| Author |
Message |
Flossiebebe
Member
09-01-2005
| Wednesday, December 28, 2016 - 6:39 pm 
I just discovered an author called Andrew Vachss. He's been around for a while but I had never heard of him. I read Blossom which was very good. I would say his books are a bit noirish. Certainly his main character in Blossom who seems to be a recurring one is not your typical hero.
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Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Wednesday, December 28, 2016 - 8:26 pm
I read Andrew Vachss years ago. I had to stop as they became more disturbing and distressing.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Wednesday, December 28, 2016 - 9:15 pm
I read his first book (Flood) a couple of years ago and really liked it. It's the first of the 18-book Burke series (of which Blossom is the 5th). Burke and his milieu are, indeed, quite dark.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Friday, December 30, 2016 - 4:06 pm
This morning I finished Running Man by Charlie Engle, who is one of the titans of ultramarathon running. (My accomplishments in that sport are mere specks of dust compared with Mr. Engle's accomplishments). His memoir is a resounding success. I am completely amazed at what a good job he did recounting the highs (and lows) of his remarkable life. If a memoir can be suspenseful (and before I read this one I didn't think such a thing was possible), then it absolutely delivers many suspenseful passages. I cannot recommend it highly enough and you do NOT need to be an ultramarathon runner to enjoy it!
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Friday, December 30, 2016 - 5:25 pm
I was so turned off by the killing of people and otters, I quit reading Alaska in mid-sentence.
Starting novel centered in UK, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper.
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Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Friday, December 30, 2016 - 5:29 pm
I enjoyed The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Friday, December 30, 2016 - 8:22 pm
I am too.. last I looked I was 61% into it.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Saturday, December 31, 2016 - 4:56 pm
Finished Tell Me Three Things today, much to the detriment of my paper grading. I thoroughly enjoyed it.  New section of my spreadsheet set up for 2017, and striving to hit 52 books this year. In the summer, I should be able to get at least 20 books, but the school year...well, that's always the challenge.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Saturday, December 31, 2016 - 7:03 pm
Finished the novel. It was sweet.
Now starting a bio, I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen, who we lost in 2016.
Poet, Musician, author.. I knew him from being a Judy Collins fan, among others, but of course his Hallelujah is one of the most powerful songs to be covered, to this day.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Sunday, January 01, 2017 - 12:56 pm
Today, I've begun To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (Thanks Heckagirl) and even though I'm only 21 pages in, I'm already enjoying it.
Which makes me wonder on this first day of the new year why some writers grab me from the first page anb others take pages and PAGES to get me involved. Is it just personality and our own experiences in life?
I gave up on more then a few books this past year that weren't grabbing me even after 100 pages in. I just read Vinegar Girl and only finished it because I have enjoyed other Anne Tyler books. Then again, I have never enjoyed the story line of 'the taming of the shrew' so I should have known better, LOL.
Happy New Year fellow readers! I love the variety of styles and authors shown on these threads and I thank you all for taking the time to share!
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Sunday, January 01, 2017 - 5:56 pm
Thank you as well, Kappy, for your contributions! I'm glad you stuck with the Anne Tyler, one of my all-time favorites.
My final tally for 2016 ended up being 67 books. I usually end up with 65 or so each year, so I was pleased to exceed that by two.
Just now I finished Lisa Unger's second book, Sliver of Truth, which brought back her heroine, Ridley Jones. It was a continuation of the earlier story and was much, much better than the original. Her later books are stand alone, so I'll be curious to see how those compare.
I hope all my fellow "Librarians" have a great 2017 and that you read as many books as you can!
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Sunday, January 01, 2017 - 7:08 pm
I finished 60 books last year.. way down in numbers, but I knew that..
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Sunday, January 01, 2017 - 8:13 pm
Sea,
Have you seen the Neil Gaiman reading on The Pen that is a tribute to Leonard Cohen's "Democracy"? It's beautifully done. (Link here just in case: https://youtu.be/LSieFj9lh2o)
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Sunday, January 01, 2017 - 8:22 pm
Very cool!
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Scout
Member
01-19-2005
| Wednesday, January 04, 2017 - 9:32 am
I just finished, "Lilac Girls". It was an amazing story - even more so when I read where it was based on real people.
It's so nice to have new books to read again. I had asked for them for Christmas, and didn't want to read something that someone might have bought me, so haven't had any new books for awhile, so couldn't put this one down. I actually got two copies of this book - lol, but have the receipt so can go trade for another.
Also got some gift cards to the bookstore - it's so fun to go pick out books- probably my favorite thing to shop for.
Now I am starting Julian Fellowes new book, "Belgravia". It sounds so interesting - begins with a ball in 1815 the night before the Battle of Waterloo.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Wednesday, January 04, 2017 - 3:28 pm
I read 104 books last year. This year has started off slow with me here in Florida watching my grandson during the day. Not much reading time!
I have started The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian. And I did bring Bruce Springsteen's book along but we will see how far I get with it while I am here. I am pooped out by the end of the day to read anything. My eyes start crossing when I try.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Saturday, January 07, 2017 - 2:25 pm
That's an amazing total, Mamie! As per usual, I'm insanely jealous. I hope you like Bruce's book - it's a real page-turner once you get into it. And the funny parts are really funny.
Speaking of funny, this morning I finished Jenny Mollen's I Like You Just the Way I Am, which is her first book. (I read her second book a few weeks ago.) Anyway, this one was wild and zany, too. Her real-life stories are very off-beat and while they aren't always hits, there are way more hits than misses. I laughed through a vast majority of the book.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Sunday, January 08, 2017 - 10:12 am
Uncle Ricky, I think she has a show on ABC.com from that book. I keep meaning to watch it. I will have to read that book too. I find her hilarious.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Sunday, January 08, 2017 - 11:06 am
Yes, I saw them shortly after I finished reading the book! They were delightful - just four of them so far and also very short, i.e., 6 to 8 minutes each and totally free; you just have to endure a 30-second commercial before each one. Definitely try to read the book first - that makes watching the episodes more fun. 😂
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Monday, January 09, 2017 - 1:52 am
I'm still reading about Leonard Cohen.. fascinating and lots about other musicians. Not all that likeable but very interesting guy.
The collaboration with Phil Specktor was bizarre.
It amazes me how some people take so many drugs, drink and smoke and still live so long..
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - 7:07 am
Finished "Alert" by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge. It was pretty good.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - 5:52 pm
Finished up the Leonard Cohen book. What a life.. all of his money was spent by a woman he trusted to handle it, so he was forced to tour late in life, but that was a huge success.
Starting Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly, which from the beginning is a much appreciated historical eye opener.
Well written.. Yes, I want to see the movie but I think this is a must read for detail and context.
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Tresbien
Member
08-26-2002
| Thursday, January 12, 2017 - 10:39 am
Sea, I didn't know about the Leonard Cohen book so thanks for mentioning it. I'm getting into the habit of adding recommendations to my amazon wish list so I don't forget about them.
I got two magazine subscriptions as holiday gifts, which I'm enjoying, but they are cutting into my book reading time!
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Thursday, January 12, 2017 - 4:12 pm
I finally finished my first book of the year, The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian. Did not go the way I thought it would, good read.
I would usually have read at least 5 books by now but babysitting here in Florida is taking a ton of time.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Thursday, January 12, 2017 - 5:13 pm
Oh no, that's terrible! Is there any way you can outsource the babysitting to a babysitting company? (Just kidding!!) I hope you get back on track soon!
Last night I finished Sing for Your Life by Daniel Bergner. What an amazing story. I was so nervous that it would end tragically. Quite the opposite, fortunately. Bergner follows the life of Ryan Speedo Green, who grew up in a violence-prone home in Virginia and even spent time in a juvenile detention facility when he was 12 years old. His future looked really grim.
But he stumbled upon the world of opera and one thing led to another and he eventually got some guidance and wound up singing (bass-baritone) with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. (The sections where we encounter his lack of education -- about topics you and I take for granted -- are especially heartbreaking.) Ultimately, it's a marvelous feel-good bio. Green is only 30 years old, so his career is just getting started. I highly, highly recommend this book.
(And, no, you don't have to be a fan of opera to like the book - I knew/know nothing about opera, for example - it's his life-story that is so gripping.)
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