JANUARY READS

[rapa]

HAPPY 2016 BOOKOHOLICS!!!!!!

Here is a toast, compliments of Cyril M. Drew


"A health to books!....
Your goblets all refill;
When all things mortel are decayed
May books be with us still!"

Happy reading to you this year. Please share your best and worst reads of 2015 in the discussion below.

[Carci]

Happy New Year Bookies!  

I posted my favorite reads of 2015 on Lip Services discussion but will tell you I am starting out 2016 back with  The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.  I really am not enthused about this book and probably will stop and begin another after the busy weekend ahead... our daughter's family coming in from MN tonight.  Harold Fry is a depressing book so far and I am over 1/2 way through it.

I have The Goldfinch in large print (over 1000 pages) on the shelf but both times I've tried to read it I get bogged down by the weight and it hasn't caught my interest in almost 50 pages but will try again since I've heard such rave reviews about it.  Someone please tell me to stick with it... for how long?

[Mandy Muffin]

This is one of the beauties of E-Books, where I read mine.  Even a book on disk would help, which are free at the library, along with some downloads of E-books.  The Goldfinch is a wonderful coming of age story of young man caught in a whirlwind of catastrophes, as his mother dies in a fire at the Met Museum; he is handed a valuable painting  by a stranger, goes off to live with an adopted family, then to Las Vegas to live with a gambling father, back to NYC for more crime and deception, eventually ending up in Amsterdam in the midst of much evil and corruption. There is a twist at the end that makes the reading all worthwhile. I loved the book so much, treasuring the wonderful narration, that I purchased a repro of the painting that hangs in my living room. There is story behind the painting that is also intriguing.   

 

[Carci]

Mandy, The library has an e-audiobook edition available with overdrive.  

Will this play on my ipad?  I do have a kindle app in the ipad. 

I have borrowed e-books on my kindle once or twice but that was some time ago and never tried it on my ipad... and never an audiobook.

[Mandy Muffin]

Give it a try.  I have borrowed library books via my Kindle and they worked just fine. Kindle is the most used format in E-books.  

[Ursula]

Carci, I have hesitated all day about putting in my 2 cents worth, but I feel compelled to tell you that based on your past comments I don't think The Goldfinch is a book you will enjoy.  It took me 3 tries before I got into it enough to make it through to the end and I enjoyed most of it, but I also remember thinking, "Carci would not like this book."  The reason is that you do not like stories about dysfunctional families and this family is so dysfunctional, even for my tastes.  Mandy didn't mention all the drug abuse and abandonment of young Theo Decker.

On the other hand, it did win the Pulitzer Prize in 2014, which is what kept me at it.  Here's what it says on fantastic fiction:  http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/t/donna-tartt/goldfinch.htm.

Good luck if you do decide to give it another go.  I would be interested in what you think about the book.

[Carci]

Thanks Ursula... I appreciate you input.  Based on what you said, you are right, I will hate it!  The Pulitzer Prize is not an incentive for me.   

Years ago DH & I saw a movie called 'They shoot horses, don't they?'  It was a preview before showing on the regular theater schedule (remember when they did that?).  We walked out of the movie and remarked that we couldn't believe anyone would pay to see that depressing, horrible movie.  Well, it won the Academy Award that year, so I have never placed high regard on awards of any type...  lol

[Mandy Muffin]

I woke up about 4:00 AM this morning, rolled over, and downloaded my monthly free Amazon Prime book. Right at the top of the list of best sellers available was "The Short Drop" by Matthew Fitzimmons. I don't know what Amazon is doing to improve download limes but the book was on my screen a mere second after I pushed the "borrow" button. It may have been that not too many people are borrowing a book at this hour on New Years Eve.

[Jick]

You will like The Short Drop, a good quick paced triller

[Ioruach]

Happy New Year to all! My wishes for everyone in this group is that you discover new and wonderful worlds in all the books you pick up in the year of 2016.

Yesterday I acquired Benediction by Kent Haruf at my library. With Plainsong, Eventide and Our Souls at night, Haruf provided some of my best reading during 2015. I expect Benediction will be no different.

[Carolyn Tewell]

GOLDFINCH...possibly one of my best..."listens". That being said...it is so long that I am not sure I would have been able to stay with it if reading? I worked in the Art Auction Biz and could relate to much of the business end. But, Ursula is correct in that the crazy world of young people can be disturbing. I recommended to my adult children ages 40-50. None read so far....but I just can't figure out what age group this was designed for?

Gotta look back over my posts to review what the heck I read in 2015...LEAVING TIME might be #One pick but gotta review since I am sure there are others?

BOO HISS on Lee Childs last book. Same for John Grishoms...didn't even finish.

New Years Day celebration at our house...entertaining with Fiesta Bowl...Ohio State/Notre Dame and serving lunch, dinner, snax, wine tasting...very tired.

[Slopok]

I did  "RABBIT" in the new year. Reading a WWII book about the German foot soldier's view of D Day, too soon to know if it will be interesting.

[Lip Service]

Don't you hate it when a book comes to an end?

Click to see the video