| Author |
Message |
Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Tuesday, November 08, 2022 - 2:09 pm 
Kappy, maybe somewhat but not too bad. Really makes you root for them.
|
Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Wednesday, November 09, 2022 - 10:58 am
Thank you Hecka.
|
Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Wednesday, November 09, 2022 - 4:50 pm
Rickman's book is on my TBR pile as is Matthew Perry's.
Mame - I use Sam's audio version of his book as a sleep aide - his voice just soothes me.  I go back and forth between him and a book that Steven Cree (also Scottish) reads to help me sleep at night.
|
Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Thursday, November 10, 2022 - 8:56 am
Kappy, I haven't seen any drawings as of yet, I am halfway through. He could definitely be an ornery guy. Looking forward to the Potter years. There are some of his actual writing on the inside cover though.
I heard a cute story about how he never let anyone pay for a meal with him. When they would try to argue, he would just say Potter. He made quite a lot from it.
|
Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Saturday, November 19, 2022 - 3:55 pm
I finished "Billy Summers" by Stephen King. It was good, too. Who knew a book about a hitman would be good, but it was. I borrowed Fairy Tale by Stephen King from my DIL. She said her co-worker is reading a different book so I can take my time. So far so good.
|
Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Saturday, November 19, 2022 - 5:24 pm
I love Stephen King. I almost wish he didn’t write horror all the time because his stories would be great regardless. His characters are excellent.
|
Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Saturday, November 19, 2022 - 7:04 pm
All of these latest books I've read by Stephen King are not really horror. My SIL refuses to read or watch any horror and she is interested in most of what I've been telling her. Most of the newer stuff, I have been enjoying more myself lately. Other than that, IA with your assessment. His characters are good.
|
Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Sunday, November 20, 2022 - 6:36 pm
I was telling my sister about The Institute and she said that's more her style. She said she would be interested in reading it and seeing a movie of it.
|
Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Tuesday, November 22, 2022 - 5:54 pm
Finished up 1989 by McDermid, Ship Wrecked by Dade and Daisy Darker - audio version - by Feeney this weekend. Loved them all.
Now I'm listening to The Boy from the Woods by Corben, reading A Dark Matter by Johnstone in deadtree format, and the Kindle version of Runaway by Mays. Not a bad one in the lot!
|
Rieann
Member
08-26-2006
| Sunday, November 27, 2022 - 9:23 am
I recently read Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak. Stephen King gave it high praise. I thought it was okay. I think I expected more suspense.
I also read Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger. Not her best. 
I’m going to give Daisy Darker a try.
|
Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Sunday, November 27, 2022 - 2:53 pm
I finished Fairy Tale by Stephen King. It was good, too. Out of the three I've lately read by Stephen King, The Institute was probably the best, but they were all good.
|
Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Wednesday, November 30, 2022 - 8:47 am
Rieann, I felt like there were too many characters to follow in Secluded Cabin. I just read The Last Party by Clare Macintosh and while it had a lot of characters too, it flowed so perfectly together. Great murder/mystery.
I read a very slim (93 page) novel on the plane home from Florida. I read it in less than the first hour but it has stayed with me. Foster by Irish writer Claire Keegan is just a beautiful book. I was in love with the characters and the Irish setting. Such a great read.
|
Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Wednesday, November 30, 2022 - 5:59 pm
Mamie - I just read Foster yesterday! It is such a beautiful book, and there is a movie in Irish Gaelic that was released in May: An Cailin Ciuin. Unfortunately, I'm not able to figure out any way to see it in the States yet, but the trailer looks as good as the book!
I finished listening to The Boy from the Woods and will finish listening to Station Eleven on audiobook tonight. I already have If We Were Villains downloaded for my next audio. I should also be able to finish Runaway tonight - all have been excellent!
|
Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Thursday, December 01, 2022 - 7:59 am
Teach, I had to buy her first book too. Ann Patchett recommended them at Parnassus Books. She also recommended another Irish book titled The All of It by Jeanette Haien.
|
Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Saturday, December 03, 2022 - 1:37 pm
Thank you - I'll look that one up. I'm so stoked b/c just this week, An Cailin Ciuin had showings in LA and DC...AND next weekend they've got a showing in Chicago. I will be sooooo tired, but between Sat. Dec. 10 and Sun. Dec. 18, I'm playing for 4 piano gigs, working a full week, AND going to Chicago to see the film!
I finished Part of Your World by Olivia Dade and Station Eleven (audiobook) this week. I'm still working on The Dark Matter and am listening to If We Were Villains. Additionally, I just got a Kindle loan of Carrie Soto is Back and 2 library loans of Irving's The Chairlift and Val McDermid's duo Dead Beat and Kick Back. I've got a LOT of reading to do this month to get all the loans done on time!
|
Rieann
Member
08-26-2006
| Monday, December 05, 2022 - 9:16 am
Mamie, I started the audiobook for The Last Party. I’m enjoying it.
|
Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Tuesday, December 06, 2022 - 11:55 am
I finished "Life and Other Inconveniences" by Kristan Higgans. It was good. I just started "Backlash" by Lisa Jackson.
|
Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Thursday, December 08, 2022 - 5:17 pm
Work has been horrifically busy and I've been doing a lot of running -- both of these "activities" really cut into my reading as well as my visits to TVCH, I'm sorry to report. But please be assured I always take a couple of minutes every couple of days to read all of your entries -- thank you for writing them!
I can't believe my most recent post here was July 5th - yikes! But then it has been a nice break for all of you from my gasbaggery! 
Here's what I've read since then (not a whole lot, I'm afraid).
All about Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business by Mel Brooks. An absolutely splendid autobiography from start to finish. It was a tad long and a teensy bit repetitive, but his stories are so delightful that it's easy to overlook those minor flaws.
French Braid by Anne Tyler. Another winner from this most precious of writers - I just don't know how she does it. This is her 24th novel, coming at age 80. I just wish she were age 24 and this was her 80th novel!
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart. This is his follow-up to the Booker Prize-winning Shuggie Bain and it does not disappoint. I believe Teach read it, too, and she liked it as well. Mr. Stuart is a massive talent.
The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson. My first time reading this writer and it was a very pleasant experience. It's the story of a wildly quirky husband and wife and their two children, a son and a daughter who are deeply embarrassed by all the shenanigans that their parents get up to in the book.
Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone. This was highly recommended by my old boss and because I hadn't read one of her recommendations in a long time, I felt obligated to read it because she always reads the books I recommend to her. This one was okay, but the story was all over the place and went on too long. But it had a satisfying ending so I was relieved about that.
Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep by Michael Schulman. An adequate biography of Ms. Streep, but it only covers half of her career. It was interesting, but I longed to read about all the big films of recent years. The book was in the library, so I picked it up on impulse.
Mercy by Jodi Picoult. Not one of her best, but I'll keep reading her other works nonetheless.
The Accomplice by Steve Cavanagh. The 7th (and newest) book in the Eddie Flynn series and a complete triumph yet again. I love, love, love Steve Cavanagh!
Thank You For Your Servitude: Donald Trump's Washington and the Price of Submission by Mark Leibovich. A scathing non-fiction work by Mr. Leibovich as he dissects the horrors of the Trump presidency, but with a steady humorous tone.
The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton. A book and writer I had not heard of until Don Winslow raved about it on Twitter. The book is 12 years old, but is extremely well written. The story is captivating, too. I will pursue Mr. Hamilton's other works.
Thanks for reading my (too long) post! I hope all of you have a lovely holiday season - nothing less!
|
Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Thursday, December 08, 2022 - 5:55 pm
Welcome home Uncle Ricky! Great reviews, as ever.
|
Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Thursday, December 08, 2022 - 6:52 pm
HI RICKY!!!! Long time no see, friend, but always happy when I can read your posts!
You're right - I read Young Mungo and liked it even better than Shuggie Bain.
My main recommendation this year: Damnation Spring by ash Davidson. It is amazing. I read it quite a while ago and raved about it, but since we're getting to the end of the year wrap-ups, I thought I'd mention it again.
Yesterday I finished the audiobook If We Were Villains - kind of a theater student version of Tartt's The Secret History, though I had more compassion for the characters and the twists at the end were well-done.
I also finished Carrie Soto is Back - another excellent Taylor Jenkins Reid book.
I finally broke down and got The Dark Matter by Douglas Johnstone on Kindle as I just don't find myself reading deadtree books since I started working. I don't like turning on my reading light at night w/the Christmas lights, and I definitely prefer Kindle when reading in bed.
Today I obtained an ARC from Net Galley of both The Last Saxon King and The Celtic Deception by Andrew Varga. They're Sci-fi YA books featuring a time jumper, set in ancient times. Here's hoping they're as good as their blurbs!
Finally, I started listening to Michelle Obama's new book The Light We Carry. I'm only a chapter in, but listening to her just soothes my soul.
|
Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Friday, December 09, 2022 - 8:57 am
I just finished A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney. I cried a hundred tears and smiled a hundred smiles. It is a beautiful love story to his son Henry, to his wife and to all those who helped take care of little Henry when he had cancer. Henry was only one. There is every emotion in this book and all very understandable.
|
Rieann
Member
08-26-2006
| Friday, December 09, 2022 - 9:33 am
I want to read that one, Mamie. I don’t think I can handle it right now though. I would be a crying 😢 mess.
P.S. I love that I have hope that I won’t be a crying mess, if I wait to read it at a future date. 😂
|
Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Friday, December 09, 2022 - 11:53 am
Rieann, I cried for sure but I wasn't a mess. It is just a beautiful book.
|
Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Friday, December 09, 2022 - 3:17 pm
Thank you, Mame and Teach — you are both too kind!
|
Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Friday, December 09, 2022 - 3:51 pm
I have Delaney's book on my TBR list, though I think I'll wait until after the holidays. I also want to read Matthew Perry's book.
|
