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

What Are You Reading --- July 2014

lainey1 — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 13:10:32 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, hard to believe it's July already...time is going by quickly! I just hope the summer isn't too hot.

Right now I'm just finishing The Perfect Storm by Lori Foster. Not the best book I ever read...it's getting better now that it's almost over.

Happy reading all! lainey

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

blessed10 — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 14:21:15 GMT

I've never been the first poster! (it's the little things in life....humor me). I finished "Handle with Care" by Jodi Piccoult; compelling story line with a set of parents raising a child with brittle bone disease, and whether there was a case for "wrongful birth", but frustrated by the time I finished it(will not elaborate as I don't want to reveal anything for future readers!) I am now starting "Bent Road" by Lori Roy.

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

sue bee — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 14:50:17 GMT

Right now I"m half way done with Play it Again by Nora Roberts, a set of two love stories. Then I"ll read two other romance stories " Pine County Cowboy by Glynna Kaye and Rescued by the Firefighter by Gail Gaynor Martin. I look forward to reading them. Not sure what other books I'll read this month.

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

sunala — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 16:14:29 GMT

Hi everyone, and a happy July to all my reading friends.

I am going to repost what I posted late last night on the June reading thread. I would have saved it had I realized it was the end of the month.

Lainey, thank you for taking care of our monthly reading discussion. You do a great job in keeping us together! Okay, here is the repost:

On 6/29/2014 Troop_Angel said:
I just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy. First, I was surprised by the writing style and lack of punctuation, but I quickly got used to that and really got into the book. I think McCarthy's writing style here was appropriate for the story. It's sad (I used a lot of tissue), and tender, sweet, dark, and harrowing; but love and devotion keep two people -- a father and son -- alive in the midst of total devastation. I'm glad I read it, and I highly recommend it.

Troop_Angel, you know how they say you "can't unring a bell?" Well that's how I felt about The Road. You can't unread what's already been read, and I literally had nightmares from that book. It's so funny how everyone's tastes are so different. That's what makes life interesting.

I've read several books in the last week or two. One I loved was the autobiography Behind the Laughter; Hidden Tears, by Sal Richards. He's been a comedian since the late 50s and early 60's, and I've seen him many times. He lived on Long Island for many years and is a local favorite here. He's had a very difficult life, and he left nothing out in his book. I highly recommend it as an inspirational book to those who have gone through some heartbreaking times in their lives. He also dishes about celebrities like Helen Reddy and Vic Damone.

I read Suspicion by Joseph Finder. It was a good mystery and I always enjoy his books.

I also finished Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King, and I LOVED it! I just found out it's the first book of a trilogy. I had no idea, so there's more of Hodges and Brady to look forward to.

I'm now reading Children of the Jacaranda Tree, a novel by Sahar Delijani. It takes place in Tehran during the post- revolution years of and tells about several families who are somewhat connected. It's very easy reading and I'm really enjoying reading about the lives of everyday people and what they've had to go through.

Happy reading everyone and a happy July!

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

lovescats — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 16:32:24 GMT

On 7/1/2014 sunala said:
Hi everyone, and a happy July to all my reading friends.

I am going to repost what I posted late last night on the June reading thread. I would have saved it had I realized it was the end of the month.

Lainey, thank you for taking care of our monthly reading discussion. You do a great job in keeping us together! Okay, here is the repost:

On 6/29/2014 Troop_Angel said: <p style="line-height: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; word-wrap: break-word; outline: none; letter-spacing: 0px; padding: 0px; zoom: 1;"> I just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy. First, I was surprised by the writing style and lack of punctuation, but I quickly got used to that and really got into the book. I think McCarthy's writing style here was appropriate for the story. It's sad (I used a lot of tissue), and tender, sweet, dark, and harrowing; but love and devotion keep two people -- a father and son -- alive in the midst of total devastation. I'm glad I read it, and I highly recommend it.

Troop_Angel, you know how they say you "can't unring a bell?" Well that's how I felt about The Road. You can't unread what's already been read, and I literally had nightmares from that book. It's so funny how everyone's tastes are so different. That's what makes life interesting.

I've read several books in the last week or two. One I loved was the autobiography Behind the Laughter; Hidden Tears, by Sal Richards. He's been a comedian since the late 50s and early 60's, and I've seen him many times. He lived on Long Island for many years and is a local favorite here. He's had a very difficult life, and he left nothing out in his book. I highly recommend it as an inspirational book to those who have gone through some heartbreaking times in their lives. He also dishes about celebrities like Helen Reddy and Vic Damone.

I read Suspicion by Joseph Finder. It was a good mystery and I always enjoy his books.

I also finished Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King, and I LOVED it! I just found out it's the first book of a trilogy. I had no idea, so there's more of Hodges and Brady to look forward to.

I'm now reading Children of the Jacaranda Tree, a novel by Sahar Delijani. It takes place in Tehran during the post- revolution years of and tells about several families who are somewhat connected. It's very easy reading and I'm really enjoying reading about the lives of everyday people and what they've had to go through.

Happy reading everyone and a happy July!

Sunny I'm glad you liked Mr. Mercedes I had to take it back to the library before I finished but I put my name on the waitlist again. I also have a copy of The Road somewhere but I'll think I still put that off for now.

And to LoriLori I saw Summer House with Swimming Pool but left it and but keep us updated with Lost Girls because that sound good and our library has it.

I'm going to start The Days of the Dead by Neely Tucker---the body of the teenage daughter of a power judge in D C is discovered in a slum near the Capitol. And I have good intentions to read all the rest of books I brought home.

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

abbalulu — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 18:00:18 GMT

I read Death of a Gossip by MC Beaton. It's the first book that I've read in the Hamish MacBeth series. I will probably try some more. Then I read Inferno by Dan Brown and I agree with the posters from last month that it was like a travelogue of Italy and too light on the action. I thought perhaps it was just me that was getting bored with all the descriptions of places; so I'm glad to find out that others felt the same. I thought maybe one would enjoy it more if they had seen these places themselves. Anyway, it seems like I remember The Da Vinci Code being much more exciting and that it kept my interest much better. I will give him another go if he comes out with a new one.

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

Lilysmom — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 22:15:39 GMT

Just finished MR. MERCEDES by Stephen King. I thought the book was good, not great. Perhaps my expectations were too high after all the great reviews. Interesting that it is book 1 of a trilogy. I will read the following books. I LOVED 11/23/63. I didn't think this was of the same caliber but it was still enjoyable. Starting YELLOW CROCUS next. Happy reading and happy July! LM

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

DiAnne — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 23:52:39 GMT

I just finished Tempting Fate by Jane Green. After a slow start it turned into a very good book. My first book by this author - I will be reading others by her.

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

sunala — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 03:18:42 GMT

Went to the library tonight and picked up six books I had on reserve:

The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street by Susan Jane Gilman

The Farm by Tom Rob Smith

The Fever by Meg Abbot

All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

Mambo in Chinatown by Jean Kwok

Then and Always by Dani Atkins

I don't remember what any of these books are about, but I guess I'll figure it out soon enough. I probably won't be able to renew any of them because they're new and are bound to have holds on them, but I'll do my best. I'm excited; I love new books!

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

Judaline — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 13:29:48 GMT

On 7/1/2014 abbalulu said:
I read Death of a Gossip by MC Beaton. It's the first book that I've read in the Hamish MacBeth series. I will probably try some more. Then I read Inferno by Dan Brown and I agree with the posters from last month that it was like a travelogue of Italy and too light on the action. I thought perhaps it was just me that was getting bored with all the descriptions of places; so I'm glad to find out that others felt the same. I thought maybe one would enjoy it more if they had seen these places themselves. Anyway, it seems like I remember The Da Vinci Code being much more exciting and that it kept my interest much better. I will give him another go if he comes out with a new one.

I love the Hamish MacBeth books! I don't know what I'll do when I've read them all.

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

Sagal — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 14:32:08 GMT

On 7/1/2014 Lilysmom said:
Just finished MR. MERCEDES by Stephen King. I thought the book was good, not great. Perhaps my expectations were too high after all the great reviews. Interesting that it is book 1 of a trilogy. I will read the following books. I LOVED 11/23/63. I didn't think this was of the same caliber but it was still enjoyable. Starting YELLOW CROCUS next. Happy reading and happy July! LM

Loved Yellow Crocus - hope you do too!

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

Marsha2003 — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 15:55:02 GMT

Just received The Night Searchers by Marcia Muller and Fatal Fortune by Victoria Laurie. I love it when I get new books to read just in time for a holiday weekend.

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

LoriLori — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 23:27:39 GMT

Lovescats: Re your post above which I had trouble snipping (sorry):

As long as Summer House with Swimming Pool is sitting there unwanted on the library shelf, I would snag it just to read the first ten, twenty, thirty pages, whatever (I can't remember and have already passed it on to a friend), until it ceases to be entertaining, and it will. But I loved the beginning and you might too, the primary care doc telling the audience what he really thinks of his patients and other stuff (in an unreliable narrator sort of way). Funny stuff, in a pointed way.

I am engrossed in Lost Girls by Robert Kolker which is one of the few true crime books I've ever cared to read. The first part delves into the lives of five victims. It's sad but fascinating to me all of the similarities in their backgrounds, what led them into "escorting" and what it really involves. Now I'm going to read the next part which is about the investigation, something I know more about.

Only criticism and it's a big one: There are no pictures. There's just a list of each girl's family members and "boyfriends" (their euphemism for pimps) in the back of the book. I had to watch a Youtube video to put faces to these people because it was so annoying, you come to care about them and you can't even put faces to them. Huge mistake. . (And the video I watched, from A&E, misidentified the pimps as "boyfriends").

But it's a very interesting read, there are so many people on the seedy side of life, "escorts" and their pimps and tons of clients, the regular, at times upscale and almost always married men hiring these girls in secret; it is sad and creepy but I find it very interesting.

Sorry this is so long...Lori

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

knmt — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 00:03:21 GMT

Johnny Carson by Henry Bushkin. Interesting behind-the-scenes goings on by his lawyer, who Carson called "Bombastic Bushkin."

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

smoky22 — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 02:30:00 GMT

Death of a Policeman, the latest Hamish Macbeth (M. C. Beaton). I loved the earler books in the series but the last several have been disappointing, as was this one.

Bertie Plays The Blues (Alexander McCall Smith). Love this series. Sadly I don't think my library has the next one.

Garden Spells (Sarah Addison Allen). This must not be my genre. I thought it was average and predictable.

Ditto for Letters From Skye (Jessica Brockmole).

The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver). I can't say enough about how beautifully this author writes. I mentioned this in another thread, I had the book on my Kindle and had a hard time reading it because of the multiple voices and not being able to go back and forth easily. I picked it up in hard copy at the library and what a difference. At least in the beginning, I sometimes had to go back and see which character was speaking. It's a brilliant book in my opinion.

I think I would have had the same reaction if I had tried to read Life After Life by Kate Atkinson on a Kindle. I'm glad I read the hard copy and was able to page back and forth sometimes.

I've tried to read Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver (read 3 chapters) and I think it's too soon to read another of her books. I'll pick it up again in the future.

So I'm finally reading The Silkworm! Love it so far.

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

Judaline — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 14:03:10 GMT

smoky, do you have any idea when Hamish got his 'beasties'? The last two I read, he didn't have them yet. I would like to know when/how he got them, just don't know how far back to go. The last one I read the pages were yellowed so I know it was old and he didn't have them yet. Can't remember the publication date.

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

smoky22 — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 20:00:06 GMT

On 7/3/2014 Judaline said:
smoky, do you have any idea when Hamish got his 'beasties'? The last two I read, he didn't have them yet. I would like to know when/how he got them, just don't know how far back to go. The last one I read the pages were yellowed so I know it was old and he didn't have them yet. Can't remember the publication date.

Judaline, you are really taxing my memory bank. I think there are about 30 Hamish Macbeth books. I've read them all and many of the details kind of run together for me. I'm pretty sure he had his dog Towser from the very beginning and was heartbroken when Towser died. Then he somehow acquired his dog Lugs, and a few books later, his domesticated wildcat Sonsie. He had Sonsie for several books before this last one. Sorry, I can't be more specific.

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

Judaline — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 20:15:17 GMT

That's something to go on! Thanks, smoky.

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

LoriLori — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 22:21:09 GMT

I own the first two Hamish books and have been saving them for a treat after heavy reading. I love Agatha Raisin and have more to read of her too. Thanks again to Smokymtngal for turning me on to these fun books!

Re: What Are You Reading --- July 2014

smoky22 — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 01:55:42 GMT

On 7/3/2014 LoriLori said:
I own the first two Hamish books and have been saving them for a treat after heavy reading. I love Agatha Raisin and have more to read of her too. Thanks again to Smokymtngal for turning me on to these fun books!

I should probably start the Hamish books over again. They are good to read in between more serious books.

I have Summer House With Swimming Pool on hold (I'm #19). It must be popular (but holds on the e-library go really fast). I read your post about not necessarily liking the end so I consider myself forewarned.