What are You Reading August 2016

I just finished reading What Lies Between Us by Nayomi Munaweera, and I've just started reading The Trouble with Sheep and Goats by Joanna Cannon.

When I need a break from Crime and Punishment, I'm reading Tarry Flynn by Patrick Kavanagh.

Just finished On the Shores of Darkness, There is Light by Cordelia Strube and really enjoyed it. Am about to start a biography of Norval Morrisseau: Man Changing into Thunderbird by Armand Garnet Ruffo.

>3 JenMDB:, nice! My grade nine art class (we're talking ... oh ... late eighties?) introduced us to Norval Morrisseau, I've never forgotten the name. Interesting what sticks with you, sometimes.

I was just in Whistler for a week, and despite spending most of the time in serious relaxation mode, I got almost no reading done. Hence, I'm still reading Instructions for a a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell. I did manage to go to Armchair Books, a small but fabulous bookstore, and I increased my TBR pile by 3 shiny new books.

I read Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis this week. Not my usual cup of tea, but I found it intriguing, albeit quite depressing. Too hot weather for all this pondering and philosophizing and delving into the essence of being human, I think!

>6 ted74ca: Wondering about that for my book club. Does it matter what you think of dogs? We have 4 dog owners, 3 dog neutral people, and one very vocal member who strongly dislikes dogs (or maybe she just dislikes bad dog owners, not sure). Any thoughts?

>7 Nickelini: Tough to say, Joyce. I read Fifteen Dogs last fall. I am a dog lover, and I found the book a bit violent and disturbing , as I think both dog lovers and non - dog lovers might find. It reminded me somewhat of Lord of the Flies in that when the dogs escaped the shelter it ended up more or less being the survival of the fittest of the dogs, with a few exceptions. As dog person I had trouble imagining my dog as such a vicious animal, but after all, it is just a book. Maybe check out the reviews on the main page? I think I wrote one for it last fall. Sorry I can't be more help. I suppose it is more of a " morality tale" than purely a dog tale or a view on the ways of humans as well. A dog eat dog world. :) It is fairly short, which is a plus.

>7 Nickelini: Joyce, I did not write a review on that book, but Nancy aka lit_chick and a fellow named Randy Metcalfe did. I would say Randy Metcafe will give a pretty good idea of what the book is about. I suppose that the fact that it was about dogs made it easier for me to identify with the dogs, than if it had been written about gorillas, which hold no interest to me.

>8 vancouverdeb:, >9 vancouverdeb: Thanks, I'll take that under consideration. I agree that gorillas wouldn't appeal to me either. Funny enough, one of the members of the book club took her family to Rwanda last year specifically to view the mountain gorillas. Their photos were amazing, but a photo is close enough for me.

Mariana / Susanne Kearsley
3.5 stars

Julia is drawn to a particular house in rural England when she if 5 years old. When she comes across the house again at 29 years old, she discovers it's for sale and immediately buys it. After she moves in, she has strange experiences which she figures out are flashbacks to a previous life she lived as Mariana in the 17th century.

It was good. I listened to the audio and, especially at the start, it took some figuring out when she was Julia and when she was Mariana (having previously read – as an ebook – another novel by Kearsley, I suspect the flashbacks, in the print, may have been in italics or some alternate font to make it easier in that format). Later on, it was easier to figure out, based on the people and what was happening. The book got a bit more interesting toward the end, winding up what was happening for Mariana.

Currently reading Instructions For a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell.

>11 LibraryCin: There is nothing to distinguish past from present in the print book either. The transitions just occur smoothly mid-paragraph. It's the only Kearsley book I've read so far, but I do intend to read more. Her writing reminds me of Barbara Michaels.

Just finished a very Canadian mystery: One or the Other, by John McFetridge. It is set in Montreal around the 1976 Summer Olympics.

>13 SylviaC: Interesting. The other one I read did have flashbacks (or whatever they were) in italics (at least I think I remember it that way!!!!), so it was easier to follow.

Really enjoying So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson. Thought provoking.

I'm completing Ken Follett's century trilogy with Edge of Eternity.

Spent a fair chunk of this rainy Saturday with The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, by Wayne Johnston.

Finished Mother, Mother by Koren Zailckas on the weekend, and, though it was quite predictable, I enjoyed it.

>19 ted74ca:, I would love to know what computer logic made that touchstone point at Harry Potter, lol

reading Elegy for Eddie: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear.

The Guest Room by Christ Bohjalian

In the Woods by Tana French. This is the first in her Dublin Murder Squad series. I've read another book in the series and really liked it. I used to love mysteries when I was younger and it's kinda fun to get back to them.

A friend lent me the hardcover version of Edge of Eternity, which I continue to read. However, it weighs 3.5 pounds and doesn't fit in my purse, so I'm also reading Divine Justice by David Baldacci when I leave the house.

I'm reading At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen

I just finished Pope Joan and thoroughly enjoyed it.

A crime thriller Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton

Halfway through Work Like Any Other by Virginia Reeves. It is long listed for this years Man Booker Prize.

I'm reading The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt.

Reading Kay's Lucky Coin Variety by Ann Choi. Interesting take on being a Korean - Canadian immigrant, living over the top of the family store.

I'm reading Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova.

I'm reading The Apartment by Greg Baxter.