Outside of a Dog, a Book is Man's Best Friend (The Book Thread)

[SHARPIE]

Second book - Marian Keyes - "The Break"

Oh Marian, it's time to give it up my love. I read you since my early twenties and you were amazing. But besides the occasional witty one liner in this book it was really, really dull and none of the characters were in any way likeable. Go back to the Walsh family if you're going to churn something else out and I'll buy it but nothing has been good since, "This charming man" (thankfully this was better)


Third -"The Couple Next Door" by Shari Lorena

Tired,boring story with an utterly predictable ending. All the characters involved need to be shot. (Maybe not baby Cora but wtf sort of name is Cora anyway?)

 

[SHARPIE]

And finally - Lisa Jewell - "And Then She Was Gone"

Lisa Jewell overtook Marian Keyes as my favourite author some years ago. I have read all her books ("Vince and Joy" will always be a favourite) and have noticed her "chick lit with an edge" style take a darker turn of late. So far I have been fine with that, but this book (her darkest yet) left me in tears and I am still thinking of the characters over a week later! Brilliantly written but I think I will check out some spoilers before I read her next one. Completely recommended 100 per cent though, it's the first of her books to make the Sunday Times number one best seller and I can see why. To me it's her finest and her worst (in the way it upset me) work.

 

[Erin]

Vacation time means reading time for me...finally making up for some lost time while I was in school.

Everything You Want Me To Be: Talented teenager Hattie Hoffman is brutally murdered after her triumphant performance as Lady Macbeth in her high school play. Her small town is stunned; everyone loved charming, sweet Hattie. But as the story unfolds, told by Hattie, the sheriff investigating the murder (who is her father's best friend) and her English teacher (always the English teacher), it becomes apparent that Hattie might be a sociopath (in the sense of being what people want her to be solely because it benefits her), people are not what they seem, and small towns (as always) are full of secrets. This is a debut novel and it shows in the occasional pacing issue, but the author does a good job with the characters; the voices of the narrators were distinctly different and developed believably as the story moved along.

This was the first one I read on my flight out. First, as with any book set in Minnesota, I enjoyed playing "spot the Minnesota references" (my personal favourite was when there was a tapas restaurant reference in Minneapolis and I figured it had to be Solera, even though Solera is closed now and it was). It helps me picture the book when they mention real places that I know.

Spoiler

I've even stayed at the Crowne Plaza where Peter stayed with Hattie

Anyway, that aside, I thought it was a good book - I can see why you say Hattie might be a sociopath. I saw it a little bit differently in that it was like she thought that because someone was dumb that person didn't have the same depth of feelings. And she definitely had issues seeing the consequences of her actions on other people generally. So maybe that's all sociopathic. But I still liked her in spite of that, so I'm not sure what that says about me

The other one I read was The Only Thing To Fear, a YA dystopian novel set 80 years after Hitler won WWII that @PrincessLeppard mentioned a super long time ago. I bought it then, and I have it had sitting waiting for me to read while I keep reading library books first. Anyway, there were some aspects of the alternate universe that were really interesting but the one thing I didn't like was the science fiction-y aspect of people having super powers and being "Anomolies" - it was a little too out there for me. I would have preferred something a little more realistic. But other aspects I thought were done well, particularly how the romance was handled, given that it's a YA novel.

 

[SHARPIE]

Friend Request - Laura Marshall

More fool me for downloading a book with such a stupid title. So "dead girl from school" sends out a friend request on Facebook and an utterly dull scenario unwinds from there. The ending wasn't too bad though.

 

[MacMadame]

Is the book the same as the movie that is coming out? (The movie looks like a horror movie.)

 

[joeperryfan]

Last book I read was "Make Me" by Lee Child (Jack Reacher series).

I had never read a Jack Reacher book before and from the reviews I read afterwards I certainly picked a tough one to like. I can't compare to the rest of the series, I liked the writing a lot but, dear Lord, was that end grim as can be. There are images you don't need put in your head, same reason I don't watch horror movies or anything too gory... Felt like putting the book in the freezer ala Joey Tribiani. I'd like to give the series another shot, any recommendations? Should I start with the first book of the series?

As a side note, Jack Reacher seems to be yet another part that is completely unsuitable for Tom Cruise (Lestat anyone?), and yet there he is starring in those movies...

Now I'm reading a book by Alain the Botton "The News: a user's manual". I found out about Alain on youtube and frankly love his rationality applied to everyday life. The book is a very good read.

 

[Prancer]

I can see why you say Hattie might be a sociopath. I saw it a little bit differently in that it was like she thought that because someone was dumb that person didn't have the same depth of feelings. And she definitely had issues seeing the consequences of her actions on other people generally. So maybe that's all sociopathic.

I think Hattie fits the description of a high-functioning sociopath very well.

Should I start with the first book of the series?

I think the first Reacher book is still one of the best in the series, but if you don't like grim and gory....probably not for you. It remains one of the most violent books I have ever read, even after all this time. I think the series does make the most sense if you read the books in order, but the quality of the books varies from page-turning greatness to "why did I spend time and money on this crap?"

As a side note, Jack Reacher seems to be yet another part that is completely unsuitable for Tom Cruise (Lestat anyone?), and yet there he is starring in those movies...

Lee Child lurves Tom Cruise as Reacher. I think that if you aren't familiar with the books, Cruise is a fine Reacher. If you are, he isn't Reacher at all.

 

[rfisher]

I'm only downloading the free options on BookBub because those $1.99 books were adding up when I looked at my bank statement.

You get what you pay for, but I didn't pay anything. This keeps me with plenty of diversion from doing what I should be doing and saves $$ for those new books I have to have the day they're published. October is going to be expensive.

 

[joeperryfan]

I think the first Reacher book is still one of the best in the series, but if you don't like grim and gory....probably not for you. It remains one of the most violent books I have ever read, even after all this time. I think the series does make the most sense if you read the books in order, but the quality of the books varies from page-turning greatness to "why did I spend time and money on this crap?"

It depends really, I was fine with the fight scene descriptions and bullet damage descriptions, but the end was really creepy, not necessarily for the gore but more for the moral degradation of it all, I think.
Thanks for your feedback.

Lee Child lurves Tom Cruise as Reacher. I think that if you aren't familiar with the books, Cruise is a fine Reacher. If you are, he isn't Reacher at all.

I'm sure he made Child a lot of money. I don't like Cruise so I'm biased, but while reading the book I kept picturing Jack Reacher as a young Steve Seagal, but maybe that's off too. Anyway, don't plan to watch the movies.

 

[SHARPIE]

Is the book the same as the movie that is coming out? (The movie looks like a horror movie.)

Is that in reply to me? Ffs if "Friend Request" has been sold for movie rights.

 

[Susan1]

I'm sure he made Child a lot of money. I don't like Cruise so I'm biased, but while reading the book I kept picturing Jack Reacher as a young Steve Seagal, but maybe that's off too. Anyway, don't plan to watch the movies.

No kidding. Somebody double the size and meaner looking than Tom Cruise. He should only play lawyers and accountants. I only ever saw part of the first movie t.v., after reading a couple of the books. Going back to the books, I absolutely can't picture Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher.

I started at the first one and just got 2007's Bad Luck and Trouble at the library.

 

[puglover]

I am a fan of Lee Child and Jack Reacher. However, I also really didn't get why Tom Cruise was cast as Reacher. For me, he was always described in each book as rough and tough and the opposite of a Hollywood pretty boy. His formidable size is almost a character of it's own in the books and I think I am taller and bigger then Tom Cruise. Lee Child has described at length a really unique man, someone not concerned with wealth, clothes, familiar people or places, a true rolling stone. That is what makes him sexy for me. I would have preferred they cast someone not well known.

 

[Prancer]

I think what Child has cited about Cruise is his intensity--Cruise does intensity and ramping up very well. But Reacher never seemed intense to me--kind of the opposite, really, as he is described as slow moving and deliberate.

Dunno. But Child actually appears in a cameo in one of the movies.

 

[Susan1]

Thinking about book characters in movies (and sticking with the crime thing for now) - Robert B. Parker's characters. I saw a bunch of Jesse Stone movies on Hallmark before I started reading the books from the beginning. I could see Tom Selleck when I read them. (Oh, wait, Tom Selleck would have made a better Reacher than Cruise - before he became the police commissioner on Blue Bloods!) One of the guys that has been writing his books since he died is coming out with a new Jesse Stone.

Parker's Spenser was a t.v. show in the mid 80's, with Robert Ulrich as Spenser. I remember he was kind of bumbling too, but it was all innocent t.v. violence, like Starsky and Hutch, and Hart to Hart, not like in the books. And Hawk wasn't such a scary cold blooded killer. Spenser on t.v now would have to be on USA or TNT or something.

 

[MacMadame]

Is that in reply to me? Ffs if "Friend Request" has been sold for movie rights.

I looked it up. It doesn't look like it's based on a book. Also, it was released as Unfriend in Germany. Because of some convoluted situations involving another movie called Unfriended and/or Unknown Error.

 

[Jenny]

It depends really, I was fine with the fight scene descriptions and bullet damage descriptions, but the end was really creepy, not necessarily for the gore but more for the moral degradation of it all, I think.

Unfortunately you picked probably the grossest one in the series to start with It seems to be fashion in many books these days to include at least one truly horrific scene, and at times the authors seem to be trying to outdo each other with how far they can go.

Other people complain about the incredibly detailed descriptions of guns, and some of the fight scenes (the ones where it takes 12 pages to describe the passage of 30 seconds), but I think the one thing we can all agree on is that Tom Cruise is most definitely not Jack Reacher

Speaking of, I finally read the third Chris Pavone book (The Ex Pats, The Accident, now The Travelers) and quite enjoyed it. Methinks he's been reading Reacher though as there were several of those multi-page-inside-a-characters-head-as-he-makes-a-decision-in-the-face-of-impending-danger passages I like his books though, so hoping there are more to come although none listed anywhere at the moment.

 

[Erin]

Speaking of, I finally read the third Chris Pavone book (The Ex Pats, The Accident, now The Travelers) and quite enjoyed it. Methinks he's been reading Reacher though as there were several of those multi-page-inside-a-characters-head-as-he-makes-a-decision-in-the-face-of-impending-danger passages I like his books though, so hoping there are more to come although none listed anywhere at the moment.

I really liked The Ex Pats and The Accident, but The Travelers didn't do it for me. Maybe it was because I didn't find Will to be a very sympathetic or likeable protagonist whereas I really enjoyed Kate and Isabel. Or the story itself was less gripping - The Ex Pats in particular was hard to put down, but I was two-thirds of the way into The Travelers and then walked away for a week before coming back to finish it. Anyway, I would still look for more of his books as well and am hoping that the last one was just a blip as far as I am concerned.

 

[puglover]

Sad to say I have struggled to read "Y" by Sue Grafton. I know others have enjoyed it but I have had it for a long time and still not finished it. It just seems convoluted and boring. Maybe just me. One book I downloaded from Audible at the editors recommendation is called "Silent Child" by Sarah A. Denzil. It is narrated by Joanne Froggatt ( Mrs. Anna Bates from Downtown Abbey fame). She tells the story of a teenage Mom in a small village in England. Her son, aged 6, disappears from school during a rainstorm that causes the creek in town to flood. Although no body is found, he is presumed dead, drowned in the swollen creek. Fast forward 10 years, his mother has built a new life for herself, is married and expecting her second child, a girl. A boy is found, skinny, obviously abused, and DNA proves beyond a doubt that he is her son. He will not/cannot speak. It is an interesting and very detailed description of the pain of losing a chid, and the thoughtless and sometimes down right cruel comments of others and the media. The story is a mystery and very well narrated by the amazing Joanne Froggatt. I wasn't crazy about the ending - but then I rarely am. Being a mother and grandmother, I wasn't sure I would want to read about this mother's pain but I felt it was so well written that I forgot about myself. I am also reading "The Great Train Robbery" by Michael Crichton. He has done a tremendous amount of research into this crime - I assume he is correct. It has great character description and escapes being dry by great description of the Victorian years in England.

 

[joeperryfan]

Unfortunately you picked probably the grossest one in the series to start with It seems to be fashion in many books these days to include at least one truly horrific scene, and at times the authors seem to be trying to outdo each other with how far they can go.

Other people complain about the incredibly detailed descriptions of guns, and some of the fight scenes (the ones where it takes 12 pages to describe the passage of 30 seconds), but I think the one thing we can all agree on is that Tom Cruise is most definitely not Jack Reacher .

Most definitely! I think the sinopse got me: guy travelling by train and arriving in the middle of nowhere surrounded by fields of wheat... sounds like the place where I grew up.

I agree, same with sex scenes, no matter if it's plausible or not, everything has to be kinky... In a way I liked the fight scenes, seemed realistic, though I wouldn't want to find that in every book I read.

Tom Cruise is selected for a lot of roles based on star power more than anything else...

 

[Prancer]

Most definitely! I think the sinopse got me: guy travelling by train and arriving in the middle of nowhere surrounded by fields of wheat... sounds like the place where I grew up.

If you like that, by all means read the rest . Reacher is always landing in random places with no particular purpose, often in the middle of nowhere.

 

[clairecloutier]

My 2 latest books.

House as a Mirror of Self by Clare Cooper Marcus. This is about people's connection with their homes. The author looks at what people's homes mean to them, psychologically. She posits that most people have a type of inner relationship with their homes. Some love their homes (even if the home is rather small or not ideal location); some actually hate their homes or feel profoundly uncomfortable in them (even when they are beautiful or expensive). People's "relationship" with their homes is reflective of psychological, developmental, or personal-relationship issues. The author looks at hoarding/collecting vs. minimalism; how spouses share homes; the issue of location. (She says research suggests that most people have a "settlement identity"--i.e., a type of location/settlement where they prefer living. For me, it's what I'd call "semi-urban".) I found the book really interesting, but also a little touchy-feely at times. There's a lot of mention of things like self-development and personal evolution and even the soul's journey through life. It gets a little much at times, but still, it's an interesting topic and I've definitely never read anything like it before. The author also includes some exercises you can do to better understand your own attitude toward your home.

The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexievich. Alexievich's oral history of the experiences of Russian/Belarusian women who served on the front lines in WWII. This was Alexievich's first book (orig. published 1985, now translated to English) and, like the 2 others I've read from her, is both engrossing and heartrending. Not for the faint of heart; the stories are uniformly raw and painful.

 

[Susan1]

No kidding. Somebody double the size and meaner looking than Tom Cruise. He should only play lawyers and accountants. I only ever saw part of the first movie t.v., after reading a couple of the books. Going back to the books, I absolutely can't picture Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher.

I started at the first one and just got 2007's Bad Luck and Trouble at the library.

Just started this book. Reacher is talking about being intimidating and says he is 6'5" and 250 lbs. Definitely NOT Tom Cruise size.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Just in case you don't want to do the reading yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s8oYNL1M-A

 

[Susan1]

Have I mentioned Linwood Barclay? I've read them all now. The blurb on Trust Your Eyes by Stephen King says "riveting". Yep. I had to force myself to stop reading last night. A lot of his books have some of the same characters, like the Promise Falls Detective, who wasn't a main part of this story, but they don't necessarily have to be read in order, because they are different stories and if something is mentioned in one, it really doesn't have anything to do with the current story, except for the Promise Falls trilogy. So you could read Trust Your Eyes (2012 - had to inter-library reserve it) now and then start back at the beginning of the "stand alone" books, because they are all good. There are also four Zack Walker books that need to be read in order. Now I have to wait till a new book comes out in 2018!

There are two newer David Rosenfelt (Andy Carpenter) books that I forgot to put on my list. I don't know how I missed them. I read the nonfiction ones last year and must not have noticed new Andy Carpenters. I just reserved The Twelve Dogs of Christmas!

 

[Tesla]

For anyone interested, Mary Stewart is finally available on Kindle at dangerously low prices: https://www.amazon.com/Mary Stewart...55&sort=price-asc-rank&ie=UTF8&qid=1507384820

 

[oleada]

I read a few books over vacation. Fluffy stuff, because, well, it was vacation.

One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul - A collection of essays from a Buzzfeed Canada writer on her Indian immigrant background, feminism, family, etc. It was pretty amusing, and I enjoyed. I can totally relate to some of the topics - being an immigrant, being a woman who doesn't fit the conventional beauty standards, etc. I liked the essays about going back to India and her family more than the ones on her relationship, which I didn't particularly care much about. Overall, pretty good, especially for a first book.

One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus - YA Murder mystery. I found this to be the literary equivalent of the first season of something like Gossip Girl or Riverdale. Is it quality literature? No. Is it very entertaining and would I binge watch the hell out of it on Netflix? Absolutely. (Oh, and one of the characters is Colombian-American and I love that because she talks about her dad hates the cocaine stereotype so much, and I get it )

Everything You Want Me To Be by Mindy Mejia - Mentioned here before by @Erin and @Prancer. I agree with both of them, and it was an enjoyable quick read. Hattie was totally a sociopath, but, like Erin, I also really liked her (clearly something wrong with the both of us, LOL). I hated the fact that

Spoiler

Mary just conveniently drops the knife that is used in the murder because it just seemed too contrived

.

I started The Nix but I haven't really gotten too into it yet.

 

[dinakt]

I started The Nix but I haven't really gotten too into it yet.

Please tell your impressions when you're done. It's been on my "to read" list for ages, but somehow I always skip over it and go to something else.

 

[Prancer]

Hattie was totally a sociopath, but, like Erin, I also really liked her (clearly something wrong with the both of us, LOL).

You're supposed to like sociopaths. It's how they get you to do their bidding.

My husband and I watched Hidden Figures a week or so ago and thought it was a good movie, but one thing that really jarred for my husband was that one of the lead characters, thinking that computers were the wave of the future, went to the pubic library, got a book on Fortran, and taught herself to program. He didn't think there was any way there was a library book on Fortran available at the time. I probably wouldn't have noticed, but thought he was probably right, which led me to get Hidden Figures the book out of the public library to find out .

All I will say is that this piece is right: The film primarily focuses on John Glenn's 1962 trip around the globe and does add dramatic flourishes that are, well, Hollywood.

Yes, yes, it surely does.

The book itself is very interesting, anyway, although all the names of people and programs will make your head swim. But the book portrays the world of segregation and sexism the women navigated in a much more nuanced way than the movie does.

 

[rfisher]

My latest writer pet peeve. Smirk. When you can't write dialogue you make your characters smirk. WTF exactly is a smirk anyway. It's annoying. Reacher would never smirk. I would slap any guy who smirked at me. Women who smirk should be ignored. I'm going to sit here and smirk at my computer. If I knew what a smirk was when I saw one.

 

[Prancer]

A smirk is a smug or otherwise obnoxious smile.

An example or two.