What Are You Reading Part 3

[church_of_dog]

@Scrabblemaster I find the Thursday Murder Club books delightful!  I think there's a fourth book in the series coming later this year -- I'm already on a waiting list for it!

 

My May reading:

Nonfiction:

Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy, by Adam Jentleson

Really helpful (to me) history of the Senate and in particular the filibuster.

 

The Profiteers: Bechtel and the Men Who Built the World, by Sally Denton

In the early 80s as a temp agency office worker, I worked at Bechtel Headquarters for a few months.  At the time I felt torn between their "bad" work building nuclear power plants and their "good" work building desalination plants.  Little did I know the powermongering and bad politics truly going on!  Although this history wasn't compelling in its writing, my personal connection caused me to find it  interesting and informative.

 

The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service, by Laura Kaplan

This was a wonderful book, entirely new history to me -- in the late 60s, until Roe v. Wade passed in the early 70s, a Chicago-based underground abortion service tried to help the women and girls who needed help.  With all the names changed, written by one of the participants.

 

Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI, by Robert K. Ressler

Interesting, but written in an annoyingly bragging style.

 

The Cases That Haunt Us: From Jack the Ripper to JonBenet Ramsey, the FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Sheds Light on the Mysteries That Won't Go Away, by John E. Douglas

Much more well-written and interesting than the above book.  Both these guys are top FBI profilers skilled in tracking and catching serial killers.  This book discussed the more "classic" unsolved cases, including long-ago cases such as Jack the Ripper and Lizzy Borden, with his comments on how the modern FBI would have approached those cases if they had been around at the time.

 

Alan Turing: The Enigma, by Andrew Hodges

Interesting biography.  I knew Turing's name but didn't know his role in history.

 

Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff: Declutter, Downsize, and Move Forward with Your Life, by Matt Paxton

I always love a good motivating how-to decluttering book.  Sadly, this book was not that.  It was a mildly interesting memoir of how Matt Paxton got into decluttering as a business and how he himself dealt with a household move and need to downsize. 

 

Fiction:

An Untidy Death (Decluttering Mysteries #2) and Waste of a Life (Decluttering Mysteries #3), by Simon Brett

This #2 book fell far short of the first book in the series.  It was actually pretty morose, with frequent dwellings on depression and suicide.  Repeated mentions, far more than needed to tell the story (in which both suicide and depression do play a role).  Not even well blended into the story.  Thumbs down on this one.

The #3 book was much better, still not high literature but at least the plot was interesting and the morose aspects were only included to a more plot-necessary level.  I would probably read more books in the series if they were written, but it's a close call.

 

Never Lie, by Frieda McFadden

Somehow I seem to have a love-hate reaction to Frieda McFadden's books.  While I'm listening, I keep thinking how unrealistic her stories and characters are.  And yet the psychological suspense in her story works -- I get caught up in the story while listening, and then afterwards I think back on the book with a good feeling of having enjoyed it.

 

The Woman in the Window, by A.J. Finn

Another psychological thriller.  Pretty well-written.  This one happened to have lots of old movie references, even some movie dialogue included, when the main character was either watching a movie or thinking back on movie scenes she was familiar with.  I probably missed out on a bit of meaning since I'm not familiar with the old movies.  Still enjoyed it pretty well.

 

 

Edited June 10, 2023 by church_of_dog

[clueliss]

My Knotted Up Life, autobiography, Beth Moore on audiobook read by author.   

[Scrabblemaster]

I am reading "Someone else's shoes"right now. I borrowed it from the library on Tuesday, started reading it on Friday and I am nearly finished now. I like it. I did not want to read after the first 50 pages because I was so furious about what happened at the beginnig, but I gave it a chance and then I loved it.

 

[clueliss]

Finished Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid.  

[church_of_dog]

I've been lazy in reporting my reading -- skipped checking in at the end of June entirely.

I've also been somewhat lazy in my reading itself -- by mid-June I started listening to Jonathan Kellerman's series featuring psychologist Alex Delaware and detective Milo Sturgis.  They are nothing-special mysteries in my opinion, but interesting enough to be the perfect background for this summer's yardwork.  So I haven't really gone searching for more interesting reading, and my usual ratio of several nonfiction books for each fiction book is entirely out the window.  (For now).

So, my June and July reading:

Nonfiction:

Pollution is Colonialism, by Max Liboiron

A treatise more than a book, this is a discussion of the relationship between pollution, colonialism, racism, feminism, native cultures and the industrial world.  I could barely follow it but found the concepts intriguing so stuck with it.

 

FDR, by Jean Edward Smith

A good biography of FDR, focused more on his personal life than on his policies, though it was a good basic overview.

 

Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life, by Christie Tate

I was disappointed in this one.

 

They Left Us Everything: A Memoir, by Plum Johnson

I found this book while looking for books about hoarding or decluttering, and it was about that in a small way, but mostly about the relationships between the author and her family.  And even though it wasn't what I had expected, I really enjoyed it.

 

Scientist: E. O. Wilson, A Life in Nature, by Richard Rhodes

A good biography of an amazing man.  I wish I had learned more about him earlier.

 

The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future, by Peter H. Gleick

A really good big-picture perspective of our planetary water issues.  This was my field of study at college and for half my career, and I still learned a lot from this book.

 

Living Full: A Memoir of an Anorexic, by Danielle Sherman-Lazar

I found this really interesting.

 

Fiction:

The Twyford Code, by Janice Hallett

I really enjoyed her book The Appeal and this book was also quite good.

 

Rogue Justice: A Thriller, by Stacey Abrams

A sequel to her earlier book While Justice Sleeps.  Intrigue/thriller involving the Supreme Court.

 

The Never-Open Desert Diner and Lullaby Road, by James Anderson.

These two books are not particularly well-written but the stories take place in rural and remote communities similar to where I live, and the descriptions of the communities and landscape were beautiful and compelling.  I enjoyed the writing and even enjoyed the plots although they were sometimes silly or unrealistic.

 

Do Not Disturb, and The Inmate, by Frieda McFadden

I liked Do Not Disturb, but not so much The Inmate.  There is something about McFadden's writing that I really like, even if I am critical of the plots.

 

The Alex Delaware series, books 2-11, by Jonathan Kellerman

I liked most of them.  As with most series, I enjoy the repeat characters and backstory even when a given plot isn't especially appealing.  I had read the first book a year or so ago but at that time wasn't ready to dive into a long series.  It's turned out to be the perfect choice for this summer.  And I'm only halfway through the series.

Edited August 9, 2023 by church_of_dog

[church_of_dog]

My August Reading:

 

Nonfiction:

The Wager, by David Grann

Odyssey to My Daughter, by Helen Valborg

Night, by Elie Wiesel

 

Fiction:

More of Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware series, #s 12-18.

In A Dark, Dark Wood, and The Woman in Cabin 10, both by Ruth Ware

 

[CTRLZero]

I haven’t checked in here lately, but I’m actually reading* a book right now that is very interesting - The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann.  It has maps, explains shipboard terms which have passed into our current language, and does an exceptional job describing the realities of shipboard life.  And this is even before getting into the shipwreck.  (I notice that @church_of_doghas already read it! 😊)

*I’ve had yet another procedure on my poor eyeball, so I’m able to read print a little more easily.  What a long process it’s been.  I was so excited, that I picked up a few books at a library book sale.  Only a couple of these are mine, but it was such fun to buy books again and have hope of reading them!
 

Spoiler

 

[church_of_dog]

@CTRLZero The Professor and the Madman looks really interesting -- I've just borrowed it on Libby so it will probably be in my October reading report!  Was that one of yours?  So glad your eyes and reading ease are improving.

 

My September reading:

Fiction:

 

The Bone Hacker (Tempe Brennan #22), by Kathy Reichs

The Last Devil to Die (Thursday Murder Club #4), by Richard Osman

 

Non-fiction:

 

Arguing With Zombies:  Economics, Politics and the Fight for a Better Future, by Paul Krugman

Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, by Ruth Ben-Ghiat

Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World, by Fareed Zakaria

Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, by Ben Goldfarb

Doppleganger, by Naomi Klein

 

[KSmom]

I haven’t posted here for awhile, but here goes:

My September reading - 

Cuba: An American History by Ada Ferrer. A Pulitzer Prize winning comprehensive telling  of 500 years of Cuban history. Ferrer covers so much territory and yet it never devolves into a names and dates telling. 
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. In 1972 the bones of a long dead person are found during construction. Who is it and what happened? Going back in time to the community of Chicken Hill in Pennsylvania, a community of immigrant Jews and African Americans, we learn the story of a community with secrets to keep and people to protect. 

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. This is Patchett’s latest, and like all of her best books she focuses on relationships. Set in Northern Michigan on a cherry orchard, Lara and her husband find themselves quarantined with their 3 adult daughters during Covid, working to harvest their crop. While working Lara shares with her daughters the summer she spent in regional theatre with an upcoming movie star. 
N or M? by Agatha Christie. This is a Tommy and Tuppence mystery set during WWII. Both are feeling dejected and useless when there is no place for them in the war effort. Then one day they are approached with a secret mission at a critical point in the war. With the usual quirky characters and twist and turns this book has all the best of Christie.

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende. Starting in Chile and ending in San Francisco during the gold rush. This book follows the adventures of Eliza Summers, an orphan raised by a brother and sister. There is love, adventure, danger and friendships along the way. I read this on vacation and it was a perfect read.

The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy: and the Path to a Shared American Future by Robert P. Jones. Jones goes back to the Doctrine of Discovery and the history of three communities, in Mississippi, Minnesota and Oklahoma, to show the incompatibility of white supremacy and democracy. He also shines a light on the work each community has done, and is doing, to pursue “truthfulness and repair”. I think this is an essential read for anyone who is concerned with the state of our country at this point in history.

[church_of_dog]

1 hour ago, KSmom said:

I haven’t posted here for awhile, but here goes:

My September reading - 

Cuba: An American History by Ada Ferrer. A Pulitzer Prize winning comprehensive telling  of 500 years of Cuban history. Ferrer covers so much territory and yet it never devolves into a names and dates telling. 
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. In 1972 the bones of a long dead person are found during construction. Who is it and what happened? Going back in time to the community of Chicken Hill in Pennsylvania, a community of immigrant Jews and African Americans, we learn the story of a community with secrets to keep and people to protect. 

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. This is Patchett’s latest, and like all of her best books she focuses on relationships. Set in Northern Michigan on a cherry orchard, Lara and her husband find themselves quarantined with their 3 adult daughters during Covid, working to harvest their crop. While working Lara shares with her daughters the summer she spent in regional theatre with an upcoming movie star. 
N or M? by Agatha Christie. This is a Tommy and Tuppence mystery set during WWII. Both are feeling dejected and useless when there is no place for them in the war effort. Then one day they are approached with a secret mission at a critical point in the war. With the usual quirky characters and twist and turns this book has all the best of Christie.

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende. Starting in Chile and ending in San Francisco during the gold rush. This book follows the adventures of Eliza Summers, an orphan raised by a brother and sister. There is love, adventure, danger and friendships along the way. I read this on vacation and it was a perfect read.

The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy: and the Path to a Shared American Future by Robert P. Jones. Jones goes back to the Doctrine of Discovery and the history of three communities, in Mississippi, Minnesota and Oklahoma, to show the incompatibility of white supremacy and democracy. He also shines a light on the work each community has done, and is doing, to pursue “truthfulness and repair”. I think this is an essential read for anyone who is concerned with the state of our country at this point in history.

@KSmom Thanks!  I think I'm going to put several of these on my to-read list.

[KSmom]

Today is Let Freedom Read Day, a part of Banned Books Week. I thought I’d share a podcast that I have learned a lot from. It is Ali Velshi’s Banned Book Club. On each episode Velshi interviews 1 or 2 authors who have had their books challenged and banned from schools or libraries. I have read many books over the years that have been banned, but I realized that I have not read very many banned books that have been published in recent years. This podcast has given me a good future reading list. I plan on checking these books out from my library to help libraries with their statistics on which books are being checked out.

[CTRLZero]

I was planning on wearing my “I read banned books” fundraiser shirt to the library soon.  When I first got it, I read a few banned books.  Maybe it’s time to check out a few more.  I’m grateful that the library here in Nashville promotes these books and pushes against the current book-burning nonsense.  

[smittykins]

I just finished “Counting the Cost” by Jill Dillard.

[47of74]

I'm going to listen to the "The First Will Be Last: A Biblical Perspective On Narcissism (Don't Just Survive - Thrive)" audiobook just to see how much of the ol' fornicate matches up to the definition from a biblical standpoint.  Amazon also has Kindle, paperback, and hardcover available.  I had some credits so I just downloaded the audiobook this evening and will probably listen to it over the next few days. 

[smittykins]

I just got Surely You Can’t Be Serious:  The True Story of “Airplane!” by directors David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams.  I love that movie beyond all reason.

[clueliss]

My library hold for Jill’s Counting the Cost came in.  Started yesterday finished a few minutes ago.

[47of74]

On 10/30/2023 at 6:11 PM, 47of74 said:

I'm going to listen to the "The First Will Be Last: A Biblical Perspective On Narcissism (Don't Just Survive - Thrive)" audiobook just to see how much of the ol' fornicate matches up to the definition from a biblical standpoint.  Amazon also has Kindle, paperback, and hardcover available.  I had some credits so I just downloaded the audiobook this evening and will probably listen to it over the next few days. 

I started listening to it last weekend  So far the author described both the secular and biblical views of narcissism and it just strikes me how much FF is a narcissist no matter how you approach things.  Of course I've got several more hours of the book to listen to so we'll have to see how it all turns out.

[church_of_dog]

My October Reading:

Fiction:

Alex Delaware Series #19, 20, 21 (Rage, Gone, and Obsession), by Jonathan Kellerman

The Last Thing He Told Me, by Laura Dave

Badwater (The Forensic Geology #2), by Toni Dwiggins

Holly, by Stephen King

 

Nonfiction: 

Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, by Heather Cox Richardson

How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing, by K.C. David

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary, by Simon Winchester

Snow After Fire, by Kandi Maxwell

Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing, by Emily Lynn Paulson

[clueliss]

Just finished Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power by Leah Redmond Chang.  
 

it focuses on Catherine de Medici, Queen of France; Mary Stewart, Queen of Scotland and briefly of France; and Elisabeth de Valois Queen of Spain.  

[KSmom]

October reading- I really went with the spooky this month.

Shutter by Ramona Emerson- Rita is a Navajo and a crime scene photographer who can see and hear the ghosts of the dead. When at a particularly gruesome crime scene the ghost of the murder victim starts tormenting Rita to solve her murder. A good, spooky thriller. I enjoyed Rita’s backstory very much.

Halloween Party by Agatha Christie- the new Poirot movie is very, loosely based on this book. I always enjoy a Christie novel, they are my go to escape reading.

Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond- Desmond is a sociologist and takes a different look at poverty than we usually see. Why is there so much poverty in such an affluent country? Instead of looking at the people in poverty, Desmond looks at the systems in our country that creates the poverty.

Freedom of Simplicity by Richard J Foster - this is a reread for me. Foster looks at simplicity on our lives, both our inner lives and our lifestyles. Thought provoking and will lead to soul searching.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury- another reread. A spooky and delightful books about two boys, best friends and the unusual carnival that comes to town the week of Halloween. My favorite Bradbury book.

All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers- A young journalist returns to her hometown to take care of an aging relative and solve the murder of her childhood friend. I read this for book club or else I wouldn’t have read it at all. It was okay until the end which was terrible!

 

 

[KSmom]

November reading- 

The 1619 Project- I have read this book before, and this time I read selected chapters alongside articles on the project from the American Historical Review. I had never read an academic journal before but my son lent it to me thinking I would find it interesting. I did and it stretched my reading skills a bit.

The Good Lord Bird by James McBride - This book is historical fiction. The protagonist is a young black boy that John Brown rescues from slavery. Brown mistakes the boy for a girl and gives her the name of Onion. For the next several years Onion travels with Brown all the way until Harper’s Ferry. This is the second book by McBride I have read and will be checking out more.

Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor. Taylor tells her journey into the priesthood and what led her to leave it. That summary may make it sound as if she lost faith but it was her faith that led her out of full time service in the church. I have loved all of her books and the way she looks at God, the world and faith. There is something there that resonates with me.

Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson.  Richardson starts in present time and then looks back through history to what has brought our country to where it is today. She focuses on America’s recurring journey towards democracy and away from it. President Biden was photographed carrying this book recently and it is an important book. Also a must read is Richardson’s daily newsletter Letters from an American(available on Substack, Threads, Facebook). It is indispensable in keeping up with what is happening in our country with a good historical background to today’s events.

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman. This is the fourth installment in the Thursday Murder Club. This time the pensioners find themselves entangled  with a heroin ring when a friend of theirs is murdered. I love the quirky characters and conversations in this series. This book also has a heavier story line when one of the club members faces an impossible choice. 

 

 

 

[church_of_dog]

Thanks for reminding me November is over, @KSmom!

 

My November reading:

 

The Ghost Forest: Racists, Radicals and Real Estate in the California Redwoods, by Greg King.

 

Standing My Ground: A Capitol Police Officer's Fight for Accountability and Good Trouble After January 6th, by Harry Dunn

 

While Idaho Slept: The Hunt for Answers in the Murders of Four College Students, by J. Reuben Appelman

 

Enough, by Cassidy Hutchinson

 

Bulletproof Barista, by Cleo Coyle (my only fiction read of the month)

 

Funny how when the weather's bad enough to keep me indoors, I don't get nearly as much listening done as when I'm out in the yard all day.  Seems most of my indoor projects require a bit too much mental concentration for me to listen while I work.  Time to get back on the treadmill which is great for listening and walking at the same time.

 

[KSmom]

I thought this might be a good place to ask. I’m looking for a good historical account  of Palestine/ Israel. I don’t know as much as I should about this region of the world and recent events have made me realized I need to know more. I would appreciate any recommendations.

[church_of_dog]

10 minutes ago, KSmom said:

I thought this might be a good place to ask. I’m looking for a good historical account  of Palestine/ Israel. I don’t know as much as I should about this region of the world and recent events have made me realized I need to know more. I would appreciate any recommendations.

I second this request as I feel the same way.  

A few years ago I read "The Balfour Declaration: Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict" by Jonathan Schneer, which gave me a vague bit of context, but I need much more and have forgotten much of the details in that book already.  But you might find it helpful as a start.  

I hope others will recommend other books too -- I still feel far too ignorant on the subject.

[KSmom]

So I’ve been down a rabbit hole the last few years looking at books. This is what I’ve come up with.

I ordered this one - https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/844c4f92-6ccd-44b3-9ae0-5361dec0c18c it seems like it would be a good overview to start with.

 I plan on ordering this one next, it came up in a lot of my searches. https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/007631a2-5e12-47a0-86c6-d09e9ee2c877
 

Herr are a couple of lists of recommended books-

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/10/israel-hamas-war-background-reading-list.html
 

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2023/10/27/israel-palestine-books
 

 

 

Edited December 4, 2023 by KSmom