09-28-23, 10:15 AM | ||
Join Date: Nov 2001
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Quote:
I finished Loud and am now reading Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio. ETA - I'm going to read this next - also about a female athlete: Brave Enough by Jessie Diggins Erica |
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10-01-23, 04:14 PM | |
VF Supporter
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: New Jersey
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I finished Walking With Gorillas - the Journey of an African Wildlife Vet by Gladys Kalema-Kikusoka
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wal...oka/1142541384 I started reading it before my gorilla trekking trip this summer but hadn't finished it. I got it from the library on a 14 day loan and was reading other things at the same time. I decided to borrow it again after my trip so I could finish it. It was easy to read and basically well written but was a bit repetitive and began to sound like a narrative version of a resume. The beginning of the book is an account of her path to becoming a vet and her first job as a wildlife vet. The most interesting aspect of the book though is how public health initiatives and tourism can promote wildlife conservation. She also discussed her work treating and "moving" other wildlife like elephants, giraffes etc. The photos of those activities were really something. I heard her speak on the Better Travel Podcast Episode 2.9 "Can Tourism help save Uganda's mountain gorillas?" A good listen if you are interested but don't have time to read the book. |
10-02-23, 05:05 PM | |
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Home of Buddy Holly
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October New Release's
Here are a few new releases for October. Happy reading!!
3rd Judgment Prey (Prey, book 33) - John Sandford The Last Exchange - Charles Martin A Cold Highland Wind (Lady Emily Mysteries, book 17) - Tasha Alexander The Twelve Months of Christmas - Sheila Roberts Wreck the Halls- Tessa Bailey Into the Fire (Undaunted Courage, book 1)- Irene Hannon 10th Twas the Bite Before Christmas (Andy Carpenter, book 28) - David Rosenfelt Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! (Meg Langslow, book 34) - Donna Andrews Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop (Christmas Bookshop, book 2) - Jenny Colgan Overdue or Die (Haunted Library Mystery, book 7) - Allison Brook Sugar Plum Poisoned (Cupcake Bakery Mystery, book 15) - Jenn McKinlay Paradise for Christmas (Sisters in Paradise, book 1) - Carolyn Brown Dreaming of Water - AJ Banner Promise Me - Jill Mansell A Traitor in Whitehall (Evelyne Redfern, book 1) – Julia Kelly The Head That Wears the Crown - Mariah Stewart The Sunlit Man (Secret Projects, book 4) – Brandon Sanderson (kindle) Touched - Walter Mosley Christmas at the Shelter Inn - RaeAnne Thayne A Winter to Remember – Roisin Meaney (kindle) 17th Stalking Around the Christmas Tree (Christmas Tree Farm Mystery, book 4) - Jacqueline Frost The Christmas Guest - Peter Swanson A Chapter on Murder (Bookstore Mystery, book 3) - Sue Minix American Girl - Wendy Walker The Twelve Dogs of Christmas - Susan Wiggs The Exchange (Firm, book 2) - John Grisham 24th The Secret (Jack Reacher, book 28) - Andrew Child and Lee Child Hercule Poirot's Silent Night (Hercule Poirot Mystery, book 5) - Sophie Hannah The Bigfoot Queen (Littlest Bigfoot, book 3) - Jennifer Weiner (childrens fiction) In the Dark – Claire Allan Snow Place for Murder (Mountain Lodge Mystery, book 3) - Diane Kelly The Last Close Call - Laura Griffin The Fatal Folio (Cambridge Bookshop, book 3) - Elizabeth Penney The Great Deceiver (Brighton Mysteries, book 7) – Elly Griffths ( audio) Dating Can Be Deadly (Amish Matchmaker Mystery, book 5) - Amanda Flower Tulle Death Do Us Part (Material Witness Mystery, book 4) – Diane Vallere (kindle) Lost & Hound (Jane Arnold, book 15) - Rita Mae Brown How the Hitman Stole Christmas (Holiday With a Hitman, book 1) – Katie Rues (kindle) Christmas Presents - Lisa Unger Murder Uncorked (Cece Barton Mystery) - Maddie Day The Twelve Books of Christmas (Bibliophile Mystery, book 17) - Kate Carlisle The Christmas Love Letters – Sue Moorcroft (audio) 31st Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, book 30) - Janet Evanovich |
10-02-23, 06:47 PM | |
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Maryland, USA
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Hi,
I am just about finished w/ Stephen King's Holly. I am enjoying the book b/c I like the character. Holly is a minor character in some of his other novels - Mr. Mercedes - which I haven't read yet and in a short story and something else that I did read (the name escapes me!) -anyway - I was familiar with the character which is why I wanted to read it. And I would recommend it if you like this character and SK's sick mind - because it is pretty sick. What I didn't like - the story takes place largely in 2020/2021 and SK, in my opinion, went a bit over the top with the politics of this particular time period - particularly as it relates to COVID. Yes, writing a story that takes place in that time period - he would have to address the "elephant in the room" so to speak but it is a little bit much - and very obvious as to which side he is on. And, this is coming from someone who totally believed the virus was a dangerous thing at the time, supported some of the lockdown measures of the time, and got vaccinated and boosted. I would just think a writer of SK's caliber and experience would be able to handle that time period in a more subtle, fair and even-handed way. With the way of the world today, the last thing we need is more polarization and division. So, I rate it favorably for the character and her story (and his sick imagination) and a meh - for the political posturing. Did anyone read Fairy Tale? I just could NOT get into it. I think his writing in general has slipped quite a bit from his older stuff. Even though Holly has kept my attention I just feel the writing quality isn't what it once was. Donna |
10-02-23, 06:56 PM | |||
Join Date: Nov 2001
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Erica |
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10-03-23, 06:18 AM | |
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Maryland, USA
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Agreed, Erica!
I finished the book and he addresses being "preachy" in the afterword. I still didn't like that part of the book - even though I generally agreed with his outlook - I didn't necessarily agree with how he handled those that opposed his viewpoint. But I guess that is the way of the world today. I may go back and read the "Mercedes" trilogy - which I never read. But for now I have on tap - The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman - I like this series about a quirky set of amateur detectives in a retirement village. Donna |
10-03-23, 08:45 AM | |
VF Supporter
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Connecticut
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Hello all! I haven't updated in quite a while, not having read many winners lately. Some brief recaps:
The Hanging City by Charlie N. Holmberg - this was a Prime read. I chose it to take a break from First Reads thrillers and murder mysteries. It was weird - a dystopian society in which a human outcast woman finds refuge within a community of trolls. 3 stars. Sing, Wild Bird, Sing by Jacqueline O'Mahony. I actually loved this one. It's a historical fiction, written with a spiritual twist, about an Irish famine refugee who lands in NYC and travels out west to the wilds of Oregon. She is the lone survivor of the Doolough "death march" in Ireland which I'd never read about before. 4.5 stars. I'm Wearing Tunics Now: On Growing Older, Better, and a Hell of a Lot Louder by Wendy Aarons. Meh. Tries too hard to be "cute" with profanity. Too heavy on politics for my taste. 2.5 stars for being funny in some areas. The Alienist by Caleb Carr. Took it back to the library before page 100. It was well written but I was taken aback at the 500 pages and it moved way too slow. True Biz by Sara Novic. It is about a deaf girl and the deaf community at large, with a lot of information on ASL, BASL, social divides among the deaf community, medical practices, etc. There are insets and sidebars showing hand positions and items of interest. Interesting and eye opening, but not so sure I liked the story that ties it all together. 3 stars. The Gunslinger by Stephen King (Dark Tower Book 1). Finally finished it! I've tried 3 or 4 times over the last 15 years and could not finish this short book. Others have told me they've struggled with it, too. Usually I eat SK books up. Thankfully book 2, The Drawing of the Three, is speeding by. |
Tags |
audiobooks, books, fall reading, kindle, off topic, off-topic, reading |
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