What Are You Reading Part 3

[Sops2]

She also has The City series and has just published the first in a new series -World Departed.

All take place in the same zombie apocalypse, in different parts of north America, and we are promised a tie up at the end.

They are just superb

I shall have a look at Mira Grant- thanks for the tip!

[CTRLZero]

22 minutes ago, church_of_dog said:

And -- did you have your eye surgery?  

Thanks for the tip on Overdrive.  Maybe my daughter could share hers.
 
My surgery is scheduled for mid-January. I’ll let you know how it goes.  Hopefully I’ll get good results right away. I’m more nervous about having to enter a hospital during a pandemic than the actual surgery.  I have to get a COVID test a couple days before.  My second surgery will take place a few months after I’m healed and they do an assessment.  

Thanks for thinking of me.  I’m getting a list together, thanks to this thread. 

[Jasmar]

Trying again below…

On 9/23/2020 at 2:22 PM, viii said:

Currently starting the first Outlander book. I binged season 1-4 in a week during the summer holidays so I can't wait to read the books and see how they compare to the show. 

What have you thought of them? I found the first one while browsing at the library. I hate-read it to the end, despite the glorification of abuse as romantic, because I loved the premise so much, and the writing was good. I’m pretty sure I threw it across the room when I finished, I was so disgusted. Didn’t damage the book ?

Edited December 27, 2020 by Jasmar

[clueliss]

I’ve read (on audio) three of the outlander books.  I won’t be going further and only made it through half of season one of the tv series.  
 

 

[Jasmar]

Is the show better than the books, regarding the abusive aspects? It really was a cool story.

[viii]

I’m still stuck on chapter two of the book. I really enjoyed aspects of the show so I want to give the books a try. It took me 3 times to get into the show (struggled getting past the first episode) so I’m hoping the book will get better. I don’t go back to work until Jan. 4 so I’m hoping to read this week. 

[tabitha2]

On Audible A biography of Empress Josephine of France. 

[clueliss]

I usually set a goal for the year over at Goodreads.  But this year I’m not even certain where to set it.  I’ve hit a place where due to winter weather (ice storm yesterday) I’m not walking as much.  And with covid WFH I don’t have the hour per day of car time.  And I prefer to use the library for audiobooks.  So, my reading has suddenly dropped significantly.  I think I’m going to set it ridiculously low and adjust higher later in the year when I see where we land with post pandemic world.

[CTRLZero]

My goal for this year is to intersperse more non-fiction into my audiobook rotation.

 Right now I am listening to a sci-fi thriller “To Sleep in a Sea of Stars” by Christopher Paolini.  It has good reviews, and is longer than most novels I usually tackle.  I’m about halfway through and really enjoying it.  In brief, a xenobiologist becomes infected with an alien organism, then interstellar hijinx ensue.

I have a couple Barbara Tuchman books on my shelf.   It occurred to me that I could listen to the audio versions while being able to look at the illustrations and maps as I go along.  That way I can enjoy the book experience while giving my eyeballs a break.  

[Loveday]

Haven't popped into this thread in ages! I need to go back a couple of pages and see what everyone is reading/get some suggestions to put on my reserve list at the library (that's all they're allowing at the moment; they had re-opened for a little while and then shut down again a few weeks ago. We can only pick up reserves now, no browsing).

Right now I'm reading The Evening and The Morning, by Ken Follett. My daughter gave it to me for Christmas. It's his new prequel to Pillars of The Earth, which I'll probably end up re-reading once I finish this one as it's been decades.

[CTRLZero]

Two days after eye surgery and healing nicely.  I’ve been listening to “Celine” by Peter Heller.  It seems to be a good detective novel, but unfortunately I keep taking drug-induced cat naps and am having difficulty piecing together the plot, lol!  I’ve read some of his other works, and know he’s a good author, so I’ll keep trying.  
Anyway, just wanted to emerge to say hello before I take yet another nap.  ? 

[trekkie6094404]

On 1/2/2021 at 9:04 AM, CTRLZero said:

My goal for this year is to intersperse more non-fiction into my audiobook rotation.

 Right now I am listening to a sci-fi thriller “To Sleep in a Sea of Stars” by Christopher Paolini.  It has good reviews, and is longer than most novels I usually tackle.  I’m about halfway through and really enjoying it.  In brief, a xenobiologist becomes infected with an alien organism, then interstellar hijinx ensue.

I have a couple Barbara Tuchman books on my shelf.   It occurred to me that I could listen to the audio versions while being able to look at the illustrations and maps as I go along.  That way I can enjoy the book experience while giving my eyeballs a break.  

Have you read Paolini’s Inheritance trilogy? How does his new novel compare to those? I thought they were extraordinary & compelling and hesitate to start TSIASS in case I’m disappointed. Dragons fascinate me, another reason I enjoyed the Inheritance books.

[FloraKitty35]

I am reading Evil Geniuses by Kurt Andersen.

[CTRLZero]

On 1/17/2021 at 1:14 PM, trekkie6094404 said:

Have you read Paolini’s Inheritance trilogy?

I haven’t read the trilogy.  “To Sleep in a Sea of Stars” started out well, but then turned somewhat predictable (maybe I’ve read too many similar plots).  Overall, I’d recommend To Sleep if you like space opera type storylines.  The ending was somewhat unexpected, so that was a plus. 

I finished Peter Heller’s “Celine” and can recommend it.  It’s about a family reunification detective.  Interesting characters, for sure.  I then decided to listen to Heller’s “The Dog Stars”, which I had read a few years ago.  It’s a post-pandemic setting and is one of the best of that genre that I’ve read.  

[clueliss]

Wanted to share this tweet by an Author I follow.  Not sure what the title is - but based on the tweet - I suspect FJers will be interested.

 

[clueliss]

She shared a link to the book.

What's Done in Darkness

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/549350/whats-done-in-darkness-by-laura-mchugh/9780399590313/

Quote

About What’s Done in Darkness

Abducted as a teenager, a woman must now confront her past and untangle the truth of what really happened to her in this dark thriller from the author of The Wolf Wants In.

Seventeen-year-old Sarabeth has become increasingly rebellious since her parents found God and moved their family to a remote Arkansas farmstead where she’s forced to wear long dresses, follow strict rules, and grow her hair down to her waist. She’s all but given up on escaping the farm when a masked man appears one stifling summer morning and snatches her out of the cornfield.

A week after her abduction, she’s found alongside a highway in a bloodstained dress–alive–but her family treats her like she’s tainted, and there’s little hope of finding her captor, who kept Sarabeth blindfolded in the dark the entire time, never uttering a word. One good thing arises from the horrific ordeal: a chance to leave the Ozarks and start a new life.

Five years later, Sarabeth is struggling to keep her past buried when investigator Nick Farrow calls. Convinced that her case is connected to the strikingly similar disappearance of another young girl, Farrow wants Sarabeth’s help, and he’ll do whatever it takes to get it, even if that means dragging her back to the last place she wants to go–the hills and hollers of home, to face her estranged family and all her darkest fears.

In this riveting new novel from Laura McHugh, blood ties and buried secrets draw a young woman back into the nightmare of her past to save a missing girl, unaware of what awaits her in the darkness.

 

[CTRLZero]

Another sci fi recommendation - The Last Astronaut by David Wellington.  An astronaut who ended the space program through her alleged missteps which caused a disaster is given a second chance when an alien vessel appears in the solar system.  It’s a fairly routine space adventure, but well written.  I liked the ending.

And I’m finally reading (listening to) a non-fiction.  Pale Rider by Laura Spinney.  It’s about the 1918 pandemic.  So far I’ve learned the flu spread extremely quickly, but only lasted a short period of time.  I’m looking forward to learning more as the book progresses. 

[CTRLZero]

I recommend The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey.  The audiobook was narrated by Derek Jacobi, who was excellent.

I was reading that this novel caused a mild uproar when it came out, because it questioned a “fact” taught in every schoolbook, that Richard III had two young boys killed to protect his ascent to the throne.  The author doesn’t definitively answer the question, but shows how careful research will demonstrate there is always more to the story.  
I read this novel years ago, but it really was more meaningful having gone through recent political events in the United States.  Makes me wonder which version of history will prevail in a few more generations.

[Loveday]

Sharon Kay Penman died a few weeks ago? , and in her honour I'm re-reading the first novel she wrote, The Sunne In Splendour. I haven't read it since it came out in the early 80s, so it's almost like reading it for the first time. 

[clueliss]

Hillary Clinton publishing a book with Louise Penny!

 

[Mela99]

I just finished Becoming Eve by Abby Chava Stein, rabbi turned transgender woman. Great read.

I have Glennon Doyle’s Untamed next.

[CTRLZero]

On 7/16/2020 at 8:50 AM, church_of_dog said:

Hidden Valley Road" by Robert Kolker

What a family history!  This is about a family of 12 children, of which six boys were diagnosed with schizophrenia.  The family dynamics, the genetic research, the treatments, the violence, the endurance, etc., makes for an interesting read.  Its finishing chapter is concerning the worry of mental illness continuing on with subsequent generations.  
I listened to the audiobook, but found photos online which were very helpful in following the large family.

Thanks for the recommendation!

[church_of_dog]

5 hours ago, CTRLZero said:

What a family history!  This is about a family of 12 children, of which six boys were diagnosed with schizophrenia.  The family dynamics, the genetic research, the treatments, the violence, the endurance, etc., makes for an interesting read.  Its finishing chapter is concerning the worry of mental illness continuing on with subsequent generations.  
I listened to the audiobook, but found photos online which were very helpful in following the large family.

Thanks for the recommendation!

I too listened to the audiobook, and didn't think to look at the book/photos.

I have learned to do that with many audiobooks -- though sometimes I forget, especially if photos aren't specifically mentioned in the text.  I know I did that with Michelle Obama's book, looked at the hard copy book afterward, to see family photos of her as a kid, etc., and the book I listened to about John C. Fremont that had not just photos but maps that were interesting to see.

Thanks for mentioning the photos -- off to Google!

[CTRLZero]

I just finished Bellwether by Connie Willis.

Connie Willis is one of my favorite authors.  She has written some fabulous time travel themed novels, which I’ve read several times.  I’ve avoided reading Bellwether solely based on the book’s description, but it turned out to be darn good.

It’s a little bit of science (fiction with science, but not science fiction, if that makes sense) and a little bit love story, set in a workplace with the usual mix of management types and snarky assistants.  The main character studies fads, and that alone was interesting, learning about styles, colors schemes and other trends through recent history.

Anyway, this was a lot of fun to read (or listen to) and it was thought provoking, as well. 

[viii]

I am struggling with reading right now. I have always been an avid reader, but lately I find myself more apt to turning on the TV than picking up a book. I'm trying to change that, but I can't seem to find a book that holds my interest. Started the first Outlander book - didn't finish it. Started the first Bridgerton book - the writing was so bad I didn't finish it. Currently trying to read a Tudor novel since that's usually a safe go to but haven't read in a couple of days.