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]

@Titian06 I think you just found what would be my cats favorite book 😂😂 They’re currently sleeping peacefully on the couch next to me after a full afternoon and evening of demands for affection and wrestling each other. They’re good boys, but typical cats 😅

Cleopatra’s Dagger, my First Reads choice for this month, is an historical fiction mystery which sounds like a genre you read a lot of. After I finish it I’ll be sure to report so you can see if it’s one you may be interested in! 

[AMK721]

Is anyone else on Goodreads?  My user name is:  aml7721 and my 2022 reader challenge is to read 15 books this year.

This 👇 is my profile pic if anyone wants to follow (I'll follow back).

[Titian06]

@AMK721 - I'm not on Goodreads. 😞  Good luck with your goal!  That's just a little over one book a month, something easily achievable.  I've read at least 15 since Thanksgiving, but I also don't have a social life either! 🤣  Be sure to post any good books you read (or any books we should avoid 😁).  I'm always looking for suggestions. 💖💖💖

[AMK721]

@Titian06  LOL last year I struggled to read my goal of 10 books for the year but this year I'm on a roll, I have read 6 books this year already (which is really good for me).

Recommend:

• Taste by Stanley Tucci (I just finished this book last night. If you like food and travel, you'll enjoy this book)
• Vanderbilt by Anderson Cooper
• Going There by Katie Couric

[Titian06]

Thanks for the recommendations, @AMK721 !  I added all of them to my Overdrive wish list. 📚

[alexasteph]

Keeping this thread alive one book at a time!

For February's Amazon First Reads I selected A Train to Moscow by Elena Gorokhova. It is a the story of a young girl in post WW2 Soviet Russia, who dreams of leaving her small town and becoming an actress, then follows her along her journey. It's about a 20-25 year span. This girl, Sasha, is trying to navigate the realities of her world with her conflicting feelings about them, especially after learning more than one person she trusts kept secrets from her due to "patriotism" or "protection." It's a complicated, sad, but, in ways, very relatable story. 

I am also halfway through Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score and I am loving it so much! It's funny, unique, sexy, AND there is a sequel! Riley Thorn is a mid-30's recently divorced psychic, who wishes the she could get the voices and visions to go away and just live her life. When she foresees her housemate in danger, she gets caught up with a PI (a brooding, likes life uncomplicated but of course too handsome to ignore fellow named Nick) trying to prevent her vision from coming true. So I definitely recommend checking that one out, it might be one of favorites I've read so far in the contemporary romance genre. I'm not going to say much more, it's so fun I don't want to prevent anyone from finding things out themselves! 

Next up, I will start the Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and the Shades of Magic series by VE Schwab. Super excited about both. 

Oh, and ETA: At work they gave me a group of upper level 4th grade readers for some additional curriculum, and I asked if I could just have them follow along as I read them a novel for pure entertainment on Fridays. I got the go-ahead so we’re starting with Holes, one of my favorite books from my own childhood. Unfortunately the way their days are structured, classroom teachers aren’t really able to just read to the class any for nothing more than the sake of story any more. But I’m so excited! Starting Holes this week, and we’ll do The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe next. 

[Titian06]

Thanks for the update, @alexasteph !  Congratulations on being able to read to you class just for fun!  I got my love for reading from reading time in school.

I finished reading Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot books.  I'd read a lot of them, but found there were many I wasn't even aware of!  I also read The Complete Short Stories of Hercule Poirot (or something like that).  Also by Agatha Christie.  Now I need to pursue the Miss Marple stories.

I started reading the Maggie Hope series (don't remember the author).  The first two books were decent, the third book was a challenge to get through, the fourth book wasn't much better.  No more.  I'm done with that series!  I don't recommend that series.

I'm on wait lists for two books.

The one I checked out last night is Notre Dame by Ken Follett.  The proceeds from the sale of the book go to rebuilding Notre Dame.  He writes about the history and architecture of the cathedral.

[alexasteph]

@Titian06 Yeah the Hercule Poirot series is quite extensive! It would take a lot of time and dedication to get through them all haha. 

It’s really disappointing when a series loses steam after a few books. Series are so easy to get invested in and when the last half doesn’t live up to the first it feels like such a waste haha. But that’s also why I wait a while to read a series, I can do my research to see if each book holds up to the last. I’m making an exception with The Inheritance Games, since the last book won’t be out until August.

I have such fond memories of classroom reading when I was younger as well! I was a 4th grader in 1998, and my teacher read the first two Harry Potter books to us as they came out. It was really cool to be introduced to that series basically at their same age and grow up with them as the books continued. Maybe that’s why Millennials are still so obsessed with them, it literally feels like it could have been us haha.    

[alexasteph]

I’ve just finished Base Notes by Lara Elena Donnelly and though it was quite twisted, I found it fascinating and enjoyable. Fans of Dexter, Criminal Minds, and Mindhunter might like it. What makes this one interesting is the perfume and fragrance theme this story is based around. A bespoke perfumer takes special commissions for their clients and presents them with the finished product when the… job… is done. The main character is ambiguous and androgynous, which lends a particular mystery about the whole thing which definitely keeps you wondering a bit. Who is the person and why do they do what they do? I pictured this as a movie and saw a Ruby Rose type as the main character, but others may picture someone else! The story is told as a memory, from the MC’s perspective, so you really get a good look into their psyche and their what, but not their why which kept the mystery even still. The perfume talk was fun too haha. Kinda messed up a times. But fun. I recommend it to anyone who reads and enjoys  thrillers and mysteries. 

[Titian06]

Thanks for the recommendation, @alexasteph ! 💖💖💖

[Mellmars1185]

My aunt picks up some great books at our local thrift stores. It is much cheaper than paying full price and she passes them to me when she is finished with them! If anyone is looking for some cheap books it's a great option!

[alexasteph]

Some updates:

I had a book fail... couldn't finish one. Happens I guess haha. It was The Cipher by Isabella Maldonado. I just found it, boring, in a word. It's a genre and theme I like, a crime thriller, but I just couldn't get in to it. I wasn't very motivated to open up my Kindle app for it, and when I did I only read about a chapter at a time. So I cut my losses and moved on after about a third of the way through. Just because it wasn't for me, it doesn't mean others won't enjoy it so if you are a fan of crime thrillers, still take a look at it and see if it's something you're interested in. From what I understand, it does paint a fairly accurate picture of investigative procedure, so if you need realism in your books it might work for you.

So instead I read The Best Of Friends by Lucinda Berry in 2 days haha. It's short so that helps. This one is an emotional psychological, well, technically a thriller, but I wouldn't call it a thriller but more of a drama. It about how three mothers, who have been best friends since childhood, navigate dealing with a tragedy involving their three teenaged sons, who are also best friends. It's a multi-person perspective novel, so each chapter is from the viewpoint of one of the three. As they're trying to make sense of what happened, secrets start being exposed and other issues in their carefully crafted public images begin rearing their heads. There are a few twists and turns as well of course. It's a quick read, but it's not necessarily light but also not super heavy... definitely could stir up some emotions depending on personal past experiences, but it could be a good one to fit it between finishing one series and starting another, or while traveling. It seems like a good airport book haha. 

I did decide to subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, and my book list keeps getting longer and longer haha. I knew this would happened after I got a tablet because when I have access to books and the time to read them, I do not stop. 

[Titian06]

@alexasteph - Yeah, I've had a few fails too...it happens! 🤷‍♀️

[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.