April Book Thread

[tbb113]

I just finished Ruby's Spoon by Anna Lawrence Pietroni. This was a tough read for me in the beginning as the dialect is really hard to understand and the story starts out slow. But I'm glad that I perserved and finished the book.

Here is the blurb from Booklist
Motherless 13-year-old Ruby Tailor wants nothing more than to live by the sea; instead, she lives in the English town of Cradle Cross, which is still reeling from the Great War, dominated by the fortunes of a button factory, and surrounded by canals polluted by industrial runoff. Raised by her emotionally distant grandmother, Ruby has her young life upended with the arrival of an exotic stranger. With her bold white hair, a skirt covered with tiny, glinting mirrors, and a hometown situated by the sea, Isa Fly immediately entrances Ruby with her story: she is looking for her lost sister at the behest of her dying father. Others in the close-knit town are not so enamored of the charismatic stranger. And when the town’s fortunes start to dim with the impending collapse of the button factory, they feel as if their bad luck coincided with Isa’s arrival and begin to think she may be a witch. This enthralling, suspenseful debut novel, which has the feel of a grim fairy tale, is written in the poetic dialect of the Black Country and is thick with the vocabulary of the fishing and button trades. Of the many riches it offers, it is the winning lead character, a lonely teen brave enough to have a dream despite her impoverished circumstances, who will capture readers’ hearts.

Next up are three books from my to-be-read list. Doctor Olaf Van Schuler's Brain by Kirsten Menger-Anderson, Testimony by Anita Shreve, and The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer

[Natasha]

I just finished The Journal of Helene Berr. Helene Berr was a young Jewish woman living in Paris. She wrote about her experiences and the experiences of her entourage in 1942-1944. It was very sad, as you would expect, and also cryptic at times. Some things only made sense to me after I read the historical summary at the end. I found it a worthwhile read.

I have a few books on tap: Michael Connolly's Nine Dragons, which I actually started quite a while ago, a couple of mindless mysteries, and Googled by Ken Auletta (which I also started a while back).

[Terrytx]

I'll be finishing up The Help by Kathryn Stockett today on then on to Columbine by Dave Cullen. The Help is all it has been cracked up to be!

[LakeMartinGal]

I'm reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and loving it!

[Kate B]

Technically, I finished House Rules, Jodi Picoult's latest, on March 31 so I should post this in the March thread. I loved it, although it took me longer to "get into it" than most of her other books.

I'm more than halfway through Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. If I'm not mistaken, I believe this one's been discussed before. As an animal lover, I was concerned it would be upsetting, but (so far) I can handle it. In fact, I can't put it down!

Kate

[MusicMom]

I read The Weight of Silence yesterday - our April book club selection. I procrastinated starting it for a while, because from the cover it seemed like another story where a child gets hurt or dies. It feels like we read a lot of those (The Shack, Lovely Bones, Sarah's Key, My Sister's Keeper, etc.)

I thought it was ok. It kept my attention, but I wasn't quite satisfied with the epilogue. The chapters are from the points of view of the different characters. Interestingly, the chapters about the adults are written in the first person and the chapters about the children are written in the third person. I'm not quite sure why the children are different.

Next up is Empress Orchid, a book my DD read for World History.

I'd like to recommend a lighter, more humorous book for our book club. Maybe something like Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. Any recommendations?

[TKay]

After getting stalled and sidetracked, I finally finished The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. Brilliant. I absolutely adored this book. In fact, I liked it so much, I procrastinated at the end. I didn't want to read the final chapter until I could really sit down and savor it (which happened last night). Beautifully written, illuminating and moving. A great read.

Next up is Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (which I got from the library a bit back). The problem is, the darn thing is already due. I'm heading out of town and that was the read I was going to bring. I think I'll swallow the late fines and take it anyway. (I can't renew it because it's in someone else's queue already). I'll only have it a few extra days and I've been dying to read it.

After that, I'll be revisiting your suggestions on the thread. Nothing else is on deck at the moment.

Happy reading!

[cherylopal]

I want to thank everyone who rec Major Pettigrew- I read through jan/feb and mar threads. It was the perfect read after Columbine.

I read The Last Child by John Hart I couldn't put it down and its been a long time since I'e had a book like that. I started one evening last week on my break and finished it the next morning. I think I liked it I liked the twists- just enough to be fun and interesting without being too much, loved that the dectective cared so much for the main character- a 13 year old boy, loved that boy- lots of spunk and get up and go.


Here's the write up from amazon-
From Publishers Weekly
A year after 12-year-old Alyssa Merrimon disappeared on her way home from the library in an unnamed rural North Carolina town, her twin brother, Johnny, continues to search the town, street by street, even visiting the homes of known sex offenders, in this chilling novel from Edgar-winner Hart (Down River). Det. Clyde Hunt, the lead cop on Alyssa's case, keeps a watchful eye on Johnny and his mother, who has deteriorated since Alyssa's abduction and her husband's departure soon afterward. When a second girl is snatched, Johnny is even more determined to find his sister, convinced that the perpetrator is the same person who took Alyssa. But what he unearths is more sinister than anyone imagined, sending shock waves through the community and putting Johnny's own life in danger. Despite a tendency to dip into melodrama, Hart spins an impressively layered tale of broken families and secrets that can kill

I also read Little Bee and was taken in- what a life she had but what a writer chris cleae is-vable female main characters and well, I just love the writing.

I'm reading The Maltese Falcon (for the first time) and I'm loving that! I am really very excited for so many good books so close together!!

Has anyone read The Sweetnes at the Bottom of the Pie? I was thinking of making that my pick for my book club next month (which means I will reveal the book in two weeks)

[cherylopal]

I'll be finishing up The Help by Kathryn Stockett today The Help is all it has been cracked up to be!

My mom just bought me a kindle- now i know my first book to get for it! I have heard that it is a great read too.

[TieKitty]

I read "The Art of Racing in the Rain"by Garth Stein while I was visiting relatives. What a poignant book! I really enjoyed it. I made the mistake of starting it on the plane. The first chapter made me cry and I could feel eyes watching me, so I put it down until I landed.

Now I'm reading "The Last Step: The American Ascent of K-2" by Rick Ridgeway. Since reading "Into Thin Air"
by Jon Krakauer I've read several mountain climbing books. The endurance and achievements of these people just blows me away.

[cherylopal]

I read "The Art of Racing in the Rain"by Garth Stein while I was visiting relatives. What a poignant book! I really enjoyed it. I made the mistake of starting it on the plane. The first chapter made me cry and I could feel eyes watching me, so I put it down until I landed.

I loved loved loved this book! esp the ending

[Terrytx]

Has anyone read The Sweetnes at the Bottom of the Pie? I was thinking of making that my pick for my book club next month (which means I will reveal the book in two weeks)

I read it a few weeks back and then the DH read it and we both enjoyed it.

[cherylopal]

Thanks Terry

[TieKitty]

I loved loved loved this book! esp the ending

I loved it, too! I was a blubbering idiot at the end of the book. It was a good blubbering though

[LakeMartinGal]

I read "The Art of Racing in the Rain"by Garth Stein while I was visiting relatives. What a poignant book! I really enjoyed it. I made the mistake of starting it on the plane. The first chapter made me cry and I could feel eyes watching me, so I put it down until I landed.

I thought I warned everyone to read the first chapter, and the second-last chapter in private!

[TieKitty]

I thought I warned everyone to read the first chapter, and the second-last chapter in private!

You did, but as usual, I didn't listen. You gave very good advice.

[Missi]

I'll be finishing up The Help by Kathryn Stockett today on then on to Columbine by Dave Cullen. The Help is all it has been cracked up to be!

I'm so glad you liked it! It is a fantastic read.


I tried really, really hard to get into Wolf Hall, but I just can't. It is such a long book and I have so many other ones waiting, that I'm going to have to abandon it. Maybe I will try it again sometime.

I have Sarah's Key by Tatiana Del Toro waiting for me at the library, so that is next on the list.


I am almost finished with Raising Cain-- protecting the emotional life of boys that was suggested on the Columbine thread. It has made me really think and led to some great discussions with DH. I have suggested it to several other mothers of boys.

[whocares]

Just finished Little Bee and didn't like it, but I read the entire book. The action was implausible in many instances and downright stupid in others. My friend loved it, but it left me thinking that this really isn't a good book.

The Improbable Life of Henrietta Lacks is a great book. I have passed it on to four friends and they agree. It is well written, has a gripping story line, is informative and provacative. Non-fiction is usually not my first choice, but this book is something special.

[SDMomChef]

I finished two books this weekend - both were set in the Middle Ages during King Henry II's reign.

The first is the Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick. It is the story of William Marshal, a knight who rose through the ranks due to his loyalty and skill. This book is primarily focused on the early years of William Marshal and the political battles between King Henry III (who was crowned during his father's reign, but never given any power) and King Henry II and later between King Henry II and his younger sons. It was a good book, but I'm afraid that Sharon Kay Penman's trilogy on King Henry II has tainted all other books involving that same period for me.

The second book that I read is A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin. This is the 4th book in the "Mistress of the Art of Death" series. The main character, Adelia, is a physician trained in another country and is called to England years ago to assist King Henry II in solving a murder. However, in England, women with healing powers are deemed to be witches, so she must work under the ruse of being an assistant to an Arab man who has worked with her family for years. In this particular mystery, she is called to travel with Princess Joanne to Sicily for her nuptials to the King of Sicily. During the voyage, mysterious deaths occur, with all fingers pointing towards Ariana as being the ultimate victim. Just a good, fun book. My only criticism is that she ended the book on a cliff hanger - my personal pet peeve!

I'm currently reading Provenance. How a Con Man and a Forger re-wrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury. Fascinating non-fiction book about an art scandal of epic proportions. From Goodreads:

Provenance is the extraordinary narrative of one of the most far-reaching and elaborate deceptions in art history. Investigative reporters Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo brilliantly recount the tale of a great con man and unforgettable villain, John Drewe, and his sometimes unwitting accomplices.

Chief among those was the struggling artist John Myatt, a vulnerable single father who was manipulated by Drewe into becoming a prolific art forger. Once Myatt had painted the pieces, the real fraud began. Drewe managed to infiltrate the archives of the upper echelons of the British art world in order to fake the provenance of Myatt's forged pieces, hoping to irrevocably legitimize the fakes while effectively rewriting art history.

The story stretches from London to Paris to New York, from tony Manhattan art galleries to the esteemed Giacometti and Dubuffet associations, to the archives at the Tate Gallery. This enormous swindle resulted in the introduction of at least two hundred forged paintings, some of them breathtakingly good and most of them selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many of these fakes are still out in the world, considered genuine and hung prominently in private houses, large galleries, and prestigious museums. And the sacred archives, undermined by John Drewe, remain tainted to this day.

Provenance reads like a well-plotted thriller, filled with unforgettable characters and told at a breakneck pace. But this is most certainly not fiction; Provenance is the meticulously researched and captivating account of one of the greatest cons in the history of art forgery.

I'm about 2/3rds done with the book and am annoyed that I have to work today because I would rather be at home with my nose buried in this book to continue reading.

[tbb113]

I started and gave up on Doctor Olaf Van Schuler's Brain by Kirsten Menger-Anderson. I'm not a fan of short stories and in reality, that is what this book is. And on top of that, I found the stories unsatisfying.

I'm now reading Testimony and I think I'll be happier with this choice

[cookieee]

I love to read. Ever since I was a little girl, I always had my nose in a book. The best job I ever had was working in a book store. Then, something happened and I stopped reading books for years. DH has been reading a series of books by Randy Wayne White. They all take place here in Florida. As a matter of fact, the main character, Doc Ford, lives in Sanibel, our favorite summer retreat. Well, very happy to say I started reading them. I am on the 3rd book. I hope the reading fever is here to stay.

I am so far behind on who's who these days. Thank you for this thread. It helps a lot to have suggestions on who and what to read.

[SDMomChef]

I finished Provenance: How a Con Artist and a Forger re-wrote the History of Modern Art. Very, very good. Simply a fascinating story about how one person managed to swindle top auction houses and museums for almost a decade because he had figured out how to get access to top museum archives and faked provenances for fraudulent paintings.

Started reading Language of Secrets by Dianne Dixon this morning and managed to bury my nose in it over the lunch hour (and ended up taking a longer lunch than I intended because I simply could not put the book down). I'm probably about 1/3 into the book, and I can see myself staying up until the wee hours of the night to finish it. Description from Goodreads:

Justin Fisher has a successful career as the manager of a luxury hotel, a lovely wife, and a charming young son. While all signs point to a bright future, Justin can no longer ignore the hole in his life left by his estranged family. When he finally gathers the courage to reconnect with his troubled past, Justin is devastated to learn that his parents have passed away. And a visit to the cemetery brings the greatest shock of all—next to the graves of his father and mother sits a smaller tombstone for a three-year-old boy: a boy named Thomas Justin Fisher.

What follows is an extraordinary journey as Justin struggles with issues of his own identity and pieces together the complex and heartbreaking truth about his family.

[cherylopal]

DH has been reading a series of books by Randy Wayne White. They all take place here in Florida. As a matter of fact, the main character, Doc Ford, lives in Sanibel, our favorite summer retreat. Well, very happy to say I started reading them. I am on the 3rd book. I hope the reading fever is here to stay.

I've read those books and really liked them too!

[cookieee]

I've read those books and really liked them too!

Wow Cheryl, that is great to hear. I thought I would be the only one here to have heard of him.

[tbb113]

I flew through Testimony by Anita Shreve. I found it very realistic and thought-provoking. I could easily see how the whole story played out and the fact that I have sons almost 18 and 21, it almost was to realistic for comfort.

[ClaraB]

The Improbable Life of Henrietta Lacks is a great book. I have passed it on to four friends and they agree. It is well written, has a gripping story line, is informative and provacative. Non-fiction is usually not my first choice, but this book is something special.

I'm delurking just to say that I agree 100%. This book is a wonderful, thought-provoking read. I heard a little bit about it on NPR and it was recommended on this BB, and I would continue the recommendation. For those who haven't read it, this book is the story of the woman behind the legendary HeLa line of cells used in medical research. Henrietta Lacks was a black woman who died of cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins in 1951. Before she died, a sample of her cancer cells taken and used without her knowledge to create an undying line of tissue samples that has been used in hundreds of thousands of experiments and studies. The book looks at the history of the HeLa cell line, Henrietta's family, and the effect of the HeLa cells on them. It's really engrossing.

[Kevlar]

Last night I finished Merle's Door. I didn't want it to end. I had to wipe my eyes several times on the sheets as I read the last chapter. Its such an excellent story of the relationship between a dog and his person. The author has a very different relationship with his dog than the usual pet-owner relationship.

[SDMomChef]

I finished reading Language of Secrets by Dianne Dixon. It was an enjoyable read. After finishing the book, I wish she had gone down a few more paths with the story - the ending was not at all what I had expected.

I am currently reading Claude & Camilla: A Novel of Monet by Stephanie Cowell. This historical fiction book is exactly what you would think based upon the title - a story about Monet and his struggle as a painter and his life long love affair with Camilla.

[blazedog]

I just finished Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier who also wrote Girl With A Pearl Earring.

This is also a historical novel of sorts as it tells the "true" story of two "remarkable creatures" -- female fossil hunters (fossils being remarkable creatures as well) in England during the very early 19th century (pre-Darwin) when scientists were just beginning to think that the world was much older than theologists stated and that creatures had become extinct -- all as revolutionary to a way of thinking as realizing the earth was round.

It's an easy read in the same way Pearl Earring was - from an amazon review

Remarkable Creatures is more than remarkable on many distinct layers. First, it touches on questions of gender role and class role, but does so within a solid, interesting plot and using characters that are easy to cheer for. Second, it explores the question of religion versus science at its root level-- the true day-to-day lives of the humans they both serve. Lastly, though, and most importantly, it presents an interesting tale of two women with whom it is easy to identify (despite being set in early Victorian-era England). Elizabeth, a genteel woman and spinster from London, moves to the small coast town of Lyme Regis and befriends Mary, who is beneath her in both years and social class. Together, the two make a discovery of a prehistoric creature embedded in the fossil-rich cliffs of their town, and together they must navigate issues of science, religion, class, and gender role while also dealing with their unlikely friendship.

[tbb113]

I'm not a huge mystery fan but I do like a good thriller. That said, I flew through The Book of Lies by Brad Mleltzer. He manages to combine elements of Cain and Abel and Superman into a quick, engrossing read.