Book Club

[ChynnaBlue]

I am about to start Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

I just finished Furiously Happy, by Jenny Lawson (AKA The Bloggess). Jenny Lawson isn't for everyone, but she's definitely for me. Furiously Happy made me laugh out loud in public on several occasions and on my own on many more. It was great to laugh so much after finishing Just Mercy, which frequently made me cry.

I am also reading Reality Bites: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV. by Jennifer L Pozner. This book confirms for me why I don't watch shows like The Bachelor, America's Next Top Model, or any of the Real Housewives show. 

[pateacher]

Reading Alice Hoffman's Illumination Night

Beginning on the night of the Grand Illumination, a festival of lanterns held each summer on Martha’s Vineyard, this novel is a modern chronicle of a marriage and a bittersweet exploration of an extraordinary passion. Illumination Night follows the lives of a young blond giant who is as beautiful as he is frightening; an old woman at the end of her life whose last mission is to save her granddaughter’s soul; a family torn apart by a wife’s fears and a husband’s unrealized desires—and the high school girl who comes to Martha’s Vineyard against her will, who steals husbands and cars, and who will bring everyone together in a web of yearning, sin, and ultimate redemption. Both riveting and reflective, this is a story of “parenthood and friendship, self-protection and generosity, dream and disillusionment” (Newsday) that brings to light the talent that has made Alice Hoffman an acclaimed bestselling author.

The Dovekeepers was my first Alice Hoffman book.  I've read most of her more recent works and have started to delve into the earlier ones.

Still waiting impatiently for 10/6 and Geraldine Brooks The Secret Chord.

[SusieQ_2]

I recently finished two books by the same author, Diane Chamberlain.

The first is The Silent Sister. It is about a young woman who spent her life thinking her older sister had committed suicide. While cleaning out her deceased father’s home she comes across evidence to the contrary. As she works to uncover the truth, she finds what she once believed about her family will be forever changed.

The second, Necessary Lies, is a story about the eugenics program in the U.S. The setting is 1960s North Carolina. It’s a story of a young woman who begins work as a social worker for poor families and finds herself involved in the very disturbing practice of involuntary sterilization. I’m embarrassed to say I had no idea this was taking place here in the U.S., much less as late as the 1970s. Both stories were excellent.

I 'm currently reading The Highway by CJ Box at the recommendation of a friend. So far it’s very good. His writing reminds a bit of Stephen King. Very suspenseful.

[mcbet]

I have just finished BETTYVILLE by George Hodgman, really enjoyed it and love the way he writes. Thank  all of you who wrote about it, otherwise I would have missed it. Now starting A SPOOL OF BLUE THREAD  by Anne Tyler, a favorite author.

[CANDLEQUEEN]

The Private Series by James Patterson. They are really good and easy reading!

[SparklesMcGee]

I just finished the latest in a great mystery series by Mary Marks, Gone But Knot Forgotten.  It was great!  A little grittier than a cozy mystery, but not a graphic thriller.  It also combines quilting and mystery, which has rekindled the crafter in me!  Now, I am reading When a Sot Ties the Knot, a historical romance by Tessa Dare, and Devoted in Death, the newest book by JD Robb.

[LoriLori]

Last night I finished "A Man Called Ove."  Well, not really.  I left two pages because I did not want it to end. 

Most books I give one, two, maybe three stars.  

This book is one of the best I have ever read in my life.  This book is flawless and it is perfect for  anyone with a human heart.  I cannot imagine anyone  disliking this book (and reading the one- and two-star reviews on Amazon bears that out as they seem to have utterly missed the point.)

To those who are reading it now, lucky you.  To those who aren't: get it, read it, treasure it, gift it, this remarkable book

A Man Called Ove

and even though it is a coincidence, because it's translated from Swedish, it's so fitting that you can't spell LOVE or NOVEL without OVE.

[Judaline]

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@LoriLori wrote:

Last night I finished "A Man Called Ove."  Well, not really.  I left two pages because I did not want it to end. 

Most books I give one, two, maybe three stars.  

This book is one of the best I have ever read in my life.  This book is flawless and it is perfect for  anyone with a human heart.  I cannot imagine anyone  disliking this book (and reading the one- and two-star reviews on Amazon bears that out as they seem to have utterly missed the point.)

To those who are reading it now, lucky you.  To those who aren't: get it, read it, treasure it, gift it, this remarkable book

A Man Called Ove

and even though it is a coincidence, because it's translated from Swedish, it's so fitting that you can't spell LOVE or NOVEL without OVE.

---

lori, would you say you liked the book? hahahaha Actually, I just started it. I must say I was a little surprised. I didn't know a thing about it when I started reading. I'm thinking, hey, wait a minute, this guy's just like me. Now I see how I am. There's a lesson to be learned here-in between laughs I'm trying to figure this guy out. I'm curious as to if (is that proper grammar??) the whole book is like the first three chapters. I did have tears streaming down my face when I read that he has a special box for anchor bolts for ceilings. He has every size and strength. Just so funny the way the author put it. I know people who would love this book, but they're gone now and I'm sorry. Anyway, looks like a quick read. I gave up the Louise Penny book to get this one which is going to go quickly. Oh, well, I got back on the list and I think she said I'm 194 on the list or something. No worries. I have others. Thanks, lori, this is a trip.

[LoriLori]

Jud,.I think I'm overthinking your question.  If you're asking what I think you are, the whole book is like the first three chapters.  I laughed and cried, I think most people do.  

And I just realized since my last post that you also can't spell LOVE NOVEL without OVE, haha.

[Judaline]

lori, is that what OVE stems from-does it ever tell us?