Talk Healthy

Annie, I'll check it out some reviews. I have to admit those types of books aren't really my thing. I think I'm too cynical.

I'm loving The Dinner. It's a bit of Gone Girl with a dash of Stewart O'Nan type writing. Hopefully the ending isn't a let down. I'm saving it for tonight!

I'm cynical too, Mellen, but I loved it (even though I'd read most of the columns online already).

Just finished "Bernadette" but two things.

1. The library book was missing the 2 pages right before the last page! It had everything up to there, and then instead of 324 and 325, it had 224 and 225! What a nightmare. Luckily Kenneth has ways of getting things online so he grabbed the digital version for me so I could read it. I will have to tell them when I return it. Imagine if you couldn't get the digital version!
2. I felt like the ending didn't make very much sense. Will start another thread maybe to discuss.

I finished The Dinner and totally enjoyed it. Would recommend it if you liked Gone Girl. I might have to seek out some of the author's other books.

Now onto the The Painted Girls - historial fiction set in Paris, 1878.

Edited to Add:

Finished The Painted Girls. So so good. It's based on the true story of the van Goethem sisters, the artist Degas and the supposed glamour of the Parisian Ballet.

Next up: The Autobiography of Us

After a series of bad books, I think I'm finally on to something now: Wild Swans - Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang. It was released about 20 years ago and apparently there was a lot of hype about it at the time. It's the story of the author's grandmother, her mother and herself with a historical/political background. It moves fast and is very interesting, if you're into that kind of reading. I've had to google stuff a couple of times already because I know nothing about their history, but if you like family sagas, don't be lazy. It's worth it.

Aw but Syl...I'm sooooo lazy particularly when it comes to reading.

For those that liked Cinder...the second in the series is out....Scarlett. It's next on my pile to read.

I'm about 80% through listening to "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. It is fabulous so far. I haven't read such a unique and imaginative book in ages.

I'm also a few chapters through "The Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama. It's oldish, obviously, but it's decent.

"Where'd You Go, Bernadette?" came in at the library, so I need to go get it tomorrow. I'll probably put Obama's on hold so that I can finish this one quickly.

Silly Ro.... I meant don't be lazy to google stuff...

I finished "Always something there to remind me" by Elizabeth Harbison. It was good; her style reminds me of Emily Giffin.

There are a couple in for me at the library but I'm not sure if I'm going to risk taking them away with me. I have a couple of emergency paperbacks that I'm taking and I have books on my PlayBook.

Blush, I love that you have emergency paperbacks. I do too. I use them when I travel and just leave them about....

Started Scarlett (2nd in the Cinder/Lunar series). It's good. Unfortunately I've forgotten a lot of Cinder....

I finished "Boys Adrift" (non-fiction about development of boys in America today). Interesting stuff.

Now I'm starting "The Highly Sensitive Child" (self-explanatory) and probably "So Much For That" by Lionel Shriver.

Rowan wrote:Started Scarlett (2nd in the Cinder/Lunar series). It's good.

I went to the library last night because I got a notice Cinder and a few other books were on the hold shelf. I get there and it's not at my library but one like 1.5 hours away because I selected the wrong location when I added it to my hold list. I'm so annoyed with myself.

So now I have to add it again and wait. On the plus side, Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell *was* there and it's so good.

Still reading Scarlet. I don't have much time to read lately and that makes me

12. Banished: Survivng my Life in the Westboro Baptist Church by Lauren Drain

This lady almost made me feel for the damn church members. She was banished but her family is still there and wont' speak to her. They were some of the only non Phelps' in the church and her dad started out an atheist so it was kind of weird.

I did enjoy the book though.

Vampires in the Lemon Groves is SO SO good. It's by Karen Russell, who wrote Swamplandia!. I don't even like short stories and I loved this book. I'm actually still thinking about some of them. Highly recommended.

I tried to read the Autobiography of Us but it's not really grabbing me.

I'm now halfway through When did I get like this? The screamer, the worrier, the dinosaur-chicken-nugget buyer and other moms I swore I'd never be by Amy Wilson. It's pretty funny.

mellen, I didn't like Swamplandia. Maybe the only person on the planet. Do you think that's a prerequisite to Lemon Groves?

Finished Scarlett at lunch today. It took a bit to get into this one (about halfway) but I did enjoy it. Did a little digging Book 3 is Cress (Rumpelstiltskin) and Book 4 Winter (Snow White). M guess that Winter was about Snow White...never even occurred to me!

Not sure what's next. Reading has been so slow lately....

I finished listening to "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern--really liked this. I read some online criticism that she broke the cardinal writing rule of "show don't tell," and I guess that is true...but it was still such an inventive idea for a novel that I really liked it a lot. Great book.

And I also just finished "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?" and didn't much care for it. It was all right but just didn't seem to make a lot of sense at the end, and it seemed like it finished before it should have too. So many book endings are disappointments.

Rowan, no I don't think so. I loved her writing in these stories. Whimsical, yet creepy, haunting but refreshing....definitely off the beaten path. There are quite a few of the stories that I just keep turning over in my mind.

The only things I read on holiday were A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve (good; I like her writing as it feels clean), and one by Jenny Colgan. It was fluffy brit chick-lit, but amusing. I can't remember the name.

I have a Terry Fallis book for the airport and plane.