Saturday, January 6, 2018

Week in Review


We started the first week of the New Year with snow, then blizzard like conditions on another day and a week of below freezing and sometime below zero temps.  I was suffering from a serious case of cabin fever after a sinus infection kept me inside for over a week.  We decided to venture out to lunch and a movie on one of the coldest, windiest days of the new year. We both had serious head and face pain from just walking to our car after the movies. 

We saw Molly's Game, based on a true story, and we both loved it.  Jessica Chasten is terrific. 

(Overview) - MOLLY'S GAME is based on the true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned that there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led us to believe.



I finished my first book of the new year, Chris Bohjalian's, The Flight Attendant (Doubleday, 2018).  


Cassie Bowen is a flight attendant who has a history of drinking too much and sleeping with too many men. After one of her one night stands she wakes up in a hotel room in Dubai.  Lying next to her in bed is Alex Sokolov, the hedge fund manager she became friendly with on a recent flight.  Alex is dead, his throat slashed, a broken liquor bottle nearby. Cassie doesn't think she would be capable of killing anyone but, she remembers very little about what transpired. If she didn't kill Alex, who did?

Russian spies, international intrigue and a few twists along the way.  The story seemed a bit far-fetched at times and,  I really disliked the main character - drunk or sober.

I had high hopes for this book as I've read every book that this author has written.  The author certainly did his research and while the premise was promising, overall I was somewhat disappointed.  

3/5 stars

Next up - My Absolute Darling; Gabriel Tallent, Riverhead 2017

How did your first week of the new year go?

39 comments:

  1. It's been cold here too, but not that cold. I've never heard of Molly's Game but now I think I need to see it.

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    1. Molly's Game is definitely worth seeing. Have a good week Kathy

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  2. You guys have been cold that I can't even imagine. Brrr!! Glad I'm down here in the 'warm-ish' southern regions. Interesting about THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT. I've had that one on my list. I'm actually listening to THE SLEEPWALKER by that author right now and liking it. Take care, Diane, and stay warm!

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    1. Hi Kay, it is warming up a bit - 30 degrees today LOL

      Sleepwalker was okay for me; I did like this author's earlier books better though.

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  3. We have had two storms so far this year. The first one we got heavy winds, but rain instead of snow. Then yesterday, snow just missed us. Other places got like 20 cms (sorry, too early to convert lol). We lost power during the first storm. So, 2018 is off to an interesting start. It is the temperatures getting to me. This is the coldest winter we have had in like 4 years.

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    1. It's the coldest winter we've had in a long while as well. Looking forward to Spring LOL

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  4. Oh no! I've been looking forward to The Flight Attendant! Sad to hear it's not great. I wonder if his new publishing rate of a book every January is affecting his quality...

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    1. i've been a tad disappointed in the last few books by this author - maybe he's writing too many too fast. This almost reminded me of a James Patterson (the end at least)

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  5. Too bad the book wasn't that great, especially since you were looking forward to it.

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  6. I had a reading experience that was different from yours. Late last year I read Close Enough to Touch, by Colleen Oakley, and absolutely loved it. In fact, it was 1 of only 2 4/4s that I had in 2017. So I decided I would read her 1st novel, before i go. And it was also terrific. It's ONLY a 3.5/4. But it was still really good.
    And I totally agree with you that Molly's Game is a very good movie. Jessica Chastain has certainly become one of our leading actors/actresses.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed Molly's game - my husband loved it as well.

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  7. I cannot imagine those cold temps. Hope you are feeling much better now and glad you were able to get out and enjoy a movie. I definitely want to see Molly's Game. Too bad the Flight Attendant wasn't that great but here's hoping the next read is much better. I also finished my first book of the year - yay!

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  8. I'd heard about Molly, but had no idea what it is about. Now I want to see it! I cannot imagine the cold you are all experiencing, I hope it warms up soon.

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    1. It was warmer today -- 30 -- but Spring can't come soon enough.

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  9. I'm on my 2nd audiobook of the year, but still on the first print book. I hope to get it finished this week.

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    1. I'm on my second print book and my audio is a reread for my book group - enjoying it though. Have a good week Vicki

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  10. We may have fires and earthquakes in the Los Angeles area but it stays pretty warm. I hear that things will warm up a bit for you this coming week. And we are finally going to have some rain!
    My first week went great. I finished 3 books, saw two movies and one more episode of The Crown.

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    1. WOW Judy - 3 books in one week is excellent; keep up the good pace.

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  11. I am glad you enjoyed Molly's Game, although I'm sorry you had to suffer going out in that cold. I've been thinking of you and everyone I know in the parts of the country affected by the extreme cold and storms. I can't even imagine. I hope you are safe and warm now.

    The Flight Attendant sounds good, although I'm sorry it didn't turn out as good as his others. I hope to read more of Bohjalian this year.

    My mom headed home today and so things are getting back to normal at our house. I'm both sad and relieved at the same time. I'm worried about my mom and wish I could be with her this week. She's dealing with so much and we live so far away.

    I hope you have a great week, Diane! Take care of yourself.

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    1. Wendy, sorry to read your mom is dealing with some worrisome issues. I was lucky to have my mom 5 min away when the kids were little. She did pass at 69 but was there when I needed here. I hope things go well moving forward. Have A GREAT WEEK.

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  12. I can't believe how cold it has been there! It's what I would call cool down here, but locals are complaining mightily... guess it's all relative. Hope it warms up soon. Sorry to hear The Flight Attendant isn't quite as good as his previous books.

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    1. My niece in from Long Island but has a house in Wellington, FL. cooler there as well but she has her horses and can't complain based on what we are enduring here. As for Bohjalian - I've been a bit disappointed with his last few books - I loved the earlier ones.

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  13. My week was pretty similar to yours - it was really cold and everyone was sick. I spent a lot of time reading and watching Golden Girls.

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    1. Angela, sorry to hear you and yours have been sick as well. I'm finally feeling better and have resumed yoga which felt great

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  14. Diane, it is not cold here but I can sympathize--I've been in that type of extreme weather! I enjoyed reading a bit about your books and movies.

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    1. Yes, I felt terrible when you had your 103 degree days in late summer and, the terrible fires. We need to enjoy the beautiful weather when we get it.

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  15. My week got off to a great start. Sorry your first book wasn't better. Hope the next one you pick up is great.

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  16. A little bit of snow is nice, but getting stuck in with blizzard conditions could get a bit tiresome and tedious I imagine.

    A happy reading week to you - love the cover of My Absolute Darling.

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    1. Jade, the weather has warmed a bit thank goodness. I hope your New Year is off to a great start.

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  17. It's warming up just a bit but my sneezing will prevent e from going out today! Too bad The Flight Attendant was disappointing!

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    1. Sorry you were a bit out of sorts as well. Have a great week.

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  18. Molly's Game sounds really good--I rarely go to movies, but this seems intriguing. I like the premise of the Flight Attendant--sorry to hear it didn't quite hit the mark.

    Happy reading.

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    1. Flight Attendant almost reminded me of a James Patterson book and, I've stopped reading him. The epilogue was really a stretch too.

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  19. I'm going to add Molly's Game to my list. It sounds good.

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  20. I am so sad that The Flight Attendant was not great. I've read so many books by Bohjalian that I loved, but I feel like his last few haven't been as engaging, though I loved Before You Know Kindness.

    We here in Chicago have also had arctic-style weather, though today we start in the 50s with temps dropping into the teens be this evening. What I really want is some sun! I can take the cold better if I get some sunshine to go with it!

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  21. I'm so glad that you've been reporting on the films you've seen. Molly's Game sounds fascinating, and to think I've heard nothing about it. Then again, it's a 2-hour drive to Albany, which has the only cinema that presented this movie. I take notes anyway, in case some of the films you mention end up on Amazon or Netflix. I'm very late responding to this post. I enjoy them all as always!
    Judith

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