wbow – the only Tawni O’Dell I have ever read is Sister Mine, which I enjoyed. I will have to give this one a try.
I’m always happy to see this thread pop up to page 1 again – I’m accumulating quite a few books on my “Kindle Wish List” on Amazon. Right now I’m reading “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”
^^^
Hi CBBBlinker
Maps of Hedeby Island (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) got omitted from the English translation of the book. You can find them easily on the internet if you want a visual representation of where everything is situated.
Enjoy the book - but definitely continue the trilogy. Book three ties into book one in unexpected ways.
ignatius – thanks for the info. The maps are VERY helpful. I already have the other 2 books on my Kindle, so will keep reading. I must say, there are a number of other things not getting done around here as I read on …
Just finished The Hunger Games-stayed up until 2:00 AM last night reading this one. A real page turner, young adult science fiction, and just joined the Million Sold Kindle Club a couple weeks ago.
“, “The Hunger Games” was first published in September 2008 and has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 140 consecutive weeks since publication. Film rights for “TheHunger Games” were optioned by Lionsgate, with Nina Jacobson’s Color Force production company producing the film and Gary Ross as director, and the film will be released on March 23, 2012. “Mockingjay,” the final book in “The Hunger Games” trilogy, was an Amazon.com Top 10 Customer Favorite for both print and Kindle books in 2010.”
^I just finished The Hunger Games Trilogy over Memorial Day weekend. Boy, it’s hard to put down! More interesting and complex than I expected.
That weekend I also read* The Knife of Never Letting Go* another book set in some dystopian future. I got it because the young woman at the store told me that it was much better than the Hunger Games when I was buying the second book. She did such a good job convincing me, that I had to buy it. (It doesn’t hurt that she’s working for a friend of mine who is trying to make a children’s books store work, I know she’s losing money, but she’s doing a fantastic job, made all the more obvious since we had just visited another independent bookstore in the same time with the world’s worst service.)
Anyway, The Knife is about a world where all the men can hear each other’s thoughts and what ensues. I read the first page and had to buy the book:
While the book doesn’t quite live up to the promise, (I thought it was a little slow especially compared to The Hunger Games), it still was interesting enough, that I’ll definitely be reading the rest of hte series.
I thought the Hunger Games was better than I expected as well. mathmom, were you a little let down by the third book? So bleak.
Did a lot of reading in May & June - Highly recommend:
Room by Emma Donoghe - gripping, disturbing, couldn’t put it down
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Varghese - much heavier, but so interesting, tragic yet compelling
Two excellent courtroom/legal thrillers:
The Sixth Man by David Baldacci - Sean King & Michelle Maxwell are back in one of the best Baldacci his turned out in a long time. I much preferred it to the Camel Club series. I also read his very latest - One Summer. Did not care for it at all. I believe it was his first foray into the love story/family tragedy genre. I think he should stick with the legal thrillers.
5th Witness - Michael Connelly. Another Lincoln Lawyer novel, and one of his best.
Just starting Lisa See’s new novel - Dreams of Joy. As I read it, Shanghai Girls is coming back to me bit by bit.
Having read the NYT’s Book Review review I actually expected the third book to be bleaker than it was. I thought things turned out about as well as could be expected in the universe she had created. And I really liked the way she resolved the romantic part of the plot.
I just read two of the books recommended on this thread. Swamplandia! had its moments, but Peace Like a River (Leif Enger, 2001) is a marvel. I believe it was recommended by MomLive. Twenty stars!
^Bless you, IloveLA. My book club hated *Peace Like a River * when I recommended it to them. Too literary for them but I found the story charming.
I just finished The Hunger Games series also… The second book was my favorite. I thought the third book was REALLY bleak and hard to get into.
I loved “Peace Like a River” too, but my friend’s book club ranged from didn’t like it to hated it.
My book club all enjoyed “Room” a lot, prompted the longest actual book discussion we’ve had in a while.
Read Shipwrecks on the recommendation of someone here. Loved it!
I just finished Summer Island by Kristin Hannah last night. It was fairly predictable but a very nice summer read. The setting (as are all her books) is the Pacific Northwest, and I like reading about that area. This one is set specifically in the San Juan Islands, which I knew nothing about but now I want to visit! The story is of a family that estranged from one another and how they untangle the web of the problems.
^^and, I just finished Kristin Hannah’s Firefly Lane- quick summer read.
My book club is also reading Peace Like a River. I’m surprised other book clubs hated it, so now I’m really curious what my club’s reaction will be. We meet next week to discuss so I’ll find out then. I loved the language and the literariness of it and am reading it a second time. The writing is a joy to read. I literally laughed out loud at this description of Cole Younger:
I’m reading an old book that I picked up on one of my Goodwill book hunt forays.
The Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. I’m really enjoying it. It has strong characters. It’s easy enough to read but not so simple that you feel you’re wasting your time turning the pages.
I loved The Prodigal Summer, too!
Peace Live a River is one of my favorite books. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson is another.
Just finished Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger…wonderful…sigh…