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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Friday, April 05, 2024 - 9:11 am 
I got three books read in Florida while visiting my daughter. I also started audible so I tried to listen to RuPaul's book on the plane but his lovely voice just made me fall asleep.
I really enjoyed Everyone is Watching by Heather Gudankauf. Fun read about a online reality show that is not your usual show.
Honey, Baby, Mine by Diane Ladd and Laura Dern. Diane was very ill and the doctor told Laura that if she could get her mom walking more, it would strengthen her lungs. They walk and talk and ask questions about their lives and it brings up lots of emotions.
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle. She receives a slip of paper when she meets a man and it tells her how long the relationship will last. She finally gets a name with no date and the story takes off from there. Good read.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Monday, April 15, 2024 - 4:38 pm
Finished "Against Nature" by Casey Barrett. It was different. Somewhat about how the East Germans doped kids to be good at sports to their detriment. Not all it was about, but the gist of it, I guess. Now I'm reading one of the books I had put on hold. It came available. "Wandering Stars" by Tommy Orange.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Thursday, April 18, 2024 - 5:00 pm
"Wandering Stars" was not a typical book for me. Just okay. My other books that are on hold won't be available for 26 weeks. A long time.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Tuesday, April 23, 2024 - 8:57 pm
Finished "Deserves to Die" by Lisa Jackson. It was okay. Not as good as "See How She Dies" though.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Sunday, April 28, 2024 - 7:38 am
Hecka - I STILL have that book sitting on my end table. Musical season is not the time of year I read "deadtree" books - much easier to pop my Kindle in my music bag.  I loved his first one There, There, so I'm looking forward to reading Wandering Stars.
Catching up on what I've read:
AUDIO:
Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley - if you liked The Mists of Avalon, you'll enjoy this one!
That Summer in Berlin by Lecia Cornwall- a bit of a stretch sometimes ("normal gal" spying and getting away with it in Berlin in WWII), but a strong story that I enjoyed
Perfectly Ordinary People by Nick Alexander - an interesting look at WWII, structured as a back and forth between modern day and the War with a most unusual couple as the main characters. The cast for this audio book was excellent!
The Girls Who Disappeared and Then She Vanishes both by Claire Douglas - Both were modern solvings of a 20-year-old mystery. I enjoyed the first one so much, I read the second (not a series - just the one that was available on Hoopla) and I probably should NOT have read them back to back as the second felt a lot more formulaic. Both have one final twist in the epilogue that is morally gray. Still, enjoyed the mystery in both, so I'd definitely recommend her as an author.
Currently I'm re-"listening" to the Lewis Trilogy by Peter May (The Blackhouse, The Lewis Man, The Chessman) as the 4th in this series comes out in September. We're headed to Scotland again in a month, so I'm ready to surround myself with all the Scottish feels.
KINDLE:
The Rewind by Alisson Winn Scotch - The main character wakes up from a night she can't remember - married??? It kept my attention as she and the man she hasn't seen in 10 years try to figure out if their previous night ended up in marriage.
At First Spite by Olivia Dade - I adore these quick one-day reads by Dade, and this was no exception. The main character in this one is a burnt-out teacher, and the book has a more serious tone as she deals with clinical depression after breaking off an engagement. The Spite House itself is almost a character, and I highly recommend this one.
I'll Keep You Safe by Peter May - this mystery starts with a car explosion in Paris, but spends most of its time on the wind-swept shores of the Isle of Lewis. The main characters are weavers and the final twist I did NOT see coming.
10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall - a manager who is too nice falls into faking amnesia with the corporate boss and ends up also falling in love. While I still have literally NO idea how the title fits in, this was a sweet story.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna - I LOVED this funny, charming book. Upon researching this author, she's usually more of a fantasy, YA author, but this novel didn't feel "fantasy" even though it was about witches. One mid-20s witch is paid to teach 3 young witches about their powers - despite the fact that young witches are not supposed to be under the same roof. The "parents" of these 3 make up a warm, very non-traditional family, and I adored each and every character.
The Big Chill by Douglas Johnstone - this is the 2nd in the Skelf series about a family who runs a funeral home and a PI business. The main characters are the grandmother, mom and daughter who were all harmed in the first book by the mom's ex-husband. These are fast reads, with humor, but also some serious takes on how humans deal with the worst life can throw at us. I read this in its entirety yesterday (my one and only full day at home between April 13 and May 11), and I am starting the 3rd in the series today as the villain from Book 1 still has not received punishment for his crimes. Did I mention they're all set in Edinburgh? Yeah - surrounding myself with Scottish things right now to survive this upcoming "hell week" of tech rehearsals and performances. 😁🤷♀️
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Sunday, April 28, 2024 - 6:56 pm
Sorry, Teach. Not sure which book you mean? I finished "Yellowface" by R.F. Kuang today. Did not like how it ended. Did not really feel like it ended, exactly. It was okay. I had heard really good things about it, so I was expecting more, I guess.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Tuesday, April 30, 2024 - 3:44 pm
I loved the Lewis Trilogy so thanks for the head's up on a fourth coming out in the series, Teach!
Books recently read:
The Last Devil to Die, the 4th book in the series by Richard Osman. I will miss these characters but he is coming out with a new series in September.
The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood - It was okay but prefer the characters in the Thursday Murder Club.
Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay.
The Secret, Book & Scone Society and The Whispered Word by Ellery Adams. The stories revolve around four women living in a small resort area work together to solve murders. Formulaic but nice light reading when you need it.
The Girl Who Survived by Lisa Jackson - It was okay.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Sunday, May 12, 2024 - 10:38 am
Hecka - sorry, I was referring to Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Sunday, May 12, 2024 - 8:00 pm
No problem.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Monday, May 13, 2024 - 11:16 am
I recently read and loved three mystery/thrillers that were so worth the time.
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth. Three foster sisters are summoned back to the foster home that traumatized them their entire lives. A body is found underneath when it is being torn down.
Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra. A woman sees a man in her house and tries everything to save her and her children. It is claustrophobic and makes you wonder what's real or imagined.
The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean. A missing girl walks back home after being gone for two years. The officer in charge of her case suspects something else going on. Her sister died years ago after being missing for two days so she struggles with it. Other missing girls hold a key to the answers.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Friday, May 17, 2024 - 5:17 pm
I finished another Dollar General book that I normally would not read at all. Killers by Howie Carr. Made me think of like a book about the mob (Mafia). It was okay. Not my type of book at all.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Saturday, May 25, 2024 - 1:37 pm
Updated books (things have slowed down this month as I've not been driving back and forth to rehearsals)
AUDIO BOOKS
The Blackhouse
Honey and Spice (Bolu Babalola)
First Grave on the Right (Darynda Jones)
The Wire in the Blood (Val McDermid) - current read.
KINDLE BOOKS
This Could Be Us (Kennedy Ryan)
Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing (Allison Winn Scotch)
Prophet Song (Paul Lynch) - current read - trying again now that I'm not crazy busy and have time to read}
DEAD TREE BOOK
Funny Story by Emily Henry
I enjoyed all of them, though I found Cleo McDougal just average. It had a similar theme to The Rewind but felt more preachy too often for this genre.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - 4:33 pm
Just finished "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver. It was very good. I had read another book by her years ago, but couldn't remember the name. It was good, too, from what I remember. Wish I could remember the name.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Thursday, May 30, 2024 - 9:18 am
I enjoy reading everyone’s reviews and I’m going to try to post more of my own.
I decided to read The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin after seeing the first episode of the TV series. The author is Chinese and it was translated to English and has received considerable acclaim.
I enjoy hard science fiction with lots of science and this book has a lot of science as part of the story. The plot, which involves scientists encountering concerning and inexplicable phenomena that suddenly makes their physics experiments inconsistent and effectively meaningless and inexplicable as a result, had the potential to be very interesting.
However, it was incredibly slow developing, with many tangents that didn’t move the story forward. Furthermore, all of the characters were both unlikeable and uninteresting. I can’t recommend this one.
I may give the TV series another chance to see what they made of it.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Friday, June 07, 2024 - 8:41 pm
Finished "The Unwilling" by Kelly Baffett. It was really good. I found out at the end of the book why it got glowing reviews from Stephen King. Turns out she's his daughter-in-law. In the acknowledgements, she praised her husband, Owen King, Stephen King's son. I may read the second book in the series soon, if I can find it. "The Broken Tower".
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Friday, June 07, 2024 - 9:15 pm
Hey, Hecka, this is really weird - I rarely read in this thread, but I sometimes see the lead-ins as I pass by to some other topic, and I saw a day or so ago that you had read Demon Copperhead, and I recently read that. Now tonight I see you finished "The Unwilling" so I came into the thread, as I am reading that title NOW. Except the one I am reading is by John Hart. Weird coincidence, eh?
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Sunday, June 09, 2024 - 11:11 am
That is weird. It's probably a different book. It's actually "The Unwilling: The Barrier Lands." It's a series of books. The first book was only $1.99 on Kindle. The second book is closer to $15. I'll try to find it cheaper somewhere. Already checked the library. They don't have it.
How did you like Demon Copperhead? I thought it was good.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Tuesday, June 11, 2024 - 6:35 pm
Hecka - by any chance was the other book The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver? I LOVE that book (about a fanatical preacher who takes his wife & 4 daughters to the Congo) and taught it for years to my seniors. It's one of her more popular ones. Others include The Lacuna (about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera), Flight Behavior, Unsheltered and the Bean Trees.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Friday, June 14, 2024 - 6:02 pm
Teach, I think you are probably right about it being The Poisonwood Bible. It was many, many years ago (that's why I can't remember),but does sound somewhat familiar. Maybe I'll try a re-read? Thanks!
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Friday, June 14, 2024 - 6:06 pm
I finished "All together Dead" by Charlaine Harris. I am aware she's written many in that series. This is the first and only one I read so far. Found it at the local Dollar General, too.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Friday, June 14, 2024 - 6:07 pm
If you ever want to talk Poisonwood Bible, I'm your gal! I love its structure, the multiple voices used, the one voice NOT used, the characters, the history - LOVE IT ALL!
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Wednesday, June 19, 2024 - 10:59 am
Finished another Dollar General book. This one was one of the more typical reads. They call it a "cozy" book. Involves a little bit of a murder mystery, cooking with recipes at the end of the book. And animals "a pet rescue". "A Killer Edition" by Lorna Barrett. It was pretty good.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Wednesday, June 19, 2024 - 7:55 pm
I started reading The Poisonwood Bible. It does not sound familair at all. I don't think I've ever read it. But I am enjoying it so far. I will finish it, I'm sure. I think whatever other book I read years ago was probably totally different. Not even the same author.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Thursday, June 20, 2024 - 10:11 am
I love Barbara Kingsolver. Back in the day I read Animal Dreams, The Bean Tree, Prodigal Summer, High Tide in Tuscan and of course, Poisonwood Bible. I keep checking out Demon Copperhead and then I do not get to it before it's due back. I need to make that a priority before summer is over.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Thursday, June 20, 2024 - 4:23 pm
I wish I could remember whatever the other book was. I am enjoying The Poisonwood Bible very much so far. I'm finding it quite amusing. My cat has been sitting in my lap and looking at me like what's so funny?
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