kahblue
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2008
Would you recommend any of them?
I really enjoyed Florence Gordon, by Brian Morton and The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein.
Would you recommend any of them?
Yes, my mom is the librarian at my daughter's school, so she always reads her battle books. She's more than half way done with her book list for that.I take it you guys live in Florida as well
1/50: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved learning about the story behind HeLa cells, and was appalled at how hard her family had to fight to even fully know the whole story. I think I was more shocked to learn just how easy something like this could happen.
2. Sycamore Row by John Grisham
From Goodreads: Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten, will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County's most notorious citizens, just three years earlier.
The second will raises far more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as Sycamore Row?
I really liked this. A lot of people rated it low because it is pretty much a court room procedural but there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. This gets 4 stars from me.
#4/50 - Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter. I think this is the first Karin Slaughter book I ever read and chose to do so because this one had a very high rating on some other sites I've looked at.
Not sure I'd recommend this. It is a very good "crime" fiction book. Typical violent psychopath serial killer that has everyone fooled up against a woman (women) that seem to end up being superheroes. The story was convoluted and good. The violence was a bit too graphic for me. Overall reminds me of Lisa Gardner books as well as some others I can't think of now.
If you like that sort of thing, you will probably enjoy this book. Not overly my cup of tea though.
Now that the holidays are over and very few days off now, my reading has gone back to a snail's pace apparently. Thank goodness for the MLK holiday today or I still wouldn't be finished. Even had to put off Downton and Shameless to get through this.
Next up: Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart. Lots of good reviews on this one.
This sounds fascinating--I think I will look for this one.1/50: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved learning about the story behind HeLa cells, and was appalled at how hard her family had to fight to even fully know the whole story. I think I was more shocked to learn just how easy something like this could happen.
It is really good - one of my favorite non-fiction. The one thing I would say to people who haven't read it is that there is a glossary in back. I was reading it on Kindle and didn't realize it until the end. The glossary would have been very helpful!This sounds fascinating--I think I will look for this one.
It is really good - one of my favorite non-fiction. The one thing I would say to people who haven't read it is that there is a glossary in back. I was reading it on Kindle and didn't realize it until the end. The glossary would have been very helpful!
4/12
Fortunately, the Milk
So the dad goes to get some milk and on the way home he meets all these made up people like vampires and pirates
I've finished a couple more! I read Troublemaker by Leah Remini. I loved it! I found her life very interesting. I finished Balancing it All by Candace Cameron Bure. I really like her style of writing and enjoyed this book. Now I'm reading Consent by Nancy Ohlin, about a girl who gets into a relationship with her music teacher. I'm only about 80 pages in, but am really liking it so far!
Another book finished! "The Hundred Foot Journey" by Richard C. Morais. I have wanted to see the movie, and when I saw the title in the library I picked it up on a whim. I really enjoyed it! From Goodreads: "Born above his grandfather’s modest restaurant in Mumbai, Hassan first experienced life through intoxicating whiffs of spicy fish curry, trips to the local markets, and gourmet outings with his mother. But when tragedy pushes the family out of India, they console themselves by eating their way around the world, eventually settling in Lumière, a small village in the French Alps."
The book follows Hassan's journey from an immigrant in his father's kitchen to a celebrated French chef. I loved most of the characters, but it was the description of the food and cooking that really got me!
Trudging thru 'Bad Country' right now as library was closed for holiday, but I will sure be at their doors when they open tomorrow morning, lol. I have a couple in transit but if they are not in I'll find something.
5/60 - The Proposal by Mary Balogh: First book in the Survivor's Club series. The beginning is slow and awkward as everyone is introduced and explained how they came to be a part of the Survivors Club. There were a few moments where I thought, was there another book I should have read before this? because it seemed like a very awkward place to start a brand new series that was not an offshoot of something else. One annoying thing is that Balogh name checks a ton of characters from other books, which is neat if you've read her previous books, but otherwise just becomes a slog of names of random people. It got much better towards the end and now that the "world-building" is complete I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. In general I enjoy Balogh as she takes the time to build up the characters and I'm invested enough in them to care that they all get their HEA.
6/60 - I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson: The over-the-top prose from Noah's POV was hard for me to get through at first, but I got used to it after a while and realize it's part of who he is as this unbelievably creative and artistic kid. The book got much more interesting to me in the second half, as I saw how all these characters were going to intertwine with each other. The ending was just a little too tidy and everything came together just a little too quickly, but overall I quite liked this book.
1/50: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved learning about the story behind HeLa cells, and was appalled at how hard her family had to fight to even fully know the whole story. I think I was more shocked to learn just how easy something like this could happen.
2. Sycamore Row by John Grisham
From Goodreads: Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten, will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County's most notorious citizens, just three years earlier.
The second will raises far more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as Sycamore Row?
I really liked this. A lot of people rated it low because it is pretty much a court room procedural but there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. This gets 4 stars from me.
Just finished 6/200 "A Just and Generous Nation: Abraham Lincoln and the fight for economic freedom" by Harold Holzer and Norton Gardener.
I am a freak about Lincoln/the Civil War so I've read a ton of books on those subjects and this was just meh to me. The part actually about Lincoln was very basic and the part about presidents after him was boring.
Finished #3 At the Water's Edge by Sarah Gruen
I LOVED this book! I think I liked her other book, Water for Elephants, better, but still, this was a fantastic read! In fact, I read the entire book over the weekend (that RARELY happens for me).
Finally finished a book!
6/100 Dreaming Death by J. Kathleen Cheney. 3/5 stars. Had a hard time getting into this because I did not like two of the characters. One of them remained unbearable, and I cringed every time he was in a scene. This is a fantasy with mystery elements. Mikael keeps dreaming of other people's deaths, and because he broadcasts his thoughts so loudly, all of the sensitives in town share his dreams. Shironne is a touch sensitive; she is able to read others' thoughts and feelings with a touch. She can even read the thoughts of dead people, so she's been helping the army solve murder cases. When a string of blood sacrifices leave a steadily growing number of corpses around the city, Shironne and Mikael are desperate to locate the killers. Mikael dreams of the deaths, and Shironne gathers clues from the bodies as they hunt the criminals before they kill again.
The magic system was interesting, but the world building was confusing. i still don't really understand the difference between the Houses and the Families, but maybe that will be made more clear in the next book? I still can't stand Kai, the heir to the throne, and worry about the city if he ever is made king. He's ruled completely by his jealousy and feelings of inadequacy, and that does not bode well for his rule. Ugh.
Next up is Crossbones, a zombie novel. Yay!
3/80 Love Letters: A Rose Harbor Inn novel by Debbie Macomber. This is book three of this series.
Ellie travels to Rose Harbor to meet a man she's been writing to, but he reveals a secret that makes her question their relationship.
Maggie and her husband have grown apart. Can a love letter from long ago help them to find the spark they have lost?
And Jo Marie finds the courage to revisit the last letter her husband sent her before he was killed in Afghanistan and for the first time is able to see the future ahead of her.
Once again the Rose Harbor Inn proves to be a place of comfort and healing as the women find that these letters could change the courses of their lives forever.
I enjoy reading Debbie Macomber books. I enjoyed this one also.
Glynis, that first book sounds really interesting - very uplifting, I would imagine.
I have your total at 6 now, is that right?