Readers and Reading discussion

it has been ten days since anyone posted anything on this board...it is very sad to see it die, but that is what is happening. So be it.

I am just not willing to labor over keeping the board going all by myself, trying to entice new posters, or thinking up and posting topics in which people will be interested. That is not my style nor was it the "Favorite Fiction" style.

If anyone wants to post his/her reads for the last month here, go at it.

That is sad indeed. I enjoy reading the posts, but haven't been posting. I wish I had a brilliant suggestion to help keep the board going. The same thing is happening on Bonnie's blog (Book Buddies)--few posts.

I only read one book in September:
Blake, Sarah—The Postmistress. Finished 9/20/10. Rating 10; fiction; read with Book Buddies. After the death of a patient during labor, Dr. Will Fitch leaves his beloved wife Emma in Franklin, Massachusetts during WWII to help with medical care in London. He leaves a letter with postmistress Iris James to give to Emma if he dies in London. While in London, he meets radio broadcaster Frankie Boyd and after spending time together in a bomb shelter during an air raid, is hit by a taxi and killed. Frankie retrieves the letter he’d written to Emma, but debates whether to deliver it to her. The book includes much about the public’s refusal to listen to the plight of the Jewish refugees who are trying to flee the persecution of the Nazis as well as the responsibility of the press to get the news to the public.

I also listened to one audio book:
Lewis, Beverly—The Redemption of Sarah Cain—read by Barbara Caruso. Finished 9/29/10. Audio; fiction; rating 8. Sarah Cain’s sister Ivy leaves Sarah as guardian of her 5 children. Ivy and her also deceased husband had joined the Amish community and she and Sarah had minimal contact because of lifelong personality differences. Reluctant to leave her successful real estate business, Sarah does stay with the family for awhile and realizes that the peace found with the Amish is what she needs as well.

I also would be sad to see this board's demise especially since I always get lots of great ideas for reads here (including two that I read this month).

Here are my September reads:

x-posted at M/T Reading Friends

Top Reads

I'd Know You Anywhere
Laura Lippman
Not surprisingly, I really enjoyed this book. Laura Lippman is one of my favorites and I would rank this as one of her better efforts. The characters really made this book and the plot was very deftly handled with just enough flashbacks inserted to flesh out the past without ruining the suspense of the present day narrative.

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War
Karl Marlantes
Intense, absorbing read about the men of Bravo Company and their mission in and around a hill the brass have dubbed Matterhorn during the monsoon season in Vietnam. Unlike other Vietnam books that I have read, this had a rather conventional straight ahead narrative style which made the story so much more believable and really conveyed the grinding reality of jungle warfare.

The Ghosts of Belfast
Stuart Neville
Debut novel which was nominated for the Anthony for Best First. Set in Belfast, the plot follows Gerry Fegan, former hard man and enforcer during "The Troubles", as he struggles to find redemption for his past deeds. Probably one of the darkest books I've read in quite a while, with lots of violence and a rather grim view of the politics of the peace process.

Good Reads

The Game from Where I Stand: A Ballplayer's Inside View
Doug Glanville
The author shares his inside knowledge of the inner workings of major league baseball that he gained while playing in the Big Leagues. I found the chapter on steroids particularly interesting and thought his view on Roger Clemens was spot on. Also, the chapter about leaving the game and how unprepared most players are for real life really resonated. An interesting read even for a casual fan like me.

Blood Oath: The Ultimate Secret, The Ultimate Agent, The President's Vampire
Christopher Farnsworth
The premise sounds a bit out there (a vampire secret agent who is sworn to protect the President) and there are more villains, traitors, turncoats, and other monsters than you can shake a stick at but the author did a great job juggling everything and I ended up really enjoying this audio which was performed by Bronson Pinchot.

On the Ropes: A Duffy Dombrowski Mystery
Tom Schreck
What I would call a promising debut. I really liked the first person narration, the humor, and Allah-King the basset hound. On the other hand, I wish the author had adhered to the less is more rule. There was enough plot for two books and the action became a bit frantic and over the top especially at the end.

Mushroom Man
Stuart Pawson
DI Charlie Priest and his team are unlike many in fiction in that they all seem to get along and put the job first. In this book they have to look into the disappearance of a child and a series of deaths of clergymen. Charlie is a great character, a really nice guy who treats everyone with respect and has a nice sense of humor. A very enjoyable read.

Clouds of Witness
Dorothy L. Sayers
Much better than the first book in the series Whose Body?. I found Lord Peter much more believable in this book, though perhaps still a bit flighty. I enjoyed the English House Murder plot and thought Ian Carmichael did a nice job with the narration of the audio.

OK Reads

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Alan Bradley
I listened to this since it has been nominated for an Anthony for best first novel but it was really not my thing. Not much of a fan of "precocious young sleuths", chemistry, or stamps but the family dynamics and the narration by Jayne Entwistle pulled me through to the end.

Legislative Body
Joe L. Hensley
Not quite as good as I hoped. This book was published in 1972 and I usually really enjoy mysteries written back then. The plot held promise, the suspicious death of an Indiana State Representative and other nefarious goings on during the Legislative session, but the strands did not really come together and went off on too many tangents.

Caught
Harlan Coben
Third time was not the charm for Harlan Coben's standalones and me. The first 2/3 of this audio, ably read by Carrington MacDuffie, made me hopeful and I was willing to overlook some of the more contrived plot elements but the ending just annoyed me to no end. I have learned my lesson, finally, and will steer clear of his standalones from now on.

I read nine in September:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...
2 fiction on audio, 2 historical mysteries, 2 historical fiction, 1 YA dystopian/sf, 2 fashion related non-fiction. This puts me at 78 for the year so far - ahead of last year by 20!

None were spectacular. Of the lot I probably enjoyed The Edge of Ruin, one of the hist-myst the most- love the early days of motion pictures setting.

I do hope this group doesn't fade away. September is a hectic month. Things should pick up once people get back to their indoor routines again. I miss summer already, especially sitting on my back deck reading, and I won't cheer up till the days start getting longer after Dec 21.

>>None were spectacular. Of the lot I probably enjoyed The Edge of Ruin, one of the hist-myst the most- love the early days of motion pictures setting.<<

I love historical mysteries and will put The Edge of Ruin on my TBR list.

I also got a kick out of your review of My Name Is Memory.

Sandi, glad to see you read Glanville's book. I think I mentioned that his wife is a childhood friend of my daughter's and I am friends with his in-laws. He is a good man.

Shirley wrote: "That is sad indeed. I enjoy reading the posts, but haven't been posting. I wish I had a brilliant suggestion to help keep the board going. ."

The problem is that so few people DO post here. But everyone seems to like the thought that the board exists.....

Maybe your warning will encourage people to share their thoughts.

I am not reading as much as I used to which means that I have less to share. Even when I did read more, I just never felt that my opinion was of much interest.

This board with its e-mail notification though and ability to reply by clicking the link does make it easier to respond than other boards.

Shirley wrote: "Maybe your warning will encourage people to share their thoughts.

I am not reading as much as I used to which means that I have less to share. ..."

I doubt if my comments will stir anyone to action. I have about given up.

I am reading much less than I used to, but I still like to talk about books I have heard about, upcoming books, about authors, and about "bookish things".

And I do not care if anyone is interested in my thoughts or opinions - I have no trouble talking to myself! LOL

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Sandi, glad to see you read Glanville's book. I think I mentioned that his wife is a childhood friend of my daughter's and I am friends with his in-laws. He is a good man."

He did come off as a really thoughtful and decent guy in the book. I especially liked that he was so reasonable about the whole Bartman episode that some Chicago fans still think kept them out of the World Series that year.

I only finished one book in September. It was This Body of Deathby Elizabeth George. I enjoyed this book much better than the last two in th series. I started Water for Elephants in September. Work has been so hectic and time comsuming I am lucky if I can stay awake to read 10 pages

Meredith

>>I started Water for Elephants in September. Work has been so hectic and time comsuming I am lucky if I can stay awake to read 10 pages <<

I loved the audio version of Water for Elephants and am awaiting my turn for the Overdrive download of her new book Ape House: A Novel.

Sandi, please be sure to post a "review" of APE HOUSE after you finish it.

JoAnn:
I started the audio of Ape House on Friday; it isn't quite what I expected having loved Water for Elephants, but it has kept my interest for the first disk. I expect it will be a couple of weeks before I finish it with my usual audio pace on the commute to work.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Sandi, please be sure to post a "review" of APE HOUSE after you finish it."

I have no excuse but I dont know why I have not been productive 'reading wise' for the past two months. Spent most of my (if ever)free time browsing house interior magazines, looking at pictures - no intense reading required. Only two books to update. Both were unsatisfactory read.


A slow start for me and it stayed slow till finish. I almost dislike it from page 1, almost didnt finish reading it. If there was any book that put me off reading, this would be the one, I just cant pin point why the negativity on my part. At the end, readers suppose to come out with their own conclusion. I dont have any ... and I dont care.


Just an okay read. Didnt enjoy it that much either. Single, white female - type of story.