DECEMBER READS

[rapa]

Happy December!  Busy month for most of us but always time to relax with a good read!  I've finished Amy Tan's THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT and thoroughly enjoyed it.  It tells the story of a mother and daughter who were both high class courtesans in China. The story covers forty years. 

Currently well into David Baldacci's KING AND MAXWELL.  Am quite enjoying following King and Maxwell--former Secret Service agents turned private investigators, as they try to help a teenage boy prove that his father who was reported killed in Afghanistan is alive and not a traitor.  Story moves quickly and lots of action!

What are you reading???????

[Mandy Muffin]

I am just finishing off a good spy read by Daniel Silva, "The Fallen Angel."  http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Angel-Daniel-Silva-ebook/dp/B0070XQDRO...  It is still $2.99 on Amazon. 

I really enjoyed "Identical" by Scott Turow.  http://www.amazon.com/Identical-Free-Preview-First-Chapters-ebook/d...

You can read the first four chapters for free on your Kindle, but I borrowed the  book from the library.  The cast of characters is enough to carry the plot, with identical twins accused of murder, a lesbian former FBI head of security being stalked by her former lover, a 81 year old investigator contemplating assisted living as his prostrate is acting up, a crazy Greek family and more twists in the plot than you can keep up with. The story is a Greek tragedy set in the modern area.  

[Slopok]

Reading a W.E.B. Griffin WWII war story The Last Heroes.

[Susan Gillmor]

I just joined TBD so I could find Bookoholics (from Eons) again (thank you rapa and Grammie Sue) and I see several other familiar names here!  Hello, all!!  I just finished reading Berlin Diaries 1940 - 1945 by Marie Vassiltchikov.  It's a fascinating non-fiction by a White Russian aristocrat-in-exile in Berlin who has a close-up view of the conspiracy to assassinate Hitler (called the 20th of July Plot).  Her account of life in war-time Nazi Berlin held my interest.  Although her general view of the world is from an unusually privileged perch, her account of conditions and her humility in the face of growing deprivations is poignant and riveting.    

[rapa]

So-o-o happy to see you back in the fold, Sue!!! Welcome home!  We've missed you! 

I'm currently reading Wally Lamb's new novel WE ARE WATER.  Here is a portion of an editorial review:

"We Are Water is an intricate and layered portrait of marriage, family, and the inexorable need for understanding and connection, told in the alternating voices of the Ohs—nonconformist Annie; her ex-husband, Orion, a psychologist; Ariane, the do-gooder daughter, and her twin, Andrew, the rebellious only son; and free-spirited Marissa, the youngest Oh. Set in New England and New York during the first years of the Obama presidency, it is also a portrait of modern America, exploring issues of class, changing social mores, the legacy of racial violence, and the nature of creativity and art.

With humor and breathtaking compassion, Wally Lamb brilliantly captures the essence of human experience in vivid and unforgettable characters struggling to find hope and redemption in the aftermath of trauma and loss. We Are Water is vintage Wally Lamb—a compulsively readable, generous, and uplifting masterpiece that digs deep into the complexities of the human heart to explore the ways in which we search for love and meaning in our lives."

[Mandy Muffin]

I am a huge Wally Lamb fan.  I spent between 1957 and 1965 living in a small town in the vicinity of Norwich, Conn.  This is where Lamb, a former teacher at Norwich Free Academy and The University of Connecticut (where I got my MBA), taught English. Reading one of his novels is like going back in time and visiting places that were my haunts as he puts most of his action in his novels in this region.  In "The Hour I First Believed" he has his main character walking into a Department Store in Jewett City, Connecticut where I was once the Assistance Manager. I have this one on my futures list and will pick it up a for the $8 price on Amazon. 

[Susan Gillmor]

Thank you, rapa - good to find all of you here!

[Ray]

Rapa, I haven't posted for a while as I have been spending some time with my 6-month old grandson.  I have enjoyed several books recently, including Evil, Inc. by Glenn Kaplan and a new series:  Ghostman by Roger Hobbs, both thrillers.  I was happy to see a familiar name on my library's list of new mysteries and thrillers today.  The 10TH book in Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor series called Purgatory is now available.  This is a dark Irish noir series that I will always read every book.  Unfortunately I am 21 on the list, but with six copies available, it won't be too long of a wait.  Ray.

[rapa]

Good to hear from you, Ray!  Had pictured you lounging on some island enjoying your retirement!  Bet spending time with your grandson has been a total joy.  Imagine his big sister is doting on him.  Maybe we could arrange a play-date with your grandson and my great-granddaughter who is also age six months.  ;)  For Christmas I'm recording for her a Hallmark recordable book TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR A Bedtime Story.  She lives too far for me to visit but I can send my voice and my love.

[Slopok]

Rapa, download Skype. I talk, with video, to my son and grandchildren in Shanghia and in NC. Really a neat thing, never thought I would see it. The basic Skype is free.

[rapa]

Hey, Slopok!!! I do have Skype but have never used it.   Are you suggesting that we have a BOOKOHOLIC party via Skype????  Can it be done with a group?  Wouldn't that be a hoot!!!! :)

[Lip Service]

Skype can be run as an audio connection or also a audio-visio connection.

It can have multiple participents from different locations not just two.

Finally it can be recorded and the result made available on youtube for example

[Slopok]

Actually I was thinking of your great-granddaughter....Don't know how a Bookoholic skype would work out. I think you have to be a premium (money) member to do groups.