It's August - what are you reading?

[Rowan]

New thread!

I've had some good ones recently.

One Summer by David Baldacci. He usually does thriller type novels but this is more character/family/drama driven. I really enjoyed it.

Creep by Jennifer Hillier. Nice scary murder thriller. Her debut and she did a nice job with it. 2 thumbs up.

[mellenhead]

Rowan, I really enjoyed One Summer as well. Loved how well developed the characters were.

I've finished a few books recently:

Blowback by Brad Thor - totally enjoyed it - I was trying to get through all his "Scot Harvath" novels before the new one, Full Black , came out, but it didn't happen as I picked it up last night. On another note, I "liked" Brad Thor on Facebook because he seemed really active with his fans and found out he is SUPER political and LOVES Glenn Beck. Kind of made me love him a little less.

Transition - The Story of How I Became a Man by Chaz Bono - I really liked his special that was on OWN a few months ago so I picked up his book thinking there would be some new info but there really wasn't.

Then Came You - Jennifer Weiner. Eh. It was ok. Her books are getting a little far fetched and not in a good way.

Last night at the library I picked up:

Full Black by Brad Thor
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
Next to Love by Ellen Feldman
License to Pawn by Rick Harrison
Thick as Theives by peter Spiegelam

I have no idea what to read next!

[Blush]

On the weekend I read a Cathy Kelly book; it was unremarkable and I forget the name.

Then I read Shania Twain's memoir, "From This Moment On", which I finished in a day. It was great.

Now I'm reading Kate Morton's "The Distant Hours". I'm trying to finish it before we leave on Saturday but it's huge. We'll see. So far it's intriguing. I have not read any of Kate Morton's other books; people are saying they don't like this one as much.

[Bugsy]

A week or two ago I finally finished the Stieg Larsson trilogy. Loved the first book, but the second and third didn't thrill me too much. I think he made them way more complex than he needed to to make his point and write an interesting story. Glad I read them, but they could have been shorter.

Last night I started "The Scalpel and the Butterfly," which is nonfiction about animal research. After the long trilogy saga, it might be too heavy for me right now. I just reserved "The Boy Detective Fails," which a study participant at work recommended. We'll see.

[Rowan]

Mellen, about half of what you picked up at the library I have on my list of holds at the library. Too funny!

I started Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante last night. Its the story of a 60 something doctor who has dementia and is accused of murdering her best friend. It's written from her point of view which is very interesting. I've read a couple Alzheimer fiction type books and while they are interesting, they are also terrifying.

We're on vacation next week so need to go pick up another stack of books tonight so that I don't run out.

[mellenhead]

License to Pawn by Rick Harrison was actually a really decent read!! This by the guy on Pawn Stars, which is a show I really like but I'm never to sure about the books and stuff that come out after a show like this is popular. Anyway, lots of behind the scenes stuff and really funny stories about the shop and customers.

Next to Love by Ellen Feldman - excellent book. It's about 3 women who get married right before their husbands are sent to fight in WWII and follows their lives into their childrens adulthood. Well written and very sad in places.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett is up next.

[Blush]

I finished the Kate Morton book before I left on holiday and I loved it. I will have to look for her others.

On holiday I took Freya North's "Chances". It was a good beach read. Then I read "Sea Glass" by Anita Shreve, which dealt with the start of the Great Depression. I loved it.

I had other books but I was tempted by the selection in the towel hut, where guests can borrow and leave books behind. I read another Anita Shreve, "Strange Fits of Passion". I finished it in a day, it was so good. It was pretty old, though. Then I took that back and found another Freya North, "Pillow Talk". It was also good but when you read two of hers close together you realize she sticks to a formula.

Now I'm reading "To the Moon and Back" by Jill Mansell. A lot happens in the first few pages so my hopes are raised.

[mellenhead]

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett - I loved this book. Couldn't put it down.

Maine by J Courtney Sullivan - I enjoyed this but man it was LONG and I wasn't crazy about the ending.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Randsom Riggs - LOVED IT. Read it in a day. The books also has snapshots in it that work really well with the story. Can't recommend it enough.

[Sílvia]

I finished The Girl who fell from the Sky and was very unimpressed. Way too much tragedy, way too little plot, annoying writing style. Completely forgettable. And it had one of my biggest pet peeves in foreign (to me) literature: misinformation about Brazil. One of the characters tells the protagonist (biracial, black/white) that she should live in Brazil because "everybody there is a mulatto". Um, no. Yes, there are a LOT of mixed race people here, not just black and white, but black and Indian, Asian and white, Asian and black, you name it. Not EVERYBODY is black/white. And btw, that word "mulatto" is a huge no-no, isn't it? I guess it was ok at that time in the story. Anyway. That's like saying everybody in the US is blond. It's just incorrect. If you wanna write about a country you know nothing about, do your homework and get at least the basics right.

Now I'm reading Juliet by Anne Fortier and I'm liking it a lot! I mean, part of it. Part of the book is set in Italy in 1340-1370 and is supposedly about a couple who inspired Shakespeare to write Romeo and Juliet. This part is great. The other part is set in the present and is about a girl supposedly related to that original Juliet. This part is a little silly and unbelievable, but overall I'm enjoying the book.

[mellenhead]

Sil, I liked Juliet! I agree the modern day tale is a bit far fetched though.

I finished The Ledge - An Adventure Story of Friendship & Survival on Mount Rainier by Jim Davidson - true story about two climbers that fall into a crevasse on Mount Rainier. The story is interesting and sad but the writing is just so so. Books like this I tend to kind of skim.

Up next is The Submission - I'm blanking on the authoer.

[Blush]

I finished the Jill Mansell and it was quite good. Tidy ending.

Next up is Rob Lowe's book.

[Malanee]

The girl who chased the moon : a novel / Sarah Addison Allen. - fun book, great author
The snowman / Jo Nesbo ; translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett. - SCARY
The psychopath test : a journey through the madness industry / Jon Ronson. Must read

Gift/James Patterson - hated it
Pale Demon by Kim Harrison - great rollicking fun for adults with a vampire fetish
On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins and Sandra Blakeslee - best book I've read in a while, not easy to read but worth it
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher -Stunning, heartbreaking, different, highly recommend

[Malanee]

A week or two ago I finally finished the Stieg Larsson trilogy. Loved the first book, but the second and third didn't thrill me too much. I think he made them way more complex than he needed to to make his point and write an interesting story. Glad I read them, but they could have been shorter.

Last night I started "The Scalpel and the Butterfly," which is nonfiction about animal research. After the long trilogy saga, it might be too heavy for me right now. I just reserved "The Boy Detective Fails," which a study participant at work recommended. We'll see.

If you like Stieg Larsson, try The snowman / Jo Nesbo - but I warn you - it is scary!!!

[mellenhead]

I ended up reading The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollack. Good book. Totally depressing, horrifying and scary as well. Definitely not a light read but very real characters.

[Blush]

I am (a bit surprisingly) really enjoying the Rob Lowe book. I never really paid much attention to him but his story is interesting.