NOVEMBER READS

[rapa]

"RABBIT RABBIT RABBIT"

Ahhhh, it's November when we honor our veterans and people seem to be good to one another. Many travel on a special November day to share a meal with others and to give thanks for blessings and share memories. Needless to say it's also a great month to curl up with a satisfying, thrilling book!

Stacked by my bed are COMMONWEALTH by Ann Patchett. Have only read half but hope to finish it eventually; TWO by TWO by Nicholas Sparks. Only have a couple chapters left and have enjoyed this tale of a dysfunctional marriage and a father's bonding with his six year old daughter; THE KEPT WOMAN by Karin Slaughter, a complex thriller which I haven't started; BEHIND CLOSED DOORS by B.A. Paris, a chilling debut novel that asks the question "The perfect marriage? or the perfect lie?" ; and the next to read is THE WHISTLER, John Grisham's new novel released last Tues. I'm taking another short trip late next week and won't have much reading time except on the flight. Will probably take THE WHISTLER along. Will be seeing five grands and four great-grands on this trip! We'll be celebrating Thanksgiving while I'm there as a grandson is leaving for the Gold Coast of Ghana to serve a two year mission. Am flying up to attend his farewell.

Happy reading, y'all! BTW, don't forget to set your clocks back next Sunday unless you live in AZ or such.

[Carci]

Have a wonderful trip and visit, rapa.  We will be spending Thanksgiving with our 2 daughters in the Twin Cities and watching our grandson on TV in the Macy's day parade. He plays the Baritone with the 270 member Greendale Marching Band. Might be hard to pick him out of the crowd...  LOL

Forgot to mention one of my Oct. reads in my last post...  Home by Harlan Coben.  I always enjoy his Myron Bolitar series, witty and always a surprise at the end.  This is no different.  The last paragraph brought a tear to my eye as well.

I am now struggling through another Julia Keller novel: Bitter River.  While I enjoy the stories, she is the queen of similes and about 1/2 way through the book I want to just scream (like a child that has had too much teasing!) "Enough already! Just get back to the plot"  

[Carolyn Tewell]

RAPA...okay, this is your assignment. What do you think of the Whistler? One pundit said it was...well, let's just say the storyline takes off after all the decisions about the case have been resolved? He panned it so badly I almost took my name off the hold list. Stopped by B&N to read the 16 comments from readers. Most had a 4 or 5 word commentary. They had me at "Hello, lots of characters" in a negative way. When listening to audiobooks very tough with abundant cast.

I'm posting, mostly to get notifications. Tried the book TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENT by Maria Semple (Where'd You Go, Bernadette) sort of funny, but "out there"...skipped to last couple chapters. Not my thing.

Tried HOME by Harlan Coban...like more reality with my fantasy. Quit after 1 disk.

Slammed with World Series for weeks! Up until 1AM night after night. Camping this weekend...in November! Pinch me!

Back when I have something relevant to report.

[rapa]

Just started THE WHISTLER, maybe four pages in. Am taking it on trip so won't be able to give my opinion for awhile. I haven't read the last several Grisham books so am hoping this one will hold my attention.

Currently trying to get my blood pressure regulated and kidney status under control Will be 81 next week and am starting to feel it!!!

Happy camping to you, Carolyn! Is the MIL still in residence?

[Ursula]

I just finished a rather quirky book that may, or may not, appeal to you.  It's called The Leisure Seeker and was written by Michael Zadoorian.  I can't remember how I found it, and never heard of the author.  It was his second book and was published in 2009.  Anyway, it is the story of Ella and John, married almost 60 years, and now in declining health.  He has Alzheimer's and she has cancer.  Ella decides they need to take one last road trip in their Leisure Seeker (evidently there used to be an RV by that name) and go to Disneyland.  They live in Michigan and everyone, their adult children and their doctors forbid the very idea.  BUT Ella kidnaps John and they are off on their final adventure.

For whatever reason, I just loved this book.  It was so honest, believable and most of all brave.  How many of us would have the courage to take such a trip??  To retake control of our lives when other people, especially our children and doctors, have started making decisions for us?!

[rapa]

As I recall, our member Lyn recommended the book. I did read it. Found it somewhat slow along Route 66 but totally loved the ending!

[Carci]

I read this book as well and liked it right up to the end... which I thought was selfish and a horrible slap in the face to their children...

[Ioruach]

Although I rarely like to see days and weeks come to an end (life is just too short for that) but October was an exception. On the first day of the month, I attended a memorial service in Chicago for a good friend who had passed away several days earlier in Florida. That was followed in mid-month by a visit with a sister-in-law who was in a hospice dying of cancer. That was followed a week or so later by her funeral. Three trips in just one month, driving from Minnesota to Chicago and to the Milwaukee area-roughly 350 miles each way. I am ready to relax at home for a while. But enough of that.

I didn’t stop reading, but it was greatly curtailed. I pretty much stuck to non fiction, where you don’t need to follow a story from beginning to end. The books included The Accidental Universe by Alan Lightman, The Whole Shebang by Timothy Ferris and The Philosopher and the Wolf by Mark Rowlands.  They all helped me get my mind off that awful October.

I am now next in line on my library hold list for Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen. If any writer can cheer me up and make me laugh again, it is Hiaasen.

[Carolyn Tewell]

Loruach...Jim and I listened to Razor Girl....A couple discs while driving home from DEEP WOODS....glad he didn't wreck the RV from burst out laughing on a continuing basis! How can such a writer think like that???

ALERT ALERT! This book is very....um, er, uh...adult with no inhibitions? Lol

Let's just say the ride home was NOT boring!!!

[Glenda Scheideler]

I am desperate for a good mystery!  I read (listened to) the Whistler -- found it pretty good, but I was 50% into the book before it became interesting.  I only stuck with it because I was waiting for the new Reacher to be released -- and then it got terrible reviews on Audible.  The Wrong Side of Goodbye - another Harry Bosch novel - was a good read, better than some of the recent Bosch novels.  Stuart Woods - Sex, Lies, & Serious Money -- borrrring!!   I always love the Virgil Flowers novels - and Escape Clause was a good listen as well.  The Seventh Canon by Robert Dugoni was a change of pace and I thought it was worth the time.  I thought Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts gave a very good view of the brave firefighters in the forest.  Maybe I will try Razor Girl - I will at least get to tickle my funny bone.  I so rarely write -- so I will wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.  Today is Veteran's Day - I am from the Viet Nam era and I ache for our boys lost and never given an even break when they came home. 

[Carci]

Glenda, I enjoyed HOME by Harlan Coben; a Myron Bolitar novel.  Action, mystery and witty dialogue.  It kept me guessing right up to the end and I loved the ending.

[rapa]

Am now back from my travels and plan no more in the forseeable future. Am ready to stay put and get back to some reading. Yesterday my grandson arrived in Ghana to serve a two year Mormon mission. Its a beautiful country and one of the safest on the continent. Am looking forward to his occasional e-mails.

Yesterday I returned John Grisham's THE WHISTLER to the library. Unfortunately I can't recommend this book. Couldn't get into it as it skipped around with many different characters, none of whom I cared about. Even the plot didn't interest me. Picked up a couple Joyce Carol Oates books to cleanse my palate!

[Mandy Muffin]

I had my old computer crash and burn on me about 3 weeks ago and had to recover the password on this site but I'm hooked back in now. My reading schedule has been full with books like "The Whistler," "Two by Two," "Home" etc keeping me up on the best seller listings. But I visited an old friend this past week: Elizabeth George.  I read her 19th novel set in England: "A Banquet of Consequences."Checking back to when she started the series, I have been a fan for 38 years.  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22571556-a-banquet-of-consequences  Absolutely nobody does the British patois better than she does as she wallows in the local culture and presents a totally dysfunctional cast of characters.