Book Club

[kitty45]

The association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan.  So far so good.

[Lilysmom]

Just finished Mystery by Jonathan Kellerman.  It is an Alex Delaware novel for those who have read this series.  Goodreads rates this at 3.87.  I must be getting hard to please.  I would struggle to give it more than 3 out of 5.  LM

[qbetzforreal]

Britt-Marie was here by Fredrik Backman. 

[auburndawne]

This month I read:

The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin - This is a book about Truman Capote and the group of wealthy ladies in NYC that he called his "swans".  Very good read and very interesting story!

Superficial:  More Adventures from the Andy Cohen Diaries - I LOVE Andy Cohen and have enjoyed all of his books!

A Lowcountry Christmas by Mary Alice Monroe - Love all of her books! 

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz - First time to read Koontz in many years and I LOVED this book!!!  Will continue with this series!

[maestra]

I ordered on Amazon: Silence by Shokaku Endo, a book about 17th  century Japan and Christianity. A movie directed by Martin Scorcese is coming out around Christmas. This is one of my very favorite areas in Eastern Hemispheric and European  History since Japan had been closed to the outside world. Jesuits hiding would be in great danger as well as Japanese Christians. It is a story about faith.

I also ordered The Samurai by the same author. Again, historically set just prior to the Japanese Edo Period. However, the samurai (who couldnt get past the fact the Jesus taught to 'turn the other cheek-whereas Bushido taught to hack the individual to pieces as was the samurai's right under this code) converts to Christianity and travels to Rome, only to find massive changes upon return to Japan. Faith, change, and personal identity in a time of  societal flucuation mandated by law.

Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance-a reflection of working class and middle America. Definitely germane in light of the most recent presidential election and the struggle of a family to achieve middle class status . If you have ever come from a poor family and become successful Mr. Vance's story may reflect your own experiences.

Pulitizer Prize Winner 2016 The Sympathizer-40 years ago the Vietnam War ended. This is the tale of a dual agent living in the US and reporting back to Communist superiors in Vietnam. The times were turbulent.

I'm looking forward to my new read's.

[Lilysmom]

@auburndawne, I read The Swans of Fifty Avenue as well.  It really was a nice change of pace for me.  A gossipy behind the scenes look at their lives.  LM

[bella-luna]

Hello!

I haven't been on the Q forums in forever and when I decided to jump on today, I was so happy to see this thread was still alive! I have always enjoyed seeing/hearing about what everyone is reading.

November has been an odd month for me, in that I have read 4ish books (I say 4ish because I started the first book I listed in October, but finished it this month)! I'm typically a slow reader, but I have really stepped it up this month - haha!

I finished The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent towards the first of the month (it was my October read). It's historical fiction, basically about the Salem Witch trials, told from the prospective of Sarah Carrier, a young girl. It was very slow in the beginning, but it picked up somewhere in the middle and I liked it a lot. Then I read The Professor (McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers #1) by Robert Bailey and it was fantastic! Reminded me of the early books from John Grisham. After that, Michael Connelly (one of my favorite authors and one of my favorite characters - ever), released his latest, The Wrong Side of Goodbye and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Then I read A Grief Observed by CS Lewis, mostly because it's been on my shelf for a few years. It's very short and slightly heart-wrenching, but I'm glad I finally read it. Next was A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie, another favorite author! A classic Miss Marple story! That brings me to what I'm currently reading which is Katherine of Aragon, the True Queen by Alison Weir. Another historical fiction and I'm loving it, so far. 

[TexasMom1]

Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher. One of my favorites....read it every year at this time! Excellent read!

[Lila Belle]

Monticello by Sally Cabot Gunning. Historical novel from the viewpoint of Martha Jefferson Randolph. Her relationship with her father, husband and the issue of slavery and Sally Hemming was really fascinating .