Book Club

[Sagal]

Just finished NOWHERE BUT HOME: A NOVEL by LIZA PALMER. I've never read anything by this author and wasn't real sure when I read the summary if I would like it but thought I'd give it a try. Well, I should trust my instincts. It wasn't awful it just wasn't my kind of book. It takes place in the Texas Hill Country, close to me, and I did find her descriptions very accurate about this area of the country. The main problem I had was in the writing - it was thin. Not enough drama, not enough meat. Too light for me. I gave it 3 stars on GOODREADS.

[BornToShop]

For any fans of THE PILOT'S WIFE by PAULA MCLAIN which happens to be a fabulous book; I received an advanced copy of her newest release, CIRCLING THE SUN to be released 7/28/15.  It is a masterful tale set in colonial Kenya in the 1920's about a record-setting aviator caught up in a passionate love triangle with 2 safari hunters.  I love how Paula writes and I highly recommend both books.  

[Judaline]

Jan Karon has a new book. I'm on hold at the library. Love this review:

Summary Come Rain or Come Shine

#1 New York Times -bestselling author Jan Karon returns--with the story readers have been waiting for. Over the course of ten Mitford novels, fans have kept a special place in their hearts for Dooley Kavanagh, first seen in At Home in Mitford as a barefoot, freckle-faced boy in filthy overalls. Now, Father Tim Kavanagh's adopted son has graduated from vet school and opened his own animal clinic. Since money will be tight for a while, maybe he and Lace Harper, his once and future soul mate, should keep their wedding simple. So the plan is to eliminate the cost of catering and do potluck. Ought to be fun. An old friend offers to bring his well-known country band. Gratis. And once mucked out, the barn works as a perfect venue for seating family and friends. Piece of cake, right? In Come Rain or Come Shine , Jan Karon delivers the wedding that millions of Mitford fans have waited for. It's a June day in the mountains, with more than a few creatures great and small, and you're invited--because you're family. By the way, it's a pretty casual affair, so come as you are and remember to bring a tissue or two. After all, what's a good wedding without a good cry?

[SWEET]

Finished Loyalty by Ingrid Thoft.  Enjoyable humorous mystery.  Can't wait to read the next 2 in this series.

Onto Country by Danielle Steel.  A different type of book for her.

[ChynnaBlue]

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@gardensla wrote:

I'm pretty sure I'm the last person in North America to do so, but I've just finished reading Twilight.  Of course it's by Stephanie Meyer and a work of fiction. And, it wasn't all that bad. I read it because it was free to download on Kindle one day.

I also recently read Down the Rabbit Hole by Holly Madison which is a behind the scenes look at her life during her years at the Playboy mansion and starring on The Girls Next Door. Would I recommend it...hmmmm. Well, it's an easy read and a bit of a guilty pleasure, but yes, I thought it was pretty good. 

I've just cracked open All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr which won the Pulizer this year. It's a work of fiction set during WWII and from the first chapter it looks to be an engrossing but challenging read. Might put it aside until fall!

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If you finished Twilight thinking it wasn't that bad and enjoyed it, I'd recommend skipping the other two books. They get progressively worse and the last book is truly terrible. I'm sorry I finished the series just because I'm a completionist.

[SusieQ_2]

I just finished Garden Spells written by Sarah Addison Allen. I'm not sure of the genre, I'd say it's somewhat of a light romance with some slight fantasy thrown in for fun. 

It's the story of two sisters--one who stayed near home and the other who is returning after years of being away. The fantasy comes in with the magical apple tree that grows in the backyard of the sister's childhood home. The story is really about the reconnection between the sister's lives and the things that happen along the way.

Being more of a realist, I've never been one for fantasy but the emphasis on the magical tree is fun and the story was good.

It was written in 2007 so it's not a new book. I'm currently reading The Sugar Queen by the same author but written in 2008. So far I'm enjoying it too. 

[tansy]

Does anyone know how to "float" a thread? I don't contribute to this thread often but I read it frequently for book ideas.

[SusieQ_2]

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@tansy wrote:
Does anyone know how to "float" a thread? I don't contribute to this thread often but I read it frequently for book ideas.

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To the right of the red reply button is "Topic Options." Click on that and you'll see the choices. I think the third one down is "Float this topic to the top."

I haven't actually done it but hopefully that will work for you. 

[lovescats]

Sarah Addison Allen has a new one out First Frost that I listened to as an audio book and I liked it. It's starting to deal with the sisters and their high school daughters. It says it is book 2 of the waverly family series but you don't have to read the first one before. I forget whether I did or not. It is a quirky romance book too.

[FindingMyJoy]

I finished Fleur de Lies by Maddy Hunter. It's the latest book in her Passport to Peril mystery series. This book revolves around a river cruise in France. I enjoyed reading about the France trip parts of the story but this book got a little old with all the chatter about the main character's ex-husband. This book seemed to be more about that drama versus the mystery plot itself. So much so, that when the murderer was revealed, I was surprised since I hadn't seen any clues leading to that person as the guilty party at all. Overall, this book made me want to return to France for a vacation LOL.