jnu76
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Post by jnu76 on Jul 9, 2021 18:53:27 GMT -6
Has it been a while since we had a book thread? What are you reading?  |
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jnu76
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Post by jnu76 on Jul 9, 2021 19:03:20 GMT -6
Sally Thorne- Second First Impressions. A shy woman works and lives at a retirement village and finds herself. Hot young man and feisty old women included. This one was a lot of fun.
Lyssa Kay Adams- The Bromance Book Club (it’s a series.) A bunch of seemingly macho guys form a club to read romance novels to save each other’s marriages. Very funny and a significant but not porn-y amount of sex.
Beth O’Leary- The Switch. A young woman and her grandmother switch living situations for a summer to shake themselves out of their ruts. They shake up their own lives and each other’s neighbors and roommates.
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jnu76
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Post by jnu76 on Jul 9, 2021 19:07:05 GMT -6
Hey, DGM- did you know that Helen Hoang has a new book out? I’m on the waiting list at the library. |
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Post by ovenrack on Jul 9, 2021 19:42:12 GMT -6
I’m reading The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow.
A sewer (sewist?) I follow on IG sewed a witchy-looking dress, and asked for movie reccs about witches, and someone recommended this book instead. What a weird way to find a book! It’s about three sisters who are witches. Fiction.
H is doing summer reading club at the library, so I’m trying to keep up with him.
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DGM
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Post by DGM on Jul 10, 2021 23:23:55 GMT -6
Hey, DGM- did you know that Helen Hoang has a new book out? I’m on the waiting list at the library. I didn't! I ended up not liking her first book even though I really liked The Bride Test but I'll request the new one and report back. Thanks! |
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DGM
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Post by DGM on Jul 10, 2021 23:33:25 GMT -6
I'm literally LOL that only jnu76 and ovenrack are in this thread so far. I almost posted to you and other east coast peeps yesterday. I was on a Revolutionary War fiction reading binge and wow! Who can give me a tour when I someday visit the original 13 colonies? I started re-reading Sibella Giorello's The Stones Cry Out because she's a FBI agent who KA first then takes names. I completely forgot this first book takes place in Richmond, VA. There is so much history in it too. We will be studying early US History for L's homeschool in the fall so I'm inadvertently becoming a history buff. For a light read, I just downloaded Elin Hilderbrand's Barefoot Summer. Three women and three secrets in Nantucket. I think the east coast is calling me! ETA I'm also reading a book about how to talk about s€× with kids (toddlers to teens). Ugh, convos I don't want but I know are necessary. |
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tj
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Post by tj on Jul 11, 2021 0:20:00 GMT -6
I just finished Little Fires Everywhere. TW for infertility and loss, which is why I hadn’t read it yet. But it was pretty good.
I recently read The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. It’s a follow up to the Handmaid’s Tale and talks about what happened later. I was quite impressed and it was a very interesting and quick read. Less heavy and dense than Handmaid but so intriguing.
Also recently read One by One from Ruth Ware about a group of wealthy startup employees who take a ski trip when suddenly people start dying - one by one. It was a good murder mystery but I figured out whodunnit too quickly.
Up next is 2 books by Shari Lapena: Someone We Know and An Unwanted Guest. She is a new-to-me author, so I’m excited. Will report back.
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nikkipal
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Post by nikkipal on Jul 12, 2021 8:20:31 GMT -6
I am reading People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. It’s about a young travel journalist who vacations with her male best friend every summer. It jumps around in time a lot. I’m having trouble getting into it, and thus haven’t really made time for reading it.
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Post by grumpycakes on Jul 12, 2021 17:19:25 GMT -6
I am reading People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. It’s about a young travel journalist who vacations with her male best friend every summer. It jumps around in time a lot. I’m having trouble getting into it, and thus haven’t really made time for reading it. I just read this. Lol. I thought it was ok, but also had a harder time getting into it at first. The second half was better. I enjoyed Beach Read by that author a lot more than this one. I just started When We Believed in Mermaids and really like it so far. |
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jnu76
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Post by jnu76 on Jul 12, 2021 18:00:04 GMT -6
I am reading People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. It’s about a young travel journalist who vacations with her male best friend every summer. It jumps around in time a lot. I’m having trouble getting into it, and thus haven’t really made time for reading it. I just read this. Lol. I thought it was ok, but also had a harder time getting into it at first. The second half was better. I enjoyed Beach Read by that author a lot more than this one. I just started When We Believed in Mermaids and really like it so far. I agree- Beach Read was better. |
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jnu76
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Post by jnu76 on Jul 14, 2021 15:11:03 GMT -6
I just read Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy- a friend of mine insisted that I read it. It’s the backstory of Marilla from the Anne of Green Gables books, and it was beautiful. Now I want to reread Anne- I don’t think I’ve read it since I was a teenager, and it used to be one of my favorite books.
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tj
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Post by tj on Jul 25, 2021 19:35:39 GMT -6
Wow. Is anyone reading Shari Lapena? I read An Unwanted Guest first. And it was good, but it was oddly similar to another book I read recently (One by One by Ruth Ware, which I really enjoyed.) So I had a little bit of a negative attitude at first. But it ended up being pretty damn good.
But wow. Someone We Know by Shari Lapena was sooooo good. I read it in 2 days Bc I literally couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend.
One by One by Ruth Ware: Group of people get together for a ski trip, but end up snowed in by a blizzard. Then they start dying, one by one. Murder mystery.
An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena: Guests snowed in at a quaint B&B in the remote mountains start dying, 1 by 1. Murder mystery.
Someone We Know by Shari Lapena: A teenager breaks into neighborhood houses. A neighbor is found dead. Everyone in the neighborhood has a secret. How far will everyone go to protect those they love? Damn good murder mystery.
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Post by mintyblueair on Jul 25, 2021 19:57:35 GMT -6
tj I read An Unwanted Guest a few years ago and enjoyed it. I've wondered about Someone We Know, I think I'll add it to my list now. I read One by One recently and I think I liked it better than An Unwanted Guest.
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Post by mintyblueair on Jul 25, 2021 20:06:33 GMT -6
I recently finished a couple of books. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones is a horror novel about a group of Native American men who are being haunted by something from their past. I loved the writing style and the concept of the story, but for some reason it wasn't compulsively readable for me. It was really gruesome and horrible at some parts, but the characters were really believable and likeable. Overall I liked it and would recommend if you enjoy horror.
Then I read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. My mom has been telling me to read it for a few years but for some reason it didn't appeal to me. But wow am I glad I decided to read it now. I fell in love with Eleanor and the beautiful friendship that develops in the story. I had to suspend my disbelief in the very contrived aspects of Eleanor's character, but I just loved it from start to finish. I laughed out loud many times, which is rare for me, and cried at one part. It was delightful.
Now I'm reading The Martian by Andy Weir. I recently read Project Hail Mary and absolutely adored it, and so far The Martian is just as compelling and fun to read.
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tj
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Post by tj on Jul 25, 2021 21:01:25 GMT -6
mintyblueair sounds like we have similar reading styles! I will plan to get Eleanor Oliphant this week!
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DGM
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Post by DGM on Aug 8, 2021 14:24:59 GMT -6
Was it here someone mentioned reading Bridge to Terabitha every year? I got a free copy from our library's discards. I took it thinking it was on one of L's upper elementary reading lists but now don't see it on there. MH warned me it's very sad, but I want to read it now.
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jnu76
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Post by jnu76 on Aug 8, 2021 19:22:33 GMT -6
Was it here someone mentioned reading Bridge to Terabitha every year? I got a free copy from our library's discards. I took it thinking it was on one of L's upper elementary reading lists but now don't see it on there. MH warned me it's very sad, but I want to read it now. I didn’t post about it, but it’s the first book that ever really gutted me as a kid. I think I was probably too young for it- I’d be curious to read it again as an adult. |
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tj
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Post by tj on Aug 8, 2021 20:20:33 GMT -6
Was it here someone mentioned reading Bridge to Terabitha every year? I got a free copy from our library's discards. I took it thinking it was on one of L's upper elementary reading lists but now don't see it on there. MH warned me it's very sad, but I want to read it now. It is VERY sad. E saw the movie at school this year, she is 8, and she said she cried her eyes out. I don’t remember how old I was when I read it, but I remember how sad I was about it. But I do also think it is very good. So read it when you are strong, and it’s ok to take a break and read something lighter if you need to. But I think it’s worth the read. |
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snowmoon
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Post by snowmoon on Aug 11, 2021 9:13:34 GMT -6
I’m reading The House on the Cerulean Sea for our library book club right now.
An uptight middle-aged man is a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth and is tasked with investigating the safety of the children housed in a mysterious island orphanage.
Very Harry Potter-esque so far.
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Post by charlotte on Aug 11, 2021 10:07:49 GMT -6
I just found this book I read in high school, The Body of Christopher Creed. I remember it being really suspenseful but I’ve forgotten the plot. I’m going to re-read.
Other books that have accumulated on my nightstand but I haven’t yet read-
Behind Closed Doors
The Body Keeps Score
Grit
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tj
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Post by tj on Aug 11, 2021 14:48:43 GMT -6
I have:
Kristin Hannah’s new book The Four Winds: a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through it―the harsh realities that divided us as a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the have-nots.
Margaret Atwood’s The Robber Bride: Set in present-day Toronto, Ontario, the novel is about three women and their history with old friend and nemesis, Zenia. Roz, Charis, and Tony meet once a month in a restaurant to share a meal decades after Zenia betrayed them and interferes with their romantic relationships.
And Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine: The novel focuses on Eleanor Oliphant, a social misfit with a traumatic past who becomes enamoured of a singer, with whom she believes she is destined to be. It deals with themes of isolation and loneliness, and depicts Eleanor's transformation journey towards a fuller understanding of self and life.
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nikkipal
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Post by nikkipal on Aug 11, 2021 20:57:27 GMT -6
tj, I really enjoyed The Four Winds.
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tj
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Post by tj on Aug 11, 2021 21:09:19 GMT -6
tj, I really enjoyed The Four Winds. Ok thank you! I’m feeling nervous to start it Bc it is very long and also is about the Great Depression. Like how can that be light and entertaining? I just need to dive in. |
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nikkipal
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Post by nikkipal on Aug 11, 2021 21:19:28 GMT -6
I still haven’t finished The People We Meet on Vacation. We were on a trip last weekend, so we started Heroes of the Frontier by Dave Eggars as an audiobook, but we didn’t finish, so I downloaded the ebook. So far it’s about a dentist who loses her practice and flees to Alaska after ending her relationship with their father. After The Great Alone, I’m very interested in books set in Alaska, although Eggars’ writing style is a lot different from Kristen Hannah’s. I did really enjoy his other books, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (which I read a lifetime ago), The Circle (which was adapted into a movie with Emma Watson and Tom Hanks), and A Hologram for the King (which was adapted into a movie with Tom Hanks).
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jnu76
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Post by jnu76 on Aug 12, 2021 5:14:39 GMT -6
I still haven’t finished The People We Meet on Vacation. We were on a trip last weekend, so we started Heroes of the Frontier by Dave Eggars as an audiobook, but we didn’t finish, so I downloaded the ebook. So far it’s about a dentist who loses her practice and flees to Alaska after ending her relationship with their father. After The Great Alone, I’m very interested in books set in Alaska, although Eggars’ writing style is a lot different from Kristen Hannah’s. I did really enjoy his other books, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (which I read a lifetime ago), The Circle (which was adapted into a movie with Emma Watson and Tom Hanks), and A Hologram for the King (which was adapted into a movie with Tom Hanks). If you like cheesy rom-coms, there’s a series by Sarah Morgenthaler that’s set in Alaska. They’re light and fun and make me want to visit there. I can’t remember all of the titles- one of them is Enjoy the View. |
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DGM
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Post by DGM on Aug 24, 2021 18:51:40 GMT -6
I just downloaded Meredith Masonry's Ask Me What's For Dinner One More Time. Her FB videos about motherhood are hilarious, and I hope her book gives me belly laughs too.
I'm also re-reading the Raleigh Harmon PI Series about a former FBI agent by Sibella Giorello. I am swooning all over again about her love interest. In my head, I have him pictured as Casey from Chuck and even said that in a FB post to the author when she said her books are in the process of becoming movies. #NerdAlert
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DGM
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Post by DGM on Sept 3, 2021 23:30:09 GMT -6
Let's send the summer edition out in style!
I started the Classified K-9 Unit series this week. They're cheesy Love Inspired Suspense novels written by a group of authors who each write about 180 pages to solve one giant mystery then a small mystery per novel while a new romance between a K-9 officer and someone is happening. I've read two of the other K-9 series plus some of the stand alones so I can see how formulaic it is, yet I love the predictability.
On a serious note, I'm reading The Only Plane in the Sky about 9/11 and wow. It was inspired by the author's conversation at a conference with the wife of the Air Force One pilot that day. It's first hand accounts from civilians, first responders, air traffic controllers, government officials, etc. I've never been near or to any of the memorial sites so this is my way to step out of my bubble to Never Forget.
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Speedy
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Post by Speedy on Oct 7, 2021 17:33:37 GMT -6
I know this is summer edition, but I didn't feel like starting a new thread.
I know there are some readers here. I've decided to go forward with publishing my book, and I'm in the middle of getting a quote from an editor, but I'm still really nervous about it. So, if anyone would be willing to read it and give me your honest opinion please let me know and I can email it to you.
It's high fantasy about elven vampires, although my "aunt" read it and doesn't normally read fantasy.
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