July 2018 Book Discussions
Posted: June 19, 2018 Filed under: Book Discussions Leave a commentOn July 17 at 10 a.m., the Tuesday Morning Book Group will meet to discuss Pirate Hunters, by Robert Kurson. A real-life adventure story of danger and deep-sea diving, historic mystery and suspense, by the author of The Shadow Divers. Here’s my earlier review.
The Tuesday Evening Book Group will meet at 7 p.m. on July 24 to discuss Manhattan Beach, by Jennifer Egan. Anna 
Kerrigan is working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard who wants to be a diver and really contribute to the war effort, while also helping out her family and searching for information about her father Eddie. My earlier review is here.
The Crime Readers will meet again in September.
Attending a book discussion earns an extra entry for our Summer Reading Safari.
Happy Summer Reading!
Brenda
Tomorrow’s Kin
Posted: June 14, 2018 Filed under: Book Reviews | Tags: science fiction Leave a comment
Tomorrow’s Kin by Nancy Kress
I found this science fiction novel, a quick read, on the 2017 Locus Recommended Reading List. Locus Magazine reviews science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Set on Earth in the near future, aliens have made peaceful first contact. They have a ship in New York harbor, and want to meet evolutionary biologist Marianne Jenner. Her research may help the aliens find distant kin on Earth, including her son Noah. The aliens from Deneb have come to warn Earth about a deadly spore cloud they will soon encounter, and the race is on to prevent a pandemic. Noah, who uses the intoxicant sugarcane, quickly bonds with the Denebs. The aliens leave behind plans for a space ship, just as the spore cloud appears. This is the first book in a trilogy, so it’s no surprise that the spore cloud’s effects aren’t as dire as predicted. Marianne’s young grandson Colin has super hearing, along with many other young children. Predictably, there are ecological and financial problems from the spore cloud, and differing opinions about the proposed starships to Deneb. The book is fast-paced, with appealing characters, and slightly mysterious, nonviolent aliens. The second book is If Tomorrow Comes, to be followed in November by Terran Tomorrow. This book is based on the award-winning novella, Yesterday’s Kin, and is a good readalike for Kim Stanley Robinson’s ecologically focused science fiction, including Forty Signs of Rain and New York, 2140.
Brenda
The Lost Queen of Crocker County
Posted: June 10, 2018 Filed under: Book Reviews | Tags: fiction, small town Leave a comment
The Lost Queen of Crocker County by Elizabeth Leiknes
Jane Willow, the former Corn Queen of Crocker County, Iowa, moved to Los Angeles after high school to study film and hasn’t been home since. Now a successful film critic, she adores her practically perfect parents and wants them to move to L.A. Jane isn’t always likable, and has too much drama and tragedy in her life. I had a hard time believing the secrets she kept from her parents and best friend, Charlotte. Charlotte, who now runs a meatloaf hotline, is more interesting than teen Bliss and her screenplay. The story is a page-turner, but not quite the feel-good read I was expecting.
Brenda
You Me Everything
Posted: June 6, 2018 Filed under: Book Reviews | Tags: family life, food, France, illness, romance Leave a comment
You Me Everything by Catherine Isaac
A heartwarming book about second chances and dealing with a serious illness set in southwest France. Jess broke up with Adam a few weeks after their son William’s birth. He didn’t seem interested in being a father or settling down. 10 years later, Jess, a creative writing teacher in Manchester, takes William to spend the summer with Adam at the chateau and cottages he’s remodeled in the Dordogne region. Jess’ mother Susan is quite ill and it’s her wish that William and Adam develop a close relationship. Adam is quite busy, but two of Jess’ friends arrive for vacation, along with three children. Full of gorgeous scenery, good food, and family drama, this is an engaging summer read. Along the way, there are cookouts, castles to tour, a waterfall to slide down, along with some romance.
Brenda
The Shipwreck Hunter
Posted: June 2, 2018 Filed under: Book Reviews | Tags: history, real life adventure Leave a comment
The Shipwreck Hunter by David Mearns
A fascinating real life adventure, sure to appeal to fans of The Pirate Hunters. Mearns describes the research, fundraising, and dramatic searches needed to find historical shipwrecks. His teams have searched for a 15th century ship connected to Vasco de Gama, an Australian World War II hospital ship, and the freighter Lucona, which sank in the Indian Ocean in 1977 after an explosion in the cargo hold. This book is quite the page turner; I wanted to see if his team could find yet another long missing ship, and possibly discover why it sank. Equipment failures, conflicting eyewitness accounts, and rough weather make searches even more challenging.
Brenda
June 2018 Book Discussions
Posted: May 29, 2018 Filed under: Book Discussions Leave a commentThe Tuesday Morning book group will meet at 10 a.m. on June 19 to discuss The Dry, by Jane Harper. This is a contemporary mystery set in a small town in Victoria, Australia, about five hours from Melbourne, during a drought. Financial investigator Aaron Falk is back in town for a 
funeral and gets caught up in a murder investigation. My earlier review is here.
On June 26, The Tuesday Evening group will meet at 7 p.m. to discuss The Stars are Fire, by Anita Shreve. Also set during a drought, but on the coast of Maine in 1947. Young mother Grace Holland has to protect her family when her husband volunteers as a fire fighter in a nearby town. Here’s my earlier review.
If you are participating in the Summer Reading Safari, attending a book discussion gets you an extra entry to earn a prize.
The Crime Readers are taking the summer off, and will meet again in September.
Happy summer reading! And please let me know if you have suggestions for fall or winter book discussions.
Brenda
Space Opera
Posted: May 25, 2018 Filed under: Book Reviews | Tags: humor, music, science fiction Leave a comment
Space Opera by Catherynne Valente
This amusing, engaging science fiction novel was inspired by the Eurovision Song Contest, David Bowie, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and the author’s Maine Coon cat. Set in the near future, first contact with Earth is made by the appearance of an alien who resembles a flamingo and a fish, and can speak with your grandmother’s voice. The sentience of Earth’s inhabitants is in doubt, and Earth must participate in the upcoming Megagalactic Grand Prix and finish anywhere but last to survive. As Yoko Ono is no longer available, Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeros, a former British glamrock trio, is selected. The two remaining musicians aren’t on speaking terms and have no ideas for a new song. Danesh Jalo (Decibel Jones) parties with the aliens en route to the contest, while Omar Caliskan (Oort St. Ultraviolet) misses his kids and chats with Oö, who resembles a red panda. Fans of Douglas Adams or Connie Willis may enjoy this whimsical, bittersweet, and ultimately hopeful musical extravaganza.
Brenda
