SparkleKitty

I read Luckiest Girl Alive on my vacation a couple of months ago...I thought all the "you will be SHOCKED by the twists in this book!" to be VERY misleading. Though I found the writing of the interior of the main character really interesting, it isn't what I would consider suspenseful or twisty.

Ajax

Lately I have undergone a very sad and painful loss.
I picked up a book,"Rare Bird" by Anna Whiston-Donaldson which is a memoir.
What a gift. Hard to describe, but basically a prose type writing style about how the woman dealt with the loss of her son and her questions, inner and outer, to God and the world. Not a religious book, so to speak but a voice that speaks so honestly about loss.

I have also been reading classics. A favorite I finished recently was F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Beautiful and The Damned.".Wonderful read about the excesses of the 20's/30's. Also read "Villa Americana" by Liza Klaussman. About the couple, Gerald and Sara Murphy who were contempories of F.Scott and Zelda and who Tender is the Night was based on. Good read.

tigerlily1

Love hearing what others are reading! I just finished The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand. I am currently on vacation at the lake and it was the perfect read. Very light easy read but a page turner. Really enjoyed it. Prior to this I read Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova. This is the same Author that wrote Still Alice. I have loved all of Lisa Genova's books but Inside the O'Briens was my least favorite. This book is about a family dealing with Huntington's Disease. Great info re Huntingtons Disease but I found myself bored and skipping pages. Loving all the book suggestions on this thread.

InfoSponge

Oooo, some very interesting books listed here!! I'll be referring to this list when I go to the book store again. Which will probably be next week at the rate I'm gobbling up books at the moment.

I did find Codependent No More today, but that was the only Melody Beattie work they had. I'll keep looking. Just started this book at mid-afternoon and have maybe 80 pages left. I also picked up another book called When They Won't Quit. I will report back with my impressions of it.

My work allows me plenty of time to listen to audiobooks, thankfully. So far in the last week I have finished listening to Killing Patton by Bill O'Reilly and started on Killing Kennedy. I'm definitely determined to work through all of that series. But on days when I'm not quite in history buff mode lol, I started Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse and have re-listened to HP Lovecraft and some Poe. I lub me some classic horror.

InfoSponge

Ajax, you might enjoy Flapper, I think the author's last name is Zeitz? It's about the invention of the flapper phenomenon, and focuses extensively on the Fitzgeralds.

Ajax

Thanks for the suggestion.
I re watched The Great Gatsby with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow and loved it more than I did when I first saw it. That got me hooked on the era.

Ajax

I agree with you about Inside the O'Briens but being from the Boston area I loved the family. True Southie! Didn't you love her other books though? Left Neglected was fascinating to me.

Lyssy

I just finished 1776 and Undaunted Courage by David McCoullagh - Both were excellent but enjoyed Undaunted Courage more. Currently working my way though John Adams (same author) and it is even better than Undaunted Courage. I honestly had NO idea the impact John Adams had on the foundation of the US and all he accomplished in his life.

I guess I am self-teaching myself US history - lol. I know the "stories" taught in school but not the real history.

All of this is due to genealogy research I am doing. My ancestors are decedents of the Mayflower and of the Basse's (Bass) and Adams' of Braintree MA so I thought maybe I should learn more about them.

Finished:
The Girl on the Train: A Novel (Paula Hawkins) ***** 4.5 - excellent

The Tao of Pooh (Benjamin Hoff) *** 3.0 - cute, well written, practical advise.

Six Years (Harlan Coben) **** 4.0 If you liked Gone Girl, you will like this one.

The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) ***** 4.5 I liked all of his books but this one was the best.

Measure of a Man: From Auschwitz Survivor to Presidents' Tailor; A Memoir (Martin Greenfield) **** 4.0 - biography, inspirational, interesting story

To do list:
Before I Go to Sleep: A Novel (S. J. Watson)
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania (Erik Larson)
Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow: My Life As a Country Vet ( David Fisher, Dr. Jan Pol ) - love the show.
Codependent No More (Melody Beattie) **re-listen** Need a refresher

**all of these are audible books** I too listen as I commute and run errands.

FireSprite

Great stuff you guys, thank you!!

For those of you listening on audio - what resources do you use? Do you buy the CD's?

I'm currently using hoopla on my smart phone & PC & I can borrow CD's from the library if it's available. I'm looking to get a couple of BB's books on CD for my mom for Christmas this year & I'm wondering it there's a great resource for that with good prices & selection?

Lyssy

Audible, try it free - 30 day audiobooks free trial from Audible | Audible.com
I have the basic membership ($10/year) which give 30% off list price. As much as I purchase I should probably look at another option but this one works for me. There is no minimum/maximum purchase requirement after the membership.

It is now an Amazon company so you use the same account info for audible.

They are also much better with the apps available for android devices. iOS was their strong suit for many years but I have been using my Samsung phone for the last 4-5 books with no issues.

edit..
another library app recommended to me but I have not tried it yet...
https://www.overdrive.com/libraries

guava

This one is on my To Read list too!

InfoSponge

I find most of my audio books on YouTube, actually. Though sometimes I'll buy them at the used book store, or if it's out of copywrite they are all over the net for nada.

Wisconsin

I just picked up The Martian from the library; want to get it read before the movie comes out later this year.

I also have all seven Harry Potter books loaded onto my iPod (FS, I check out audiobooks on CD from the library and listen in the car. For the Harry Potter books, I uploaded them into my iTunes library because I have literally listened to the book series at least 40 times during my commute).

Reading is one of the things that slipped away from me during the past few years. I am looking forward to reconnecting with my love of books.

FireSprite

I forgot I also had "Drunk Mom" (Jowita Bydlowska) already reserved on audio so I started it tonight & it's interesting so far.... I'm about 3 chapters in. It seems brutally honest.

Croissant

Thanks for the thread, FireSprite! I've now downloaded a few samples of the suggested books to my iPad! I love other peoples suggestions for books, thanks everyone.

I've been reading mostly business and health books of late, so the novel suggestions will be a nice change!

LucyGoosey

I just picked up Before I Go To Sleep at the library. It's about a woman who loses her memories every she sleeps. It's supposed to be a thriller. It's good so far.

FeelingGreat

I've recently discovered Neal Stephenson. I binge read The Baroque Trilogy and am now on Cryptonomicon. Also recently finished 'The Bone Clocks' David Mitchell, which I couldn't put down.
I'm simultaneously reading 'Where Song Began' by Tim Low, a non-fiction book about the deep origins of birds, especially song birds. The evidence is that they originated in Australia (when it was Gondwana). He's a scientist but also an entertaining writer.

Butterfly

I've just finished reading, boundaries loving again after a pathological relationship by AB ADMIN. It's a very easy read, I read it in a day and its focus is on manipulative relationships and boundaries. I thought it was excellent for helping new comers set boundaries with their partners and the importance of boundaries. It's also good for us who are no longer with their other halves and are maybe dating again and the importance of boundaries and how it will help weed out the manipulators as long as we stick to our boundaries.

I got in on Amazon and with a 30 day free trial of kindle unlimited I didn't have to pay for it ����. Just have to remember to cancel it after the 30 days lol

InfoSponge

As promised, my report: I finished reading When They Won't Quit. It's not at all bad, a good source of basic info. More like a surgical manual compared to the more guided tour of something like Codependent No More. But well worth reading if you find it, I think.

Just picked up The New Codependent by Melody Beattie. But first, I'm opening Eaarth by Bill McKibben. Time for a detour. ;-)

BodkinVanHorn

Lucky You by Carl Hiaasen.
I have laughed out loud several times while reading it.