What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? Please share! We’d love to know.
1 Like
Finished up House of Leaves - fascinating book - as well as Whalefall by Daniel Kraus. Thanks to the folks here who recommended that one. I zipped through it in two days! People have compared it to The Martian and I think there are some similarities - mostly the whole “person in a dangerous situation forced to rely on their wits” thing. There’s also a lot of introspection about the protagonist’s relationship to his deceased father (an aspect that’s not in The Martian). It could be a turnoff for someone who’s mostly a thriller reader, but I thought it added a lot of depth.
I’m now rereading The Names by Florence Knapp for an upcoming book club discussion, and that’ll be followed by a reread of Daughters of Shandong since Eve J. Chung will be here in a few weeks. (She’s got a new book coming out next May that I’m looking forward to - The Young Will Remember - “A sweeping novel about a correspondent trapped behind enemy lines during the Korean War, and the women who help her find her way home.”)
In audiobook format, I’m loving Cider House Rules by John Irving. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy his writing. But it’s not a short book, so it’ll probably take at least another week of listening, more likely two.
1 Like
I finished “The Demon of Unrest,” which was the last on the list of the Book Browse Top 20 of the year for me, so I achieved my goal. I started “Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival, and Hope in an American City” by Andrea Elliott today and it is HEAVY.
1 Like
Very impressive, @Anthony_Conty! Which were your favorites of the favorites?
Hi! I am new to book browse and I just started reading Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. So far it’s a wonderful read with such a unique storyline.
5 Likes
The Frozen River was off the chain and stayed with me for a long time. The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern was the best story. “The Lion Women of Tehran” taught me the most!
2 Likes
Welcome @Kalyn_M! Happy to see you here! Remarkably Bright Creatures is a wonderful book, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
Warning about this group, though - it’ll add to your TBR pile like nobody’s business! It’s a dangerous place to hang out for book lovers!
2 Likes
Welcome, Kalyn. You’re reading a great story. I recently learned there’s a movie on Netflix starring Sally Field. I’m one of the few in the world who doesn’t subscribe to Netflix so can’t comment on the merit of the adaptation. Octopi are fascinating creatures!
1 Like
Thanks, @NanK! I do have Netflix and love Sally Field. I’ll have to find it.
Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson. A fun read and this month’s book for mystery book club at the local library. I have read the books discussed and/or seen the movies based on the book and loved the Boston and environs setting.
1 Like
Currently reading “Murder on the Marlow Belle” by Robert Thorogood—nice English cozy palate cleanser. There had been so much hype about The Correspondent that I was prepared to be overwhelmed by it. Yes, it was a good book & an easy read but I need to stop reading reviews since they tend to build up my expectations.
I’m thrilled to learn there’s a movie coming out of Remarkably Bright Creatures. It’s one of my favorites from my book club’s reads.
Have listened to about an hour of The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Benedict and am enjoying it. One of the newer members of my book club selected it and an ultra conservative member told me outside the meeting that she refuses to read it. Yet, she gets upset when members don’t praise her selections. Go figure! Have just started The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan since it’s the focus of The Book Club of Troublesome Women. Also reading a fairly short book, The Last Cattle Drive by Robert Day, in order to lead a discussion next week at a nearby library that is part of the “Westering” discussion series for which Humanities of Kansas TALK (Talk About Literature in Kansas) provides the books.
There was a similar member in my former book club. She recommended a book without having read it, and oh my, it was sexually graphic. She didn’t even finish the book nor was she interested in discussing the story.
I don’t read print books very often, but a woman’s group in my community had a fund raising book sale, and I came across a few gems. Lamb in his Bosom which won the first Pulitzer prize winner for a southern woman’s author, Caroline Miller in 1933. It was a poignant look at a rural Georgia family pre-Civil War and led the way for success of Gone with the Wind. The beauty of the writing reminded me that literature from the past, especially those who have won literary prizes are well worth discovering or revisiting. Our book club just finished Idaho, disturbing, but best discussion ever about nature of love, human motivations, and memory.
Jolene, your note about reading literary prizes from the past is insightful. I’m toying with the idea of making a list starting perhaps the year I was born and reading fictional award winners from every five years to the present. What award list might you (or others) suggest? Pulitzer?
2 Likes
Wow, that sounds like a cool project, NanK! My two go-tos are the Pulitzer and the Booker. I don’t seem to share the taste of those who pick the National Book Awards.
A quick search of both awards listed great books I’ve already read and many others I’ve never heard about. I’m inclined to read one from each 5 year period starting, well, long, long ago. I want to rely on my local public library for availability, and if I can’t secure a prize winner, the authors other books are possibilities. This quest is about experiencing and comparing the style of writing, too.
1 Like
I finished The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue on my Kindle and The Hong Kong Widow by Kristen Loesch, which was my commuting audiobook. I really enjoyed both of these. This weekend I flew through Gone Before Goodbye by Harlen Coben and Reese Witherspoon. It was an entertaining popcorn thriller.
Now I am thinking I’ll pick up The Bog Queen by Anna North. I am a mood reader, though, so that’ s always open to change. 
1 Like
This past week I read two recommended by book browse:
I Am You by Victoria Rebel — a historical fiction novel during The Dutch Golden Age of art. The plot centers on a lesbian relationship between an artist and her servant friend who also becomes a talented artist. The book reveals the challenges they face managing their forbidden love. It was an enjoyable read.
I also finished The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. The plot was a love story between two people with family saga and tragedy. A longer read (700 pages) for me than normal, however the author captures my interest with much humor and adventure. Others have recommended this book, and I agree was worth the length and would highly recommend this book.
Yesterday I finished The Mad Wife by Megan Church. The plot centers around the feelings of a young wife who is the mother of a newborn child in the suburbia of the 1950’s. She is trying to find her identity but is suffocating as she tries to be the perfect wife at a time when women were misunderstood. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is often referred to in the context of the book. I don’t know if this book is for everyone, however it reveals the progress and understanding of the treatment of mental health during the last five decades.