Book Lovers Club

glennie19

I still get maps at AAA, and yes, they are detailed. I love maps. I love plotting a course to drive and seeing the big picture. I don't have a phone with GPS, so I still use the maps.

Just finished the China chapter,,, this is fascinating. History and geography!! Woo-hoo!!

abigail48

one of my big helps with geography was when my mother's cousin came to stay with us at grandmother's house during the war, my father was in the canadian navy and not with us. chuck, the cousin had broken a leg in a plane crash. he quizzed me on the states with a map pf them then many many years later I was given those school pull down maps which I still have somewhere

MinusTwo

VR - for your DH, these review just came through from my indie book store about the debut novel Nothing Short of Dying by Erik Storey. Taking into account the authors who supposedly wrote the reviews, looks like it will be a winner.

"Nothing Short of Dying may be the year's best debut thriller." - William Kent Krueger. "Reacher is keeping an eye on this guy. In the rear-view mirror for now, but that's closer than most." - Jack Reacher. "Erik Storey is a gene splice of Lee Child and Joe Lansdale." - Scott Sigler. "Erik Storey's main character, Clyde Barr, is the quintessential man's man, a modern version of every Wild West cowboy, sheriff, and drifter you've ever admired in books and film." - Nelson Demille. "Nothing Short of Dying contains furious, non-stop action that paints the mountains and gorges of Western Colorado red with blood. Clyde Barr a modern-day mountain man crossed with ex-mercenary is not a man to be messed with." - C.J. Box

Wicked

I see earlier in this thread someone mentioned Christopher Moore. I'm currently reading his The Serpent of Venice, his re-telling of The Merchant of Venice. It is insane, and involves supernatural beings, like all his books.

voraciousreader

minus....I will share that with the DH. Thank you! You know, it is funny that Demille is mentioned. I gave him a book or two by him, but the DH never got into reading his books....hmmmmm

ladyb1234

HI All, I am a book lover and would love to join in on this thread. Read a few pages and will jump in. My favorite types of books are sci-fi and historical fiction -- but most of all just like a good read.

ruthbru

Welcome, ladyb!

MinusTwo

ladyb - glad to have you. yes, just jump in.

voraciousreader

ladyb...give us some titles!!!😀 And welcome aboard!

glennie19

welcome ladyb! Tell us what you are reading.

badger

hi ladyb, welcome! My favorite sci-fi is Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard. Great book, terrible movie.

"Suspense, thrills, action and adventure. Earth has been dominated for 1,000 years by an alien invader—and man is an endangered species. From the handful of surviving humans a courageous leader emerges—Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, who challenges the invincible might of the alien ... empire." (goodreads.com)

I also like thrillers and historical fiction. Ken Follett is a great choice for both.

I brought the paperback of Eye of the Needle to the hospital to read after BMX. Surgeon came to check on me and did a double-take LOL. However, my favorite of his books is The Pillars of the Earth.

"Ken Follett is known worldwide as the master of split-second suspense, but his most beloved and bestselling book tells the magnificent tale of a twelfth-century monk driven to do the seemingly impossible: build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known." (goodreads.com)

ladyb1234

Thanks All, for the welcome.

Ruth and Badger, we meet again 😀.

Badger, I loved Battlefield Earth. Agree, great book and one of the worst movies made - LOL.

I am currently reading The Lost Girls by Heather Young.

susan3

Boston girl. Best book I ever read ( listened to) ever ever ever. So sad when it ended. I just wanted it to go on and on

ruthbru

I have just apologized to Mark Twain and am putting his LONG autobiography in the pile of books I am donating to a charitable group that runs a used book store. Try as I might, I just can not wade through it!

magiclight

I just started LaRose by Louise Erdrich and find the family dynamics of this story where a young boy is given to away by his parents to a family whose son was accidently shot to death. So far, about one quarter way into this book, it is very heavy with the pain being experienced by both families. I'm not expecting anything light and airy in this book. Not sure yet how many stars I give this, so will report back,

voraciousreader

ruth.....😘👍

abigail48

ruthbru: I have a copy or irving stone's dear theo a heavily edited translation of vincent van gogh's letters, I had it for many many years unable to get through more than a page or two, always starting from thee beginning. finally a few years ago when I was well into painting in oils I read it through with wonder and joy. It always bothered me that stone talked about color but not pigments, but there is talk of pigments in the book. It was first copywriten in 1937. at this point I bought a second copy as a gift for a y oung, much younger artist friend. I don't think she's able to read it now either hope she's kept it though, she doesn't yet? paint in oils. I hope you don't have to buy a second copy for yourself when later you think y ou want to read it. that said I've never been able to read huckleberry finn but never have had a copy of it either

ruthbru

Mark Twain was a very witty man, but this book is not! I think I am too old, with too many books to still read, to ever come back to it!

badger

Ruth, you're not old ~ just old enough to choose wisely!

Jelson

Stef Penny The Tenderness of Wolves - had been mentioned by MinusTwo so I thought it would give it a try - great read! great characters and descriptions of the wilderness - 1860's Hudson Bay Company trappers/traders/religious enclaves/Native Americans - will check out her other books - thanks MinusTwo

also Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal while it was interesting and provided insights into foodies and the lives of the characters that rang true - it somehow didn't hang together for me.

now I go back to Robin Hobb - having finished the Farseer series - I will continue the adventures of Fitz Chivalry in her Tawny Man series..... a huge sprawling fantasy series which I seriously don't understand how she keeps it all straight in her head....

MinusTwo

A friend found one of the old Lisa Scottoline books at a charity sale - Running From the Law. It was before the 'girls' formed their own law firm. How do you defend a client who is probably guilty - or maybe the guilty party is his son, who is the lover you've lived with for a number of years. I'd forgotten how subtle she is, and how amusing.

badger

Anyone into the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson? I like his Alex Cross books, and also a YA fantasy series about children with wings (Maximum Ride).

MinusTwo

Hmmmm - I've read the Alex Cross books but didn't know there was a Woman's Murder Club. I'll have to check it out. Thanks.

badger

Minus, you bet. LMK what you think if you do pick one up. I haven't read them either and there are 15 or 16 by now. I like to read a series in order so wonder if it's worth the investment.

Per wiki -- Set in San Francisco, the novels follow a group of women from different professions relating to investigating crime as they work together to solve murders.

MinusTwo

Oh then I'll really enjoy them since I grew up in that area. That's one reason I always liked Marcia Muller's books.

Kay_G

Was just looking through this theead for some suggestions for my book club. Our last book was LaRose. It is a weighty book, much more so than any of the other books we've read (All the Light You Can Not See; The Dinner; The Girl on the Train; Please Look After Mom, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time). I liked it being about Native Americans. i did not like the shifting of the story between generations. Overall i liked it and was glad i read it. Most of the group did not like it. Current book is Still Life.

MinusTwo

KayG - I like Louise Erdich, but the books aren't easy reads. Is Still Life the Louise Penny book? I think her books are wonderful but I'm not sure I ever read this first one.

Kay_G

yes it is Louise Penny. I am looking forward to a good mystery! I will let you know what i think of it

magiclight

I am listening to LaRose by Erdrich and have mixed feeling about the narrative. The back and forth timeline is difficult at times to follow and I do wish that Erdrich would not read the book as she does so in almost a whisper and the emphasis of her voice does not match the emotion of the moment about which she is reading. As a ravenous listener of books, I will often not buy a book if I listen to a section of it and do not like the readers voice. Whenever I am in my car I'm listening to a book and for me a great pleasure is to find a reader whose voice renders the story true.

Ralph Gosham is always a pleasure to listen to reading the Louise Penny novels.

voraciousreader

fiction alert.....I reserved from my library...The Nix. Anybody hear the great reviews? Hope I won't be disappointed....