I have a number of Smith's books on my Kindle and I have enjoyed her mysteries set in the Big Easy. Unfortunately, I did not do this book any favors. I have a number of Smith's books on my Kindle and I have enjoyed her mysteries set in the Big Easy. Unfortunately, I did not do this book any favors. I have been reading it off and on for months and I kept forgetting the basic plot. I will try another mystery about Rebecca Schwartz some time and see if I like it better....more
“To the French, sin—provided it is conceived with imagination and carried off with flair—is like the dust on an old bottle of burgundy, the streaks of“To the French, sin—provided it is conceived with imagination and carried off with flair—is like the dust on an old bottle of burgundy, the streaks of gray in the hair of a loved one, the gleam of long, loving use on the mahogany of an ancient cabinet. It’s evidence of endurance, of survival, of life.”
It has been more than a year since I read two of Baxter’s books, so when I saw this on the library’s sale table I was ready for another one. As I have said before, Paris is a city that I regularly visit by book. Someday I am going to go to France. At this time, I was headed to San Diego for Christmas with family. This ode to Christmas in France seemed like the perfect plane book.
Baxter did not disappoint. He is somewhat repetitious – not so much within a book, but overall. So I already knew he has the responsibility for his French family’s Christmas dinner. I don’t think this task is too weird to assign to the “outsider”. Sometimes the best response to traditions comes from the devotee rather than the person who grew up with those customs.
I had fun reading as Baxter worked his way through his dinner preparations. I learned a few things about cooking, Australia, France and Baxter himself. What better way could I have spent my six hours getting to my family in California? ...more
Another interesting mystery supplied to me by my friend Tom. He does manage to keep my reading habits diverse. This was a good break from my more seriAnother interesting mystery supplied to me by my friend Tom. He does manage to keep my reading habits diverse. This was a good break from my more serious books....more
An excellent romance that kept me up in the middle of the night. There was some slang I didn't recognize, but that wasn't important. This novel starteAn excellent romance that kept me up in the middle of the night. There was some slang I didn't recognize, but that wasn't important. This novel started in the middle of the story, (it is a sequel) so there were aspects of Janie and Quinn's story that I had to figure out. I didn't mind that either. I just had fun.
I will read Reid again.
9/16/20 Apparently the charm of this romance wore off quickly. I picked it up because I needed something light and remembered Reid as a good writer. She is good, but somehow I had forgotten most of this story. That doesn't usually happen to me. It was good the second time in spite of my forgetfulness....more
“When we say “the world has ended,” it’s usually a lie, because the planet is just fine. But this is the way the world ends. This is the way the world“When we say “the world has ended,” it’s usually a lie, because the planet is just fine. But this is the way the world ends. This is the way the world ends. This is the way the world ends. For the last time.”
With this novel, I have finished Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge for 2016. What a fun ride. And I couldn’t have picked a better book for the end. I am grateful to my friend Gail for putting this novel on her challenge. I was going to reread Octavia Butler’s novel, Parable of the Sower. I may read that in 2017, but Jemisin’s story was the right one for me right now.
I used to read a lot of speculative fiction. I liked fantasy and science fiction because the worlds were so strange and wonderful. Also I could get lost in a book for days because of the adventure, the plot and the characters. I don’t know why I read less of those genres now. However, Jemisin reminded me of all the reasons I love fantastic fiction. She has created an amazing, incredible, believable world. I did not want to leave. I am grateful there are more books set in Jemisin’s creation. I will be reading the next volume soon. ...more
Another fun romance in Brockmann's Troubleshooters series. I know these are complete and utter fairy tales, but I am enjoying them.Another fun romance in Brockmann's Troubleshooters series. I know these are complete and utter fairy tales, but I am enjoying them....more
For years I only read mysteries on audiobook. I just couldn't stand the suspense any other way. One of my favorite audio mystery writers was Simon BreFor years I only read mysteries on audiobook. I just couldn't stand the suspense any other way. One of my favorite audio mystery writers was Simon Brett. I liked his style, the settings and the fact that the mysteries were not too bloody.
This is one of Brett's more recent crime novels. It was fun, but it didn't live up to my memories of his other series. ...more
“Consider also the special word they used: survivor. Something new. As long as they didn't have to say human being. It used to be refugee, but by now “Consider also the special word they used: survivor. Something new. As long as they didn't have to say human being. It used to be refugee, but by now there was no such creature, no more refugees, only survivors. A name like a number -- counted apart from the ordinary swarm. Blue digits on the arm, what difference? They don't call you a woman anyhow. Survivor. Even when your bones get melted into the grains of the earth, still they'll forget human being. Survivor and survivor and survivor; always and always. Who made up these words, parasites on the throat of suffering!”
I borrowed this audiobook mostly because it was short. When I was working, I listened to a lot of talking books. I had a short commute to work, but I often had a lot of driving for work. Now that I am mostly retired, it takes me months to get through a book.
Once again, I figured out that I forgot to review this. It has been a long time since I listened, but just reading the quotations here reminded me of the pain Ozick showed me in these two stories. Although the first story is about the Holocaust and so obviously agonizing, it is the second story that I found most distressing. I was not as prepared for the hurting that surviving can bring. I think both these stories were even more powerful because I heard them rather than reading them.
If you haven’t read Ozick before, these stories would be a good place to start. She is an excellent writer. Her faith, Judaism, permeates her works which I find makes them very thought provoking. ...more
“I long ago abandoned myself to a blind lust for the written word. Literature is my sandbox. In it I play, build my forts and castles, spend glorious “I long ago abandoned myself to a blind lust for the written word. Literature is my sandbox. In it I play, build my forts and castles, spend glorious time. It is the world outside that box that gives me trouble. I have adapted tamely, though not conventionally, to this visible world so I can retreat without much inconvenience into my inner world of books.”
I would never have found this book without the challenge. As I was getting down to the wire with the 24 required books, I realized that I hadn’t even thought about this challenge: Read a book set in the Middle East. Somehow, I managed to locate this novel which is set in Beruit. The main character is right up my alley – she reads a great deal.
All in all, I am glad that I found this story. It was not exactly what I was expecting and it was a bit slower than I would have liked. However, Alameddine’s style caused me to slow down and pay attention. That is a very good thing. I will look for another book by him and see if I am able to adapt better to his writing. ...more
Apparently, I have not read anything by Lisa See since I started keeping track of my reading. See is another author that I just haven’t been able to kApparently, I have not read anything by Lisa See since I started keeping track of my reading. See is another author that I just haven’t been able to keep up with. I know she has written several books in the last nine years and I like her writing. I just don’t have time to read everything.
Thanks to the loan of an ebook from her publisher and Jellybooks, I was able to read the novel See is publishing in March 2017. I was happy to try a new story by See and I was intrigued by Jellybooks’s notion of tracking reading. I hope I didn’t throw their statistics off. I so enjoyed the book that I read it very quickly.
The novels I have read by Lisa See have all had a basis in Chinese history. I don’t know how many liberties she might take and I don’t actually care about the historical accuracy. As always, I am looking for a good story, well told and something new to learn. See provided all of that. I found her story about Li-Yan, her family and their tea to be fascinating. Although I drink tea regularly, there was a lot to learn in this tale.
I don’t know if I will manage to get back to See’s novels. There really are too many books out there that I want to read. In the meantime, I highly recommend this novel to readers of historical fiction, family tales and those who read to learn new things. See has done a good job telling an interesting story.
Thank you again to Scribner and Jelly Books. ...more
November 2016 may become the month that I read the whole Troubleshooter series. This is actually unlikely since there are 16 books in the series. HoweNovember 2016 may become the month that I read the whole Troubleshooter series. This is actually unlikely since there are 16 books in the series. However, I am grateful to Brockmann's writing which has kept me entertained and diverted. ...more
I read my first book by Brockmann to distract me from the election. Now that the election is over and I am trying to cope with the new reality, I am sI read my first book by Brockmann to distract me from the election. Now that the election is over and I am trying to cope with the new reality, I am self-medicating with more of her Troubleshooters series.
Everything comes out happily ever after. Thank goodness....more
“All I know is that I am the product of all the experiences I have had, good and bad, and if I am in a happy place in my life (as I truly am), then I “All I know is that I am the product of all the experiences I have had, good and bad, and if I am in a happy place in my life (as I truly am), then I can have no regrets about any of the combination of events and circumstances that have led me to the here and now.”
I don’t know of any television show or movie that I have seen that Alan Cumming has been in. I don’t watch much TV and I rarely see a movie. However, even I know who Cumming is and four years ago, I went out of my way to see his performance in Macbeth off Broadway in New York City. It was incredible.
So I was glad to see that Cumming’s audio recording of this autobiography had won an Audie award. I needed to find one for the BookRiot reader harder challenge. I figured that Cumming would do a wonderful recording – I was absolutely right.
What I didn’t know was how honest and open this book actually is. I was expecting a more standard Hollywood-type story. I had no idea what Cumming had experienced in his life. His upbringing was rough – Cumming’s father was a real bastard. His physical and emotional abuse might have killed other people. I was stunned by the violence that Cumming, his brother and his mother endured. I am impressed that Cumming was willing to share so much information about his upbringing.
Cumming shares more than that. I felt like I knew Cumming by the end of the audio. I know that I don’t and that the book is only a slice of his life. However, I am grateful that Cumming was willing to share and that he is such a good storyteller.
If you are interested in celebrity autobiographies, I highly recommend this one. I especially suggest that you try the audio – Cumming has an incredible accent. ...more
First time I have read Brockmann, although I have been purchasing her books for the library for years. She did what I asked - Brockmann and her storylFirst time I have read Brockmann, although I have been purchasing her books for the library for years. She did what I asked - Brockmann and her storyline and interesting characters distracted me on my trip home from New Orleans. She even kept me from obsessing over the election.
I recommend Brockmann to any romance reader who likes contemporary romance with a bit of danger thrown in....more
“For all that so many of us drink wine and buy wine and read about wine and make gifts of wine to each other and visit wineries and vineyards and see “For all that so many of us drink wine and buy wine and read about wine and make gifts of wine to each other and visit wineries and vineyards and see movies about wine and talk pseudoknowledgeable about wine, very few of us, it seems to me, have the faintest notion of how grapes get to be glee in the glass.”
I picked up this book because it is by Brian Doyle. Although you can’t tell by my list of books here, I really like Doyle’s writing. I have encountered his poetry and essays before in a number of publications. Most of what I have read by him is about faith, so I was intrigued by this book. I wasn’t sure that writing about the best pinot noir in the world was the same as writing about religion and spirituality.
I should not have been surprised that some of this book resembles Doyle’s other writings. His way of writing is obviously a big part of him and so the style of this book and other things I have read are similar. And that is a big part of why I liked this treatise on wine.
By the time I was halfway through these short, pithy stories/essays, I was in love with the Lange vineyard, Oregon, and the world of viticulture. I felt like I was with Doyle when he took his monthly visit to Dundee, Oregon. I started to read the book more slowly so that I could spend more time in this delightful place. A place I would have never found on my own or seen quite so clearly without Doyle’s writing.
If you enjoy wine, if you enjoy good writing or if you like to travel to places outside of your neck of the woods, give this book a try. I hope you are as pleased with your visit to the Lange winery as I am....more
“Black success stories lend credence to the notion that anyone, no matter how poor or how black you may be, can make it to the top, if only you try ha“Black success stories lend credence to the notion that anyone, no matter how poor or how black you may be, can make it to the top, if only you try hard enough. These stories “prove” that race is no longer relevant. Whereas black success stories undermined the logic of Jim Crow, they actually reinforce the system of mass incarceration. Mass incarceration depends for its legitimacy on the widespread belief that all those who appear trapped at the bottom actually chose their fate.”
I am continuing my education into how minorities live in this country. I am learning a lot of things that I should have figured out many years ago. I, like many people, live in a bubble much of the time. I pay attention to what affects me most. Given my level of privilege, this means I can ignore many aspects of American life. This is not a good thing and I am trying to change my perspective.
There are thousands of reviews on Goodreads for this book. Any review I write will be influenced by the reviews I have read on this site. There are some excellent writers here and they have done a great job. I can’t add anything to the existing comments.
However, I will repeat one thing that others have said. This books is necessary reading. I can’t emphasize that enough. The United States must change the way we view and use our penal system. We can only do this if many people work on the changes. I plan to find a way to get my voice heard. I hope you will read this and also work for change. ...more
I like James' stories. She is an excellent writer. I like fairy tales and books that take a fairy tale in a new direction. In this book, I got both. WI like James' stories. She is an excellent writer. I like fairy tales and books that take a fairy tale in a new direction. In this book, I got both. What more could I ask for? So glad that I got to spend a few hours in an fictional world....more
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