The Good Books Thread/ATARnotes Book Club!

[Mada438]

I can't recconmend mattew rileys books enough. They are like action movies and keep me hooked 100% of the way through. His book Hover Car Racer (Even though its a bit "younger") is my favourite book of all time

And i also really recconmend the "tommorrow when the war began" series by john marsden!

[peterpiper]

So I just finished 'When Breath Becomes Air' by Paul Kalanithi.

I don't know whether to stare blankly at a wall, cry, or both after that.

I don't know if it was just me but I got really stressed at several points in the book when he described all the decisions he had to make/his residency/his dying. Eek so many feels though

[Coffee]

Finished Home is Nearby by Magdalena McGuire a few days ago. Highly recommend if you’re interested in Polish history, or like historical fiction in general. It actually reminded me a bit of Anna Funder, so, if you’re a fan of Funder, give McGuire a go.

Also finished Essays in Love by Alain de Botton on Friday. Wow, just wow. Brilliant, thought-provoking, an absolute must-read if it at all tickles your fancy.

Does anyone have a Christmas TBR? I’m waiting to re-read A Christmas Carol again (probably on Christmas Eve), and Let it Snow. Any other Christmassy reads I should pick up?

[Yertle the Turtle]

Any other Christmassy reads I should pick up?

How about "When the Grinch stole Christmas"?

[sweetiepi]

So I just finished the Handmaid's Tale- I found it a bit hard to catch on at first, but I enjoyed the book!

I also recently finished All The Bright Places- which was indeed very interesting indeed. 😊

[Yertle the Turtle]

Personally love In His Steps by Charles M Sheldon. Great spiritual book

[domjamriska]

just finished reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho which was a very beautiful read.

If you're interested in sci-fi, i would highly recommend The Three Body Problem; Liu Cuxin is a genius ... highly intriguing tale.

[snowisawesome]

Finished reading Stasiland. Somewhat like an adventure story, would suit those who like adventure and crime

[TheSapaInca]

I actually hate reading, I don't know what I don't like about it but it's just I don't get the point of reading if you do not know what a word means in the novel. But eventually, I will have to get into reading.. The genres I like are adventure, suspense and mysteries. Any books you'll recommend for a fourteen year old to read?
Thanks

I had a read of the CHERUB stories and it was quite boring for me.

[Coffee]

I actually hate reading, I don't know what I don't like about it but it's just I don't get the point of reading if you do not know what a word means in the novel. But eventually, I will have to get into reading.. The genres I like are adventure, suspense and mysteries. Any books you'll recommend for a fourteen year old to read?
Thanks

I had a read of the CHERUB stories and it was quite boring for me.

If you’re interested in Classics, you really can’t go past Sherlock Holmes. I think a lot of people interested in crime and mystery start with this one.

If you want something more modern, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, and Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch are my go to recommendations. These have elements of adventure and suspense, but belong mostly to the fantasy genre.

Other books that might fit the bill:
- Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio (Very similar to TSH but with a focus on Shakespeare)
- The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan (This is a Young Adult novel with a focus on Norse mythology. This might be a good one to start with if you’re not that into reading, as the language is quite accessible).
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (I just finished this one recently. It’s a science fiction novel, so, obviously there’s quite a bit of suspense thrown in there).

[TheSapaInca]

If you’re interested in Classics, you really can’t go past Sherlock Holmes. I think a lot of people interested in crime and mystery start with this one.

If you want something more modern, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, and Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch are my go to recommendations. These have elements of adventure and suspense, but belong mostly to the fantasy genre.

Other books that might fit the bill:
- Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio (Very similar to TSH but with a focus on Shakespeare)
- The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan (This is a Young Adult novel with a focus on Norse mythology. This might be a good one to start with if you’re not that into reading, as the language is quite accessible).
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (I just finished this one recently. It’s a science fiction novel, so, obviously there’s quite a bit of suspense thrown in there).

ok thnx, will definitely try and borrow these books once I return to Australia

[Yertle the Turtle]

If you’re interested in Classics, you really can’t go past Sherlock Holmes. I think a lot of people interested in crime and mystery start with this one.

If you want something more modern, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, and Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch are my go to recommendations. These have elements of adventure and suspense, but belong mostly to the fantasy genre.

Other books that might fit the bill:
- Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio (Very similar to TSH but with a focus on Shakespeare)
- The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan (This is a Young Adult novel with a focus on Norse mythology. This might be a good one to start with if you’re not that into reading, as the language is quite accessible).
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (I just finished this one recently. It’s a science fiction novel, so, obviously there’s quite a bit of suspense thrown in there).

100% agree about Sherlock Holmes, absolute classics. Anyone who likes even darker mystery stories should try G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown stories. Love them!

[elysepopplewell]

I just thought I'd share the books I bought for Christmas!

For my mum I got a book by Marian Keyes - The break up.
For my sister I got the Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F***
For my niece I got Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls (She's 5)
For my nephew I got No one Likes a Fart (He's 2)
And for my friend I got The Freedom Riders - which is actually a whooooole lot longer than what I thought it would be (he's definitely not going to read it).

Anyone else buy books for Christmas?

[sweetiepi]

Anyone else buy books for Christmas?

Yup!

For my 16yo sister- The Hate Race (Maxine Beneba Clarke)
For my 6yo brother- The 13 Storey Treehouse (Andy Griffiths)
For my 5yo sister- Dear Zoo (Rod Campbell)
For myself (because why not)- Almost Midnight (Rainbow Rowell)

[elysepopplewell]

Finished Home is Nearby by Magdalena McGuire a few days ago. Highly recommend if you’re interested in Polish history, or like historical fiction in general. It actually reminded me a bit of Anna Funder, so, if you’re a fan of Funder, give McGuire a go.

Also finished Essays in Love by Alain de Botton on Friday. Wow, just wow. Brilliant, thought-provoking, an absolute must-read if it at all tickles your fancy.

Does anyone have a Christmas TBR? I’m waiting to re-read A Christmas Carol again (probably on Christmas Eve), and Let it Snow. Any other Christmassy reads I should pick up?

I can't believe I missed that you read Essays in Love!! SO fantastic you loved it. I really enjoyed it too.