Reading Books For Pleasure

[FurryFury]

I felt like I needed a mental shower after reading Gone Girl. The movie OTOH made me laugh (possibly because I was dreading it and knew what was going to happen) and was pretty faithful to the book.

I just finished Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I've been a big fan of hers since her first success, Sharp Objects. Very good books. I heard there's a movie, but I'd recommend reading it first. There's no way they can get it right, or at least keep the experience as intense and pleasurable.

 

[FurryFury]

Gabriel: Secrets and Sins Series, Book 1 by Naima Simone 2.50/5
287 pages

I thought this book would be more like a BDSM novel because another one I read by this author was. It was pretty much straight romance cut with a mystery / crime storyline. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I wanted it to be. lolz

 

[FurryFury]

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum 3/5 pages 508 In my book club at fetlife, The Kinkster's Book Club, the Reader of the Month chose this book.

This book was much more complicated and interesting than the movie. I am glad I read it. At the same time, I'm not sure I want to read more if there are more. I know there are more movies.

The love affair and logical way the lead female looked at things really made the story much more interesting for me.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde 3/5 pages 374 It's a book by the author of the month in my Fetlife book club.

I've tried to read this book but never made it through. This time I did. I liked it fairly well. Not sure I want to read another though. I did like the lead character and some of the possibilities.

A Real - Life Story Sally Ride Life on a Mission by Sue Macy 2.5/5 pages 124

Too much of a juvenile biography for me. I want to read more about Sally Ride because this book didn't reveal much other than that she was a lesbian that I didn't already know. However it does fulfill the Ultimate Popsugar Challenge of me reading a book "my mother loves" not that she'd read it but she watched an interview with the author which was as close as she could come.

 

[FurryFury]

21.) Bones of Betrayal by Jefferson Bass 4/5

I enjoyed this one. It delved into some interesting things about the creation of the bomb that hit Japan in WW2 in addition to everything else I liked about these books.

Amazon sez:

Forged in the crucible of World War II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was a top-secret military installation—the linchpin of the Manhattan Project. Brilliant careers were born and dark secrets buried in the desperate race to build the Bomb. Those secrets begin to emerge when the body of a renowned physicist is discovered facedown in a frozen swimming pool.

Forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton, founder of the Body Farm, is shocked when an autopsy reveals the cause of Dr. Leonard Novak's death: a deadly radioactive pellet inside the elderly scientist's body. Who would commit such a horrific crime? Is it related to Novak's role in creating America's deadliest weapon? The answers may lie with the victim's aging ex-wife, Beatrice, a captivating yet utterly unreliable storyteller. Careening between history and fantasy, dementia and lucidity, Beatrice draws Brockton into a maze of memories, leading him to darker truths than he could have imagined.

352 pages

 

[IrisAlthea]

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum 3/5 pages 508 In my book club at fetlife, The Kinkster's Book Club, the Reader of the Month chose this book.

This book was much more complicated and interesting than the movie. I am glad I read it. At the same time, I'm not sure I want to read more if there are more. I know there are more movies.

The love affair and logical way the lead female looked at things really made the story much more interesting for me.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde 3/5 pages 374 It's a book by the author of the month in my Fetlife book club.

I've tried to read this book but never made it through. This time I did. I liked it fairly well. Not sure I want to read another though. I did like the lead character and some of the possibilities.

A Real - Life Story Sally Ride Life on a Mission by Sue Macy 2.5/5 pages 124

Too much of a juvenile biography for me. I want to read more about Sally Ride because this book didn't reveal much other than that she was a lesbian that I didn't already know. However it does fulfill the Ultimate Popsugar Challenge of me reading a book "my mother loves" not that she'd read it but she watched an interview with the author which was as close as she could come.

I liked The Eyre Affair a lot.
Like you said, the concept makes for a lot of possibilities and the humour works very well for me. I haven't taken time yet to read any of the other though. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[FurryFury]

YW!

I liked The Eyre Affair a lot.
Like you said, the concept makes for a lot of possibilities and the humour works very well for me. I haven't taken time yet to read any of the other though. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[FurryFury]

April

22.) Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline 3.5/5, 289 pages

I'd never heard of the Orphan Trains though it's likely I had family on those trains. People throw around words like depression today and don't have any idea how much different a recession is to a real depression.

Anyway, for me, this had two good stories in it. I just wish they'd been more actively interwoven. It was a good book. I'm glad I read it.

Goodreads Sez:

The author of Bird in Hand and The Way Life Should Be delivers her most ambitious and powerful novel to date: a captivating story of two very different women who build an unexpected friendship: a 91-year-old woman with a hidden past as an orphan-train rider and the teenage girl whose own troubled adolescence leads her to seek answers to questions no one has ever thought to ask.

Nearly eighteen, Molly Ayer knows she has one last chance. Just months from "aging out" of the child welfare system, and close to being kicked out of her foster home, a community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping her out of juvie and worse.

Vivian Daly has lived a quiet life on the coast of Maine. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a turbulent past. As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly discovers that she and Vivian aren't as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.

The closer Molly grows to Vivian, the more she discovers parallels to her own life. A Penobscot Indian, she, too, is an outsider being raised by strangers, and she, too, has unanswered questions about the past. As her emotional barriers begin to crumble, Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life - answers that will ultimately free them both.

Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.



23. ) Blood Song (Raven's Shadow #1) by Anthony Ryan 4/5, 582 pages. This was much more up my normal reader alley. A fantasy, epic and for me, very interesting. I will be reading more of it one day.

I'm glad it was recommended by a friend and that I picked it up!

Goodreads Sez:

From “a new master storyteller” comes the beginning of an epic fantasy saga of blood, honor, and destiny…

“The Sixth Order wields the sword of justice and smites the enemies of the Faith and the Realm.”

Vaelin Al Sorna was only a child of ten when his father left him at the iron gate of the Sixth Order. The Brothers of the Sixth Order are devoted to battle, and Vaelin will be trained and hardened to the austere, celibate, and dangerous life of a Warrior of the Faith. He has no family now save the Order.

Vaelin’s father was Battle Lord to King Janus, ruler of the unified realm. Vaelin’s rage at being deprived of his birthright and dropped at the doorstep of the Sixth Order like a foundling knows no bounds. He cherishes the memory of his mother, and what he will come to learn of her at the Order will confound him. His father, too, has motives that Vaelin will come to understand. But one truth overpowers all the rest: Vaelin Al Sorna is destined for a future he has yet to comprehend. A future that will alter not only the realm, but the world.

 

[SassyKatz71]

Love reading but...

I thought to see what everyone's talking about with the FSOG Books. But I've timing I a problem...I can't seem to try into it.Checked out the movie also.not great.But not horrible besides the lack of chemistry between the actors.

So I thought I'd read the books. Having trouble staying interested in it.

Back to my Sherrilyn Kenyon books

 

[FurryFury]

FSOG Books? Please elucidate.

I thought to see what everyone's talking about with the FSOG Books. But I've timing I a problem...I can't seem to try into it.Checked out the movie also.not great.But not horrible besides the lack of chemistry between the actors.

So I thought I'd read the books. Having trouble staying interested in it.

Back to my Sherrilyn Kenyon books

 

[seela]

I recently finished John Ajvide Lindqvist's Let the Right One In. I'm not a fan of vampire books, but this was pretty nice. The story was interesting and it dealt with pretty serious topics like bullying, pedophilia, alcoholism and even transgender issues of a child.

The story didn't hook me, but I enjoyed the book greatly and I especially liked how it handled the heavier subject matter. Maybe reading it in Swedish was a bad move for me, I don't know, maybe I would have gotten sucked deeper into the story in another language. I liked his book Little Star that I read last year more, but I believe this one is widely accepted as his masterpiece.

 

[La damnee elle la licorne]

 

[IrisAlthea]

I recently finished John Ajvide Lindqvist's Let the Right One In. I'm not a fan of vampire books, but this was pretty nice. The story was interesting and it dealt with pretty serious topics like bullying, pedophilia, alcoholism and even transgender issues of a child.

The story didn't hook me, but I enjoyed the book greatly and I especially liked how it handled the heavier subject matter. Maybe reading it in Swedish was a bad move for me, I don't know, maybe I would have gotten sucked deeper into the story in another language. I liked his book Little Star that I read last year more, but I believe this one is widely accepted as his masterpiece.

I liked both the book and the movie by Tomas Alfredsson.
I think Handling the undead and Harbour are just as good though.

 

[seela]

I liked both the book and the movie by Tomas Alfredsson.
I think Handling the undead and Harbour are just as good though.

I saw at least the one with the word harbour in the title in the library. I'll get it eventually, I've taken the habit to check the Swedish shelves and pick if there's something available that you've recommended. Now I'm also on the prowl for Kråkflickan, but it's never available in library I usually go to.

 

[IrisAlthea]

I saw at least the one with the word harbour in the title in the library. I'll get it eventually, I've taken the habit to check the Swedish shelves and pick if there's something available that you've recommended. Now I'm also on the prowl for Kråkflickan, but it's never available in library I usually go to.

I haven't read Kråkflickan but I have heard good things about it.
It came out when I stayed away from that kind of crime fiction as much as possible.
I still don't read many books with that theme but Kråkflickan might end up being read some day.

 

[FurryFury]

Can't you put it on hold?

I haven't read Kråkflickan but I have heard good things about it.
It came out when I stayed away from that kind of crime fiction as much as possible.
I still don't read many books with that theme but Kråkflickan might end up being read some day.

There are two movie versions I think. I've read the book and watched both. They were just okay for me. I'm a vegetarian.

I have seen the film adaptation of Let the Right One In. . ( I cringe when people say that and have not read the book, now I am one). I think its particularly good because people expect the saccharine that is modish and while this is not devoid of emotion it was not 'vegetarian'.

 

[IrisAlthea]

Can't you put it on hold?

You could say I have.
I may read it some day.

 

[Daddydom77]

My sub and I are currently working on a novel. It's our first one, so don't be to harsh on us. And the first two chapters don't include any sex scenes yet, but it introduces the characters, and the story, while not purely about BDSM, does have strong BDSM themes and imagery.

The first two chapters have just been put up on Booksie, and we would definitely appreciate any comments, likes, critics, etc. We are currently working on chapter three, the one where Hadrien first takes Lianna. Hope some of you will enjoy this even half as much as we do, and we look forward to hearing feedback.

Link to the story, it's free!

 

[FurryFury]

24.) Closer and Closer by Jenna Barton 4/5

This is one of the better BDSM novels that I've read in a long time. The two main characters are more human than in most novels and fit together well. I am curious about future novels from this author.

The main thing I don't like is the cover art. The two characters pictured are too young and don't appear to have the kind of character that they do in the books.

Amazon sez:

Dominance and submission. The delicate balance between hurts so good and too hot to handle. They’re not just kinky trends for the members of The Enclave, a tight-knit group gathering in a Gilded Age mansion secluded in the North Carolina mountains.

Come Closer...

For Erin Proctor, life has always been about working hard, creating stability, and succeeding. She plays it safe, watching from a distance. Then she encounters an unpredictable, sensual world she’s always known was there, but didn’t believe she could belong to.

Walt Easton is straightforward and unpretentious, a big, earthy man in possession of himself—and a fierce set of solid leather floggers. Once he and Erin meet, their attraction is undeniable. Walt wants a full relationship, not just fun in the playroom. Their kinky adventures can be negotiated later.

They've finally found a relationship that can let them explore who they fully are. But can Walt accept that while he's in charge in their private lives, when it comes to her job, Erin is the one in charge? Will Erin take the risk of letting down her walls and allowing Walt in all the way?

The biggest risk, after all, isn’t mixing pain and pleasure. It’s finding yourself—in love.

The first book of The Enclave series will bring you Closer to your desire.

25.) The End of Absence: Reclaiming What We Have Lost in A World of Constant Connection by Michael Harris 3.5/5

This book is a great thought provoking and conversation starting sort of book. I'm glad I read it.

Amazon sez:

Soon enough, nobody will remember life before the Internet. What does this unavoidable fact mean? Those of us who have lived both with and without the crowded connectivity of online life have a rare opportunity. We can still recognize the difference between Before and After. We catch ourselves idly reaching for our phones at the bus stop.

Or we notice how, midconversation, a fumbling friend dives into the perfect recall of Google. In this eloquent and thought-provoking book, Michael Harris argues that amid all the changes we're experiencing, the most interesting is the end of absence-the loss of lack.

The daydreaming silences in our lives are filled; the burning solitudes are extinguished. There's no true "free time" when you carry a smartphone. Today's rarest commodity is the chance to be alone with your thoughts. Michael Harris is an award-winning journalist and a contributing editor at Western Living and Vancouvermagazines. He lives in Toronto, Canada.

 

[seela]

I recently read Baking Cakes in Kigali and When Hoopoes Go to Heaven, both by Gaile Parking.

They're such delightful books! They're really warm, light and filled with humor. They also talk about the genocide of Rwanda, AIDS, women's rights and western aid, but they do so in little words and between the lines.

They're about a family, that has moved from Tanzania to Rwanda, and in the second book to Swaziland. The mother, or actually grandmother, of the family runs a small business, she bakes cakes to all kinds of events around the town. She's very involved in her community and is always willing to help people and wants to do the right thing.

I loved the books. Excellent light, real feelgood books. A little like the Mma Ramotswe books. They also made me realize that I know next to nothing about the everyday life in Africa.

Interestingly the only light books (these and the Mma Ramotswe books) about Africa I've read have been writen by white people who have spent at least a large chunk of their lives outside Africa. The books by black African authors I've read have been a lot heavier and harder and more focused on the problems of Africa both in history and present day.

I'm not sure what to make of this pattern. I'll have to seek out more books by African authors. Does anybody have any recommendations, especially on the lighter end?

 

[La damnee elle la licorne]

 

[FurryFury]

Ah. I see.

My reference to 'vegetarian' was not to people, but the current trend for teenage vampires who don't eat people ( such as twilight but its many, many, many, many....tedious spin offs) and thus are often described as ' vegetarian'.

 

[FurryFury]

Robert A. Heinlein In Dialogue With His Century Volume 1 Learning Curve 1907-1948 by William H. Patterson, Jr. 4.75/5

I have loved RAH for a long time. I've read all his books but I had some questions about him in regards to women. Questions are solved now and I love him more than evar!

Imagine a world in which sci fi writers were actually science engineers who could help out significantly in WW2. Imagine being born in 1907 and upon marriage having an actual open marriage in which both parties were free with their affections and continued good fellowship with all parties involved, generally speaking? AWESOME

Amazon sez:

Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988) is generally considered the greatest American SF writer of the 20th century. A famous and bestselling author in later life, he started as a navy man and graduate of Annapolis who was forced to retire because of tuberculosis. A socialist politician in the 1930s, he became one of the sources of Libertarian politics in the USA in his later years. His most famous works include the Future History series (stories and novels collected in The Past Through Tomorrow and continued in later novels), Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land, and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

Given his desire for privacy in the later decades of his life, he was both stranger and more interesting than one could ever have known. This is the first of two volumes of a major American biography. This volume is about Robert A. Heinlein's life up to the end of the 1940s and the mid-life crisis that changed him forever.

 

[La damnee elle la licorne]

 

[seela]

Robert A. Heinlein In Dialogue With His Century Volume 1 Learning Curve 1907-1948 by William H. Patterson, Jr. 4.75/5

I have loved RAH for a long time. I've read all his books but I had some questions about him in regards to women. Questions are solved now and I love him more than evar!

Imagine a world in which sci fi writers were actually science engineers who could help out significantly in WW2. Imagine being born in 1907 and upon marriage having an actual open marriage in which both parties were free with their affections and continued good fellowship with all parties involved, generally speaking? AWESOME

Amazon sez:

Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988) is generally considered the greatest American SF writer of the 20th century. A famous and bestselling author in later life, he started as a navy man and graduate of Annapolis who was forced to retire because of tuberculosis. A socialist politician in the 1930s, he became one of the sources of Libertarian politics in the USA in his later years. His most famous works include the Future History series (stories and novels collected in The Past Through Tomorrow and continued in later novels), Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land, and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

Given his desire for privacy in the later decades of his life, he was both stranger and more interesting than one could ever have known. This is the first of two volumes of a major American biography. This volume is about Robert A. Heinlein's life up to the end of the 1940s and the mid-life crisis that changed him forever.

This sounds extremely interesting! J's a huge Heinlein fan and I like his stuff too, so I'll definitely keep my eyes open for this one. Thanks!

 

[kawa_kamuri]

Reading books for pleasure. I'm currently reading a book written by a man I intend to sex. Terrible subject matter, pandering to the masses, an occiasional word that he probably had to dig up in a thesaurus. Regardless, reading for pleasure.