Book Lovers Club

Moonflwr912

Sandra glad you can read again. Yay

voraciousreader

radical... Welcome!  Many of your favorites have been mentioned here!  We recently spoke about A Reliable Wife and The Corner of Bitter and Sweet!  Please feel free to recommend more!  Everyone  here is always looking for more good book titles to add to their endless reading lists!

voraciousreader

Reading  Joseph Raskin's The Routes Not Taken: A Trip Through New York City's Unbuilt Subways.  Sooooo fascinating!  Marveling that the 2nd Avenue Subway is coming to fruition in my lifetime AND the connection of the Long Island Railway with Grand Central Terminal, I always wondered why there were so many gaps in the subway.  Finally, a scholarly work explaining all of the gaps with MAPS!  

glennie19

oh my VR!  The 2nd Ave subway is happening????   They were discussing that back when I lived there (1998-2003)   never thought I'd see that happen.  I must look for this book.  Thanks!

voraciousreader

glennie...I can't begin to tell you what a mess 2nd Avenue is!!! But it looks almost heavenly!!!  I've been following the tunnel progress from underground photos...and it is a human wonder!

glennie19

Wow,, can't imagine. The East Side really needs it as the 6 line is always crowded.  I lived on 97th St between Madison and 5th.  Used to walk to Lexington and get the 6 or the express bus to 68th St and then walk to work on 1st Ave (MSKCC).  It got to the point where the express bus was less stressful than the subway, so I started using it more often.  Having 2 lines on the East Side will defnitely be an improvement.

voraciousreader

glennie....if you worked at Mt. Sinai... your commute would have been literally a few steps from your apt!

A few months ago, I contacted the Museum of the City of New York and told them I expected a retrospective exhibit regarding the 2nd ave subway's creation!  We'll see!

glennie19

I know!   Mt Sinai was so close. Some of the long term rehab patients would sit in the park and have lunch. My dog used to beg sandwiches from them. And they would feed him!! 

 

Be interesting to see if they will do a retrospective or not.

WaveWhisperer

Radical, I've read all of Nelson Demille's and also highly recommend "Plum Island."

Radical2Squared

oh Wave you're right! That was definitely another good one! 

glennie19

Radical:  I'm reading Sarah's Key now.   Liking it so far.

voraciousreader

Sarah's Key... I cheated!  I watched the movie instead!

Radical2Squared

I didn't watch the movie... I should.

Jelson

Just finished M.R. Carey's The Girl with all the Gifts and must return it to the library BEFORE IT IS OVERDUE!  set in the not too distant future in which a fungus has infected most of humanity - turning those infected into HUNGRIES - who are kind of lilke zombies - but worse.  Civilization as we know collapsed in three years! The rest of humanity (though who knows because there is very little communication) appears to be divided between those holed up in huge protected areas and "junkers" - the equivalent of survivalists - who refuse to give up their freedom. The action begins at a carefully guarded facility where some young hungries who have been captured for study are kept under guard, educated and studied to further understand the infection. There are only 5 characters, a teacher of the children, one of the children,  the doctor who studies them, the sergeant responsible for security and one young soldier. Seriously great character development as the action proceeds and you get each one's point of view. Very interesting!

Marple

I went to the library today and got 'A Reliable Wife' from a recommendation here.  While there I ran into a chatty gal who belongs to the librarys book club.  I've never belonged to a book club.  This months read is 'The Other Boyleyn Girl' and so I came home with it as well and I promised to come at least to the next meeting.  So I immediately came here to see what you gals thought of it and I'm pleased to see it's liked which will make it far easier for me to get in to.  I am so NOT a history buff but seems one doesn't have to be to enjoy this book.  Thank you ladies. TY Kk.

glennie19

I didn't realize that Sarah's Key was a movie until I saw the book jacket.

The Girl with all the Gifts sounds good.  Have to look for that one.

MinusTwo

As for movies...  I loved reading Unbroken which has been discussed here numerous times.  I even felt it gave me some insight into my uncle's drinking after WWII and how the family hounded him about it. No PSTD discussions then.  Then I saw the trailer for the movie which will be released in December.  I've never shied away from reality but not sure I want to watch the brutality in the Japanese camps.  Looks like it will be pretty graphic.

Reading a lot since it's too hot to do much else.  I have a bunch of books piled up for report & have decided to list only those I liked.  Coming soon.

glennie19

i would like to read Unbroken,,, I've seen the trailers too and it does look quite brutal. How any of them survived,, is just amazing,,,,

glennie19

I just finished Sarah's Key and really enjoyed it.  How strange that the city of Lucca, Italy should enter into the story, as the book I read just prior to it was Elizabeth George's Just One Evil Act, which partially took place in Lucca also!    Two books in a row with the same city! Maybe it's a sign, I need to go there!

Radical2Squared

ok...adding unbreakable to the list! Sounds like I might learn a lite something there.... I love when that happens!

voraciousreader

The Way We Ate...100 Chefs Celebrate a Century at the American Table is a beautiful book to feast...YOUR EYES ON.  The little bits of history and recipes from famous chefs and restaurant critics are beautiful...to look at and read about. That said, IT IS THE MOST PRETENTIOUS BOOK ABOUT COOKING THAT I HAVE EVER READ!  Okay???!!!! Before I head for the loo, all I will say is that I don't know what is worse...reading about numerous ingredients for each of the recipes...or just counting the number of ingredients for each of the recipes...or...the number if steps involved in creating these culinary masterpieces.....Oy... I'm getting sick just thinking about the recipes....

MinusTwo

VR - just read some background about In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides.1879 exploration & expedition to the Arctic.  They had arc lights supplied by Thomas Edison and telephones & telegraph from Alexander Graham Bell.  The ship U.S.S. Jeannette was provisioned for 3 years, but...  Thought of you when I read the article.  It's getting good reviews. I'm going to keep my eyes out for it.

voraciousreader

minus...LOL....one of my voracious reader neighbors...you know there are many...was telling me about the book on Friday!  I've done my reading on De Long and Melville and Climate Change and everything else that has to do with the ill fated journey!  Thanks for thinking of me!   I'm THRILLED that a non fiction book... Just like Unbroken is getting readers to join me on the other side of the literary divide!

sandra4611

I'm re-reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet again in preparation for a trip to Seattle in a few days. I understand you can actually visit some of the places in the book. That would be so cool.

voraciousreader

Sandra...Where'd You Go Bernadette is a send-up of the culture in Seattle!!! A must read if you haven't already!!!!

sandra4611

I haven't read it. Thanks for the recommendation.

ruthbru

Just read another book by the author of The Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline, desire lines. It takes place in the author's home state of Maine. A girl disappears on the night of her high school graduation, never to be found. Ten years later, her best friend Kathryn, who has never gotten past this event, comes home after a messy divorce and tries to solve the mystery. While I found it somewhat predicable; it was a good, fast read.

pat01

Well, I just finished Unbroken, and it was a remarkable story, I bet it will make a great movie.  But I found the writing to be a bit dry, more of a recounting of what happened rather than having you feel the emotions of what was happening.  Some time ago I read Flyboys by James Bradley, and learned more about the history of the Pacific War than I ever learned in all my years of school.  Flyboys has much more gruesome details than Unbroken, but it also gives much more background into the atrocities committed on both sides of the war, something I felt was missing in Unbroken.

Now I'm back to reading the Paris Architect, which I put down when Unbroken became available, as I wanted to read that book before the movie came out.  The Paris Architect is another WWII book, but set in occupied Paris, and it is a good read too.

fgm

Marple- I liked The Other Boleyn Girl. I read it several years ago. In fact, I've read several of Gregory's other books, too.

I recently finished The Orphan Train, so I put Desire Lines on my list.

Now, I'm reading David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell. I've read the Tipping Point, Outliers and Blink.  This one I find myself scanning a lot and I'm still getting the point.

Unbroken is on my list, too.

glennie19

Currently reading Jo Nesbo's The Snowman.  Anyone else reading his Harry Hole series?