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Still on “Grandmother and the Priests” by Taylor Caldwell. I read right to relax right before sleeping, and I’ve only been able to read for a few minutes each night before the sandman comes. But each chapter has a different story told by a different priest. The story is a woman’s childhood memories of her boisterous and profane grandmother and the group of priests who regularly came to dine at her home, and tell stories. I read it as a kid. I love Taylor Caldwell.
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The Book of Unknown Americans was my favorite lately.
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Found this author recently. Nancy Naigle and the book is Hope for Christmas. I tend to read romance, good ending type stuff. And I also checked out a couple of Fern Michaels that are part of the Sisterhood series. Those are kind of more mystery types.
One time I was reading a Nora Roberts book and the first couple of pages seemed pretty interesting like the other ones and all of a sudden things got gory. I kept reading because I was already into it, and a lot of her books aren't always that graphic. Montana Sky.
I really like author Carla Neggars just for the descriptions of where her books are set. The New England states and Ireland and England.
The Sharpe and Donovan Series is really good IMO.
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Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Loved it!
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"399 games, puzzels and trivia challenges..." by Nancy Linde.
Entertaining while also good for our brain.
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I think you'll enjoy it Pam. Let me know what you think of it after you are finished.
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Gershun, I just got that from the library this week, can't wait to start it, the reviews were good, and now you liked it too.. sounds like a winner!
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I just finished an excellent novel that I would highly recommend. It's The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah.

It's quite a thick book but I had it finished in three days.
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Still reading the Bible.
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Thanks pamzimmrrt:)
I will save that info & see if library has some.
I do like mysteries😳.
Must get out of my rut, this will help me🌈.
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Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo!! Just released, excellent!
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Tiger, both mom and I like "cozy mysteries",, there are tons of them out there, quick easy reads, some have recipes or craft ideas in them,, ask your librarian ( yes we get almost all our books from the library, we read a lot) Many are series, and if you like one you can read the rest. Barbara Ross does a series of clambake mysteries, pretty fun reads. Some series are set in bookstores, cafes, home improvement stuff.. good luck and good reading! Sort of like the Hallmark channel mysteries.
And Cwillie, I agree about Laurell Hamilton,, she has become boring to me.
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Hi, I usually read non fiction stuff, but agree with Gershun that I need something to escape from it all:)
What do you guys recommend for me (that's easy to read)? Sorry, but I used to read stuff like Tolkien & Isaac Asimov...which is WAY over my head now.
BTW: my Nancy Drew books are still in my basement! 💟
Thanks all, ...tiger.
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If none of you have read Dennis Lehane’s novels, you should give him a try. He wrote “Mystic River” and “Gone Baby Gone,” both of which were made into good films. I think he also wrote “Shutter Island.”
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A Year by the Sea, thoughts of an unfinished woman by Joan Anderson.
Pretty good. I just found out they made a movie from it.
Im not big into self discovery, but it is very fulfilling reading.
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GA, it's Patricia Cornwell. I loved reading Tom Clancy years ago - his books are huge and my winter fun read. As time went on, he added a co-writer and the books went downhill fast (IMHO). David Morrell is another whose books I've liked, and I don't remember finding any duds in his list of books. I usually do audiobooks, and one of the best narrators by far is Scott Brick.
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I am reading this column instead of going through my books and weeding out the four fifths of them which will not fit into the space of the house I am moving into on Monday. This is more interesting and less heart-breaking, but it will not get the furniture van loaded, alas.

I am throwing out classics if they were horrible, no matter how high their standing. Frankenstein and Brave New World are gone - if I ever feel the need to reread them, I will have to be very short of fun indeed.

Only 4999999999999998 more to go, then :(
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I agree with comments about Grisham.   It's as if they're like a cook who finds a good recipe and makes it over and over and over to the point that it gets boring.

Linda, I'm not at all familiar with Cornwell.  Googled it - is it Patricia or Bernard?

Has anyone read Nick Bantock's Griffin and Sabine series?    Thoughts?   I read all 6 books (quick, easy reading) several years ago, read them again, was initially captivated but began to be a little annoyed by the last book which didn't really resolve the many questions raised during the earlier books.  

And I never could quite figure out all the art work and the symbolism.   For those who haven't read the series, it's highly allegorical, and thought provoking,  just in the attempt to figure out what's really happening.
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I saw that with Cornwell.... her earlier books are really good but then her characters became filled with such angst. The books dragged on. Ludlum was one author whose books were all good to read. I really enjoy Steve Berry’s book. Lisa Scottoline books are enjoyable. I’ve found new to me authors using Amazon for an author I like them looking at their lists of other authors like this. I agree about Grisham ..., his books were too much the same and not interesting.
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That's what makes me cross with John Grisham, Garden. His publishers pat him on the head and give him candy as long as he keeps to the profitable formula; and the reason that I really *mind* this is that there is a genuinely terrific writer chained inside him somewhere. Long time ago now so my recollection of it is thin, but I read "A Painted House" and was charmed.

Then there was one about class actions which COULD have been brilliant - he began with the makings of an original and important perspective on the concept. Too difficult, too uncertain to sell, too time-consuming to work out or whatever: it then slumped back into hero lawyer wins through blah blah blah. I was not charmed, I was livid.
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Gershun, I'm in SE Michigan, a growing and crowded literal metropolis of multiple cities, too much traffic and too much development, but unfortunately still somewhat subject to the decline of Detroit, which affects some of the surrounding area.   

I've noticed that one city on the county border line has been in the news more recently with crime issues.   That's always been a concern, that the crime and blight of Detroit move north.

CWillie, good way to categorize the repeat authors of "churning out books".   Some have such common themes that I know immediately there were will subterranean sections, dark, dank unpleasant areas that remind me of Indiana Jones movies, but with none of the panache or creativity of his adventures.

I think their creativity peaks, but they just keep grinding out the books, like cars on an assembly line.

That's one aspect that I never saw in Margaret Truman's crime novels; her creatively and complexity improved with each novel.  
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I used to be like you Gershun but I've just abandoned three books in rapid succession (of course it helps that they are library books so I didn't actually pay for the). I'm in a bit of a slump right now, I've pretty much read everything ever published by my favourite authors and I haven't been able to find anything that really piques my interest.

I never got into James Patterson novels but there are others who keep churning out books that sell well despite having lost what made their early books desirable - Patricia Cornwell and Laurell K Hamilton are two that come to mind.
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Yes, James Patterson's work is definitely going downhill. After reading this last one, I may give him a pass for a while.

Where exactly do you live again Garden. I forgot.

It's definitely Fall here now. I have at least six months of rain to look forward to.
We rarely get snow here. I wish we did. I love the way things look and how quiet it gets when it snows.
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Gershun, must be quite a bit colder in Vancouver;  I kind of envy you!    We're still in the fluctuation stage - 89 earlier this week, cooling off now, with a wonderfully cool rain yesterday and tonight.  I was actually chilled being outside today, but I know it's a harbinger for the cold weather to come when it won't be as pleasant to be outside.

I've read a few of James Patterson's books but also found more recently that they weren't that readable.  In fact, I think they deteriorated.    The last one I tried to read wasn't even worth finishing.    I'll try again, but if the result is the same, they go into the donation pile.
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GardenArtist, it already feels like winter here in Vancouver. It became instant fall as soon as September rolled round. I'd dig out your Victoria Holt novel's anyway. Why wait? Although I do know that cozy feeling of curling up under a comforter with a good book on a wintry day.
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I just completed a James Patterson novel entitled Ambush. Not one of his better attempts in my opinion. I read it through even though I wasn't enjoying it. I have this guilty feeling if I don't complete a book even if it's a stinker! Occasionally I'm glad I did cause the book gets better. It didn't get better in this case. Good thing I'm a fast reader.
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I'm almost wishing it were Winter so I could dig out my Victoria Holt novels as well as others written under pseudonyms and enjoy some nice cold weather reading.

Barb, I'm sure that I read Manfreya  in the Morning, but I can't remember anything about it now!   

It's interesting that Holt can create mysteries and anxiety through a slow buildup, through innuendos, and by raising questions in the reader's mind, while the action mystery writers (such as Clive Cussler) have a totally different, more aggressive (and more violent) method of creating mystery. 

Cussler's books do address contemporary issues as bases for his mysteries.  One of his books addressed fracking, another an AI singularity.
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Oh, Menfreya in the Morning is another wonderful Victoria Holt!
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I love Victoria Holt! Wonderful gothic novelist! I remember reading The Shivering Sands as a teenager. I reread it a couple of years ago. Still good!
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Scanning down the comments, Victoria Holt and Sergeanne Golon were two authors whose books my mom and I read, enjoyed and discussed ... :)

Latest book I read was Laurie R. King's Island of the Mad and it's a winner. It's set in 1925 Venice, mostly, and Cole Porter is a main supporting character, as is Elsa Maxwell. It's partly about the rise of Mussolini's Black Shirts, too.
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