Friday 11/30 - what are you reading?

[ufcasey]

What have you read this week? What are you currently reading?

QOTW:
What is your favorite gift that you have given to someone else? (doesn't have to be a gift for a holiday/birthday/etc, it can be anything you gave as a gift in general)

[spedrunner]

Happy Friday (THANK GOODNESS)
I feel like a truck hit me this week!

This week I read:

The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain - 3.5 stars out of 5
This started off really strong for me, loved the first half of the book, the 2nd half seemed very rushed? or like too much happened, all at once? Can't pinpoint it. Not my favorite of hers

Almost Missed You by Jessica Strawser -3/5 stars

Currently Reading:

My Year of Rest and Relaxation
Everythings Trash But its Ok

QOTD:
Favorite gift was probably an Alaska trip for my parents last year!

[rainbowchip]

I finished Legendary. I really enjoyed it. I think I liked it better than Caraval but I honestly can only remember the general gist of Caraval. I probably won't remember much about this book when I read the last of the series.

Finished We Were Eight Years in Power.

Read Bird Box. I really really liked this book. The premise was so unique and I'm a sucker for a post-apocalyptic story. I plan to watch the Netflix movie soon.

I'm currently reading This Girl (Slammed #3) by Colleen Hoover. I have been waiting forever for my library to get this book and they finally did! I'm not expecting it to be anything more than a nice ending to a nice series.

QOTW: One year we secretly got the grandkids together and got pics taken then gave them to our parents for Christmas.

Also, this one is kind of funny. My co-worker had a nalgene bottle that the ice would smack her in the face when it got less than half full. I got her one of those rubber things you can put in the neck to keep the ice from hitting her face. It was the best $4 I spent. Lol

ETA: I am now over my goal of 52 books for the year!

[labbie]

I'm reading North, Finding Myself on the Appalachian Trail by Scott Jurek and really enjoying it.

QOTW: pulling off a surprise anniversary party for my parents in their own backyard. It was several years ago but I'm still shocked we managed to get it put together without them knowing. The look on their faces was priceless.

[ufcasey]

I missed last week's post so I have two weeks worth of reading to list out (sorry in advance):

Read:
A Trick of the Light (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #7) by Louise Penny
5 stars/ mystery
This series just keeps getting better. This was the best one yet (series should be read in order)

Pathfinder's Way by T.A. White
4 stars/ fantasy romance
This story has some strong character development but weak romance. I'm interested to see where the next book goes.

Dark Harmony (The Bargainer, #3) by Laura Thalassa
2 stars/ fantasy romance
I really, really liked the first two books and novella but this conclusion book sucked so bad!

The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth, #3) by N.K. Jemisin
5 stars/ fantasy
I really, really liked the first two books and I LOVED THIS ONE. Way to end a series strong!

For the Hope of a Crow by T.S. Joyce
3.5 stars/ paranormal romance
It's marked as the first book of a series, but it's a spin-off series apparently and you really should read the other series first. Hate when that happens because I missed basically half of this story

The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke, #2) by Tessa Dare
3 stars/ historical romance
Cute book, I think I liked the kids in the book more than the hero of the book though.

Total so far for the year: 144

QOTW:
I once got all the digital pictures my sister took in a year and made this really elaborate 'year in review' photo book for her (because all of her pictures were just on her computer/social media) and she loved it so much she still makes photobooks herself every year. I feel like it's the gift that keeps giving because her kids love looking at the photobooks now too.

[ssmjlm]

Read: Chasing Shadows (First Wives Club #3) by Catherine Bybee, 4*

This one was probably my favorite of the series so far. The people are rich, so yeah a bit of suspending belief, but enjoyed a more realistic story line of people in their 30s.

QOTW: On year I did personalized watercolors of my MIL, FIL, and parents houses.  My one regret is I didn't do one of our house.  I keep saying I'm going to get one of that house and of our current house.

[tacokick]

Just finished The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century by Deborah Blum.

Very interesting if a bit long. I feel like our president will probably get rid of all consumer protections at some point and this was a good reminder why they are so important. The number of deaths due to tainted milk just in NYC is astounding.

QOTW:

I really don’t know! My family is not big on gift giving.

[meowmaps]

I'm almost done with There There. I really like it. It's been a while since I've read a book with multiple narrators so I'm having a little trouble remembering who's who and how they relate to the narrator in the next chapter. Other than that, I have no complaints.

When I finish (hopefully later today) I'm going to start My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew. I'm looking forward to learning more about the Jewish holidays. My mom's Jewish but we never observed any of the holidays together, just a secular Christmas. I'd like to raise DD with some knowledge of Jewish traditions even if we're not religious.

QOTW: This past Thanksgiving while my brother was in town I gave him a ring that my grandmother had given me. It had been sitting in my jewelry box for ten years untouched. It's beautiful but needs a different band. Anyway, I offered it to my brother because he was very close to our grandma and I'm pretty sure that he's going to marry his current girlfriend. He accepted it and I'm hoping that he uses it to propose.

[ufcasey]

Nov 30, 2018 14:27:04 GMT -5 meowmaps said:

I'm almost done with There There. I really like it. It's been a while since I've read a book with multiple narrators so I'm having a little trouble remembering who's who and how they relate to the narrator in the next chapter. Other than that, I have no complaints.

When I finish (hopefully later today) I'm going to start My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew. I'm looking forward to learning more about the Jewish holidays. My mom's Jewish but we never observed any of the holidays together, just a secular Christmas. I'd like to raise DD with some knowledge of Jewish traditions even if we're not religious.

QOTW: This past Thanksgiving while my brother was in town I gave him a ring that my grandmother had given me. It had been sitting in my jewelry box for ten years untouched. It's beautiful but needs a different band. Anyway, I offered it to my brother because he was very close to our grandma and I'm pretty sure that he's going to marry his current girlfriend. He accepted it and I'm hoping that he uses it to propose.

Sign up for PJ library! They send these really great free books in the mail that are age appropriate for your child and explains the holidays via stories. It's really great! pjlibrary.org/home (We're not Jewish either but both my husband and I have fathers that are Jewish so we're trying to keep up at least a little bit of the Jewish religious knowledge if nothing else for our kids. My son has been getting these books for years now and he loves them)

[meowmaps]

ufcasey I really loved the Armand Gamache series but after book #8 I quit. I got really sick of the Arnot stuff and the drama with his right-hand man (his name is escaping me right now). If you get beyond that point maybe you can tell me if it's worth picking up again!

[meowmaps]

Nov 30, 2018 14:33:06 GMT -5 ufcasey said:

Nov 30, 2018 14:27:04 GMT -5 meowmaps said:

I'm almost done with There There. I really like it. It's been a while since I've read a book with multiple narrators so I'm having a little trouble remembering who's who and how they relate to the narrator in the next chapter. Other than that, I have no complaints.

When I finish (hopefully later today) I'm going to start My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew. I'm looking forward to learning more about the Jewish holidays. My mom's Jewish but we never observed any of the holidays together, just a secular Christmas. I'd like to raise DD with some knowledge of Jewish traditions even if we're not religious.

QOTW: This past Thanksgiving while my brother was in town I gave him a ring that my grandmother had given me. It had been sitting in my jewelry box for ten years untouched. It's beautiful but needs a different band. Anyway, I offered it to my brother because he was very close to our grandma and I'm pretty sure that he's going to marry his current girlfriend. He accepted it and I'm hoping that he uses it to propose.

Sign up for PJ library! They send these really great free books in the mail that are age appropriate for your child and explains the holidays via stories. It's really great! pjlibrary.org/home (We're not Jewish either but both my husband and I have fathers that are Jewish so we're trying to keep up at least a little bit of the Jewish religious knowledge if nothing else for our kids. My has been getting these books for years now and he loves them)

That's a great idea!  Thanks!  

[litskispeciality]

I'm still plugging through Ready Player One, it's really good! This will put me at 19 for the year, not my best but better than a book a month average.

QOTW: Hmm, universal gift I guess scratch tickets or a money gift card?

[doxies]

I read the first three books in the "Track" series by Jason Reynolds. They were really good middle-grade books.

I just started Legendary, so I'm glad to hear you liked it rainbowchip.

I have the new Kate Atkinson book waiting for me from my library checkouts and a Nora Roberts book as well. Hopefully I'll get to those next week.

QOTW: I can't think of anything right now, but I do love giving presents!

[tacokick]

Nov 30, 2018 14:27:04 GMT -5 meowmaps said:

When I finish (hopefully later today) I'm going to start My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew. I'm looking forward to learning more about the Jewish holidays. My mom's Jewish but we never observed any of the holidays together, just a secular Christmas. I'd like to raise DD with some knowledge of Jewish traditions even if we're not religious.

I literally just sent this to my Kindle! I thought it would be good Hanukkah reading.

[bex]

I'm reading the Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware. It's okay so far. I've been in a reading funk lately (couldnt finish Tower of Dawn, then realized I had no interest in Kingdom of Ash so returned both to the library) and I really need to just plow through and finish something to get my reading mojo back.

QOTW: I dont know! I'm not that creative when it comes to gift giving. I try, but I dont usually succeed at being creative and thoughtful.

[travella]

I started and gave up on Warlight by Michael Odaajte. I just couldn't get into it. I had to force myself to keep reading it as long as I did. I started Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris. It's a Christmasy Hallmark like book.

QOTW: I bought my husband Bose wireless headphones a year or two ago. I managed to get him something he loves and suprise him too(he's nearly impossible to suprise)! I'm also really excited to give my son his birthday present this year. He told me that he wanted to fly like a super hero for his birthday. I found a way to give him that with indoor skydiving!! I can't wait for him to open his gift!

[charlatti]

I’m reading Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny — I really love the series. meowmaps , #8 was not my favorite, but I really love how she continues to develop the story arc. Her character and plot development over the series is what I love best about the books. I’m listening to How the Light Gets In (#9) also for my commute.

QOTW: Way back in grade school, I traced and painted a Precious Moments picture for my mom because she really liked the figurines. It wasn’t the most amazing artwork ever but I was really proud of it.

[aurora]

If I had spent the last half hour listening to We Were Eight Years in Power instead of hanging out here I'd be done. So I guess I'm still reading that.

I'm also still reading The Kingdom of Gods by NK Jemisin. It's good but I haven't had much time to read this week. Adding on to ufcasey's comments about The Stone Sky, so far I think she does a really good job with the 3rd book in a trilogy, though of course I won't know for sure until I finish.

[aurora]

Nov 30, 2018 14:35:01 GMT -5 meowmaps said:

ufcasey I really loved the Armand Gamache series but after book #8 I quit. I got really sick of the Arnot stuff and the drama with his right-hand man (his name is escaping me right now). If you get beyond that point maybe you can tell me if it's worth picking up again!

Uh oh, I have the Beautiful Mystery up next in my hold list!

I do think this is a fabulous audiobook series. When, I'm not as into a part, it's easy to let my mind wander. But, I have really enjoyed it so far.

[aurora]

Nov 30, 2018 20:21:30 GMT -5 aurora said:

If I had spent the last half hour listening to We Were Eight Years in Power instead of hanging out here I'd be done. So I guess I'm still reading that.

I'm also still reading The Kingdom of Gods by NK Jemisin. It's good but I haven't had much time to read this week. Adding on to ufcasey's comments about The Stone Sky, so far I think she does a really good job with the 3rd book in a trilogy, though of course I won't know for sure until I finish.

ETA QOTW: My mom once gave me a document with all of the Christmas/year in review notes she had been keeping through the years, so I turned it into a book for each of us, including scanning photos from each year from her old photo albums when I went to visit. It was a trick to scan all of those without her figuring out what I was doing, for sure!

[monkeyfeet]

I’m finishing Rich People Problems. I really enjoyed this trilogy as a go to for a light read.

QOTW: we sent the in laws on a cruise for their 50th and all the kids/grandkids joined them. Being spread throughout the world, it was a feat to get everyone together!

[sassypants]

I finished Sleep Like A Baby (Aurora Teagarden #10) by Charlaine Harris. It was fine. She tends to repeat herself throughout the book, which gets a bit tedious. I'm now reading Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson and really liking it.

QOTW: I gave DH a Maltese Falcon for the first birthday we were together. I was really proud of that thing and he keeps it on his desk at work. Another favorite was a mug with the many faces of Alan Rickman on it that I gave a friend of mine who loves him.

[mrspez07]

I am reading The Music Shop and slowly listening to We We’re Eight Years In Power.

QOTW: completely coming up blank on this. I know I’ve had some I’ve been really excited about, but I am not remembering anything right now, which is driving me crazy!

[MrsAxilla]

Nov 30, 2018 14:36:55 GMT -5 meowmaps said:

Nov 30, 2018 14:33:06 GMT -5 ufcasey said:

Sign up for PJ library! They send these really great free books in the mail that are age appropriate for your child and explains the holidays via stories. It's really great! pjlibrary.org/home (We're not Jewish either but both my husband and I have fathers that are Jewish so we're trying to keep up at least a little bit of the Jewish religious knowledge if nothing else for our kids. My has been getting these books for years now and he loves them)

That's a great idea!  Thanks!  

I’ll second PJ library.  FIL signed up my daughter when she was born and she’s five now.  She loves getting mail every month (obviously) and the books are really great.  Age appropriate with diverse characters, and they have lovely Jewish messages without being JEWISH, you know?  The most recent was about koala bear family and the youngest daughter’s attempts to contribute to Shabbat dinner.  Everyone does something special but she just makes messes and feels left out until she learns to make eucalyptus challah, which the family loves and she feels proud for not giving up.  Stuff like that.

[MrsAxilla]

A Trail of Broken Wings, Sejal Badani - 4 ⭐️
The Storyteller’s Secret, Sejal Badani - 5 ⭐️
Girls Burn Brighter, Shobha Rao - in progress

I tend to read books in clusters, like I’m on a topical tour or something. These are all about Indian girls, spanning a hundred years in both India and America. Beautiful stories, but also horrific.

QOTD: my faves were both gifts to DH. When we got married, we gave the groomsmen spyderco knives engraved with a palm tree and the year. DH didn’t get one for himself and regretted it, although he didn’t mention it to me for several years. They still had our order on file and he was so surprised!

For his birthday this year, I made a picture frame with some of our phish ticket stubs and wrist bands, with a photo collage of us at Phish shows going back 15 years. I just love looking at - lol.


(Obviously that’s not my photo collage; those photos are.....bleary

[msmerymac]

I'm currently reading the Alchemist, which is great!

[secretlyevil]

I just finished Fatal Invasion, it’s the latest in a series by Marie Force. It was ok, easy brain candy to read.

I need to read Crazy Rich Asian for my book club next week but I’m not feeling it. Not sure what I’m going to start reading. Probably the Dec book, that seems interesting.

[meowmaps]

ufcasey and MrsAxilla I registered with PJ Library yesterday afternoon. I'm very excited! Thanks again for the recommendation!

[Nonny]

I finished listening to Hidden Figures, and I'm about 75% done with the graphic novel Sex Criminals, Vol. 1 (reading it as my banned book for my library challenge) and I think I'm about 70% done with Trail of Lightening, The Sixth World #1 (reading this as my Native American author for my library challenge).  Sex Criminals has an interesting premise, but it's very crude and kind of weird.  Trail of Lightening so far seems like a good setup to it's series, but it just came out this summer so it's going to be a while before I get to read any more.


QOTW:  My H's family used to pool their money and buy everyone one big gift instead of a bunch of smaller gifts, and I coordinated buying my H a fixer upper Chevy LUV as a project car.  It was a fabulous gift, and he loved it, but unfortunately the timing was all wrong and he never got around to fixing it up, and ended up selling it a year later.  He did sell it for more than I'd paid for it though, so that was a win.

[ally]

This week I finished:
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Rachel Joyce, 4 1/2* - I really liked it.  My dad had said he wants to walk across England, I have debated buying him this book for Christmas.
Nine Perfect Strangers, Liane Moriarty, 4 1/2* - I read it in a day.  It as easy and fun.

Currently reading The Bookshop of Yesterdays and I have two audio-books (I will never get these finished): We Were Eight Years in Power and Dare to Lead.

QOTW:  I bought a cruise for my mom and I to take together a few years ago.  It was great to spend time with her and not buy more "stuff" - we are talking about doing the same with an Alaskan cruise in 2020 for both my parents.