May 2023: What are you reading?

[Vintage81]

Happy May! 

April wasn’t the most productive reading month for me, but school is almost over (yay!!!) so hopefully I’ll have a few more hours in the day to pickup a book. (I’m totally not going to blame k-dramas for my lack of reading. 🫣🤭😂) 

Anywho, I hope you’re all doing well and enjoying lots of wonderful stories! 

Happy reading! 

[Kassia]

Thank you for starting the thread for May!

I'm almost done with Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad (memoir).  I liked it at first but it's really dragging on for me now and I think I'm just going to skim to the end because I have too many books I'm anxious to read and I'm not getting anything out of this one anymore.  Parts of it are really good but the book is in different parts and I don't like this last part.

 

[KrissiK]

I didn’t finish any books in April. I don’t know what the deal was. Hopefully May will be a better month. Still reading “George Washington’s Secret Six” which is a very interesting book. Also reading “When People are Big and God is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Co-Dependency and the Fear of Man” by Edward Welch, “That Affair Next Door” by Anna Katharine Green and “Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan.

[Ottakee]

Any Other Family——-a great book on the complexities of adoption that features 3 families that adopt siblings and the dynamics between the families.  Might have been more interesting to me as I did adopt part of sibling groups.

[KrissiK]

3 hours ago, Ottakee said:

Any Other Family——-a great book on the complexities of adoption that features 3 families that adopt siblings and the dynamics between the families.  Might have been more interesting to me as I did adopt part of sibling groups.

I should pick that up. My kids are all adopted. Some are biological siblings and some aren’t.

[Ottakee]

55 minutes ago, KrissiK said:

I should pick that up. My kids are all adopted. Some are biological siblings and some aren’t.

It was good.   

[Vintage81]

I'm currently reading Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. I'm liking it so far, but I'm only about 50 pages in. I may have to put it aside for a little bit because my book club is coming up and I need to start that book, which is The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal. 

[Kidlit]

Just finished (excepting less than 10

minutes of the epilogue) The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn.  I feel it truly deserves 5 stars.  Knowing it's based on fact makes it so much better--and Kate Quinn's storytelling is superb. 

[scholarly]

I finished C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton. It was fine. In my mind I would like to read the whole series, but I think I might get sick of the detective before then. I'm starting to think I don't like her. Of course, I've still put a hold on the next book at the library anyway.

[MEmama]

I'm half way through When Women Were Dragons and savoring every word. For any woman fed up with the patriarchy and yearning for freedom (and, because dragons, a bit of whimsy to keep the heaviness away), I highly recommend this one! It's exactly the escape I need right now. 

 

[Kareni]

On 5/1/2023 at 1:14 PM, Ordinary Shoes said:

Getting back to Legends and Lattes from the April thread - why is it so popular? I think it's one of those perfectly timed books for the moment. People are burnt out. They wanted a book with "low stakes," meaning no stress at all. 

Bolding mine.

I agree. I suspect that it struck the perfect note as it came out during the pandemic.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts from the Word Wenches ~

What We're Reading!

Culling Books

Also ~

Jo Walton’s Reading List: March 2023

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I've read several books lately ~

For my distant book group, I read The Sculptress by Minette Walters. This was a mystery so quite an unusual choice for the group. It focused on an author interviewing a woman in prison who had confessed to a violent crime. I wouldn't say that I recommend the book, but it proved a rather gripping albeit gory read. (FIC 34, RR 23, NF 3, NS 11//)

‘It was a slaughterhouse, the most horrific scene I have ever witnessed . . . Olive Martin is a dangerous woman. I advise you to be extremely wary in your dealings with her.’ The facts of the case were simple: Olive Martin had pleaded guilty to killing and dismembering her sister and mother, earning herself the chilling nickname ‘The Sculptress’. Journalist Rosalind Leigh knew this much before her first meeting with Olive, currently serving a life sentence. How could Roz have foreseen that the encounter was destined to change her life – for ever?"

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I read the contemporary romance, Off the Map by Trish Doller which is the third book in a series but would stand alone well.  It strained credulity in some ways (one of the secondary characters has dementia), but I quite enjoyed it nonetheless. (Some adult content)

"On the road to love, you don't need a GPS...

Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been traveling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home.

Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out—literally.

Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love - if only they choose it."

** 

Read Silent Order: Iron Hand by Jonathan Moeller which is a science fiction/space opera that happens to be currently free for US Kindle readers. It was a pleasant enough read but I don't expect to read on in the series.

"The galaxy is at war, but wars are won and lost in the shadows.

To the galaxy at large, Jack March is a privateer of the interstellar Kingdom of Calaskar and a former Iron Hand commando of the malevolent Final Consciousness. In truth, he is an alpha operative of the Silent Order, the most efficient and feared intelligence organization in human space. When there is a crisis, Jack March is the man to call.

But there are many forces that wish to enslave or destroy humanity.

And when a mission leads March to a lawless asteroid space station, he might be the only one left to stop those forces..."

**

A blogger I read highly recommended the following science fiction romance ~ Taken to Voraxia: A SciFi Alien Romance (Xiveri Mates Book 1) by Elizabeth Stephens. It was a pleasant read, but I'd hoped for something a bit more compelling. (Significant adult content)  (FIC 37, RR 23, NF 3, NS 11//)

"The Voraxian king has come again and this time, he's come for me.

I've got no desire to be claimed by the alien king. Blue skin, seven feet and strapped with muscle, I've seen what his kind does to humans. And I don't care that he watches me with hunger.

I'm a hybrid and an inventor and I know that I can engineer my way out of this one. Even though our human colony is a scary, desperate place, I'm willing to meet it head on if it means escape.

So I run...

...I don't expect him to give chase."

Regards,

Kareni

[4kidlets4me]

I finished Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger by Soraya Chemaly. I really liked this but wish there was more on what to do with all this anger instead of 95% focusing on what is making women so angry. 

[KrissiK]

I finally finished a book. “George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spy Ring that Saved the American Revolution” by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger. What a book. I loved it. Anyone who is interested in American history would love this book. It is fascinating, very readable and adds so much depth to everything we read about regarding the Revolution….Benedict Arnold, Yorktown,  Valley Forge. Love this book and will definitely read more by Kilmeade.

[MEmama]

13 hours ago, 4kidlets4me said:

I finished Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger by Soraya Chemaly. I really liked this but wish there was more on what to do with all this anger instead of 95% focusing on what is making women so angry. 

Going to have to add this one to my list! It'll fit right in with the stack of books next to my bed, lol

[wisdomandtreasures]

Personal reading - Super Immunity by Joel Fuhrman and the Bible according to the M'Cheyne reading plan.

Reading aloud to my family - Little Lord Fauntleroy 

[Ottakee]

The Life She was Given.   This pulled me in.   Not sure all of it is totally realistic, but it had me reading far too late at night.

[Kassia]

I'm reading The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and The Glory of Growing Up (A Memoir) by Evanna Lynch, who played Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter movies.  It's very intense so far - about her struggles with anorexia as a child.  

[Kareni]

I finished two books ~

I very much enjoyed Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. This was a slow burn romance featuring two emergency room doctors which made me laugh a lot but also covered serious issues like depression, anxiety, organ transplants, and miscarriages. The hero ... gasp ... wrote letters to the heroine which was fun. I foresee reading this again and would recommend it.

"Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.

And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse."

**

I also enjoyed The Study of Poisons by Maria V. Snyder which retold a story I've reread several times from the point of view of the other major character. I think this book would be most enjoyed by fans of Poison Study (first published in 2005); it left me wanting to reread that book!  (FIC 39, RR 23, NF 3, NS 11//)

"Fierce, determined, dangerous. No wonder her soul called to his.

As Chief of Security of Ixia, Valek has spent the last fifteen years keeping Commander Ambrose and his citizens safe. With his complex network of spies, informers, and soldiers, it’s his job to hunt down and capture criminals, including the intriguing Yelena.

Sensing there is more to the story of why she killed a general’s son, Valek arranges for Yelena to become the Commander’s new food taster, training her in the delicate art of detecting poisons. As mysteries and a devious plot to harm the Commander unravel, Yelena’s presence becomes crucial. Will her intelligence, stubbornness, and survivor instincts be a help to Valek’s investigation, or a hinderance?"

Regards,

Kareni

[Vintage81]

5 hours ago, Kareni said:

I finished two books ~

I very much enjoyed Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. This was a slow burn romance featuring two emergency room doctors which made me laugh a lot but also covered serious issues like depression, anxiety, organ transplants, and miscarriages. The hero ... gasp ... wrote letters to the heroine which was fun. I foresee reading this again and would recommend it.

I put a hold on this a few weeks ago, and it just became available from Libby yesterday. I’ve enjoyed several of Abby Jimenez’s books, so I’m looking forward to this one! 

[Kidlit]

I just finished Go As a River by Shelley Read and LOVED it.  🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It reads a bit like a YA novel to me because the protagonist is seventeen at the beginning of the novel.  It follows her until she's middle aged, and so much happens--to the point that several of the events could've "taken up" a whole novel each.  However, Read manages to bring them all together to a very poignant ending.  This might be my best read of 2023. It will take something special to top it!

[Vintage81]

8 minutes ago, Ordinary Shoes said:

I DNFed The Secret History by Donna Tartt. It's a dark academia book about a group of students who murder one of their fellow students. Every character is terrible and unlikeable and I'm not in the mood for that right now. Plus it felt so much like If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio. I'm trying to be better about DNFing books if they aren't working for me instead of slogging through them. Plus I am overwhelmed with library holds. I picked up 4 books from the library on Tuesday and and now I have 3 more available. 

 

This reminded me of The Atlas Six…It’s not often that I despise all of the characters in a book, but I really did not like any of them, or the story either. 🤷‍♀️ I struggle with DNFing books, but I’m trying to be better about it, especially since my TBR shelf keeps growing. 😂

[Amira]

I finished Palace Walk/Bayn Al-Qasrayn and loved every second in Cairo.  I’ve spent so much time in the neighborhood where the story is set.  The characters I didn’t like before, I still don’t like, but they’re not meant to be likable. I’ll get to the other two books in the series after there’s a break in books coming in on hold. I didn’t like the voices the reader did though, and I’m getting tired of audiobooks translated from Arabic whose readers obviously don’t speak Arabic. I’d like to listen to this in Arabic but it’s written in formal Arabic, and I’m more comfortable with regular spoken Arabic.

But I also just finished a book that has to go on my top five of all time list (not that I have an actual list like that, and it would probably have more than five books on it anyway), but All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake is truly one of the best books ever and I will be recommending it often.  Just go read it. 

[marbel]

6 minutes ago, Amira said:

I finished Palace Walk/Bayn Al-Qasrayn and loved every second in Cairo.  I’ve spent so much time in the neighborhood where the story is set.  The characters I didn’t like before, I still don’t like, but they’re not meant to be likable. I’ll get to the other two books in the series after there’s a break in books coming in on hold. I didn’t like the voices the reader did though, and I’m getting tired of audiobooks translated from Arabic whose readers obviously don’t speak Arabic. I’d like to listen to this in Arabic but it’s written in formal Arabic, and I’m more comfortable with regular spoken Arabic.

But I also just finished a book that has to go on my top five of all time list (not that I have an actual list like that, and it would probably have more than five books on it anyway), but All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake is truly one of the best books ever and I will be recommending it often.  Just go read it. 

I have fond memories of Palace Walk and think I read at least one of the other books in the trilogy. It was a long time ago now. Still, I can remember some scenes; they were so vivid. I should revisit those books. 

Last week I read The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger. The novel follows a wealthy family during/after a superstorm in Miami. It was an easy read, but while it was meant to be serious, it was so full of stereotypes and ridiculous events that it became frustrating. I did finish it. 

I started A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. It's an older book, and was one of my mother's favorites. I've started and rejected it a few times but decided the time is right. It's set in World War II and it's aftermath, about a woman who survives captivity in Malaya when the Japanese invade, and what she does when that is over. 

I'm also working slowly through Mudlark: In Search of London's Past Along the River Thames by Lara Maiklem. I had given it to my son (history guy) and he loved it and passed it on to me. It's good and makes me want to go to London and go searching for treasure in the mud along the river! 

[Amira]

30 minutes ago, marbel said:

I have fond memories of Palace Walk and think I read at least one of the other books in the trilogy. It was a long time ago now. Still, I can remember some scenes; they were so vivid. I should revisit those books. 

Last week I read The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger. The novel follows a wealthy family during/after a superstorm in Miami. It was an easy read, but while it was meant to be serious, it was so full of stereotypes and ridiculous events that it became frustrating. I did finish it. 

I started A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. It's an older book, and was one of my mother's favorites. I've started and rejected it a few times but decided the time is right. It's set in World War II and it's aftermath, about a woman who survives captivity in Malaya when the Japanese invade, and what she does when that is over. 

I'm also working slowly through Mudlark: In Search of London's Past Along the River Thames by Lara Maiklem. I had given it to my son (history guy) and he loved it and passed it on to me. It's good and makes me want to go to London and go searching for treasure in the mud along the river! 

I love A Town Like Alice.  I’ve reread it so many times, although probably not for at least ten years.

[KrissiK]

2 hours ago, Amira said:

I love A Town Like Alice.  I’ve reread it so many times, although probably not for at least ten years.

I love that book. Although it seems like it really should be two books because there are two distinct stories. I read his book “The Pied Piper” a couple years  ago and just loved it. It’s one of the most beautiful and tender books I have ever read.

[KrissiK]

I am still making my way through “That Affair Next Door” by Anna Katharine Green.  It is a good story and the style of writing reminds me of Sherlock Holmes mysteries, which makes since since they were contemporaries (though Green was American) and wrote in the same genre. She is considered to be the mother of American detective fiction. I haven’t done a lot of reading in that genre, thought I will likely pick up another of her books at some point.

Edited May 7, 2023 by KrissiK

[marbel]

5 hours ago, Amira said:

I love A Town Like Alice.  I’ve reread it so many times, although probably not for at least ten years.

 

3 hours ago, KrissiK said:

I love that book. Although it seems like it really should be two books because there are two distinct stories. I read his book “The Pied Piper” a couple years  ago and just loved it. It’s one of the most beautiful and tender books I have ever read.

I am really enjoying it and have moved along much further than I ever did on previous attempts. This confirms my belief that sometimes we just pick up a book at the wrong moment and an unfinished book may not remain so forever. I also think... how to articulate it... some books require some life experience to be appreciated. I loved A Gentleman in Moscow but did not recommend it to my young-adult children as I felt like a person has to be over, say, age 30, maybe even 40, to truly appreciate it. Or maybe it's not a specific age but that was the impression I had. (I'm sure many under-30s have loved that book, though I don't actually know.)

[Faith-manor]

"Grow Great Vegetables, Michigan" by Bevin Cohen.

"The Backyard Homestead" by Carlene Madigan.

I am not backyard homesteading, but I needed help with some gardening issues, and raised bed layouts to take advantage of sunny spots that are narrow. 

[KrissiK]

6 hours ago, Ordinary Shoes said:

I'm considering subscribing to Modern Mrs. Darcy book club. Do any of you subscribe? Do you think the summer reading guide is worth buying? It was free in prior years but this year you have to buy it. 

I really enjoy her podcast and listen every week. I know the bookclub is online so I don't anticipate the same kind interaction that I get at my in person bookclub. 

 

Have you used and enjoyed her book recs before? If so, then I would say go for it.  Personally I have not had much luck with book recs from that website. I visit from time to time, though.

[marbel]

13 hours ago, Ordinary Shoes said:

I'm considering subscribing to Modern Mrs. Darcy book club. Do any of you subscribe? Do you think the summer reading guide is worth buying? It was free in prior years but this year you have to buy it. 

I really enjoy her podcast and listen every week. I know the bookclub is online so I don't anticipate the same kind interaction that I get at my in person bookclub. 

 

I've thought about it a few times, but the cost puts me off. I mean, I get that she does this for her living and I don't begrudge her charging, but it seems like a lot for me to spending for book discussions, and, again for me, the idea of a large online community is not really satisfying. As for the summer reading guide, I've downloaded them for the past few years and then never looked at them again. I probably still have them in a file. So knowing that about myself, I probably would not buy it.  I don't know, it seems like there are so many ways to find out about new books, read reviews and synopses. I'd rather spend the money on the actual books and support the artists themselves, kwim? (Though I admit I don't buy too many books, not as many as I'd like to buy, so my support of authors is a bit theoretical at this point.) Though I suppose the artists depend on the people promoting them too. 

If you join, please let us know how you like it! 

Edited May 8, 2023 by marbel

[4kidlets4me]

I finished a couple over the last few days.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi- I only gave this 2 stars I think. I only read it for book club and I totally would have abandoned it otherwise. The premise isn't bad, 2 sisters in Africa one sold into slavery, one not and then what happens to their descendants. Except it's only a 300 page book and each chapter is a different descendent so you only get like 20 pages for each person and the book spans 200+ years. So you don't get enough info about any of them to really care what happens. 

The Witch Elm by Tara French- I wasn't super thrilled with this one either. It's almost comically slow, she could have cut 150 pages and had the same story. I figured out whodunnit about half way through which always annoys me. Then she threw in a weird plot twist at the end that made no sense. 

[Kassia]

On 5/3/2023 at 6:56 PM, Kassia said:

I'm reading The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and The Glory of Growing Up (A Memoir) by Evanna Lynch, who played Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter movies.  It's very intense so far - about her struggles with anorexia as a child.  

I just finished this and really liked it.  

 

 

41 minutes ago, 4kidlets4me said:

 

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi- I only gave this 2 stars I think. I only read it for book club and I totally would have abandoned it otherwise. The premise isn't bad, 2 sisters in Africa one sold into slavery, one not and then what happens to their descendants. Except it's only a 300 page book and each chapter is a different descendent so you only get like 20 pages for each person and the book spans 200+ years. So you don't get enough info about any of them to really care what happens. 

 

I read this a while ago and liked it.

I'm starting The Longest Race, a memoir by Kara Goucher.  

[LaughingCat]

On 5/7/2023 at 5:37 AM, marbel said:

I started A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. It's an older book, and was one of my mother's favorites. I've started and rejected it a few times but decided the time is right. It's set in World War II and it's aftermath, about a woman who survives captivity in Malaya when the Japanese invade, and what she does when that is over. 

I read this ages ago because the mini-series was my mothers favorite (and I'm just not a movie/tv watcher) -- the first half is a sad, hard to read war story but I really enjoyed the second half (after she survives).

[Kareni]

I've finished two books recently ~

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (The Doomsday Books Book 1) by KJ Charles was an enjoyable historical romance with two heroes.  This is a book that I would happily reread. (Adult content) 

"Abandoned by his father, Gareth Inglis grew up lonely, prickly, and well-used to disappointment. Still, he longs for a connection. When he meets a charming stranger, he falls head over heels—until everything goes wrong and he's left alone again. Then Gareth's father dies, turning the shabby London clerk into Sir Gareth, with a grand house on the remote Romney Marsh and a family he doesn't know.

The Marsh is another world, a strange, empty place notorious for its ruthless gangs of smugglers. And one of them is dangerously familiar…

Joss Doomsday has run the Doomsday smuggling clan since he was a boy. When the new baronet—his old lover—agrees to testify against Joss's sister, Joss acts fast to stop him. Their reunion is anything but happy, yet after the dust settles, neither can stay away. Soon, all Joss and Gareth want is the chance to be together. But the bleak, bare Marsh holds deadly secrets. And when Gareth finds himself threatened from every side, the gentleman and the smuggler must trust one another not just with their hearts, but with their lives."

**

The Starfighter Invitation (The Singularity Game Book 1) by Andrea K Höst was quite different from the author's other books; I enjoyed this science fiction novel, but I don't anticipate revisiting it soon. (FIC 41, RR 23, NF 3, NS 11//)

"The only thing bigger than the world's first full virtual reality game is the mystery surrounding its origins. Who is behind Ryzonart Games? How was such a huge advance in technology achieved? Taia de Haas loves having her own virtual spaceship, and wants nothing more than to visit every planet in the solar system. But she cannot ignore the question of whether such a magnificent gift comes with strings attached. Is the game a trick, a trap, a subtle invasion? Or an opportunity to step up and fight for her own planet? Caught in a tangle of riddles and lies, Taia can't resist trying to win answers from Ryzonart's mysterious administrators. But will finding the truth cost her the Singularity Game?"

Regards,

Kareni

[KungFuPanda]

Hana Khan Carries On

[Vintage81]

Last night I finished reading The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal. The story follow two sisters who stop speaking to each other after their father passes away and leaves his inheritance to only one of the sisters, Helen. The other sister, Edith, does okay for a while, but hits hard times along the way. Helen ends up building a somewhat successful beer brewery. I enjoyed the family dynamics/relationships, but the beer stuff was okay...I don't like beer, so it wasn't super interesting to me! The ending felt a bit rushed. (3.5 stars)

[marbel]

I finished A Town Like Alice last night. I liked it, with reservations. The narrative style was very straightforward, "she did this, then he did that" and there were some odd sequences with too much detail about, for example, communicating with multiple people over radio. The racism was pretty jarring even though I understand views from previous times (this book was written in 1950). But the story was good and I can see why my mother liked the book so much. 

Not sure if I'm going to revisit something I've set aside or start something new yet. 

[Kareni]

A bookish post ~

Jo Walton’s Reading List: April 2023

From the blog of Jennifer Crusie ~

This is a Good Book Thursday, May 11, 2023

Regards,

Kareni

[Kassia]

1 hour ago, Ordinary Shoes said:

 

Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri (audiobook) - this a memoir by a man who came to America as a refugee when he was a kid. He was to Oklahoma where I grew up so there was a connection for me. He writes from the perspective of a child. It's very haunting at times. I really enjoyed it. 4.5/5 star

 

This looks great. I'll definitely be reading this one soon.  Thanks.  

I'm almost done with The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike’s Elite Running Team by Kara Goucher.  

[Kassia]

6 hours ago, Ordinary Shoes said:

A warning - he writes from the perspective of a 12 year old boy and includes several "poop stories."

Thanks!  It will remind me of when my three boys were little.  😛

[KrissiK]

7 hours ago, Ordinary Shoes said:

 

Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri (audiobook) - this a memoir by a man who came to America as a refugee when he was a kid. He was to Oklahoma where I grew up so there was a connection for me. He writes from the perspective of a child. It's very haunting at times. I really enjoyed it. 4.5/5 star

 

I have seen some good reviews about this book. I haven’t gotten it yet, but it’s in the back of my mind to get after i read the gazillion books I have piled up around the house and continue to arrive from Amazon. 

[Vintage81]

On 5/4/2023 at 12:28 PM, Kareni said:

I very much enjoyed Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. This was a slow burn romance featuring two emergency room doctors which made me laugh a lot but also covered serious issues like depression, anxiety, organ transplants, and miscarriages. The hero ... gasp ... wrote letters to the heroine which was fun. I foresee reading this again and would recommend.

 

On 5/4/2023 at 5:56 PM, Vintage81 said:

I put a hold on this a few weeks ago, and it just became available from Libby yesterday. I’ve enjoyed several of Abby Jimenez’s books, so I’m looking forward to this one! 

Coming back to this…I finally got around to reading this book and finished it last night. It was longer than I expected! (Over 400 pages, which is kind of lengthy for a contemporary romance) The fake dating trope was fun, and I loved all of the crazy family members (especially the cursing parrot and the three legged dog). I didn’t love some of the stuff at the end and there was just too much miscommunication that kind of dragged on, but overall I really enjoyed the story. (4stars)

Edited May 12, 2023 by Vintage81

[Kareni]

Regarding Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez ~

3 hours ago, Vintage81 said:

...overall I really enjoyed the story.

I'm glad to hear that you also enjoyed it!

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I read a new science fiction novel that I enjoyed; it dealt with the weaponization of empathy, had a main character in his seventies, and was quite unlike other science fiction books I've read. It also happens to be 99¢ for US Kindle readers. (FIC 42, RR 23, NF 3, NS 11//)

Three Grams of Elsewhere by Andy Giesler 

"Fifty  years ago, a new civil war fractured the United States into a mosaic of polarized nations. Ever since, Harmony “Bibi” Cain has isolated himself: from society, from technology, from family. A powerful empath weary from the constant intrusion of others’ emotions, he’s finally cloistered in his rural Wisconsin retirement community. He hopes to find, if not peace, then at least a little quiet.

But when four impossible-seeming killings shake North America, Bibi is drawn into an investigation he wants nothing to do with. The victims were killed by motes—unstoppable drones only an empath can control—and decades ago, Bibi was an unwitting subject in the wartime program that created them: the program that weaponized empathy.

With his few remaining friends at risk, and tensions between countries of the former United States reawakening, everything may depend on Bibi's lifelong struggle with his own extraordinary ability."

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Yesterday I read in its entirety Some of It Was Real by Nan Fischer; I finished it around midnight and quite enjoyed it. This book had mystery, romance, a dog, a cat, and a psychic-medium. What more could one want?! (FIC 43, RR 23, NF 3, NS 11//)

"Psychic-medium Sylvie Young starts every show with her origin story, telling the audience how she discovered her abilities. But she leaves out a lot—the plane crash that killed her parents, an estranged adoptive family who tend orchards in rainy Oregon, panic attacks, and the fact that her agent insists she research some clients to ensure success.

After a catastrophic reporting error, Thomas Holmes’s next story at the L.A. Times may be his last, but he’s got a great personal pitch. “Grief vampires” like Sylvie who prey upon the loved ones of the deceased have bankrupted his mother. He’s dead set on using his last-chance article to expose Sylvie as a conniving fraud and resurrect his career.

When Sylvie and Thomas collide, a game of cat and mouse ensues, but the secrets they’re keeping from each other are nothing compared to the mysteries and lies they unearth about Sylvie’s past. Searching for the truth might destroy them both—but it’s the only way to find out what’s real."

Regards,

Kareni

[Kidlit]

On 5/11/2023 at 11:47 PM, Ordinary Shoes said:

 

Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri (audiobook) - this a memoir by a man who came to America as a refugee when he was a kid. He was to Oklahoma where I grew up so there was a connection for me. He writes from the perspective of a child. It's very haunting at times. I really enjoyed it. 4.5/5 star

 

I listened to this one sometime last year and really liked it.  

[Kassia]

I'm starting Swamp Story by Dave Barry.  I don't think I'm going to like it, so it may go on the DNF shelf on Goodreads.