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Post by Kao on Feb 5, 2020 15:36:11 GMT
I just started that book yesterday! The first chapter totally sucked me in! Immediately she writes each character to make it clear that as the family is passing people in the airport they matter and you should pay attention. I can't wait to read more. I started a health kick last month and I'm trying to go to the gym every night after work. I did last night, but it was the first night that I really wanted to skip so I could curl up and read more! In spite of it being really sad, I'd still recommend it whole-heartedly. I think I had more trouble with it than most would because, like Edward, I also lost my older brother. There were passages about dealing with that loss that were particularly hard to get through. I identified with it so much, even if the way my brother died was very different from how Jordan dies in the book.
I took a nice u-turn and am now reading My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. In spite of the description it's (so far) not dark and overly-serious. I love this quote about the book: "Satire meets slasher in this short, darkly funny hand grenade of a novel about a Nigerian woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends. 'Femi makes three, you know. Three and they label you a serial killer.'"
I read that last year and while I liked it overall very much I loathed the sister and hated the ending. Your mileage may vary though.
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Post by Critical on Feb 8, 2020 21:43:51 GMT
In spite of it being really sad, I'd still recommend it whole-heartedly. I think I had more trouble with it than most would because, like Edward, I also lost my older brother. There were passages about dealing with that loss that were particularly hard to get through. I identified with it so much, even if the way my brother died was very different from how Jordan dies in the book.
I took a nice u-turn and am now reading My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. In spite of the description it's (so far) not dark and overly-serious. I love this quote about the book: "Satire meets slasher in this short, darkly funny hand grenade of a novel about a Nigerian woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends. 'Femi makes three, you know. Three and they label you a serial killer.'"
I read that last year and while I liked it overall very much I loathed the sister and hated the ending. Your mileage may vary though. I finished it last night and it ended exactly the way I expected! Definitely did loathe Ayoola though.
I started Bob Tarte's Enslaved by Ducks a few weeks ago, but got interrupted by a few other titles. I went back to it last night. It's basically a memoir about his and his wife's growing menagerie of pets. I can sort of identify, since we had TONS of animals when I was growing up, but I find myself a bit irritated with them because they adopt animals without doing much, if any, research about the species/breed. I guess I find it frustrating because I'm the exact opposite; I might do too much research before I make a decision. They are much more into birds than we ever were - we had a few ducks (never more than one at a time) and my brother had quail for a while - with parrots, canaries, a dove, parakeets, etc. We were more heavy with lizards, snakes and, OY, rabbits (and mice, and guinea pigs and....).
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Post by Critical on Feb 10, 2020 3:43:51 GMT
I picked up Kate Elizabeth Russell's My Dark Vanessa this afternoon and, when I looked up again, I was 100 pages in. It just swallowed me up.
It's so timely and so beautifully written.
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Post by Critical on Feb 12, 2020 23:27:40 GMT
I started Rebecca Serle's In Five Years late last night, read far too late, woke up and read for an a while at around 6 am (which I never do) and then finished it this afternoon. I cried A LOT, but it was really good. I read so much and can usually predict endings, but this one surprised me in a good way. It releases on March 10.
I'm still reading (plodding) through Enslaved by Ducks, but I find myself increasingly annoyed with the author and his wife and their complete inability to do any research before taking on new animals. I don't like irresponsible pet owners! I hate abandoning books when I'm well over halfway in, but I don't know if I'll finish this one. These people make me feel stabby.
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Post by Kao on Feb 13, 2020 1:53:34 GMT
OMG Critical, that book sounds crazy as hell and I'm here for it! Definitely going to try to get it from the library. *edit* I put a hold on it and I'm #41 in line, lol!
Currently reading Christmas Shopoholic. I'm 1/4 of the way through and already like it a lot more than the last book in the series.
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Post by acookertv on Feb 13, 2020 2:47:12 GMT
I added In Five Years to my want to read list. I flew through the Dinner List and loved it so I’m excited for more from her!
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Post by Critical on Feb 13, 2020 5:19:37 GMT
I don't want to say too much about In Five Years because I'm glad I didn't know anything beyond than the blurb on the cover. I will say that that it didn't go where I thought it would, based on the blurb. Now I've moved on to Ann Patchett's The Dutch House.
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Post by Critical on Feb 13, 2020 21:40:46 GMT
Okay, forget the other two books I was reading! I just got a galley of Max Brooks' new book, Devolution! Where World War Z dealt with zombies, this one is about a reported Bigfoot attack on a small town in the Pacific Northwest. Review coming soon!
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Post by acookertv on Feb 17, 2020 22:44:46 GMT
I finished Dear Edward today. Absolutely loved it. It’s been a while since I read a book where the author created such vivid characters I just really enjoyed knowing. Great book!
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Post by Critical on Feb 20, 2020 3:57:02 GMT
I finished Dear Edward today. Absolutely loved it. It’s been a while since I read a book where the author created such vivid characters I just really enjoyed knowing. Great book! I'm so glad! I was trying to "sell" it at my book club meeting and everyone balked at the premise. I kept trying to tell them that it wasn't this maudlin, tragic story that would make you never want to get on a plane again. I don't think they believed me. I absolutely did bawl my eyes out, but that's not always a bad thing. I did pretty much nothing until I finished Devolution Monday. Oh. My. GOD. It was totally bananas. Scary, gripping, emotional....a total page turner! Of course, I may never want to go hiking or camping or, heck even DRIVE BY a wooded area, but it was still a great read Yesterday I started Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, which is getting a ton of buzz. I'm already over halfway through and totally understand the praise. It's really illustrative of how, even people who have good intentions can still get things wrong. Good writing and multidimensional HUMAN (flawed) characters.
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Post by Kao on Feb 23, 2020 4:02:13 GMT
I just finished reading "When We Were Vikings" by Andrew David MacDonald and it's a great little book; I definitely recommend it. It's very rare that a male author can flesh out a female protagonist the way he does 21 year old Zee, especially since the character has fetal alcohol syndrome. The last time I read a book by a male author that created an amazing character like this was Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone."
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Post by FannyMare on Feb 23, 2020 6:31:58 GMT
The Wives. I was unable to put it down, and I wasn't sure from page to page, who I could believe.Loved it.
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Post by Critical on Feb 23, 2020 10:18:25 GMT
I just finished reading "When We Were Vikings" by Andrew David MacDonald and it's a great little book; I definitely recommend it. It's very rare that a male author can flesh out a female protagonist the way he does 21 year old Zee, especially since the character has fetal alcohol syndrome. The last time I read a book by a male author that created an amazing character like this was Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone."
Oooo! That one is on the top of a pile from the booksellers' trade show from last fall. I almost picked it up last, but chose The Dutch House instead. I think I'll read that one when I'm finished! I'm a huge Wally Lamb fan - I think I posted about meeting him a few (five? six?) years ago (I fangirled hard, but held it together and he could not have been nicer) - so the comparison is a big selling point.
I just started Graham Moore's The Holdout on my Kindle. Another winner. I stayed up late reading and then read more very early in the morning, which doesn't happen very often....although it's happening more often as my old friend Insomnia is back for a visit. Is anyone else doing the yearly reading challenge on Goodreads? My goal is 75 books and I'm 5 titles ahead at this point. I'd love to aim for 100, but I know that my fall reading is really sparse because I'm so busy with my business. 75 seems like a good goal, although I'm going to try for more.
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Post by Kao on Feb 24, 2020 16:01:14 GMT
I just finished reading "When We Were Vikings" by Andrew David MacDonald and it's a great little book; I definitely recommend it. It's very rare that a male author can flesh out a female protagonist the way he does 21 year old Zee, especially since the character has fetal alcohol syndrome. The last time I read a book by a male author that created an amazing character like this was Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone."
Oooo! That one is on the top of a pile from the booksellers' trade show from last fall. I almost picked it up last, but chose The Dutch House instead. I think I'll read that one when I'm finished! I'm a huge Wally Lamb fan - I think I posted about meeting him a few (five? six?) years ago (I fangirled hard, but held it together and he could not have been nicer) - so the comparison is a big selling point.
I just started Graham Moore's The Holdout on my Kindle. Another winner. I stayed up late reading and then read more very early in the morning, which doesn't happen very often....although it's happening more often as my old friend Insomnia is back for a visit. Is anyone else doing the yearly reading challenge on Goodreads? My goal is 75 books and I'm 5 titles ahead at this point. I'd love to aim for 100, but I know that my fall reading is really sparse because I'm so busy with my business. 75 seems like a good goal, although I'm going to try for more.
What's really nice is that it's written from her point of view and you don't immediately know she's special needs; I just thought "Wow, she's really obsessed with Vikings!" and she talks about her friend/boyfriend and other friends a lot and the way she describes them kinda clues you into things. Then you realize that the "school" she talks about attending is actually a rec center with counselors, that she's seeing a therapist, and all of the events gently unfold and unwind in the book. What I loved about the book is the sense of normalcy it has for Zee; she loves her brother, his ex girlfriend, and her boyfriend and tries to live her life by the Viking code even when things get difficult.
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Brooks
FORT Addict
Posts: 1,089
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Post by Brooks on Feb 25, 2020 16:06:48 GMT
Stephen Buhner's excellent "Herbal Antivirals". It's the basis of a lot of my recent preps.
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Post by acookertv on Mar 2, 2020 2:26:41 GMT
This morning I finished Long Bright River by Liz Moore. I loved it. I was drawn to it because the synopsis said it focused on the opioid crisis, and it did so very well. It’s the story of two sisters - one a Philly cop and the other a drug addict. It had a murder case or you’re but wasn’t really a thriller. That said it played out with suspense and lots of twists and turns. It was a great book!
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Post by Critical on Mar 2, 2020 4:43:34 GMT
I just got an e-galley of Jennifer Weiner's upcoming novel (releases 6/2, I think) Big Summer.
Sometimes I just want a light, fun read and this one fits the bill
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Post by Critical on Mar 11, 2020 0:27:05 GMT
I still do sometimes buy actual books, but I've taken to borrowing ebooks from the library for titles I know I can read in an afternoon. I finished Andrew Ridgeley's memoir, Wham! George Michael and Me over the weekend. I was a HUGE fan back in the day - and saw them live on their final tour - so it was fun to read more about their friendship and the band. I always had a thing for Andrew, while my bbf was all about George. I've been singing Wham! songs for the last 4 days!
Now I'm reading Demi Moore's memoir, Inside Out. I knew she didn't have a great family situation growing up, but WOW. I admire her for really opening up about her life and also being honest about her own behavior. I'm only up to her time on General Hospital and in Blame it on Rio. Lots of juicy stuff is still to come, I'm sure!
I've also got library holds on memoirs from Jessica Simpson and Jonathan Van Ness (from Queer Eye).
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Post by Critical on Mar 23, 2020 1:38:06 GMT
I just finished Jonathan Van Ness' (he, of Queer Eye), memoir, Over the Top today. I read Tan France's "memoir" a while back and this one is definitely better. I borrowed it from the library on Friday and finished it today. He's really open and honest about his life and struggles. I respect that a lot more than those who seem to blame everyone else and act like things happened TO them. Anyway, I recommend it for fans of Jonathan and QE.
I'm still reading Olive Kitteridge and just got notification that Olive Again, which I'd put on hold at the library, was now available. I delayed the loan for a week so I could finish the first book. I wouldn't say I'm in love with the book, but I'm enjoying it.
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Brooks
FORT Addict
Posts: 1,089
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Post by Brooks on Mar 23, 2020 12:56:14 GMT
A lot of libraries closed so may be a good idea to snatch up anything you were waiting for. My library system closed and then extended all due dates by several weeks.
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Post by Critical on Mar 23, 2020 15:15:31 GMT
All of our libraries closed at least a week ago. That’s the beauty of digital media; the library doesn’t have to be open for you to check it out
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Post by waywyrd on Mar 23, 2020 16:54:44 GMT
Fortunately I got behind on my reading so I have a ton of stuff on my Kindle to keep me busy. Critical I just started that Hollow Kingdom you recommended - I love it! I really like her style of writing, hopefully she'll publish more in the future.
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Post by Critical on Mar 26, 2020 6:11:30 GMT
Fortunately I got behind on my reading so I have a ton of stuff on my Kindle to keep me busy. Critical I just started that Hollow Kingdom you recommended - I love it! I really like her style of writing, hopefully she'll publish more in the future. I'm so glad! When I love a book so much, I always worry that others will be like, "meh." I just think it's so special AND I happen to like the author as a person. If you are a podcast person, she was on the Reading Women podcast last September 11th. It's a really fun one and she gives some background about her life and how she came to write the book and why she used a crow as the main narrator. BTW, one of my very favorite chapters is Genghis Cat in chapter 4. I laughed myself silly.
I got an advance copy of Veronica Roth's Chosen Ones and just started it last night. She wrote the Divergent trilogy and this is her first novel for adults.
I got sucked in from page one. Review to follow
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Post by beerbelly on Mar 26, 2020 12:25:35 GMT
I finally finished Lonesome Dove and now I'm reading Shogun. I'm really enjoying Shogun, I can see why it was so popular in the 1980s, quite a page-turner. I think both had a mini-series back then too. That might be fun to watch.
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Post by Arielflies on Mar 26, 2020 14:50:52 GMT
Yes, both did have very popular miniseries. Critical - I'll check out Chosen Ones as I really liked the author's style.
ETA: It's above my "buy" grade right now and is the start of series, so I'll have to pass. I did put it on my buy list and will continue to check for price.
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Post by Critical on Mar 26, 2020 22:08:51 GMT
Yes, both did have very popular miniseries. Critical - I'll check out Chosen Ones as I really liked the author's style.
ETA: It's above my "buy" grade right now and is the start of series, so I'll have to pass. I did put it on my buy list and will continue to check for price.
It's an upcoming release (April 7th), so it's definitely above my price limit too. I think I've paid over $10 maybe once or twice and it was for books that I thought my dad would want to read too. If I hadn't gotten a copy from the publisher, I'd definitely be putting a hold on it at the library when it's released. I've gotten into the habit of putting holds on books regularly, so I get one every week or two. Some I've had to wait three months for, but that's okay. I have other things to read in the meantime!
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Post by Kao on Mar 26, 2020 22:40:02 GMT
I got Jerry Saltz's "How to be an Artist" in the mail yesterday and really enjoyed it. He has been the art critic for the New York Times for years and over his decades of talking with different creatives he noticed common themes among the successful (and not so successful) and decided to write a book based on his Vulture article "33 rules on how to be a successful artist": www.vulture.com/2018/11/jerry-saltz-how-to-be-an-artist.htmlThe book expands on the article and has fantastic tips in it for creatives of all stripes; whether you're a traditional artist. musician, designer, chef, etc.
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Post by Critical on Mar 26, 2020 23:51:36 GMT
I got Jerry Saltz's "How to be an Artist" in the mail yesterday and really enjoyed it. He has been the art critic for the New York Times for years and over his decades of talking with different creatives he noticed common themes among the successful (and not so successful) and decided to write a book based on his Vulture article "33 rules on how to be a successful artist": www.vulture.com/2018/11/jerry-saltz-how-to-be-an-artist.htmlThe book expands on the article and has fantastic tips in it for creatives of all stripes; whether you're a traditional artist. musician, designer, chef, etc. As an artist, I feel like I need that book! I checked on Amazon and it won't even ship for a month. Book Depository (in the UK) has it for a lot less and they'll ship it out quickly. I may have to splurge...
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Post by Kao on Mar 27, 2020 0:11:19 GMT
I got Jerry Saltz's "How to be an Artist" in the mail yesterday and really enjoyed it. He has been the art critic for the New York Times for years and over his decades of talking with different creatives he noticed common themes among the successful (and not so successful) and decided to write a book based on his Vulture article "33 rules on how to be a successful artist": www.vulture.com/2018/11/jerry-saltz-how-to-be-an-artist.htmlThe book expands on the article and has fantastic tips in it for creatives of all stripes; whether you're a traditional artist. musician, designer, chef, etc. As an artist, I feel like I need that book! I checked on Amazon and it won't even ship for a month. Book Depository (in the UK) has it for a lot less and they'll ship it out quickly. I may have to splurge...
Wow, I lucked out because I ordered it right after it was released on the 19th and picked it up from my maildrop yesterday. I just checked Amazon again and they aren't shipping again until April 23rd!
The Strand started their mail order again and they have it, if you want to go that route. How soon would you get it through Book Depository?
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Post by Critical on Mar 27, 2020 5:52:17 GMT
As an artist, I feel like I need that book! I checked on Amazon and it won't even ship for a month. Book Depository (in the UK) has it for a lot less and they'll ship it out quickly. I may have to splurge...
Wow, I lucked out because I ordered it right after it was released on the 19th and picked it up from my maildrop yesterday. I just checked Amazon again and they aren't shipping again until April 23rd!
The Strand started their mail order again and they have it, if you want to go that route. How soon would you get it through Book Depository?
Are you talking about The Strand in NYC? They have a banner at the top of their homepage saying their physical store and online store are both closed and it's date 3/26.
Book Depository is pretty quick - they ship within 3 days the book generally arrives in maybe 10 days or less. Pretty good coming from the UK and with free shipping, Plus, it's cheaper than Amazon - on Amazon it's $19.80. Book Depository has it for $10.55. I don't even mind if I have to wait a bit, so if the price wasn't so much lower at Book Depository, I'd just order it from Amazon and wait. It's not like I'm going to run out of reading material I could get it for Kindle right now, but it feels like a book I'd want in paper rather than digital.
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