Off-Topic Fall Reading

[Erica H.]

Originally Posted by Pat58

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.

I read this and felt the same way. I had very mixed feelings about it. I'm interested in reading Sing, Wild Bird, Sing, after reading your review.

I just finished Brave Enough, by Jessie Diggins (Olympic gold medalist). It was okay.

I think I'm going to read Secrets of Giants: A Journey to Uncover the True Meaning of Strength next. I'm a little overwhelmed with too many books from the library right now.

Erica

[Pat58]

Erica, I hope you enjoy Sing, Little Bird, Sing as much as I did. There is a lot of sadness, but I couldn't put it down. It was different.

Donna - an SK fan group I follow on Facebook is filled with your sentiments toward Holly. I'd say about 1/3 love it but the majority either hated it or somewhat enjoyed. The political focus was a turn-off for many. I'm going to read it with an open mind and make my own judgment after skimming through the prior three again.

I did read Fairy Tale last year - I dunno about that one. I enjoyed parts of it, parts of it were just too much. It felt like SK was tripping. I have to reread that one again in the future.

[Kathy G]

Originally Posted by donnamp

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

My sentiments too! I just finished Holly last night. The ending eludes to another book in the future, I think.

Likes:
Interesting characters with Holly, Gerome, and Barbara. So happy that the siblings (Gerome & Barbara) are doing so well with their writing careers!

Creepy, disgusting, motive/content. Just yuck, lol but the separate timeline chapters slowly revealed the plot.

Dislikes:
Political rhetoric but SK is known for it. I may share some of his views but readers don’t want it thrown in their face constantly.

I tired of the pandemic stuff but it made me remember how scary and uncertain everything was still at that time.

My favorite SK book the last 3-4 years has been Billy Summers. It was a very different subject than what he’s known for but it was a good read.

[toaster]

I haven't read Holly yet. I believe I've read all of the other novels that include that character.

I agree with Kathy that Stephen King is known for his political commentary. He is not at all subtle in his opinions (and to Donna, I think King can be more subtle but am guessing that he chose not to be in this book).

I read Fairy Tale last year. It took me awhile to get into it, but I really enjoyed it in the end. I do think most of King's more recent books could use quite a bit more editing/streamlining - I even thought that about 11/22/63, which shows up on a lot of favorite lists.

[Pat58]

Thanks for the review Kathy G!

[Rivercat]

Originally Posted by Pat58

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.

Well, wasn't expecting that sentence

Originally Posted by Pat58

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.

I've tried to read it a couple of times and just can't get into it. Have heard the series is much better after the first one but not sure I have it in me to muddle through to get to the other side.

[Laura S.]

Right now, I'm reading Must Love Flowers by Debbie Macomber. Unlike some of her other more recent books, I'm enjoying this book. I'm also reading Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson. It is good.

Other books I've read recently include:

The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers - This was a hard read for me, partially because of the subject and partially because I had a hard time keeping some of the characters straight. But it was worth the read in the end.

Dead in the Water by Dana Stabenow - This is such a good series. This book made me very glad that I never tried to be a fisherwoman in Alaska. The story swept me up and I could see the action from her descriptions.

A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice by Rebecca Connolly - This book told the story of the Titanic from the point of view of the captain of The Carpathia, the ship that arrived to rescue the survivors. It was a very good book. It is also a faith-based book.

Other books I read that I did NOT like included:

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams - It wasn't horrible, but seemed silly to me.

Essex Dogs by Dan Jones - I liked this book at the beginning, but it bogged down. It was about the foot soldiers in a war between England and France in the 1100s.

Bluebird by Sharon Cameron - This book barely kept my attention for a while, but it got really repetitive and I gave up. It was the story of the daughter of a Nazi doctor in one of the camps who could brainwash people into becoming killers and her search for him after the war.

[Rivercat]

I just finished Chuck Wendig's new horror novel Black River Orchard about (yes) creepy apples and really enjoyed it. He does the Stephen King thing of really going into each character's story and point of view and the location's history, but also moving things along at a good pace. If you enjoy/tolerate some cult horror/body horror/plant horror, you might enjoy this one.

It also made me super hungry for apples, but my friend was completely turned off of them for a while, so YMMV

[toaster]

RE The Gunslinger - I'm actually surprised I continued the series after that one! But I loved the 2nd and 3rd books (and pretty much the rest of the series).

Just started reading a new Tudor novel (I've read quite a few of them!), The Queen's Handmaiden by Jennifer Ashley. I like it so far. I'm also reading a non-fiction book about Little Women, Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters. It's interesting - it talks about the Alcott family, publishing, movie adaptations, influences, and more.

[difit]

Here are few new releases for November. Happy reading!

7th
Jack Frost (novella) – Debbie Macomber (kindle)
Resurrection Walk (Lincoln Lawyer, book 7) - Michael Connelly
A Christmas Vanishing (Christmas, book 21) - Anne Perry
The Spy Coast (Martini Club, book 1) - Tess Gerritsen
Someone Always Nearby - Susan Wittig Albert
The Wishing Bridge - Viola Shipman
The Manor House - Gilly MacMillan
Overwatch: Declassified (Overwatch) - Seanan McGuire (non-fiction)
All the Little Truths (Finley O'Sullivan, book 3) – Debra Webb (kindle)
The Fake Wife – Sharon Bolton (kindle)
The Lover – Silvia Moreno Garcia (kindle)
Norfolk (Ruth Galloway Mysteries) – Elly Griffths (kindle)
Housemoms – Jen Lancaster

14th
Inheritance (Lost Bride Trilogy, book 1) - Nora Roberts (paranormal romance)
Hope for the Holidays - Daryl Wood Gerber
Bulletproof Barista (Coffeehouse Mystery, book 20) - Cleo Coyle
Murder Checks Out (Blue Ridge Library Mystery, book 8) - Victoria Gilbert
The Edge (Travis Devine, book 2) - David Baldacci

21st
Defiant (Skyward, book 4) - Brandon Sanderson (YA fantasy)

28th
The Kingdom of Sweets - Erika Johansen
The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid mystery, book 2) – Nita Prose
The Talk of Coyote Canyon (Coyote Canyon, book 2) - Brenda Novak
That Others May Live (F.B.I. K-9, book 8) - Sara Driscoll