The Book Vipers discussion

This is a new thread, simply because the other one had become so long. Please keep posting about what you have recently finished reading.

Just finished The Ice Balloon: One Man's Dramatic Attempt to Discover the North Pole by Balloon. A tragic story about Arctic exploration

I just finished Water for Elephants. Wish I could give half stars as would have rated it 3.5.

I just read Melissa Joan Hart's attempt at a biography. I loved her as a teen when she was in Clarissa and Sabrina. The book was enjoyable however there was a lot of name dropping.

I just finished The Nine Day Queen which is a great book about Jane Grey and her two sisters - I loved to read their side of the story as well, in fact it was more their story than Jane's. A little bit Americanised which was a tiny bit off-putting but it wasn't crazily so.

I really want to read Melissa Explains It All :D

I just finished The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

It was amazing novel !

I loved it

Just finished The Rosie Project. I am genuinely torn on it, but it was very enjoyable all the same.

I finished May We Be Forgiven by A M Homes last night.

This is the second of her novels I've read. The other was This Book Will Save Your Life. She has a very quirky dark humour and the both novels have a very skewed outlook on life.

This one begins with a murder and covers the subsequent events in one year, from Thanksgiving to Thanksgiving.

I really enjoyed it. I like the author's often strange humour and bizarre lives of her characters, where even the oddest of behaviour begins to appear quite normal.

Ibrahim wrote: "I just finished The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare...It was amazing novel! ..I loved it"

It is very beautiful! I was in a production of that and it's always been one of my favourites.

Jo wrote: "Just finished The Rosie Project. I am genuinely torn on it, but it was very enjoyable all the same."

I was in the library two days ago and The Rosie Project was in the "Lucky Days" Shelf (that means you skip the waiting list). I was sooooo tempted to pick it! Then I had to be reasonable. I already have more books from the library at home than I can read before the due dates...

Finally, here is my review of The Book Thief, one of the three best books I read in 2013 - and, in fact, one of the best books I have ever had the privilege of reading:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished Scarp: In Search of London's Outer Limits yesterday. Beautifully written, but surreal in parts

I just finished The Never List by Koethi Zan - it's on the latest Richard and Judy list.

It was... okay. I found myself having to flip back to remind myself who characters were, there were quite a few typos, and a lot of double punctuation e.g. ?? or ?!?! - which I found really annoying and I can't remember the last time I saw that kind of punctuation in a print book! I also found myself a bit disappointed by the ending (view spoiler)[I guessed that Sarah had taken part in the torture in some way, I guessed that Jennifer wasn't really dead although I didn't expect her to really be Sylvia, and I was disappointed that they didn't actually catch Noah or find the other girls. (hide spoiler)]

Nicola wrote: "I just finished The Never List by Koethi Zan - it's on the latest Richard and Judy list.

It was... okay. I found myself having to flip back to remind myself who characters were, t..."

Yuck, I would be totally put off by punctuation like that. Was this a book published by a recognised publishing house?

Just read the write up for this book. It's on my Never Want To Read list. Urgh. Sounds nasty.

I just finished The Last Runaway by Terry Chevalier. What a pleasant reading!

Finished A Thousand Splendid Suns. Compelling and grim, and uplifting at the end

Just finished reading Ratburger by David Walliams, with my daughter. Not his best story, but still enjoyable.

Finished Road to Rouen lunch time today. Very amusing book about a family travelling through France

Amanda Knox a Memoir. Thought provoking and extremely well written.

Just finished The Beaumont Bequest which is a supernatural mystery / thriller. At first I found the large number of characters hard to handle - trying to remember who was related to whom - but as I read on I became completely gripped. It's cleverly structured, with excerpts from novels written by one of the characters which influence current events. Well worth reading.

I just finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I loved the ending!

Joy wrote: "Just finished The Beaumont Bequest which is a supernatural mystery / thriller. At first I found the large number of characters hard to handle - trying to remember who was related to..."

I hope that you don't mind as I have taken this recommendation and added it to my "recommended by a friend" category in the Magic Square Challenge. I know that calling you a "friend" is very presumptuous but as we are members of The Book Vipers I thought I could stretch the boundaries a little :D

We're all friends in Book Vipers, in spite of the venomous name :D. I think I may give Barbara Kingsolver's Flight Behaviour as my friend recommendation. Nearly picked it up in the library today but I think it will have to wait for a while.

have, not give .....

Elizabeth wrote: "We're all friends in Book Vipers, in spite of the venomous name :D. I think I may give Barbara Kingsolver's Flight Behaviour as my friend recommendation. Nearly picked it up in the library today b..."

I picked a copy up in Salisbury for £2 just before Christmas

I think I have Flight Behaviour on my Kindle. Both MIL and FIL absolutely loved it.

I feel a readalong
Coming along.
Ding Dong.

I would be up for that

I'd join in but am a bit busy at the moment with books. When we're you thinking of?

After the current read alongs perhaps?

Yes that's fine with me.

Yes, next quarter?

I've just finished The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Jen wrote: "I've just finished The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Thoroughly enjoyed it!"

I did too. For me it is the was he conjures the intensity in a story.

Its going to be my "chosen for its cover" book for my magic square.

ooh yes the cover is a good one isn't it :D

I have just finished Apple Tree Yardand was disappointed. It is the book of the month on another site which is why I chose it but did not connect to any of the characters, did not care what happened to them, why it happened or anyone's motivation. I felt the same about Gone Girlwhich others raved about but just passed me by! Anyone else read this and any thoughts where I place this in my Magic Square Challenge?

It can go in the Richard and Judy Square Gail

Apple Tree Yard is my next read. Not sure what to expect now. Keeping an open mind. I did like Gone Girl, though.

Jo wrote: "Yes, next quarter?"

Flight Behavior was the book that introduced me to Barbara Kingsolver, and I will be eternally grateful! I've read four of her books now, with another on the way. I would be glad to chip in if you guys do a read along. And just in case anyone needs recommendations of her books for the magic square, I highly recommend Flight Behavior, The Poisonwood Bible, The Lacuna and Prodigal Summer!

Elizabeth wrote: "Apple Tree Yard is my next read. Not sure what to expect now. Keeping an open mind. I did like Gone Girl, though." Others have got much more out of it than I did Elizabeth, hope you are one!

Thanks Paul. Sally, I enjoyed Flight Behavior and have her other books to look forward to!

Here is my review of The Pillars of the Earth, which I found to be a real page-turner, even though there were a lot of pages to turn!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Just finished The Thirteenth Tale audio book, read by Jenny Agutter.

Just finished The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

Elizabeth, I'll be reading The Thirteen Tale next the one I'm starting today. Did you like it?

I really enjoyed it. It worked very well as an audio book - very atmospheric. Having seen it on tv I knew roughly what to expect, but the novel is so much better.

Teresa wrote: "Joy wrote: "Just finished The Beaumont Bequest which is a supernatural mystery / thriller. At first I found the large number of characters hard to handle - trying to remember who wa..."

Happy to be a friend Teresa!

Elizabeth wrote: "Apple Tree Yard is my next read. Not sure what to expect now. Keeping an open mind. I did like Gone Girl, though."

I've got a copy of this from Christmas so might try it next.

Also just finished Apple Tree Yard and found it very powerful. It raises a lot of issues above and beyond its central story. I do understand where Gail is coming from but I didn't feel the same, and I hated the Gone Girl folks!

Just finished The Round House by Louise Erdrich. Magnificent novel of injustices done to Native Americans. A funny, sad, and allegorical novel. A must read.

Sandra wrote: "I just finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I loved the ending!"

Sandra, I've just finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman as well. I read it as my "Genre I normally avoid" (fantasy) for the Magic Square challenge. I was hugely impressed by the scope of Gaiman's imagination and enjoyed reading it, but have to confess that I found it rather frightening and had to stay up late to finish it, hoping that there would be a reassuring ending! These fantasy readers are clearly made of stronger stuff than me!