| Author |
Message |
Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Wednesday, May 06, 2015 - 6:41 pm 
Mamie, that sounds about right.. I like it.. it is a bit unpolished or choppy, but I do like what he is saying so far.
My TBR is just huge and unorganized, but I sure never lack for something to read!
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Thursday, May 07, 2015 - 9:42 am
Rieann, you're making me blush - I'm thrilled you gave Barclay a try! And Mamie, I'm sure you'll agree that all the fuss about him is warranted once you delve into his fine array of titles! 
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Thursday, May 07, 2015 - 6:28 pm
Uncle Ricky, I never read a Delderfield play but feel certain if you start one of his series you will be pulled in for sure. Big thick books that take you into whatever timeframe ..
Mamie, I seem to be 40% into The Good Luck of Right Now and I will finish and may change my mind but it isn't wowing me. It is odd, which is fine.. we'll see.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Friday, May 08, 2015 - 9:35 am
I've begun Girl On the Train and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. It starts to pick up and then just drops (at least for me) but I am going to stick it out.
Just downloaded A man Called Ove from the library so I'll be starting that soon as well.
Thanks to all of you for the great recommendations! Harlan Corben has been added to my TBR list.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Friday, May 08, 2015 - 10:49 am
Sea, I haven't forgotten about the longer Delderfield works - I'll probably get to them later this year. They do sound delicious, so I'll no doubt enjoy them as much as you did.
And, Kappy, don't forget to let us know what you think of Coben when you get around to one of his books!
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Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Friday, May 08, 2015 - 3:51 pm
I just finished The Dogs of Christmas, by W. Bruce Cameron, the story of a man awakening to living life with a dog.
If you love living with your dog, you will love this book.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Friday, May 08, 2015 - 4:22 pm
I finished The Good Luck of Right Now and decided I liked it overall.
Now starting a memoir, Trekking Through Cancerland: Letters from the Journey by Karen Loss.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Friday, May 08, 2015 - 6:28 pm
I finished The Martian and thoroughly enjoyed the humor in it. Next up is a Lee Child novel so I've got some light reading while school stuff drives me nuts. I'm partway through both The Sunflower and The Death Committee but it will probably take at least another couple weeks to finish either one as this coming week is packed as tight as it can get. Thank goodness for audiobooks!
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Sunday, May 10, 2015 - 1:34 pm
I finished the memoir.. it was more the journey than the quality of writing, but helps me to appreciate the journeys of my patients and to really understand some "little" things they mention and be able to validate them.
I had a recently bought at large discount book from Catherine Ryan Hyde. I've read quite a few of her books awhile back but balk at full price. So I grabbed this one on sale: The Language of Hoofbeets. As usual, she tackles various topics together, so this time it involved a married lesbian couple who had two foster children and a former foster who they had adopted, moving from Santa Rosa, CA to a more rural area in CA because one of the women was a veterinarian and wanted to establish a practice.
The woman across the road is quite a curmudgeon, it seems and has a neglected horse. Their most recent foster is a very difficult teenaged girl and she is drawn to the horse but rejected by the neighbor.
Other issues are running through the plot and I ended up reading for hours and finished it earlier today.
Now I'm on to Amanda Knox's Memoir, Waiting to be Heard.
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Reenie
Member
06-24-2006
| Monday, May 11, 2015 - 10:52 am
Just finished "The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry", I enjoyed it!
I am now starting on "The Martian" at TeachMichigan's recommendation!
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Monday, May 11, 2015 - 1:50 pm
I hope you enjoy it, Reenie. A bunch of my juniors and seniors have loved it - all guys. I'm always tickled when I get recommendations from students and the story isn't some teen fluff stuff.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Monday, May 11, 2015 - 8:10 pm
Finished "Fear Nothing" by Dean Koontz. It was interesting. Wondering if Seize the Night continues the story? I can probably find it at the library bookstore.
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Rvon
Member
12-11-2003
| Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - 1:17 pm
Just finished reading "Every 15 Minutes" by Lisa Scottoline and right now I am reading "The Life We Bury" by Allen Eskens. Two very good books.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Thursday, May 14, 2015 - 11:38 pm
Finished Amanda Knox's book, what an ordeal..
And read a short by Maeve Binchy Full House and discovered she wrote three non fiction books which I must check out.
Starting Who's Writing This?: Fifty-five writers on humor, courage, self-loathing and the creative process which sounds like it will be really interesting. I like reading authors on writing and with so many contributors, wow..
Edited by Daniel Halpern.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Friday, May 15, 2015 - 6:29 pm
I stuck with Girl On the Train and when I use the word "stuck", it's never a good thing. It was okay but I think I need to read a book where I like at least one character now, lol.
So next up is A Man Called Ove and one page in I had to sigh. Do I take a break for a book with a character I like or keep going? I voted to keep going because something tells me there will be some humor in this crotchety old guy!
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Tresbien
Member
08-26-2002
| Friday, May 15, 2015 - 6:44 pm
I've just started An Echo in the Bone, book seven of the Outlander series and am also reading John Grisham's The Litigators as I got that from the library and it's due back soon.
I didn't know that Maeve Binchy wrote any short stories. That's an author I haven't picked up in many years but will check out again.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Saturday, May 16, 2015 - 5:19 pm
Well I stuck with that book and it had more lows than highs. Some authors contributed interesting pieces, but many were incomprehensible or just boring. I got it for $0.99 .. it is back up to $10.99 which is totally overprices for a kindle book. The little drawings are kind of interesting
So now I'm startingKidnapped by Nuns: And Other Stories of a Life on the Radio, by Bob Fuss, Former CBS News Correspondent.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Saturday, May 16, 2015 - 6:36 pm
I just finished The Far End of Happy by Kathryn Craft. It was a novel based on a true life event in the author's life. The husband in the book has a standoff with the police, threatening to kill himself. The wife and kids are whisked away to a hall and kept there until it's over. I didn't feel anything for the characters, which made me feel bad because it is her story. But the story was disjointed and probably would have been a lot more interesting if it entailed more of what was going on with the husband as well.
I am reading The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne. A couple move to a isolated lighthouse on the Scottish coast after the death of one of their twin daughters. But then the surviving twin says she is Lydia, the one that died, not Kirstie. Interesting....
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Reenie
Member
06-24-2006
| Tuesday, May 19, 2015 - 8:40 am
TeachMichigan, thanks for the recommendation of "The Martian". I was at the edge of my seat especially during the last quarter!
I know I am very late to the party, but I have just started "The Outlander".
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Tuesday, May 19, 2015 - 10:40 pm
So glad you enjoyed it, Reenie. One of my Juniors told me today that it was like book crack -- couldn't stop reading it. THAT is exactly how I feel about Outlander (Diana Gabaldon). That entire series (8 currently - 2 more to come) is my book crack. I am either reading one or listening to one ALL the time - no matter what else I'm reading. Not only is the story fantastic, but Diana is an intelligent, funny, witty writer - and her writing has definitely made me more picky. Ah well - it's acceptable for English teachers to be a bit snobbish about books, right? 
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Reenie
Member
06-24-2006
| Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - 6:37 am
An English teacher has a right to be snobbish about books!
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - 12:44 pm
I struggled with (but finished) Gary Shteyngart's Absurdistan. Sections of it were really funny, but the rest of it was just frustrating. He's a really talent writer, but the story was overall fairly boring unfortunately.
This morning I finished There Was A Little Girl by Brooke Shields. It was a tiny bit long, but definitely fascinating. It's amazing she survived that rocky relationship with her mother. She was pretty candid in describing her shortcomings as a daughter. She was also surprisingly candid in describing others. It was stunning to see her baldly refer to Liam Neeson as a "drunk" -- Mr. Neeson couldn't have been very pleased to see that in print! (Assuming he's read the book.)
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - 7:39 pm
Brooke's book left me rather bored. I wanted to like it a lot more than I did. Her mother was a very interesting character, that's for sure. I do enjoy my celebrity memoirs.
I am reading and loving Every Thing I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. Living up to everything I've read about it.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Sunday, May 24, 2015 - 3:35 pm
I finished two books that I really loved.
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng lived up to every good thing I read about it. One of my favorites so far this year.
I also read Girl Underwater by Claire Kells. O Magazine had it as one of the eight books you should pick up this Memorial weekend. The plot intrigued me, a girl surviving a horrific plane crash and then surviving survival but I am often disappointed in any book Oprah recommends because they are so depressing. I was not disappointed in the least! I picked it up Friday night and finished it last night.
I am now reading Life is Short (No Pun Intended) by Jennifer Arnold and Bill Klein of The Little Couple fame. I love them.
I am also reading Long Drive Home by Will Allison, about a man who causes a fatal car accident and then lives with the guilt afterward.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Sunday, May 24, 2015 - 4:32 pm
I have Life is Short on pre-order, thanks to your heads-up, Mamie. I love them as well.
I finished Kidnapped by Nuns.. the author worked for UPI and then CBS radio and was all over the US and the world but much was covering the White House and following several presidents around, That was interesting though since he retired before writing he felt free to give his opinions. still interesting and I REALLY enjoyed all his travel segments. This guy was born quite handicapped and always had those short crutches and he didn't let that stop him in his job and certainly not in his travels!! So it was quite a worthwhile read!
Now reading The Story of My Life by Helen Keller. This really includes the life story she wrote, then extracts from her letters, plus some explanation by someone AND annotated section with letters written by Anne Sullivan, her teacher.
Quite interesting, though I might have understood part one better had I read the Anne Sullivan letters first, but not a big deal. I realize now that I didn't really know that much about Helen or Anne from the movies and plays.
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