Book Chat - CLOSED by original moderator discussion

What's the title? Who wrote it?

How many ★

Like it?

Why? Why Not?

What was it about?

I'm reading The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman and am inhaling it! My sleep has suffered as I have been reading late into the night.

Reading Sea Glass Summer by Cannell. Just started. Found it on the library shelf while looking for a Steve Cannel mystery for my mother.

The Kitchen House

The Dead & Their Vaulted Arches, Alan Bradley

★ ★ ★

This Review Is a SPOILER

Wow this was interesting & a sad story:

After being missing for 10 years, Flavia's mother comes home to be laid to rest after being found murdered...

At the railway station a young stranger gives Flavia a warning of pending danger for the "Gamekeeper", but then before she c an respond, he his pushed under the train and to his death.

Being the Nosy Parker that Flavia is, she decides to open the coffin in order to resurrect her mother (remember Flavia is a "mad scientist"). Although Flavia is interrupted she manages to find her mother's missing will and the name of her mother's murderer.

What I still do not like and find highly unbelievable: Flavia's voice, the fact that the family (except Flavia's sisters) are a part of England's Secret Service and Flavia is to immediately step into her mother's shoes, and the self-satisfying manner in which Bradley often writes.

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust

Is there a Minus?

Seriously? Obviously Bradley ran out of ideas & just patched this one together to continue the series, it was almost as if he either had a deadline to meet or was writing for his own self-serving-satisfaction.

The characters were an odious lot, the plot was disjointed and forced. Totally unbelievable and disconnected.

So then: Flavia has become the inheritor of her mother's entire estate (which for obvious reasons is not revealed to her sisters).... Flavia is also being forced to follow in her mother's footsteps in England's Secret Service and is sent to Canada to a Boarding School where she will be "finished".

Of course there is a murder: in Falvia's room a mummy is dislodged from the fireplace flue, with the skull of an ancient Egyptian....

Flavia sets out to discover who the mummy was as well as the murderer.

There are other problems, missing girls, an acquitted poisoner for a chemistry teacher, the worship of her mother, secret societies, and Rules.....

Sadly this book could have been so very much more if Bradley had taken more time.....

Just finished The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra. I loved it - 5 big stars!


My review if you are interested.

I am reading Lost in Los Angeles by Jenny Lynne. It's a really good read so far.

I just finished EVA'S COUSIN by Sybylle Knauss.Fictional story based on real people and events. Marlene is Eva Braun's cousin (Hitler's lover). Marlene spends time with her cousin at Hitler's retreat in the Alps.Very interesting read.

I am now reading Sea Glass Summner by Dorothy Cannell.

I've just started The Nightingale and I think I will like it! Seems right up my alley.

Peyton Place Grace Metalious
3***

From the Book Jacket - When it first appeared in 1956, Grace Metalious’s [debut novel] unbuttoned the straitlaced New England of the popular imagination, transformed the publishing industry, an made its young author one of the most talked-about people in America. [The novel] – which topped the best-seller lists for more than a year and spawned a feature film and long-running television series – reveals the intricate social anatomy of a small New England town.

My Reactions
While I can certainly see that the inclusion of domestic abuse, incest, abortion, teen sex, etc would be shocking and titillating to a mid-1950s readership, I kept wondering “What’s all the fuss about?”.

Many of the characters were too simply drawn to be effective. I did like what Metalious was trying to show – the strength and growing independence of three women in a culture / town that tried to restrict them. I’m not sure she was entirely successful in this endeavor, however. Still, the story line did continue to pull me along, and overall I was entertained.

The Tumor: A Non-Legal Thriller – John Grisham
3***

Grisham states that this short book (47 pages) may be the most important one he has written. Using a fictionalized patient history, he chronicles the potential advantages of treatment by Focused Ultrasound Therapy vs conventional surgery, radiation and chemotherapy in the treatment of brain tumors, and other diseases.

I work in healthcare administration for a major academic medical center and I found this very interesting. Grisham feels it is so important that he will give the book away for the asking. It should be noted, also, that Grisham is a member of the board of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, and the book solicits donations to further research.

Roots: The Saga of an American Family Alex Haley
Book on CD performed by Avery Brooks.
4****

Haley’s blockbuster history of his ancestors begins with the birth of a baby boy – Kunta Kinte – in a small African village in the Spring of 1750, and ends two centuries later in Arkansas.

It’s a gripping tale and Haley is a great story teller. I was engaged from page one and found myself very interested in all aspects of the book – from Kunta Kinte’s boyhood in Africa, to his experiences as a slave, to the continued story of his descendants and how they kept the story of “the African” alive through the generations.

Haley’s narrative focuses on three of his male ancestors. Kunta Kinte’s story takes nearly half the book. His grandson “Chicken George” occupies much of the third of the book. And George’s son Tom, is the focus of the next major section as the family is emancipated at the end of the Civil War. I am struck by the fact that Haley gives little attention to the women in his ancestral line. Not only is Kizzy given short shrift, but Tom’s daughter Cynthia and granddaughter Bertha (who is Haley’s mother) are given less attention than their husbands – Will Parker and Simon Haley. And this, despite Haley’s statements that it was the “old women” – his grandmother, aunts and cousin who passed along the story of “The African” and his descendants. Still, this is a small quibble.

Avery Brooks does a magnificent job narrating the audio book. He is an accomplished actor and really brings the characters to life. His deeply resonant voice was mesmerizing, and despite his naturally deep timber he managed to give a believable voice to even the young girls.

While the book is catalogued by libraries as nonfiction / biography, Haley obviously had to invent the dialogue he uses for much of the book. (I find it interesting that more readers tag this as “fiction” than nonfiction.) When published the book was a runaway best seller, but also somewhat controversial. Haley was accused of plagiarism and he settled the case out of court, admitting that many passages from The African by Harold Courtlander appeared in his book. Additionally, many genealogists have questioned his research and feel that official records do not confirm the story much before the Civil War. None of this information takes away from the great story, however.

I'm reading Glory over Everything: Beyond The Kitchen House. I started it last Saturday and I'm a little more than halfway through it. It is keeping my interest, although very different from book 1 - The Kitchen House

I am reading Lost in Tokyo by Jenny's Lynne. I can't wait till the Dewey 24 hour readathon on the 23

Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger

★ ★ ★ ★

I really, really liked this.... but not so much the end of his life..... It didn't make sense.

But other than that, I'm glad that I finally read it.... Thanks to whomever it was who wrote the last review.

I kept avoiding this because of the other people (in a particular group) who read it & "loved" it.... I found that I normally hated almost everything they read....

It really is rather bittersweet, non-soppy, and a decent love story!

The Language of Flowers Vanessa Diffenbaugh

★ ★ ★

A love story, not of just a boy & a girl, but of a girl & her foster mother, a sister for a sister, a florist for a homeless girl......

How they meet, their secrets, their trades, how they meet, how they live, how they love, and how the communicate as translated through the Language of Flowers.....

Love You Forever – Robert Munsch
Illustrations by Sheila McGraw
1*

A mother’s love knows no bounds. As she rocks her infant son, cradled in her arms, she sings of her eternal love
“I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living
My baby you’ll be.”

As the child grows to toddlerhood, childhood, adolescence and adulthood, the mother continues to express this enduring love. It’s a lovely sentiment and certainly one that every child deserves to feel – safe and secure, knowing his mother will love him no matter what, and throughout his lifetime.

But …

Munsch takes this a step too far by having the Mom in this case, crawl into her son’s bedroom and cradle him as he sleeps … throughout his life! I know that children’s picture books frequently rely on repetition and that themes and situations are frequently repeated. Children love this style, and for the most part, so do I. But there is something “off” about this scenario.

Sheila McGraw’s illustrations are delightful – or most of them are. I liked her drawings of the boy as he grew, and especially liked how she continued to show the cat and the boy’s Teddy bear. But as she tried her best to illustrate the relationship between the adult son and his older mother … well, she had that weird story line to contend with. A drawing of the mother driving through the night, a ladder strapped to the roof of her car so she could climb in the adult son’s window is just too much.

I think other authors have dealt with this theme more successfully.

The Country Under My Skin by Giaconda Belli – 3***
Subtitled: A Memoir of Love and War, this is Belli’s account of her decades as a high-level member of the Sandinistas fighting for reform in Nicaragua, and of the passionate love affairs she had during this time. Belli is a good writer and her story-telling is top notch. I was fascinated and I learned something about the revolution in Nicaragua. But … In the end I couldn’t reconcile my admiration for her as a writer with my dislike of her as a person. So I’m conflicted, and am taking the middle road with 3 stars.
Full Review HERE

I'm reading the book Columbine by Dave Cullen, obviously about the school shooting in Colorado, now 17 years ago. The book is a real eye opener about the way the investigation was handled (not well), and how much of that was covered up or bungled.

This one is hard for me to read. I had one kid in high school, one in middle school and one in college when this happened, plus it happened in my home state. The week the shootings happened, my middle school aged daughter was threatened by a kid at school. A friend of hers grabbed a notebook from the boy's locker when he saw what was on it. There were both written and drawn threats to my DD, including a sketch of her in a coffin. They took the notebook to the principal and the boy was expelled immediately. He was escorted out of the building before the end of the day. Had someone at Columbine talked, and there were numerous people and opportunities, it never would have happened.

Marti, I loved TLBO too. What a wonderful read!

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter – 4****
What a delightful story! Moving back and forth in time, and with multiple styles and points of view, Walter has crafted a love story with wide appeal. I was engaged and entertained from page one, and was so sorry to see it end. Edoardo Ballerini was simply marvelous performing the audio version. I loved the way he voiced Pasquale, Dee, Michael Deane and the many supporting cast members.
Full Review HERE

Atticus by Ron Hansen – 4****
While there is certainly a mystery at its core, the novel is more about the father-son relationship, and the failure of both of them to openly communicate and understand one another. In many ways this story echoes the parable of the Prodigal Son from the bible. The plot has several twists and turns that kept me intrigued and turning pages, but the star of the novel, to me, was the writing and the exploration of these characters and their motivations.
Full Review HERE

I finished Trail of Broken Wings. written with emotional examples of abuse, this story tells of a Hindu family that moves from India to California and begins a new life of pain, suffering, secrets lies hope and love. the audio was outstanding. Each person had a distinct and clear voice. each person had a unique type of abuse and pain. there were a lot of different stories going on in this book and the narrator kept the individuality of each person alive. Highly recommend the audio.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick – 4****
Talk about your gothic mystery! Betrayal, an abandoned mansion, a long-lost son, and the isolation of a Wisconsin winter are just the beginning. The characters employ duplicity, obfuscation, coercion, prevarication, and downright lies. I was completely caught up in the story and surprised by more than one twist.
Full Review HERE

A Passage to India by E M Forster – 3.5***
This classic explores class differences and the clash of cultures. Every character seems to have a preconceived notion of how “the others” should behave (or have always acted), and each reacts based on these preconceived notions. Even the “good” characters fall victim to their own prejudices, frequently without realizing it. Friendships are broken, and even when a character realizes his/her mistake there seems no way to undo the damage. Sam Dastor is merely adequate voicing the audio book; 2** for his narration.
Full Review HERE

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom – 3***
A young Irish orphan is indentured to pay her parents’ debt, living and working alongside the slaves in the kitchen house of a Virginia plantation. I can certainly see why this has become so popular with book clubs. It has an interesting basic story line, some tension-filled scenes, and complex relationships between characters. However, it’s not the best-written book. Still, it held my attention and was a fairly quick read. Orlagh Cassidy (voicing Lavinia’s chapters) and Bahni Turpin (performing Belle’s) do a fine job on the audio book.
Full Review HERE