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Please share with us what you read April 2019 !

Please provide:

~ A GoodReads link
~ A few sentences telling us how you felt about the book.
~ How would you rate the book

Given the musing (ranting?) i posted about fiction early last month, it may surprise others, as it did me, to see how much fiction i read last month. Nothing bowled me over but nothing was awful, either.

When All Is Said by Anne Griffin is set in Ireland. This may mean Dem read it & i liked what she wrote. It was sweet and moving tale in which an old man sits alone in a pub and toasts five people (each with a different drink) who impacted his life.

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty was a pretty good one. As a young girl Lucy was struck by lightning, which left her a mathematical genius who dropped out of school for years. Finally, her grandmother makes her go to school for one year & this is how that went. Probably my favorite of the month--it is YA, btw.

Those who read the Poetry Thread at Book Nook know most of my thoughts about Wade in the Water: Poems, the latest volume from US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith. I learned some African American history and stories, as well as learning about "erasure poems".

The Keeper of Lost Causes is a mystery by Jussi Adler-Olsen which is set in Denmark. The story unfolds from two vantage points, a detective today and a kidnapped (presumed dead) legislator from 5 years earlier. It is the beginning of a series but not one i'd want to continue reading. That written, it was decent enough and i was engaged...just too much prose for me.

This Very Slender book i bought on our trip to New Mexico in March, thinking it would be about petroglyphs. Golden Tome of Treasure Signs, Symbols, and Marks #1 by treasure hunter A Adams was NOT about the ancient natives & their stone drawings. It was somewhat interesting for the history fan, as i learned a bit about mining by the old Spanish conquerors. Kinda fun but mostly not. :-)

Alias suggested i try The Wife by Meg Wolitzer even though she wasn't a fan of it. I did and i can see why she didn't like it. It was work getting through the first chapter as it's the sort of writing i don't like--over-prose-y and full of a woman's musings on those around her on a jet to Europe. I'll probably see the film someday, as i like Glenn Close, but it was fairly easy to see what was supposed to be "the reveal".

PattyMac reviewed Scrublands and liked it, so i tried it. Chris Hammer writes well and the story is a good one but it seemed to me he went on & on while only toward the end beginning to hint at the real problem. I suppose this could have been his intent, to help us see things from the reporter's POV but i didn't care for that.

I've been reading Kate Chopin's Bayou folk for some months now. As they are short stories set in late 1800 Louisiana (rarely New Orleans, mostly north of there), i wanted to pace myself. They are odd pieces, primarily about the possibilities of male/female couplings. Some ended abruptly and some explained much. Some of the dialogue was a challenge to read, as it was related in a Creole mix, sometimes Cajun and on. Still, good reading and unusual stories. It was different from her most famous work, The Awakening.

Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts was mentioned on one of the lists Alias shared in March. It's a fictional story of the meeting of L Frank Baum's widow Maud Gage Baum with Judy Garland as the film based on his The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: Large Print was being made. It was nice and i liked the way she alternated chapters with Maud's past (school, meeting Baum, her mother Matilda Joslyn Gage and her children) with 1938 Hollywood and her observations on the sound stage. The writing was serviceable and the story about what i wanted.

Last weekend our Friends of the Library sale held this gem, Prehistory of the Somerset Levels, which i really liked. We've been to many bogs in Ireland and England and were entranced by the history they've uncovered while extracting peat for burning. This slender book by John M. Coles briefly explained the science behind the findings, then gave details of what was found. I learned much & wish i'd read this before visiting my first bog. Of course now we have to return...

The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World is Melinda Gates's book about her work around the world and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. There were incredible stories of sadness, followed by some solutions which worked. Additionally there were strong facts and hopes for the future. It was a rather fast read, despite the long chapters, due to stories shared about women in poverty. She includes her own story throughout the book, usually to accent what she was telling about her own observations and how she came to understand others better.

madrano wrote: "Alias suggested i try The Wife by Meg Wolitzer even though she wasn't a fan of it. I did and i can see why she didn't like it. It was work getting through the first chapter as it's the sort of writing i don't like--over-prose-y and full of a woman's musings on those around her on a jet to Europe. I'll probably see the film someday, as i like Glenn Close, but it was fairly easy to see what was supposed to be "the reveal"...."

I never see the reveal before it's shown. Unfortunately, with this one I did. :(

madrano wrote:
The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World is Melinda Gates's book about her work around the world and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. There were incredible stories of sadness, followed by some solutions which worked. Additionally there were strong facts and hopes for the future. It was a rather fast read, despite the long chapters, due to stories shared about women in poverty. She includes her own story throughout the book, usually to accent what she was telling about her own observations and how she came to understand others better. ..."

Would you say you learned something new about poverty or basically confirmed what you already knew ? I'm on the fence if I should put it on my TBR list.

I only read two in April. However, they were both 5 stars.

Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe---Mike Massimino
Rate: 5/5
Nonfiction.
I really enjoyed this astronauts memoir. He tells of his struggles to become an astronaut and then of his mission to repair the Hubble telescope. I found it inspiring and quite moving. He is also a NY Mets fan so he won my heart with that. The book is very accessible and well done.

In Pieces----Sally Field
Rate 5/5
Non fiction
I normally am not a celebrity memoir fan. However, I decided to take a shot at this one as it's been on the NY Times bestseller list for awhile and it has a lot of reviews on Amazon. I found the memoir to be moving, honest and at times raw. I'm glad I read it.

Madrano, you've had a great reading month! I don't think I've heard of any of these titles (except Finding Dorothy, which I heard of through you).
I love the intrigue of bog bodies as well. Maybe it's best you hadn't heard of them when visiting bogs or you'd have been looking for a body while tramping around. :D
I'm going to have a look for this book. Thanks!

Alias, I'm wavering about Sally Field's book. I'm not usually fond of movie star memoirs.
I love that you both your reads were 5 star. That's a good month!

I've had a good reading month:

Oryx and Crake (3-star) and The Year of the Flood (5 star) by Margaret Atwood - I am rereading the MaddAddam trilogy and am thoroughly enjoying it. I'll be reading the last book in the next few weeks.
Reviews:
O&C: /review/show...
YotF: /review/show...

Wild Seed by Octavia Butler (3 star) - this story was disturbing. It was well written but I wasn't keen on the story. I won't be continuing with the series.
Review: /review/show...

Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima (3 star) - this was very well written and the story was interesting. It was a simple story and steeped with Japanese customs and outlooks. Without knowing much about the Japanese culture, it was difficult to understand the protagonists' actions at times. That said, I will continue with the series. It really was beautifully written and interesting.
Review: /review/show...

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller Jr (4 star) - a very good look at the human race recovering from a nuclear disaster. The story starts 600 years after the event. I really enjoyed this book.
Review: /review/show...

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur (3 star) - these poems are lovely and do empower women to believe in themselves. But the poems seem to be aimed for younger women than I am. I can remember the heartbreak of a first love but it's not that poignant to me anymore. These poems are poignant and painful. That said, I did enjoy them. They are free-form poems and some felt more like reminders than poems but beautifully worded.
Review: /review/show...

Alias, maybe we are jaded as far as the Worlitzer novel goes? It just seemed too obvious to me.

As for the Gates book, i thought i would know all that she had to say. And while i knew the major points (each chapter tackles a different area, such as job empowerment, health care, etc.) the statistics she shared, as well as the personal stories were instructive. She shared angles i hadn't thought of, as far as the stories go--and she's honest in writing that she, too, thought she knew what she would find sometimes.

Her stats are most recent, which helped me see how things were progressing since i first heard of some issue battles, such as HIV and agriculture. And, frankly, she addressed statistics in sharing some of her future plans, as well as how they assess success or failure in their foundation projects. I suppose coming from Microsoft people, i shouldn't be surprised that stats are important, but it shed more light for me.

It looks as though you had a very good reading month, though. Two 5 stars! Thanks on the update on the Fields book, btw.

Petra, you make a good point about reading post-bog visits. We visited one site in Ireland where the guide was in her 70s and very excited to share the latest facts they'd learned about their special bog--they have the longest bog-found "road" in the world in Corlea, county Longford. Previous to that i'd seen some of the ancient bodies, 1600 women's dress and shoes, etc. that have been recovered. Fascinating.

You had a good reading month, too. Your comments about reading the Margaret Atwood close in time makes sense. It's fun to see those previously missed connections on rereading. I'm tickled you liked Walter M. Miller Jr. novel as much as i did.

And thank you, Petra, for your reviews of Spring Snow and the poetry of Rupi Kaur, a name i didn't know before you wrote about him.

madrano wrote: "Given the musing (ranting?) i posted about fiction early last month, it may surprise others, as it did me, to see how much fiction i read last month. Nothing bowled me over but nothing was awful, e..."

Finding Dorothy sounds very interesting especially after reading the series last year. Will add to my reading list!

Alias Reader wrote: "madrano wrote: "Alias suggested i try The Wife by Meg Wolitzer even though she wasn't a fan of it. I did and i can see why she didn't like it. It was work getting through the first chapter as it's ..."

I don't usually see if either. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine was one of the few times I did, although still a great book.

My only read last month worth mentioning here was They Came to Baghdad, which worked well as an Agatha Christie stand-alone with a main character who kept me invested in the plot.

madrano wrote: "As for the Gates book, i thought i would know all that she had to say. And while i knew the major points (each chapter tackles a different area, such as job empowerment, health care, etc.) the statistics she shared, as well as the personal stories were instructive. She shared angles i hadn't thought of, as far as the stories go--and she's honest in writing that she, too, thought she knew what she would find sometimes. .."

Thank you for the further analysis.

Petra wrote: "I've had a good reading month:

Oryx and Crake (3-star) and The Year of the Flood (5 star) by Margaret Atwood - I am rereading the MaddAddam trilogy and am thoroughly en..."

Very nice month, Petra. I own Milk & Honey but have not read it yet.

As to the Atwood books, would you say even though they are a trilogy they are stand alone books?

Alias Reader wrote: "As to the Atwood books, would you say even though they are a trilogy they are stand alone books? ..."

I haven't reread the last but as I recall it, it is an ending and wouldn't make for a good stand-alone. I'll update this question when I read the book in a few weeks time.

Oryx & Crake could be a stand-alone. If you don't read on, you won't know the extra details. Being the beginning of the story you could end it where this book ends.

Year of the Flood is a side-by-side (time-wise) and slightly further along in time. Some details from O&C is missing, therefore, without reading O&C first, this book may be confusing at times. I don't think this would make a good stand-alone. There's too much missing from the first book.

Petra wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "As to the Atwood books, would you say even though they are a trilogy they are stand alone books? ..."

I haven't reread the last but as I recall it, it is an ending and wouldn'..."

Thank you !

Julie, i thought of you as i read Finding Dorothy, too. As i read, i wondered if i was missing bits that might allude to other Oz books i've yet to read. You would probably recognize them immediately, as the ones i "saw" were obvious.

John, i was unfamiliar with that Christie title, so will track it down. It's not that i've read all of her work, only that i particularly like ones in different settings in the world.

Alias, my pleasure to share more about the Gates book. It helped me organize some of my thoughts.

Until i read Petra's list for this month, i didn't realize that O&C was the first in a series. I'd thought she only wrote stand-alones. Now i know this isn't the case.

Iced Malice by Marla Madison
Rating 3/5
This is the second of a series based in Wisconsin. It is a solid read and the book has some quirky characters
Victoria The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire by Julia Baird
Rating 4/5
I have watched and enjoyed the 2 seasons of Victoria on Masterpiece Theatre. This book provided a picture of the difference on how history has regarded Queen Victoria and what the actual way she was perceived by her husband, children and statesmen.
The Case of the Caretaker's Cat by Erle Stanley Gardner
Rating 3/5
As I have mentioned Perry Mason novels were the first "adult" mysteries I read. I am reading them all in order. As this is one of the early ones written in the late thirties or early forties, the language is somewhat stilted but I enjoy the stories and characters.
Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny
Rating 4/5
This the latest of the Inspector Gamache series. The mystery was good and it was wonderful to visit Three Pines and the citizens of the town.
Angora Alibi by Sally Goldenbaum
Rating 3/5
This was part of the Seaside Knitters Serie. It is cozy mystery which was what I needed.

Meredith wrote: Victoria The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire by Julia Baird
Rating 4/5
I have watched and enjoyed the 2 seasons of Victoria on Masterpiece Theatre. This book provided a picture of the difference on how history has regarded Queen Victoria and what the actual way she was perceived by her husband, children and statesmen."

I have heard only good things about this series. I'll watch it one of these days. I am always behind in TV series.

Thanks for sharing your reads Meredith. You had a very nice reading month.

Hello! These are my April reads:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Rating: A-
Review: This one is the first very long one and parts of it were a bit boring, but the tournament and the and were great so it's A-.

Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories by Naomi Kritzer
Review only for Cat Pictures Please story
Rating: A+
Review: I love this story! Firstly because CATS!!! I love the and I have to baby girls that annoy me but also make my life so much better. I love looking at cat videos and pictures. I have a huge stack of cat pictures for this AI if it ever wants to help me with my life. :D :D
This was such a cute story. An AI that wants to help people. We've seen to much movies or read stories about robots trying to harm people. Though, the fact that the AI knew everything about everybody gave me the creeps.

Todas las almas by Javier Marías
Rating: D+
Review: This was one extremely boring book, which is very disappointing since I really enjoyed the short story of the same author. The writing style, although clever when you look at it from the artistic point of view, just didn't suit me. There were a few interesting chapters, but they just can't save the book as a whole from a D.

Las otras vidas by Antonio Muñoz Molina
Rating: B
Review: A very funny story about a trip to Marrakesh. Compared to other Spanish authors I've read, it's obvious this one is from Andalusia. :D :D

A Dead Woman's Secret by Guy de Maupassant
Rating: B
Review: In the wake of their very strict and sanctimonious mother's death, a man (who became a very strict and severe judge thanks to the upbringing) and a woman (who because of the upbringing came to loathe men and became a nun) discover that their mother wasn't as saintly and pure as she made them believe.

Maggie Smith by Michael Coveney (no photo)
Rating: B-
Review: I admire Dame Maggie Smith very much and I jumped at the occasion to read her biography. It was very interesting to learn about her life and all the tidbits (although, she is an insanely private person). It's visible from the writing style that the author is a huge fan because he can't hide the star-struck tone of the book. He also mentions how some things had an impact on him, so it's also partly a memoir. There are a lot of secondary characters and the book is all over the place, making it hard to catch all the threads.

Meredith, the Baird book on Victoria sounds good--while watching the PBS program i wonder what others thought of the action. Thanks for that title. You've caught my interest with the Wisconsin mystery series, too. It looks as though you had a fine reading month. I hope May is as rewarding.

Samanta, i feel your frustration with the Marias novel. It's particularly disappointing when one really likes an author's short stories. There are some authors who just seem unable to create compelling longer books, which seems sad to readers.

The biography of Smith is interesting, given the fact she is a private person. I remember being stunned to learn actor Toby Stephens was her son--i couldn't imagine her married, let alone with children! Congratulations on another good reading month.

Samanta wrote: "A Dead Woman's Secret by Guy de Maupassant
Rating: B
Review: In the wake of their very strict and sanctimonious mother's death, a man (who became a very strict and severe judge thanks to the upbringing) and a woman (who because of the upbringing came to loathe men and became a nun) discover that their mother wasn't as saintly and pure as she made them believe. ..."

Thanks for sharing your monthly reads.

This one sounds interesting. Even though you only gave it a B.

Is this part of a short story collection ?

Alias Reader wrote: "Samanta wrote: "A Dead Woman's Secret by Guy de Maupassant
Rating: B
Review: In the wake of their very strict and sanctimonious mother's death, a man (who became a very strict and severe judge than..."

I'm honestly not sure, Alias. It was part of a continuous short story buddy read I form part in another group, so I only had an online link to the story.

Samanta wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "Samanta wrote: "A Dead Woman's Secret by Guy de Maupassant
Rating: B
Review: In the wake of their very strict and sanctimonious mother's death, a man (who became a very strict ..."

Thanks for the link !

Nice reading month, Samanta.

The biography of Dame Maggie Smith would be really interesting, I think. I like her films.

I like her, too, although I only really know her from Harry Potter, Ladies in Lavender and Downton Abbey. I decided to see more of her movies.

If you decide to read the book, ne prepared that it's all over the place.

madrano wrote: "
The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World is Melinda Gates's book about her work around the world and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. There were incredible stories of sadness, followed by some solutions which worked. Additionally there were strong facts and hopes for the future. It was a rather fast read, despite the long chapters, due to stories shared about women in poverty. She includes her own story throughout the book, usually to accent what she was telling about her own observations and how she came to understand others better.
..."

Deb, Melinda Gates is on CSPAN2 Book TV this weekend.

I hope to catch her but know i'll be able to see her on the C-Span website, if that fails. Thanks for keeping an eye out for that.

The above is spam, IMHO.

John wrote: "The above is spam, IMHO."

I flagged it when I found it on my challenge.

He appeared in another group, too, under different name.

I didn’t realize he’s posted this way in other groups. It appears Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ isn’t very diligent on spam.

John wrote: "The above is spam, IMHO."

I don't see the post you are referring to in this thread. Can you give me the poster's name and the post # ?

Thanks.

I think GR took care of it before you could get to it.

Thank you, John.

Alias, he/she/it appeared in different groups with different names but same message and profile picture.

Kudos to GR for totally removing those posts!

Wow ! I go away for the weekend and miss all the excitement. :)

I'm glad to see GR handled it quickly.

Agreed.

I didn't realize it but April 2019 was an excellent month too for reading - I have quite a few to list here so bear with me. Six four star reads and one five star read.

Hell House by Richard Matheson - four stars.
My review:
/review/show...

The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons - four stars.
My review:
/review/show...

In the Dark of the Night by John Saul - four stars.
My review:
/review/show...

The Brother's Curse by Aden Clark - four stars.
My review:
/review/show...


Paperbacks From Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction by Grady Hendrix - five stars.
My review:
/review/show...

The Right Hand of Evil by John Saul - four stars.
My review:
/review/show...

Till Death Do Us Part by J.J. Slate - four stars.
My review:
/review/show...

I do love a good Matheson book! I also read the Hendrix book - I thought that was interesting.

So many interesting books, Marie. I’ve heard of the first two authors & several of their books.

Your 5 book is a great idea. I can imagine the list you created after reading that one!

But that last one takes the (wedding) cake. It’s surprising that there are that many sad endings in the early years of marriages. Sounds like a good book. Thanks.

Julie wrote: "I do love a good Matheson book! I also read the Hendrix book - I thought that was interesting."

Matheson's writing was grand in that book! I need to pursue his other works as well! :) Grady Hendrix has more books out which I need to read. :)

madrano wrote: "So many interesting books, Marie. I’ve heard of the first two authors & several of their books.

Your 5 book is a great idea. I can imagine the list you created after reading that one!

But t..."

Thank you, Madrano! Yes I love to read a variety of books. I do normally read a lot of horror as that is my main genre, but I like to step out into other realms once in awhile. :)

Same here, Marie. It keeps me on my toes, so to speak.