Friday Feb 14- Weekly Reading Recap

[ufcasey]

Happy Friday! What have you been reading?

QOTW: If you could have a book boyfriend/girlfriend, who would it be? (aka a character in a book that you would be willing to date in real life, regardless of your current relationship status). Or pick a book character you wish could be a real life friend.

[meowmaps]

I read Last Boat Out of Shanghai. It was excellent! And despite being non-fiction, it read like a novel.

I also read Someone You Know. Decent thriller.

I’m halfway through Finding Chika. A real tear-jerker.

QOTW: I’d want to be friends with Jane Eyre. I guess off the top of my head, I could date Stoker from the Veronica Speedwell series.

[litskispeciality]

Not the best reading week, but I started "Good Girl, Bad Girl", so far good, just really graphic, and "Becoming" by Michelle Obama because I'm late to the party.

QOTW: Leo from Stargirl, or maybe the boy from Since You've Been Gone", I would add John Ambrose McClaren from "To All the Boys I Loved Before" series too, although they're all high school students lol. I can't think of a grown up man as most of the grown up books I read are murder mysteries lol.

[dontlook]

I finished Under the Table by Stephanie Evanovich: I marked it 3 stars but I can’t currently recall a single detail of the book

Beautiful Ones by Prince: 5 stars.

I just started Followers and The Other’s Gold. Both seem good but I can’t find anytime to read.

QOTW: Ranger from the Stephanie Plum books popped into mind first. Sexy and badass.

[wildrice]

I'm being a slow reader. I'm reading the Alice Network but it's taking me a while because I've really only been reading before bed, and it's 500 pages long. It's good though!

I'm also listening to The Death of Mrs. Westaway, by Ruth Ware, which is going much more quickly. I like the author. I think this is my third book by her and so far they've all felt like quick and interesting reads.

I have no idea about the QOTW. Do real people who wrote autobiographies count? I've ready many of those by really likable people!

[travella]

I finished The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott, 2*. I enjoyed the first part of the book and the female spy world, but the second half of the book was too chick lit for my taste. I am currently about half way through The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.

[wesleycrusher]

The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff- 5. This was very well done- sometimes with oral histories it's hard to keep track of who's who but this book did a nice job of it. Also, I learned somethings I didn't know, even thought obviously I remember that day very well.

Prognosis: A Memoir of My Brain by Sarah Vallance- 4. This was interesting because TBI is semi-adjacent to what I do so it was interesting to see the difference in care between the US and Australia (where the author lives) and also see TBI from a patient POV

The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae- 4

QOTW: this is hard for me. I think any character I would pick, I would pick moreso based off the movie version of them! Like Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, or Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, or Chris Evans as Captain America (comics count, right?).

wildrice I can think of a ton of people who's memoirs I've read where I thought it would be great to be friends with the person.

[Vespasia]

We were on vacation so I actually had time to read!

Finished:
In an Instant by Suzanne Redfearn was a Kindle freebie. I honestly picked it because the plot reminded me a bit of Christopher Pike's Remember Me. 😉 It was better than I expected and I finished it in one day.


The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny was definitely not a favorite. I enjoyed the murder mystery part but don't like the internal politics stuff. I am also really annoyed by how it ended with one character. I will probably give myself some time before reading the next one.

Currently reading:
Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley. Too early to really tell but I have low expectations for her books so it should be good.

QOTW: I really like how Armand Gamache is with his wife. I wouldn't mind being married to him when I am old. Plus he seems to enjoy good food and wine.

[tacokick]

Inferno: A Memoir of Motherhood and Madness by Catherine Cho (excellent)

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (super sad?’)

Sweet Tamales for Purim by Barbara Bietz

Love and Other Words by Christine Lauren ( fine)

After Long Silence (very interesting and she has new memoir coming soon!!) by Helen Fremont

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (cute, cleary s riff on Serial) Holly Jackson

[sassypants]

I'm reading The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home by Denise Kiernan. It's slow going, but it's good. I love the Biltmore and it's been nice to walk through the evolution and construction of such a famous place. I'm also listening to Origins, by Dan Brown. It's fine, and engaging enough, but I get super strong Philip Pullman (Golden Compass series) vibes with the whole religion is repressing us, science will save us, religion wants to kill science motif.

QOTW: James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser. Please and thank you. *swoon*

[rainbowchip]

I finished Crazy Rich Asians. I was worried at the beginning that it would be hard to follow with so many characters but it wasn't at all.

Also finished The One and Only Ivan. Very sweet.

Currently reading China Rich Girlfriend and listen to The Soul of America.

QOTW: Mr. Darcy cuz he's rich. I'm feeling super shallow lately.

[ssmjlm]

Finished:
Turn of Fate- it was ok. Didn’t realize it was a new adult romance.

Where the Forest Meets the Stars- 5*, loved this book! It deals with A LOT, but it worked for me.

Currently reading:
This How It Always Is- I keeps falling asleep reading this. I know this is a beat seller, but I cannot stay awake for some reason.

Australia-this is an anthology of romance short stories where the proceeds went to the wildfires. The stories are ok. Book needs some editing.

QOTW: I’ll take any billionaire who isn’t as asshole or workaholic please, lol!