topic Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014 in Community Chat

What Are You Reading --- April 2014

lainey1 — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 19:28:53 GMT

This book thread is started on the first of each month.

Some suggestions for posting here:

~ underline, bold or CAPITALIZE the name of the book you're reading - it makes it easier for us readers to see what it is

~ include the author of the book - there are so many books with the same title (if you are recommending a book we want to make sure we read the right one)

~ post a few words about the book - would you recommend it or not

~ tell us the book genre - is it mystery, romance, historical, biography, etc.

***There is no obligation to do any of the above.

As always, all posters are welcome here!

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Well, I have to admit, I totally forgot today was the first of the month! I guess I played an April Fool's joke on myself.

I'm still reading Retribution by Jilliane Hoffman. It's the story of a woman who's past comes back to haunt her after 10 years. Interesting so far.

Happy reading all! lainey

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

walkingal — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 20:00:36 GMT

I'm reading A Distant Melody, Book 1 in the Wings of Glory series by Sarah Sundin. It's a story of love, courage, and sacrifice during WWII. The characters' love is built by writing letters. It's very good.

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

Linders Back — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 20:03:04 GMT

Thanks for all you do, Lainey. Can't believe it's another month already.

Just finished Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks: historical fiction but with a lot of real history and characters from the 1600's in Martha's Vineyard and Cambridge. Caleb was a real Native American (Wampanoag) who was one of the first educated at Harvard. As a lover of Genealogy with ancestors who matriculated there at that time I found the description of the early education process fascinating.

Started The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowlings) this morning. I like to jump around between genres and time periods. This is current day London crime fiction.

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

insomniac — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 20:53:48 GMT

Linders Back, I enjoyed The Cuckoo's Calling, and hope that Strike returns in another book.

On the other hand, I found Caleb's Crossing to be quite tedious: I kept wishing that Caleb's story could be told, but the narrator kept pushing herself to the front.

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

dawg lover — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 22:39:53 GMT

Insomniac, there will be a sequel to "THE CUCKOO'S CALLING" coming out in June. It is called "THE SILKWORM". I just finished James Patterson's "NYPD RED" and its sequel, "NYPD RED 2". Both were fast-paced, suspenseful reads. I actually liked the sequel better than the original book, but both were good. Now, I am about to start "THE AUSCHWITZ ESCAPE" by Joel Rosenberg, which has excellent reviews. It is the story of 2 men, one Christian and one Jewish, who plan an escape from the death camp, to tell the world what is really going on. It is a fictional account, based on true stories of people who escaped.

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

Marsha2003 — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 23:12:05 GMT

I'm in the middle of The Alpine Yeoman by Mary Daheim. I've read all of the books in this series, but it's starting to pall. This may be the last one of them that I read.

Queued up on my ereader are Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr and Death Come Quickly by Susan Wittig Albert. I can't wait to dive into them.

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

staciesmom — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 01:33:27 GMT

I just started reading ""The Last Winter of Dani Lancing"" by P.D. Viner.

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

Pianomama — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 06:46:24 GMT

Reading Marie Lu's Legend. I know it is a young adult book, but hey, I'm a young adult in an old adult's body!

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

insomniac — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 09:23:12 GMT

Dawg lover, thanks for the info on the sequel to "The Cuckoo's Calling." I am thrilled!

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

dawg lover — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 13:57:28 GMT

On 4/2/2014 insomniac said:
Dawg lover, thanks for the info on the sequel to "The Cuckoo's Calling." I am thrilled!

You are very welcome, insomniac. Just a few months away! Hope you enjoy it, when it comes out.

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

smoky22 — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 17:52:52 GMT

On 4/2/2014 Dawg lover said:
On 4/2/2014 insomniac said:
Dawg lover, thanks for the info on the sequel to "The Cuckoo's Calling." I am thrilled!

You are very welcome, insomniac. Just a few months away! Hope you enjoy it, when it comes out.

I'm thrilled, too. I loved The Cuckoo's Calling.

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

Linders Back — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 23:59:50 GMT

On 4/1/2014 insomniac said:
Linders Back, I enjoyed The Cuckoo's Calling, and hope that Strike returns in another book.

On the other hand, I found Caleb's Crossing to be quite tedious: I kept wishing that Caleb's story could be told, but the narrator kept pushing herself to the front.

I started Caleb's Crossing on audio and am glad I did because it gave me a better feel for the book and helped with all the Wampanoag names. I just was too eager to finish and the audio was too slow. I agree that Bethia took center stage but I enjoyed her story. I think the title was a bit misleading, though. I was impressed by both the characters and what they accomplished as a Native American and as a Woman in that time period.

Glad to read all the positives on The Cuckoo's Calling. I'm only 100 pages in but find Strike and robin fun characters.

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

auburndawne — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 13:55:18 GMT

Last month I read all three of the Divergent series...really enjoyed them!

I started the Kathy Hogan Trocheck (MK Andrews) Callahan Garrity series of cute murder/mystery/house cleaning books. In the last week have read Every Crooked Nanny, To Live and Die in Dixie and I am about halfway thru Homemade Sin. I highly recommend this series of quick, fun, easy reads!!!

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

Janey2 — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 14:00:09 GMT

Right now I am on the search for a good book(this forum always helps). I finished

After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman

Justice for Sara by Erica Spindler

Missing You by Harlan Coben (really good)

The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman (bizarre story, but a good read)

The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

smoky22 — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 16:01:03 GMT

Killing Cupid by Laura Levine (she has a predictable formula but they're fun to read).

Slaves of Obsession by Anne Perry. I always enjoy her William Monk books. This one has a lot to do with the Civil War in the U.S.

The Martian by Andy Weir. I really enjoyed this book. It's funny and suspenseful and a lot different from what I normally read. It's about an astronaut accidentally left on Mars because his crew members thought he was dead when their mission had to be aborted. The technical stuff went way over my head but the author makes it interesting anyway. Someone on this board recommended the book and I'm glad they did.

Perfect by Rachel Joyce. I loved her first book The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and I think she's a really good writer, but I just could not connect with this book. Her first book left me with a joyful feeling, this one was depressing.

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

SWEET — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 23:18:03 GMT

On 4/3/2014 janey2 said:
Right now I am on the search for a good book(this forum always helps). I finished

After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman

Justice for Sara by Erica Spindler

Missing You by Harlan Coben (really good)

The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman (bizarre story, but a good read)

The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh

Hi Janey from another Janey. .

Loved Erica Spindler's Justice For Sara. Enjoyed most of her others too especially her earlier books which weren't suspense but popular fiction.

Love Alice Hoffman and can't wait to read Museum of Extraordinary Things.

Just finished The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan. It was good but disjointed (at least for me). To me, it never came together in some parts. Even though these people were married, it focused on DeBeers "A Diamond Is Forever" creator of the saying and she was one of the characters in there.

Going to read next Vintage Attraction by Charles Blackstone.

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

Janey2 — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 00:29:44 GMT

Hi Sweet! I loved Justice For Sara. Took out another Spindler book, but did not care for it. She has a book that just came out called Longer Than. I am going to try that. The Museum of Extraordinary Things starts out slow. Stick with it, very different story. HAPPY READING!!!!!!

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

esmerelda — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 01:46:21 GMT

After a slow start, The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt) picked up speed and didn't let up! I really, really enjoyed that book!

Just finished Trains and Lovers (Alexander McCall Smith). It wasn't what I expected and I was nearly to the end before I fell into the rhythm of it, so I listened to it again and got so much more out of it!

Happy to hear there will be a sequel to The Cuckoo's Calling. Loved that book and the characters!

SWEET...I'm sorry you didn't enjoy The Engagements more. I read it awhile ago, but IIRC there was only one diamond that passed through the hands of four couples throughout the story. I also enjoyed the history of diamonds, DeBeers and their signature line. I guess I liked everything about the book.

Let's see...I'm about to download The Woman in White (Wilkie Collins). From audible.com:

One of the greatest mystery thrillers ever written, Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White was a phenomenal best seller in the 1860s, achieving even greater success than works by Charles Dickens. Full of surprise, intrigue, and suspense, this vastly entertaining novel continues to enthrall audiences today.

I'm also adding Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day (Todd Henry). Again, from audible.com:

Die Empty is a tool for people who aren't willing to put off their most important work for another day. Todd Henry explains the forces that keep us in stagnation, and introduces a process for instilling consistent practices into your life that will keep you on a true and steady course.

I really feel like I need that lately.

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

SWEET — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 12:49:25 GMT

On 4/3/2014 esmerelda said:
After a slow start, The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt) picked up speed and didn't let up! I really, really enjoyed that book!

Just finished Trains and Lovers (Alexander McCall Smith). It wasn't what I expected and I was nearly to the end before I fell into the rhythm of it, so I listened to it again and got so much more out of it!

Happy to hear there will be a sequel to The Cuckoo's Calling. Loved that book and the characters!

SWEET...I'm sorry you didn't enjoy The Engagements more. I read it awhile ago, but IIRC there was only one diamond that passed through the hands of four couples throughout the story. I also enjoyed the history of diamonds, DeBeers and their signature line. I guess I liked everything about the book.

Let's see...I'm about to download The Woman in White (Wilkie Collins). From audible.com:

One of the greatest mystery thrillers ever written, Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White was a phenomenal best seller in the 1860s, achieving even greater success than works by Charles Dickens. Full of surprise, intrigue, and suspense, this vastly entertaining novel continues to enthrall audiences today.

I'm also adding Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day (Todd Henry). Again, from audible.com:

Die Empty is a tool for people who aren't willing to put off their most important work for another day. Todd Henry explains the forces that keep us in stagnation, and introduces a process for instilling consistent practices into your life that will keep you on a true and steady course.

I really feel like I need that lately.

I think I understand how some characters received the "original ring" but not others if that makes sense. I was reading the reviews on Amazon (I only do this after I read the book) and there were some people who really hated the book. Some found it confusing and dull and boring. Boring isn't the word I would use. It kept my interest and fast paced since it was 600 pages in l.p. and read it in a week.

As for The Goldfinch, I had the book before the library hold list shot up to over 400 pages when it first came out and hope to eventually read it.

Re: What Are You Reading --- April 2014

SWEET — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 12:53:09 GMT

On 4/3/2014 janey2 said:

Hi Sweet! I loved Justice For Sara. Took out another Spindler book, but did not care for it. She has a book that just came out called Longer Than. I am going to try that. The Museum of Extraordinary Things starts out slow. Stick with it, very different story. HAPPY READING!!!!!!

I do have to say that I skipped a few of Erica Spindler's books since they didn't interest me and I think the one you just mentioned is one of them.

Thanks for the heads up of Alice Hoffman and will stick w/it when I do get it.