All Thing Books And Reading Thread 2020

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rubysmama

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Even though I didn't exactly love the book, or the human characters, I'm now reading the 3rd in the cozy mystery series that stared with Arsenic in the Azaleas. The 2nd book was Bones in the Begonias. And the one I'm currently reading is Corpse in the Carnations. I'm getting them free from Hoopla, and right now they're quick reads. Not sure if I'll keep reading the series, but Hoopla only has the first 6, so since I'm unlikely to buy any of them, that's as far as I'll get. I still don't love the human characters, though they are growing on me a bit, but I love the cat, dog and parrot.
 

Mamanyt1953

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I'm just finished "All Things Wise and Wonderful," and will start "The Lord God Made Them All" when I head to bed in a few. Then all I have left of the Herriot books is "Every Living Thing," which I actually have not read yet! O JOY O BLISS! After that, I'll start our October read, "Killing Me Softly."
 

rubysmama

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I hate editing errors in books!!! And Dale Mayer could use one for her cosy mystery series set in British Columbia, Canada. The first book had some weird dialogue, that didn't sound like something a Canadian would say, but the one I'm reading now just referred to a *state* law. Canada has provinces, not states. :rolleyes3:
 
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Tobermory

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I hate editing errors in books!!!
I do, too. I understand that mistakes can slip through (I’ve worked for newspapers and magazines), but it’s unprofessional and sloppy to let multiple errors appear in print. I read the first in a series I found on Hoopla by Molly Dox. I won’t read any more. They appear to be self-published, but surely she has friends who can correct grammatical errors, fix sentence structure, and smooth transitions. (I found the main character annoying, too, but that’s a different topic. :) )
 

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I hate editing errors in books!!! And Dale Mayer could use one for her cosy mystery series set in British Columbia, Canada. The first book had some weird dialogue, that didn't sound like something a Canadian would say, but the one I'm reading now just referred to a *state* law. Canada has provinces, not states. :rolleyes3:
I know the feeling. Years ago someone wrote a book set in the small town where I lived. She claimed to have visited the town frequently and knew it well. For some unknown reason she moved the county line so the town was in a different county. She moved various streets around, rearranging the geography of the area. She had a medical helicopter land at the airport at the edge of town instead of the helipad at the hospital, which had built at the same time as the hospital. The changes made no sense, especially because they did nothing to advance the plot. Well, that would have been difficult since there wasn't any real plot.

The local library had a copy of the book, but the librarians told anyone who wanted to check it out the it was terrible. :redtongue::lol:
 

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I really enjoy Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider series. Her character development is wonderful, you feel like you really know the people. However, her math skills leave a lot to be desired.
In one book two children are born three years apart. By the time they're teenagers in another book they're only a year apart in age. There are quite a few other date/event discrepancies throughout her books as well. I have to just remind myself that I'm just reading for fun and not critiquing the writing.
 

Tobermory

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I really enjoy Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider series. Her character development is wonderful, you feel like you really know the people. However, her math skills leave a lot to be desired.
In one book two children are born three years apart. By the time they're teenagers in another book they're only a year apart in age. There are quite a few other date/event discrepancies throughout her books as well. I have to just remind myself that I'm just reading for fun and not critiquing the writing.
I read that series decades ago and loved it, but I never picked up on the discrepancies. I may just have to reread the books! I wouldn’t mind. I thought they were magical.
 

rubysmama

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I understand that mistakes can slip through (I’ve worked for newspapers and magazines), but it’s unprofessional and sloppy to let multiple errors appear in print.
Some errors, I guess, can get missed. And, actually grammatical ones bother me less than factual ones. And especially errors that people who live in the area you're writing about will notice.

(I found the main character annoying, too, but that’s a different topic. :) )
LOL I found the main character in these books I'm reading annoying too, but a little less so in each subsequent book.

The local library had a copy of the book, but the librarians told anyone who wanted to check it out the it was terrible. :redtongue::lol:
That's hilarious. :lol:

In one book two children are born three years apart. By the time they're teenagers in another book they're only a year apart in age. There are quite a few other date/event discrepancies throughout her books as well. I have to just remind myself that I'm just reading for fun and not critiquing the writing.
Things like that happen all the time in soap operas! LOL. But that would annoy me in a book too, and probably stop me in my tracks like typos do.
 

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Has anyone mentioned the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (AKA J.K.Rowling)? I didn't realise she would be such an amazing Detective novelist! I'm onto the fifth book and it's so jolly unputdownable (and long...).

Sorry if it's been mentioned... but there's 40 pages of books here. :lol:
 

Tobermory

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Has anyone mentioned the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (AKA J.K.Rowling)? I didn't realise she would be such an amazing Detective novelist! I'm onto the fifth book and it's so jolly unputdownable (and long...).
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Sorry if it's been mentioned... but there's 40 pages of books here. :lol:
I’m glad you mentioned them. I’ve read two or three and didn’t realize there were more!
 

pearl99

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The latest is really long. She intends to keep them going. I'm certainly hooked. :)
I am hooked too! My sister in law started giving me them for Christmas starting with the first one “Cuckoos Calling.” Guess I know my gift this year! I also got her the latest one. Love them.
 
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Mia6

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Has anyone mentioned the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (AKA J.K.Rowling)? I didn't realise she would be such an amazing Detective novelist! I'm onto the fifth book and it's so jolly unputdownable (and long...).
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I hadn't realized she has written so many under that name. I've never yet read any Harry Potter books, so I now have a long list.

I'm still reading hard copy of The Godfather and really enjoying it. The author explains Michaels's thought process about being
in the Family biz which was just implied in the movie. Part one would have had to be 4 hours plus if they would've included everything.

I returned The Dilemma and Home Before Dark but now have Rage and The Killer Across the Table in hard copy.
 

Koveshnikov

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Bloodline (Witch Cat Mystery #1) by Vicki Vass
https://goodreads.com/book/show/35018318-bloodline
Fleeing from the witch trials in Salem, Terra Rowan finds herself in modern day Asheville, North Carolina. A dark spirit from the past hunts the last witch of Salem. With the help of the ladies of the Biltmore Society, Asheville aristocrats with untapped powers and a crooked-legged fat orange cat named Pixel, Terra must discover the secret within the forest to preserve the bloodline. Combining elements from different cultures, Appalachian folklore, Celtic legends, Native American mysticism, Bloodline creates a new witch mythology while staying true to the realm of cozy mystery. Terra Rowan is a witch trapped between worlds and lost in time.
"Best Cozy Mystery I have read this year".
Karen Owen Mystery BloggerAuthor
"Vicki Vass takes me back to the first mysteries I ever read…Nancy Drew."
By Lisa Ks Book Reviews
"There were so many twists and turns that I was not able to figure out who did it until the end of the book. I like that because it makes me want to read faster to see what happens next"
Griperang's Bookmarks
A cross genre mix of historical fiction and paranormal mystery, Bloodline by Vicki Vass is the first book in her A Witch Cat Mystery series. Set in two different locations; Salem, Massachusetts during the witch trials of the early 1690; s and contemporary Ashville, North Carolina, Ms. Vass uses the local folklore of both locations to build her story. Well-developed characters, two interesting mysteries and a solid pace kept me turning the pages from start to finish.
While there are two separate mysteries, only one will be resolved by the end of the story. The secondary mystery will undoubtedly be something that is carried as an ongoing thread throughout the series. Ms. Vass does a good job dropping clues for the reader to gather and the story takes plenty of twists and turns. The story’s pace is fairly quick and Ms. Vass’s voice as an author is well established and easy to read.
Queen of All She Reads.
 
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Tobermory

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I just finished a book by Ann Cleeves: The Long Call, © 2019. She introduced a new main character named Matthew Venn and set in North Devon. I’ve enjoyed her Vera and Jimmy Perez books and the TV shows that were made from them. Matthew is another interesting character.

Cleeves has a new Vera out this fall. I put a hold on it at the library. Estimate is 12 weeks! She’s a popular author.
 

Mamanyt1953

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Some errors, I guess, can get missed. And, actually grammatical ones bother me less than factual ones. And especially errors that people who live in the area you're writing about will notice.
LORD YES! I actually had to put Peter Straub's award-winning "Ghost Story" aside for several weeks because I was so incensed over his description of Panama City Beach, Florida, where I grew up. The pertinent characters are sitting in their motel room looking out over railroad tracks and mud flats. THIS is Panama City Beach, Florida:
1602038830821.png

THE ENTIRE THING LOOKS LIKE THAT! There was one place, in Panama CIty proper that fronted on St. Andrew's Bay that MIGHT have been an inspiration for that passage, but NOTHING on Panama City Beach, which was specifically mentioned. LOL, 40 years later, IT STILL RANKLES!

SO, I'm reading "Every Living Thing," the last of the five major James Herriot works, and the only one I had not read before. It is, of course, a joy.
 

Xraystyle

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I just finished "If I had Your Face" by Frances Cha.
1602049906559.png

It was pretty good and definitely gives you an idea of what modern Korean society is like for young women (at least for those in the "Gangnam Sphere") I almost put it down after I started reading it, but the writing improves as the story goes a long and you start to get more sympathetic towards the characters.

I set my Goodreads challenge to 36 books this year and I'm only halfway there... 😭
 
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Mia6

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