What are you reading the week of June 6, 2020?

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What are you reading the week of June 6, 2020?

1fredbacon
Jun 6, 2020, 12:39 am

Focusing my attention on Kuby Immunology at the moment. This is going to take me a couple of months. I think that I will intersperse it with some Georges Simenon starting this week to keep me sane.

2Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 6, 2020, 2:10 am

A Gentleman in Moscow and I'll take a long time reading it. I'll be savoring every paragraph, every sentence.
Fredbacon, I've never heard of George's Simenon.

3Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 6, 2020, 2:11 am

Guys, you have to read Saki. Esp if you like Wodehouse.

4cindydavid4
Jun 6, 2020, 6:16 am

I have an anthology of Saki's work; read him and O'Henry in Jr Hi and have been hooked on these kinds of stories since

5cindydavid4
Jun 6, 2020, 6:17 am

Finished mothers What stated out as a page turner by the end just became a mess. Disappointed.

6Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 6, 2020, 6:26 am

Cindydavid4, you were right. A Gentleman in Moscow is beautiful. Just like Rebecca or Gone with the wind..only better..I wonder how did I not know about it previously.

7richardderus
Jun 6, 2020, 8:50 am

Hello Fred! Still going strong, I'm glad to see.

The Sacrament by Olaf Olafsson is very good indeed.

9rocketjk
Jun 6, 2020, 10:21 am

I'm just past the halfway point of The Only Rule Is It Has to Work: Our Wild Experiment Building a New Kind of Baseball Team by Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller. It's a very entertaining duel memoir about two stats-oriented journalists' attempt to put together and help run and independent league baseball team.

10Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 6, 2020, 11:47 am

I know this is off topic but has anyone read books by Ray Bradbury? Esp Fahrenheit 451?

11JulieLill
Jun 6, 2020, 12:00 pm

The First Phone Call from Heaven
Mitch Albom
3.5/5 stars
Coldwater, Michigan is the site of a very small town but unbeknownst to its citizens, it will soon be the gathering place of thousands of people when word gets out that citizens are receiving phone calls from relatives who have died. Is this a hoax? Sully Harding believes so and sets out to prove that the town’s people are getting the wool pulled over their eyes. I thought was a sweet novel about faith and really enjoyed it.

12Copperskye
Editado: Jun 6, 2020, 1:13 pm

Sad to be nearly done with Michael Connelly's latest, Fair Warning.

>1 fredbacon: I've recently discovered Georges Simenon. Good stuff!

13cindydavid4
Editado: Jun 6, 2020, 1:18 pm

>19 ahef1963: couldn't ask for a better prescient look at our future back in the 50s. He nailed it. Excellent book (and good movie).

Bradbury is one of my fav sci fi authors (along with Arthur Clarke and Neil Gaiman). Id start with his short stories, to get a taste of his style and his focus. In fact if you like Saki, youll like these

14PaperbackPirate
Jun 6, 2020, 1:34 pm

>10 Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi: I loved Fahrenheit 451 and hope to read Dandelion Wine before the year is over.

This week I'm reading Overground Railroad: The Green Book & Roots of Black Travel in America by Candacy Taylor with my book club. I'm sure we'll have lots to discuss considering the current state of our country.

15richardderus
Jun 6, 2020, 1:44 pm

16grelobe
Jun 6, 2020, 2:25 pm

I'm slowing delving in the novel , "The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Castle". At the start I was a little dubious about the fact that the main character every time he wakes is in another body of the hosts of the mansion. But now the plot is thicking and is turning more in a thriller than a mystery room. The writing is fluid and you find yourself gently drawn in the story.

17seitherin
Jun 6, 2020, 2:50 pm

Finished Dark Tomorrow by Reece Hirsch. It was OK. Added Don't Make a Sound by T. R. Ragan to my rotation. Still reading Ruin by John Gwynne and The Book of Koli by M. R. Carey.

18cindydavid4
Editado: Jun 6, 2020, 4:25 pm

>15 richardderus: Yikes! Listened to 5 minutes of him saying most sci fi is really fantasy and says thats why sci fi has a bad name. He has a very strick idea that sci fi must be based on physics. thats fine, but to call the rest fantasy is not right. Not sure I want to listen to the rest

19ahef1963
Jun 6, 2020, 6:24 pm

>10 Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi: I've read Fahrenheit 451 and found it dull. Then I read The Martian Chronicles and thought it was excellent. Also, I loved A Gentleman in Moscow. It's now shelved in a place of honour with my other favourite books.

I'm reading Snuff by Terry Pratchett. It has been nearly a decade since I indulged in Pratchett because I was introduced to his works by my slimy ex-husband, and for a while the books reminded me too much of being married to him. But the fog has lifted (he's still slimy, though) and I am so glad to be reading Pratchett again. His wonderful mix of humour and the ethical treatment of other beings are such a delightful and thought-provoking combination. Ordered three more Pratchett novels today on the strength of this one.

20cindydavid4
Editado: Jun 6, 2020, 10:10 pm

have you read any of the witch books? Equal Rites lords and ladies Wyrd Sisters they are hilarious!

21Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 6, 2020, 11:04 pm

Richardderus , thanks. It's such a treat to listen to this

22Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 6, 2020, 11:09 pm

PaperbackPirate, fahrenheit 451 is my favourite novel. I've read it 4 times :-)

23Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 6, 2020, 11:10 pm

Ahef 1963,

Read romance novels by Julia Quinn. You will die laughing..

24Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 6, 2020, 11:15 pm

Friends, Julia Quinn and Anne Rice are required reading, not just recommendations.

25snash
Jun 7, 2020, 7:25 am

I finished Far Bright Star. It was the story of a career army man in Mexico searching for Poncho Villa. He is attacked by a gang and nearly dies. Man's overwhelming will to live is the only attribute given him other than violence. I can't say I enjoyed it.

26cindydavid4
Jun 7, 2020, 10:45 am

Starting First Daughter for a book group this week, and finishing up poppy war picking up where I left off when I just couldn't take any more

27LyndaInOregon
Jun 7, 2020, 11:59 am

>10 Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi:
Major, major Bradbury fan here!

Reading Fahrenheit 451 today is just mind-blowing. When I first read it, in high school (waaaaaaaaaay back in the last century!) the memory I carried was -- "Oh, they burned books and you weren't allowed to read -- how awful." And that's still a frightening concept.

But, remember -- this was published in 1953. Many homes didn't even have television sets at that time, and here was Bradbury envisioning a future in which people would go to a party and ***everyone would stand around interacting with electronic devices instead of with each other***! He envisioned earbuds (though called them something else, IIRC). He talked about a society that was inundated with information 24/7 but never given a moment to think about what they were receiving.

He returns to that concept in at least one other short story, "The Murderer", which is available to read here: http://www.sediment.uni-goettingen.de/staff/dunkl/zips/The-Murderer.pdf

Sorry this is so long. You can tell I'm a real fan. Have most of his stuff and frequently re-read it.

28Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Editado: Jun 7, 2020, 12:24 pm

>27 LyndaInOregon: LyndaInOregon

Your post makes me so happy :-)
Thanks so much for the story link.
Besides >Fahrenheit 451, I own a collection of his short stories. Rays stories are bizzare but awesome at the same time. His book on writing is superb.
Ray is an inspiration, his life was full of stories and words.

Have you read Saki? He's very different from Bradbury but really worth reading.

29LyndaInOregon
Jun 7, 2020, 1:56 pm

>27 LyndaInOregon:
If I've ever read Saki, I don't remember. (There may have been a short story in a college class ... long time ago.)

Anyway, I just ordered a collection through https://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php

Another link for bibliophiles with limited budgets and/or storage space!

30hemlokgang
Editado: Jun 7, 2020, 8:32 pm

Just finished listening to the beautiful, beautiful novel, Little Family.

Next up for listening is The Murmur Of Bees by Sofia Segovia.

31Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Editado: Jun 8, 2020, 2:24 am

Este mensaje fue borrado por su autor.

32cindydavid4
Editado: Jun 8, 2020, 7:08 am

Wow. Just wow. Finished Poppy War and blown away by this book. Certainly one of the best fantasies I have read in a very long time, and perhaps one to place on my top books. Its based on the second Sino Japanese War in WWII and describes the atrocities commited during that time, so I did fast skip through some sections. Otherwise an extraodinary read.

33Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 8, 2020, 6:53 am

>32 cindydavid4: cindydavid4

Review poppy war

34cindydavid4
Jun 8, 2020, 7:09 am

>33 Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi: I have trouble writing reviews, I cant get all my thoughts together aside from 'its really good'. I'd check out the reviews here and on Amazon for a better idea

35Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 8, 2020, 7:21 am

>34 cindydavid4:

I can understand. I have the same issue. I can't write reviews.
:-)

36Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Editado: Jun 8, 2020, 9:39 am

Este mensaje fue borrado por su autor.

37Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 8, 2020, 9:43 am

(What happens in London) by Julia Quinn . Sort of a no brainer..this one is a historical romance novel. Julia is regarded as the contemporary Jane Austen

38nrmay
Jun 8, 2020, 11:48 am



finished the J fantasy forest of wonders by Linda Sue Park, with delightful talking baby animals!

Now reading another by Park - when my name was Keoko.

She has written some great multicultural novels.
Another one I loved was a long walk to water.

39JulieLill
Jun 8, 2020, 1:02 pm

A Wrinkle in Time
Madeleine L'Engle
4/5 stars
This is the first book in L’Engle’s series about the Murry family whose husband and father goes missing on a space mission. Meg Murry, her brother Charles Wallace and friend Calvin O’Keefe go looking for him with the help of Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Whatsit. I had read this book decades ago but never read the entire series. So I thought it was about time that I did and I thoroughly enjoyed this first book and look forward to the rest of the series.

40Molly3028
Editado: Jun 8, 2020, 5:52 pm

Enjoying this OverDrive Kindle eBook Alexa is reading to me ~

Refuge Cove (New Americana) by Janet Dailey

(book 2/Alaska/spousal issues/gal on the run/romance)

41BookConcierge
Jun 8, 2020, 9:21 pm


An Echo In the Bone – Diana Gabaldon
Audible audio performed by Davina Porter
3.5****

NOTE: If you have NOT read the previous books, you’ll find some spoilers for those works herein.

Book # 7 in the incredibly addictive (for good reason) Outlander series, continues the saga of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser as the American Revolution gears up and Jamie is caught between an oath to support the King and his knowledge that the Americans will win (no spoiler here, I hope). His main concern, however, is avoiding having to face his son, who is now a lieutenant in the British army, on the battlefield.

Meanwhile … forward in time to 1969, Brianna and Roger MacKenzie have settled in Scotland and have discovered a treasure-trove of letters left to them by Claire and Roger.

I really enjoy the historical inferences in these books. I’ve been to Fort Ticonderoga, and reading those chapters were intensely vivid for me because I’ve walked those grounds and seen the battle stations (not to mention the stunning views). Gabaldon peoples this volume with more real historical figures, including Benjamin Franklin and Benedict Arnold. The dangers were real and the author does a fine job of putting Jamie, Claire and Ian right into the action. I also appreciated the expanded roles of Sir John Gray and Ian MacKenzie.

On the other hand … I thought I was done with Brianna’s drama, but no. She’s fighting for her rights as a woman engineer against an entrenched male-dominated workforce. Roger is struggling to find his path, still suffering from the after-effects of his hanging. Jemmy is getting into trouble at school for swearing in Gaelic. And Mandy is having nightmares.

In addition to being tired of Brianna, the thing that I disliked is that Gabaldon could not help but go back to the time travel aspect. And it’s a doozy! Finally, she ends this book with several cliff-hangers, and that’s a pet peeve of mine. Trust your readers to want to read your next book, don’t “force” them to do so.

So I would have rated this 4**** save for that cliff-hanger (multiple story-lines need to be resolved) ending.

As for the audio…. Davina Porter gets 5***** and a ❤ for her outstanding performance of these works. She does an amazing job. I could listen to her for hours (and I did).

42Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 8, 2020, 11:54 pm

Who likes Oscar Wilde and Jane Austen?

43LyndaInOregon
Jun 9, 2020, 12:08 am

Just finished Michael Palmer's The Second Opinion, a medical whodunnit that gets points for utilizing a woman with Asperger Syndrome as a main character, but loses them again with a completely unbelievable denouement.

Next up is Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens, which I bought for my husband last Christmas and was finally able to pry out of his hands.

44mnleona
Jun 9, 2020, 10:25 am

The General Theory of Haunting by Richard Easter. My Kindle is full so I just picked a book to read so I can clear some of the books. Liking it so far.

45JulieLill
Jun 9, 2020, 12:27 pm

>42 Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi: One of my favorite books is Pride and Prejudice.

46PaperbackPirate
Jun 9, 2020, 12:47 pm

>15 richardderus: Thank you for sharing! I struggle to define sci fi vs. fantasy sometimes, and have read many debates, so I appreciate his input.

47rocketjk
Jun 9, 2020, 1:43 pm

I finished The Only Rule Is It Has to Work: Our Wild Experiment Building a New Kind of Baseball Team by Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller. It is a very well written co-memoir about baseball and human nature as seen through the prism of two writers/bloggers given a chance to apply sabermatrics theory in running a very low level independent league baseball team during the summer of 2015. In any part of that makes sense and/or is of interest to you, I recommend the book. You'll find more on my 50-Book Challenge thread or on the book's work page.

Next up for me will be the novel Bad Guy by pop art icon Rosalyn Drexler.

48Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 9, 2020, 2:45 pm

>45 JulieLill: JulieLell
I made the mistake of watching the movie first. Ill read Pride and Prejudice this year for sure

49Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 9, 2020, 2:47 pm

Have you read all of Janes 5 books?

50LisaMorr
Jun 9, 2020, 6:50 pm

Almost done with The Shadow Over Innsmouth and Other Stories of Horror - first time I'm reading Lovecraft, and it's not bad. Also about 2/3 of the way through Use of Weapons, a Culture novel by Iain M. Banks, which is pretty good so far.

51ahef1963
Jun 9, 2020, 6:58 pm

>20 cindydavid4: I've read (I think) all of the witch books that Pratchett wrote, and I love them! It's just that my favourite Pratchetts are the City Watch series. I am also very fond of the Tiffany Aching books.

>39 JulieLill: A Wrinkle in Time was one of the formative books of my adolescence, and still a great favourite.

I finished Snuff, which I loved, moved on to a re-read of The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks, and am now embarking upon Hidden Valley Road, a non-fiction work by Robert Kolker.

52framboise
Jun 9, 2020, 8:28 pm

Been absent from this thread for awhile,as it's taken a few weeks for me to read The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee, a fascinating, excellently written book. Took a little while to get through the beginning where he outlines the history, but it was well worth sticking with it. Highly recommended for anyone interested in genetics, science, etc.

53cindydavid4
Jun 9, 2020, 8:44 pm

>51 ahef1963: I had to let the watch books grow on me; didn't care for them at first but as the story went on grew to like it very much (Loved it when Vimes goes home to read his little boy a story, telling everyonne that he has an impta meeting

I love any book that has Vernai in it,, as well as Death. Oh and I did eat up all those young adult books when they came out.

54richardderus
Jun 9, 2020, 8:49 pm

I reviewed Hickory Dickory Dock, an Agatha Christie Poirot novel as well as its TV adaptation; a Nordic Noir novel, The Sacrament, very very touching; and Joe, the breakthrough 1991 novel by Larry Brown. All on their respective books' pages.

55princessgarnet
Jun 9, 2020, 9:20 pm

From the library: the complete Emma: A Victorian Romance series by Kaoru Mori, English translation by Sheldon Drzka
This historical fiction manga is available in 5 omnibus volumes.

56Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 9, 2020, 11:12 pm

Whose better Oscar Wilde or Charles Dickens and why?

57Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 9, 2020, 11:13 pm

What's so special about Edgar Allan Poe?

58Limelite
Jun 9, 2020, 11:52 pm

Picking at Brian Greene's classic cosmology book, The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality which I read for the first time shortly after it was published but decided I wanted to read it again since it was writt'en before exoplanet discoveries were all the thing; the Higgs Boson tumbled out of CERN; and the Universe's "missing" visible matter had been discovered. Wondering how these more recent discoveries will or won't affect the content of his excellent pop sci read.

Stuck my reading toe (it's the left one) into a novel by Sonia Velton, Black Berry & Wild Rose. It's an historical novel about Huguenot refugees who fled to England to escape persecution in France and took the silk weaving art with them.

Finding it hard to want to read with all that's going on in the outside world.

59Copperskye
Jun 10, 2020, 1:28 am

I’m reading Paulette Jiles’ Simon the Fiddler. The writing is good but I’m not finding it particularly compelling.

60Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 10, 2020, 5:32 am

I'm reading Dialogue (write great fiction) by Gloria Kempton

61richardderus
Jun 10, 2020, 10:03 am

So this time it's Agatha Christie's Poirot novel Dumb Witness in my sights. (The TV version was better for once!)

62cindydavid4
Jun 10, 2020, 10:08 am

>56 Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi:

well aside the fact that Dickens is famous for his stories and Wilde is famous for his plays, they are both favorites of mine.

63cindydavid4
Jun 10, 2020, 10:11 am

>57 Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi: Poe is a genuis at short stories. Still shiver when I read Annabell Lee (or hear the song!) He is one of the few writers of horror that i can read without nightmares.

btw curious, are you an english lit teacher by any chance?

64GURDEESH
Jun 10, 2020, 10:54 am

>63 cindydavid4:

No no, im not a teacher but I'm glad you thought so. Its an honor.
I'm a writer. A goofy one but I manage to write.

Are you an English lit teacher yourself?

65GURDEESH
Jun 10, 2020, 10:55 am

>62 cindydavid4: that is a splendid observation

66GURDEESH
Jun 10, 2020, 10:57 am

Can anyone give me ideas about how to shelve books? I have too many. Every horizontal surface in my house has scores of books piled upon it.

67JulieLill
Jun 10, 2020, 12:24 pm

68JulieLill
Editado: Jun 10, 2020, 12:25 pm

A Wind in the Door
Madeleine L'Engle
4/5 stars
This is the second book in the series about the Murry family. Charles Wallace Murray, who for the young age of 6 is already a genius, but he is now very sick. His mother fears it has something to do with his mitochondria. Meg, his sister, is determined to do something about it and with the help of her friend, Calvin O’Keefe she travels inside Charles’ body to fight an evil force that may kill him. L’Engle weaves such a tale of imagination that it is hard to put down.

69mnleona
Jun 10, 2020, 5:28 pm

70hemlokgang
Jun 10, 2020, 7:04 pm

Finished reading the excellent debut novel, The Jump Artist.

Next up for reading is an Early Reviewer Selection, Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas.

71framboise
Jun 10, 2020, 10:00 pm

Started reading A Way From Darkness by Taylor Hunt. This has been on my list for years. A memoir about his way out of addiction and how yoga was an integral part of his recovery. Hunt is an Ashtanga yoga teacher who runs his own studio in Ohio and being a student of ashtanga, I have been interested in his story.

72GURDEESH
Editado: Jun 11, 2020, 5:27 am

>20 cindydavid4:
Im tempted to read this one by Terry Prachette

73GURDEESH
Editado: Jun 11, 2020, 5:29 am

>43 LyndaInOregon:

I own all 3 books by Yuval Noah Harari. They are all marvelous..2nd one is Homo Deus and the 3rd one is 21 lessons for the 21st century

74GURDEESH
Jun 11, 2020, 6:53 am

Out of all of us, who owns a book nook? or a special space for reading?

75JulieLill
Jun 11, 2020, 1:10 pm

>74 GURDEESH: I mainly read in bed.

76BookConcierge
Editado: Jun 14, 2020, 2:12 pm


The Art Of Travel – Alain de Botton
4****

Any travel guide will tell us where we should travel and what we should see when we get there. Alain de Botton tries to tell us WHY we should travel.

In various chapters he expounds on what it is that travel offers us. From new experiences to wonders (small and large), from expanding our cultural references, to finding the familiar in a completely foreign location. He waxes poetic on the anticipation of arriving at a new location, the marvels of modes of transportation, on “country” vs “city,” on finding beauty – in the familiar as well as the exotic.

Sprinkled throughout are numerous references to previous travelers: Gustave Flaubert, William Wordsworth, Vincent Van Gogh, etc; as well as illustrations that support his text (both photographs and paintings).

I think he has opened my eyes and I will feel more open about all experiences henceforth, whether just the comfort of my own bedroom, the promise of Spring outside my window, or the excitement of a location that is completely new to me.

I picked up this book because it was a selection for a book club discussion run by a local university. Alas, COVID19 cancelled that meeting. I hope they will put it on the agenda again in the future.

77perennialreader
Jun 11, 2020, 2:18 pm

>76 BookConcierge: Loved that book. One of my all time favorites!

78seitherin
Jun 11, 2020, 5:40 pm

Finished Don't Make a Sound by T. R. Ragan. Added Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch to my rotation.

79hemlokgang
Editado: Jun 11, 2020, 11:15 pm

Finishedctge so-so Catherine House.

Next up for reading is Our Lady Of The Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga.

80Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Editado: Jun 12, 2020, 8:41 am

>Black berry wine by Joanne Harris

81LisaMorr
Jun 12, 2020, 11:49 am

Continuing with Use of Weapons, a Culture novel by Iain M. Banks and just started The invention of the white race, Volume 1: Racial oppression and social control by Theodore W. Allen.

82JulieLill
Jun 12, 2020, 2:19 pm

And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer
Fredrik Backman
5/5 stars
This story revolves around the time shared between a grandfather and his grandson as they discuss their wife/grandmother and evolves as they both age and take each other’s role in their lives. Backman’s doesn’t disappoint in this wonderful tale. Keep some tissues handy!

83LyndaInOregon
Editado: Jun 13, 2020, 12:04 am

>73 GURDEESH:
Still working on Sapiens. I'm a little more than halfway through, and enjoying it, but it's not a quick read.

I will need something frivolous after this!

84fredbacon
Jun 13, 2020, 12:41 am

The new thread is up over here.

85Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Editado: Jun 13, 2020, 2:05 am

the Code. By Margaret O'Mara

86Gurdeesh.Kaur.Sethi
Jun 13, 2020, 2:06 am

>83 LyndaInOregon:
Try Julia Quinn

87PaperbackPirate
Jun 14, 2020, 11:00 am

I also read Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. It was an exciting continuation of The Lunar Chronicles.