What was the last book you read?

[Treeviewer]

Jesus of Nazareth by Charles Gore
A classic text from the twenties, somewhat naive by today's standards.

 

[Crimson]

I set myself a goal of reading 12 novels this year, and I finished 2 months ahead of schedule. Four of these are books I've read before (many times) and the rest were new to me.

WORLD WAR Z: I generally hate zombie fiction but this is a surprisingly intelligent take on the presumed socio-political ramifications of a pending apocalypse.

'SALEM'S LOT: My favorite Stephen King book, even if the late 70s TV movie was better.

FIVE TOTAL STRANGERS: Nifty thriller of people stranded in an airport who decide to share a car to their destination; one of them is up to no good.

THE LAST NEANDERTHAL: Alternating tales of a modern day archaeologist and a family of Neanderthals forty thousand years in the past. I liked it.

SILENT CAME THE MONSTER: Novel of the real life shark attacks in 1916 that inspired JAWS. Enjoyable.

DEAD SILENCE: Sci fi horror that's heavily inspired by ALIEN & ALIENS, often bordering on plagiaristic. Even still, I mostly liked it.

DARK ANGEL: Gothic romance and one of my favorite novels. I read in annually.

THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS: Hated it.

MEXICAN GOTHIC: More atmospheric than eventful, but still enjoyable.

SLEWFOOT: Tale of witchcraft in colonial times. My least favorite of the author's novels, but still good.

DEVOLUTION: Exciting tale of sasquatch attacks! Loved it!

LOST GODS: Dark fantasy about a human soul in purgatory caught in a conflict between pagan gods and demons. Another book I read annually.

 

[Jason73]

DARK ANGEL: Gothic romance and one of my favorite novels. I read in annually.

I've read this twice now and am always thankful you introduced me to it. It's so good and I would chime in with a hearty recommendation for anyone who enjoys gothic novels with well developed characters.

I've just finished two mysteries -- And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling and also, The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves. I enjoyed both of them a lot and am currently reading the next book in the series following And There He Kept Her.

 

[Oh!Carol Christmasson]

DARK ANGEL: Gothic romance

I hadn't thought of it as "gothic" but if there had been a TV series version then it would make sense to cast Eva Green for the role of Constance.

 

[Crimson]

I've read this twice now and am always thankful you introduced me to it. It's so good and I would chime in with a hearty recommendation for anyone who enjoys gothic novels with well developed characters.

I'm glad you liked it enough to read it again; I had enjoyed your "live" reactions and thoughts when you read it the first time.

I hadn't thought of it as "gothic"

I wouldn't defend the "Gothic" descriptor too strenuously, but there's an old house filled with dark family secrets and the whole thing has always given me strong Daphne du Maurier vibe.

if there had been a TV series version then it would make sense to cast Eva Green for the role of Constance.

I first read the novel back in the 90s and my mental casting of the main characters has changed quite a few times over the years. More recently Eva has indeed been the face of Constance for me.

 

[Treeviewer]

Apparition Alley by Katherine V. Forrest (Kate Delafield #6)

 

[Treeviewer]

The Essays of George Eliot
Having made my way through Mary Ann Evans's novels and short stories, this seemed like the obvious follow up.

 

[Treeviewer]

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
A collection of essays by the creator of Narnia, based on a series of radio lectures delivered during World War II. He didn't convince me but I must say that he gives an interesting explanation of how God can be both father and son, albeit one with a strangely science fiction concept of time.

 

[Emelee]

The Nation's Gambit by Norwegian author Johan Høst. Read in Swedish. A terrorist has kidnapped the Norwegian Prime Minister and put him inside a glass box on the back of a truck outside the Parliament. Along with a bomb. The Speaker is presented with a chess game on a tablet. The PM is represented by the black king. All other black pieces all represent someone. A politicial, a police officer, a lawyer, a judge etc. They won't know who. Each time a white piece takes a black piece, the person representing that piece will die immidiately.

I liked it. Especially the first half of the book. Your standard page-turner. I did however figure out the ending after about 75% of the novel. But it didn't matter, because I wanted to continue reading to find out if I was right or not.

 

[Treeviewer]

Sleeping Bones by Katherine V. Forrest (Kate Delafield #7)

 

[Treeviewer]

Adventure Stories by Enid Blyton
I had this one as kid. I think they still hold up quite well.
This edition had the word "metre" a couple of times. I'm sure it would have been "yard" in my original copy. The change stands out like a sore thumb.

 

[bchristmastree9]

Murder, She Wrote: Hook, Line, and Murder

 

[Payton's Magic Christmas Light]

I just started to reed Barbra Streisand's new book "My Name Is Barbra" it has more then 900 pages.

 

[LMLDallas78]

I just started to reed Barbra Streisand's new book "My Name Is Barbra" it has more then 900 pages.

View attachment 49914

Oh keep us updated please, would love to know your thoughts.

 

[Payton's Magic Christmas Light]

Oh keep us updated please, would love to know your thoughts.

Thanks, i will try to updated my foughts on this book.

 

[Jolly Jimmy Tinsel Todd]

The Country Girl- Edna O'Brien

 

[Emelee]

I finished Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney. A nice wink to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. I thought I had the answer to the puzzle early on, but I'm happy to say I was wrong. And that made my overall impression of this mystery novel better.

 

[Long Lashes]

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I’ve been meaning to read this for years and finally got there. The novel is far more complex, compelling and emotional than the Hollywood film versions; it’s not so much a ‘horror’ story but more of a suspense thriller. The characters of both Victor Frankenstein and the monster he created had me feeling dislike for them both and also at the same time great sympathy.

It’s so cleverly well written and covers subjects that are relevant today such as isolation, ambition, rejection and also taking science beyond ethics …. just because we can doesn’t mean we should. It’s an old novel written in 1818 and I thought I might find the old writing style off-putting, , but it was an easy read and I found the writing style both charming and fascinating.

I’m going to move onto another Mary Shelley THE LAST MAN which I believe is a science fiction dystopian novel about a plague. Mary Shelley was ahead of her time.

 

[Treeviewer]

Hancock Park by Katherine V. Forrest (Kate Delafield #8)
Another change in formula, this one centres on a murder trial with the investigation slowly revealed in the form of flashbacks, while all the while Kate faces a crisis in her personal life.

 

[Treeviewer]

The Saint Returns (The Saint #39)
Novelisations of another pair of Roger Moore era TV episodes.
I don;t know how much was due to Leslie Charteris's oversight, but adapter Fleming Lee seems to have done a better job here of capturing the Saint's inner monologue this time than in the previous volume, which was more of a straightforward recounting of events.