Book Nook Cafe discussion

This the thread for general book discussions for August 2024.

Tell us what you just read, are currently reading or plan to read. Tell us about your favorite author. Have you read some book news? Share it with the group. Anything related to books and reading, we want to hear all about it !
:)

What book are you starting August reading?

I'm continuing to read and enjoy
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson

I'm taking a lot of notes and learning quite a bit. I really enjoy Larson's writing style.

However, my reading as slowed down as I'm watching the Olympics.

I do enjoy Andy Weir and James Moriarty, Consulting Criminal is no exception. This is a collection of three tales written about, and in the style of, the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. A delightful change of pace for the talented Weir!
My review of James Moriarty, Consulting Criminal

Who says cats and dogs are enemies? In Fred Blunt's picture book, All You Need To Know About Dogs: By A. Cat, the cat is merely disdainful of rambunctious dogs, until...
My review of All You Need To Know About Dogs with several illustrations

I'm starting the month with The Jesus Mystery: Astonishing Clues to the True Identities of Jesus and Paul. I'm still in the preface, so no thoughts on it yet.

Petra wrote: "I'm starting the month with The Jesus Mystery: Astonishing Clues to the True Identities of Jesus and Paul. I'm still in the preface, so no thoughts on it yet.

[bookcover:The Jesus M..."

I look forward to your thoughts on this, Petra.

For Herman Melville on his birthday ! 🎂


-----Wikipedia
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are Moby-Dick; Typee, a romanticized account of his experiences in Polynesia; and Billy Budd, Sailor, a posthumously published novella.

Born: August 1, 1819, New York, NY
Died: September 28, 1891 (age 72 years), New York, NY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_...

Moby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman Melville

Bartleby the Scrivener-Herman Melville

Billy Budd, Sailor-Herman Melville

Alias Reader wrote: "What book are you starting August reading?

I'm continuing to read and enjoy
[book:..."

That sounds very interesting, Alias. I usually enjoy non-fiction books set during, or just before the Civil War. Looking forward to what you think when you finish.

Petra wrote: "I'm starting the month with The Jesus Mystery: Astonishing Clues to the True Identities of Jesus and Paul. I'm still in the preface, so no thoughts on it yet.

[bookcover:The Jesus M..."

I'm someone who is very interested in the historical Jesus, Petra, so this might go on my TBR list. I'll wait for your review or comments when you've finished, though. Sounds very interesting.

I finished The Fifth Heart by Dan Simmons last night, and I really enjoyed it. The star of this book is Sherlock Holmes, who is in Washington DC to solve the possible murder of Clover Adams. He gets involved with all sorts of people, and his partner in crime in this book is the improbable, long-suffering Henry James! The two even go to Chicago for the opening of the Columbian Exposition since President Cleveland has been targeted by the world's foremost assassin, a young man named Lucan. Some fun surprises here, but some predictability, too. Very detailed, too much so for some readers, but I always find Simmons's books fun. I liked this one a lot, though I liked Drood a bit more.

Now, I'm reading Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels. So different from the book I just finished. I've wanted to read Fugitive Pieces since I was a teen, so I'm just going to do it. I think the wait was best, though, because I think I'm in a position to appreciate it more now. I write poetry, not for publication, but for enjoyment, so I love lyrical, poetic prose, and Anne Michaels, who is also a poet, writes beautifully, at least to me. Some would not like her, of course.

I started reading Yellowface last night, and after about ten pages, I had to abandon it. The main characters are hip, twenty-somethings who think the only adjective that exists in this world is the f-word, with -ing tacked on. "She was so * adorable." "That made me so * happy." No matter how good the plot might be, I can't read a book peppered with that word. I'm by no stretch of the imagination a prude, but to me, using that word is just classless and so unnecessary. I'm not going to put up with it in a book unless it's only used a few times and serves some purpose. Besides, the plot of Yellowface has been done before and been done better. So no, not a book for me.

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "I do enjoy Andy Weir and James Moriarty, Consulting Criminal is no exception. This is a collection of three tales written about, and in the style of, the Sherlock H..."

Cool. Thanks for sharing about these, Patty.

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Who says cats and dogs are enemies? In Fred Blunt's picture book, All You Need To Know About Dogs: By A. Cat, the cat is merely disdainful of rambunctious dogs, un..."

Sweet, Patty. Your post's opening question brought to mind an old favorite poem of mine, written by Eugene Field, which i've shared on our poetry thread...POST # 331 https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Thanks for the review & the memory.

Petra wrote: "I'm starting the month with The Jesus Mystery: Astonishing Clues to the True Identities of Jesus and Paul. I'm still in the preface, so no thoughts on it yet. ..."

I'm intrigued, Petra. I look forward to reading your thoughts upon the book upon completion. I've already added it to my TBR but can always delete it. Or, knowing me, can i?

Alias Reader wrote: "For Herman Melville on his birthday ! 🎂


-----Wikipedia
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are M..."

I've liked everything i've read by Melville, including the three you listed, Alias. To be fair, however, the first time i read Budd, in high school, i didn't care for it at all. Boys. Yukky.

Thanks for the post.

Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "I finished The Fifth Heart by Dan Simmons last night, and I really enjoyed it. The star of this book is Sherlock Holmes, who is in Washington DC to solve the possible ..."

It's great to read your thoughts on this book, Kiki. I hope the Michaels is all you want it to be!

Alias Reader wrote: "What book are you starting August reading?

I'm continuing to read and enjoy..."

Glad you continue to like the Larson book, Alias. I look forward to your review.

I've just begun Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall--Alexandra Lange, which Julie mentioned last year. Thus far, i'm hooked into it because it's reminding me of malls we've visited over the years. This is for my prompt about business/economy.

Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote:

I started reading Yellowface last night, and after about ten pages, I had to abandon it. The main characters are hip, twenty-somethings who think the only adjective that exists in this world is the f-word, with -ing tacked on. "She was so * adorable." "That made me so * happy." No matter how good the plot might be, I can't read a book peppered with that word. I'm by no stretch of the imagination a prude, but to me, using that word is just classless and so unnecessary. I'm not going to put up with it in a book unless it's only used a few times and serves some purpose. Besides, the plot of Yellowface has been done before and been done better. So no, not a book for me...."

I read and enjoyed Yellowface. I gave it 4/5.

Honestly I don't recall the cursing. LOL

I'm glad to see you had two winners in July.

madrano wrote: "
I've just begun Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall--Alexandra Lange, which Julie mentioned last year. Thus far, i'm hooked into it because it's reminding me of malls we've visited over the years. This is for my prompt about business/economy.
.."

I must have missed or forgotten Julie read this one. It fits the business prompt well. Today I waked in the mall because the temps were in the low 90s. Yuck! Unfortunately, since they remodeled my gym, the AC isn't that great. So I opted for the mall, though their AC wasn't that great either. But I was just walking not exercising so I wasn't a sweaty mess.

Anyway, back to the book, I've added it to my TBR notebook and will use it next year for the challenge.

This year I took the one you read, deb. I think Julie read this one first. I don't recall.
The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket by Benjamin Lorr

Kiki & Deb, I'm also interested in the historical Jesus. If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them.
I will post my thoughts when done on this book.

madrano wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "I finished The Fifth Heart by Dan Simmons last night, and I really enjoyed it. The star of this book is Sherlock Holmes..."

Thank you, Madrano. I haven't been able to read much so far, but what I've read is terrific. It's not a book everyone will like, however. It's too poetic for many, but I love that.

Alias Reader wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote:

I started reading Yellowface last night, and after about ten pages, I had to abandon it. The main characters are hip, twenty-somethings who think the..."

It was mainly done by the main character, the one who stole the manuscript. After many instances in just the first 10 or 15 pages that was enough for me. I'd already started to hate the main character, too.

James Baldwin 🎂


~~~Wikipedia
James Arthur Baldwin was an American writer and civil rights activist who garnered acclaim for his essays, novels, plays, and poems. His 1953 novel Go Tell It on the Mountain has been ranked by TIME magazine as one of the top 100 English-language novels.

Born: August 2, 1924, NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, New York, NY
Died: December 1, 1987 (age 63 years), Saint Paul de Vence, France

----Wiki bio
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_B...


Giovanni's Room

Go Tell It on the Mountain

If Beale Street Could Talk

Notes of a Native Son

James Baldwin

Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote:

I started reading Yellowface last night, and after about ten pages, I had to abandon it. The main characters are hip, twenty-som..."

Kiki & Alias - I'm sorry Yellowface fell flat for you both!

I read it last year and enjoyed it. Not the writing necessarily, but I appreciated the nuance and messaging underneath (*which I only caught onto because I read up on the author and book notes first - I would absolutely not have enjoyed it otherwise).

I'm still working on a few books from July, but starting August with a new read:
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Nike founder Phil Knight.
I chose this to fulfil the "Sports" prompt for our challenge and so far enjoying it.

As a prior college athlete, now adult who attempts to shop with the environment and human rights in mind, I've had quite the "love-hate" relationship with Nike.

So far this memoir is intriguing. It'll be interesting to see how it continues (I'm about 13% into the audio).

Alias Reader wrote: "I must have missed or forgotten Julie read this one. It fits the business prompt well. Today I waked in the mall because the temps were in the low 90s. ..."

I had to search because i was curious how it came to my attention. And there was Julie's post!

As yet, i haven't reached the mall walking chapter (at least i think there is a section on that) but it was mentioned. It seems malls in the '70s began understanding that visitors were using their building for walks in inclement weather, so they posted markers. Nice.

Oddly, enough i thought of you as i read the second chapter, which gives a bit about shopping/department stores in the late 1800s. Several times reference is made to the downtown/city shopping areas, which were unlike shopping centers or malls. I wondered, though, what shopping was like in a city. The idea behind both centers & malls is that many purchasing trips may be combined--clothing for each family member, plus jewelry, cameras and such.

As a Brooklyn shopper (in your teens), did you go to a mall or store by store? Of course one of the supposed benefits of malls was the weather issue. There were other components, such as cleanliness, convenience and even art. Does this sound familiar to your shopping?

Of course, you may be too young to know about pre-mall shopping, as i am. But there were always Sears, Penneys & Montgomery Wards for this in our economic strata. I'm justs curious as to how city living dwellers shopped "back then".

Alias Reader wrote: "This year I took the one you read, deb. I think Julie read this one first. I don't recall ..."

I forgot to address this part of your post, Alias. I remember the title but i do not see or remember reading it. I performed a "search" from this group but couldn't find it, either. Weird that we both know it, yet cannot attribute it. It sounds like something i'd like. lol

I see from the blurb that it includes Trader Joe's info. When they first moved to Texas, i remember reading about them but not what's mentioned in the blurb. Odd. It's on my TBR now, though. :-)

Petra wrote: "Kiki & Deb, I'm also interested in the historical Jesus. If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them.
I will post my thoughts when done on this book."

The title which began my search was The Search for Historical Jesus, written by Lee Roddy and Charles E. Sellier, Jr. GR has no link to the book; on Roddy's page, only children's books are listed. (Lee Roddy) So, here's what Amazon had--
https://www.amazon.com/search-histori...

I do not have access to those notes but remember it was only so-so. But much better thanThe Jesus Scroll--Donovan Joyce. For the most part it was not worth the time. These were both read in the '80s. Other books i read & learned from were read in those years, too, so i'm not really much help.

I've run across some doozies, though. Ever heard of The Urantia Book? Urantia Foundation published it. Not only did they declare that Jesus was known as "Michael" when on Earth but also relates his younger years. And different incarnations.

There was another book about Magic in the era of Jesus & how other people could work the "miracles" attributed to Jesus. Bottom Line: Jesus was a Magician. Actually, that may have been the title...oh, it is. Jesus the Magician: Charlatan or Son of God?--Morton Smith. If i began reading this book, i abandoned it, as it's not on my list of "Books Read".

I could go on & on but let's not forget one which says Jesus survived his crucifixion, Holy Blood, Holy Grail-- Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln Michal Baigent. Not only did Jesus survive, he wed Mary Magdalen and fathered a child, whose heirs still live in France. Probably at the Olympics this week.

ANYway, is this your first book on the topic? Do you have titles to share? Fascinating topic.

Alias Reader wrote: "James Baldwin 🎂..."

James Baldwin--

Lindsey wrote: "I'm still working on a few books from July, but starting August with a new read:
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Nike founder Phil Knight.
I chose thi..."

Good selection for the Sports prompt, Lindsey. I have only owned one pair of Nike's & they are about to bite the dust.

Enjoy the book!

madrano wrote: "ANYway, is this your first book on the topic? Do you have titles to share? Fascinating topic.
..."

Thanks for the titles. I'll check them out.

The "survived, married Mary and had a child" theory is one I read before.
The one I'm curious about is the "a Roman soldier was his father" theory. There is (apparently) records to "prove" that in some manner.

I have a Theological Musings shelf with some titles.

Titles I have read on the historical Jesus:
The Jesus Family Tomb: The Discovery, the Investigation & the Evidence That Could Change History - this read like a TV documentary, which it was turned into. But there were some interesting points on ossuaries. But lots of the evidence was lost or not examined, so kind of an "interesting, but not terribly informative" kind of read.

The Jesus Dynasty: The Hidden History of Jesus, His Royal Family and the Birth of Christianity - I think this is the book where I heard of the "roman soldier is the father" idea.

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth - I enjoyed this one. I don't recall much about it other than it was a good example of "the times": society, thoughts, politics, etc. It gave a sense of the layout of the Land, so to speak.

Lindsey wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote:

I started reading Yellowface last night, and after about ten pages, I had to aba..."

Thank you for your input, Lindsey.

madrano wrote: "Petra wrote: "Kiki & Deb, I'm also interested in the historical Jesus. If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them.
I will post my thoughts when done on this book."

The title which bega..."

The Urantia Book is on my iPad, I think, but only because my sister borrowed it and bought the book. I haven't read a word of it.

Lindsey wrote:
Kiki & Alias - I'm sorry Yellowface fell flat for you both!

I read it last year and enjoyed it. Not the writing necessarily, but I appreciated the nuance and messaging underneath"


In post #17 I said: I read and enjoyed Yellowface. I gave it 4/5.
Which is exceeded expectations.

Lindsey wrote: "I'm still working on a few books from July, but starting August with a new read:
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Nike founder Phil Knight.
I chose thi..."

Lindsey I read it in 2020 and I liked it a lot. In fact, I gave it a top 5 star rating.

madrano wrote:
As a Brooklyn shopper (in your teens), did you go to a mall or store by store? Of course one of the supposed benefits of malls was the weather issue. There were other components, such as cleanliness, convenience and even art. Does this sound familiar to your shopping?."

There is a mall in Brooklyn called Kings Plaza. However, it was a 2 bus ride from my home. Maybe it took an hour. I went sometimes, though it was just as easy to take a train into Manhattan. There was also a lot of local shopping in Brooklyn.

Ah sorry Alias - got my post comments mixed up!

And glad to hear Shoe Dog was a 5-star read for you!

RE: The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket

madrano wrote:

I forgot to address this part of your post, Alias. I remember the title but i do not see or remember reading it. I performed a "search" from this group but couldn't find it, either. Weird that we both know it, yet cannot attribute it. It sounds like something i'd like. lol.."

Well clearly my memory is not to be trusted one bit ! lol

I put the title on my list of prompts that I still need to fill. Maybe I was doing a google search: List business books and that came up. I've no idea. 🤪

The title could have been on the book suggestion lists that I post.
I usually don't provide links for that list.

My understanding is the search feature on GoodReads will only pick up titles when you use the Add Book/author feature.

A birthday nod to P.D. James 🎂



--Wiki
Phyllis Dorothy James White, Baroness James of Holland Park, OBE, FRSA, FRSL, known professionally as P. D. James, was an English novelist and life peer. Her rise to fame came with her series of detective novels featuring the police commander and poet, Adam Dalgliesh.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._D._J...

Born: August 3, 1920, Oxford, United Kingdom
Died: November 27, 2014 (age 94 years), Oxford, United Kingdom

Death Comes to Pemberley

Cover Her Face

An Unsuitable Job for a Woman

Death in Holy Orders

P.D. James

What are you reading this weekend?

In between watching the Olympics, I'm still reading

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War-- Erik Larson

Working on this one. Had a friend who loved it, so I'm hoping I don't consider it a dud. LOL!


Alice Feeney

~*Kim*~ wrote: "Working on this one. Had a friend who loved it, so I'm hoping I don't consider it a dud. LOL!


Alice Feeney"

I hope you find it a satisfying thriller, Kim !

Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl

This book covers Ruth Reichl's stint as food critic for the New York Times from 1993 to 1999. To reman incognito in restaurants, Ruth donned various disguises....and seems to have had lots of fun.

Entertaining book. 4 stars

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

Happy Birthday Herman Melville ✨⭐✨⭐✨

Happy Birthday James Baldwin 🥀🍰🥀🍰🥀

Happy Birthday P.D. James 🎉🎈🎉🎈🎉 (Such good mystery books.)

Alias Reader wrote: "Lindsey wrote:
Kiki & Alias - I'm sorry Yellowface fell flat for you both!

I read it last year and enjoyed it. Not the writing necessarily, but I appreciated the nuance and messaging underneath"

..."
I returned my copy to the library. With all the profanity in the first 15 pages from the main character, I didn't even want it on my iPad.

Now, if such words actually serve the plot and character, then I don't mind. I read The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek and was fine with that book, but this tendency of young people in their early 20's to use profanity in almost every sentence is just wrong, to me. Writers can tell a fantastic story without that.

I'm finishing Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels and it's going to be one of my top five books, I'm sure, but I don't think most would like it. So much is simply inferred, and it's clear Michaels is primarily a poet. Her third novel, Held has been longlisted for this year's Booker.

Alias Reader wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote:

I started reading Yellowface last night, and after about ten pages, I had to abandon it. The main characters are hip, twenty-somethings who think the..."

Maybe after the main character steals the manuscript, she stops cursing so much. If she wants to be taken seriously as the author of a long, serious novel like the one she stole, I'd think she'd clean up her speech. I disliked the main character intensely, so I didn't want to read on.

I liked Yellowface. I thought the topic of cultural appropriation was timely; and the blowback on social media was realistic.

I didn't really react to the language; curse words are just so ubiquitous these days in books and everywhere. 🙂

Petra wrote: " Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth - I enjoyed this one. I don't recall much about it other than it was a good example of "the times": society, thoughts, politics, etc. It gave a sense of the layout of the Land, so to speak..."

The Roman soldier is a new one on me. I'll tuck that away for future thoughts.

Your point at the end of your post, which i quoted above, is true for me in all the books i've read about the gospels, Jesus and those years. We learn plenty about old traditions we wouldn't have read about elsewhere.

Of course, often they are introduced to explain the point they want to make, but it is new-to-me information. This is part of why i enjoy reading anything, naturally, but in these cases, i wouldn't otherwise have run across them, as i'm not too interested in those years otherwise.

Thank you for the titles, Petra.

Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "The Urantia Book is on my iPad, I think, but only because my sister borrowed it and bought the book. I haven't read a word of it ..."

While i try to respect all faiths, this one was beyond my comprehension. You will miss nothing by avoiding it, imo.

Meanwhile, that's a honkin' big book to have stored on your iPad!