May! What are you reading?

Moderator: Malanee

Rowan
Stinky Ho Zat Changed Zeh Channel
Posts: 7356
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 2:03 pm

May! What are you reading?

Post by Rowan »

I have Hausfrau in my bag.

I read The Selection yesterday at LAX practice. I liked it enough to get the next in series.
Blush
TH Master
Posts: 23181
Joined: Tue May 03, 2005 12:43 pm
Location: Lake Huron Shoreline, Ontario, Canada

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Blush »

I just finished the Sheila O'Flanagan book (Caroline's sister). It was just ok.

Now I'm back to library books, the first of which is The Furies.
Rowan
Stinky Ho Zat Changed Zeh Channel
Posts: 7356
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 2:03 pm

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Rowan »

I finished Hausfrau and liked it. What is it about the recent thing of writing about characters you hate? Not even love to hate but just hate.

I'm on the 3rd book of the Selection series. Total fluff but I'm liking it. I've read The Selection, The Elite and now The One. I'm considering this research as I'd love to write a YA series.
mellenhead
Shoulder Eater
Posts: 6110
Joined: Wed May 04, 2005 1:35 pm
Location: Pittsburgh

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by mellenhead »

I have been in a major reading rut. Tried to start a couple different books and just couldn't get into anything.

I did finish up the audiobook of The True Meaning of Smekday. So so good. The narrator was fantastic. Not sure I would have enjoyed the print version as much.
User avatar
Sílvia
Trophy Wife
Posts: 13749
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 4:44 pm
Location: São Paulo, Brazil

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Sílvia »

Mellen, so have I. Maybe we should tell each other what we're not liking amd make each other happy :lol

Still slogging through The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. I'm 52% in after ONE week, and now things finally seem to be picking up. I only persisted with this because I loved her 3 other novels and I do love her writing, even if the plot didn't seem to be going anywhere. But geez. Don't publishers use editors these days? And if so, what do they do all day? I'm becoming veerrry suspicious of books that are longer than 300-350 pages, as I feel most stories can be told in that many pages. Unless it's a family saga spanning generations.
Rowan
Stinky Ho Zat Changed Zeh Channel
Posts: 7356
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 2:03 pm

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Rowan »

mellen, read Small Mercies by Eddie Joyce.
Rowan
Stinky Ho Zat Changed Zeh Channel
Posts: 7356
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 2:03 pm

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Rowan »

Finished The One. The next in the series just came out and I'll get it when it is ready.

I read No Regrets from Jen Lancaster on the train yesterday. I still think she's funny but I just don't think she has the content for memoirs anymore.

I have a YA novel The Raft in my bag today.
Blush
TH Master
Posts: 23181
Joined: Tue May 03, 2005 12:43 pm
Location: Lake Huron Shoreline, Ontario, Canada

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Blush »

I finished The Furies at lunchtime. I'd recommend it.

Next up is Nine Days by Minerva Koenig. From Goodreads:
She's short, round, and pushing forty, but Julia Kalas is a damned good criminal. For 17 years she renovated historic California buildings as a laundry front for her husband's illegal arms business. Then the Aryan Brotherhood made her a widow, and witness protection shipped her off to the tiny town of Azula, Texas. Also known as the Middle of Nowhere.

The Lone Star sticks are lousy with vintage architecture begging to be rehabbed. Julia figures she'll pick up where she left off, but she's got a federal watchdog now: police chief Teresa Hallstedt, who is none too happy to have another felon in her jurisdiction. Teresa wants Julia where she can keep an eye on her, which turns out to be behind the bar at the local watering hole. The bar's owner, Hector Guerra, catches Julia's eye, so she takes the job. But before she can get to know him as well as she'd like, they find a dead body on the bar's roof.

The county sheriff begins trying to pin the murder on Hector for reasons that Julia discovers are both personal and nefarious. Unfortunately, the evidence cooperates, but Julia's finely-honed personal radar tells her Hector isn't a killer. She risks reconnecting with the outlaw underground to prove it and learns the hard way that she's not nearly as tough--or as right--as she thinks she is.

Nine Days, Koenig's debut, is atmospheric, gutsy and fun, and Julia Kalas is an intriguing new heroine in crime fiction.
User avatar
Sílvia
Trophy Wife
Posts: 13749
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 4:44 pm
Location: São Paulo, Brazil

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Sílvia »

Finally finished The Distant Hours. I loved the first 100 and the last 100 pages, but the middle 360 dragged and dragged. It had all the perfect ingredients for me: English setting, a crumbling castle, WW2, dual timeline, madness, several mysteries... it's a shame the middle was so slow. 3 stars.

Then I read the sample of Bird Box (post-apocalyptic horror story?). Everyone on every site was saying they couldn't put it down, but up to the point I read I was unimpressed. Haven't I read or watched something similar several times before? :headscratch More and more I get the impression that most people who post their opinions online are a good 15-20 years younger than me. Sigh.

Then I started a sample of a Brazilian that hasn't been translated into English, so no point in commenting.

ETA: decided to finish Bird Box after all. Funnily enough, the sample in Portuguese was a lot longer than the one in English. I downloaded it after finishing the English sample and did get hooked after a while.
Anna
TH Master
Posts: 23624
Joined: Thu May 05, 2005 4:21 pm
Location: close to the beach

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Anna »

I'm reading Neil Patrick Harris Choose your own autobiography.

It's a quick fun read that I imagine I will finish tonight.
User avatar
Bugsy
Noodles and Corn
Posts: 9042
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 6:28 pm

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Bugsy »

I finished "Bad Feminist" by Roxane Gay on the ride home this afternoon. I'd gotten partway through it a few months ago but didn't finish before it was due back. This was the first "feminist" writing I'd ever really read, and it was really great. I'll likely seek out more from her and/or others from this genre.

Then I am going to resume "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion," by Jonathan Haidt. I'm roughly 2/3 through it but had to put it down to finish Bad Feminist when it came in off my hold list.
Blush
TH Master
Posts: 23181
Joined: Tue May 03, 2005 12:43 pm
Location: Lake Huron Shoreline, Ontario, Canada

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Blush »

I finished Nine Days by Minerva Koenig. It was not great. At all.

Now I have The House at Riverton by Kate Morton. I stumbled on it at the library; I couldn't believe I hadn't read it yet.
User avatar
Spudd
TH Master
Posts: 17191
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2005 9:07 pm
Location: Small town Ontario
Contact:

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Spudd »

I read a ton of books on vacation.

My faves were:
The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan - total beach fluff book, but I liked it, and I didn't foresee everything that happened
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell - LOVED it
The Circle by Dave Eggers - I really liked this one too. I think it's a semi-accurate portrayal of the future and kinda scary.

Now I'm reading The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. It's a memoir. I'm enjoying it so far, but I'm not super far into it yet.
Rowan
Stinky Ho Zat Changed Zeh Channel
Posts: 7356
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 2:03 pm

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Rowan »

Spudd, I loved Beat the Reaper too. There's supposed to be a movie. There is also a 2nd book which I was so excited about but thought was just meh. YMMV though.

I read The Perfect Score project this weekend about a mom who wanted to help her son score well on SAT and she ended up taking the SAT 7 times in a year. It was interesting. Bottom line was that if you don't have a good foundation (for her it was math) then it is really hard to up your score no matter what you do however if you have a good foundation (for her verbal) there is the possibility to raise it a few hundred points. I should read it again in 6 years. :)

I'm reading The Children's Crusade by Ann Packer which is ok. It's interesting enough to continue but I don't love any one character which makes it a bit of a slog.
User avatar
Bugsy
Noodles and Corn
Posts: 9042
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 6:28 pm

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Bugsy »

This morning I finished "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion," by Jonathan Haidt. This was a really well-written book. Although it's a heavier subject matter and had some moments of dragging, it was one of the most "approachable" NF books I've read. And it absolutely has already made a difference in how I "see" the morality of "the other side." Interesting stuff.

Nothing new planned just yet, but that won't take long to change.
User avatar
Bugsy
Noodles and Corn
Posts: 9042
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 6:28 pm

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Bugsy »

Started "The Rosie Project" by Graeme C. Simsion this morning. It's...odd...so far. Fine, but odd.
Rowan
Stinky Ho Zat Changed Zeh Channel
Posts: 7356
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 2:03 pm

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Rowan »

I'm still reading The Children's Crusade. It's going so slow. Its fine but not gripping.

I have a nice stack for the weekend. Yum yum yum.
User avatar
Sílvia
Trophy Wife
Posts: 13749
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 4:44 pm
Location: São Paulo, Brazil

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Sílvia »

Finished Bird Box. It was ok. Gripping enough that I wanted to know how it would end, and an easy read, but nothing special.

Then I read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Overall I loved it, but it wasn't perfect. It's about Nazi occupied France during WW2, 2 sisters, one trying to survive and protect her family, the other joining the resistance. I'm not crazy about her writing, and there was a love story that left me cold, but in general it was a very good story. Never a dull moment for me.

Not sure what's next. I have samples of The Road, Middlesex, and something by Connie Willis, plus The Handmaid's Tale (thanks, Spudd), but right now my heart's still in Europe in 1945. I might read something else about WW2.
Blush
TH Master
Posts: 23181
Joined: Tue May 03, 2005 12:43 pm
Location: Lake Huron Shoreline, Ontario, Canada

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Blush »

I finished The House at Riverton last night. Really enjoyed it.

Next up is The Natural Order of Things by Kevin P. Keating.
User avatar
Spudd
TH Master
Posts: 17191
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2005 9:07 pm
Location: Small town Ontario
Contact:

Re: May! What are you reading?

Post by Spudd »

Silvia, have you read the Ken Follett book set in the war? Fall of Giants is WW1 and Winter of the World is WW2. I only read Fall of Giants but it was pretty decent. I was kinda disappointed it wasn't as good as that cathedral book by him... um... Pillars of the Earth.
Post Reply