All About Books discussion

The "What Have you Read?" folder had gotten so big that some people were having trouble opening it. Here is a fresh thread for new posts.

Here is a great place to let us know what books you've read and share your reviews.

Thanks Greg. I have not been able to open this thread for several days!

My review of A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality by Kate Khavari

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here are reviews for my latest reads:-

The Fireman by Joe Hill - 5*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Reading Allowed: True Stories and Curious Incidents from a Provincial Library by Chris Paling - 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My reviews of The Village Green Bookshop by Rachael Lucas

3 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
The Anniversary by Roisin Meaney

3 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and
Coming Home to Puddleduck Farm by Della Galton

3 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Last Girl To Die by Helen Sarah Fields

My review, resounding 5★

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have recently finished:

Lake Wobegon Days in audiobook format - fun though I remember the radio show (NPR's Prairie Home Companion) as being more laugh out loud funny.

The Long Divorce in ebook format. This was a reread of one of Edmund Crispin's Gervase Fen mysteries, which I love :) Less humor in this entry in the series but a great plot.

The Commitments in Kindle book format. Enjoyable but one of the few books I thought not as good as the movie adaptation. Being able to hear all the great music in the film made a big difference!

Leslie wrote: "I have recently finished:
"

Leslie, do you think I should start with the first in the Gervase Fen series to follow it well? I noticed that most friends rate that one lower than the later ones, but I'm wondering if I would miss out on too much setup if I started with the second or third in the series?

I've never read anything by Crispin and the series sounds fun!

Greg wrote: "The "What Have you Read?" folder had gotten so big that some people were having trouble opening it. Here is a fresh thread for new posts.

Here is a great place to let us know what books you've re..."

Well done Greg!
I've just finished The Benefactress . I like the way Elizabeth von Arnim writes and her stories. Also this one was a good book, but the ending was a bit abrubt, too swift. She could have explained better!!!

My review of The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Greg wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I have recently finished:
"

Leslie, do you think I should start with the first in the Gervase Fen series to follow it well? I noticed that most friends rate that one lower than the ..."

You won't miss anything important if you skip the first book. The books really are almost stand alones so can easily be read in any order. I would recommend starting with The Moving Toyshop (book 3) but I am prejudiced in that it's my favorite one.

I read Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.
The intrepid Elizabeth Zott is a chemist in the 1950s and 1960s who has to contend with gender discrimination and harassment in a male-dominated profession. The novel is entertaining, funny, and an easy read if one is prepared to overlook some of the obvious cliches.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Leslie wrote: "You won't miss anything important if you skip the first book. The books really are almost stand alones so can easily be read in any order. I would recommend starting with The Moving Toyshop (book 3) but I am prejudiced in that it's my favorite one."

Thanks Leslie! :)

Greg wrote: "The "What Have you Read?" folder had gotten so big that some people were having trouble opening it. Here is a fresh thread for new posts.

Here is a great place to let us know what books you've re..."

Thanks, Greg. I've not been able to open the old thread for a few days now.

Read book 3 of two series:

Murder by Ghostlight by J C Briggs - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5315246141
and
The Numbing by Flint Maxwell - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5374921527

Now read books 4 and 5 of the Flint Maxwell series:

The City of Light - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5374937811

The Feeding - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5375691999

Read first two books in a series by Christopher Coleman, another post apocalypse story but quite different from the Flint Maxwell one:

They Came with the Snow - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5374941793
and
The Melting - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5374942142

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

My review 2★

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

3 Minute Workouts: High Intensity Fitness Fast!, Your 30-Minute Workout in 3 Minutes by Kusal Goonewardena

My review 4★

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My review of The Exquisite Art of Getting Even by Alexander McCall Smith

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My review of Murder on Pleasant Avenue by Victoria Thompson

4 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A Love to Last a Lifetime by Clare Swatman

I am on a roll of average reads! :(

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Greg wrote: "The "What Have you Read?" folder had gotten so big that some people were having trouble opening it. Here is a fresh thread for new posts.

Here is a great place to let us know what books you've re..."

Thanks from me, too, Greg. The old page (200!) hasn't loaded for ages.

Doris Lessing showed in 1963 that it wasn't possible for even A Woman on a Roof to escape unwanted attention. I'm not sure things have changed that much in 50 years, have they?
2.5~3★ My review of A Woman on A Roof with a link to the short story itself

I was hoping to find an answer to What Are Mondays Good For, Anyway?, not being a fan of Mondays, and while I enjoyed the illustrations, I don't think I'd have been happy sending my kids to school with these suggestions.
2.5★ My review of What Are Mondays Good For, Anyway? with illustrations, of course

My review of Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Sorry everyone that the old page hadn't been loading, and I'm glad the new thread helped. I'll take a look at the various group threads over the weekend and create new ones for anything getting massive. Seems like Goodreads doesn't like it when threads get too big! :)

Phrynne wrote: "My review of Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin ..."

Thanks for the review - I need to get back to this series! Have you read any of his non-Rebus books? I have several of the Malcolm Fox books inherited from my parents...

The Edge of Madness by K.A. Last

The second book in the 'Wonder in Neverland' series combining Alice in wonderland and Peter Pan. Loved this book as much as the first.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Another catchup:

Read the first two in the Detective Inspector Hilary Greene series by Faith Martin:
Murder on the Oxford Canal - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5368052823

Murder at the University - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5380344636

a collection of two creepy short stories by Anna Willett - Beast - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5387934213

and Athena's Child by Hannah M Lynn - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5387884199

My review of The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

3 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A classic that I somehow missed! A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle has everything I'd have loved as a young reader: kids on a quest, a mysterious missing father, magic spirits, time travel, and Evil to be overcome! I still enjoyed it now.
4★ My review of A Wrinkle in Time

Leslie wrote: "Phrynne wrote: "My review of Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin ..."

Thanks for the review - I need to get back to this series! Have you read any of his non-Rebus books? I..."

I have only ever read his Rebus books Leslie. I haven't read any of the Malcolm Fox books because I don't like him as a character!!!

My review of The Barrakee Mystery by Arthur W. Upfield

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Phrynne wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Phrynne wrote: "My review of Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin ..."

Thanks for the review - I need to get back to this series! Have you read any of his non..."

Thanks for the input. I'll put those on the back burner!

Phrynne wrote: "My review of The Barrakee Mystery by Arthur W. Upfield

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

I love this series partly because of that historical aspect you mention in your review. Somehow I have never read this first book - I 'll have to remedy that soon.

Added later
I have located a copy of this book in my library's digital holdings and borrowed it. Hope to start it in the next couple of days!

Read book 3 of the 'They Came with the Snow' series - The List by Christopher Coleman - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5387949300

Leslie wrote: "I have located a copy of this book in my library's digital holdings and borrowed it. Hope to start it in the next couple of days!"

I hope you enjoy it Leslie!

Thanks Phrynne!

Another five star read from this JC Briggs series - The Quickening and the Dead - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5315246249

I finished The Sea, The Sea audiobook (which turns out not to be on the Guardian's list as I had thought, oh well). At first I didn't think that I was going to like this book but in the end it was a 4* read. The main character Charles was incredibly conceited!

Leslie wrote: "I finished The Sea, The Sea audiobook (which turns out not to be on the Guardian's list as I had thought, oh well). At first I didn't think that I was going to like this book but in..."

It's been on my to-read list forever!

Leslie wrote: "I finished The Sea, The Sea audiobook (which turns out not to be on the Guardian's list as I had thought, oh well). At first I didn't think that I was going to like this book but in..."

Like you, Leslie, I didn't think i would like it. It had been sitting on my book shelf for ages. I finally picked it up and read it. It had a slow start, but it ended up being great.
Murdock did a great job in depicting Charles as a character who lures people into his orbit, exploits and manipulates them, while being totally oblivious to the suffering he causes.

I have been wondering how being an actor factors into Charles' self-absorption. If, in fact, he took to the theater because it gave him somewhat of an excuse to be so self-centered! Though he does show some glimmerings of growth at the end (maybe?).

I read it several months ago, but I don't recall thinking he showed glimmerings of growth at the end. I said this about him at the end of my review:

He is a sympathetic character in so far as he wants to resurrect the innocence and promise of young love. But his insanity lies in believing he can forcefully resurrect it through the sheer force of his will.

My review of Love in Lowercase by Francesc Miralles
3 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Tamara wrote: "I read it several months ago, but I don't recall thinking he showed glimmerings of growth at the end. I said this about him at the end of my review:

He is a sympathetic character in so far as he w..."

Great summation Tamara!

Leslie wrote: "Great summation Tamara!..."

Thank you, Leslie.

I read Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes.
It is supposed to be a retelling of the myth of Medusa. But it really wasn't. Haynes was all over the map with the too many characters, too much happening. Medusa was relegated to a relatively minor role. Medusa's head interrupts the narrative to address the reader in a sort of chummy tone. Really weird. It was a disappointing read for me, especially since I enjoyed Haynes' A Thousand Ships.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Read Backwoods Ripper by Anna Willett and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5387930105

Tamara wrote: "I read Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes.
It is supposed to be a retelling of the myth of Medusa. But it really wasn't. Haynes was all over the map with the too many ch..."

Too bad :(