| Author |
Message |
Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - 8:17 am 
I'm thinking it's a good time to re-recommend Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. It was a part of our American history I never knew about until reading this book. Simply put, children who were orphans, homeless or abandoned in Eastern cities were put onto trains and given up to people for adoption in the midwest. Unfortunately, many of the adoptee families only took the kids as a way to gain free labor on their farms, etc.
We need to keep reading. We need to keep educating ourselves. Sometimes fiction can help when you don't want to read a hardcore history book. I know - I'm preaching to the choir.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - 11:36 am
I believe we should never stop learning. I read more nonfiction than fiction, though I read both.
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Mak1
Member
08-11-2002
| Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - 2:06 pm
Kappy, I had never heard that part of our history before reading the book either. It was tough to read at times, to read of the cruelty of some people. I totally agree we need to keep reading and learning.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - 4:31 pm
I've read Orphan Train, and it is good! I'm enjoying Jess Kidd's Mr. Flood's Last Resort after finishing Our Kind of Cruelty. The latter was a good book, but I absolutely loathed the narrator - which is the point of the book. Kidd's book is just like wallowing - her diction and descriptions are outstanding!
I am STILL not done listening to Master and Commander. Ugh. It's only 17 hours or so, but I am 3 hours from the end and couldn't give you a summary of events if you were paying me a million dollars. I listen to books ALL the time, but this one starts, and my brain wanders off after about 10 minutes. I've heard the movie is good, but I won't watch until I've at least finished the book....perhaps sometime in October???
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Friday, July 06, 2018 - 5:25 pm
Finished the Tracy Kidder book and now reading ,Living and Dying in Brick City: Stories from the Front Lines of an Inner-City ER, by Sampson Davis, MD.
He barely escaped the fate of his friends, prison and/or addiction.
He sister was on crack and died of AIDs.
And he wants to make a difference in Newark.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Saturday, July 07, 2018 - 2:59 pm
I took my time with it (and I'm glad I did) because A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles is such a delicious experience that you really don't want to -- tempting as it is -- wolf it all down too rapidly.
I was very, very, sorry (and sad) to see it end. But that's usually how one feels about the most beloved books. It's definitely his masterpiece (young as his career is). I don't really see how he can top it, but it'll be fun to find out if he does. There's a section of the story where he makes a brief, but very impactful, mention of The Brothers Karamazov. It was enough to bring a lump in my throat AND to make me want to read that masterpiece of Dostoevsky's all over again.
Thanks again to Mak1 and Tresbien for endorsing AGIM so heartily - they were absolutely right. I hope the rest of you get around to it one day; it's that good! 
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Mak1
Member
08-11-2002
| Saturday, July 07, 2018 - 7:19 pm
Oh Ricky, I'm glad you loved it as much as I expected you to!
Houseguests kept me pretty busy this week, but I managed to read True Fiction by Lee Goldberg. I hate to even mention it in the same post with Amor Towles's books. It was good for what it is....a short, preposterous thriller.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Sunday, July 08, 2018 - 11:44 am
I'm reading The Seduction of Water by Carol Goodman, and it is fantastic. I cannot for the life of me, though, remember where it was recommended. Was it someone here?
I finally finished Master and Commander, so I am now listening to The Essex Serpent which is MUCH better.
I should also be able to finish Mr. Flood's Last Resort tonight or tomorrow, and it is as delightful as Himself. Jess Kidd will be on my "read all books" authors for sure - now I hope she keeps writing!
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Rieann
Member
08-26-2006
| Monday, July 09, 2018 - 6:05 am
Teach, those novels by Jess Kidd sound great. Thank you!
Also added AGIM to my reading list. Not sure when I will get to it as I seem to be able to only read fluff at the moment. This due to the state of the world and my personal world. Grateful for lighthearted escapism. 
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Tuesday, July 10, 2018 - 11:24 am
In case you missed it -- easy to do amid the blizzard of book titles we come across every day -- BB Season 14 winner Derrick Levasseur wrote a book earlier this year, The Undercover Edge: Find Your Hidden Strengths, Learn to Adapt, and Build the Confidence to Win Life’s Game.
It's not very good, but it's not horrible either. I jotted down a few observations in a post that's in the "BB USA 2014" folder, dated today with an 11:00am time stamp.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Thursday, July 19, 2018 - 3:44 pm
I have no idea what possessed me to read Black Water Rising by Attica Locke, but I deeply regret doing so. It had a promising beginning and then it just turned into one boring chapter after another. It was a total chore to get to the end. I will not read any of her other books - too risky!
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Monday, July 23, 2018 - 9:25 am
Currently reading Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen and I will finish it as I have enjoyed some of his other books for the humor but this one is not one of his best. I feel like he made a bet while stoned that he could phone in a book and sell it. I can see the post-it notes on the wall - make one character sound like a known celebrity, include one environmental issue along with sex and drugs and use a thesaurus to make your lazy writing sound more intelligent then it is. Dude, seriously?
Finished two other books recently including The President is Missing by Patterson (meh) and When Life Gives You Lululemons (so so) by Lauren Weisberger, author of The Devil Wears Prada.
I'm in line at the library for A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay and can't wait! I don't know if I'm in such a reading funk this year due to current events or if I just need another really great series by someone like Peter May. I have left so many books half-unread this year.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Monday, July 23, 2018 - 6:13 pm
Finished "Back to Blood" by Tom Wolfe. Very different from what I usually read. It was okay. The only other book I've read by him was "The Right Stuff" which I remember as being good. I was about 19 or 20 when I read it, many, many years ago.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Monday, July 23, 2018 - 9:21 pm
Finishing up Fredrik Backman's My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry and I enjoyed it so much more than Beartown. I liked the latter, but it was much tougher reading.
I'm also halfway through the Audible version of The Essex Serpent. It's another good one, although the first 30 minutes or so drove me nuts as the narrator was much too soft.
Just downloaded Wally Lamb's I'll Take You There from the library and am about to start Grace by Paul Lynch in deadtree book form - also a library book.
ACK - and also have to read/listen to The Lightkeeper's Daughter on CD for our library book club. I'm running out of lazy summer days (just started another musical tonight), but I'm definitely NOT running out of books!
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Tresbien
Member
08-26-2002
| Tuesday, July 24, 2018 - 12:55 pm
Ric, it was great to read that you also enjoyed A Gentleman In Moscow.
Just finished The President Is Missing and liked it more than you did Kappy. At the start there are a lot of characters to introduce, but it picks up quickly from there.
Kappy, I want to read something by Carl Hiaasen. Is there another novel you can suggest? Thanks in advance.
Started Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart." I think this is the novel that Sarah Jessica Parker spoke about so passionately so looking forward to it.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Tuesday, July 24, 2018 - 2:37 pm
Teach, Fredrik Backman is one of those authors where you'll love some but not all of his books. I couldn't get into My Grandmother but loved Britt-Marie Was Here.
Tres, keep in mind that Carl Hiaasen has his own brand of humor. You might try Bad Monkey first to see how you like it
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Thursday, July 26, 2018 - 5:01 pm
For all of you fans of Caroline Kepnes's "You" books (quite delicious as I recall!), please don't forget that the TV adaptation on Lifetime premieres on September 9 - yay! And the big news today (via the link below) is that Lifetime has renewed it for Season Two ahead of its season-one debut!
https://deadline.com/2018/07/you-renewed-lifetime-season-2-penn-badgley-series-1202434119/
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Monday, July 30, 2018 - 10:33 am
Not long ago, I saw (on Netflix) "Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened" which is an engrossing documentary about the failed 1981 Broadway musical by Stephen Sondheim, "Merrily We Roll Along."
The entire cast was interviewed to share their experiences working on the show, including "Seinfeld's" Jason Alexander. Another cast member, Abigail Pogrebin, eventually left the theatre world and became a journalist. Answering the "what-are-you-doing-these-days?" question, she mentioned that she'd written a book of profiles of Jewish celebrities that focused on what being Jewish meant to them.
She didn't mention the title, so I had to look it up by her name and found a library copy. Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish is outstanding. Published in 2005, it features over 60 celebrities from the arts, sports and politics. I found it completely fascinating, especially the (very disturbing) anti-Semitism they experienced. I was also surprised to read their candid descriptions about what they didn't like about being Jewish.
I only wish she'd interviewed 600 people instead of 60.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Monday, July 30, 2018 - 12:12 pm
I cannot wait for You! And even though I did not love but did enjoy the second book, I look forward to the second season as well. Hope they do it proud.
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Monday, July 30, 2018 - 1:22 pm
Ricky I have that book, read it ages ago!!! I found it enlightening. Just annoyed I didn't write it. ;) ;)
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Tuesday, July 31, 2018 - 10:44 am
I totally agree, MB! I kept thinking how lucky she was to have gained all that access to all those celebrities.
I was especially struck by the Richard Dreyfuss interview. I had no idea he openly yelled at German citizens on the streets of Munich (or maybe Frankfurt, can't recall exactly) for "not doing something" during the war to stop the Nazis. He goes into it in great detail; I was just amazed by his passion, not to mention his courage. I kept thinking how easily he could've been physically attacked. Fortunately, he wasn't.
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Mak1
Member
08-11-2002
| Wednesday, August 01, 2018 - 7:05 am
I read The Scam by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. It's part of the Fox and O'Hare adventure series. They are quick, fun reads.
This morning I finished Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine. Thank you to those who recommended it. It really is a good book. Eleanor's life was unbelievably sad, but I think she really is going to be completely fine! Some of her observations of social conventions are laugh out loud funny and spot on.
Next up, from PBS's The Great American Read, will be A Separate Peace by John Knowles because I've never read it.
Ricky, I so appreciate your book reviews! I'll not try reading Black Water Rising, thank you very much.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Wednesday, August 01, 2018 - 11:23 am
I finished the book by the er doctor, who expanded into helping so much in the community.
Reading a dystopian novel which takes place in the UK. No bombs, no plagues, no zombies, just meteors.. The End of the World Running Club
Reviews compare it to The Martian.. Sort of..
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Sunday, August 05, 2018 - 11:04 am
You’re welcome Mak! Very sweet of you to mention it - I really appreciate your reviews as well. 😛
Yesterday I finished Petty: The Biography by Warren Zanes, published in 2015. I wasn’t aware of its existence until I heard Zanes interviewed on our local NPR station shortly after Tom Petty’s death. It was a really interesting interview because he explained how Tom Petty was very humble and felt no one would want to read a biography about him (suggesting he was some lightweight nobody instead of the exact opposite).
The book is an excellent and riveting overview of Petty’s career. You don’t have to be s fan of his music to enjoy it.
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Mak1
Member
08-11-2002
| Monday, August 13, 2018 - 2:59 pm
I read Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich. If you haven't read the Stephanie Plum series, don't start with this book! Read any of the previous twenty-three. I recommend starting with One for the Money. The earlier books are laugh-out-loud funny. I forced myself to finish Twenty-Four. Fortunately, they are quick reads. I hope she doesn't write any more in this series, because I will feel compelled to read them, and I really have had enough.
Today I finished You by Caroline Kepnes. Holy moly, it is intense and disturbing and hard to put down! I'll take a break from the stalker but will probably read the continuation Hidden Bodies at some point. Have any of you read it? If so, did you find it as riveting as You?
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