You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

After you have read your chosen book(s) for this month's group theme read, please report in the thread below.

Please state what book you read (and link it), that you discussed it (and where), and briefly summarise what you thought of the book and/or link to your review if you have written one.

Here is an example for how to report your read:
“I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and discussed it in the [Harry Potter/Buddy Read/Other books in theme] thread. I really enjoyed the book. I watched the film first so I already knew the storyline but I was surprised how much I enjoyed the book more as there was more detail involved. Plus I listened to the audio which was narrated by Stephen Fry who is a superb narrator. 4 stars.”

If you read more than one book which fits the theme, please report all your reads in the same post rather than in separate posts.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. have completed the book(s) before or during February 2016.
2. discussed it in the relevant thread. Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read, for example, thoughts, opinions, impact it had on you, what was your favourite part, was it what you expected it to be like etc. You may also like to review the book and post a link to the review in that thread.
3. Report that you have read AND discussed the book in the reporting thread below, along with a brief summary of what you thought.

Finished Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground A very interesting account of ibternet based criminal behavior. Has your screen saver ever gone off well may be a hacker going through your goods. Have a web cam yep they can look through it ibto your house. Then there is the credit xard and identity theft stuff. Son't read this if you are scared of the truth.

Oh I discussed in one word titles

I read Matterhorn and discussed it in the one word titles thread. It was quite a long book, 663 pages, which I managed to get through pretty quickly. I enjoyed reading it, though probably would have appreciated it more if it hadn't been quite so long.

I read and discussed Uprooted in the discussion thread. I liked the story, but didn't love it. I never felt fully engaged and that made it feel particularly long to me.

Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read Uprooted and discussed it in the one word titles thread. I gave it 4 stars. It was a fast, enjoyable read. I liked the main characters and the world created by Novik.

I also finished Uprooted and am currently discussing it in the discussion thread. Just like Kristie, this one didn't quite hit the mark for me.

I have read and reported (in the buddy read thread) Moloka'i. It is a beautifully written book by a man who clearly has a passion for this story and the area. I learned a lot about a topic I knew very little about and learned much more about the history of that area as well. I ended up giving it 5 stars.

I read Unsaid. Loved this book! If I could give it 10 stars I would. It is beautifully written and totally tugs on your heart strings. The last few chapters had me completely in tears though :(

Helena, the MC, tells the story after she has passed away from cancer. She follows the people and animals that were in her life. There is so much going on with everyone but it was easy to follow and there were some things that angered me (they talk a bit about animal testing). Read this book!! But have a box of Kleenex handy :)

I finished reading one of the group picks, Dodger and discussed it in the Dodger thread.

This was a miss for me. I really wanted to like it, but never became engaged in the story. There were some humorous moments and some good characters, but not enough to carry the story in my mind.

That's a shame Janice. But at least you know now to spend your money and time on other books which you will like. You've given him a fair try. I like him but I can't listen to his books on audio.

I read Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala and discussed it in the One Word Titles thread. It's hard to summarize this book without spoiling it for you. I did discuss it with a spoiler alert in the thread if you are interested in reading the book. It is a tragic memoir of the tsunami that hit Sri Lanka in 2004.

Sarah wrote: "That's a shame Janice. But at least you know now to spend your money and time on other books which you will like. You've given him a fair try. I like him but I can't listen to his books on audio."

I wonder if I would have liked it more if I had read it in a print format. Oh well... time to move on.

I read Halfskin. I posted in the discussion thread and here is m the link to my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read Dodger and discussed it in that Group Read Thread.

The story line was pretty simple. What made the book fun for me is the amassing of historical figures all in one circle of society. Small liberties were taken in their associations with one another and sometimes their historical time frame, but not enough to be disturbing.

I investigated several of the names mentioned, just to get an overview of what contribution these people made to history. I am quite sure there are more names in this volume that I overlooked. I'll bet every one of them had some significance, at lest to Terry Pratchett.

Great review Lori - Sounds intriguing. I'm adding it to my wishlist :-)

-- a short question,
do buddy reads also count as: discussion? :-)

Caecilia wrote: "-- a short question,
do buddy reads also count as: discussion? :-)"

Yep.

I'm assuming that you mean for a Group Read or Group Challenge?

As Almeta said, if you discuss a book which fits the theme as a buddy read, then that counts. Discuss in the buddy read thread, briefly in the "other books in theme thread" (along with a mention you've read it in a buddy read in this group) and once completed, report in the reporting thread.

I finished my second one word title book this month, Moloka'i. We discussed it in the buddy read thread. It was beautifully written and a wonderful story. I loved the characters and cared about what happened to them. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys historical fiction.

I read Marina and have discussed it in the 'One Word Titles' thread. This was a 4 star read for me, I really enjoyed it. It had everything I wanted from a Carlos Ruiz Zafón book: beautiful writing, intriguing plot and a palpable gothic atmosphere. It was also incredibly creepy and far from being a typical young-adult novel. I highly recommend it.

I mentioned it in the discussion thread but forgot to post here, I finished Inamorata last week. It was an incredibly interesting story; I gave it 5 stars. I really loved the writing, the author made the city of Venice come to life.

Sarah wrote: "As Almeta said, if you discuss a book which fits the theme as a buddy read, then that counts. Discuss in the buddy read thread, briefly in the "other books in theme thread" (along with a mention yo..."

thank you :-)
I am still reading (and fully enjoying) "A Little Life"
and the Toppler challenge is around the corner. well, almost.

once I have read any of these, I will mention it in a comment on here.

Caecilia wrote: "hank you :-)
I am still reading (and fully enjoying) "A Little Life"
and the Toppler challenge is around the corner. well, almost.

once I have read any of these, I will mention it in a comment on here. "

A Little Life wouldn't count for this month's group theme reads as the theme is "One Word Titles". Not sure if any of your toppler books would count or not. Only report reads here if they fit the theme.

Sarah wrote: "Caecilia wrote: "hank you :-)
I am still reading (and fully enjoying) "A Little Life"
and the Toppler challenge is around the corner. well, almost.

once I have read any of these, I will mention..."

oh my. ok. (blush) -
the report thead is only for the monthly theme readings.
-- apologies ...

There are reporting threads set up for various different things. This one and the ones posted in the Group Reads section are for the group reads; the one's posted in the Monthly Challenge section are for reporting the books you read for that challenge and then there is the one in the yearly challenge where you can report the challenge complete and obtain a badge. We also have the toppler reporting threads set up for each team in the toppler section. So lot's of reporting threads, all for different things.

If you just want to tell us what you've read or are reading, then the post "What are you reading?" in the Chit Chit About Books section is your best bet!

It takes a little while to get used to a group layout when first joining as they are all different. So don't worry - you'll get there :-)

☺ thank you, Sarah .. for your kind words.

at the moment, I am considering which female author's book to nominate for the march group reading -&- checking books that I can read for the toppler challenge. me the busy bee!

I read Dodger for the monthly group read and participated in the discussion thread.

It was a great read for me. I like Terry Pratchett's writing very much and this was typical for him. He took every liberty adding comments and lines to call attention to Charles Dickens and his books or characters and many, many historical figures of the time. I enjoyed looking up all of the names and learning about them and what they did. You will never think about the sewers of London in quite the same way, if you read this story.

I just finished Rebecca. I'm a bit too muddled right now to write a proper review, but I have discussed it in the thread. It started off a bit slow for me in the first 6 chapters, but then it picked up and I think half-way through I couldn't put it down until the end. It has left me a bit confused though, but I read the last quarter of the book in the past few hours and I'm tired, hopefully all will make more sense tomorrow.

I read Rebecca, and commented in the appropriate thread. I gave it five stars, and I think it is brilliant and shows du Maurier's power as a master of suspense. I think it is a book everyone should read.

Yes, the suspense! I shouldn't have finished this right before going to bed, I feel a bit uneasy.

I read Rebecca. I loved it and gave it 5 stars. Thanks to YLTO for bringing this book to my attention when I first joined the group and for choosing it as our group read now!

Kirila wrote: "I read Rebecca. I loved it and gave it 5 stars. Thanks to YLTO for bringing this book to my attention when I first joined the group and for choosing it as our group read now!"

Now, you can look for her other books! We have also read Frenchman's Creek and Jamaica Inn and My Cousin Rachel.

The House on the Strand will be my next book to read.

Kirila wrote: "I read Rebecca. I loved it and gave it 5 stars. Thanks to YLTO for bringing this book to my attention when I first joined the group and for choosing it as our group read now!"

What did you like about it? Was it your first Du Maurier? I was introduced to her as an author when I was at school. I had a tendency to reading horror books and not much else. My English teacher didn't think my book choices were high brow enough for her. So I tried some Classics out, Charles Dickens, Jane Austin etc. and got nowhere with them. My English teacher then brought in a book of short stories by Du Maurier and that was much better. I still can't remember what the stories were called but I remember the senses of being lost in the woods and how creepy she made that out to be. I often think about picking up one of her novels. In fact every time one crops up as a group read or buddy read. I've even picked them up from the library with that intention. But still can't make myself crack the spine and get stuck in. One day perhaps...

Sarah, I'm also not good with classics but really enjoyed this one. It's very different from an Austen book ;-) Maybe the first few chapters will not yet convince you, but I'm pretty sure you will like it.

Read Attachments and put my thoughts in the discussion thread.

A little disappointed with this one and coming to the conclusion that I much prefer Rainbow Rowell's YA books to her Adult fiction.

I read Rebecca and discussed it within the Book Group: Book Discussions > February 2016 - Rebecca thread.

This is the first book that I have read by Daphne du Maurier and was a bit concerned at the onset given the fact it is considered a classic gothic mystery. Although, I thought a few of the details concerning the mystery made me consider if they were really plausible, overall I was very pleasantly surprised by the writing and the depth of the story. Jane Eyre is still my favorite gothic mystery but Rebecca is a close second, even though that definitely isn't a favorite subgenre of mine.

Btw, if I did everything correctly, this will be my first badge. :)

Sarah wrote: "Kirila wrote: "I read Rebecca. I loved it and gave it 5 stars. Thanks to YLTO for bringing this book to my attention when I first joined the group and for choosing it as our group r..."

She wrote more than one book of short stories. There are several on GR. I agree with Peggy. Her books are nothing like Austin classics.

I read Endangered by Pamela Beason, and discussed it on the One Title thread.

Endangered is the first in a trilogy of murder mystery books. The main character is a wildlife biologist. I enjoyed the three stories.

I read Suspect and commented it on the Februar thread

What did you think about it Mariab?

I read Rebecca and discussed it in the thread. Long story short, I have a new favorite book!

I read Dodger and commented on it in the February thread. I really enjoyed it, here is my review.

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

Brittany wrote: "I read Rebecca and discussed it in the thread. Long story short, I have a new favorite book!"

What has firmly cemented it as your new favourite book?

I just finished Macbeth

and discussed it in the One Word Titles thread.

I have to say after reading it I consider Macbeth among my favorites of Shakespeare's plays thus far. I really liked how fast paced it was. the way it really got into the action from the start and very much enjoyed the macabre supernatural elements of the play.

Sarah wrote: "What did you like about it? Was it your first Du Maurier?"

I hadn't heard of Du Maurier until YLTO. Maybe it never got so popular in Bulgaria...

I liked the writing style. Even though nothing much was happening in the beginning, the style was pulling me in. I liked the way Rebecca was only presented through other people's memories or through objects she touched. I think it's extremely hard to develop a character in such a way, but Du Maurier makes a fantastic job. And of course, I liked the mystery, the guessing, the twists.

I find classics usually hard to read, mostly because of the language. At those times they were playing with words, twisting and turning and describing, and I can't always follow or understand. Rebecca was not like this.

I read Rebecca and discussed it in the discussion thread of our group. I really enjoyed the novel. I liked the language, the slow pacing and the growing suspense. One interesting aspect i’d liked to mention was the character development of the narrator. She had no self-confidence and was pretty shy for the first half of the book but than after the ball, when everything she hoped for seems to be destroyed, she begins to act self-reliantly, she makes decisions and she even confronts her „enemies“.

I read and discussed Infidel in the one word thread also in the Toppler challenge.

Lisa wrote: "I read and discussed Infidel in the one word thread also in the Toppler challenge."

Could you give us a brief summary of what you thought of the book?

Sarah wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I read and discussed Infidel in the one word thread also in the Toppler challenge."

Could you give us a brief summary of what you thought of the book?"

Oh sure…I did it in the wrong place. Let me go get it:)