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Please post your July reads here.

You can read about my meagre July reading here:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...

Not a stellar month. Please note that the Steve Martin book will not be released until fall.

My month didn't have any really terrific reads either. I will post them later as I think I may be able to fit one more in. It's a bio of Joseph McCarthy. I think it will be the best book I've read all month.

By the end of the month I will have finished one more book and it is one I am loving. It is the 4th book in the "Kick Keswick" series and I am really enjoying it.

I am a slow reader when it comes to nonfiction. I am always making notes and going off on tangents looking things up in my encyclopedia or one of my other reference books.

good to see you, Dorothy!!!!!

Here are my July reads:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...

I am currently reading "The Parchment of Leaves" but I probably won't finish it until August.

A really good month, and I deserved it! Hopefully the cover pictures will appear at the bottom of this post.


Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury. I don't know how I reached this advanced age without ever having read this book. A futuristic (or is it?) society where TV screens are the size of walls, people walk around with "seashells" in their ears so that they can listen to things that amuse them, and society frowns on anything serious or thought-provoking, preferring instead mindless, shallow entertainment. Oh yeah, and books are illegal. None of that could ever happen, could it? A

One Day - David Nicholls. Meet Emma and Dexter on the day they meet - July 15, 1988 - and then revisit them every July 15th for the next 20 years. They might be together, they might not even be speaking to one other. You might want to punch them in the nose or hug them. This was a well-constructed, well-written novel with some of the best dialogue I've read in a long time. I really enjoyed it. A

Still Missing - Chevy Stevens. After the wonderful dialogue in One Day, the writing in this book was agonizing to read. A young beautiful (natch!) real estate agent is kidnapped while holding an open house, and taken to a mountain cabin where she is held hostage for a year. This book got rave reviews but I could barely bring myself to finish it. A promising premise went downhill from there. C-

This Time Together - Carol Burnett. A collection of stories from Burnett's life and career. An easy, fast read with nothing very deep, even when I might have liked a little more depth. But still enjoyable. B

Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins. The first book in a young adult trilogy that I decided to read on impulse and wound up enjoying very much. Set in a futuristic dystopian society, a teenage girl has to fight to survive the nationally televised Hunger Games where children from different parts of the country battle each other to the death. There's a lot of killing and a lot of dying here and life seems very cheap, but the story is a page-turner and now I'm eager to read the next two books in the trilogy. A-

Brooklyn - Colm Toibin. I really expected not to like this book, but I wound up loving it. It's the very low-key, almost uneventful story of a young Irish woman who comes to Brooklyn after WWII, leaving her family behind in a small village. She gets a job, meets a young man and lives a satisfying life until an emergency sends her back to Ireland. My book group discussed this book the other day, and about half the group didn't care for it. But I liked it a lot and I thought it had a wonderful final paragraph. A

Fahrenheit 451One DayStill MissingThis Time Together: Laughter and ReflectionsThe Hunger GamesBrooklyn

>>Still Missing - Chevy Stevens. After the wonderful dialogue in One Day, the writing in this book was agonizing to read. A young beautiful (natch!) real estate agent is kidnapped while holding an open house, and taken to a mountain cabin where she is held hostage for a year. This book got rave reviews but I could barely bring myself to finish it. A promising premise went downhill from there. C-<<

I'll temper down my expectations for this book. I also hate it when an author has a great premise but fails with the execution.

>>This Time Together - Carol Burnett<<

I have the audio version waiting for pickup at the library tomorrow and am looking forward to listening to it.

>>Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins<<

I am glad to see you enjoyed this. I have had audio version downloaded for quite a while but wasn't really sure if I wanted to give it a go.

My July reads:

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat- Oliver Sacks
Rate 2+
Non fiction
Interesting read.
Sacks is a neurologist who shares with the reader a series of bizarre cases he has encountered. The cases were interesting but the book had some big flaws. The cases lacked depth. I felt The writing left a lot to be desired. And he used too much medical jargon w/o defining his terms. A glossary would have been most helpful. Still the book made me grateful for the problems I don't have.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales~Oliver Sacks


Dinner With Friends- Donald Margulies
Rate 3 minus
Play
I really enjoyed this play. There are two couples who are very close friends and one of them decides to get a divorce. The play explores the effect this has not only on the couple divorcing but on their friends as well.
After reading the play, I also rented the movie. I enjoyed that, too.
Dinner with Friends~ Donald Margulies


Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang - Chelsea Handler
Rate 3
Non fiction
Essays by the comedian Chelsea Handler. Her humor is graphic and not for the faint of heart.
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang~ Chelsea Handler



The Prince and the Pauper- Mark Twain
Rate 2 +
Fiction
Familiar and simple tale of two boys who switch places. The language is archaic so it slows down the reading considerable. I read it for one of my f2f book clubs.
The Prince and the Pauper~ Mark Twain


I Am Nujood- Ali Nujood.
Rate 2+
Non Fiction
Ten year old girl from Yemen is married off. She seeks a divorce even though in this culture it will bring shame on the family.

The writing is basic as it is told by a young girl. The story, unfortunately, is all too familiar. It would be a good book for young adults to read.
I read it for one of my F2F book clubs. The story engendered a lively discussion.
I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced~ Nujood Ali


Imperfect Birds- Anne Lamott
rate 1
Fiction
I love Lamott's nonfiction. Unfortunately, this work of fiction was mind numbingly boring. The characters just didn't ring true. The focus is on a family dealing with a drug addicted daughter. The wife is a recovered alcoholic with some unspecified mental issues. The step dad is a little too good to be true, as are the friends, church members, and counselors. I kept waiting for something, anything, to happen. But nothing really did. I found it had too little dialog and action and way too much navel gazing. Perhaps someone dealing with this situation would like the book better than I did.
Imperfect Birds: A Novel~Anne Lamott

A bit of a disappointing reading month for me.

My July reads


rating 3.5

I enjoyed this mystery which took place in the late 19th century New York.


rating 5
I loved this book eve though some of the storylines ere a stretch. Conroy's use of language is so wonderful,


rating 2

The second book in this series. Not a series i will continue



I enjoyed this novel. The characters were well drawn.

Meredith

Sandi wrote: ">>Still Missing - Chevy Stevens. After the wonderful dialogue in One Day, the writing in this book was agonizing to read. A young beautiful (natch!) real estate agent is kidnapped while holding an ..."

Judging from the reviews on Amazon, I'm definitely in the minority in not liking "Still Missing." Everyone else seems to rave about it, which leaves me just shaking my head. You might love it too, so definitely read it. (Then maybe you can explain to me what I was missing!!)

Connie

What I Read in July 2010

4724 The Oxford Conspirators A History of the Oxford Movement 1833-45, by Marvin R. O'Connell (read 4 Jul 2010) This book on the religious movement in England did not become easy reading till the third of its three parts. The earlier parts telling of the rise and efforts of the Oxford Movement did not hold my interest too well but when we got to the time--about 1839--when Newman started to have doubts that he was in the right religion (before that his strictures against the Catholic Church were fierce, I thought) the book became highly dramatic and of high interest. He was received into the Catholic Church in October of 1845. The book is very well-organized and researched, and tells the story coherently--and one is much joyed by its reading. I read the book because Newman is to be beatified in England this year when the Pope is there. Such a joy to see how the Church has grown in England since the dire years before 1829.

4725 A Tale of Six Cities The Life of Robert R. Eidsmoe (read 9 Jul 2010) Reading this was a most unusual reading experience. I have known the author for over 50 years, as a lawyer, and for the past 5 to 8 years as a frequent email correspondent. Even though I was reading an exciting book when the book came into my hands, I at once started to read this book. It is super-interesting, with many things of high import to me--he lived in Volga, S.D. in his early youth, and I have been in Volga. Then he lived in Yankton, starting high school in 1945--the year my wife graduated from Yankton High--then he moved to Sioux City, where he went to East High and Morningside College; he got a full ride at New York University Law School, and served three years in the Navy 1956 to 1958. Then he practiced law in Sioux City till he retired at age 63. Lived in Arizona and now in Colorado. So much he talks of--his cases, etc.--is of immediate interest. He did a phenomenally lot of bicycling, travel, and golf--I surely would not have wanted to do all that, but he thrived on it. I just found the reading compelling and I thought he did such an excellent job of recounting the many fascinating things he did. There is sadness--I found poignant his relation of the deaths of his parents and uncle, of his dog, Amigo, his leaving his home in Sioux City. Just a very well done autobiography.

4726 Wild Fire, by Nelson DeMille (read 12 Jul 2010) This is the ninth DeMille book I have read. Detective John Corey and his wife Kate Mayfield set out to see what happened to John Muller at a fortress-like place in upstate New York. Actually long stretches of the book are boring except that the reader knows time is passing and the plan by right-wing nuts to set off nuclear bombs at two American cities so as to trigger an attack on Muslim countries is drawing closer. Corey is a risk-taker and most reckless and if he were real he'd have died long before the denouement in this novel. The way the good guys win is totally impossible, but of course we knew they would win. Not really a good book but one keeps reading to see how they win out in the end.

4727 The Rector of Justin, by Louis Auchincloss (14 Jul 2010) I read two of this author's early works in November 1984 and did not think too highly of them. But I heard this book of his, published in 1964, was his best so decided to read it. I did not think it too entrancing, but as I went on I was struck by the depiction of the Rector (Francis Prescott) as the tyrant he at times was (reminded me of the Dean of Men at Loras) and I was quite caught up in the account of his fight with a delinquent boy. Then the book kind of muddled to an end. It is the story of a school like Groton (where the author went and covers the years 1939 to 1947--when Prescott dies) with some drop backs to earlier events, much seen thru the eyes of Brian, a young new master at the school. More sharp than Good-bye Mr. Chips, and not as engrossing really, though strives to be more profound.

4728 An Edible History of Humanity, by Tom Standage (read 15 Jul 2010) This 2009 book relates the effect of food in history. It starts pretty boringly, telling of myths folks believed as to food, but it gets better as it relates the importance changes in food production had through history. It tells of the potato going from the New World to the Old, and development of sugar, spices, etc. and the role such played in history. There is discussion of Malthus. The author says the world population will peak at 9.2 billion in 2075 and after that will decline. The account of the 20th century famine deaths caused by Stalin and Mao is eye-opening. The book could have been mush improved by footnotes or more specific source notes, but it is quite a worthwhile book.

4729 Purgatory Inn A Novel by Erbesto Jose Herrera read 17 Jul 2010) This self-published book tells of Latinos living in Los Angeles, The characters in the novel are not very moral and adultery and fornication are treated very lightly. They live in a fancy worn down house about to be condemned. They have a hard time, since they are in the country illegally. I could not get too interested in the choppy story, and was glad to get to the last page.

4730 A Nation in Torment The Great American Depression 1929-1939, by Edward Robb Ellis (read 20 Jul 2010) This 1970 book is an account of the Depression. In May 1997 I read the author's A Diary of the Century with much appreciation and I also found this book great reading for the most part. It tells of the fall of Samuel Insull and of the 1929 Crash, then takes up various aspects of the Depression, including a full account of the Bonus Army and its crushing by MacArthur. There is a chapter on the RFC, and one on Technocracy, a silly fad talked about much in 1932--it proposed that people work only from age 25 to 45 and all else be at leisure except for those ages. The book paints an appropriately negative picture as to Hoover, and a very affirmative picture as to FDR. There are excellent chapters on the CCC, the NRA, Huey Long, Father Coughlin, and Dr. Townsend. The closing chapters, on dust storms and the WPA get to be a bit tedious. The biggest flaw in the book: no footnotes at all. But all in all, I gobbled the book up and its politics were something I agreed with.

4731 Arctic Dreams Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape, by Barry Lopez (read 23 Jul 2010) (National Book Award Nonfiction prize for 1986) Since my niece just spent a month on Ellesmere Island (the most northern island in Canada) I thought it appropriate I read this prize-winning book. Much of it is telling about muskox, polar bears, and narwhal (a kind of whale with a unicorn tusk) in Northern Canada. This is all fairly interesting but I could not get too excited about it. But his chapters on Arctic exploration held my interest, even though I read a whole book re such on 28 Oct 2008: The Arctic Grail, by Pierre Berton). The author of this book does a lot of philosophizing about Eskimos, and such which was of lesser interest to me.

4732 Armageddon: 1918, by Cyril Falls (read 25 Jul 2010) This is 1964 book by a prominent British World War One expert. It tells of the fight in the Near East in September and October 1918. It was a campaign in which the British, under General Allenby and with the help, for awhile, of T. E. Lawrence, did very well. There were, at times, cavalry charges--the last significant cavalry charges ever. I was not too interested in the subject. But it is well put together, and the events described were important in the dispositions of he region--such a prominent region in today's world. Since the war was almost over I felt bad for the men and horses that died--but I am sure that Britain, still thinking itself a world-dominant power, felt the effort was worthwhile.

4733 The Death of American Virtue Clinton vs. Starr, by Ken Gormley (read 30 Jul 2010) This amazing book is by a law professor and was published in 2010. It is a big book, 689 pages of text, 70 pages of source notes, and a 7 page bibliography. It tells the story of Bill Clinton and his ordeal with the special prosecutor, and all the ins and outs of Whitewater and Lewinsky. Much is very familiar, even after more than ten years, and yet to have it all laid out, in chronological sequence, with comments by the people involved on the happenings made years later, is really to tell an engrossing story, even if one knows how it comes out. One is, of course, appalled by the evil and stupidity of Clinton's behavior, but Gormley tells an even-handed account. Everybody seems to have cooperated in his research into the facts, so the book is probably as good an account as can be written now. Especially absorbing to me was to learn of the reactions and doings of all the lawyers involved--what tremendous pressures they were under. This was a book more exciting than any thriller fiction. And it seems clear that it was best that Clinton was not ousted as President.

Hi everyone, my name is Karina and I am a new member of this group as well as a new member of the goodreads.com site.

I only read one book during July, since I was busy going to summer school until I found myself in Barnes and Noble one day and realized that I had not read a book outside of class reading for about 4 months.

Ta-dah, the book that ushered me out of my misery:

Columbine
by Dave Cullen

It is a thorough examination of the events that happened on April 20, 1999 in Jefferson County, Colorado when two male students staged one of the worst school shootings in American History. I found this book to be very eye-opening - I have always been interested in the psychology behind the minds of people who commit terrible crimes and this book covers that topic with great sensitivity but also surprising frankness, which I really appreciated.

My July reads:
1. Metlzer, Brad—Heroes for My Son. Finished 7/8/10. Rating 9; non-fiction. Short biographies of famous and non-famous heroes for the author’s son. Presentation is a photo on the left side with a few sentences of biographical info with a brief explanation on the right side giving actions of the person that were heroic.
2. Wall, Carolyn—Sweeping Up Glass. Finished 7/30/10. Rating 10; fiction. Coping with an insane mother was a struggle for Olivia Cross and was made even worse after the death of her beloved father who was highly regarded in the Kentucky hill community especially for his veterinarian skills. Olivia was unable to accept the love of her childhood sweetheart Wing, and later had a daughter out of wedlock who had a son out of wedlock who Olivia raised. The characters were interesting, but it was the ending chapters that were a major surprise as to what had been going on in the community.

>>Wall, Carolyn—Sweeping Up Glass. Finished 7/30/10. Rating 10<<

I also really enjoyed Sweeping Up Glass. I saw the author, Carolyn Wall, on a panel about settings (Where is as important as Whom) at the Baltimore Bouchercon and she was a great panelist. Funny, quick, and very passionate about her work.

x-posted at M/T Reading Friends

Had a really great month. Not a bad book in the bunch.

Top Reads


Starvation Lake: A Mystery
Bryan Gruley
Excellent debut mystery. This book was nominated for both the Edgar and the Anthony for best first Novel. Really enjoyed the small town Michigan setting and the mix of sports and suspense.


Persona Non GrataRuth Downie
This is fast becoming one of my favorite historical mystery series. In this entry, Ruso, a doctor serving in the Roman Legions in Britannia, is summoned home to southern Gaul by a cryptic note that seems to have come from his brother. Ruso and Tilla are great characters, the history of the period is skillfully woven into the plot, and the comic element never seems forced.


Sudden Prey
John Sandford
Top drawer thriller. This book starts with a bang and never lets up. I love the character of Lucas Davenport and this tale of revenge and retribution is my favorite in the series so far.


Heart of the Hunter: A Novel
Deon Meyer
Another wow thriller from Deon Meyer. Great characters (especially loved learning Tiny's backstory), lots of action, and interesting look at South Africa's security forces and the various factions within.


Don't Look Back
Karin Fossum
Karin Fossum's English debut features older, widowed Inspector Konrad Sejer who is trying to solve a murder that took place in a small Norwegian village. Very well done police procedural. Sucked me in from the first page. Great plot, suspense, and characters. Will definitely continue on with the series.

Good Reads


Rhapsody in Blood
After finishing up the first draft of his memoir (which should be a definite bestseller since Justice has the most tortured backstory of any fictional character I can think of), Justice agrees to accompany his good friend to a remote hotel where a movie is being shot. Obviously, trouble finds him again. The plot was a bit creaky (very far-fetched for this series) and the writing a bit clunky (a couple of long info dumps probably could have been cut) but I do enjoy the characters and will look forward to the next adventure.


Good Omens CD
Terry Pratchett
Neil Gaiman
According to the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, the coming Apocalypse is nigh. Luckily for mankind, the angel Aziraphale (a rare book dealer who never actually sells anything) and the demon Crowley (who did not exactly fall from grace but just kind of sauntered downward) decide that eternity would be extremely boring no matter which side wins. Like most Pratchett this started off with a bang, was extremely funny in places, bogged down a bit in the middle, and had a rousing finish. I listened to the audio version which was performed admirably by Martin Jarvis.


The Chalk-Circle Man
Fred Vargas

The first book in the Commissaire Adamsberg series (though not translated into English first). Newly tranferred to Paris from the Pyrenees, Commissaire Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg has a rather unconventional way of looking at crimes. When blue chalk cirlces start showing up all over Paris he is sure something sinister is afoot. Offbeat and quirky with a rather nifty ending.


Murder in a Cathedral
Ruth Dudley Edwards
Edwards excels in skewering various British institutions and in this book she turns her sharp pen on the Church of England. Pretty standard plot (tensions between the high church curates and the newly appointed Dean who displays a rather fundamentalist streak) but the characters are all so over top that laughs abound on every page if you enjoy the author's brand of humor.


A Bad Day for Sorry: A Crime Novel
Sophie Littlefield
Promising Debut. This was nominated for an Anthony and Edgar for Best First Novel. Thought the main character Stella Hardesty, a mature woman who runs a sewing shop and doles out vigilante justice to abusive men on her days off, was fascinating but wished the actual plot line was a bit more plausible.


The Silent Man
Alex Berenson
CIA super operative John Wells is back for a third adventure and while I found this to be a perfectly enjoyable listen (read by George Guidall) it was not quite as good as the previous two books. This one got bogged down a bit with technical details of nuclear weapons and the ending, while exciting, seemed a bit rushed.


Between a Heart and a Rock Place
Pat Benatar
No frills account of Benatar's life in rock and roll. I've always been a fan (Hit Me with Your Best Shot was one of the staples of our playlist in high school band) and it was nice to read that Benatar is basically a normal person who puts her family first and really seems to appreciate her career.


Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads
David Morrell
Collection of essays by members of the International Thriller Association presenting their selections of the 100 best thrillers of all time. Some rather out there picks (I never thought of Summer Lightning by P.G. Wodehouse as a thriller) but overall an enjoyable read and I added many new books to my TBR. Probably should be either avoided or just skimmed by those who are spoiler sensitive.


Moving Mars
Greg Bear
Enjoyable hard science fiction novel about the coming of age of the Mars colony both politically and scientifically and how Mother Earth reacts to the changes. Thought the main plot was very interesting and loved all the political machinations but did get a bit bogged down during the scientific explanations. Listened to the audio version read by Sharon Williams.


Seasons in Hell
Mike Shropshire
The author looks back at his tenure as the beat writer of the Texas Rangers back in the mid-seventies.

Karina wrote: "Hi everyone, my name is Karina and I am a new member of this group as well as a new member of the goodreads.com site.
."
Welcome, Katrina...hope you visit us often and post when you can. We do a lot of talking about books, not just the ones we finished! I am glad you will now have more time for pleasure reading.

Sandi wrote: ">>Wall, Carolyn—Sweeping Up Glass. Finished 7/30/10. Rating 10<<

I also really enjoyed Sweeping Up Glass. I saw the author, Carolyn Wall, on a panel about settings ..."

Sandi, do you live in/near Baltimore?

Schmerguls wrote: "Actually long stretches of the book are boring except that the reader knows time is passing and the plan by right-wing nuts to set off nuclear bombs at two American cities ."

Makes one wonder why these guys just do not publish a short story and scrap the unnecessary verbiage?

I read a similar book a couple of years ago.....same/ yadda yadda except it was left-wing nut jobs planning an attack that would have worldwide repercussions. Stupid stupid people and the essential story was encompassed in pages and pages of verbiage that was of no interest.

I read Cassidy by Lori Wick. It was a great book, but at the end it wreaks of sequel. I hate that.

>>Sandi, do you live in/near Baltimore?<<

No, I am in Indianapolis. I've only been to Baltimore the one time for Bouchercon in 2008. I wish I would have gone out a couple of days before the convention so I could have seen more of the city. Really only got to see the Inner Harbor and Fells Point.

Sandi wrote: ">>Sandi, do you live in/near Baltimore?<<

No, I am in Indianapolis. I've only been to Baltimore the one time for Bouchercon in 2008. I wish I would have gone out a couple of days before the convention..."

I have lived within 70 miles of Baltimore almost my whole life but rarely went there. Now my daughter lives on the edge of the city and I am there all the time. It is a really interesting place with lots of things to do. Many young people are opting to move there instead of DC because it is more affordable. Not by much, methinks, when a 15 foot wide, tiny townhouse in Fells Point sells for $600,000!!!

Karina wrote: "Hi everyone, my name is Karina and I am a new member of this group as well as a new member of the goodreads.com site.

I only read one book during July, since I was busy going to summer school unt..."
----------------

Welcome, Karina !

:)

I also read, Columbine by Dave Cullen and thought it was very well done.

Cullen did an author Q&A on GR.

I know I'm late to the party...I was busy with summer company and family visits.

Here are my July 2010 reads.

1. North and South: by Elizabeth Gaskell - Having never read anthing by Gaskell this novel was recommended by a fellow Jane Austen Fan. This is a clasic romance novel of the mid-19th century. Anyone with a love of Austen or Dickens will love this novel. I will be reading more of her novels in the future.

2. Persuasion: by Jane Austen - this is my absolute favorite novel and a re-read. A true love story that has held us captive from one generation to the next. Each time I read it theres always something new that I didn't remenber before.

3. The body of Death: by Elizabeth George - This is a novel from the inspector Lynley series. I absolutely love this series. George's book alway involves a murder but she does a great job of bring the story to its resolution along with any side stories she has running in the background.

4. Countdown: by Iris Johansen - This is my second Johansen novel. It's a fast read, intresting plot and some witty characters. I don't think I will pickup another one though.

5. Gambler: by Fyodor Dostoevsky - Short novel that is supose to be somewhat of a reflection on Dostoevskys own problem with gambling. Well written and a easy read.

Heather wrote: "I know I'm late to the party...I was busy with summer company and family visits.

Here are my July 2010 reads.

1. North and South: by Elizabeth Gaskell - Having never read anthing by Gaskell ..."

Heather, have you seen the PBS show that was made from this book? I thought it was very well done.

Heather wrote: "I know I'm late to the party...I was busy with summer company and family visits.

Here are my July 2010 reads.

1. North and South: by Elizabeth Gaskell - Having never read anthing by Gaskell ..."

JoAnn,

I have not yet had the chance to see the show, but alot of people have said how well it follows the book.

All of the adaptations of Gaskell's books were well done, IMO.

The only North and South that I was aware of, that was made into a movie, is part of a trilogy by John Jakes.

Richiesheff wrote: "The only North and South that I was aware of, that was made into a movie, is part of a trilogy by John Jakes."

I know, I had never heard of Gaskell's North and South either.

North and South