Book Nook Cafe discussion

This the thread for general book discussions for August 2020.

Tell us what you just read, are currently reading or plan to read. Tell us about your favorite author. Have you read some book news? Share it with the group. Anything related to books and reading, we want to hear all about it !
:)

Still continuing reading Stephanie Storey's Raphael, Painter in Rome: A Novel. Would love to read at some point The Pull of the Stars, as I've heard amazing reviews so far. So many books!

Simon wrote: "Still continuing reading Stephanie Storey's Raphael, Painter in Rome: A Novel. Would love to read at some point The Pull of the Stars, as I've hear..."

Thanks for sharing, Simon ! Thanks. You are right there are so many book we all want to read. We need another lifetime to fit it all in.

Simon, the Storey novel sounds good. I enjoy reading about Raphael and never find enough. This would solve that problem--to get inside his mind & days.

madrano wrote: "Simon, the Storey novel sounds good. I enjoy reading about Raphael and never find enough. This would solve that problem--to get inside his mind & days."

Hi,

My apologies for the delay in responding. Yes, so far this novel would be great for you if you're wanting to get into Raphael Santi's mind, as now and again this novel is told from his perspective. I recommend also reading the author's first Renaissance Italy novel Oil and Marble: A Novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo, as the chapters in this one alternate between Leonardo DaVinci and Michelangelo Buonarrati.

Finished The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

My review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/3474596372

Dem wrote: "Finished The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

My review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/3474596372"

I agree with your 5 star review. The novel is terrific.

I finished Allegiant. This was another entertaining and fast-paced book in the series. This was told from the perspectives of Tris and Tobias, so it was a little different than the others. This was fitting for this book. This didn't focus as much on the relationship between Tris and Tobias, which I liked.

Displaced. I received this in a giveaway. It was different, but in a good way. The characters were trying to figure out what happened in real life by entering into virtual reality, which is very similar to real life as this book takes place in the future. It was a different take, and it was very good and held my attention. It was not hard to tell where the characters were at any given time, as it was broken up and labeled by chapters.

The Dead of the Night. This was an interesting continuation from the first book. You find out how the characters are surviving and they started taking some actions. It was interesting to see how these teenagers adapt to a new life and how they grow during this difficult time.

Ashley wrote: "I finished Allegiant. This was another entertaining and fast-paced book in the series. This was told from the perspectives of Tris and Tobias, so it was a little different than the ..."

That's an interesting trio of reads. Thanks for sharing the titles and your thoughts with us.

Alias Reader wrote: "Ashley wrote: "I finished Allegiant. This was another entertaining and fast-paced book in the series. This was told from the perspectives of Tris and Tobias, so it was a little diff..."

Yes, it was. I enjoyed how they were all very different from each other and yet took place in their own worlds.

Dem wrote: "Finished The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini"

Great review, Dem. I haven't read this book yet. It sounds great.

Fantastic 2005 best-seller! The Glass Castle is an outstanding memoir by Jeannette Walls, who was lucky to make it to adulthood, more or less intact, despite her neglectful, nutty parents.
5★ Link to my Glass Castle review

Simon, thanks for the comments & additional Storey title. The comparison & contrasting between Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael (& even lesser known Renaissance artists) can be intriguing. And in the process, we learn more about art and life "back then".

Dem, ditto on Kite Runner. What a brilliant book. I've read more by Hosseini but none reached the height of this one. Reading your review reminded me how much i relished it.

Ashley, your comments remind me why i like YA science fiction so much. It depicts young people on the cusp of adulthood needing to adapt to major changes that adults can barely handle. Those illustrations of altering their plans and lives are fascinating to read.

Another well accepted book i haven't read. I recall the praise sung for this one when it was released but cannot tell you why i didn't read it. Thank you for including the photos, too, Patty.

I'm reading Mason & Dixon at the pace of one or two chapters a day. At that pace, this is a decent story. However, it's rather strange and has so many characters & side stories that I feel a bit exhausted if I read it for a longer stretch of time. So many characters!
Pynchon does find fascinating & obscure stories that really occurred and then embellishes them as part of his story. One example is the mechanical duck, which was a humorous section in Mason & Dixon, embellished to the nines by Pynchon.
Mechanical Duck: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diges...

I'm also reading a true crime story, Die For Me: The Terrifying True Story of the Charles Ng & Leonard Lake Torture Murders, which is disturbing. These two were/are creepy, stalker people. Ugh!

On my runs, I'm listening to Louise Penny's A Better Man and enjoying it.

Another group I'm in is reading a short story by Charles Dickens each week this month. I've never read a short story by him and just altered that with my first read, To be Read at Dusk. It's a really good, ghostly story within a story. I enjoyed it.

Fever 1793


“The yellow fever outbreak that struck Philadelphia in 1793 was one of the worst epidemics in United States history. In three months it killed nearly five thousand people, 10 percent of the city’s population.”

5/5 The storyline and the writing are very impressive. The plot is engrossing, moving the story forward as fast as the rage of epidemic.”

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Petra, reading the Pynchon that way sounds as though it's the way to go. I'll keep that in mind, as i occasionally think about reading it. The reviews were positive and i've met a couple of people who suggest i would really like it. Still, the length...

Just reading about the Don Lasseter book creeped me out! You must be strong stomached. :-)

Neat way to get some Dickens short stories under your belt. Enjoy!

Nice review, Annette. And the idea of reading about a US fever story sounds appealing about now.

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Fantastic 2005 best-seller! The Glass Castle is an outstanding memoir by Jeannette Walls, who was lucky to make it to adulthood, more or less intact, despite her neglectfu..."

Totally agree. It's a good read. Thanks for the follow-up photos.

Annette wrote: "Fever 1793


“The yellow fever outbreak that struck Philadelphia in 1793 was one of the worst epidemics in United States history. In three months it kille..."

Timely read. Thanks for the new to me title.

Inside Out by Demi Moore

In this memoir, actress Demi Moore makes shocking revelations about her childhood, and talks about her life, marriages, and career.

Good book. 4 stars

My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just saw that my library has ordered the fifth of the Vish Puri series. I thought the author had stopped writing these books after the 4th. They are a fun, cozy mystery set in India.
I've reserved a copy for whenever it arrives at the library.

The first in the series is The Case of the Missing Servant.

Finished earlier today Raphael, Painter in Rome, and now deciding on my next read - so many books!! Never ending to be read list honestly lol.

Barbara, i knew nothing about Moore, so your review was informative. It's surprising to read she put so much into a 272 page book! I thought it would have been over 500, as so many are today. I really appreciate your aside comments on the sexist nature of her relationship with Willis and the press. And this was at a time when folks were touting her big salary. *sigh*

Petra, i remember reading the first in Tarquin Hall's series. I just reread my notes about my impressions and see i wrote more about the fact the writing seemed too much like a man trying to write from a female POV. Still, i recall the mystery was interesting. And i felt the story shared more about life in India than i previously knew. This is the first i've heard that the series continued at all. I hope you enjoy the latest when it arrives.

Simon wrote: "Finished earlier today Raphael, Painter in Rome, and now deciding on my next read - so many books!! Never ending to be read list honestly lol."

You are preaching to the choir, Simon. Just when i think i might have some sort of handle on my reading, i find a long neglected list of books i wanted to read, written a decade ago. Yikes!

I hope your next book is rewarding.

Finished The Guest List

My Review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/3473272710

madrano wrote: "Simon wrote: "Finished earlier today Raphael, Painter in Rome, and now deciding on my next read - so many books!! Never ending to be read list honestly lol."

You are preaching to t..."

Thank you Madrano! Any good recommendations perhaps?

Honestly, Dem, sometimes all you want is a diverting novel. This one sounds as though it fit the bill.

Thus far most of my art reading has been nonfiction but there are exceptions, such as Tracy Chevalier books such as Girl with a Pearl Earring and Susan Vreeland's Luncheon of the Boating Party.

Late last year i turned to Ross King's Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, having previously enjoyed his The Judgement of Paris: Manet, Meissonier and An Artistic Revolution. It didn't give me enough Raphael, which is why i appreciate the titles you mentioned.

I also like reading about missing art, such as The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr.

madrano wrote: "Thus far most of my art reading has been nonfiction but there are exceptions, such as Tracy Chevalier books such as Girl with a Pearl Earring and Susan Vreeland.

Another one by author Stephanie Storey you'd appreciate is Oil and Marble: A Novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo.

I like reading stories that are centered around Art or an Artist, too. I started an Art shelf here on GR to keep the books listed there, both fiction and non fiction.

A couple of good books that are not on my GR shelf because I read them long before joining GR are:
The Agony and the Ecstasy (Michelangelo)
Lust for Life (Van Gogh)

Deb, I enjoyed The Lost Painting, too, and books by Chevalier and Vreeland.

madrano wrote: "Petra, i remember reading the first in Tarquin Hall's series. I just reread my notes about my impressions and see i wrote more about the fact the writing seemed too much like a man trying to write from a female POV...."

Deb, I don't remember an impression like that. It's been ages since I've read this series and it's a bit vague. My impressions are more "cozy" and laid back. I'll post my thoughts when I read it. Who knows when the library will receive it.

Barbara wrote: "Inside Out by Demi Moore

In this memoir, actress Demi Moore makes shocking revelations about her childhood, and talks about her lif..."

Nice review. Sounds like a compelling read.

madrano wrote: "Barbara, i knew nothing about Moore, so your review was informative. It's surprising to read she put so much into a 272 page book! I thought it would have been over 500, as so many are today. I rea..."

Thank you Madrano. 🙂

Alias Reader wrote: "Barbara wrote: "Inside Out by Demi Moore

Nice review. Sounds like a compelling read..."

Thank you Alias. 🙂
I was surprised at how 'crazy' her childhood was.

Simon, thanks for the additional Storey title. I see i have some good reading ahead.

Petra, how would i locate that Art shelf? I barely leave our cozy li'l Book Nook Cafe, so know not what's "out there".

Re. my impression about a male writing a female character in mysteries. I read the first in the Vish Puri series not long after reading the first in Alexander McCall Smith's African series, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Much as i liked the way the book was presented, the female lead character seemed off kilter in some way. So, i blew my gasket at the second. LOL!

Deb, click on my name in the header to this post. That will take you to my profile page.

There is a listing of my shelves there. One of them is called Art. Click on that and it will take you to the listing of books. I hope you find one or so that are of interest.

LOL.....I think I compared the Vish Puri series with the No. 1 Ladies series in my review, in that they are both of the same ilk.

Thank you, Petra. I've seen those shelves but i suppose i never followed them up. Seems strange...but there we are. Molly Peacock's The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delany Begins Her Life's Work at 72 sounds good. Years ago i added Mark Laird's Mrs. Delany and Her Circle but couldn't locate it. As we moved to new communities, i'd check the library, to no avail. Imagine now finding another book about her. I hope this one is easier to locate. Again, thanks for the linking up.

It's funny you compared the two mystery series. I suppose i thought it was a part of a trend that i didn't want to see begin. LOL! It's right up there with people who refuse to read anymore books with titles mentioning "wife" or "daughter", as in Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love or The Aviator's Wife.

I enjoyed the art parts of Mrs. Delany but not where the author inserts herself. That really bothered me. Good thing is that the author mainly inserted herself at the end of each chapter, so her part could be skipped.
It's still worth the read. The book is worth the pictures alone. Truly terrific work.

----- Who Speaks for the Damned
by C.S. Harris

1814 England: A nobleman who'd been convicted of murder and sent to Australia 18 years prior secretly returns to London and is murdered.

The investigation: The valet of Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin knew the dead man and asks St. Cyr to look into the matter. The more St. Cyr learns, the more it seems like that the convicted man was innocent -- so who killed him and why? And where is the missing half-Chinese boy he brought to England with him?

Series alert: This is the twisty, atmospheric 15th entry in the popular Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries.



----- Hard Cash Valley
by Brian Panowich

What it's about: A murder in a Jacksonville, Florida, motel room has ties to Georgia, leading Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Dane Kirby to team up with FBI Special Agent Roselita Velasquez. They deal with cockfights and Filipino gangsters while searching for a killer and a murder victim's missing young brother, who's on the autism spectrum.

What it is: gripping Southern noir that'll please fans of Wiley Cash and Daniel Woodrell.

Read it for: memorable characters, compelling prose, and the gritty return to rural McFalls County, Georgia, the setting of the author's Bull Mountain books.



----- The King's Beast: A Mystery of the American Revolution
by Eliot Pattison

What it's about: In the wilderness of 1769 Kentucky, at the behest of Benjamin Franklin, Scottish exile Duncan McCallum and his group (which includes Daniel Boone) retrieve an astonishing cache of oversize fossils. Duncan is to deliver the fossils to Franklin in London to help the Sons of Liberty's cause, but someone's willing to kill to stop him.

Reviewers say: This 6th Bone Rattler mystery is a "triumphant combination of whodunit and deeply researched history" (Publishers Weekly).



------ The Body in the Garden
by Katharine Schellman

Introducing: charming young widow Lily Adler, who, still missing her husband, returns to London in 1815 in hopes of creating an independent new life for herself.

What happens: At her first ball of the season, Lily overhears the murder of a blackmailer. When the magistrate is bribed to drop the case, intrepid Lily vows to investigate and gets help from Anglo-Indian naval captain Jack (her deceased husband's best friend), as well as from an heiress newly arrived from the West Indies.

Why you might like it: This 1st Lily Adler mystery offers well-researched details and diverse Regency-era characters.


Focus on: Maps

--- Jane and the Waterloo Map
by Stephanie Barron

What happens: In November 1815, Jane Austen is in London to negotiate the publication of her novel Emma when a hero from the Battle of Waterloo is poisoned. The colonel's enigmatic final words spark Jane's hunt for a missing map and a murderer.

Reviewers say: "Barron deftly imitates Austen’s voice, wit, and occasional melancholy" (Library Journal).

Read this next: If you like this 13th series entry and want more atmospheric mysteries set in Regency England, try Anna Dean's Dido Kent novels.



----- Read and Buried: A Lighthouse Library Mystery
by Eva Gates

What it's about: While repairing the old Nags Head, North Carolina, lighthouse that's now used as a library, workers unearth an old metal box containing a red leather notebook and a coded, hand-drawn map.

What happens: The map is stolen and a historical society member is murdered, leading librarian Lucy Richardson to investigate.

Why you might like it: This 6th cozy Lighthouse Library mystery offers a charming coastal setting and likable characters.



------ The Last Equation of Isaac Severy: A Novel in Clues
by Nova Jacobs

The task: To honor her (possibly murdered) genius grandfather's last wish, failed bookstore owner Hazel must solve the clues he's left in her favorite novel and on a map in order to deliver his mathematical work into safe hands. But there are others who want his groundbreaking equation...and they might be willing to kill for it.

For fans of: literary mysteries, family dramas, inventive stories, and books dealing with big ideas, like chaos theory and free will.

Awards buzz: This delightful debut won an Edgar Award for Best First Novel and was one of The Wall Street Journal's Best Mysteries of 2018.



------- Broken Ground
by Val McDermid

What it is: a gritty, deftly plotted police procedural and the 5th DCI Karen Pirie novel by acclaimed Scottish writer Val McDermid.

What happens: In search of two American motorcycles hidden by her grandfather in a Highland peat bog in 1944, a woman finds a corpse wearing circa 1995 clothing. Persistent cold-case expert DCI Pirie digs into the past to find the killer and takes on an unusual domestic violence case.

Read it for: fascinating forensics, masterly plotting, and well-wrought characters.



------ A Great Reckoning
by Louise Penny

What happens: Thoughtful Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, now in charge of Quebec's police academy, searches for a killer when a corrupt instructor is murdered. Found near the body is an odd World War I-era map of Three Pines, the small village where Gamache lives.

Reviewers say: Penny's "work is rich with luminous prose, complex but uncluttered plots, and profound compassion" (The Seattle Times).

Series alert: Newcomers can start with this award-winning 12th Gamache mystery, but it's best enjoyed by those familiar with earlier entries.

I had issues with The Body in the Garden, but would be willing to give the series a second chance.

Liked Stephanie Barron's series featuring Jane Austen as sleuth?

------ Our Time Is Now
by
Stacey Abrams
What it is: a well-researched history of voter suppression and disenfranchisement in the United States.

Is it for you? Policy wonks and progressives looking for a hopeful rejoinder to current political discourse will be inspired by politician and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams' proposals to end suppression tactics.

Author alert: 2018 Georgia gubernatorial candidate Abrams made history in 2019 by becoming the first African American woman to deliver the response to the State of the Union address.



----- Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward...
by
Robert M. Gates
What it is: an incisive exploration of the uses and misuses of American power, written by former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates.

Topics include: the 2003 invasion of Iraq; China's rise as a global superpower; North Korea's nuclear capabilities; Russia's destabilizing influence.

Reviewers say: "a judicious yet bracingly contrarian take on military and foreign policy from the ultimate insider" (Publishers Weekly).



---- The Brothers York: A Royal Tragedy
by
Thomas Penn
What it's about: As the Wars of the Roses raged on in 15th-century Europe, three men at the center of the conflict -- House of York brothers Edward, George, and Richard -- saw their fragile unity upended by shifting alliances, greed, and paranoia.

Read it for: a dramatic and vivid narrative that reads like fiction, full of court intrigue, conspiracy plots, battles, and betrayals.

For fans of: Game of Thrones and Shakespeare's Richard III.



----- Paying the Land
by
Joe Sacco
What it is: a sobering, richly illustrated history of the Dené, a First Nations group living in Canada's remote Northwest Territories.

Why it matters: This eye-opening chronicle foregrounds a people who have seen their traditional way of life erode due to government assimilation efforts and increased fracking and mining in the region.

Art alert: Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Joe Sacco's realistic black-and-white illustrations accompany affecting oral histories.


The Cold War



----- Spies in the Family: An American Spymaster, His Russian Crown Jewel, and the...
by
Eva Dillon
Who it's about: Russian double agent Dimitri Polyavok and his handler, American CIA operative Paul Dillon (the author's father), two men on opposite sides of the Cold War who nonetheless struck up a lifelong friendship.

Why you might like it: Eva Dillon's intimate and well-researched account alternates between both men's experiences and explores the surprising commonalities in their home lives and career trajectories.



----- The Moscow Rules: The Secret CIA Tactics That Helped America Win the Cold War
by
Antonio & Jonna Mendez with Matt Baglio
What it is: a fast-paced account of husband-and-wife duo Antonio and Jonna Mendez's time spent working as CIA agents in 1970s Moscow.

Don't miss: the gadgets (including a rappelling tool nicknamed "the Spiderman") and techniques (disguises, sleight of hand, and misdirection taught by magicians) the pair utilized in their spycraft.

Movie buzz: Ben Affleck portrayed Antonio Mendez in the Oscar-winning Argo.



----- Burning Down the Haus: Punk Rock, Revolution, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall
by
Tim Mohr
What it's about: the underground East German punk movement whose political activism contributed to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Featuring: 15-year-old "Major," the self-proclaimed first punk in East Germany, known for her safety pin-adorned jackets.

Awards buzz: This engaging and richly detailed history was longlisted for the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.



----- The Mysterious Affair at Olivetti: IBM, the CIA, and the Cold War Conspiracy to Shut Down...
by
Meryle Secrest
What it's about: how the development of the Olivetti Programma 101, the world's first desktop computer, was stalled by American intelligence fearful of the technology's use by China and the Soviet Union.

What happened: Prior to the P101's release, two Olivetti employees who worked on the project, including company heir Adriano Olivetti, died under suspicious circumstances. Coincidence -- or cover-up?

Who it's for: Readers who don't mind a bit of speculation in their history will enjoy this intensifying tale full of bizarre twists and turns.



----- Blood and Sand: Suez, Hungary, and Eisenhower's Campaign for Peace
by
Alex Von Tunzelmann
What it's about: how two 1956 crises -- the joint invasion of Egypt by Israeli, British and French forces, and a Soviet victory in the Hungarian Revolution -- almost plunged the world into nuclear war.

Read it for: a suspenseful, hour-by-hour account of the conflicts, which happened within weeks of each other.

Reviewers say: "an outstanding reexamination of these sad, history-altering events" (Booklist).

Petra wrote: "I enjoyed the art parts of Mrs. Delany but not where the author inserts herself. That really bothered me. Good thing is that the author mainly inserted herself at the end of each chapter, so her pa..."

This would bother me, too. At least she's conveniently placed them where you can neglect them. :-)

A mystery series set in a lighthouse, which is also a library? What's not to love? I'll have to see if my library has any from this Eva Gates series. Thanks for that.

Actually, most of the mysteries listed sound appealing. This is not what i need!

The Stacey Abrams book sounds informative and i hope she is correct, re.the title--Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America.

Thanks for sharing all the titles, Alias.

I love seeing all the title you collect, Alias - not that I 'need' more!

This was a most delightful change of pace from reading thrillers during a pandemic. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune is Peter Pan in 1984. Both worrying and charming. Absolutely loved it!
5★ Link to my Cerulean Sea review

madrano wrote: "Simon, thanks for the comments & additional Storey title. The comparison & contrasting between Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael (& even lesser known Renaissance artists) can be intriguing. And in..."

I highly recommend the two novels author Stephanie Storey has written thus far. She definitely makes art history combined with historical fiction very interesting, and yes you're right. You can definitely learn a lot from these books about what life was back like in Renaissance Italy. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on these should you choose to read them :)