BIC book club!

[prettyinpa]

Some of us here have expressed an interest in a book club, myself, @mermadelove, @LCResz, @ZombieMetroAnt, @Mcakes. If you'd be interested in joining, reply below. My initial thought was to mail the books around but if it means that some people can't participate, then I'm all for dropping that requirement. I'd love this to be a place where we nominate our favorite book and others can read it and comment. Something fun for the new year!  ETA: the booklist:

1. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (16)
1. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (16)
3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (13)
4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (11)
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (11)
4. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (11)
7. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (10)
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (10)
7. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (10) Discussion begins 8-13.
7. The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck (10) Discussion begin 9-2.
11. The Fault in our Stars by John Green (9) Time to discuss 9-26
11. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (9) Now discussing below.
11. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (9)
11. What Happened by Hilary Clinton (9) Now discussing below.
11. Fall of Giants by Ken Follett (9) Start reading now.
11. The Woman on the Orient Express by Lindsay Ashford (9)
11. milk and honey by Rupi Kaur (9)
18. A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (8)
18. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (8)
18. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (8)
18. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (8)
18. Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence (8)
18. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (8)
18. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (8)
18. The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg (8)
18. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (8)
18. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (8)
18. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (8)
18. The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory (8)

Participants in spoiler

Spoiler

Participants:

PrettyinPA

AlexaSteph

Beadshopgirl

LCResz

Kim888

SoBeautiful

Fatimamummy

ZombieMetroAnt

PalomaFoster

k617

bakeamuffin
Susubee
Skcfan
Lazybeautybeast
SpaceLlama
greeneyedgirl107

Mermadelove
Mcakes
Aaliaa
Serenely
Myinsidevoice
MissPuff
juliehnguyen
lmi82
Knowledgebeauty
Titian06
quspork
darlyndar
KellW
misscg
EuniceO
Elles117
ClassicallyFab
ShiraBT
melanito
Heylady14
ChicagoEngineer
Imightneedthis
PrettyPaint
rachface2921

[alexasteph]

I preordered “Sunrise on the Reaping” to be delivered in a week. I enjoyed “A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” more than the original trilogy, so I’m super excited for Haymitch’s standalone story! 

[Samtian]

My books used to sit on a small two tier shelf but the cats have made that unstable. So I moved my palettes I've used into boxes under the bed for later planning. These are my to read books, not exactly in order since I don't have all the books in the series I have up there. I have hundreds on my to read wishlists on Goodreads and Amazon so I better start reading more. 

[KrissySM]

I’ve done quite a bit of reading so far this year, but haven’t read too much that’s really hooked me. I’ve found several books that had great potential, but ultimately crashed and burned towards the end. One book I did enjoy was Donna Tart’s The Secret History. If you’ve ever read any of Tart’s books, you’ll know her style of writing isn’t for everyone. Some may consider it boring, but I just find it incredibly beautiful how she can write stories that are almost epic like from the pov of overtly “normal” people. This is a long read, but was well worth it. Has anyone else read The Secret History? How about The Goldfinch? What are your thoughts on Tart’s writing? 

[itsfi]

Added this to my list @KrissySM. 📕 

[Samtian]

@KrissySM I watched the Goldfinch movie. It was kinda weird but I did enjoy it. I'll have to add Secret History to my list. 

[KrissySM]

It definitely is a little weird but that’s kinda my thing 😅

[Titian06]

I read The Science of Beauty by Dr. Michelle Wong (The Lab Muffin on YouTube).  Well organized and easy to read.  Not as in depth as I would have liked, but that's OK.  Useful and informative graphics to explain concepts.  Much of the info presented I already knew, but there was new to me info that  answered my own questions.  

Definitely worth reading if you'd like to confirm what you already know and/or possibly add to your knowledge.  However, if you're looking for in-depth explanations, like Dr. Wong shares on her YT site, you may be disappointed. 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@Titian06 thanks for the info!

[greeneyedgirl107]

Read Bitter is the New Black as I kept coming across it over the years.  The author's tone got to me, and the title didn't match my expectations. 

I also read Amy Schumer's The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo.  I found it to be boring, and I gave up.

I read the entire Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-ins from A to Z.  Not very juicy.

And Mrs. America by Howard Stern.  I skipped the beginning.   It was OK.

ETA: I might have posted on a couple of these books a while back.  If so, many apologies!

[KrissySM]

Seems like you enjoy memoirs. I’m currently ready Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz. About a quarter of the way in, and I’m intrigued. Let me know if you’ve read this or if you’d consider reading it!

[Titian06]

Thanks, @greeneyedgirl107 !  Now I know I can skip a couple of these. 😁

[itsfi]

The Exchange by John Grisham

This was okay. I am fairly certain that going through it as an audiobook kept me sticking with it. If you’re looking for a book that keeps up with the plot, the pacing and the excitement of The Firm, then this will be a pass for you. If you’ve got time to kill (pun not intended) and are fine with just going with the flow of the story, sometimes having to suspend disbelief, then this might be one worth listening to while on vacation or passing time while traveling to your destination spot, or doing chores or cleaning up around the house. 

While there were interesting moments, the book as a whole wasn't nearly as engaging as its predecessor. In fact, I could sense that I was more engaged with the audiobook than I would have been with a physical book, in large part because I could multitask while listening to the story. (@blackkitty2014, no idea how you got through the book in just a few sittings). 

The first half of the book is better than the last half, which is unfortunate because there was potential in the storyline for the second half to be as riveting and suspenseful as one might expect from a John Grisham novel and from a book holding itself out as the follow up to The Firm.

3.25 stars. I’m using the ratings I gave to books I read last year as a reference guide for rating this year’s reads. 

Noteworthy Quotes:

Spoiler

“Luca and his team worked hard and enjoyed the prestige and money, but they were Italians and refused to succumb to the workaholism expected by the Americans.”

“Winning was always fun, but winning with class was far more important.”

[blackkitty2014]

@itsfi Hahaha this is one of the sequel that better not written. The writing is good but the story line is weak imho. His Camino Ghost is not good either. I can’t finish it. Dragging out too much. Maybe I get back to it one of these days but I have to admit I’d been lazy 😂🤣

[itsfi]

@blackkitty2014, I’m taking reading at a more leisured pace this year. 😆 I have plenty of books waiting in the queue but I just haven’t been reaching for any. 

[itsfi]

The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza 

 

Historical fiction, murder mystery

Early 1900s Sicily and modern day East Coast & Sicily

Murder, romance, and drama are set against the backdrop of Sicilian history and culture. There are two protagonists in this novel, each narrating their respective story in alternating chapters.  

Sara Marsala is an American who, to honor the dying wish of her great-aunt Rosie, travels to Sicily to scatter her great-aunt's ashes in the latter's birthplace, to determine whether a deed to Sicilian land in the name of Aunt Rosie's mother is valid, and to look into the death of Serafina Forte, Aunt Rosie's mother. Her story initially starts in present day America but she spends all but a chapter or two in present-day Sicily. 

Serafina Forte's storyline takes place in the fictional Sicilian rural village of Caltabellessa in the early 1900s. We are introduced to Serafina as a 15-year old girl going to visit the town healer with her best friend Cettina, and the book follows her (and to a lesser extent, Cettina) as they grow up and grow older.

The storylines focus on family secrets and a murder, abounding with references to the Sicilian landscape, mafia, culture and cuisine, particularly in the chapters involving Sara's search into the mystery regarding her family's land. There are also  overarching and recurring themes of family (the ones we're born into and the ones we choose), misogyny and feminism (sometimes overgeneralized, imo) in the telling of Serafina's story. Some of the twists and turns can be seen coming; others take you by complete surprise, or it did me, in a good way. 3-1/2 stars. 

Notable Quotes:

Spoiler

"I started as a butcher, so I still think in terms of joints and muscles, the connective tissue of life. Cut the right one and you end up with a perfect steak. Cut the wrong one and the whole system breaks down. The meat falls apart in the places where you want it to stay close to the bone. Once you make that single wrong cut it's nearly impossible to keep everything else intact."

"Cu picca parrau mai si pintiu. Those who speak little never have regrets."

"Oh yeah, I see you and I'm here for all your crap."

Physical book / Kindle vs. audio book: 

I went through portions of this book on my Kindle and portions as an audiobook. I prefer the former. The audio book format is convenient in that it allows for multitasking, but even when I just listened (no multitasking) to the book being read, I didn't feel as engaged with the story or as connected to the characters. I don't know whether it was this story specifically, or this genre of books, or if I just have a natural proclivity or personal preference for books/Kindle. I may try another book in the audio book format next year, maybe something from the James Patterson or John Grisham books @blackkitty2014 shared about this year; or, perhaps The Bourne series that @Samtian mentioned.

Recap: 2024 Books Read

This book is the last one for me this year. I had a goal of reading one book per month and was able to meet and exceed that goal, with 16 books read, all listed in the below spoiler with how I rated the book. I didn't start rating books until part way through the year so I went back and rated the earlier books based on how they stacked up against the latter ones. I haven't decided whether I'll keep to the one book a month next year, but have started a short list of books I'd like to read. A couple of the books folks talked about here are on that list and I'll go through past posts to see if there are any additional books to add to the list. 

Spoiler

5 stars: masterful; highly recommend
🔖  The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
🔖  The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris by Daisy Wood

4.5 stars - almost masterful; recommend
📖  The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh
📖  Code Name: Helene by Ariel Lawhon

4 stars - Great read, worth your time
📔  The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
📔  First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

3.75 stars - Very good read
📕  The Women by Kristin Hannah
📕  Never Lie by Freida McFadden
📕  The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

3.5 stars - Good 
📗  The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
📗  Absence of Grace by Ann Warner
📗  Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
📗  The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza

3.25 stars - Has some promising moments
📘  Private Equity A Novel by Carrie Sun
📘  Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie

3 stars - Okay
📙  A Midlife Holiday by Cary J. Hansson

[Samtian]

@itsfi You've done great! I have been lazy and haven't read for a while haha. I need to get on that. 

[itsfi]

@Samtian, thank you. I feel like my leisure reading isn't ever consistent - there are periods where I just go through book after book after book, and others where it's so painstakingly slow to get through a chapter. With the latter, it's often less the story and more me. 😅 Going to take a break with the holidays and we'll just see what 2025 looks like.

[blackkitty2014]

@itsfi  I really need to catch up on my reading. I said I do that on my vacation during Thxgiving but I was lazy 😂🤣 Let’s see if I can do it on Xmas break. Bookmark all your recommendations ❤️🌹 PS I tried audiobooks from Spotify. It’s hard. I can’t listen to it while doing something else 😂🤣

[itsfi]

@blackkitty2014, you are hardly lazy! Sometimes a vacation just needs to be about unplugging - from work, reading, etc. and just soaking in and enjoying the environment you're in (and the delicious food there, which you did!!!)

I'll give audio books another try but I dunno about trying to multitask while it's playing. 😬 So far, the only activities I've come up with that might be plausible to do while listening to an audiobook are cleaning the house and going through my evening skinare routine. 

[blackkitty2014]

@itsfi Strange that none of my libraries has The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris but looks liked Amazon ebook is 99 cents at the moment…weird. I buy it. Will report back on my progress 😘❤️