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’ve just finished To Love Jason Thorn by Ella Maise. It’s a nice light hearted contemporary romance, a good palette cleanser if you’ve recently finished a more intense reading or just need a little bit of fun escapism. This was available through Prime so I decided to check it out. There is a spin off novel called To Hate Adam Connor which I’ll probably take a look at in 6-8 books from now. Reviews suggest THAC is a bit more fun and interesting than TLJT. TLJT was definitely pretty straightforward, but the writing and style makes you wonder what’s coming next. If you use Prime Reading and are looking for something to get your mind off real life for a bit, it’s worth a read. 

[Titian06]

@alexasteph - I don't use Prime, but I sure could have used the rec!  I was looking for something lighter last night after reading a few much heavier, darker books.  Fortunately I came across Hercule Peroit: The Complete Short Stories.  I am loving this book.  There are 50 short stories 20-25 pages each.  These are filling the bill!  Anyone who watched the PBS series will recognize many of the stories.

[alexasteph]

@Titian06 You’re welcome! It does get a little hot and heavy sometimes… but it is a romance so that’s sort of to be expected haha. There are a couple of parts that could make people uncomfortable but I think it approaches it in an honest way. So fair warning about that haha. I actually don’t read a lot of romance so this was a bit of a departure from my typical genres so I don’t know what’s normal and what’s not haha. But I found it enjoyable nonetheless. 

I have not heard of that series! I do really like longer series that are adapted to TV shows or movie series so I’ll have to check it out. Admittedly it’s how I discover a lot of the things I choose to read… I can’t be the only one who operates that way though haha.   

[alexasteph]

I managed to get my hands on a tablet so I can finally read eBooks after a couple years of waffling about it and only being willing to buy very specific non-fiction physical books (with a couple of exceptions). Books are just expensive! And my local (at the time) library wasn’t exactly convenient during pandemic related closures… BUT now I have about 600 books/series I have been meaning to read and have gotten through a few of them. Regardless, here are some notables from the last 18 months or so…
 

1. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins: This is a prequel to the Hunger Games series and I got it as soon as it came out about a year and a half ago and it was FANTASTIC. It came out with very little fan fair I feel like, and only accidentally stumbled upon it. I almost enjoyed it more than HG and need more novels to continue the story haha. 

2. Harry Potter a L’école des Sorciers: This is just the French translated copy of The Sorcerers Stone. I’ve been learning French and I wanna see if my reading comprehension is there. I’ve read many short stories in French meant for language acquisition, but haven’t tackled a novel yet and I wanted to start with something simple. I have a work related certification exam coming up in January so my brain power has been devoted to that, once that’s done and studied for I’ll start this one. Thanks for Prime Reading I was able to download a copy of it in English as reference if needed. 

3. The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian: I very much enjoyed the HBO series and was interested in reading the novel. I wish I would have read it before watching though, which was my original intention but the show was available to me before the book haha. Despite this, I was glad to read it and liked it quite a bit (though I will still say the series is better). I will likely read more of his books since he has a lot of them haha. 

4. Swearing Is Good For You by Emma Byrne: If you’re sort of a nerd and are curious about people, culture, etc. this was a very interesting read. Anyone with a social science background will likely enjoy it. I learned a lot and reference the studies outlined frequently (not as a way to get away with using profanity in a variety of environments but as a way to further discussions about brain development, cultural differences, and interpersonal relationships if/when it comes up… and also a little bit to get away with swearing sometimes…)

Anyway there have been a a few others I wasn’t as enthralled by, and I have many more on my list which I’ll be working my way through. I’ve also read quite a lot of criminology non-fiction… not true crime though. Like memoirs of professors and psychologists and their work haha. Very interesting stuff and if you’re in to that I’d be happy to share but it’s not for everyone haha, which is understandable. 

[AMK721]

@alexasteph  I've switched over to reading on my iPad and it's taking me a while to get used to. I agree, books are expensive so I've been borrowing eBooks from my library which is great, but sometimes I have to wait months for the books I want to read. I do have Prime so I'm going to look into that (thanks for reminding me!).

[alexasteph]

@AMK721 You would think since they are digital copies there would be unlimited amounts available to borrow, but it’s just like a physical copy! Thankfully my library uses two sources so I can check them both for a book. It hasn’t been an issue yet. 

Yeah, definitely recommend checking out what Prime Reading has to offer as well. I have found it has most of the first 1 or 2 novels in a series, with Prime Unlimited having the rest (Unlimited is an extra $10 a month though). Make sure you take advantage of the First Reads benefit with Prime as well. Each month, you can choose from a selection of upcoming books (usually about 10 or so it seems, spanning a variety of genres), then it issues you a credit to download a second book from a collection of options not included in Prime or Unlimited. I wasn’t crazy about the First Reads selection I chose, but I’m reading the one I used the credit on and am enjoying it much more. 

[AMK721]

@alexasteph  I've been thinking about subscribing to Kindle Unlimited but I really don't know much about it, so I need to research it first. I believe it's $10 a month as well. I'm currently reading "Vanderbilt" and I'm about halfway through and it's pretty interesting. The bummer about borrowing from the library is that I only have the book for 14 days. Usually that is fine, but during the holidays, it's been hard to find dedicated time for reading. I waited about 4 months or longer for this book, so I'm carving out time whenever I can so I can get it finished - another reason I'm thinking about subscribing to one of the book services.

[alexasteph]

@AMK721 Yeah, I feel that 14 day limit haha. I usually get though a book in 5 days or less though so it hasn't been an issue but I was worried about not having a couple available when I needed them so I checked them out early so that cut in to my rental a bit. 

From what I can tell, Unlimited does have a ton of series, but not as many stand alone novels. If an author has a lot of books, they might have a couple included in Prime or Unlimited, then the rest won't be. If you're someone who likes reading books as they are released it probably won't do you much good and you'd either have to stick with waiting for a library copy or purchasing it. If you are okay with reading something a couple years or older, you'd have more luck finding things. 

[Titian06]

@alexasteph @AMK721 - Regarding the 14-day limit, have you checked the settings for the service you use to see if there is a longer checkout time?  I use Overdrive (Libby is the app).  The default was 14 days; but when I was playing around one day, I discovered I could change the checkout time to 21 days.

[alexasteph]

@Titian06 It may vary from library to library. Mine will allow for longer rentals as long as no one has placed it on hold. My local library uses both Libby and CloudLibrary, which I’m sure is the case for most users of those apps. 

[Titian06]

@alexasteph - Yeah, mine won't let you renew if someone has a hold.  I usually read a book in a few days, but a couple of times I was cramming the last bit of reading in as the deadline approached.  (College all over again! 😄)

[Titian06]

Thanks, @alexasteph !  I'm glad you got a tablet--you'll love it for reading!  One of my work colleagues gave me her old Kindle when the BIC book club started.  I was skeptical about reading books digitally.  Now I love it! ❤ 

Good luck on your French certification!  I took German in high school and older family members spoke German.  I wish I had kept up with it.

[alexasteph]

@Titian06 Oh, it isn’t a French cert it’s just for my regular teaching license. When I moved from one state to another my license didn’t transfer over how I expected it to (due to differing requirements from state to state) so I have to take a subject test with content I haven’t needed to look at in over 10 years haha. Learning French was just something I chose to do on my own, soon after Covid lockdowns hit. I’d love to teach it though! There is just a loooooot more work I’d need to do for it. Reading comprehension is definitely my strongest area due to how I’ve been forced to learn it, and I try to listen to things when I can but my ear for it just isn’t as far along. I’m almost 2 years in to it, and I’m shooting for a trip to France once I’ve hit 3 years as a reward. 

Reading eBooks has so many advantages! I love that I can finish one and download another immediately, and I’m obsessed with Prime Reading! Magazines! So many magazines too! Prime Reading allows you to get an early look at a selection of books too, ones that will be released the following month, then gives you a download credit for another selection. The first one I selected I didn’t really like, it was okay but it was free and it allowed me to be introduced to the program so I’m happy about that. I have yet to start the second book I picked up with my credit but I’m a little more excited about that one. I am considering adding Prime Unlimited as well, I might need to if I am finding my library selections aren’t helping me get through the variety of series I’m working on haha. 

[Titian06]

A couple of books I recently read that others might enjoy are

- Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

🙂

[Mellmars1185]

I am not sure if this book has been mentioned in this conversation so I apologize in advance if it has. The book 'Where The Crawdads Sing' by Delia Owens is an amazing book. I highly recommend. I could not put it down and i haven't found a book since i have read it that has come close to being as excellent

[FatemahZarif]

I Recommend “It Ends With Us” - Colleen Hoover. 
Gets you hooked right from the beginning and literally made me contemplate life when it ended. ANYONE who enjoys romance. Read it! 

[Nickelliebear1]

I see that The Hate U Give is something that is being discussed. I have a number of Angie Thoms books on my shelf, ended up hauling them last June. 

As a huge hip-hop head, I’ve come to appreciate Mav’s references.  The Hate U Give = thug. If you have nothing to live for, you should find something you’d die for. 
The world is an unfair place and Angie was able to find a narrative that should be an essential spot on any Y/A reader’s shelf. I gripped each page, flipping through while I was emotionally invested in all of the characters. 
I was disappointed that there was no sequel but you never know, maybe one day. 

[aviscardi]

I just found out from a friend i can get ebooks from the libby app and have rediscovered how much i missed reading. There is nothing like the feel of a real book in hand but i tend to read fast and never go back to reread, now i remembered why i would borrow 20 books at once as a kid lol. Also just discovered if you have Amazon prime, they offer some books free with prime reading. 
i am currently on the women’s murder club series by Robert Patterson, bk 5 of 21 and i started last Sunday. 

Very much into crime books and mysteries lol, so if you have any recs drop it below 😉

[Titian06]

Hi, @aviscardi !  Yes!  I actually use Overdrive which goes through Amazon.  There is an app for Libby in Overdrive.  I thought I would miss real books until I joined this book club and a work colleague gave me her old Kindle.  I have been going through books like water!  I started the women's murder club.  I also recommend Charles Todd.  The books are set just after WWI.  Since my Kindle bit the dust and I haven't ordered a new one, I'll have to get back to you on the rest.  I can remember the characters, but not the authors.  Oh, Margaret Truman comes to mind as well and of course anything else by James Patterson.

[aviscardi]

Yep I think I will end up going through all of his books I had hub print out a list from his website. I also heard that not all books are available in app through the library, like Dean Koontz for eg. small list in Libby but i found 1 series i was interested in through Amazon prime reading. I also heard that some people use overdrive online and send to kindle  that way, is there a difference between that and the Libby app? I think I will most likely end up getting a kindle because I am using my iPad right now but between using for work and then regular scrolling or YouTube videos it’s going to be on plug all the time. @Titian06 I started a list in my phone because the names aren’t my strong suit either LOL

[Titian06]

@aviscardi - I tried Libby once, and to be honest maybe didn't give it a chance, but I think Overdrive is more user friendly.  Yes, I read with my Kindle plugged in.  Since I'm reading with my android tablet, the cable is too short to keep plugged in.  Very annoying!

A couple of other authors I thought of are Kate Morton and Sue Graphton.