What Are We Currently Reading?

[GaT]

6 hours ago, starri said:

  Reveal spoiler

Have you see The Last Starfighter?  It's the exact same plot with 1000% more pop-culture references.

I saw it long ago, but vaguely remember it. Still don't remember Armada. LOL

Right after I typed the above sentence, I suddenly remembered part of Armada. You're right, same thing basically.

Edited May 10, 2019 by GaT

[IWantCandy71]

Just finished "Deception"- "Tales of Intrigue and Lies", one collection of short stories from Roald Dahl. Pretty good, though I'd already read a few of them online. "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" is a favorite now. Several of the ones in this collection were made into TV episodes of Alfred Hitchcock, The Outer Limits, shows like that.

[helenamonster]

Just finished: Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of The View by Ramin Setoodeh. I haven't watched The View regularly in about a decade (it filled the 11am slot of my all-day tv binges when I was home from school in the summers of the 2000s), but I love a dishy tell-all about a pop culture institution. What I think this book did really well was both give a larger context for all of the show's mile markers and emphasize the impact it has had on television as a whole. Sure, it's fun to read a minute-by-minute account of the infamous Rosie/Elisabeth split screen shouting match, but I also liked time-traveling back to the late '90s and learning what world events helped the show find its footing.

Also just read Next Level Basic: The Definitive Basic Bitch Handbook by Stassi Schroeder. I'm not a Vanderpump Rules watcher but I like a fluffy, positive read every now and then. The book could definitely get repetitive--a lot of Stassi's advice boils down to "be yourself, do what makes you happy/makes you feel best about yourself, life's too short to care what other people think, etc." but there are much worse things to be repetitive about. I grew up during a time where it felt like half of media directed at me was telling me all the things I should hate about myself and what products I needed to purchase to change them, and the other half was shaming me for buying into the stuff sold to me by the first half. If reality stars are going to be the role models for the next generation of women, I'm glad there's at least one encouraging them to be unapologetic about who they are and to not feel like they have to conform to what everybody else is doing to feel happy and validated. I definitely wouldn't recommend this book for young girls, as it does talk a bit about sex, but maybe an emotionally mature high schooler in your life could use this kind of advice.

Next up: The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth.

[truthaboutluv]

Just completed Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson. I enjoyed it much like I did his other book, The Kind Worth Killing. As much as I love a good twist and mystery and trying to solve the crime and figure out the guilty person, I find I still enjoy Swanson's books even though he tells you who the guilty person is. Because what makes the story more fascinating is the why and the how of it all. 

If I had one issue with the book, it's that 

Spoiler

it ends with the suggestion that Kate gets involved with Alan. Listen, yes, Alan did inadvertently save her life and we get his own perspective throughout the book, to prove that he wasn't a homicidal maniac but dude was still creepy. And I'm sorry, I find it hard to buy a woman who experienced two separate traumatic experiences of almost being murdered would choose to date a guy who admittedly creepily watched and obsessed over his neighbor. 

[MaggieG]

On 5/9/2019 at 9:01 PM, HazelEyes4325 said:

I have waaaay too many books going at once (again):

• Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield.  I'm really enjoying this one.  The Thirteenth Tale is my favorite novel, but I heard her second book was terrible, so I was nervous about this one.

I just finished the first chapter of The Thirteenth Tale! We're reading it for my book club

[HazelEyes4325]

20 minutes ago, MaggieG said:

I just finished the first chapter of The Thirteenth Tale! We're reading it for my book club

I've read The Thirteenth Tale in every book club I've belonged to (I first "met" it for book club) and it leads to some great conversations.  I hope you enjoy it!

[partofme]

I quit reading The Kind Worth Killing about 50 pages in.

Spoiler

The misogyny and description of women's body parts was too much for me.

[truthaboutluv]

8 minutes ago, partofme said:

I quit reading The Kind Worth Killing about 50 pages in.

  Reveal spoiler

The misogyny and description of women's body parts was too much for me.

Fair enough and I will add that you should probably then avoid his other book that I just completed, Her Every Fear. Haven't read his other books so can't comment on those.

[DearEvette]

Just finished Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs.  It is the 11th book in the Mercy Thompson series.  So far no series fatigue here.  I enjoyed it immensely.  This one was nice tense with a good formidable foe for our heroes.  And made some real interesting character choices for 2 of the series long term characters.   And started to fill in some blanks nicely for a fairly recent addition to the recurring cast.

Edited May 15, 2019 by DearEvette

[partofme]

8 minutes ago, LucindaWalsh said:

@partofme Arrrrrggggg!! I am debating opening the spoiler! Can you spoiler bar if it involves creepiness, violent gore, sadness without giving away a plot? Those are some of my deal breakers.

Nothing that really gives away the plot just a personal peeve of mine.  

[Mindthinkr]

18 hours ago, helenamonster said:

Just finished: Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of The View by Ramin Setoodeh

I just finished this as well. I was about half way into it and went to a neighbors for dinner. Wasn’t in a great mood. Upon contemplation later that evening I thought reading about all that fighting, backstabbing and manipulation had made me irritable. I can’t imagine what it must have felt like to live through it. 

Agreed that it was an informative and good read. 

[Silver Raven]

I'm re-reading Poul Anderson's Time Patrol collection of short stories for the umpteenth time.  He was SUCH a good writer, easy to read and his love for history is palpable.

[AngelKitty]

18 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Just finished Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs.

I'm about halfway through this. I love Mercy and Adam.

I also enjoy her Alpha & Omega series.

[DearEvette]

57 minutes ago, AngelKitty said:

I'm about halfway through this. I love Mercy and Adam.

I also enjoy her Alpha & Omega series.

Yeah, I don't remember if you read the Kate Daniels series, but Mercy & Adam remind me a lot of Kate and Curran.  Just these two series always go together in my head, usually because the books always seemed to be released at the same time and the writing, characters, and situations were always uniformly excellent.  And each respective writer does their world build so well.

In this one, I was a little apprehensive about he main antagonists only because they had already wreaked some havoc in the last Charles & Anna book. So I knew they could be troublesome.

[AngelKitty]

5 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I don't remember if you read the Kate Daniels series

I did, and I fell in love with them. The other shapeshifter story I've read and enjoyed is the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter.

[Bunty]

I really enjoyed Patricia Briggs early fantasy titles which were more what I guess you would call traditional or high fantasy.  My favorites were :

Hurog
1. Dragon Bones (2002)

Most everyone thinks Ward of Hurog is a simple-minded fool—and that’s just fine by him. But few people know that his foolishness is (very convincingly) feigned. And that it’s the only thing that’s saved him from death.
 
When his abusive father dies, Ward becomes the new lord of Hurog...until a nobleman declares that he is too dim-witted to rule. Ward knows he cannot play the fool any longer. To regain his kingdom, he must prove himself worthy—and quickly.

2. Dragon Blood (2002)

Loved this duology.  All the characters are so distinct as is a hallmark of her work and there was quite a bit of humor too. 

Another great duology is :

Raven duology
1. Raven's Shadow (2004)

Seraph is a Raven mage, and among the last of the Travelers who ensure that the city of Colossae is safe from evil. Unwelcome by those who fear magic, the wizard clans have been decimated by the very people they’ve sworn to protect. But Seraph is spared a similar fate by the ex-soldier Tier—and together they build a life where she is no longer burdened by her people’s responsibility.
 
But now Tier is missing—or dead—and Seraph’s reprieve from her duty is over. Using her magic to discover her husband’s fate, Seraph realizes the prison that holds the evil entity known as Stalker is weakening—and only Seraph can fulfill her ancestors’ oath...

2. Raven's Strike (2005)

Loved the sense of family in this one another theme Patricia Briggs does so well.

Unfortunately since Ms Briggs began the Mercy series, which is urban fantasy, that is all she has written.  And while I read the first few,  I'm just not generally a fan of most urban fantasy, with the exception of Michelle Sagara.

I keep thinking maybe she will throw me a bone and write something besides urban fantasy but so far nada.

[MeloraH]

I'm on a hot streak right now. I finished The Water Cure and ended up loving it after being a bit iffy at first. I've just finished the 2nd book of the March graphic novel trilogy (John Lewis memoir) and am loving them . I'm halfway through The Luminous Dead and towards the beginning of Trail of Lightning and they're both seeming pretty great so far.

[AngelKitty]

13 hours ago, Bunty said:

I really enjoyed Patricia Briggs early fantasy titles which were more what I guess you would call traditional or high fantasy.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of high fantasy but I do like the urban fantasies.

[Spartan Girl]

I'm reading Anna of Kleve: The Princess in the Portrait by Alison Weir and it's really good so far.  Again she plays with history quite a bit

Anna wasn't a virgin when she married Henry VIII, but hey, even if that might not have been accurate, it's nice to think that the smartest of the queens (i.e. agreeing to the divorce and being grateful just to be rid of him) didn't die a sexless virgin because she was "ugly."

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I'm reading Anna of Kleve: The Princess in the Portrait by Alison Weir and it's really good so far.  Again she plays with history quite a bit

  Hide contents

Anna wasn't a virgin when she married Henry VIII, but hey, even if that might not have been accurate, it's nice to think that the smartest of the queens (i.e. agreeing to the divorce and being grateful just to be rid of him) didn't die a sexless virgin because she was "ugly."

She has always been my favorite of the wives. Smart cookie.

[smittykins]

I just started Full Count by former pitcher David Cone.  Liking it so far.

[Haleth]

19 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I'm reading Anna of Kleve: The Princess in the Portrait by Alison Weir and it's really good so far.  Again she plays with history quite a bit

  Hide contents

Anna wasn't a virgin when she married Henry VIII, but hey, even if that might not have been accurate, it's nice to think that the smartest of the queens (i.e. agreeing to the divorce and being grateful just to be rid of him) didn't die a sexless virgin because she was "ugly."

I'm going to have to look for this one.  Is it written as a novel or a biography?

Spoiler

Not only was she smart to agree to a divorce, she apparently remained a close friend to either Mary or Elizabeth, maybe both.  (I forget.)

[Spartan Girl]

4 hours ago, Haleth said:

I'm going to have to look for this one.  Is it written as a novel or a biography?

  Hide contents

Not only was she smart to agree to a divorce, she apparently remained a close friend to either Mary or Elizabeth, maybe both.  (I forget.)

Novel.

[blackwing]

In the long overdue to be read category, I am finally reading Jane Eyre.  Seems like one of those must-read classics and somehow I never read it in high school.

I've also started Gone With the Wind.  Between a "regular" book, a nightstand book, a history book, a gym book, and an audiobook for the commute, I typically read multiple books at one time.  At over 1000 pages and not getting full attention, I expect this one to take me some time to finish!

[Black Knight]

I'm happily making my way through The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. Bloody brilliant - I'm just in awe of the Swiss watch plot, so complex and intricate, everything fitting perfectly. I can't wait to find out what happens next, and how it all ends.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I love the David Housewright books.     The McKenzie series is great, and so are the Holland Taylor (yes, he's a guy, and it is the same name as the actress) series.    They're set in Minnesota, all are really complex, and I can't wait for the new ones to come out.    Then, Michael Connelly, with the lawyer, and the detective ones with Bosch and Ballard are always good.   

[partofme]

I'm currently reading They All Fall Down by Tammy Cohen which is a mystery/thriller type book about a woman who was committed to a mental institution, so far it's a really good easy read and I'm enjoying it.  

[Black Knight]

@LucindaWalsh, I just finished the book, and I completely agree with you. 

Spoiler

I googled and the author says he does not plan to write either a sequel or prequel, which is unfortunate as either could have salvaged it. It's like he wrote most of the book and then watched a certain Black Mirror episode and got all excited and shoved the twist from it into the end of this book.

It's too bad his editor didn't stop it.

[Browncoat]

I just finished The Broken Earth trilogy (N.K. Jemisin).  I didn't want it to end, and I kind of want to re-read it again immediately.  But I have questions! 

Are we meant to believe that Houwha's original Guardian, Gallat, is Schaffa?  And what about Kelenli?  Is she related to Damaya/Syenite/Essun?  If there were only a few tuners/stone eaters like Houwha/Hoa left when they altered the orbit of the moon, where did all the rest come from?  I mean, I know that Antimony created one from Alabaster, and Essun will be one soon as well, and it's because of their use of magic, but what about all the rest that Nessun encountered in Corepoint -- and all the ones Hoa and company encountered en route to Corepoint (the ones that killed Lerna).  Oooh, will Lerna become a stone eater? 

Maybe I can figure some of this out when I re-read.  I want to let it digest a bit first before I re-read, though.  It's so complex and fascinating.  I loved it.

[Rosenrot]

Has anyone by any chance read Bret Easton Ellis' new non-fiction, White? I'd love some opinions. I'm kind of debating whether I like the man enough to read 270 pages of (what I imagine to be) pure provocation… 

Edited May 26, 2019 by Rosenrot

[AuntiePam]

Slowly getting back into the reading habit -- weird how a break in the routine (a short stay in assisted living after a fall) can break all the routines. 

Read a review praising The Last by Hanna Jameson and wish I'd checked the Amazon reviews before buying it.  Intriguing premise -- 20+ people stranded at a hotel in Switzerland after a nuclear war.  Adding to the how-do-characters-react-to-the-end-of-world premise is a murder mystery, and a hint of the supernatural, as some of the hotel's guests have seen things.

It was disappointing, overall -- it didn't deliver on any of the three plot threads and the ending was ludicrous.  I didn't care about any of the characters, and had a hard time keeping them straight.  However, each time I picked it up, I was compelled to keep reading, and I finished it, despite sort of hating it.

There were a few paragraphs with interesting insights about the urge for survival, the need for connection, etc. but they're not enough to make me recommend the book.

Now reading The Philadelphian, from 1956, by Richard Powell  Got this after watching the Paul Newman movie, The Young Philadelphians, and was curious about book-to-movie changes.  So far, the book is nothing like the movie (imagine that!), An attractive young Irish immigrant woman in 1897 is impregnated by the son of the family she works for.  Her daughter has ambition to be something in Philadelphia.  I imagine it will at some point get to the movie, but in the meantime, it's a fine read, along the lines of all those other novels about the immigrant experience, and about ambitious women. 

[Snowball II]

I just finished Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson, and I thought it was heartbreaking.  I never knew about Rosemary Kennedy.  What Joe Kennedy did to her was unconscionable.

[Black Knight]

I just finished Melissa Albert's The Hazel Wood. I recommend it to anyone who loves fairy tales. The book is kind of a fairy tale within a fairy tale, with some meta. The lead character is a teenage girl with a real temper, whose grandmother is the author of a book of creepy fairy tales set in a realm called The Hinterland. But is The Hinterland really an invention?

[JAYJAY1979]

I'm re-reading an old classic 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte...so surreal and unique for the time it was written.. and it's still unique to this day.  I think the fact that the author was isolated and didn't socialize with the outside world so much helped enhance the uniqueness of the story..imho.

A fun review..

https://youtu.be/NcYdC_gkP8o

Edited May 28, 2019 by JAYJAY1979

[AuntiePam]

48 minutes ago, JAYJAY1979 said:

I'm re-reading an old classic 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte...so surreal and unique for the time it was written.. and it's still unique to this day.  I think the fact that the author was isolated and didn't socialize with the outside world so much helped enhance the uniqueness of the story..imho.

Fun review I came across.

 https://youtu.be/NcYdC_gkP8o

I tried to read this many years ago, but I couldn't get past the punctuation.  It seemed that commas and semi-colons etc. were just strewn willy-nilly, and it made for a rough read, like riding in a car where the driver keeps putting on the brakes.  It was strange, because I didn't have the same issue with other novels written in that same period.  Maybe there are editions where the punctuation is modernized.  ??

Almost finished with The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne.  It follows the life of Cyril Avery from 1940 to the 1980's.  Cyril born to a single mother in Ireland, and adopted by an unconventional couple.  The story has tragedy and humor (and sex and violence), and Boyne has a lot to say about religion and social structure.  Lucky for readers, he gets his points across without hitting us over the head.  I think he's just brilliant, and he's a favorite.

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, JAYJAY1979 said:

I'm re-reading an old classic 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte...so surreal and unique for the time it was written.. and it's still unique to this day.  I think the fact that the author was isolated and didn't socialize with the outside world so much helped enhance the uniqueness of the story..imho.

I also reread this this year.  I hadn't remembered much of it from the first time. I refuse tosay how many years ago.  I love it.  It's just so dark and twisted and it's a great warning against obsession.

[Wiendish Fitch]

On 5/26/2019 at 7:49 PM, Fiver said:

I just finished Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson, and I thought it was heartbreaking.  I never knew about Rosemary Kennedy.  What Joe Kennedy did to her was unconscionable.

That's a great book, and I 100% agree on Joe Kennedy. He was was a foul and horrid man, and I frankly think Rose was little better as a parent (she was a proud fat-shamer to the very end). Rosemary is indeed a tragic figure, and I'm so glad her story is being told. Her experience was nothing short of gut-wrenching.

Speaking of presidential figures, I'm reading a biography on Martha Washington. A more interesting woman than you'd think, and a much better parent than the Kennedys.

[cherrypj]

17 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Almost finished with The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne.  It follows the life of Cyril Avery from 1940 to the 1980's.  Cyril born to a single mother in Ireland, and adopted by an unconventional couple.  The story has tragedy and humor (and sex and violence), and Boyne has a lot to say about religion and social structure.  Lucky for readers, he gets his points across without hitting us over the head.  I think he's just brilliant, and he's a favorite.

It was good. Just a little toooooo long and Forest Gumpy.

[AuntiePam]

2 hours ago, cherrypj said:

It was good. Just a little toooooo long and Forest Gumpy.

By Forrest Gumpy, do you mean the

Forrest/Jenny and Cyril/Julian

correlation?  That did seem a bit convenient, and unlikely, but I was okay with it. 

Or did you mean something else? 

Next up is The Guest Book by Sarah Blake, most well known for The Postmistress.  I had problems with that book, but it was praised by the NPR reviewer.  Sometimes, though, I think the NPR reviewers say nice things about books that they know will be popular, to balance out the more high-brow stuff that doesn't make the best-seller list.  "Okay, here's one for the Dan Brown crowd." 

[cherrypj]

44 minutes ago, AuntiePam said:

By Forrest Gumpy, do you mean the

  Reveal spoiler

Forrest/Jenny and Cyril/Julian

correlation?  That did seem a bit convenient, and unlikely, but I was okay with it. 

Or did you mean something else? 

That, and the fact that Cyril is always in the right place at the right time in ways that just happen to advance the story (excepting maybe Central Park). Nelson's column, NYC during the 80s, Maude's books (and their royalties!), the referendum at the end. 

[Black Knight]

Since this is a book thread, I'll just bring up here that I read Forrest Gump after seeing the movie, and it's hard for me to think of many movies that deviated more wildly from the book. I'd like to have seen that script process.

[Katy M]

42 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

Since this is a book thread, I'll just bring up here that I read Forrest Gump after seeing the movie, and it's hard for me to think of many movies that deviated more wildly from the book. I'd like to have seen that script process.

I saw the Forrest Gump movie and then I read the sequel.  I was a mite bit confused until I got caught up on the changes.  

Also, I know a lot of people rag on that sequel, but I thought it was hilarious.

[HazelEyes4325]

I've had a productive reading week.  I finished the audiobook of Becoming, which I loved...although I loved it more once I sped it up to 1.25!  Last night, I finished reading The Fangipani Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu.  I think it is technically a cozy mystery, but I felt that it had more bite than most cozies...and I thoroughly loved it.  The heroine is simply delightful!  The author is Singaporean, which I think gave the book a far more authentic view point.

Right now I'm reading Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley, which is interesting enough but it has its issues.  I also started The Bride Test today, although I'm only in the first chapter so I have no opinion on it yet.

[AuntiePam]

On 5/29/2019 at 10:35 AM, cherrypj said:

That, and the fact that Cyril is always in the right place at the right time in ways that just happen to advance the story (excepting maybe Central Park). Nelson's column, NYC during the 80s, Maude's books (and their royalties!), the referendum at the end. 

Finished it last night, and the Forrest Gumpy comparison is spot on.  There was even a short section on 9/11 -- just background, no one Cyril knew was there, but still, it wasn't necessary. 

I don't remember this much humor in Boyne's other books.  I did like it.  It really didn't get "How convenient!" until at least halfway through.

Started The Guest Book by Sarah Blake and wish I'd done the "Read inside" before buying it.  The prose is too flowery for me.  I'll probably donate it to the library.

In the meantime, I looked at Amazon for something by Vina Del Mar.  She wrote from the 20's to the 70's and several of her books, stories, and screen plays were filmed.  Anyway, I found a novel called Beloved, with a photo of the book.  However, the author bio was for Stella Cameron, who also wrote a novel called Beloved, and the reviews were for the Toni Morrison Beloved.  WTF, Amazon? 

[babyhouseman]

17 hours ago, HazelEyes4325 said:

I also started The Bride Test today, although I'm only in the first chapter so I have no opinion on it yet.

I liked the Bride Test, but I liked the book The Kiss Quotient it came from better.

I last read The Unhoneymooners from Christina Lauren. If you like romantic comedy, you should try their books. It's two women writing together. The Beautiful Bastard series are among my favorites. 

I'm reading Howard Stern's new book now. I read his first two books. He's polarizing, but it's good if you like celebrity gossip.

I just got a book from Cathy Guisewite who did the Cathy cartoon. It seems to be essays. I enjoyed the cartoon, but I don't remember much about it. I remember her saying Ack a lot. 

[Black Knight]

4 hours ago, babyhouseman said:

I enjoyed the cartoon, but I don't remember much about it. I remember her saying Ack a lot. 

Heh. Last year when I was going through a stressful period, I got through it by re-reading my collections of Calvin & Hobbes and Cathy (although the latter is far from complete - I don't have the first years nor the final years). It was never cool to like that strip the way it was cool to like Calvin & Hobbes, but all the same, I did and still do find it funny.

It's mostly her navigating her way through life by yelling "Ack!" as she deals with her meddlesome parents, a parade of boyfriends (Irving being the most constant and the one she eventually marries), career problems, fashion, and always and forever her weight.

[babyhouseman]

2 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

Heh. Last year when I was going through a stressful period, I got through it by re-reading my collections of Calvin & Hobbes and Cathy (although the latter is far from complete - I don't have the first years nor the final years). It was never cool to like that strip the way it was cool to like Calvin & Hobbes, but all the same, I did and still do find it funny.

It's mostly her navigating her way through life by yelling "Ack!" as she deals with her meddlesome parents, a parade of boyfriends (Irving being the most constant and the one she eventually marries), career problems, fashion, and always and forever her weight.

I liked Calvin and Hobbes. I thought the creator had disappeared, but a search said he's been doing things off and on.

[dubbel zout]

12 hours ago, Black Knight said:

It's mostly her navigating her way through life by yelling "Ack!" as she deals with her meddlesome parents, a parade of boyfriends (Irving being the most constant and the one she eventually marries), career problems, fashion, and always and forever her weight.

Don't forget the chocolate addiction. 

[starri]

I am generally a fan of the My Favorite Murder podcast, and its hosts, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark have released a book called Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered, which is part memoir and part self-help tome.  They're both very funny and I think I would enjoy hanging out with them, but by their own admission, they're not the world's most knowledgable people.  So I don't know what I was expecting from the book, but I was certainly not expecting to be so moved by it.  I actually teared up a little reading about Karen losing her mother to early-onset Alzheimers and Georgia talking about being able to recover from a meth addiction because one of her teachers introduced her to Ray Bradbury's books.

[catlover79]

I just started this today: