Community Chat

[Colinka]

I'm looking forward to reading Alexander McCall Smith's retelling of the classic "Emma" by Jane Austen. In reading the reviews, I discovered that some love it, and others do not. It had to be a challenging task.

[smoky22]

On 4/28/2015 colinka said:

I'm looking forward to reading Alexander McCall Smith's retelling of the classic "Emma" by Jane Austen. In reading the reviews, I discovered that some love it, and others do not. It had to be a challenging task.

An interesting departure from his usual type of book. His stand-alone books always seem to get mixed reviews. He has been busy this year. From Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers that came out in in February (I think), to another Isabel Dalhousie in the fall, and another in the Ladies Detective series this summer, he has been prolific. I didn't know about this one. Thanks for posting about it.

[Laura14]

On 4/28/2015 Judaline said:

On 4/27/2015 Laura14 said:

On 4/24/2015 insomniac said:

On 4/23/2015 Laura14 said:

Catching up and continuing my nosy streak into other people's business with two past memoirs.

Orange is the New Black finally came off hold after about 2 years at the library and I also just finished Pieces of my Heart by Robert Wagner. Recommend the OITNB memoir just for its original story even after watching the Netflix show but Robert Wagner was more impressive to me before I read his book. If you like a memoir with all kinds of Hollywood name dropping and antics especially those from the glory days, then Mr. Wagner is for you.

Off to the library tomorrow to re-up the bookshelf!

Does Wagner seem guilty of causing Natalie's death? I read a biography about Natalie several years ago, and it sure implicated him.

He really didn't spend a whole lot of time on it. He gave it a short chapter and explained that they had all been drinking and fighting that night (him more so with Christopher Walken than with his wife though he admits they did get into it for a moment) He thinks she fell trying to tie up the dinghy that was probably banging against the yacht that night and gives some details about how the dinghy was eventually found to support that claim.

To be honest, it came across to me that he has no real idea what happened and most of the book other than his high impression of himself and the people he knows is about how taken he was by her even to this day. I honestly didn't come away with the impression that he was being anything but forthright about what he recalled but then people always shock the heck out of me and he definitely admits to quite a temper at different times through out his life. He gave it a quick once over and is very unhappy with anyone that believes it was anything other than an accident.

The worst part to me was that she was always afraid of the water and to be dragged under, at night, well, it's hard to take. They say her nightgown pulled her under. Horrible.

The only allusion he made to her being scared was that she didn't like it when the sea was rough and the boat rocked but she was not really afraid of water or boats. They would usually just pull in closer to the dock if the swells got to be too much. And, if I remember right, she did actually leave the boat once on another occasion by herself to stay at a hotel on shore but she told him before she went and he was sure she would have told him if she decided to do that on that night and wouldn't have done it in the dark.

[abbalulu]

I enjoyed reading The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs. A little mystery-a little romance-a light easy read.

[Yahooey]

I'm starting on book 1 Baltimore Blues of the Tess Monaghan series by Laura Lippman which I'm enjoying quite a lot. A new author for me. I heard good things about her latest book here and decided to start at the beginning.

[SparklesMcGee]

After reading so many books about WW2, I needed a brain break! I binge read the entire Animal Magnetism series by Jill Shalvis. They were just what I needed. Romance, puppies, kittens, and happily ever after. Now, I'm on to politics with Eighteen Acres by Nicolle Wallace.

[Cherylou]

On 4/7/2015 lolakimono said:

I am about halfway through this one, and I have to say that I don't LOVE it. Perhaps it will grow on me...

Kidnapped by a cult of religious fanatics, an Austin school bus driver and eleven of his young charges have been held underground at the group's highly fortified compound for forty-six days. While a team of federal negotiators begins to lose all hope of rescuing the hostages, crime reporter Molly Cates sets out to discover everything she can about the cult's iron-willed leader, Samuel Mordecai. And as the clock ticks inexorably, she takes the role of Clarice Starling opposite Mordecai's Hannibal Lecter, engaging in a psychological confrontation as harrowing as any in The Silence Of The Lambs. Tough, terrifying, and relentlessly heart-wrenching, this is a novel whose images no reader will ever forget.

[Cherylou]

I read this many years ago. Could never recall the exact title or author which is unusual for me. Now I can reread it. Few books make me cry but there is a scene near the end that had me sobbing.

[Cherylou]

On 6/3/2015 bethdani said: I read this many years ago. Could never recall the exact title or author which is unusual for me. Now I can reread it. Few books make me cry but there is a scene near the end that had me sobbing.

Just checked Amazon to order and realized this is a current book. Not the one I thought. Looking back, the book I am looking for is about a school bus full of children and the driver. But, they are underground not at a cult. And the author was a guy if my memory serves. Anyone have any ideas? The quest goes on.

[chiclet]

Tuckers Way and the 4 sequels. I got the first one for free on Kindle and bought the second one. I want to read the other two. The first one was good and the second one made me cry all the way through. Most books I just zip through if they can hold my attention and within a day or two cannot remember the name of it. The people in this book and the message have stayed with me.