No, it's not graphic, but it's still icky to think about.

I finished.  It was just so pointless.  That's what the book made me feel.  Life is pointless.  I haven't been this depressed by a book since Anna Karenina.  Although, I think I actually may have liked this book better.  Not by much.

[aradia22]

So should I not read Anna Karenina? I'm usually into books about women with depressing lives confined by patriarchy and limited options. 

I'm in a weird place with the library and in my brain. So I'm waiting on holds from the library and I'm also not in the mood to read a huge book (couple hundred pages) so I'm just slowly chipping away at short books. I'm reading The Little Prince at night before bed. I usually only get through a chapter or two before falling asleep. I haven't read it since high school French. It's much better in English. You get more nuance when you're not doing a rough translation. 

Edited February 22, 2018 by aradia22