What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? Please share! We’d love to know.
I’m almost done with The Botanist’s Assistant, by Peggy Townsend. I really like it a lot. And before that it was In the Light of the Sun, by Angela Shupe. Also terrific.
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First this week was Haven’t Killed in Years by Amy K. Green for the online discussion coming up, which opens tomorrow. I had a little bit of trouble getting into the narrator at first but I ended up thinking it was a really well-crafted mystery. It called to mind another book club book: The Hunter’s Daughter by Nicola Solvinic. (Note: I just opened the discussion for Haven’t Killed in Years so drop by!)
I also read Theo of Golden by Allen Levi for review. It was one of those feel-good novel that helps you refocus on the good around you - much needed in the current climate.
Finally, I read The Botanist’s Assistant by Peggy Townsend, who’ll be stopping by to chat with us starting on Monday. It was a nice little murder mystery with great characters, and it reminded me of Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. It was a quick, fun read, and like @Lloyd_R, I enjoyed it. I believe it was a recent First Impressions selection, and the book publishes next Tuesday.
This week I’m reading three novels that have made it into the BookBrowse “Best Of” edition that’ll be in your inboxes on December 10. My reviews are due a week from today (!) so I’d better get hopping. I won’t tell you what the books are because I don’t want to spoil the surprise.
I haven’t had much time to listen to audiobooks lately, so I’m still on King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby. I can see why people like this one less than Cosby’s other novels. I’m about 25% of the way through, so I’m not sure where the story will lead, but unlike the author’s previous books, the main character is hard to root for. In the others I’ve read, the plot revolves around good people trying to right a wrong. In this one, the wrongs are of the main character’s own making (well, his brother’s making, but he still does some pretty evil things), and it’s hard to have sympathy for him, at least so far. Haven’t found a likable character in it yet.
This week I’m finishing up Mystic Tea by Rea Nolan Martin which was my book club’s choice. It was a tough starter for a couple of us, one stalled, one gave up and the rest did finish it and the discussion revealed that in the end the story proved to be one of empowerment for women. Initially none of the characters are admirable or likeable at all which was the stumbling block, and I also felt the writing was focused more for a young adult group.
Last week’s John Boyne’s All the Broken Places is, in his own words, a novel about guilt, complicity, and grief, a book that sets out to examine how culpable a young person might be given the historical events unfolding around her…can [she/they] ever cleanse themselves of the crimes committed by the people she loved. The lead character, Gretl, now in her ‘golden’ years grew up the daughter of a high-ranking official in the Hitler regime.
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The Black Wolf ending closed the dangling bits from The Grey Wolf. I just started Beast of the North Woods, which will be discussed in December. Side note: the story takes place in northern Wisconsin and is where the author lives. We try to vacation there annually so I’m familiar with the area and can readily envision the specific settings that are referenced. This adds depth to my reading.
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The Land in Winter (I may have been reading last week too) - not sure what to pick up next??
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I am reading Still Life by Sarah Winman. It has been sitting on my kindle for quite some time. I am really enjoying it.
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The Elements by John Boyle-sooo engrossing with unexpected turns and excellent writing.
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I just finished THE HEARTBREAKS OF HANUKKAH by Jean Meltzer for a book club read and also THE BERRY PICKERS Amanda Peters for another book club.
I am currently reading THE RICH GUY’S WIFE by Bonnie Traymore.
Happy Reading Everyone!!
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Read The Correspondent. Thanks all for posting reviews. I have found this forum as a great resource for compiling my “read next” list. Also finished Finding Dorothy. It was a another great find in my favorite genre of historical fiction. My audio choices tend to lie in the Young Adult realm. I am currently listening to The Winter of the Dollhouse.
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Hi
I’m reading, listening to, Bog Queen by Anna North. “Agnes, a forensic anthropologist, is called to a bog in northwest England to examine a body that is initially thought to be a recent murder victim.” Excellent character development of a many varied personalities; confident, insecure, intelligent, angry, defiant. Themes of these stories cross over the distant times.
I loving the 3 separate story lines: modern day, the bog moss speaking and the Druid Queen adventure.
A novella, Small things like These by Claire Keegan
This was discussed in a book group. In this small beautifully written book, a man in this Irish Village makes a discovery that will change his life. We were all shocked that in 1985 the horrible practice of the nun’s to that in unwed mothers, put them to work doing laundry and selling their babies was still going on. Kindness I want to read more by this author.
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I loved The Correspondent. What an ending!!
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I’m still reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry-1/3 through its 950 pages, and wanted to say it is as wonderful and amazingly good as everybody’s been telling me for decades! And I say this as someone who would have insisted I have zero interest in cowboy stories. And I’m still listening to Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson, but am nearing the end. However, my next book (a bookgroup pick) is A Great Improvisation by Stacy Schiff, which is also about Ben Franklin, focusing on his role as a diplomat. I expect to be a Franklin expert when all this is done.
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I finished By the Fire We Carry. It was informative, filled with the details of a court case that had wide-ranging implications in Oklahoma and beyond. I continue to add to my understanding of the trauma wrought upon Native Americans, past and present. I also finished The Things We Didn’t Know. This is a coming of age story that takes place in the 1960s and focuses on the Puerto Rican community of Wornoco, a company town in Western Massachusetts. Although I found the story and the information well worth the read, the writing is at a YA level and I found it difficult to embrace. Interviews with the author were very informative and the debut nature of her work along with her theater background may explain what I found lacking. Finally, I read Sleeping Murder one of the last of the Miss Marple series from Agatha Christie. All three of the above were for book clubs that I belong to. Now on to some of my personal picks. I will priortize Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free this week. I am thoroughly enjoying it so far. Also on my list this week is a food memoir Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn. This was highly recommended by a reliable source for me.
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I won a giveaway of Still Life quite awhile ago and it has been sitting on my TBR shelf(ves)
for quite awhile. You’ve given me incentive to pick it up next.
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Finding Dorothy was a giveaway that I haven’t gotten to yet. Seeing your comments tells me I need to get it read!
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Finished the audio recording of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. Needed an “I” for my book journal’s A-Z Title Challenge. Quick, easy, fun, and breezy! Just started the audiobook of Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green and learning so much. Am reading Letters from a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart for a book discussion at a nearby library. It’s made up of the letters over the years that the author sent to a friend after the author moved to Wyoming in 1909 and secured her own homestead.
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This past week I read two Book Browse editor choice books:
First was The Heart Shaped Tin by Bea Wilson. It has a charming plot with themes of nostalgia, historical facts, and archival information of items in the kitchen.
My second book was Pick a Color by Souvankhan Thammavongsa. It is a short witty story of a nail salon’s owner and her relationship with her staff and clients.
Yesterday I finished Wreck by Catherine Newman.The novel uses the same family as her previous book Sandwich. The theme is about loss, family complexities and health challenges.
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I’m starting an adventure in “retro” reading from decades that parallel my age. Sometime ago there was mention that current fiction seem to have similarities. I think Kim brought this to our attention. I decided to research and create a list of “winners” (Pulitzer, Booker, National, etc.) starting in the ‘50s. (Yes, I’m old.) When the title isn’t readily available I’m going to read another work by the author. My first endeavor is East of Eden by Steinbeck. I’ll read books; no audiobooks or movie adaptations. Meanwhile, Beast of the North Woods is moving along. East and Beast, quite a combination for my mind to digest!
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For the past week I’ve been reading John Boyne’s All the Broken Places - a very tough read but I will see it to the end. It’s very upsetting but a story that will haunt you. Our book club will be discussing- I see another reader was reading this book- I would like to read more of his work after I recover from this heartbreaking story.