Off-Topic Spring Reading

[donnamp]

I had mixed feelings about Holly. I read it b/c I like the character, but I didn't like the writing - it seems that Stephen King's later books just don't have the same quality of writing that his older books had - they seem very amateurish It almost makes me wonder if he has ghost writers - b/c it doesn't seem to be written by the same person who gave us The Shining, The Stand, Dead Zone, etc.

I also was annoyed by the overt political stuff in the book. And I got the vaccine - in fact several of them but the way he handled it in the book also seemed amateurish and juvenile. Yes, you can't write a book that takes place in 2020/2021 without addressing the pandemic, the vaccines and the political climate - but a good writer can get the message across in a more subtle and nuanced way. It just seemed like an 8th grader wrote it.

I tried to get into Fairy Tale and just couldn't.....

I think he has lost his touch!

On a positive note, I loved The Women by Kristin Hannah and I'm reading Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray and I'm enjoying that as well.



Donna

[toaster]

Donna, I agree to some extent about the changes to King's writing over the years. Several of his novels in the past 10-20 years have felt overly bloated to me, in need of some good editing (including 11/22/63, which many loved). I did like Fairy Tale, but really more the second half - I thought the first half was a bit of a slog.

[Erica H.]

Originally Posted by donnamp

On a positive note, I loved The Women by Kristin Hannah and I'm reading Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray and I'm enjoying that as well.



Donna

I'm looking forward to reading The Women whenever I get down the hold list at the library. I just put Becoming Madam Secretary on my to-read list because it looks really good! Thanks for sharing.

I just finished Says Who?: A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words by Anne Curzan. It's an interesting book, but I don't recommend reading it straight through the way I did because there's a lot of information there to absorb and also not an easy read. I had to get it back to the library quickly, so I felt kind of rushed while reading it. Some of the grammar was over my head and I definitely needed more time to get the most out of this book.

Erica

[Paine]

Since the last time I posted in this thread, I've read:

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger
The Last Word by Taylor Adams

I just started: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

[toaster]

Originally Posted by Paine

I just started: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

Ha, maybe I shouldn't have said in my last post that I found it bloated.

[Laura S.]

Originally Posted by donnamp

On a positive note, I loved The Women by Kristin Hannah and I'm reading Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray and I'm enjoying that as well.

Good to hear! When I signed up for The Women at the library, I was #1124 in the hold list. Now, I'm down to #550. Woo hoo! I also have Madam Secretary on my list and I'm under 20 on the hold list.

[Cleda]

Moving through the Cork O'Connor books. Just read:

Copper River Book #6 (William Kent Krueger)

and now I'm reading Tom Lake.

I've ordered Books #7 & #8 and they have #9 on the shelf, so I'll be good to go tomorrow!

Cleda

[Kathy G]

Originally Posted by Cleda

Moving through the Cork O'Connor books. Just read:

Copper River Book #6 (William Kent Krueger)

and now I'm reading Tom Lake.

I've ordered Books #7 & #8 and they have #9 on the shelf, so I'll be good to go tomorrow!

Cleda

I just ordered “Tom Lake” on Audible. It was part of the two for one credit deals. I also got “Dear Edward” with it.

Based on all the great reviews of “The Women” here, I got that one too. Oh and I got “Dark Matter” from Blake Crouch because it’s going to be an AppleTV series released soon. I had Audible credits to use up, lol. Now I just have to decide which one to listen to first!

[Cleda]

Finished:

Tom Lake by Ann Pratchett
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
Thunder Bay #7 Cork O'Connor seriesWilliam Kent Krueger

I enjoyed Tom Lake - having been in several different theater groups when I was young. Made for a fun read. Brought back a bunch of fun memories!!!

The Berry Pickers - I liked it also! Quick read (and I shed a few tears. Bear in mind that I can cry at a commercial or a Hallmark movie, predictable though they may be. . . so take any crying with a grain of salt.! You've been warned. )

Thunder Bay - It was a fast read for me also. It amazes me how he can change the stories. Not the regular who dunnits. and tell stories of the characcters.

I have 2 more of WKK's to read, then will order the next 2 or 3
I also have Remarkably Bright Creatures on hold at the library and it's finally in. So I'll head over today and swap some. I resisted this one for quite some time. It seems that when other people really like a book (or a movie) I tend to not like it as much, so I resisted this one!!! I hope I'm surprised.

Onward.
Cleda

[Carol K]

Originally Posted by Cleda

Finished:

Tom Lake by Ann Pratchett
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
Thunder Bay #7 Cork O'Connor seriesWilliam Kent Krueger

I enjoyed Tom Lake - having been in several different theater groups when I was young. Made for a fun read. Brought back a bunch of fun memories!!!



Onward.
Cleda

Hope you didn't rupture your Achilles' tendon before the end of the season.