| Author |
Message |
Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Sunday, April 24, 2022 - 6:06 am 
Finished "An Echo in the Bone" a couple of days ago. Have not started anything else yet.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Sunday, May 15, 2022 - 12:24 pm
Finished the McDermid book (another excellent one) and then read Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material in a day. Light, funny rom-com (and a great stress relief for the seniors' final week of school when they're losing their minds and their sh&t).
The Lincoln Highway was as wonderful as everyone said. Now I'm listening to The Other Black Girl.
New Kindle read is The Chessmen - Peter May's final book in the Blackhouse trilogy.
Annd.....for a deadtree book, I'm reading Summer of Salt.
BIG NEWS: I AM FOUR DAYS AWAY FROM NEVER HAVING TO GRADE ANOTHER RESEARCH PAPER AGAIN!!
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Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Sunday, May 15, 2022 - 2:06 pm
Huzzah, Teach, Huzzah! Celebrate with a good book and  .
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Sunday, May 15, 2022 - 2:31 pm
Congrats, Teach! Sugar is correct, you deserve some cake.
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Sunday, May 15, 2022 - 7:44 pm
Mazel Tov and Congrats Teach... xoxoxo
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Monday, May 16, 2022 - 9:12 am
Congratulations Teach! You must be feeling great!
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Monday, May 16, 2022 - 8:17 pm
Congrats, Teach! I am reading another Juliet Marillier series. I have read "Shadowfall" and now on the second of that series, "The Caller". Good, so far but her "Daughter of the Forest" is still my favorite.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Monday, May 16, 2022 - 8:18 pm
That should be "Shadowfell". Sorry.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Sunday, May 22, 2022 - 10:06 am
I've been delinquent again with my reporting, but I also think it's probably good that I spare you my longwindedness!
Recent reads:
A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz, the third in the Hawthorne and Horowitz mystery series, and quite excellent. It's fun to have the author write about himself as a fictional character and also be the sidekick to the main character AND for their relationship to be somewhat adversarial. I hope Horowitz continues the series indefinitely.
Next came the latest by Michael Connelly, The Dark Hours, and it too was quite good. This is a Renee Ballard/Harry Bosch-focused work, mostly on the Ballard character, who I adore. She's quite feisty and brave and relentless in her pursuit of the bad guys. It's also nice to see Bosch appear as a supporting character instead of the main one, as he's been for so many of Connelly's books.
And, Teach!, I'm so, so thrilled for you! Allow me to join in the chorus of congratulations. What a joyous relief it must be to have reached this stage of your career. To echo Mame, Mazel Tov! You'll also be very interested - I think - to know that I'm currently reading To Paradise, Hanya Yanagihara's highly-anticipated follow-up to A Little Life, a book you and I were deeply affected by. It's 700 pages long, weighs nearly 3 pounds, and I am savoring it by deliberately reading it slowly. I'm on page 300 and so far it's been as gripping as I assumed it would be.
One thing I learned recently is that the three writers who have had the most influence on Yanagihara's writing also happen to be three of the writers I have loved with an unparalleled and passionate devotion: Iris Murdoch, Barbara Pym and Anita Brookner. No wonder I love Yanagihara's writing as much as I do! Brookner is my all-time favorite -- I miss her terribly. I read everything she ever wrote (as well as everything Pym and Murdoch ever wrote). But Brookner was in a class of her own and when I read Yanagihara, I can really see how much of Brookner she is channeling in her writing. I am in awe, though, over how Yanagihara has put together yet another utterly compelling 700-page book - how she's managed to do that is so amazing. I hope I end up loving it as much as I loved A Little Life - I won't be surprised if I do. And speaking of surprises, it's no surprise at all that she is now, without question, my MOST FAVORITE living writer and you all know how many favorite writers I have. 
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Sunday, May 22, 2022 - 3:46 pm
YAY!! I didn't even know Yanagihara had another book out (yes, I've been stuck under a rock the last two years - with all the other teachers during the pandemic! LOL). Alas, to my shame, I've not heard of any of the three other writers you mentioned as her influence, so let's just say my TBR pile just tripled in size!!
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Thursday, May 26, 2022 - 3:01 pm
Rats! Just discovered "The Caller" was the third book of the series. Should've read "Raven Flight" first after Shadowfell. Maybe later now.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Sunday, May 29, 2022 - 6:33 pm
I am SEVEN school days away from being done as I took this Tuesday as my final personal day. Today I wallowed in doing nothing and read the entire book Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno. I loved it! It was whimsical, magical and enchanting.
I finished listening to The Other Black Girl and even after reading a synopsis, I'm not sure how it ended! LOL It was intriguing if a bit confusing (and given that I was listening as a means of escape from the horrors of Ulvade and a friend being diagnosed with cancer, I am sure my concentration was pure shite).
I'm now listening to Middlesex and reading a fluff book free from Amazon titled The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Monday, May 30, 2022 - 8:52 pm
Soooo...I finished The Highland Fling last night around 3am. It was fun, sexy, and made me laugh, i.e. perfect after this horrible week.
Today I read the entirety of These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant. It was such a good book! If you get the chance, I highly recommend it! It is NOT fluff and there were tears, but it was a heart-wrenching story about a vet who just wants to be with his daughter.
Three books - three days - LOVE the holiday weekend!
Now I'm starting Still Life - the 6th DCI Karen Pirie book by Val McDermid. I suspect I won't be reading it in a day, but it will be a good one for the next-to-last week of school.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Sunday, June 05, 2022 - 6:34 pm
Finished Still Life so am now reading Ghosted by Rosie Walsh on Kindle and After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell in a "deadtree" gook. Still listening to Middlesex. I hear it picks up after the narrator is born, and I just hit that section, so I'm hoping it does. Up to this point, it's rather slow and while it's not horrid, I'm just "meh" about it.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Monday, June 06, 2022 - 5:08 pm
Just finished "The Bonesetter's Daughter" by Amy Tan. It was pretty good. Held my interest.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Wednesday, June 08, 2022 - 7:56 pm
I'm pleased to report that To Paradise is a success. And while it is nowhere near as brutally devastating to the emotions as A Little Life was, it is still an outstanding achievement by a supremely gifted writer.
It's actually three books in one, but all three are connected (slightly) by a thread that you'll appreciate once you take in all three. The first one is set in 1893, the second in 1993 and the third in 2093 -- the latter is the longest of the three stories. The settings are New York City and a section of Hawaii near Honolulu. Because A Little Life is so phenomenal, I kept wondering if To Paradise would be as powerful. It's not quite as powerful, but it's definitely in the same ballpark. Yanagihara is one of the very best writers alive today and now that she's published two consecutive 700-page novels, she's pretty much separated herself from the rest of the field -- I don't know how she does it!
Teach, I think of the three writers I mentioned earlier, I'm sure you'll like Barbara Pym the most because everything she wrote was so warm, funny and heartbreakingly sad -- her masterpiece is The Sweet Dove Died. Her books are set in the 1950s and 1960s in rural English villages where -- for example -- the spinsters compete with one another to capture the heart of the new vicar in town.
Anita Brookner, my absolute favorite, writes the most beautifully, but I must warn you that her stories are spectacularly depressing -- I am not exaggerating in the least about that. She wrote about 26 total novels and each one was relentlessly gloomy -- but I loved them all! She won the Booker Prize for Hotel du Lac, so I would recommend that one if you wanted to get your feet wet to see if you like her style. I'm convinced Hanya Yanagihara was influenced THE MOST by Ms. Brookner.
Iris Murdoch is the hardest to get into because her stories are much heavier and very intellectual. She won the Booker Prize for The Sea, The Sea and at least four of her others were nominated for it. My favorite of hers is Henry and Cato -- if you can track that one down, I think you'll like it because it moves quickly and it's one of her more compelling works.
Sorry for the long post -- I hope everyone is doing well and reading lots and lots of books!
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Thursday, June 09, 2022 - 5:05 am
Thank you so much for the extra intel Rick! Today is my last full day teaching; I've got two exams tomorrow and then I'll be done by noon. That means: READING TIME!!! WHEEE!! Our interlibrary loan librarian (who is an ex-student) is gonna' earn his keep this summer! LOL
I finished Ghosted in 48 hours and LOVED it. There were twists that meant I could NOT stop reading (finished it at 3am Tuesday night)! Now I'm reading Ken Follett's Never on Kindle. Still listening to Middlesex, and it has picked up somewhat.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Saturday, June 11, 2022 - 10:30 am
And finished "The Dark Side" by Danielle Steel. I didn't like that they made the mother the bad guy.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Tuesday, June 14, 2022 - 2:01 pm
Before finishing Never (800 pages) I took 24 hours out to read Emily Henry's Book Lovers. It was a fun rom-com, plenty of laughs, and a good story all the way around. Also starting After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Sunday, June 19, 2022 - 5:01 pm
Finished Never by Follett and it had the most depressing ending of any book I've ever read.
As a palette cleanser, I read A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones in 24 hours and promptly got its sequel A Good Day for Chardonnay that I intend to have completed by tomorrow.
Additionally, I've begun Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart of Shuggie Bain fame. I have Mungo on both Kindle and audio, so I'm hoping to get through it faster than I did Shuggie.
And no - I haven't finished After You'd Gone but I'm still reading!
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Tuesday, June 21, 2022 - 8:37 am
Thanks for the warning about Never. I’ll pass on that one.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Friday, June 24, 2022 - 2:58 pm
Finished After You'd Gone as well as the second Jones novel and both were thoroughly enjoyable. The Chardonnay novel was better written than the first, and I'll read the third when it comes out later this year. I'm also looking forward to more O'Farrell novels.
Additionally, I've finished The Pact by Sharon Bolton today. It gave me The Secret History vibes - entitled young adults hiding a crime together. Well written and had some unforeseen twists.
Finally, I'm listening to The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes - who doesn't love librarians on horses delivering knowledge and fighting for women's rights?
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Friday, June 24, 2022 - 5:24 pm
Finished "Raven's Flight" by Juliet Marillier. It was actually the second book in the series. I had already read the third book,The Caller. It was still pretty good.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Monday, July 04, 2022 - 4:30 pm
In the last 10 days I've read/finished:
AUDIOBOOKS
The Giver of Stars
The Man Who Died Twice
The Silent Patient
KINDLE/DEADTREE BOOKS
Young Mungo
Eliza Starts a Rumor
Where the Truth Lies
Head over Heels
Where the Truth Lies was an extremely heavy book about abuse as a result of religious zealots and racists. It was so well-written, I could only read it in bits and had to intersperse it with Head over Heels that was a light rom-com focused on the gymnastics world.
Young Mungo was beautifully written, but it was also a heartbreaking story. It had similar themes to Stuart's first novel Shuggie Bain but this one was set in Glasgow in the late 80s/early 90s. Highly recommend!
The Silent Patient was EXCELLENT!
Now I'm reading Maggie O'Farrell's This Must Be the Place on Kindle and listening to The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Qué Mai.}
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Tuesday, July 05, 2022 - 1:22 pm
You are on a roll!
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