@scout59, my reading twin-- The Boy on the Bridge (prequel to Girl with All the Gifts) is good!
Hey there @jaylynn - I finished it the other day! I thought parts of it dragged, but I really liked the ending.
I think @ignatius is my reading twin. >:D<
Just finished Joan Didionâs South and West: From a Notebook that is based on her observations/notes during a 1970 road trip she took with her husband (John Gregory Dunne) to Louisana, Mississippi, and Alabama. A the end, she includes notes on California, where she was reared. Didion says the California notes/comments were supposed to be for a magazine assignment about Patty Hearst that she never completed.
Itâs a quick read, disjointed, no real plot, but easy to follow (I read it in an afternoon). I was surprised by the fact that some of her observations about people/places in these areas still seem relevant today. She focuses on the idea that the South is steeped in history and focused on the pastâon how things used to be and should be. In contrast, California looks to the future and is optimistic. Her observations on the South make up 90% of the book. Itâs clear that sheâs looking at it all through the eyes of someone who lives in an intellectual, urban environment. I thought it was worth reading. I borrowed the book from the iibrary; I wouldnât buy it.
@mathmom @consolation Iâm curious - which of Elizabeth Georgeâs characters drove you nuts? Apart for one or two, I really like her novels. Please donât tell me Havers because I love her! Iâve watched a few episodes of the BBC series based on her books and like them also, but was disappointed that Lynley looks nothing like how he is described in the books, but I think the actress playing Havers fits the part. And I had no idea that George wasnât actually British! Interesting.
I just bought âA Long Dropâ by Denise Mina which was just published recently I think. Itâs not her usual - itâs a novel based on an actual crime. It got mixed reviews, but Iâm giving it a try anyway.
Havers, so whiny. I got tired of her whole relationship with her parents and her chip on her shoulder.
And Lynleyâs on and off girlfriend. I also started getting the feeling that George wasnât really getting Britain right.
Iâm in the minority who loves Havers. Donât love Lâs gf, but so glad heâs done with the Lieutenant (I think she was?), who is a terrible person. I canâ't abide St. John and Deborah. Especially the latter.
Havers drives me nuts. I canât imagine anyone dressed as described would make it past traffic duty.
While I usually enjoy Georgeâs books, they are waaaay too long IMO and could do with some major cutting.
Picked up a copy of âRollbackâ by Robert Sawyer at a recent library book sale. I read some of his stuff, and he is not usually my favorite (âGood enough to finish, but not good enough to recommendâ is the phrase in our house.) But I really liked this one. Sci-fi, involves long distance messaging with aliens and technology to extend human lifespans. But it is also a deeper exploration of marriage and commitment.
@LeastComplicated, basically all of them, especially St. James and Deborah. Lady Helen is only a tiny bit more tolerable. I donât like Havers either, although I donât dislike her as much as the rest. I stopped reading George a while agoâPlaying for the Ashes is the last one I specifically remember-- so no doubt she has introduced more odious and unrealistic characters. 
I just reread âThe Handmaidâs Tale.â I highly recommend it, if you can stand to be depressed.
@consolation LOL! I think I might have shared your opinions if I had known that George wasnât really English - I guess I just sort of assumed that the characters were relatively realistic (the posh wealthy ones at least). Lots of major events have happened since âPlaying for Ashesâ though and I donât even consider one or more of those four as main characters anymore. I donât think sheâs introduced any new odious main characters, but some of the people in the murder plots were annoying no doubt. No spoilers though in case you decide to catch up. But she has definitely been hot and cold in her series - some books I really loved, and some were just meh. I definitely like Denise Mina better, at least her first two or three.
Some of Robert Sawyerâs stuff really makes me think - I loved Calculating God and the Neanerthal trilogy, more making me think about religion, than for plot or writing style.
I gave up reading Elizabeth George at least 15 years ago. They other one that infuriated me was the mystery writer who names her stuff after pubs. The last one I read, ends something like and âInspector Whosie stood in the fens and it all fell into place.â And then she doesnât give you a clue what exactly fell into place. I threw the book across the room and never read another one. Other people seem to have figured it out so maybe I missed something. I donât actually like mysteries much and just read ones who have characters I like. (Like Lord Peter⊠swoon.)
Havenât read Calculating God, but will add it to my (very long) TBR list. 
Iâm reading a really quirky, âfunnyâ book called âSirius, A Novel About the Little Dog Who Almost Changed Historyâ. Different and charming. I recommend it.
I think the PC needs a new thread called âWhat bestselling book made you throw it across the room after your read it?â 
You guys are cracking me up! I can tell you what genre makes me want to do that - fantasy. I can never keep track of the weird names (and connect them to the appropriate characters) in those types of books. I couldnât even deal with the Harry Potter books because of that.
^Starting it now.
@scout59, finished Gone Baby Gone last night. It seemed like it went on forever. I think this is one of the weaknesses of audio books. When a book is suspenseful, you find yourself reading faster and faster. An audio book just clips along at the same pace. When a plot line gets complicated, you go back a few pages or chapters and re-read so as to make it all make sense or catch something you missed. Thatâs much harder to do with audio. And finally, with audio books, your characters take shape not only as a result of the writing, but also due to the performance of the narrator. The man who read this novel does very well over all. But his Cheese character was completely annoying.
I thought the novel was complicated, and at times, really disturbing. Lots of gore, shootout scenes that went on and on and on, and creepy and intimate descriptions of depravity.
It was a well crafted novel, but saying I âenjoyedâ it doesnât really accurately express my experience of it. Does that make any sense?
I needed something light and funny after Gone Baby Gone.
I found this list of âhilariousâ audio books. But they wouldnât necessarily have to be audio.
FYI:
@Nrdsb4 - I donât really listen to audio books, so Iâm sorry if my âGone Baby Goneâ advice fell flat. I really liked the book, but youâre right: itâs complicated and disturbing and creepy. (What does it say about me that I liked it anyway?) But hey, at least you liked âMystic River,â so Iâm batting 0.500!