August! What are you reading?

[Rowan]

I finished The Nest this weekend. I really liked it. Thumbs up.

I have the newest Liane Moriarty in my grubby little hands and will start it shortly. Hope it doesn't disappoint!

[Spudd]

I finished "A Window Opens" and enjoyed it. It was pretty anti-corporate so I was into that aspect of it.

Now I've started "Keepsake" by Kristina Riggle. I don't remember where I got the recommendation for it. I'm only like 6% into it so far, but I'm enjoying it. It's about a hoarder who's told she needs to clean up or her kids might be taken from her.

[Sílvia]

I should probably warn you all that I thought Truly Madly Guilty was a little slow at first. It did pick up and I ended up loving it, hence the 5-star review, but it's more like a 4.5.

Still reading Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner. I like it so far.

[mellenhead]

I finished Underground Airlines by Ben Winters. It was ok. I wanted to like it more than I did.

I started the newest Liane Moriarty, Truly Madly Guilty yesterday. Good so far!

[Sílvia]

Blush, I'm glad you liked After You. Weren't you skeptical before you started? I was. I thought a sequel was a terrible idea, but I ended up loving it. Of course nothing she could possibly write would have the emotional impact of Me Before You, but it was a lovely sequel.

Remember my online friend with whom I started a book club/partnership thing? She sent me SIX books! I was afraid she'd never do her part of the deal and I'd lose my beloved books, but I was so wrong. They are: Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee, Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper (YA?), The Sweetness of Tears by Nafisa Haji, Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington, Bird by Crystal Chan and The Centaur in the Garden by Moacyr Scliar (Brazilian). They all look up my alley with the exception of Coetzee and the Brazilian. We'll see.

[Bugsy]

Ah, too bad about Underground Airlines, Mellenhead. That's disappointing.

I finished "The Jesus Cow" and gave it 2 stars. It was just an odd book, like it didn't quite know what it wanted to be. From the Goodreads reviews this is not as good as his others. Oh well.

I'm now a few chapters into "A Jest of God," by Margaret Laurence.

[Rowan]

Finished Truly Madly Guilty last night. I agree with Syl that it started out slow. I did really like it and found myself trying to carve out time to read since I wanted to find out what happened next or prior for that matter.

I have a book in the car - the new Megan Abbott?

[Sílvia]

Finished Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner. I liked it. I almost always like her books, but never really love them. She's a solid 3-star author for me. Which is more than I can say about most.

Then I started Sure Signs of Crazy that my friend sent me. I don't like it. Not sure I'll finish it.

Ro, which Megan Abotts have you read? Do you like her? Her name keeps popping up.

[Rowan]

Syl, I've only read Dare Me which was only a 2.5 star. This new one has a lot of buzz and there's a bazillion holds on it -- so we'll see.

[Sílvia]

Thanks!

[Sílvia]

Did finish Sure Signs of Crazy. It was short. And boring. It was about a 12-year-old girl whose mother was in a mental institution for killing her brother and trying to kill her too when they were 2. Pretty much nothing happens. There's almost no plot and the girl is super precocious, which always annoys me.

Then I read Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee (sp?) OMG, it was awful. Well-written and overall readable, so I gave it 2 stars, but the main character is horribly cynical and the book is super violent and depressing. I can't believe this was a Man Booker prize winner and apparently a Nobel prize winner too?

So having my friend pick books for me isn't going so well I think I'll read The Perfect Neighbors by Sarah Pekkanen. Chosen by myself, thank you very much.

[mellenhead]

I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion but I didn't really love Truly Madly Guilty. I kind of feel like she peaked with Big Little Lies. It wasn't bad but it was sloooowwwww. And I there were just some things that annoyed me.

Next up is the new Megan Abbott book, You Will Know Me. I've read Dare Me and The Fever by her and really like them. I agree Rowan, lots of buzz on this one.

[Spudd]

Ugh, I made a typo and lost my post. I hate when that happens. Anyway, here we go again.

I put Pretty Girls on hold at the library on your recommendation, Blush.

Yesterday I finished 2 books:
- Vermilion by Molly Tanzer on audiobook. It's a weird book, but I enjoyed it quite well. Steampunk kind of.
- Keepsake by Kristina Riggles. This was about a hoarder who was told she had to clean up or her kid would be taken away. It was good, nice summer reading. Not too heavy.

On audiobook I started Eternal Eden by Nicole someone, it seems to be a college romance book so far. I got it randomly from Overdrive without anyone's recommendation, so I have only myself and Overdrive to blame if it sucks.

And on actual book, I can't remember. I'll update later if it comes to me.

[Sílvia]

Too much as in children and puppies being murdered, or in women being beaten/raped?

[Sílvia]

Is it anything like The Never List? Because that one was a bit much for me.

[Sílvia]

Ok, thanks!

[Bugsy]

I marked that as something I'd like to read as well, but eek it sounds like something you've just got to be in the mood for. Or at least the right mindset.

Finished "A Jest of God" over the weekend (so good; I am really enjoying rereading this series) and have started "As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto," by Joan Reardon. It's pretty good so far but a bit dry. I thought there'd be more discussion of actual recipes and cooking techniques, but so far much of the correspondence has been about the process of finding a publisher. Hopefully it'll pick up a bit.

[mellenhead]

Finished You Will Know Me by Megan Abott. It was good! I thought I had the one twist figured out but thought wrong.

Started Pretty Girls today. Thanks for the recommendation Blush!

[Sílvia]

Finished The Perfect Neighbors by Sarah Pekkanen (sp?). Reviews said she was similar to Liane Moriarty. Yeah, she wishes. Same themes, maybe, but the mystery was not mysterious at all, the intrigue was not juicy. It was readable, though. 2.5 stars.

Then I started Broken Harbour by Tana French. I hope I'll like this. I liked In the Woods and Faithful Place, but thought The Likeness was super boring. Her books are much more psychological dramas about her detectives than about the mysteries they're trying to solve, which can work or not for me.

I'm also reading a Brazilian nonfiction (history) which is a lot more interesting than I expected. It's about how the Portuguese royal court fled Lisbon and came to Brazil in 1808 to escape Napoleon. We learn about that at school, obviously, but the book's much more detailed and more fun.

[mellenhead]

Finished Pretty Girls today. It was good but intense!

I think a mindless read is due after that one so Sarong Party Girls by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan is probably up next.