The Next Good Book
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 so i like to read- 

friends often ask for book suggestions so i created this site in 2014 to help me think about what i read and pass it on.  

I hope you find many good books here!


e-mail-thenextgoodbook5@gmail.com

the child finder by rene denfeld

12/28/2017

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The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld
272 pages

What’s it about?

 Six-year-old Madison Culver disappeared three years ago in the Skookum National Forest in Oregon.  She was out looking for a Christmas tree in the forest with her parents.  Three years later, in a last ditch effort, her parents hire Naomi- a private investigator with a talent for finding the hidden or the lost.   In this novel, Naomi's story is interwoven with Madison's story to create a suspenseful, dark,  and page-turning book.  

What did it make me think about?
 This novel made me think of how complicated, terrifying, and amazing the human mind is.  

Should I read it?
 I loved "The Enchanted" by Rene Denfeld a few years ago.  This book was just as good.  I have read quite a few "dark" novels of late and this book fits in that category.  If your stories do not have to be sweet and happy then I would highly recommend both "The Enchanted" and "TheChild Finder".  I am not sure why- but both Ms. Denfelds' novels seem "magical" to me.  This novel will easily be one of my best books for winter!

Quote-
"His empty shoulder joint reminded him that life came at a cost.  The bomb that had taken his arm exploded as he was saving a hostage: he was lucky.  An accident might take his legs: a stroke could take his brain.  His heart could die of loneliness a little every day.  Why, life could steal all of him at any time.
That was life."


​If you like this try-
The Enchanted by Rene Denfield
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
*A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

9 1/2 stars
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little fires everywhere by celeste Ng

12/25/2017

1 Comment

 
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​Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
336 pages
 
What’s it about?
When the Richardson family of Shaker Heights, Ohio meets Mia Warren and her 15-year-old daughter Pearl- all their lives change dramatically.  The Richardson’s have always lived a life of comfort and privilege- that is until Mia arrives.  Mia is an artist whose way of life is completely opposite of the Richardsons.  The contrast of the two families is very illuminating!
 
What did it make me think about?
As many good novels do- this book makes you think about what actually makes a family.  Is it genetics?  Is it love?  Is it culture?  No easy answers in this book.
 
Should I read it?
If I had just received a gift card for the holidays then I might splurge on this novel.  I must admit to starting this book at the same time I picked up an 8 week-old puppy so I had to read it in little bits.  Usually this is the kiss of death for a book.  Somehow this novel survived, and more importantly it made me think.  What an interesting book this was to read over the holidays!
 
Quote-
“The girls he’s grown up with in Shaker- and the boys, too, for that matter- seemed so purposeful: they were so ambitious; they were so confidant; they were so certain about everything.  They were, he thought, a little like his sisters, and his mother: so convinced there was a right and a wrong to everything, so positive that they knew one from the other.  Pearl was smarter than any of them and yet she seemed comfortable with everything she didn’t know: she lingered comfortably in the gray spaces.”

If you Like this try-
 
Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeymii
​*Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
​Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
*And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

9 stars

1 Comment

the rules of magic by alice hoffman

12/17/2017

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​The rules of magic by Alice Hoffman 
366 pages

What’s it about?
This novel centers around the Owens family.  The Owens have been plagued by a curse since the 1600's.  The curse makes falling in love catastrophic for all involved.  It is now present day New York City , the 1960's,  and the Owens family still must deal with it's past.

What did it make me think about?
 This was just a fun book about love, family, and witchcraft.   

Should I read it?
This book is a prequel to Alice Hoffman‘s “Practical Magic”.  I was concerned that I would not enjoy it because I had not read her previous book.  No worries- this book stands on its own. It was not my favorite Alice Hoffman book, but she is such a interesting writer that her stories always pull me in.

Quote-
“ Life is short, it was over in an instant, but some things lasted. Hate and love, kindness and cruelty, all lingered and,  in their case,  all Had been passed on.”

If you like this try-
Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique
Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry
The Golem and the Jinni by Helena Wecker
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

7 stars

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the swans of new york by melanie benjamin

12/10/2017

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​The Swans of New York by Melanie Benjamin
335 pages
 
What’s it about?
This novel is all about Truman Capote and his relationship with the “Swans of New York”- in actuality Babe Paley, Slim Keith, C.Z. Guest, Gloria Guinness, and Pamela Churchill.   These women were the reigning queens of Manhattan’s high society in the late 1950’s and 60’s.  This is a novel about a storyteller that could not resist telling a good story.  He just never dreamed of what it would cost him.
 
What did I think?
I read Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” as a young adult and was mesmerized, as most of America was.  Truman Capote was a talented writer but a tormented soul.  He certainly makes for a fascinating character in a novel.    He was a piece of work! 
 
Should you read it?
This novel was just fun.  It was a look into a world of wealth that is beyond imaginable.  It was gossipy, sad, and interesting. 
 
Quote-
“For that was what Babe did, it was her primary occupation.  Acquisition.  She sometimes thought of herself as a museum curator, only the museum was herself, her homes, her way of life.”
 
“Suddenly Gloria cringed, remembering something she’d told Truman not long ago, her head muddled by the false intimacy fueled by too much champagne and not enough food.”
 
If you like this try-
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
​The Unfortunates by Sophie McManus

​7 stars
​
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my favorites of 2017

12/6/2017

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the other einstein by marie benedict

12/6/2017

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​The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict
284 pages

What’s it about?
This is another novel that takes the framework from history and fills in the cracks with the author's imagination.  Marie Benedict explores the relationship between Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric in this novel.  Mileva was a fellow physics student before becoming Einstein’s first wife.

What did it make me think about?
The role of women in society has changed so tremendously over the past hundred years.  How difficult it would have been to be a woman with aspirations of your own at this time in history.

Should I read it?
This book was interesting and quick but I did feel that the author took a lot of liberties with the story.   She seemed bent on portraying Mileva as the true genius.   It seems much more imagined than real- and yet who really knows? 

Quote-
“My experiences with other young ladies generally ended poorly.  Commonalities between myself and them were few at best.  At worst, I had suffered meanness and degradation at the hands of my classmates, male and female, especially when they realized the scope of my ambitions.”


If you like this try-
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
Euphoria by Lily King
​
Georgia by Dawn Tripp
​A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline

6 stars
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    A sad, poignant, mystical read. I won't give too much away. Quick and well worth it! 9 1/2 stars!
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    A coming of age story set in Mexico. It certainly gives you a whole new view of all the people coming over the border. 9 stars
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    Quirky characters and the story told through letters to Richard Gere. Who could ask for more? 9 stars

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    “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
    ― Charles William Eliot
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     ratings

    1 to 2- I did not enjoy this book.
    3 to 4- I found some aspect of this book redeeming but would not recommend it.
    5 to 6- I really enjoyed something about this book (characters, plot, meaning etc.) but it was uneven. Some aspects were stronger than others.
    7 to 8- It was a good book.  I liked lots of aspects of this book.  I would recommend it.
    9 to 10- I was sorry to turn the last page.  I highly recommend this book!
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