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

[fatimamummy]

Few weeks ago I coincidently saw many different people at different coffee shops reading "IRON FLAME" so I thought it is a sign and I should check it. Turned out it is second book of an ongoing series. Naturally I had to read the first book " Fourth Wing" first. It is a historic dystopian fantasy series. General story tone is YA but the there is graphic content that puts it into rated R category. Anyways story was interesting and when I finished the first book, I saw an offer on my library account to loan second book for 7 days. I did that and though I usually finish books in 4-5 days, it was a busy week . I was 3/4 done when hold expired and now my hold position says I'll get it in 10 weeks. I'll share details once I finish second book. Third and probably last book is set to come out next year.

 I just started reading another book from the GoodReads Best books of 2024 list. It is a very interesting story and I have a feeling I'll finish it fast. Leaving it here so once I am done, I feel obliged to come back and share my thoughts.

[makeitup305]

@fatimamummy I've read both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. Idk if they deserve the hype but I enjoyed them for what they were. What did you think? I'm still going to read the next one but I thought Iron Flame was a little all over the place.

[fatimamummy]

@makeitup305 I have to agree with you. I loved it until maybe the mid of first book before it started to loose it's grip on me. Still first book was easy to finish. Second book however is all over the places. I only read it to the part where the two groups started training together, when my hold expire. I'll finish it when I get it again and may read the third book as well ( I can't not finish when I start something 😅) but it pretty much lost the thrill for me already.

[makeitup305]

@fatimamummy I feel you. The second one's ending was interesting enough that now I need to finish the series (although idk if the 3rd is the last one). I'm wondering if maybe she rushed the second book to capitalize on the popularity of the first. Maybe this one will be better since she took extra time.

[itsfi]

Ooouh, I have First Lies Wins on my list and am interested in hearing your thoughts on it @fatimamummy. My recollection is that someone else here read it and gave it good marks. Maybe @jaaayp?

[jaaayp]

I personally loved it @itsfi @fatimamummy ! I'm not a hard critic tho.. I love all mysteries 😂

[fatimamummy]

@jaaayp I finished it last night and I enjoyed reading it. I love that there wasn't any boring patch or unnecessary stretch. One of the few books where I wasn't able to guess who it was very early in the story. I hear there is going to be a movie on it and I will very much like to watch that as well. 

[jaaayp]

Whaaaa @fatimamummy a movie?! I feel like they keep making movies out of good books and it's never as good as the book! But yes, I agree. I think it's one of those like "twist and turns". If you come across anything else amazing, please let me know! 🥰

[Mellmars1185]

I just finished this book. The book is a series of essays. I really found some useful information in the last essay that I could apply to my own life. I don't want to give too much away. However, this book is based on the life events of a child star turned writer. It is interesting to read her perspective. I would recommend this! It did take me a while to get into but I am glad I finished it!

[itsfi]

@Mellmars1185, the title does draw you in; or it does me. That’s great that you connected with the last essay. 

[fatimamummy]

@itsfi , @Mellmars1185  That ! Title is enticing and now I want to read it too.

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi My aunt recommended it to me! It is funny the title didn't cross my mind when I first started reading it! Thank you 😊🙏

[blackkitty2014]

Report back from slow reader 😂🤣 I really like both The Whistler and The Love of my life. The Whistler is very much classic John Grisham. The Love of My Life was recommended by our lovely @itsfi . I read Ghost from the same author but can’t decide which one I like more. The Love of My Life is faster pace than Ghost. Recommend both for good read. #! Lawyer by James Patterson is a disappointment. I feel liked it got dragged out. The story just went all over the place and hurry up pick a random ending at the last 50 pages. It’s probaby my least favorite book of the year. 

[fatimamummy]

So many great recommendations @blackkitty2014  My read list is growing longer and longer!

[itsfi]

@blackkitty2014, great to hear you enjoyed it. I added the other book to my list and now The Whistler too - “classic John Grisham” - that’s all you need to say. 

[Titian06]

Thanks, @blackkitty2014 ! 📚

[itsfi]

Never Lie by Freida McFadden

Psychological Thriller. 

My first book of this type. I can see myself picking up another book of this genre, and perhaps another one from the same author, but maybe after some time has passed - the ending was disturbing and I've felt the need to read something a little more lighthearted after finishing this one; or, to at least, give myself a little break from reading altogether before picking up another book.

A young, newlywed couple find themselves stranded during a snowstorm, in the home of a famous local psychiatrist who went missing a few years prior, right after the release of the psychiatrist's bestselling book based on one of her patients.

The book starts off slow, but picks up speed about one-third to one-half of the way into the story. The author does a good job creating an eerie feeling to the house where the couple wait out the snowstorm, and imparting a captivating sense of unease as one half of the couple stumbles upon a hidden room in the house containing tapes of the psychiatrist's sessions with her patients, and begins listening to them. Two later discoveries within the house add to the riveting twists and turns of the story. 

Notable Quotes:

Spoiler

"On tape, you miss the important visual cues. Avoiding eye contact, for example, or covering their mouth or eyes. But if you are my patient, and you are sitting in my office talking to me, I can watch your face and your gestures and listen to the pitch of your voice. I will know the truth. I always know. Never lie to me."

"How are you? The three most useless words in the universe of communication. Nobody who asks that question wants to know the answer. And nobody who answers ever tells the truth. 'I'm fine, Paige.'"

"They never quite knew what to make of me."

"I believe that any human being is capable of terrible things if you push them hard enough."

I give this 3-1/2 stars because of the slow start and the ending, even though the latter is entirely plausible and probably is a truer to life than I'd like to think about. 

[Titian06]

Oh, I love these types of books, thanks for sharing, @itsfi !  Of to add to my library wish list! 📚

Edit:  Rats!  My library only has it as an audio book without an option to request an e-book.  I put it on my wish list anyway.  It looks like this author has a number of these types (genre) of books (all audio books at my library).

[itsfi]

@Titian06, this was the first of its type of book for me so when you get to reading or listening to it, I’d love to get your feedback on the story and writing and how it compares to other books you’ve read in this genre. 

[itsfi]

Absence of Grace by Ann Warner

Not quite sure what to rate this - 4 seems too high, but it's not along the lines of the first book I read on vacation, which I gave 3 stars. So maybe by default, I go with 3.5 stars. 

Easy to read, quick read, though the first part of the book can be slow even as it skips around an approximate 20-year period as it tells the backstory of one of the two main characters. Both of the main characters are looking to make a fresh start after their respective relationships (one, a marriage; the other, an engagement) come to an end and each, separately, finds themselves in a small Alaskan town. There's a realness to the characters - none is without flaws, each is trying to reconcile their past and present, some with better, more consistent progress than others. 

Where the first part of the book dragged on in some chapters, the latter part, particularly near the end, felt rushed, with it feeling as if the author was trying to put all the stories together in a neat bow, which was unfortunate because there are some significant and heavy topics and emotions covered in the latter part of the book.

Notable Quotes:

Spoiler

“Words have power,” his mother would say. “They must be used with care.”

“I think the gift of life comes from God with the possibility for both joy and pain. None of us escapes without drinking a full measure of both.”

"Her remaining regret was ... but perhaps a person wasn't meant to reconcile every estrangement."

“Compromise and acting unselfishly aren’t difficult when you care for someone and want to make it work.”

[Cissy63]

@itsfi  Thank you for sharing your opinion.  I have seen this title but have not read any from the author. Alaska is an interesting place to set a story.  Good to know you enjoyed it.