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Post by HalcyonDaze on Apr 20, 2019 7:02:20 GMT -5
Yes, I have gone through phases of reading Donna Andrews books.
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Post by Liiisa on Apr 24, 2019 19:42:09 GMT -5
17. Alan Lightman, Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine
Lightman is a physicist and a lovely writer. This book talks about both experiences of his that you might call "spiritual," but also about current cosmological theory on how the universe is actually structured, and how one might reconcile the two in different spiritual/religious traditions. I enjoyed it.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Apr 25, 2019 0:03:40 GMT -5
22. In the Market for Murder, TE Kinsey. Lots of fun as two eccentric lady sleuths solve rural English mysteries in the early 20th century. My only beef was the narrator of my audiobook, whose voice was far too stuck up for a Welsh maid.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Apr 25, 2019 4:25:36 GMT -5
This thread has just reminded me to download Dark Emu as my next audiobook.
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Post by HalcyonDaze on Apr 25, 2019 4:51:30 GMT -5
I am somewhere on the reserve list for that at my library. Still will have months to go
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Apr 25, 2019 6:42:30 GMT -5
This thread has just reminded me to download Dark Emu as my next audiobook. And I’ll start listening to it in the cotton-growing area of southern Queensland!
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Apr 25, 2019 10:53:46 GMT -5
23. A Weekend Getaway., Karen Lenfesty. Deals with a relinquishing mother finding her child. The issues in this story are very close to me, but I felt it was too trite. It might appeal to romance lovers, but I prefer these issues addressed at a deeper level.
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Post by scrubb on Apr 26, 2019 11:26:45 GMT -5
Finished Julian Barnes' "The Lemon Table". Short stories, that are really character sketches. Good writing, good characters.
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Post by Oweena on Apr 26, 2019 12:18:36 GMT -5
Catching up:
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight What.A.Slog. 800 pages of way too many quotes from the sources used that the narrative could never just flow. I realize scholars need to appropriately give credit, but it was painful. But I finished it. Not recommended unless you really have a burning desire to learn about his life. I read it because he was not a topic that was ever covered in my schooling and I felt like I should know more about him.
White Elephant by Julie Langsdorf Quick read about irritating people living in a suburb outside of DC and how the fabric of the town is torn apart by a developer building huge houses in their midst. Around that story are the characters and their differing views on the issue as well as their love lives, problem children, and other middle class angst. I couldn't relate, and found most of the characters whiny and privileged.
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Post by Oweena on Apr 26, 2019 12:33:59 GMT -5
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett This was a re-read as I read it when it 1st came out years ago and since I love Patchett and was looking for something I wanted to love, I chose this collection of essays about her life. All of them lovely. Her take on the world and family and her friendships and work make me want to have her as a friend.
Dark Lies the Island by Kevin Barry Ugh, I got this book as it was recommended as a must read of a contemporary Irish author. 13 short stories, some made no sense to me but most of them pissed me off due to his male-centered viewpoint which I realize, d'uh! But I found his characters take on the females in their lives misogynist.
The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutherford Can you tell I'm going back to Ireland soon? Nearly 800 pages of the early stories of the Irish High Kings up to the time of Henry VIII and the constant struggle for rule between the English and the Irish. It's historical fiction, so some real-life figures but the surrounding fictional stories were repetitive and uninspiring.
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Post by scrubb on Apr 26, 2019 13:24:52 GMT -5
I thought I'd read all of Ann Patchett's books (except that one that is a president's name - Grant? No... Taft), but that one is new to me. I love Bel Canto, and have enjoyed all the rest but none lived up to Bel Canto. So, unfairly, I always end up feeling disappointed after finishing them.
Just googled - I've also missed "The Getaway Car", plus a new one just came out.
Plus, I'm a bit embarrassed to have just discovered that Taft is not actually a history of President Taft, so I shouldn't have been avoiding it for all these years.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Apr 26, 2019 17:04:51 GMT -5
24. What Child is This? Alice K. Boatwright. Quite a good cozy mystery, with all the usual elements, and the added interest of a marriage between an English clergyman and an American college professor. Because of my own experience, I was able to predict the outcome quite early, but it didn’t detract from the story.
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Post by Oweena on Apr 26, 2019 17:35:21 GMT -5
I thought I'd read all of Ann Patchett's books (except that one that is a president's name - Grant? No... Taft), but that one is new to me. I love Bel Canto, and have enjoyed all the rest but none lived up to Bel Canto. So, unfairly, I always end up feeling disappointed after finishing them. Just googled - I've also missed "The Getaway Car", plus a new one just came out. Plus, I'm a bit embarrassed to have just discovered that Taft is not actually a history of President Taft, so I shouldn't have been avoiding it for all these years. For me, I'd put Taft in the middle of the pack of her work. Her Patron Saint of Liars is one of my all time favorite books, and I've loved most everything she's written. I wasn't so hot on State of Wonder though. I'm looking forward to her newest one, should be out in September.
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Post by scrubb on Apr 26, 2019 17:48:17 GMT -5
I thought State of Wonder felt unfinished, or like the ending was rushed, or something along those lines. Didn't love it.
I remember liking Commonwealth a lot, but no longer remember anything about it.
Anyway, now I know there are 3 Patchetts out there waiting for me, and another one coming soon- yay!
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Post by Liiisa on Apr 26, 2019 18:22:31 GMT -5
I've read State of Wonder, Bel Canto, and Commonwealth, and the only one I really remember clearly what I thought of it was Bel Canto (which of course I really enjoyed). Well, next-favorite would probably be the one where the character was in the tropics having psychotic reactions to mefloquine, maybe just because tropical ecology and antimalarials are topics I know a lot about.
My sister admitted last week that she couldn't stand "Bel Canto" - !!
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Post by scrubb on Apr 26, 2019 21:28:56 GMT -5
Sisters are weird!
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Post by Liiisa on Apr 27, 2019 5:33:50 GMT -5
She thought it was boring!!!
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Apr 27, 2019 5:49:11 GMT -5
I've read State of Wonder, Bel Canto, and Commonwealth, and the only one I really remember clearly what I thought of it was Bel Canto (which of course I really enjoyed). Well, next-favorite would probably be the one where the character was in the tropics having psychotic reactions to mefloquine, maybe just because tropical ecology and antimalarials are topics I know a lot about. My sister admitted last week that she couldn't stand "Bel Canto" - !! After my own reactions to chloroquine, I think I might find that one interesting too. 25. Audiobook finished during today’s road trip. Dark Emu. Bruce Pascoe. A brilliant book that should be in every Australian school library. The more I read of “alternate” Australian history, the less impressed I am with the misfits the British sent out to colonise the world.
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Post by HalcyonDaze on Apr 28, 2019 22:19:34 GMT -5
I managed to read a load of books during April (yay for school holidays and cutting back time spent on social media). So this will be a long post, or I may break it up into more posts.
28.Curse of the Poppy - Emily Organ Don't bother. I have read a few of these books by Emily Organ and usually have enjoyed them and the research she has done. But this time round the mystery plot made no sense and the research was just shoved in. I won't be likely to revisit this series.
29. This Beats Perfect - Rebecca Denton. YA easy read. Indie music talented wannabe falls for boy band megastar when they meet when her Dad is the sound engineer for a show. Cute story, nothing too stressful about it.
30. We Must Be Brave - Frances Liardet
Historical fiction the revolves around WW2 and how the life of one woman is changed when she looks after a child left behind on a bus. I loved the historical aspects and the heartbreaking relationship.
31. A Perilous Undertaking - Deanna Raybourn The second Veronica Speedwell book - I enjoyed it even more than the first. An excellent escape from reality with some witty dialogue and asides. I am glad I continued with the series (and have actually now finished the 3rd book)
32.Mr. Churchill's Secretary (Maggie Hope Mystery #1) - Susan Elia MacNeal
Really disappointing, maybe because I have been waiting to read this for a while. Too many intrigues, too many loose ends that were conveniently dealt with at the end. Not a series I will continue reading.
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Post by lillielangtry on Apr 29, 2019 3:18:53 GMT -5
#23 Ursula K Le Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea Never read any Le Guin before, but she had been on my radar for some time and then this one was recommended by a guy I went on a few dates with. That came to nothing but by that time, I'd ordered the book - and I loved it! It's published by Puffin so marketed as a children's fantasy book, but I think it can be read by any age. Also, I realised that Aaronovitch references it in his Rivers of London book in the same way he does Tolkien, etc, but I hadn't recognised that before. V nice.
#24 C. J. Sansom, Tombland THe new Shardlake mystery, where a hunchback lawyer in Tudor England solves murders. I really enjoy Sansom and his impeccable research, but I did feel that at over 800 pages, this book could have been trimmed. It's a good story but I only really got excited by the last 300 pages, so that is a pretty long build-up. Still, if you like Shardlake, you'll want to read this.
#25 Laura Ingalls Wilder, On the Banks of Plum Creek Continuing working my way through the audiobooks of the Little House series, as I've now started Caroline Fraser's (long) biography of LIW. Ugh, this is the one where the grasshoppers destroy the wheat crop and basically make the family destitute. So much more difficult to read as an adult.
#26 Jokha Alharthi, Celestial Bodies (translated by Marilyn Booth) Longlisted for the Man Booker International and my round-the-world read for Oman. Interweaving story of three generations of an extended family in Oman, a country I know very little about. Sometimes confusing with all the different characters (there is a helpful family tree at the beginning although it's not as convenient to flick to on Kindle) and not exactly what western readers probably expect in terms of plot, but I very much liked the writing style.
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Post by Liiisa on Apr 29, 2019 4:43:38 GMT -5
lillielangtry I read "The Wizard of Earthsea" so long ago that all I remember is loving it. I should reread it sometime.... The other book I really loved by her back then was "The Dispossessed," which if I am remembering it correctly is kind of political, like there's one anarchosocialist or something planet and one fascist planet, or something like that.
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Post by HalcyonDaze on Apr 29, 2019 5:21:30 GMT -5
lillielangtry I read "The Wizard of Earthsea" so long ago that all I remember is loving it. The opposite for me - I was given it as a gift after a school friend lost a book I had lent her. (another book, I did get it back eventually). Her Mum was a teacher and they must have thought I would like it. I hated it and never finished it. Have no idea what it was about or if I would want to try it now. Maybe I should because some of the dislike could be the circumstances around getting it.
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Post by Oweena on Apr 29, 2019 12:12:55 GMT -5
Born to Be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey by Mark Dery.
I liked this bio of Gorey, of course I think in order to be interested in the details of his life and his art you would need to be a fan. And I've been a fan for as long as I can remember.
He lived a very private, yet at times, social life. He grew up closeted yet didn't dress or act in ways that were conventional, in fact he was fairly flamboyant during his years in New York. If you ever wondered the back story on his art and books, then this is a accessible book that tells his life story.
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Post by scrubb on Apr 29, 2019 17:51:42 GMT -5
I was about to type exactly what Liiiiisa did about Wizard of Earthsea.
I've always loved Edward Gorey, so that biography will go on the list.
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Post by HalcyonDaze on Apr 30, 2019 7:14:29 GMT -5
33. The Weight of a Thousand Feathers - Brian Conaghan YA. The story of Bobby, who is a carer for his mother.
34. A Treacherous Curse - Deanna Raybourn
The 3rd Veronica Speedwell book. Still good fun. Annoyingly I am going to have to wait to read the 4th book as the library is still processing their copy.
35. Lovesome - Sally Seltmann
Sally Seltmann is an Australian singer/songwriter. In fact, she has performed in a band with Holly Throsby, who has also written two great books. Anyway, the lyricism shows in this book with some great descriptive passages. It is the the tale of Joni, a recent graduate who spends her days working on her art and her nights waitressing in a French restaurant in Balmain. The book certainly portrayed a realistic version of Balmain of that time.
36, Islands - Peggy Frew.
The first time I picked this up I put it straight back down. But then I tried again and I am so glad I persevered. A look at a family dealing with the fall out of the disappearance of the teenaged Anna Worth. The books jumps back and forth in time, and often changes point of view. I kept on wondering if the islands title had something to do with the idea of no man being an island. Or that we are all islands with things swirling around us. Definitely a book that did make me ponder the deeper meanings as well as just enjoy what was written on the page.
37. Truly Devious - Maureen Johnson
YA Mystery. Another boarding school mystery book. Very clever with the modern mystery as well as a historical one to solve. I will read the next book in the series.
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Post by scrubb on Apr 30, 2019 11:15:18 GMT -5
Michael Pollen, "in Defense of Food: an Eater's Manifesto". He's an excellent writer and I found the book interesting and very informative. It's about 10 years old now and I think it would be interesting for him to update it.
He basically talks about how the field of studying nutrition, which looks at food as nutrients, doesn't really have a good understanding of how it all works. Also shows s lot of the flaws in past studies. His conclusion is to: eat food (I.e., real food, not processed stuff); mostly plant based; and not too much of it.
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Post by HalcyonDaze on Apr 30, 2019 21:42:11 GMT -5
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