Read any good books lately?

[Petruchio - Good God]

finished with 'The Man in The High Castle' - sorry, the book is boring ... although I really love the series... but the book you can put in the bin... my opinion

[Rachel]

I have read that the book is nothing like the series, they only used the overall plot. Anyone else read this one?

[vikingjess]

I'm a big fan of alternative history movies, books, etc, but I haven't read Man in the High Castle. I was going to make time to read it after I watched the first season, but then I found out John Smith wasn't even a character in the book. I lost all interest after that.

[kygal]

It wasn't my thing. Read it because I knew Rufus was in the series even though I knew the character wasn't (same with ALVH). I like the amazon series better (probably know why). Thought the book was confusing when I read it, but maybe it helped me understand the series better.

[kissmekate]

I quite liked the book, but it is really very different from the series. Of course I knew that John Smith would not be in it, but also the other characters were portrayed in a totally different way from the series. The book is less about the characters and more about ideas, if that makes any sense. It gets quite chilling at times and poses some questions worth pondering, but it takes a lot of focus, and I found the ending unsatisfactory at first, until I read the additional material provided in my copy that made it appear in a somewhat different light.

But I totally understand that some of you did not love it.

[Rachel]

Kate, we seem to have similar reading tastes, so I think I'll give it a try. I'll post after reading.

[kissmekate]

I'd be very intrigued to get your opinion on this one!

[shopgirl152]

I read TMITHC book and I must say that I was disappointed with the story.

I am a huge fan of Rachel Joyce's books. She will have a new one out in June/July called "the Musicshop". Her books on Harold Fry and Queenie Hennessey are great novels. I prefer the Queenie one over Harold. Have any of you read Rachel's books. Another favorite author is Sadie Jones.

[kygal]

I am not familiar with those books. I tend to read fiction crime/mysteries that are a series (JD Robb, Jonathan Kellerman and Michael Connelly). I have enjoyed Threes Sisters Island and Inn Boonsboro trilogies (Nora Roberts). I probably need to expand my library.

[kissmekate]

I've read "Perfect" by Rachel Joyce and liked it a lot, and I have her collection of Christmas stories, "A Snow Garden", pleasantly un-sappy stuff.

[Rachel]

Well I finished THITHC. Kate, totally agree with you, this is a book about ideas not people. In fact I found the characters paper thin. While the ideas in the book are intriguing, it is hard to read. In many passages the characters are reflecting/thinking about themselves and their situations using the 3rd person. Plus the grammar was non-standard. This is a book you really have to concentrate on. I did like it, a good thought provoking book. I especially found interesting his premise that even if the Nazis had won, their society would begin to break down because of the way they suppressed creativity and experimentation. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt, but on reflection the ending fit the tone of the rest of the book. It is definitely a book that raises questions and doesn't worry about answers.

BUT - it is nothing like the series. Aside from having the same names the characters are nothing like the book, with the exception, maybe, of Robert Chiodan. Juliana and Frank are totally estranged, Ed and Frank aren't friends, Frank doesn't have a sister, Tagomi isn't a widower, and Joe is some kind of Nazi hitman. Not only is there no John Smith, but New York is barely mentioned. The one thing that was consistent was the Juliana of the book was as annoying as the one in the series (heh, heh).

I found the cover funny. I read this as an ebook, it had been recently issued with a new cover. And guess who was on it? Yep, Rufus. They also had Juliana clutching a film reel. Obviously however designed the cover never read the book.

Shopgirl, l've never heard of Rachel Joyce, I'll have to check her out.

[kissmekate]

Rachel, I just had to smile that you thought more or less the same of TMITHC as I did!

Rufus on the cover is never a mistake. Lucky you to get your hands on that copy. Mine had a rather boring cover.

[Rachel]

I didn't read a good book but I have to come here to rant about it to get it out of my system. I recently half-finished the book Radium Girls by Kate Moore. I was really looking forward to reading it as it had fantastic reviews. I think the good reviews are more reflective of the importance of the story than the actual book. It's set in America in the late 19-teens to the late-1920s. It's about the girls who painted the dials of clocks and watches with radium to make them glow in the dark. And I use the word girls deliberately. Most of them began working in their teens, one girl was 13 when she started. The book details the terrible health problems these girls developed since the way they were taught to paint the dials was to put the paint brush in their mouths to get a fine point on the brush. (The subtitle of the book was "America's Shining Women" because these girls ingested so much radium they literally glowed in the dark.) It took so long to get anyone to even admit that it might be the radium that was causing their really horrific health problems. These poor girls were let down by everyone, the medical people, the government and the companies who employed them. It is a terrible story.

BUT, OMG, did it have to be such a poorly written story? It was like reading a poorly written fanfic. All of the girls were good-looking, pretty, fun-loving, etc. And they dressed so well! Their boyfriends were all handsome, their families were all close knit, loving, and supportive. The company executives were smug, manipulative, money grubbers. Plus Moore jumped around. There were two main companies where this work took place, one in New Jersey and one in Wisconsin. It was hard to keep track of who was who and what was happening where. I totally get that these women were ignored, mistreated, and forgotten. But the author seemed to have totally fallen in love with them and lost any sense of perspective. Girls = good. Company, most doctors, government = bad.

Hopefully the bad taste this book left won't affect the next book I read.

[kissmekate]

What a pity the book seems to be so badly done, as the subject sounds very intriguing. Hopefully a better author will pick up on it one day.

I just realized I hadn't posted here in ages

My most recent favourite was "Saints for All Occasions" by J. Courtney Sullivan, a wonderful immigrant/family story about two sisters, Nora and Theresa, who went from Ireland to the U.S. in the 50s because Nora's fiancée had already left to pursue a better life on the other side of the big pond. While Nora, a diligent, hard-working, sensible and shy young woman, contents herself with menial work and later a not-too-exciting marriage and family life, Theresa has bigger dreams. She wants to dance, to flirt, to wear lovely clothes, and she wants to become a teacher. But life is what happens while you're busy making other plans, and things take a totally different turn for her, which eventually leads to decades of estrangement between the sisters. Sullivan has an easily flowing, highly readable style but never gets tacky or facile. She tackles various issues of society and family and creates a host of very believable, "real" characters. A definite recommendation!

[Rachel]

I just finished the latest Claire Mackintosh book - "Let Me Lie." I loved her first book "I Let You Go" but thought her second "I See You" a bit of a let-down. It was good, a real page-turner, but once you finished it you went, hmm, but how could that be? Surely someone would have noticed X? Well, she's back to form with this one. Short synopsis. It's the first anniversary of Anna's mother's suicide, which happened 7 months after her father committed suicide. Anna never believed her father killed himself and she received a card that implies that her mother was murdered. Anna goes to the police with her suspicions and opens up a whole can of worms.  This book was riveting. Even knowing Mackintosh goes in for twisty turns I was highly surprised by this book. I highly recommend it, a good, compelling read.