Book Lovers Club
Comments
-
Yay! Finished The Hand Maid's Tale last night.
DH and I watch British productions on Prime for our night time tv viewing. We're currently watching Vera, even paying to Acorn for the seasons that aren't free on Prime or Brit Box. The stories are based on Ann Cleeves novels. I would love to get some of these novels on my Kindle. A year or so ago we watched a series called Shetland (I think?), also based on her books. The setting was remote islands in Scotland. Murder mysteries, of course. I highly recommend Vera, who is a police woman.
0 -
I loved Shetland, and Vera, I have read some of the books to, I liked them. I have watched the show "The Last Kingdom" so I wanted to read the books, have read the first one and it was very good. Viking stuff so can be brutal at times.
0 -
Stayed up last night to finish Liane Moriarty's The Husband's Secret. I found it a bit annoying in the beginning as each chapter jumped around to different characters. But boy, I would never have guessed the relationships between the families of the town. Nor at the end, guessed who killed the girl 20 years ago & why. It may be a "vacation read" but it was a nice break from the computer & non-stop income tax & budget work.
0 -
finished the bright hour by Nina Riggs. I was not a fan of her writing style, too much jumping around. And the book was profoundly sad. Definitely going to look for some fiction for my next read.
0 -
I will leave the sad reading to others. I am reading Michael Connelly's Woman in the Woods and so far it has not made me suspend my disbelief. The book is still words on the page.
0 -
Some time ago I mentioned my favorite magazine - BOOKMARKS - 'for everyone who hasn't read everything'. I wait with bated breath for my subscription to arrive bi-monthly. (oh my - who says bated breath anymore?)
They have selections of the month in almost every topic. For example: Fiction=literary, crime, sci-fi, young adult; Non-fiction=general, biography, history. Every issue features "have you read" - an article showcasing favorite or best loved books by a variety of guests; book groups - the story of a different group each month, how they formed, how they pick books, what books they liked & didn't and why. There are feature articles - this issue is "New Voices of the American South" and "Entrepreneur & Business Memoirs & Biographies"; and in depth articles about specific authors and reviews of their books - this month it's Sebastian Faulks & Liane Moriarty. They list what's new in paperback in the next two months. Then there's the new books guide from every category which includes: info about the author & previous books, a summary of the book being reviewed, short quotes & reviews from a variety of book critics to offer an informed, balanced critique, and lastly, their critical summary & their rating for each book.
Amazon says "summarizes more than 500 book reviews a month from more than 50 major publications."
Disclaimer - I don't have stock in this magazine. I just LOVE what they do. If you're interested http://www.bookmarksmagazine.com/
P.S. - looks like you can even subscribe through Amazon
0 -
Minus..keep us posted on what you learn from BOOKMARKS. Will wait with bated breath.
0 -
Finally finished The Radium Girls. Very shocked how these poor women were treated by the companies they worked for.
0 -
Just whipped through first hundred pages of John Strausbaugh's Victory City. One of my favorite librarians gave me a heads up that he put it on my reserve list. Wow! While I knew a number of the people mentioned, Strausbaugh illuminates their importance to New York and its participation in World War II....I am amazed.
O/T.....And, speaking of WWII....Just watched, The Captain and also watched the extras which included a half hour discussion with the director. Rough movie to watch. Listening to the director, I was reminded of another great film, The Shop on Main Street, filmed in 1965. Listening to the director who mentioned some German films that affected him, I was surprised that TSoMS wasn't mentioned. His film, similar to TSoMS tells of the complicity...Based on a true story, The Captain's theme was emotionally devastating.
I am worn from reading books and watching films about WWII. But having recently reading Travelers of the Third Reich, and being further enlightened, I doubt I will soon tire of reading these types of books and watching these types of films....
0 -
I abandoned Woman in the Woods and started another book, In the Water by the author of Girl on a Train. I haven't had much luck lately with enjoying books.
0 -
Hubby got me a hardcover copy of Little Women and two other Louisa May Alcott stories from that series for Valentine's Day early. Told him that was good enough.
0 -
Carole I feel the same way about books lately. Just finished I let you go by Clare Mackintosh - overall a well written novel, with a few crazy plot twists. I liked the book, but some of the subject matter was a real downer. I just never seem to be able to abandon a book I don't like - I tough it out til the bitter end!
0 -
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See is very good. It's about a minority Chinese tribe whose way of life is tied to the land; to the tea trade specifically. It covers the life of one of the village girls who is torn between the old ways & the modern world. There's a love story, there's an adopted child looking for her Chinese roots, there are questions to think about when a people of ancient beliefs embrace 'progress', and there's lots of stuff about a Tea Culture that I didn't even know existed.
0 -
Here's another one I enjoyed: The Gown by Jennifer Robson, is historical fiction written with three points of view and operating in different time periods.The story's focal point is Princess Elizabeth's wedding dress and the interest and commotion it caused in the post WW2 Britain. Two of the characters are young women who worked on the dress (one a poor English girl, and the other a Jewish refugee from France). The other is the granddaughter of one of those characters who is trying to piece together her recently deceased grandmother's mysterious past. The plot is somewhat predictable but the historical parts were quite interesting.
0 -
Good morning, Book Lovers!
I recently finished the Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa. It was a very sweet book about a rescued cat traveling with his master in search of a new home. Yes, death is an ever present topic, but it was interesting seeing it from a cat’s perspective. I just started Where the Crawdads Sing. Suddenly all my holds have come in and I have so many books to read. I am on hold for The Gown. It sounds like an interesting historical fiction.
0 -
I will check out the Cat Chronicles. Thanks!
0 -
Ruth - I had Snow Flower & the Secret Fan by Lisa See in my pile. Based on your comments about Tea Girl, it just jumped to the top. 'A portrait of female friendship & power' set in the 19th century.
0 -
I think you will enjoy Snow Flower, Minus.
0 -
Thank you for the ‘Travelling Cat Chronicles’ recommendation, JCSLibrarian. I added it to my request queue at my library. I’m looking forward to it! I just finished “Killing Commendatore” by Haruki Murakami. I read it over my surgery days...a great escape from reality. I’ve read all of his books, though...he’s one of my favorite modern authors.
0 -
I am going to add Snow flowers to my list of to reads. My son and his girlfriend live in China and i have been there to visit and very interested in books set in and about China. Thanks for the recomendation.
0 -
Yes - I did like Snow Flower very much. I thought I sort of understood what footbinding was about - but not really until I read this. The depth of the women's friendships was well drawn. I'm going to look for more of her books - including Tea Girl.
0 -
Finally found an enjoyable read - The girl with a clock for a heart by Peter Swanson - a clever mystery set over 2 decades, with a hapless protagonist that you just want to shake some sense into. I've been reading more than usual since we've been on this RV trip, and welcome all your recommendations.
0 -
One of my favorites is Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens.
0 -
visited the library today with my dearest friend. In front of the stacks was a desk filled with wrapped books and instructions to participate in a raffle. On the front of each wrapped book were two labels. One with a quote from the book. The second, what category the book came from. After selecting the “present”, we were instructed to read the book and answer a few questions. Upon returning the book, we could drop our answer page in a box and at the end of the month, a winner will be chosen. Unwrapped, mine was Helene hanff’s 84, Charing Cross road. My friend was delighted to unwrap and find out she selected Mary Roach’s Gulp. We are both fans of Roach. Neither of us were familiar with Hanff.
From the first page, I loved Hanff’s book. A history and book lover’s book wrapped up in one. The book lover part of the book makes me sad. Here is a woman who rejoices in the feel of a book and loves to read....something that seems to be disappearing by the day....people who read books...REAL books......and love how they look and feel...and .....bookstores.....Which aren’t just stores filled with books. They are places filled with people too.
Written following WWII, it gives you perspective of how the English people suffered not just thru the war, but also in the subsequent years....Hanff and the employees developed a friendship thru correspondences. A simple request for an old book led to a treasured relationship between a book lover and the employees of a book shop. A gem
0 -
VR - yes I like Roach, but soooo glad you had a chance to read Hanff's 84 Charing Cross Road. I recently re-read it after a number of years. What a great raffle program at the library. Sounds like such fun.
0 -
minus...glad you love both writers! Have you read Roach's Grunt? I MUST read it!
My library? It is a gem! Not because of its books or activities....but because of the people who work there! Most know my taste and will alert me to upcoming books, videos and events....often, the staff will jump from their seats and grab something for me or they will want to know what I am reading or what museum exhibit I recently enjoyed....I often joke that when I leave the building they can remove the Union Jack...
Likewise, I frequent a few other local libraries and have a similar relationship with their staffs.....at one of my favorite libraries, a young man works in the children's section and he often helps me select books for my dyslexic students. Back in the day, while he was in high school, he used to shelf the books at my home library. Recently, I asked him why he is so patient and wonderful with me? He said, “When I was growing up, you turned me on to so many great books." I asked him which books? And without hesitating, he said, “All those books about New York!" Then he told me how when he was young, he never had the time or money to discover what we New Yorkers call, “The City." However, now he is in a position to explore The City and when he does, he thinks of me and all the things he learned from those books,
If my own children were only that patient and wonderful with me......gee wiz
0 -
VR, what a lovely story about the young man at the library! A) it shows the power of books and how they can change people’s lives, and
how wonderful for you to hear what you’ve meant to him. The book raffle at the library sounds like fun. I loved “84 Charing Cross Road”.0 -
A reader my whole life, I recently complied a list of books I've read: very memorable ones from way back, but many from about the last 10 years because my memory is freshest only that far back. Wish I'd kept a true record of all of them.
I read mostly non-fiction, a lot of which are best sellers. For some reason, it's very difficult for me to read fiction.
If you liked To Kill A Mockingbird, a book about a real life Atticus Finch is “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption" by Bryan Stevenson. It has a five star review on Amazon with over 3,300 reviews and is set to be made into a movie. As a young lawyer, Stevenson takes on the case of a wrongly convicted man, and in doing so, encounters wrong doing, cover ups and more miscarriages of justice in our legal system.
0 -
I also enjoy reading non-fiction. I really like Roach and how she explains things with humor. Bryan Stevenson recently came to the library where I worked to give a presentation. He is a very inspiring man. Other nonfiction I have enjoyed are Red Notice by Bill Browder (about the history of the Magnitsky Act), American Pain by John Temple (the start of the opioid crisis and pain clinics in Florida), Heartland by Sarah Smarsh (people making do in a financial downturn).
I loved working as a librarian! Staff is definitely the key. Our system took pride in our customer service and getting to know our patrons. I do miss all the fun! And the smell of the new books. A great website for book recommendations is Indiebound.org. It is independent booksellers discussing new titles. I have used it a lot.
0 -
JCS, I read American Pain, what a jaw dropping exposé on the opioid crisis— I live in one area of the country hardest (and intentionally) hit by opioids and its addiction and try to educate myself on the topic. Another book extremely well written and insightful on the opioid/heroin crisis is Dreamland by Sam Quinones.
0
