Check-in?

[grammyk]

I got your e-mail, Carolyn.  Wondering if we Bookaholics should "check-in" (so-to-speak) and comment on what we're currently reading?

[Glenda Scheideler]

Maybe it's the cold weather, or maybe it's a virus that has kept me down for a week now -- have about five books started, but having trouble going further.  I have a hunch it will be better when my brain is clear.  Two different book clubs - two different books...The Commonwealth and Son of a Gun.  I will eventually get through these whether I like them or not.  Son of a Gun is for a new book club we have formed at the office and I have been asked to co-lead.  I think this honor comes because I am old.  :)   Any comments on either of these books would be helpful.

I am also listening to Artemis - had to stop because of brain fog, but will pick it up again later.  It was fun, but it's like learning a new language.

Just finished Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain and I quite liked it.  Not too tricky, but a surprise ending.  It was simple enough to get past the cold meds.

I started Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah, but have set it aside as well.  Any encouragement for this?

We have a high of 11 degrees today and I am already ready for Spring! 

Happy New Year to all!  Hope someone is reading something captivating that I can jump into immediately.  Looking forward to seeing replies from others.

[Baia]

I was tempted to give up after checking in here and losing my post, cut I will persevere.

Yesterday I took delivery of four volumes of my favorite childhood reading:  Freddy the Pig.

Written by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese, these witty, wise and imaginative children's books helped form my core values as a child.  I am looking forward to a booster shot of positive attitude going into the new year of 2018.

My first and favorite is Freddy the Detective which I was first introduced to as part of a collection my parents bought us from Sears called The Children's Hour.  Until I was old enough to get to the library safely on my own, these volumes kept my appetite for reading satisfied.  From kindergarten till third grade, I lived a block away from the library and would go there on my own to check out books to bring home or to just sit on the floor in front of the shelves of picture books and read to my heart's content. When we moved, the library was much further away and it was a couple of years until I could travel the mile or two there on my own. (I lived between two libraries and one was a little further than the other, but the closer one was up a steep hill and not so easily accessible by bike as the other.)

Anyway, now I have four volumes of Freddy.  Besides the Detective one, I also have Freddy the Politician, Freddy Goes to Florida, and The Story of Freginald (which is about a circus bear and I don't recall reading this one before).

Last week I joined a new Facebook group called Friends of Freddy and I think I have found a new source of moral support with a group of kindred spirits.

I also have several books on hold at the Seattle Public Library including the latest Anne Perry, Elizabeth George and Martha Grimes.  I think my revenge fiction binge is over.  I gave myself the latest Alexander McCall Smith story of Precious for Christmas and I'm looking forward to a peaceful, soul-filling experience there.  

Happy New Year to all here! 

So many books, so little time.

[Lip Service]

Picked up and greatly enjoyed When the English Fail  

It is a post-apocalipc story but I strongly recommend it even if that is not your usual cup of tea because it is well written and has a unique slant on modern life and values

It is told from the point of view of an Amish man (the English here refers to non-Amish people)

Happy New Year to all

May your 2018 readings be full  of delights and no duds

[Carolyn Tewell]

GRAMMY....YES, FOR SURE!

Commonwealth...Think I read but can’t remember the action?

ARTIMIS was a blast...yes, it is challenging to keep all the players straight but loved the dialog especially on Audiobook!

FREDDY? Might have to check that out for my Grandkids? Especially the Florida one.

LIP...When the English Fail...will check out...married to a Doomsday Prepper so I like to check out such stories.

Sending Group messages...sort of challenging...kind of works like a Twitter post with very limited dialog.  

[Beezerette]

Well, I finally remembered how to check in here, so I am back.  I am currently reading Daniel Silvia books, as our library used book store, where I work a few days a month, had 4 of his books on the "3 for $1.00" shelf.  I am not sure I really enjoy all the spy twists and terrorist killings, but I have finished 2 of them and  am into the 3rd.  With all the furor over naming Jerusalem as capital of Israel now, these books written in 2006-2008 do make one fear what is going on. 

Beezerette

[Lyn]

I just finished a strange book, that I found I enjoyed.  It is called The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope by Rhonda Riley.  It is about a young woman who pulls a being from the ground.........it was such a different idea for me.  But I find I have questions and the book is finished.  That is always a good book for me.

Lyn

[Kathryn K]

i also read The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope and i really enjoyed it. I found it to be a good read

[Ioruach]

Yesterday I finished Glass Houses by Louise Penny and loved it. In fact, I will put it right there with the best three, four or five works of fiction I read in 2017. It had been a couple years since I last read one of her novels, and it was great to become reacquainted with Armand Gamache and the folks at Three Pines. Sadly, in her notes, Penny also told about the loss of her husband in September of 2016. But let us hope that she continues to bring us back to the world of Three Pines again in the future.

[Ioruach]

During the deep freeze up here in the North Country, I have been fortunate to be able to immerse myself into some wonderful reading. I just finished Don’t Let Go by Harlan Coben. Before that I read The Rooster Bar by John Grisham, The Deep Dark Descending by Allen Eskens, and Glass Houses by Louise Penny. Now I have started Collared by David Rosenfelt.

I often wonder what I would do living at a senior facility like this if I didn’t love reading. It’s really a life saver. I don’t do a lot of schmoozing with other residents here. Just not my style. There are people living here who don’t seem to know what to do with themselves and just wander about. I did meet a fellow last summer who always had a Baldacci book with him. We became acquainted and talked once in a while. Then a couple of weeks ago he passed away. That’s the hazard of living in a place like this, I suppose, and one reason why I don’t schmooze very much. You get to know someone, then suddenly they are gone.

But that’s life in a senior care facility.

[Lip Service]

Indeed that is an unfortunate aspect of senior care facilities. Still, many good friendships are forged in these places. One hispanic lady that worked in a senior care could not leave her five year old home so she brought her with and left her with the seniors at the facility while she worked. The little girl loved it because the seniors liked her a lot and had many stories to tell her, she was the center of attention. Every once in a while they would need to tell her that one of her friends "has moved away"

[Lip Service]

I picked up Michael Connelly's  The Late Show which I thought was a Bosch novel. Turns out Connelly introduced a new character LA police detective Renee Ballard. A different dynamic, so so story. We'll see how if it will develop into a good series. One interesting aspect, is quite a few extended descriptions of some LA features such as hospitals, detention centers, etc... Was interesting to read but felt it was introduced for padding the book to reach the expected word count limit.