Friday May 10 - Reading Recap

[ufcasey]

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

QOTW:
Sunday is my Grandmother's 100th birthday , which had me thinking:
What major advancement has taken place during your lifetime so far that you now can't imagine living without?
And/Or
What major advancement do you think might take place in the future within a century of your birth year?

[meowmaps]

I finished The Other Americans by Laila Lalami last night. I really liked it.

I'm going to read A Ladder to the Sky next. ufcasey I think you recommended it on here!

QOTW: What a good question. I guess the Internet, though sometimes I think we were better off without it.

[abs]

I’m currently reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Earlier this week I finished Then She Was Gone. I highly recommend both!

[abs]

May 10, 2019 9:32:46 GMT -5 abs said:

I’m currently reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Earlier this week I finished Then She Was Gone. I highly recommend both!

ETA: can’t imagine living without a cell phone. I think we’d all be much happier if the smart phone had never been invented though. Also to keep it book related thank you e-reader inventor!

[dontlook]

May 10, 2019 9:29:09 GMT -5 meowmaps said:

I finished The Other Americans by Laila Lalami last night. I really liked it.

I'm going to read A Ladder to the Sky next. ufcasey I think you recommended it on here!

QOTW: What a good question. I guess the Internet, though sometimes I think we were better off without it.

A Ladder to the Sky is so good! I hope you enjoy.

I have read nothing this week :/ I’ve been on a reality tv binge watch kick.

QOTW: I can’t image not having the internet.

[minzy]

I just started The Moment of Lift - How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda Gates. I like it a lot so far.

QOTW: In my lifetime so far the greatest advance would probably have to be the internet. In the future, I hope to see civilization remove itself from its dependence on carbon based fuel.

Happy birthday to your Grandma!

[litskispeciality]

I finished "To All the Boys I've Loved Before", it's so cute, I can't wait to watch the Netflix movie. Started November 9 by Colleen Hoover. Hoping for some time to read this weekend, I don't know why but I fly through her books even though they're heavy.

QOTW: I guess the internet, but I'm also team we're better off without it. Book related I love my Kindle and the Kindle app, while I LOVE paper books I swear I read faster in e-format and less to keep around the house.

[mx27]

This week, I finished reading "Daughter of Molokai" by Alan Brennert. I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hope to. I loved "Molokai" and just didn't find this story as engaging/interesting. A portion of the story takes place during Japanese internment, and I thought the author failed to sufficiently describe all of the horrible atrocities Japanese Americans endured during that time. Meh...3 stars.

Happy birthday to your grandma, ufcasey!

[Gato]

I read When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. It’s great but way more intellectual, less emotional, than the Julie Yip-Williams book I just read. It made me appreciate her willingness to put herself out there. I think I might be done with cancer patient memoirs for a while. I was looking for something to bring me peace about my dad, but it didn’t work.

I am reading Elsey Come Home by Susan Conley. The narrative voice is quiet and nervous and weird and that’s why I like it so far.

QOTW: Skype/FaceTime. I really hope we turn our efforts to alternative energy, and that everything is run using solar/wind/tidal energy by the time I die.

[meowmaps]

May 10, 2019 12:08:53 GMT -5 mx27 said:

This week, I finished reading "Daughter of Molokai" by Alan Brennert. I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hope to. I loved "Molokai" and just didn't find this story as engaging/interesting. A portion of the story takes place during Japanese internment, and I thought the author failed to sufficiently describe all of the horrible atrocities Japanese Americans endured during that time. Meh...3 stars.

Happy birthday to your grandma, ufcasey !

I've got Daughter of Molokai on hold at the library right now.  It can be such a bummer when a follow-up to a great book is disappointing.    

[wildrice]

I think I finished Kamala Harris's book last night. I say I think, because it sounded like the end and then was a bunch of pages of pictures, but I was reading on my Kindle and it was bed time so I haven't actually looked at all the pics yet and I'm not sure if there is more content afterward. It says I'm only like 70% of the way though but I am guessing a lot of the rest is citations?

Next up is Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I forget what it is even about, because I put it on my library hold list months ago, but I know it's supposed to be good so I'm excited. I haven't read a good book since like February. I enjoyed learning more about Kamala Harris and her book was fine, but I miss reading a story that captures your imagination and makes you want to keep reading. I'm hoping this next book is it.

QOTW: The internet, and by extension my smart phone. I do agree there are some downsides, but as someone who lives far from all of her friends and family, it's been a real life saver both for keeping in touch and making connections with new people. All of the friends I've met in my new city have been through this board or through meetup.com. Maybe if I couldn't use the internet as a resource I'd figure out other ways to have people in my life, but for now I don't think I could live without it!

I hope to see self driving, electric cars. I think this would help very much with environmental issues and I'd love for car accidents to be (mostly) a thing of the past. If they can get it right, I assume this would be a huge safety advance. Plus, I'd love to just relax during a drive instead of having to be the one driving!

[travella]

I finished Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier,3*. I liked it up until about 3/4 of the way through the book, when it fell flat for me. I also finished The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, 5*. I had to take a break from reading for a couple days after it. It was heartbreaking to read, especially with it being a true story and my having visited Auschwitz. I am currently reading The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

QOTW: Smart phones. I am pretty dependent on my smart phone now. I have my shopping apps, to-do lists, family photos, my calendar, boredom busters, etc on there. I cannot imagine not having everything on one small, handy device.

[spedrunner]

This week I read:

COnfess by COlleen Hoover
4 stars. I admit this is fluffy and sort of ya. BUT I still enjoyed it and found myself in TEARS the last chapter! <3  Love Colleen Hooever 

The Silent Patient
4 stars. Yup. Loved. Read in two days. Was really shocked by the twist!  

Currently Reading:

Miracle Creek (BOTM book)

The Bride Test
Enjoying both so far!


QOTD:  Hmmm, probably cell phones , I am sadly glued to mine.  I worry about social media for the future. I feel like "The Circle" will be true one day very soon

[monkeyfeet]

May 10, 2019 12:08:53 GMT -5 mx27 said:

This week, I finished reading "Daughter of Molokai" by Alan Brennert. I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hope to. I loved "Molokai" and just didn't find this story as engaging/interesting. A portion of the story takes place during Japanese internment, and I thought the author failed to sufficiently describe all of the horrible atrocities Japanese Americans endured during that time. Meh...3 stars.

Happy birthday to your grandma, ufcasey!

I had the exact same opinion. Molokai was one of my top 3 books ever. I just didn’t care that much about some of the other characters, either.

[monkeyfeet]

I finally finished Circe and have an uo, but will save it for the discussion. Currently reading The Hamilton Affair.

[mx27]

May 10, 2019 16:25:05 GMT -5 monkeyfeet said:

May 10, 2019 12:08:53 GMT -5 mx27 said:

This week, I finished reading "Daughter of Molokai" by Alan Brennert. I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hope to. I loved "Molokai" and just didn't find this story as engaging/interesting. A portion of the story takes place during Japanese internment, and I thought the author failed to sufficiently describe all of the horrible atrocities Japanese Americans endured during that time. Meh...3 stars.

Happy birthday to your grandma, ufcasey !

I had the exact same opinion. Molokai was one of my top 3 books ever. I just didn’t care that much about some of the other characters, either.

Sorry you were also disappointed, but glad to know I am in good company.

[mrspez07]

I’m reading Women in the Castle and Listening to Code Girls. Liking both, hoping I’m not maxing out on WWII.

QOTW:
So many things are truly amazing innovations in the last 43 years. Originally I was going to mention google earth street view. I use it for site research on non-description places all over the place. Seeing utilities, slopes, etc without ever visiting.
Then I started thinking about big life-changing things, like safety feature improvements in cars (even basic, like seatbelt improvements) in cars. music and movie recordings for personal use, from records and 8-tracks in the 70’s to Netflix, one wouldn’t be possible without the step before it.

[krystee]

I am reading How Not to Die Alone. I just got Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Rising Strong by Brene Brown to read on my work trip this week.

I think AI is going to have a bigger impact than we can imagine, and politicians need to be prepared for when giant swaths of jobs are automated. There is great stuff about it too (as an example, a robot performed my surgery, and its super preciseness led to less pain than non-robot surgeries), but the potential implications are huge.

[sassypants]

I finished The Map of Days by Ransom Riggs (good, and I'm looking forward to the next installment), and have gone back to The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women by Elizabeth Norton. I only have a bout 75 pages left in that and it's been a good read even though much of the material is a review for me.

QOTW: There have been so many wonderful medical advances in my lifetime. I'd like to see more focus on people and less on profits and wealth hoarding, because that can only be good for all of society.

[msmerymac]

I finished My Life As a Goddess by Guy Branum. FIVE STARS. I did the audio and was glad I did.

QOTW: The internet, for sure. I think advances in technology for climate and potentially economics is on the horizon. Also, massive automation which is going to have to create a universal basic income to deal with massive unemployment.

[ally]

I finished:
Daisy Jones & The Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid 4* - I enjoyed it.  The style kept it interesting, I read a lot, so I enjoy a change here and there.  I will have try others by the author.
Career of Evil, Robert Galbraith 4* - an audio "reread" before I start book four in the series.

I am currently reading (30% in) The Last Romantics, Tara Conklin. 

As seems to be the usual, I just keep borrowing more books without consideration to having the time to get them all read!  Thanks to the library - at least this habit is free!

QOTW: I agree with others about internet and cell phones, but to me it is amazing the changes in cars - my car has smart cruise and that to me is just one step away from driving itself.  It nudges me back to my lane if I start to go over a line in the road, it has backup cameras, it will break itself if I get to close to the car in front of me, supposedly it can parallel park itself, the heated seats and steering wheel are just pleasant bonuses!  I often joke that it is smarter than most people I know!  I will never be able to give this up. 

[ssmjlm]

I finished the Something in the Way series. It was four books and took place over 15 years. It was good.

Just started Trust No One. I went from no books on my list available to 4, so I better get reading.

QOTW: video messaging. I love being able to talk to my parents and have them see E since they love OOS.

I would love better cleaning robots my roomba is an expensive dust buster that doesn’t work all that great.

[Nonny]

I'm currently reading There There.

QOTW: I have so many to list: email, texting, the Internet, Kindles, TiVo, Netflix, targeted cancer treatment, Visian ICL (and LASIK -- each of my siblings and I have gotten vastly superior eye correction surgery over the years).

We'll definitely see fully autonomous self driving cars in my lifetime. I think we'll see a universal translator for at least the most common languages in the next century too.

[Nonny]

May 11, 2019 19:17:41 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

]
I would love better cleaning robots my roomba is an expensive dust buster that doesn’t work all that great.

I would pay $$$ for a Roomba that vacuumed my stairs.

[aspentosh]

Last week I read:

The Great Believers (loved it)
Married by Morning and Love in the Afternoon (both super fun and steamy)
Queenie (3*, not my favorite but interesting)
The Perfect Stranger (fun mystery with a somewhat flat ending)

Currently reading This Is How it Always Is and so far I am loving it.

QOTW: DVR/fast forwarding through commercials. I barely watch TV but when I do I hate to sit through them now. I'm hoping, one day, for some sort of contraption that will clean my dogs paws and underbelly before she (and any foster dogs) come inside when it's muddy out.