Literature What are you currently reading?

[Chryssie]

Today I finished "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin. This is a beautifully written novel about relationships, friendship, and love that spans decades. It is the story of Sadie and Sam who meet at a children's hospital when they are 11 and 12 years old. Sadie's sister is battling cancer and Sam has been in a terrible car accident and hasn't spoken to anyone since it happened. And then Sadie comes into the game room and they start playing a video game and Sam speaks. From then on, this is about gaming and gamers as Sadie and Sam and then Marx start developing games together. If you are not a gamer or former gamer (like me), you might not get drawn into this story because there is a lot of gaming detail and references to many games. But the main focus is on the characters and how they interact with one another. I love this book and it made me cry more than once.

 

[Raven]

I started the Jessica Simpson autobiography yesterday and it had me crying at one bit and also laughing. It is actually very readable.

Jessica Simpson's bestselling memoir Open Book to be turned into Freevee series | Daily Mail Online

 

[Chryssie]

Finished another Lillian Jackson Braun called "The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers". This one wasn't as enjoyable as the other one I read. It was kind of boring. Published in 2007, it is one of the author's later books and she was in her 90's at the time. Maybe after writing so many books about these characters she was running out of clever ideas. I will look for the older books because I do like the characters.

 

[Lou]

Its my understanding that the first 10 books are the best

I will look for the older books because I do like the characters.

 

[shyvas]

The Salt Path

• "The uplifting true story. A Sunday Times bestseller, shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize The story of the couple who lost everything and embarked on a journey, not of escape, but salvation. Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, the couple lose their home and their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset via Devon and Cornwall.
• They have almost no money for food or shelter and must carry only the essentials for survival on their backs as they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea and sky. Yet through every step, every encounter, and every test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable journey. The Salt Path is an unflinchingly honest, inspiring and life-affirming true story of coming to terms with grief and the healing power of the natural world. Ultimately, it is a portrayal of home, and how it can be lost, rebuilt and rediscovered in the most unexpected ways."

 

[Chryssie]

I read "As the Wicked Watch" by Tamron Hall who is a TV journalist. The story is about a Black woman TV journalist so I am assuming it is based on herself. It is a decent crime story about the murders of several Black women in Chicago. This book is the first in a series so I will probably look for the next one when it comes out.

 

[Chryssie]

I have just now finished another book called "Wish You Were Here." This is a book I had to wait a while to get from the library. It is by Jodi Picoult who is evidently very famous though I had never heard of her. The jacket says 5 of her novels have been made into movies. I will have to research this. This book is told in first person by a young woman who gets stranded in the Galapagos islands on vacation when the pandemic hits. So it is about the pandemic with a huge twist which I will not divulge! It is very compelling and sucked me in. I do have to say I was disappointed in the ending which I predicted and did not like! I will find more of this author's novels because the writing was really good despite the ending of this one.

 

[Emma JC]

I have just now finished another book called "Wish You Were Here." This is a book I had to wait a while to get from the library. It is by Jodi Picoult who is evidently very famous though I had never heard of her. The jacket says 5 of her novels have been made into movies. I will have to research this. This book is told in first person by a young woman who gets stranded in the Galapagos islands on vacation when the pandemic hits. So it is about the pandemic with a huge twist which I will not divulge! It is very compelling and sucked me in. I do have to say I was disappointed in the ending which I predicted and did not like! I will find more of this author's novels because the writing was really good despite the ending of this one.

I think I have read all of her books over the years, I will have to double check, and thank you for the heads up on this new one and for the 'ending alert'. She is a great author. I have put it on Hold.

She has another one out Mad Honey, which I see is currently available on the "new" shelf at my library, will have to try to get over there before someone else takes it. And I see another I don't think I have read The Book of Two Ways. cool....

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Chryssie]

I found another mystery series! I was just browsing in the library and picked up "Booked 4 Murder" by J.C. Eaton which is the pen name of a husband and wife duo. This book published in 2017 is the first in the series. I lucked out picking it! It is light reading and funny about a woman who works for a police department as an accountant and her mother calls on her to come investigate a cursed book. It seems like several women who were reading a particular book in the book club have dropped dead! A quick and easy read!

 

[Raven]

I started the Jessica Simpson autobiography yesterday and it had me crying at one bit and also laughing. It is actually very readable.

I really enjoyed this book. I was crying at so many parts and I don't cry that easily. I have never really read many celebrity books but this was really interesting. Jessica Simpson’s Mesmerizing Memoir of Recovery and X-ennial Fame | The New Yorker

I have got the Mariah Carey autobiography to read next.
The Meaning of Mariah Carey review – fascinating memoir by a misunderstood star | Music books | The Guardian

 

[Emma JC]

I am reading JD Robb's latest Eve & Roarke "Desperation in Death", always love these books. Pretty sure I have read them all.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Chryssie]

Today I finished another Louise Penny book called "Glass Houses". While I didn't find this one quite as good as the others I have read, it was still good. It is about drug trafficking.

 

[Chryssie]

I read a whole book this afternoon. "Blank Canvas" by Marcy Gregg. This is a memoir by a woman who contracted a very deadly case of meningitis after giving birth to her third child. She suffered swelling of the brain, had to have a hole drilled in her skull, and goes into a coma. When she comes out of it, she has no memory of the last 13 years. This is an inspirational story of her struggles and it is very faith oriented. It was very interesting.

 

[Chryssie]

I finished an interesting novel by John Marris called "the one". A woman scientist discovers a gene in human DNA that determines a "soulmate." She capitalizes on this by starting Match Your DNA service. Submit your DNA and find "the one." She makes millions and is a celebrity. The book follows several clients, one of whom is a serial killer. It is a very compelling read!

 

[Lou]

I finished an interesting novel by John Marris called "the one". A woman scientist discovers a gene in human DNA that determines a "soulmate." She capitalizes on this by starting Match Your DNA service. Submit your DNA and find "the one." She makes millions and is a celebrity. The book follows several clients, one of whom is a serial killer. It is a very compelling read!

I think they turned that into a movie. or someone stole that plot....

Just looked it up and the movie is called "The One". Its on Netflix.

 

[Chryssie]

Yeah it had a little note on the book that it was to be on Netflix. I would watch it if I had Netflix!

 

[Emma JC]

I think they turned that into a movie. or someone stole that plot....

Just looked it up and the movie is called "The One". Its on Netflix.

it's actually a series with just one season so far and 8 episodes - no word yet on whether there will be a season two

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[beforewisdom]

"The Years Of Rice And Salt" by Kim Stanley Robinson.

Fantasy novel, alternate history. The black plague wipes out all of Europe. History after that is dominated by China and Islam.

A group of people in the aftermath of the plague keep getting reincarnated with each other throughout that alternative history.

 

[Chryssie]

Last night I finished "leaving time" by Jodi Picoult. This book sucked me in big time. It is a murder mystery, missing person case, ghost story and animal welfare (elephants) all rolled up into a fascinating read with a twist I never saw coming which left me crying buckets. Really liked this one and will get more of her books.

 

[Chryssie]

I have read my first Ruth Ware book "The IT Girl" and I will definitely get more of her thrillers. This was really good and I couldn't put it down. A good bit of the book takes place at Oxford University so that was interesting. It is about a group of college friends, one of whom is murdered. After 10 years, it still haunts her roommate and best friend. When the convicted murderer who always proclaimed he was innocent, dies in prison, a journalist raises the question, did he really do it? Sucked me right in!