| Author |
Message |
Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Tuesday, December 10, 2019 - 8:14 pm 
Jimmer, the latest People might be of interest.. 4 good interviews with women.
Taylor Swift, who I think has been a favorite of you and your daughters, Michelle Obama, Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Anniston.
Also lots of cute babies born this year and other stuff.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Tuesday, December 10, 2019 - 9:02 pm
Thanks Sea. That does sound interesting.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Tuesday, December 10, 2019 - 10:09 pm
Also the year in pictures, might interest a photographer...
I get People online. This is a good issue..
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 7:58 am
For sure. 
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 8:06 am
A general question. Do you think ahead about the next book you’re going to read, long before you finish the one you’re currently reading? I don’t feel comfortable not planning ahead but at the same time I don’t like that I get distracted and spend time thinking about it. 
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Rieann
Member
08-26-2006
| Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 9:11 am
I tend to have a lot of books ready to go on my Kindle. I may get distracted from my "list" by new releases or if I see a good recommendation, but I don't give it much thought while I am in the midst of a book.
I hope this makes sense. I need some coffee this morning. 
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Rieann
Member
08-26-2006
| Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 9:27 am
Though I do have a bad habit of jumping books while in the midst of one if the subject is heavy, or if it doesn't fit with my mood at the time. I usually go back to them, but sometimes I get distracted by a new one and it may get lost in the shuffle.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 9:35 am
Since I get so many to review, I have to plan ahead because of publication dates. I do sometimes just look at a book on my shelf and have to read it, no matter what I had planned.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 1:07 pm
Reading on Kindle makes it harder to go through a tbr pile, but even when I read paper books, I often grabbed the next book out of order.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Thursday, December 12, 2019 - 3:14 pm
Jim, I'm constantly thinking about all the books that are in my TBR pile. I sometimes walk past them and utter, "don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you - I just have to finish the one I'm currently reading!"
Speaking of which, this morning I finished Steven Rowley's novel, The Editor and I'm a total wreck. Such a wonderful book! The protagonist is a first-time writer whose manuscript is assigned to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (as editor) during her time at Doubleday. It's impossible not to cry, which I certainly did in three or four different spots. This is the best book I've read this year.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Saturday, December 14, 2019 - 2:07 pm
Thanks to all who answered my question. There are so many books available now, I sometimes ponder what to read next!
I just finished Blake Crouch’s, Dark Matter. Just to avoid confusion, this book has nothing to do with the TV show of the same name. Crouch is most well known for his Wayward Pines series, which was made into a TV show. The Wayward Pines books were good but this one is better!
Dark Matter is classified as science fiction, though I think that people who don’t normally read (or even avoid) science fiction would still enjoy it. The science fiction, while important and necessary to the plot, doesn’t dominate the story in any sort of techy manner. There is enough explanation of the science to show that the author did his research but it’s not at all overwhelming.
A present day fairly average physics professor at a small college is about to have a happy dinner with his wife and son when he decides to go out for a quick celebratory drink with an old college buddy who has just won a major science award. While returning home, he is kidnapped for no apparent reason, knocked unconscious and when he wakes up, he finds that things are different.
I’ll probably stop here because I don’t like to reveal too much. I found it very thought provoking and well beyond just sci-fi. The best compliment that I can give this book is if Linwood Barclay or Harlan Coben were to write a science fiction novel, this would be the kind of story they would write! I definitely recommend it.
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Mak1
Member
08-11-2002
| Saturday, December 14, 2019 - 2:39 pm
Jimmer, your description of this book and the compliment intrigued me so much, I just ordered it from my library.
I just finished Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. It's a bestseller for a reason. It kept my attention from the first page. This is Owens' first novel and I hope she'll write more.
Today I started The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. So far, it's interesting and has colorful characters. There is disturbing controversy involving Moyes copying scenes/characters from The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Richardson. Had I known that before I ordered the Moyes book, I would have read The Book Woman first. Both books are historical fiction about Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project.
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Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Saturday, December 14, 2019 - 8:26 pm
I liked The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek. I was unaware of this program and of the blue people of Kentucky so I found it rather interesting.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Saturday, December 14, 2019 - 9:23 pm
I certainly hope you like it, Mak. I'll be interested in hearing your comments!
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Sunday, December 15, 2019 - 10:50 am
Jimmer, have you read Recursion? So trippy and a really good read.
My book club is reading The Giver of Stars and a few of us are reading The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek. I am almost done with Giver. I read Bookwoman first. Although they are about the same thing and some things may be a little alike, I can't see why there is that much controversy. I loved Bookwoman. I did not know about the blue people of Kentucky so I learned something. I loved the characters of Cussy Mary. I am enjoying Giver. It's characters are a more diverse group than in Bookwoman.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Sunday, December 15, 2019 - 2:57 pm
Oh I’ve got my eye on Recursion (also by Blake Crouch). I was actually thinking about reading Recursion but someone suggested I should read Dark Matter first. It’s definitely on my to read list!
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Monday, December 16, 2019 - 1:05 am
I was able to grab a copy of Andre Aciman's Find Me, the sequel to his much-lauded Call Me By Your Name, which he wrote in 2007. The sequel catches up with Elio and Oliver 15 years after their ill-fated affair over a summer in the Italian countryside. Shockingly, their reunion only takes up a third of the book's 260 pages. But I really liked the new characters that were introduced, so that narrow focus on E. and O. didn't bother me. Other readers I'm sure will be less than thrilled that there isn't more devoted to our not-so-young-anymore lovers. I hope they film this one too and bring back Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer to play the leads!
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Rieann
Member
08-26-2006
| Monday, December 16, 2019 - 1:30 am
I have that one too, Ric. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. It is in my ever growing to be read list.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Thursday, December 19, 2019 - 12:18 am
Rieann, I really hope you like it. There are several one-star reviews on Goodreads from people who hated the de-emphasis of the two main characters of the original.
Tonight I finished Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong, which by the way, won the Goodreads Best Humor of 2019 Award. I've not seen either of her Netflix stand-up specials, so I have no idea if I'll like her comedy.
But the book is just fabulous as well as hilarious. I had to ask my co-worker, for example, to explain to me what pantyliners are because I, of course, had no idea and Ms. Wong refers to them at least 3 or 4 times. Reading it reminded me a lot of Kathy Griffin's ruthlessly honest voice (Tiffany Haddish's, too). I'm really looking forward to seeing her Netflix specials - it's going to be weird to hear her actual voice after imagining it in my head over the past couple of days.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Thursday, December 19, 2019 - 4:52 pm
Uncle Ricky - She was in a cute film titled Always Be My Maybe with Randall Park. It was either on Netflix or Amazon. After having seen her this past year on various talkshows, I wanted to check out her book so thank you for letting us it is a good one!
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Friday, December 20, 2019 - 11:44 pm
Kappy! I finished watching it just this evening and loved it. Last night I watched both of Ali's Netflix specials. Wow! I'm glad I read her book beforehand. Her shows were funny, but because I really dislike foul language, I wasn't able to enjoy them as much as I would've liked. (It's much easier for me to read foul language than it is to hear it.) Anyway, the movie (on Netflix, too, by the way), was delightful.
This afternoon I finished Life Is Magic: My Inspiring Journey from Tragedy to Self-Discovery by Jon Dorenbos, who has to be one of the amazing men ever. Remember that old TV show "That's Incredible"? If it was still on the air, they'd have to devote a two-hour episode just to Dorenbos himself.
Rarely have I come across a book as inspiring as this. There are many human interest stories out there that deserve full-length films to be made about them - his story should be at or near the top of the list. And don't let his history as an NFL player or a 3rd-place finisher on "America's Got Talent" deter you from reading about his life. If you can come up with a more amazing story than his, please let me know. (But I sincerely doubt you can.) Once you read the book you'll see (and agree with) everything I'm raving about!
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Saturday, December 21, 2019 - 8:16 am
I am three sets of final exam grading away from two weeks of reading time, and our public library (which I already know is fabulous from being on the library board) surprised me yesterday. I had been in about 3 weeks ago and asked if they had other "ways and means" to get Catch and Kill that I was struggling to get on our state-side loan system. I HATE to pay $15 for a Kindle book if I'm not going to re-read it, so was stuck.
Yesterday, our school library aide, who also works at the public library, showed up at my door with the book! They had not only ordered it for our library, but she brought it to me first so I could read it first.
So the list for holiday includes: Catch and Kill, There, There by Tommy Orange, The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, and Faithless Street by Jay Stringer. I've started the first three already (Kindles in three different rooms of the house), and can hardly wait to devote HOURS to nothing but reading for fun!
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Saturday, December 21, 2019 - 10:24 pm
Those sound like good ones, Ricky!
can hardly wait to devote HOURS to nothing but reading for fun!
That sounds indescribably wonderful! Enjoy!
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Monday, December 23, 2019 - 12:42 am
Teach - I agree 100% with Jimmer - wonderful! Yay! You'll love the Farrow book, SO well done.
There's not a whole lot I can say about A Warning by Anonymous other than that it's one of the most disturbing and frightening books I've come across. If you're a Trump fan, steer clear of it! If not, and you care about our great United States, it's definitely worth your time (it's a fast read, only 259 pages).
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Tresbien
Member
08-26-2002
| Monday, December 23, 2019 - 10:25 am
My recent reading has included Megan Goldin's The Escape Room. Who could not love a good revenge story? Thought John Grisham's The Guardians was one of his better stories. Janet Evanovich's Twisted Twenty-Six was fun. Oh the trouble Grandma Mazur can get into. Love her! And I also finished Sally Rooney's Conversations With Friends. I was surprised by the ending.
Now reading Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere and enjoying the writing and story so far.
When that is done I'll look at Michael Taylor's Harry Chapin The Music Behind The Man as some articles I wrote are included or quoted in it.
Jimmer, I get many books from my local library so paper books often wait when ebooks come in from waitlist. Like others, reading can also depend on mood.
Ric, I was going to read A Warning but was afraid it would give me nightmares. Will reconsider now, thanks.
Happy Holiday and great reading wishes for 2020!
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