Book Club

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  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 30,089
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    bubbadog wrote:
    P.S OH just came back from shopping and brought a plate to me with 3 Egg Custards on it and a Carrot Cake and said 'for you dear!!' :o


    Cheeky thing :wink:

    I agree with Amanda and Suzy our kindles aren't just nice, but rather necessary :D

    love

    Toni xxx
  • bubbadog
    bubbadog Member Posts: 5,544
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    This maybe the last post I do before my holiday as it's a week tomorrow I go and I have lots to do still! I'm sure you will be in goods hands with suzygirl & Frogmorton who are taking the helm while I'm away. So happy reading I look forward to reading all the reviews for the Books Of The Month for September and as to what you decide on for Book of The Month for October you can either have one book or a choice as we have been doing lately. See you all in a couple of weeks!! :D
  • frogmella
    frogmella Member Posts: 1,111
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Oooh, have a good time Bubba! I have lots of books (a backlog of them) to read so you will have a lot of reviews when you get back! :lol:
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 30,089
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Have a fantastic holiday Amanda

    We will miss you but ENJOY yourself :D

    Love

    Toni xxx
  • suzygirl
    suzygirl Member Posts: 2,005
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Have a lovely holiday Amanda.

    I have just finished reading Laceys house. It was a different book to the ones I usually read. After a slow start, it developed into an interesting story that kept me guessing and had me thinking about it when not reading it and after finishing the book.

    ****
  • frogmella
    frogmella Member Posts: 1,111
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Almost English by Charlotte Mendelson
    This book is about a mother and a daughter. The mother, Laura, was left by her husband years ago when Marina, the daughter, was little. So they ended up living with the husband's family who are Hungarian. There is the husband's mother and two aunts I think. Anyway, Marina is now 16/17 and they have sent her to Combe to boarding school because that was what she wanted. Turns out it wasn't what she thought and she can't say. However running alongside her story is Laura's - she misses Marina and wants her to come home. So the tale is one of misunderstandings. It was a nice story but it didn't totally grab me. I didn't want to give up but neither did I race through it!
    ***

    I have just picked up The Shining Girls by Lauren Beurke and Dead Ever After - the last true blood book. Both are reserved so I am off to get started!
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 30,089
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    suzygirl wrote:
    Have a lovely holiday Amanda.

    I have just finished reading Laceys house. It was a different book to the ones I usually read. After a slow start, it developed into an interesting story that kept me guessing and had me thinking about it when not reading it and after finishing the book.

    ****

    Just had a look at this online and it looks a lovely book Suzy :) Frogmella Almost english too!! Being 2nd generation Hungarian myself ( to be married to a Hungarian is a privilege) I am very interested :wink:

    I am listening to Crimson/White and loving it :?

    love

    Toni xxx
  • suzygirl
    suzygirl Member Posts: 2,005
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I have just finished Rose Petal Beach by Dorothy Robinson, the same author of the Ice Cream Girls. The book is about friends and neighbours who have to deal with the fallout after one of them accuses the other one's husband of sexual assualt. Sounds grim when you say it like that but it isn't. It was a really interesting story that kept me hooked and wanting to know more all the way through. Again a very 'different' book and thoroughly enjoyable!

    Although saying that i finished it then started watching tv programme called The Guilty which made me sad, so had to watch a comedy!!!

    Did a lot of baking yesterday, trying to keep warm, feeling rough today. Going to handbag and scarf party then a brewery tour. I don't drink beer! :lol: Why do we always feel rough when we have something planned. :cry:
  • polly123
    polly123 Member Posts: 96
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi, Can I join you please? i'm an avid reader, and for christmas last year I was lucky -Santa brought me a tablet thingy - it's great as it has kindle on it but also epub so I can borrow ebooks from the library. I also use it to download papers for uni essay writing and for work.

    Off to look back for september's choices - back soon!

    Ok, going to read crimson/white since it's available on epub in the library :D
    Polly
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 30,089
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Polly :D

    You are very very welcome. We are a friendly group and the only criteria for joining is a love of reading :)

    I am reading Crimson and loving it so far. The style is one I like :)


    Suzy

    I have added it straight to my wishlist Rose Petal Beach and downloaded the two mini freebies too beside The Rose Petal Beach and before The Rose Petal Beach

    Hope the 'do' goes ok and well-done for baking :)

    Love

    Toni xxx
  • frogmella
    frogmella Member Posts: 1,111
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Welcome, Polly. A new member, I reckon this lets the rest of us off the hook for thinking of October BOTM as new members usually get a go! :wink:

    Toni- You may well enjoy the book more than me given your Hungarian roots. There was quite a bit of dialect thrown in which was never essential to understand but can be off putting if you know what I mean?

    Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris
    This was the last in the Sookie Stackhouse series of 14 books. I think I will review the whole series since once you start you will either be hooked, like me, or hate it! (These are the books that True Blood on TV is based upon. The first series followed the book fairly closely but after that there is quite a diversion.)
    I have enjoyed the books. They are really easy to read so good for Friday nights in the bath with a glass of wine!! (What an exciting life I lead!). The basis is that Sookie is a telepath in Bon Temps - somewhere in the American South. Recently vampires have come out of hiding and revealed their existence to the world. Some people accept them others don't.
    Sookie can't read the minds of vamps, or other supernaturals of which we come to learn there are many. Sookie basically has a series of adventures with different vamps, werewolves etc. It is a bit like Twilight for grown ups in that there tends to be some love interest going on, but unlike Twilight, they actually have sex!
    So to sum up, the books are a bit of light hearted fluff that pass the time well.
    ***/****

    Off to start The Shining Girls now by Lauren Beukes. I must put the Crimson on my list for the library when I finish this one, I will have space to read it then!
  • suzygirl
    suzygirl Member Posts: 2,005
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Welcome Polly, always nice to meet a fellow book lover! :D
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 30,089
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Frogmella

    I wonder if my now adult eldest kids at 18 would like those books.....they loved twighlight.... :? I think they might you know. They do sound interesting.

    Aha do you think we ought to let Polly choose September's book of the month?? Not a bad idea.

    I am loving Crimson you know - it's a long one :)

    Hi Suzy - hope all is well your way?

    Love

    Toni xxx
  • frogmella
    frogmella Member Posts: 1,111
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Yes, Toni! I hope Polly doesn't mind!

    Your kids might like the True Blood books. I suppose they are quite racy but as they are nearly grown ups I am sure you can allow it!! lol!

    I started the shining girls - it is a bit "bitty" so far.

    I hope you are ok too, Suzygirl, and that you are keeping well away from hospital.
  • suzygirl
    suzygirl Member Posts: 2,005
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Toni and Frogmella, I had a bad weekend with my menieres disease (vertigo, nausea and drop attacks) but am a little better today, thank you. Been trying to improve my cooking. Made a chicken and mushroom pie yesterday but cheated and bought ready made pastry! It was yummy though! Couldn't move by the evening, I was exhausted. :roll:

    Hope you are both ok and coping with the cold and damp, had to give in and put heating on. :D
  • frogmella
    frogmella Member Posts: 1,111
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    My heating has gone on too! Can't believe it! :shock:
  • marrianne
    marrianne Member Posts: 1,161
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello lovely book worms and new Polly ,Just finnished Crimson /white ...second time .........and it truely is even better second time ,I love Sugar she made me cry her poor dry skin and her tenderness for Sophie ....So whatever was your September choice hope your all enjoying especially now we need heating back on and sorry to Suzie vertigo is pretty awful and being cold is rubbish to ,Looking forward to Octobers choice from Polly and any others :) ...........Marrianne x
  • suzygirl
    suzygirl Member Posts: 2,005
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks Marianne, I am glad you enjoyed your book. Only good thing about the cold is snuggling up in front of fire with a good read!
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 30,089
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Oh gosh Suzygirl you poor thing :( I get benign directional vertigo sometimes and it's dreadful so my heart goes out to you. Sit still and read :wink: that's good advice anyway isn't it? :lol: I hope it passes very soon :?

    Marrianne I am very glad you enjoyed you book The Crimson Petal and the White. I am reading it too and loving it. What a great choice :)

    I wonder whether poor Polly realises yet that we would love her to choose our next BOTM!!

    Of course she doesn't have to if she doesn't want to, but I for one would like to read one of 'her' books :)

    Love

    Toni xxx
  • marrianne
    marrianne Member Posts: 1,161
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Bookworms ,Not much change in the weather so thank goodness for books to curl up with ,Toni really pleased your enjoying Crimson /White its not the easiest of books but once you get into it really is fascinating insight into the harshness of victorian life feeling quite sad to have finnished it ,Very much looking forward to Octobers choice .....No pressure Polly :) Can I give my stars now a definate 5.......Marrianne x
  • marrianne
    marrianne Member Posts: 1,161
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Amanda Frogmella Toni Suzy and everyone ,Hope holiday keeping warm and feeling a lot better are helped with a good read ,Because of the weather ,I have been getting out the cooking books ,so wont back track on previous recomendations but looking at Kindles and finger poised for October ..........Marrianne .....no pressure Polly x :)
  • frogmella
    frogmella Member Posts: 1,111
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

    I will start this review by warning Amanda that she won't like it! :lol: The reason is that it is a time-travelling story so there is a lot of switching between timeframes. The basic premise is that a man, Harper, finds a house in about 1930 that opens onto different times. Within the house is a room containing items that belonged to girls he has murdered and their names written on the wall. These names shine to him so he makes it his mission to travel through time to kill them. One of these girls is Kirby who he tries to murder in 1989 but he fails. Three years later she is trying to track down the man who tried to kill her. Obviously the police aren't making much progress as he can just disappear/reappear looking different in hours.
    The book started off a bit "bitty". I think trying to set all the strands spinning at once across all the time zones meant it had to be. But about halfway through it really got going and then I was hooked.
    I though it was a good thriller with a different take.
    ***/****

    I am now going to read The Universe Versus Alex Woods. And I will order the crimson now.
  • suzygirl
    suzygirl Member Posts: 2,005
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi everyone, how are you all doing? I am struggling so sorry to be quiet. Vertigo is awful, walking and balance bad (swaying ad staggering like a drunk :shock: ). To top it all, my abcess is bad, so am reading and sleeping a lot!

    I hope you are all doing better than I am! :D

    I have read Forward Slash by Louise Voss and Mark Edwards it was a good read with an unpredictable ending. Bit creepy if you use social media as I do! Suprised me what some people get up to!

    ****

    I also read The Drop by Howard Linksey it was an enjoyable gangster book in the style of Martina Cole.

    ****
    Still Alice by Lisa Genova is the tale of a woman who gets diagnosed with Alzheimers. She is a lecturer at Harvard and it is how her life as she knew it slowly crumbles. Interesting but an unsatisfactory ending for me.

    ***

    Monsoon Season by Katie O Rourke was a story of domestic violence, sort of and complicated family relationships. Bit wishy washy for me.

    **

    I did start Life after Life by Kate Atkinson but have given up as it doesn't hold my interest. This is so unusual for me, I never give up on a book. Annoying as it wasn't a cheap book! Maybe in another mood it will be ok?
  • marrianne
    marrianne Member Posts: 1,161
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi All ,Suzy I hope your feeling a little better today ,Oh it sounds like your having a rotten time just now ,Its raining here after lovely day on Sunday ,I hope you are mannaging your books with out to much pain ,I am reading all the vet books by CathyWoodman ...I scalded my arm on Saturday so cannot do much .. it was makeing caulyflour cheese the hot sauce and steam seared my skin .. the vet books are a very gentle read until October ,wishes to everyone .........Marrianne :)
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 30,089
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I have had a look at those vet books for my stepdaughter Marrianne
    I reckon she will like those....might see whether I can get any for Christmas for her. Yes I have started Christmas shopping in earnest :oops:

    I hope your scald has healed up ok?? and that poor suzygirl's vertigo has eased up a bit. It's a horrible thing to have :(

    Frogmella

    The shining girls sounds good - oddly enough, but might need 'time' to get into if it starts out 'bitty'?? A holiday read maybe?


    Myself I am reading Split Second[/b] Cath Staincliffe and also still on Crimson.

    Love to all

    Toni xxx

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