| Author |
Message |
Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Saturday, June 07, 2025 - 1:37 pm 
Finished "Old Girls Behaving Badly" by Kate Galley. It was pretty good. I was hoping for more light-hearted amusing fun. It was that pretty much.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Sunday, June 08, 2025 - 9:57 am
Just finished Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. She is one of my favorite authors and I think this is one of my very favorite of her books. It follows the Space Shuttle program and a group of new astronauts. Two of them are women who fall madly in love but have to hide it because that would not fly with the standards of the program. Great read.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-21-2001
| Monday, June 09, 2025 - 6:49 pm
Another lover of TJR, Mamie, and I just placed a hold on Atmosphere. I'm *only* 45th in line - for one copy. 
I've done mainly audiobooks the last couple months and can highly recommend: The Wolf Tree, The Dictionary of Lost Words, The Lion Women of Tehran and the two YA books Where Wolves Don't Die, Death at Morning House.
I'm currently reading All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby (excellent) and listening to The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi (good story - but heads up it's NSFW at all!!).
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Saturday, June 14, 2025 - 10:20 am
I am listening to My Friends by Fredrick Bachman. It is filled with all those lovely feelings his books touch in you but my problem is the narrator does a voice of an old man who helps the main characters at one time. She sounds like Yoda! I am having a hard time getting past the voice.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Tuesday, June 17, 2025 - 3:38 pm
Just finished "Before the Swallows Come Back" by Fiona Curnow. I believe she is a Scottish author. Very good book!
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Tuesday, July 01, 2025 - 10:07 am
Finished the latest Hunger Games book, "Sunrise On the Reaping." It was interesting but did have some disturbing violence, too.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Tuesday, July 08, 2025 - 10:21 am
A few I have read lately that I have loved:
Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell. I love her books and this was one of my favorites. A Dirty John like story about a man who has kept a lot of secrets from a lot of women.
The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb. I listened to this one, read by Jeremy Sisto and I need more from his voice now! Just a very moving, hard at times, novel but so good.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Monday, July 14, 2025 - 3:29 pm
Finished another classic, "Heidi" by Johanna
Spyri, a truly light-hearted joy to read.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Monday, July 14, 2025 - 3:45 pm
I also read another book by Suzanne Collins,author of The Hunger Games books, Gregor the Overlander, definitely fantasy and the start of another series. Don't know if I will read the rest.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Wednesday, July 23, 2025 - 1:08 pm
I recently finished "Broadchurch" by Erin Kelly. It's apparently based on a British tv series. It was quite good. I just started reading Cher's memoirs--Part 1.Interesting so far.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Tuesday, July 29, 2025 - 11:16 am
I finished Cher--Part one. Interesting. She leaves off right before she started acting. Lots of good photos at the end of the book. Had to get on the computer to look at them. Too small on the phone.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Friday, August 01, 2025 - 10:33 pm
Greetings on this first day of August -- it's your very delinquent contributor. Work has been way busier this year than it was last year, but maybe that's because I'm going into the office five days week (instead of two), primarily because of the construction of the new home for my mom-in-law and sister-in-law. Can you believe construction might be finished sometime in September -- amazing! They started building in mid-April. Seth and I are thrilled with the progress -- we're that much closer to getting our house back -- yay!
Now, here are the works I've finished since my most recent posting:
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. Excellent from beginning to end. I really wish it had been twice as long as it is.
Time to Thank: Caregiving for My Hero by Steve Guttenberg. Mamie recommended this to me shortly after the Palisades fire displaced mom-in-law and sister-in-law. A wonderful collection of insights. Guttenberg's father was such a riot -- I laughed my head off at his various antics.
Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler. Very, very funny - enjoyed it immensely.
Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend by Jason Bailey. Well written and well researched. It was so amazing to read what a troubled soul he was. That he died at only 51 added such intensity to the tragedy of his too-soon passing.
In the Absence of Men by Philippe Besson. This is of a novella than a standard novel, but it was quite tender and extremely sad. Tortured love between two men during World War I.
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler. Also quite funny, but not as funny as her first two books.
Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter. Thanks to the discussion earlier this year by those of you who've read her work, I decided to give her a try and started with her very first book. Yikes! So incredibly violent and dark - I couldn't believe this was her debut. Gripping all the way through. I will read all her other stuff!
Nightshade by Michael Connelly. Yet another winner from this titan of the crime genre. I don't know how he does it -- he has never written a bad book.
Sonic Boom: The Impossible Rise of Warner Bros. Records, from Hendrix to Fleetwood Mac to Madonna to Prince by Peter Ames Carlin. Awful -- do not bother -- I can't believe I finished it.
I Will Ruin You by Linwood Barclay. I completely missed this one when it was published last year - how did that happen? Anyway, it's marvelous and that's all that matters.
Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler. This one is actually stories by Chelsea's friends, who write about how she lies to them. Only mildly funny and Chelsea's contributions are extremely limited.
The Things We Do for Love by Kristin Hannah. One of her earlier novels - I loved it!
Kisscut by Karin Slaughter. Her second book and just as dark and disturbing as the first one. She was definitely born with the gift to write extremely disturbing stories!
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. One of her most popular books, if not the most popular. I loved it, as did almost everyone else who has read it. The film version is supposed to start production sometime next year for a release in early 2027.
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams. She is a former executive at Facebook. She shares all the madness exhibited by Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. Really well written, but also super frustrating to read about all the crimes against humanity that Facebook continues to perpetrate. Though it's definitely a whistleblower's version of events, she writes calmly and authoritatively about all the awful things she witnessed during her 7 or so years of being in Zuckerberg's inner circle. I hated him before I read the book - now I hate him 100 times more -- definitely a creep's creep.
Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz. Finished this yesterday and it's absolutely marvelous. The 3rd and possibly final book in the Susan Ryeland series, it's nearly 600 pages long -- I wish it had been 1,600. You will not be disappointed. If you can read the first two in the series, it really heightens the enjoyment of the 3rd book!
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Wednesday, August 06, 2025 - 2:34 pm
I finished "My Life With The Walter Boys" by Ali Novak. Quite good. I'm pretty sure I will read the second one next.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-21-2001
| Saturday, August 09, 2025 - 8:43 pm
Uncle Ricky - Careless People had the exact same effect on me. I hated him before but I literally loathe him like I loathe tRump and Elon now!
My reads since my last post are below. I've included my StoryGraph rating (highest is 5) with little explanation unless a book was amazing or horrid.
Audio
FALLEN ANGEL - Chris Brookmyre - 4.5
THE LILAC PEOPLE - Milo Todd - 4
BLACKTOP WASTELAND - S.A. Cosby - 4.5
THE MISSION HOUSE - Carys Davies - 4
SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE SEA - TJ Klune - 5
Klune is officially one of my favorite authors now. This is the sequel to the House in the Cerulean Sea, and it was just as good. These are books you HAVE to listen to as the narrator is outstanding! All the original characters were back and were joined by David the Yeti in this one.
THE ALICE NETWORK - Kate Quinn - 4.5
WHEN WOMEN WERE DRAGONS - Kelly Barnhill - 5
LOVED THIS!!! LOVED IT!!!
WOODWORKING - Emily St James - 4.5
It has been a fantastic couple months as far as my audiobooks were concerned.
Kindle
NEW BOY - Tracy Chevalier - 2.5
Othello was NOT cut out to be a 6th grade story. It might have worked if they were in 10th or higher. Bummed as this is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays to teach.
THAT STRANDED FEELING - Nicky Bedford - 4
DECEPTION - Helen Forbes - 3.5 -
ALLLLLLL the bad things...this was a bit too much.
THE ROOMMATE EXPERIMENT - Camilla Isley - 4
IF THE RING FITS - Camilla Isley - 3.75
THE ANSWER IS NO: A Short Story - Fredrik Backman - 4
KILT TRIP - Alexandra Kiley - 4.5
I enjoyed this cute little romance, and especially loved that I had been to so many of the places described.
A LOVE SONG FOR RICKI WILDE - Tia Williams - 5.
LOVED this time bending story! Some of it had to do with one of the main characters being a piano player, but Williams always does a remarkable job of balancing serious drama with humor.
THE PERFECT ONES - Nicole Hackett - 4
FREEZE FRAME - Peter May - 4
AUDRE AND BASH ARE JUST FRIENDS - Tia Williams - 4.5
NO FUNERAL FOR NAZIA - Taha Kehar - 3
The author seemed on a mission to use words other than "said," and all of the replacements were so aggressive & angry! The premise was interesting (no funeral but a party with a hypnotist) and saved this freshman level writing from a lower rating.
ATMOSPHERE - Taylor Jenkins Reid - 5 -
The first women astronauts in the early 1980s is the historical backdrop, and the main characters draw you in immediately.
Print
ONE GOLDEN SUMMER - Carley Fortune - 4.5
I'm currently listening to another TJ Klune book: UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR, re-reading on Kindle GENDER QUEER in preparation for a library meeting Monday night where some **8$*%*($ is trying to get it banned from the PUBLIC library (it's in the adult section!!), also reading the digital version of THE CLOSE by Jane Casey, and reading the print version of Ali Hazelwood's THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Monday, August 11, 2025 - 7:02 pm
Teach, I'm so glad you agree about the Careless People book. Thanks for reminding me about the Taylor Jenkins Reid book -- I keep forgetting to get in line for it at the library. Please let us know how that library meeting goes about the Gender Queer book!
Hecka, I wanted you to know that i finally got my paws on that horror book you recommended, The Dead Children's Playground, by James Kaine. It was entertaining and was also the first horror/supernatural book I'd read since the late 1970s, when I read Stephen's King's The Stand, which I loathed (though I had loved his earlier classics Carrie, Salem's Lot and The Shining). My fondness for the genre dissipated somehow after the bad experience with that Stand thing.
Last week I also finished Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler. It was good (but not as good as her first two books) -- the chapter about the London boyfriend who had the horrific fear of flying was hilarious and saved the overall book from ruin.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Tuesday, August 12, 2025 - 10:55 am
Ric, you have to read Atmosphere! You know I love Taylor's books and this might be one of my very favorites.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Friday, August 15, 2025 - 6:27 pm
Glad you enjoyed The Dead Children's Playground. The Stand is many fans of King's favorite. I liked it okay. Finished Return to the Walter Boys by Ali Novak. Ready for something else now.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-21-2001
| Sunday, August 17, 2025 - 9:02 am
The meeting at the library was literally a balm for my very blue soul in a deep-red section of our state. During the comment section, 27 people talked. Only the 1 man spoke in support of book banning - the one appealing the library's decision to keep Gender Queer on the shelves.
His speech came about 2/3 of the way through the speakers. Talk about the angry, mediocre white man. He started by apologizing for being late as "he has a real job." You could hear the eyerolls. He kept repeating, in a louder and louder tone, that "Until 2022 PORN WAS NOT ALLOWED IN LIBRARIES!" I have no idea where that date came from as the only legal thing he referenced (and misinterpreted) was Miller v California from 1973.
The BEST part of the night, though, was when the speaker AFTER the angry man claiming PORN was NOT in libraries got up and said, "Two words: Hieronymus Bosch!" I knew I was with my people when the audience erupted in laughter!!
The library upheld its previous decision to NOT pull the book in a unanimous decision.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Sunday, August 17, 2025 - 1:24 pm
Good to hear there are still some sane people left.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Monday, August 18, 2025 - 10:04 pm
You can say that again, Jim!
I’m so sorry, Teach, that you had to experience all that anxiety. I’m very, very relieved about the outcome!
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Wednesday, August 20, 2025 - 3:26 pm
Finished "Dark Matter" by Blake Crouch. It was very interesting. The main character was dealing with the multiverse. He,the writer, was also the writer of Wayward Pines.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Thursday, August 21, 2025 - 1:25 pm
I thought “Dark Matter” was very good. He has such interesting ideas.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-21-2001
| Sunday, August 24, 2025 - 7:06 pm
Finished listening to Braided Sweetwater. Two of my friends raved about this book, and while I enjoyed it, it was not the life-changing read for me that it was for one of my friends. It is non-fiction by a Native American scientist. I think the science is where my mind wandered. I enjoyed the parts where she discussed her family, her heritage, and the care of the land.
Under the Whispering Door and The Love Hypothesis were both fantastic.
My Libby copy of The Reformatory came through unexpectedly, so I postponed The Close. The Reformatory is like a haunted version of The Nickel Boys - based on the horrible school in Florida where way too many young men died. Since it's a digital book, I started the audiobook of The Close today in place of the digital.
I also got the print book Love on the Brain from the library and will start it tomorrow. It's part of The Love Hypsothesis series.
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