FEBRUARY READS

[rapa]

"RABBIT RABBIT RABBIT"

It's Super Bowl Sunday, Mandy is on his way to Rio and tomorrow Punxsutawney Phil will have his annual outing. Happy February and "Happy reading to all!"

[Beezerette]

I'd love to go visit McAllen, especially when we get all the snow here!

[Carolyn Tewell]

RAPA...LEAVING TIME~Jodi Picoult....I am about 1/3 the way through in hardback (large print) and probably the most engrossing book I've read in months!

WARNING! It does have serious nature descriptions...but I watch a lot of stuff on PBS and animal planet and can digest the reality of life in the wild...or even places like zoos. Big ruckus here locally about NOT wanting the Circus to perform here. Speaking of that:

PBS "EARTH: The New Wild "has started their series. I have watched the first segment.

RAPA...I did see Karlie...family must be very proud!

LIP...winter continues onward here in NE OHIO! But points east are suffering, too. Actually the weather is hot topic (punny) all over as my friend in California are handling some sort of stormy rains.

THORNBIRDS~ Colleen McCoulough sp. Got me through a terrible romantic breakup! I'm thinking of a re-read. Would refer to my Grand-daughter who is engaged to a really cool DUDE from Australia! Would it be as engaging for her?
Moment

[Carolyn Tewell]

Grammy...Dugoni...I liked the one mystery from him as well. I'll get the Title next post.

Mandy your book list is very close to the recommendations in WSJ or USA Today...I study them also some on a list from Library for the book club. I pretty much lean towards mysteries but will await your rave reviews of what was best.

KEN FOLLET...I am listening to CODE ZERO...published in 2000. Dang...he is a good writer! Story takes place for the most part in 1958 ...back when the U.S. was trying to launch a rocket into space.

DANIEL SILVA...Not certain I can get into the whole "art restorer" thing...I loved Goldfinch, tho' and I worked for 7 years at a Fine Art Auction house here in Cleveland...met some of the folks from Christies and Sotheby's ...maybe give him a try.

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN ...my DH says the movie was great...I have on nightstand for a listen.

Snow melting at least until new blast hits tonight!~mellow

[Carolyn Tewell]

RAPA!!!! Leaving Time...just finished tonight...how in the ...ahem...World am I ever going to find a Book to top this??? Seriously, I know most of you realize I like mysteries by male Authors with stories featuring guns firing and cars rolling over and cheap dates...but this book is just so amazing!

The challenge is "how do you recommend the thing?" Most people can't handle animal abuse???

[rapa]

Am so happy you enjoyed it!!!! I had trouble recommending it as it's the kind of book one either loves or hates!!! I gifted it to two women at Christmas but haven't heard either reaction. :(

Have now started my first Daniel Silva.....THE ENGLISH GIRL.

[Carci]

Carolyn & Rapa... I'm one of those who didn't care for Leaving Time.  While I loved the elephant part of the book, I thought the ending ruined it... I like a twist at the end but that was ridiculous.

I can't even say why I disliked it without giving away too much to those who haven't read it.  It's probably not what you think.

[Carolyn Tewell]

CARCI...I loved the ending!!! Actually, my heart was pounding and thought OMG!!! How amazing that someone could even bring this concept to LIFE!!!

RAPA/CARCI...As for recommending the book and this is no "spoiler" really...back years ago I was willing to suffer through all those "Flowers in the Attic" books and my adult gals read them, too...so is this any different ...well, in another way.

Tons of people are reading or have read the book by one of these young women who were trapped in a horror house here in Cleveland for 10 years. Obviously Leaving Time is not the same story-line but it does reveal facts that are part of the "dark side?"

Really hard to talk about the book without revealing too much. I'll have to see what the Barnes & Noble critics have to say since they are experts...talented in such efforts.

[grammyk]

Have you read Michelle Knight's book?  I have it on my Kindle; (its been $1.99 recently) but haven't read it yet. The youngest of those girls was taken not far from where my daughter lived at that time; she remembers seeing the signs for both girls, especially Amanda Berry because she lived a couple of blocks from her sister's house.  Scary stuff.

[Ioruach]

I recently finished Windigo Island by William Kent Krueger, which needlessly to say was excellent.

I am now nearly finished with a major change of pace of my own, with a book called The Mountaintop School for Dogs and other second chances by Ellen Cooney. A young woman, Evie, who has been on drugs and who is otherwise a mental basket case, attempts to straighten out her life by accepting a dog training position at some dog rescue facility known as the Sanctuary, which is located on a remote mountain somewhere that is never made quite clear.  The Sanctuary performs dog rescue operations from abusive situations that often at least bend the law, if not break it. There, the staff, made up of mostly old women who were formerly nuns, attempts to retrain and find new homes for the animals.  Although Evie has never even owned a dog and knows little about them, she develops relationships with them that serve to sooth and mend her own frailties as well as those of the rescued dogs, many of which have their own problems.

It took me several pages to get into it, but once I did I found a tremendously heart warming story of how humans and dogs heal each other and find new lives. Any dog lover should love this book, and many other readers as well. I definitely recommend it.

[rapa]

Picked up THE MOUNTAINTOP SCHOOL FOR DOGS today and looking forward to it!! Thanks for the recommendation.

[Slopok]

Rapa, gonna get to, The English Girl, I'm reading the Gabriel Allon series in order. Speaking of series, I'm listening to The Wilderness series by David Thompson as I jog around my pine thicket, or use the treadmill. The books are really well written with lots of wilderness action. There are 67 books in the series and they are very fast short reads but you won't be disappointed, I'm on number 7, I think, and looking forward to to lots of high adventure to come. Here is a partial review: 

Great book, I have ALL of this series, I treasure them. Action Packed, hard to put down.

[Slopok]

I forgot to mention that you need to read or listen to these books in order.