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Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,117
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: WHAT ARE YOU READING? ~~ SEPTEMBER 2018

Finished Laura McBride's In The Midnight Room.  It was just an okay book.

 

Up next is The Bar Harbor Retirement Home For Famous Writers by Terri-Lynne DeFino.

Contributor
Posts: 58
Registered: ‎06-25-2010

Re: WHAT ARE YOU READING? ~~ SEPTEMBER 2018

I wrote a review of this book and agree with your comments.  The ending was a disappointment.  I am currently reading The EThxtraordinary Life of Sam Hell (I needed a break from thrillers) which I am enjoying.  Just finished The Storyteller's Secret which was okay but predictable.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,652
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: WHAT ARE YOU READING? ~~ SEPTEMBER 2018

@smoky22, the ending was kind of abrupt wasn’t it?  I didn’t want to say too much for fear of giving away the storyline but I think it could have been better.  Comments?  LM

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Posts: 12,110
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Re: WHAT ARE YOU READING? ~~ SEPTEMBER 2018

@judaline wrote:

@LoriLori, and all who reflected on the Britt/Eleanor theory. You're all right. I believe I said I saw the resemblance when I first began Eleanor Oliphant, possibly because I had just read Britt.But then I said as pages turned, 'not so much' or some such words. Eleanor was much more in depth I think, and real. Britt-Marie as someone said was more fictitous, but both enjoyable reads. I guess you'd say the Britt book, and I only read Britt-Marie was Here, was much more light hearted. Eleanor Oliphant, well, this was serious stuff.This was the real deal. (didn't you love the surprise at the end about the phone calls?) I like each for whom they were. 

 

 

ITA (and with all who responded).  That's why I liked Britt-Marie.  It was mostly light and funny.  In any other book the rat would be a deal-breaker as I'm petrified of rodents but Backman even gave the rat charm.

 

@judaline, I saw that twist coming early on.  I didn't know the how but I knew the what.  I never, ever figure out whodunnit.  I normally don't see twists coming.  But something about this one was telegraphed to my brain early.  I found Eleanor a bit too sad but so well-written and poignant, definitely can see how it's favorite-of-the-year material for a lot of people.

 

(My favorite of the year, shocker, is "Us Against You.")

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Posts: 2,966
Registered: ‎05-30-2010

Re: WHAT ARE YOU READING? ~~ SEPTEMBER 2018

[ Edited ]

@Lilysmom wrote:

@smoky22, the ending was kind of abrupt wasn’t it?  I didn’t want to say too much for fear of giving away the storyline but I think it could have been better.  Comments?  LM


@Lilysmom

I know what you mean about not saying too much.  So I'll spoiler my response.  

 

Spoiler
I thought the reveal about her son was very well done (although not a total surprise to me).  Then it made sense he was the serial killer. Even when he appeared out of nowhere it was ok.  Then he tried to rape her and I thought, come on, a little too much.  Then Calvin appeared out of nowhere and I actually laughed at that plot development.  Then it got more ridiculous as she was able to shoot both of them.  I found that whole chapter unbelievable.  I think it could have ended pretty much the way it did but handled a little differently.  

 It was really a pretty good book otherwise. 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,652
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: WHAT ARE YOU READING? ~~ SEPTEMBER 2018

@smoky22, re Jar of Hearts, can’t disagree with what you say!  LM

Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,015
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: WHAT ARE YOU READING? ~~ SEPTEMBER 2018

Our Kind Of Cruelty, by Armainta Hall;

The Purloined Puzzle, by Parnell Hall;

 

"Live frugally, but love extravagantly."
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,328
Registered: ‎03-19-2010

Re: WHAT ARE YOU READING? ~~ SEPTEMBER 2018

I am curious if any of you have read Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects and if so, what did you think of it? It got great reviews but that was one of the few books I have ever read that I gave up on it half way through. It was a chore to get that far. I did read the last chapter to find out who done it...and there was no surprise there. A total waste of time.
Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,152
Registered: ‎02-05-2018

Re: WHAT ARE YOU READING? ~~ SEPTEMBER 2018

[ Edited ]

Just finished: Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History, by Katy Tur. The campaign stuff was already known, so nothing new there, but learning about Katy Tur's life and her experiences before and during the campaign made it a fascinating read.

 

Currently reading: The House with a Clock in its Walls, by John Bellairs with illustrations by Edward Gorey, and The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas. Both have movies coming out very soon and I wanted to read them before seeing the movies. I'm about 1/3 of the way into The House with a Clock in its Walls and I'm already worried. In the book, the main character is a 10-year-old boy who is described as being fat and teased about his weight in school. One of the other characters, Mrs. Zimmerman, is described as having, "one of the wrinkliest faces (the boy) had ever seen" and having "withered, bony" hands. Here's what Hollywood has turned them into:

 

The little boy who, in the book, gets teased for being fat:
Owen Vaccaro in The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)

 

The woman with the "wrinkliest face" and "withered" hands:
Cate Blanchett in The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)

 

Hollywood, ever obsessed with being thin and wrinkle-free.

 

And don't get me wrong, I love Cate Blanchett, who is fantastic in everything she appears in, but this role was not written for a woman in her 40s. But I guess this is progress - 60 years ago, she would have been played by a 20 year-old-woman and they would have used a filter on her.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,152
Registered: ‎02-05-2018

Re: WHAT ARE YOU READING? ~~ SEPTEMBER 2018


@SWEET wrote:

Finished Laura McBride's In The Midnight Room.  It was just an okay book.

 

Up next is The Bar Harbor Retirement Home For Famous Writers by Terri-Lynne DeFino.


I've never heard of that second book before and it sounds fun! I'm adding it to my list! Thank you, @SWEET.