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December! What are you reading?

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 8:22 am
by Rowan
I'm reading What to Say Next a YA from Julie Buxbaum. It's fine. Not earth shattering. Writing about autism seems to be in these days.

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2017 10:47 pm
by Blush
I finished Today will be different by Maria Semple. It started out promisingly but then my interest faded during the flashbacks. It was fine.

Then I started Collected Tarts and other Indelicacies by Tabatha Southey. She's a columnist in Canada and it's a collection of columns.

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 9:35 am
by Spudd
I finished "Salt, Sugar, Fat" which was really interesting, actually. It's not exactly a page-turner but it's good.

Then I started "One Second After" which is a post-apocalyptic novel about an EMP weapon striking the US. It's good so far, but it has a self-published vibe about it - e.g. he keeps saying "would of" which is driving me insane. I googled it and it doesn't seem to actually be self-published, but if not, then WTF was his editor doing?

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:04 pm
by Blush
I finished Collected Tarts (pretty quickly because I had read many of the columns already). Next is Under The Influence by Joyce Maynard.

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2017 10:31 am
by mellenhead
Future Home of the Living God by Louis Erdrich was too weird for me so I gave up halfway.

I'm about 3/4 of the way through Heat & Light by Jennifer Haigh. It's really good.

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2017 2:23 pm
by Rowan
I love Jennifer Haigh

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 9:08 am
by mellenhead
Rowan wrote:I love Jennifer Haigh
This is my first time reading her - I was hoping she had written other books.

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 5:16 pm
by Blush
I finished Under The Influence by Joyce Maynard. It was fine; a little repetitive and the start seemed a bit implausible, but it was ok.

Next is Ghostwritten by Isabel Wolff.

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 4:52 am
by Sílvia
Sorry you didn't like Under the Influence more, Blush. I really enjoyed it. What did you think was implausible? I thought the mc was too gullible/too much of a wimp in her relationship with her rich friends, but given how little love she'd received all her life, I accepted it.

Finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets last night. The rest of humankind was right, these books ARE fun! Funny, I started this and Sophie Kinsella's My Not So Perfect Life at the same time, thinking I'd be bored by Harry Potter and would need some adult reading while trying to finish it. Well, guess what? I'm struggling at 75% of the Kinsella and finished HP and started the next one in the series. Huh. Who would have thought that? I only started Harry Potter because I wanted to motivate Leo to read it. I never thought I'd actually enjoy it! (btw, Leo finally, FINALLY agreed to give the first HP a try last night. He kept saying it's not his thing. I told him I didn't think it would be mine, either, but I was enjoying it. Also told him he could give up if he wasn't enjoying it, but to at least give it a few pages. He was on page 41 (of the tiniest print he's ever read!) before I fell asleep. I hope he continues!)

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 8:21 am
by Blush
I just thought it was weird that she fell into "friendship" with them so quickly. One page she's passing apps at a party, next page she has a key to their house (it felt like that to me).

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 11:52 am
by Sílvia
Yeah, I agree. But she was desperately needy and they were using her. Oh well, it worked for me.

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 9:16 pm
by Blush
I finished Ghostwritten by Isabel Wolfe. It was pretty good.

Next up is My Husband's Wife by Jane Corry.

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 9:55 am
by mellenhead
Finished Heat & Light - really enjoyed it.

Read The Dogs of Littlefield. Eh. It tried way too hard.

I need to make a trip to the library today.

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 10:08 am
by Rowan
mellen, not sure how we line up with liking/hating books but I generally do well with your recommendations. Here are my Haigh ratings.

Honestly I can't remember the last time I scored a 4.5. Haha.

4 Mrs Kimble Jennifer Haigh 2008
4.5 The Condition Jennifer Haigh 2008
4 Faith Jennifer Haigh 2011
4.0 Heat and Light Jennifer Haigh 2016

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 6:01 am
by Sílvia
Finished My (not so perfect) Life. Total waste of time. There was one funny scene in the whole book and the premise just didn't hold enough drama for my taste. Poor girl in her 20s has boss from hell and loses crappy job in marketing. Yawn.

Then I read The Grown-up by Gillian Flynn. It's a short story. I liked it, but then it was over. I don't get the appeal of short stories. They always seem like beginnings of longer books to me.

Then I read Hate List by Jennifer Brown. Hated it. I really, really should stop reading books I don't like until the 20% mark or so. They never get better.

I'm reading the third Harry Potter but so far I'm finding it slow :crystal

Also started Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin last night. It seemed cute. I hope I like it. I need a good book.

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 9:40 pm
by Blush
I finished My Husband's Wife. It was a bit odd. What really put me off was that there was a young girl who I thought (due to her narration) was 5 or 6 and she turned out to be 10. It was like the author had no idea what it was like to be 10, or she was very babied herself.

Now I have The Break by Marian Keyes. It's long but I bet it won't take too long.

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2017 1:02 pm
by Blush
I finished the Marian Keyes book. It was as good as her others, parts were funny, others heartbreaking.

Next is a new Lesley Pearse book called The Woman in the Wood.

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2017 10:37 pm
by mellenhead
Unbelievable: My front row seat to the craziest campaign in American History by Katy Tur - really good even though it’s like reliving the whole Trump getting elected nightmare.

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2017 11:29 am
by Rowan
Here's one I recently liked: The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock. It's YA and takes place in early Alaska which is cool. The end was a little confusing but I really liked it.

Not sure what's next on the pile. The pile is high but not very enticing if that makes any sense.

Re: December! What are you reading?

Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 10:14 am
by mellenhead
Rowan, I hate that feeling when you have a bunch of books but no burning desire to read at least one of them.

I started Artemis by Andy Weir last night. Really liking it so far.