Ditto to your observation, Lana. I’m also impressed with the enthusiasm a book generates among BB readers and equally impressed by the not so enthusiastic comments about a book.
I finished The Rest of Our Lives.* In my younger days I wondered what adventures I might have if I hopped in the car and just drove; pick a direction and go. I read The Widow rather quickly, skipping through parts. Admittedly, I read the ending just to know the outcome and then returned to previous chapters. Telling, huh? My Friends is holding my attention. I always enjoy Backman but understand from previous BB readers that this story seems different. Time will tell. ****
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Continuing the discussion from What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (1/29/2026):
Theo of Golden Book Club for Troublesome Women xTheo is one of the loveliest books I have read. Enjoying Book Club as that was my experience. I am 91 and remember vividly when Feminine Mystique was publish it truly changed my life.
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I LOVED The Book Club for Troublesome Women.
Fun that you read Feminine Mystique.
Hi @Connie_K I totally agree that a reread via audio can often bring a new dimension to a familiar book. The reader can bring a different nuance (that might be good or bad depending on our own readerly demands) that I often find reveals details I might have missed when reading on the page.
No More Tears is both fascinating and infuriating. I worked in the pharmaceutical industry for a while so most of it isn’t surprising to me. What did surprise is the number of suits against J&J that I don’t remember hearing anything about. I’ll leave you to discover which products are involved but I bet it will surprise you. It did me.
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My irl book club will be reading The Rest of Our Lives later this year.
I was equal parts enthralled and horrified with No More Tears. J&J as depicted in the book makes the Sacklers (and their crimes and abuses) look like amateurs.
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I’m almost through The Murders at Worlds End. Its a great locked room mystery with unique detectives.
@Connie_K I think it’s always this pull between a desire to reread/revisit a book, and the knowledge that there are so many other books out there I want to read. Yes, you pick up a ton of new information when you reread, but then that’s one less book you’ll get to over your lifetime.
The 1000 Books Before You Die side read is a case in point. I’m quite frustrated by the fact that there are some awesome books listed that I’d love to read again - I think I’ve read something like 160 of those listed - but that means there are 840 I haven’t read. So it’s a constant dilemma for some of us! I hope that makes sense, LOL.
That’s not to say I don’t reread, but generally those I choose to reread are classics - Dickens, Austen, Bronte, Dumas, etc.
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I can appreciate both sides for sure.
I am rereading Buckeye by Patrick Ryan for a discussion. Very good.
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While dealing with frigid temperatures and being somewhat snow bound, I read three books.
The first two have been previously mentioned in past recent reads.
The historical fiction Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict is an interesting portrayal of the challenges she faced as the wife of Winston Churchill. It depicts the saying “Behind every great man is a great woman”.
Then I read How to Read a Book by Monica Wood.
It is a wonderful story of second chances and forgiveness. I highly recommend it.
Today I finished Halsey Street by Naima Coster. This is a new book and a debut for the author. I enjoyed the story. It reminded me of William Boyle’s Saint of the Narrow Street because both focused on ethnic problems in Brooklyn and family dynamics.
I finished Black Like Me for my Banned Book Club. We will discuss it in a few weeks. A must read book! Now I am reading The Violin Maker’s Secret, a much easier book! I like Evie Woods books!
I read a ‘romantasy’ that my book club chose! My first (and likely my last), but I am vowing not to be a book snob and love my club so I went for it and actually liked it. It is called Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews (part of a series).
There were werewolfs, vampires, other types of creatures and the main character was an Inn Keeper (female) who also had powers. I probably won’t read any of the others in the series but glad to have had the experience!
It was very good! Love the big messy family stories.
Last week I re- read All the Broken places by John Boyne for our book club. We had a robust discussion about the book and its main character. Gretel, who suffers from grief and guilt post WWII about her parents involvement as Nazis. I so enjoyed Boyne’s writing that I’m now reading another book by him- The Heart’s Invisible Furies that looks at discrimination and the iron hand of the church , in 60’s Ireland.
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I absolutely loved The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick. It made me think of my mom (who was born in 1929) and the social changes she saw in the 1960s. I am currently reading Theo of Golden.
I need to check out this author!
I am currently reading Olive, Mabel & Me by Andrew Cotter; a book about two endearing labrador retrievers. I am suppose to be reading People You Meet on Vacation, for book group but gave up after 2 chapters.