| Author |
Message |
Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - 11:54 pm 
I’d not read anything by (or heard of) Emily St. John Mandel until Mamie mentioned how much she enjoyed Ms. Mandel’s latest book, The Glass Hotel. But because there’s such a long wait-time for it at the library, I instead checked out her debut from 2009, Last Night in Montreal. I’m really glad I did because it was excellent. It’s about a man who abducts his 7-year-old daughter and what happens to the both of them over the next 15 years. There are quite a few layers that unfold and they keep you guessing about who exactly the bad people in the story really are. Ms. Mandel a very, very talented writer.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Thursday, October 01, 2020 - 8:24 am
I will have to get that one, Ric. I loved both The Glass Hotel and Station Eleven.
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Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Thursday, October 01, 2020 - 10:29 am
That does sound interesting, I just placed a hold request for it at the library.
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Tresbien
Member
08-26-2002
| Thursday, October 01, 2020 - 3:48 pm
If you're in the mood for a very dark and twisted cult-ish family saga, give Lisa Jewell's The Family Upstairs a try. On her 25th birthday an adopted woman learns that she has inherited a mansion. Others have been waiting for this day... Thanks to all who recommended her.
Next up is Fredrik Backman's Anxious People which I just got from the library.
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Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Thursday, October 01, 2020 - 6:10 pm
I am looking forward to the new Backman book, hope my turn at the library is soon.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Friday, October 02, 2020 - 12:23 pm
Tresbien, I have been on a waitlist for The Family Upstars twice and then when I got my turn, it wouldn't open up on my nook.
I'm thinking of trying a Kobo e-reader for checking out library books as this issue seems to be happening more and more with the popular books and my library came up empty with answers as to why.
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Tresbien
Member
08-26-2002
| Friday, October 02, 2020 - 3:02 pm
Kappy, I use the Fire HD 8 tablet, and I only had a problem once when a book only partially loaded. I use the Overdrive app for my library's ebooks. One of my friends who mostly gets audiobooks from her library uses the Libby app. I'd try contacting the library to see if they can help you. Now and then I'll use the Kindle app when I need/want to buy a book. Good luck getting The Family Upstairs. Sending hugs as I know how frustrating that can be.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Friday, October 02, 2020 - 7:16 pm
I use overdrive for both, reading ebooks on my nook and listening to audiobooks on my tablet. I just wish someone would admit there's a glitch with nook at times. The library blames nook while B&N blame the library and then they both blame overdrive.
Sorry all, I'll take this discussion back to the proper thread.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Sunday, October 04, 2020 - 12:21 pm
Kappy, my Kindle Paperwhite is perfect for Overdrive books. I've never had a problem, and I like the non-glare reading.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Sunday, October 04, 2020 - 11:35 pm
Thanks Teach - I made up my mind today to go with the kindle and I want to stick to the paperwhite as I've been happy with it in the nook. Next week is Prime Day so I'm hoping to save a few bucks.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Monday, October 05, 2020 - 7:56 am
In the past anyway, the Kobo has been known to have problems with Overdrive. I don't know if that has been fixed. I'd go with the Kindle too, based on Teach's review.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Wednesday, October 07, 2020 - 6:38 pm
Finished Maeve Binchy's "Evening Class". It was really good. Her books usually are.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Wednesday, October 07, 2020 - 11:12 pm
I loved that one!
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Sunday, October 11, 2020 - 3:47 pm
One of Byron Lane's former occupations was personal assistant to Carrie Fisher. He eventually left her employ to become a full-time writer and his debut novel, A Star is Bored, was inspired by his time with the late, great satirist Ms. Fisher. It's very well-written, though about a hundred pages too long. Still, I didn't let that stop me from sticking with it until the end. It ultimately offered a sweetness that's not commonly found in this type of book and I'm glad I read it. He's a two-time survivor of testicular cancer and he's engaged to marry Steven Rowley, who wrote one of the best books I read last year, The Editor.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Monday, October 12, 2020 - 11:44 pm
Teach! Thanks a million for recommending How We Fight for Our Lives by Saneed Jones!!! By, oh boy, I was shattered all over the place. It's really short (190 pages) but it packs mammoth gut-punches throughout. This a remarkable memoir with spectacularly good writing quality and, not unimportantly, the amazing (at least to me) fact that Mr. Jones never writes a single word about his father. I don't think I've ever read a memoir or autobiography where the writer doesn't say anything at all about one of his/her parents.
Please trust me: this ranks way at the top of the list of great memoirs. I also can't believe he's only 34 years old. Thanks again, Teach, for bringing this one to my attention. That final sentence of the book -- the tears began streaming out almost instantaneously, i.e., definitely Pavlonian!
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Saturday, October 17, 2020 - 12:14 pm
I am so glad you enjoyed it as much as I did, Uncle_Ricky! It was amazing, and I agree. I came completely undone with that last sentence.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Monday, October 19, 2020 - 11:23 am
Teach, it's been several days and I'm still thinking about it. I'm just so amazed by how incredibly smart he is -- what a joy it is to read something written by someone with that other-worldly level of intellect.
Last night I finished Dark Saturday, which is the 6th in the Frieda Klein series by Nicci French. It was excellent, APU, and the ending was by far the best of any of the previous books. Next up in the series is Sunday Silence - once I've read that one, the "week" will be complete. 
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Monday, October 19, 2020 - 2:32 pm
Finished three books recently with one being The Last Flight by Julie Clark. I spent entire days reading it which is not usual for me unless I'm really enjoying a book so thank you to those who recommended it.
I also read The Diary of Mattie Spenser, my 4th book since June by Sandra Dallas. I was never into westerns before as they were usually focused mainly on the men. With her books, I've enjoyed seeing what it was like for the women who lived on the prairies or continued west during the 1800's. I'm ready for the next book.
The 3rd book I finished was Down a Dark Road, the 6th in the Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo. I have to admit that I'm getting tired of a Police Chief (as the lead character is) not thinking about the situations she puts herself into. I may have to take a break from Kate Burkholder for awhile.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Friday, October 23, 2020 - 8:29 am
I finished the Mary Trump book last night, Too Much and Never Enough. I only wish it had been longer. She proves it’s not impossible for a member of that family to actually have genuine empathy. Her courage is off the charts, too, considering how aggressively her relatives worked to make her life miserable.
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Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Friday, October 23, 2020 - 10:33 am
I am almost finished reading Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman. I found the Netflix movie that the book is loosely based on the be more interesting.
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Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Saturday, October 24, 2020 - 3:36 pm
I have finished Unorthadox and did find the miniseries to be far more interesting than the book.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Saturday, October 24, 2020 - 4:26 pm
Finished the last of The Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins. Guess it was more of a prequel. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. It was interesting. I definitely did not expect that ending.
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Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Thursday, October 29, 2020 - 10:19 am
I enjoyed The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan, it was rather charming.
I just now realized I had purchased another of this authors work, Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel a couple of months ago to have something on hand should the libraries close again. I look forward to reading it. Of course, I have several library books to finish first.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Thursday, October 29, 2020 - 12:21 pm
I read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes a few months ago. It was an interesting prequel and I enjoyed it more than I thought that I would. I do think it ended a bit abruptly and left quite a few questions unanswered.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Thursday, October 29, 2020 - 12:27 pm
My library copy of The Glass Hotel, by Emily St. John Mandel, came through the other day. I can't say I loved it, but I did like it a lot, especially her writing style -- very adult and very sophisticated. My thanks, once again, to Mamie for recommending this one!
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