Book Club: What are you reading?

[ssusan]

I “read” (audio) most of Kristin Hannah’s new book, the Great Alone’ in the last two daze.

It’s good, dark. I have always been a voracious reader but between my vision and concentration it’s been a losing battle.
I was reading J.k. Rowling’s book, The Casual Vacancy, and kept falling asleep. I thought audio book was the problem. It has not been an issue with this book I haven’t been able to put it down. Yay!

[agate]

Audio books put me to sleep sometimes too, ssusan. I use them to go to sleep by. They're like a lullaby. Once in a while one of them is so interesting that I lie awake listening to it but usually I'm tired enough to fall asleep right away. I set the player to turn itself off after 15 minutes.

I just finished What Happened by Hillary Clinton. I'm guessing that she felt she almost had to write that book--to explain her version to people who have been wondering. Also, some of it is "payback time," I think. She wants to express her appreciation to quite a number of people--and she also wants to express some negative opinions in no uncertain terms.

[Pegakafarmgirl]

I am reading the books by Dorothy Garland..she is from Iowa,, and they cover everything,, from the wild west, to speak easy,, she reels you in,, its hard to stop reading

[Virginia]

I will look her up Peg!


Edited to add: I am reading a Noel Hynd book. It is a detective, thriller and I am enjoying it.

[Sunshine]

Susan, I just finished the Great Alone too. On the plus side, it got me int rested in Alaska. On the minus side, I felt impatient with the author for depicting the woman’s love for Allbright as great love. That certainly wasn’t love in my mind....

[Virginia]

I finished "Firebird" by Noel Hynd and I enjoyed it.

I decided to read another one by him so I am now reading Truman's Spy. I went from the 60s and Nixon era in Firebird to the late 40s and early 50s in Truman's Spy. I have read about 1/4 of the book and it is pretty good.

[Lazarus]

Just finished “ The Last Unicorn?” By PeteR Beagle. I guess I am decades away from its very popular years in the 60’s. Good reading of an allegorical fairy tale. I watched an animated movie of the book on Amazon Prime which was ok.

Now I am reading “Run” by Ann Patchett which a customer brought me to read. It is ok to good and I am 2/3 of the way through it. I am interested in the characters and the situations. This is the second book by Patchett I have read that deals with race issues. The stories are interesting and Patchett is earnest. So the books are good. The books are never complex enough to be very good. Something is missing in the development of characters...maybe that is it. But, I am having a good time reading this book.

[ssusan]

Sunshine, I believed their love pre accident; when she discovered that he was cognizant when she returned to Alaska I think author didn’t deeply explore his awakening. It would have been another 500 pages. She marked it
But it was dealtwith shallowly . I was good with that bes cause I wanted to believe it and their love was kinda just acknowledged. I wanted to believe . FWIW

[Virginia]

I was enjoying Truman's Spy so much that I didn't even turn on my computer yesterday.

[Sunshine]

Wow! Great recommendation Virginia!

[agate]

I just finished Southern Discomfort by Margaret Maron--set in a North Carolina town. It involves a murder and seemed well told, held my interest.

[Virginia]

I read that one Agate. I have read several of hers since they are all set in N.C. When I kind of run out of ideas I go to her books for an easy read.

Right now, I am back reading the last books that Ginny Dye wrote about the 1800s. I got the last 3 of 12. I think #13 is about to come out. They are good in parts, but then, while I do not loose interest, in other parts I would like more substance. I guess that is as good a way to put it as any I can think of. I am attached enough to the characters that I will continue to read the books as long as she continues to write them. I read a lot and run out of things that I enjoy sometime, so I keep some books that I don't have to think too much in mind for those times.

[Lazarus]

I am reading PAchinko by Min Jin Lee. It is the choice of the book club of PBS and NYTimes. Really engaging story traveling through generations. Teaching me about Koreans during period of WWII when Korea was occupied by japan and some Koreans were living in Japan. The situation of human behavior in time of and in spite of war is very readable and thought provoking. So glad I stumbled on the article, bought the book and started it. Very hard to put down.

[Sunshine]

I am reading Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey. So far it’s a bit of a slog, but he has interesting comments on human nature. I had stopped reading David Baldscci book The Fallen—- so simplistic. Plot idea is good, but it was like it was written for a third grader... so, I wanted something with more depth and the Kesey book was sitting there on my shelf....

[Sunshine]

I am reading PAchinko by Min Jin Lee. It is the choice of the book club of PBS and NYTimes. Really engaging story traveling through generations. Teaching me about Koreans during period of WWII when Korea was occupied by japan and some Koreans were living in Japan. The situation of human behavior in time of and in spite of war is very readable and thought provoking. So glad I stumbled on the article, bought the book and started it. Very hard to put down.

I ordered Pachinko after reading your review! And while I was at it I also ordered Things I never Told you by Celeste Ng, which got great reviews.