Just wondering ... what is everyone reading now?

[CWS4322]

I would say that if you don't enjoy the Ladies Detective series, you may not enjoy some of his other offerings..

I find that with many authors, there is a common thread or cadence running throughout their books..

I like Ladies Detective series "because of" his character development.. As each character in each book is reintroduced, that character is again explained..

As to thin plots, I consider that to be the authors style and, to me, that is evident in most all his books..

I don't consider Alexander McCall Smith to be an author trying to impart any wisdom.. I read his works for simple enjoyment..

Ross

When reading my brother's scribblings, I learned that he and my father called me "The Duchess". I also learned that I was always referred to as "she" or "her." "Whenever I talk to 'her' I hear clucking in the background. Does she live in a chicken coop?" Gosh, I miss him so.

 

[JoAnn L.]

Just went to the library and got Kitchen Yarns, Notes on Life, Love and Food by Ann Hood. It says on the back that it spills tales of loss and starting from scratch, family love and feasts with friends, and how the perfect meal is one that taste like home. I just got done reading about the life of Leonardo Da Vinci. I needed something to read with humor and tenderness. this seems to be the perfect book.

 

[Just Cooking]

No idea why but, I kind of lost touch with books by Elmore Leonard..

I used to read everything by him I could find..

I just ran across Kill Shot, in my library and am hooked on his books again..

Ross

 

[CWS4322]

Just finished "A Death in White Bear Lake" (non-fiction). It was an interesting read. I learned a lot about the history of battered-child syndrome and those who campaigned to get it into the legal system since most, if not all, of the evidence of such is circumstantial. Minnesota and California were the first states to recognize it as something that a parent or guardian could be charged with. It took 22 years to bring the case to trial. Not a cozy, but educational. I am now reading "Defying Hitler." I have a somewhat eclectic taste when it comes to what I read. I don't read horror or fantasy.

 

[GotGarlic]

Since I last checked in I have read "The Power" by Naomi Alderman and "The Kitchen House" by Kathleen Grissom.

The first was a book club selection. It's a dystopian novel about a future where women become dominant because they develop a superpower that allows them to be more powerful than men. How do they react? Read and find out. There are some graphic scenes.

The second book is about a young Irish girl orphaned during her parents' trip from Ireland to the United States to be indentured servants. She ends up growing up on the ship captain's Virginia plantation under the care of the slaves. It's a very good story with interesting twists.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Have you watched her (Samin Nosrat) mini series on Netflix? That was really fun and interesting. From what I've seen of her book, it seems to be aimed at an audience of new cooks rather than experienced ones like us

No, haven't seen it. We don't have Netflix. But thanks for making me feel better about not getting all gaga over her book. Nice to find I'm better than a basic, new cook. I guess.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

...I also have two books on deck: large print is James Patterson's most recently published book in the Women's Murder Club series, "The 18th abduction" Once read, I'll be up-to-date with that series. Yay! Also waiting is "Drive-Thru Dreams: A Journey Through the Heart of America's Fast-Food Kingdom" by Adam Chandler. It has a colorful jacket that caught my eye - what can I say?

OK, read those two. "The 18th Abduction" was the usual fast-paced, riveting Patterson/Paetro thriller. Thankfully, it didn't end in a cliff-hanger. Just have to wait till the next one comes out.

"Drive-Thru Dreams" was an interesting history lesson on fast food restaurants and their founders. Lots of connections between all the different competitors - like who got their start at one place, then went on to found their own chain.

Since those two books I've read three more, two of them history-heavy. The first, D-Day Girls, was a gripping true story of the women who worked behind the lines and along side the men who kept the underground resistance moving along in order for the standing armies of the U.S. and Britain to succeed in WWII. The other, First They Killed My Father, is the most uplifting and hopeful book you might ever read about a young girl's heart-wrenching and soul-crushing childhood spent under the heel of the Khmer Rouge for four years. Angelina Jolie directed a Netflix movie by the same name. Luong Ung, the author of the book, ended up marrying her college sweetheart and settled in Cleveland. Cleveland! What a small world. Next time we see the kids, we should head to their restaurant/brewery right next to West Side Market when I make my yearly pilgrimage.

The third book was a fluff "cozy" mystery, Pressing the Issue. It's the 6th offering in Daryl Wood Gerber's "Cookbook Nook Mystery" series. This one will be going TO the library courtesy of moi. They did not have one copy in the entire library lending system, so I bought a used copy online. Time to pass it along so they will now have ONE.

 

[CWS4322]

I am reading Greg Iles Cemetary Road.

 

[CharlieD]

https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Marina-M-Novel/dp/0316439940

Must read to all those who think the socialism is a good thing.

 

[Just Cooking]

D-Day Girls[/URL], was a gripping true story of the women who worked behind the lines and along side the men who kept the underground resistance moving along in order for the standing armies of the U.S. and Britain to succeed in WWII.

This became available for my Kindle this weekend.. Only 10% into it and it seems to be quite interesting..

While browsing Ebooks I saw Chocolate Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke..
I added it because of the title..

Ross

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I really enjoy Joanne Fluke's books, Ross. If you like that one, go back to the first book in the series and read them all in order. She does a great job of character development over the years.

I hope you think D-Day Girls is a good read. Like any book about war, it gets a bit graphic.

 

[Just Cooking]

I really enjoy Joanne Fluke's books, Ross. If you like that one, go back to the first book in the series and read them all in order. She does a great job of character development over the years.

I hope you think D-Day Girls is a good read. Like any book about war, it gets a bit graphic.

Thank you, CG.. I like series.. At times I get frustrated because my library might have 1 or 2 of a series and I have to scramble reading them in order.. My most enjoyable authors do a good job of making series books stand alone too..

I enjoy war stories which feature people who contributed to the war effort and how people coped with and survived what they went through..

Ross

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I hear you (read you?) about the library missing books from a series, Ross. I'm currently reading through the Cookbook Nook series by Daryl Wood Gerber. The library was missing the 6th book in the series - I found that out after I read #5. I ended up ordering a used copy online, then donated it to the library after I had read it. I think the desk clerk took it home to read first, though. It hasn't showed up on the library website as being available yet.

My upstairs (regular print) book is from the aforementioned Cookbook Nook series - #7, "Wreath Between the Lines". If the baseball game doesn't go too long (10PM start time), I should be able to finish it tonight. And then the basement large-print book: Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl. After reading her book "My Kitchen Year", I decided that I liked her writing style enough that I wanted to read more of her books.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Alright, after reading both of the books mentioned above, I returned them to the library in exchange for three more - plus the "The Good Place - Season 3" DVD mentioned in the TV thread. I'm about to start my large print "Southern Lady Code", since I pedaled my way to the finish of "The Puzzle of the Happy Hooligan", a mystery first written in 1941 and recently re-released by "American Mystery Classics". It was a sweet and entertaining mystery for the most part, but apparently from a different age. It seems that the P.C. police had not reviewed it, since there were ethnic expressions in it that even I knew were inappropriate when I was a young reader in the late 1950s-early 1960s.

My book de cuisine is "Simple" by Diana Henry. I have no idea why I get cook books from the library. It's not like I've made every recipe from my 150+ book collection already! Like nuts or small candies, though, they're fun to nibble on.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

In case you all haven't noticed, I haven't been posting as much as my normal chatty self. That could be a good thing! It's because I've been busy reading (yay) and cleaning (boo). Mostly reading. Just checking my library account, I see that I have seven (7!) books at home. So far I've read "Today Will Be Different" by Maria Semple. Oh, this book was definitely different. Do you ever read a book and think "it certainly has to get better?" but, instead of putting it on your "DNF" list, you keep plodding along? And the book never ends up getting better? Yeah, that's how I felt about this one. IMO, the book was written either by someone on some seriously heavy drugs or the random keyboard pounding of a cat. Your choice.

Next was the first of the "Jesse Stone" mysteries by Robert B. Parker, "Night Passage". Himself and I have seen a couple of the Jesse Stone TV movies, and the books are available in large print, so I've decided that they will make good bike-riding stories. Thoroughly enjoyed this first one. The part of Jesse Stone seems written for Tom Selleck, too. Having seen a few movies first, I can hear his voice reading the lines of Jesse Stone. I have the next two books in my TBR basket.

I'm working my way through "Goldy's Kitchen Cookbook" right now, having made the Whole Enchilada Pie for supper last night. I've actually made quite a few of Mott's/Goldy's recipes over the years. I plan on getting a used copy of this book online soon, since I never have gotten around to actually organizing all the copies I've made of random Goldy recipes. :

I have a copy of David Lebovitz's "My Paris Kitchen" to peruse when I'm done with Goldy's Kitchen. I also have "The Pecan Man" to read. It's the December selection for our library's drop-in book club. I thought I'd read ahead and see if it's something I'd like to join in on.


Is anyone else out there reading?

 

[GotGarlic]

[waving] I am! [emoji38] I feel ya about trying to finish a book that doesn't get more interesting as you get more into it. My book club was reading "Becoming Mrs. Lewis" last month, about the woman who married C.S. Lewis. I didn't like the character much, so I had a hard time continuing it. Finally, I gave up and begged off the meeting. I'm still recovering from surgery, after all

The next book club book is "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman. I haven't started it yet. We'll see how it goes.

I finally started reading Michelle Obama's memoir "Becoming" yesterday (DH gave it to me for Christmas last year). I like it so far. She's a good writer.

 

[bbqcoder]

Do you ever read a book and think "it certainly has to get better?" but, instead of putting it on your "DNF" list, you keep plodding along?

I recently started to read Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race on my Kindle and got to about 21% and gave up. I can't recall ever forcing myself to read a book. Maybe I did but I would likely skim/speed read to the end to see if it gets better.

Another bad book that I tried to read a year or two ago was Hillary's What Happened book. I can't describe why it was bad. Maybe it was because Hillary was full of herself?

Is anyone else out there reading?

I actually had written up a post about a week or two ago on my iPad but somehow accidentally closed the tab or something thereby losing my work. So I said eff this and did something else. I was reminded of this when I scrolled back on this page and didn't see the post.

I finished Jerry Remy's If These Walls Could Talk: Boston Red Sox. It was an easy read about Jerry's playing days as a ball player and as a color guy for many years for NESN. It also mentions his battles dealing with depression and having a son who murdered his wife.

Right now, I'm reading Trevor Noah's Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. It was recommended by a friend of mine who read it for her book club. It's a good read so far. Unfortunately, I only read about 40 minutes in the morning when I do the treadmill & elliptical machines. So it will take me a while to finish a book.

 

[GotGarlic]

Another bad book that I tried to read a year or two ago was Hillary's What Happened book. I can't describe why it was bad. Maybe it was because Hillary was full of herself?

I loved it. I don't see how the most qualified person ever to run for president comes across as "full of herself." Unless that's how you describe self-confidence when you're talking about a well-educated, accomplished, successful woman.

 

[bbqcoder]

I voted for Hillary but my vote did not matter in liberal Massachusetts. I took a look at the Amazon reviews and I think this one captured my feelings best (emphasis is mine).

That was a painful read. Instead of a book I can't put down, it was a book I couldn't pick up. It took me a month to read it. I was expecting an inside look at the campaign: what worked, what didn't, strategies and the reasonings behind them, internal battles, successes and failures. This book has none of that. Instead it is a book of:
* Democrat talking points
* I love my daughter and my mother and my grandkids. They are so wonderful. Oh, and my dad too, I guess. And Bill's really an OK guy.
* Everyone else is a jerk: Donald, Bernie, Comey, the FBI, the Russians, the Republicans, the media, white women--make that any woman who didn't vote for me because, well, you know, because I'm a woman.
* People who voted for Trump really are deplorable. No seriously, I mean it. Geesh, Trump groped a woman. That makes people who support him deplorable, doesn't it?
* I wanted to talk about issues but everyone else wanted to talk about how incompetent I am with email.

There was so much in this book that had nothing to do with "What Happened" and so little to do with what actually did happen.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

bbq, Himself and I have default votes up our sleeves when we go to the polls and there isn't a candidate we can vote for - whether it's a big national election or a little local town vote. My choice is Snoopy (I even have a campaign button for him), while Himself votes for Montgomery Brewster*...since ballots still don't have "None of the Above" as a choice.

*If you've never seen the movie "Brewster's Millions", get it from the library and settle in for a fun couple of hours.