What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? Please share! We’d love to know.
Tom’s Crossing by Mark Z Danielewski was a long read that felt longer for its paucity of dialogue. Additionally there were frequent and sometimes long departures from the main characters. I suspect this is the author’s style but I didn’t appreciate it. I loved learning that this story sits adjacent to The Odyssey which I plan to read soon. The main story was intense and endearing but it had some false disasters that were pretty easy to guess (especially after the first one). It was overall ok but not great for me.
Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya is a coming of age story told by a young, gay, Muslim woman who is trying to find acceptance in her community while learning to live her own truth. Her process of opening her life through the writing of her story was very interesting.
We Do Not Part by Han Kang is an almost dreamlike story of friendship. I think it may be representative of a specific time in Korean history but I don’t know enough to identify it correctly. I wanted to read something for AAPI month and this had been languishing on my tbr so its time had finally come.
I’m now listening to There is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone. I can see why this book won a Pulitzer for its examination of the working homeless in an economically thriving America. It is a wealth of information. I can’t help but wonder what these families would be/are going through in today’s economy with rising prices and the reduction in social welfare programs.
Next up on the page is John of John by Douglas Stuart. I’m thrilled to settle in with this one. Based on all I know I’m going to love it.
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Won’t Be Long Now by Elizabeth Hardinger is my fictional choice this week, but I am also reading Judy Blume - a life by Mark Oppenheimer. How did I go through childhood and my teen years without reading a Judy Blume classic?
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As I make my trek through the award winners mentioned on BookBrowse, I am reading the graphic novel Brownstone by Samuel Teer, which won last year’s Michael Printz Award. It is very YA, but a sweet, touching story about a blended family. Last week, I finished Broken County and psychotically loved it, It had an ending that shocked me but remained loyal to the character development. Next up is The Original by Nell Stevens.
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Finished Kin by Tayari Jones for my book club. Plan to use Book Browse suggested questions to facilitate our discussion. I also read Fire Sword and Sea by Vanessa Riley. Gave me new information on history of female pirates. Have just started Cleopatra by Sara El-Arifi. After reading Aphrodite in Pieces wanted to see what was said about this legendary female figure. Seems that I am enjoying books about strong female personalities.
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I’ve been working my way through “Wholehearted Faith”, a collection of writings by the late Rachel Held Evans. Although her faith background and journey were far different than mine, I always appreciated her questioning nature and acceptance of all peoples. Her writings, particularly from 2015-17 (I don’t recall much being said about Christian Nationalism then) seem prophetic and more needed than ever. Next up: Amanda Skenandore’s “When No One Else Will”.
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Maybe because her earlier works were often banned??? Delve in!
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I’m a few pages away from finishing A Drop of Corruption. This is a fantasy mystery. While some of the language and topics are fantasy based, the mystery element is strong. I’ve enjoyed the book. Next up is Penny’s The Last Mandarin.
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Thanks for the writeup of Tom’s Crossing, @Anne_Glasgow. I think I’ll take that one off my wishlist. So are you reading We Do Not Part, or did you just finish that one? That’s another one that’s on my wishlist.
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Last week I finished up I Live You For Ever as part of our indie/self-published review program. It was a memoir about the author’s life with her husband as he developed dementia. I can’t say I “enjoyed” it, given the topic, but it was excellent - a good primer for anyone whose loved one is just starting down that road.
I also read The Family Man by James Lasdun in preparation for a Q&A with him next week. It’s about Alex Murdaugh, his financial crimes, and the murders of his wife and son. I’m quite eager to talk to him about it, particularly since the verdict just got overturned. Curious as to what that means for his book, which just published a week or so ago!
Currently reading When No One Else Will for our book club here. Looking forward to discussing it next week. After that, it’ll be Ann Patchett’s latest, Whistler, followed by another interview prep book: Dirty, Dangerous, Violent, and Young, by Zayd Ayers Dohrn who’ll be here in a couple of weeks.
I’m also listening to The Little Red Chairs by Edna O’Brien and I’m actually enjoying it, although it’s a bit odd. Its focus keeps shifting. I thought it was going to be about Kosovo, but it started out in Ireland more like a character sketch (ala Niall Williams). It was so unexpected that I actually double-checked to make sure I had the right book! Then the Kosovo stuff, which got pretty gruesome. Then the story turned to the plight of immigrants in England!
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I’m looking forward to your thoughts on The Original, @Anthony_Conty. I own that one but haven’t gotten around to it yet.
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I just finished We Do Not Part. It was a difficult read for me. Much of it was a dream-like sequence that the author described in the text as opening a door within a door and walking through it. It was a lot about a war but I’m not sure which one without looking it up (mid 1950s?). The foundation was a story of friendship—the kind in which you would do almost anything for the other person in a time of need. I really liked that part of the story but the rest kind of escaped me. If you are interested in that historical element then I suspect you would like it.
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I am currently reading and listening to The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler. It has been on my Kindle shelf for several years.
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I’ve seen so many good reviews for The Mountain in the Sea. I hope you’ll post about it when you’ve finished @Gabi_J.
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@Anthony_Conty I’m curious to hear what you liked, didn’t like as well. Have you read any other books of Nell Stevens? I liked Briefly, a Delicious Life, a quirky tale about George Sand and Chopin in Mallorca and I found the side story about the house maid even more engaging and charming. I recommend.
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This will be my first Nell Stevens book. BookBrowse has “The Original” in their Top 20 and I work my way through that every year.
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I just started The Astral Library by Kate Quinn.
Well, I think this might be my best book of the year.I absolutely loved be it.
I love Kate Quinn. Her writing is so good. This is her first with magical realism. I hope she writes more like this.I hate having to go to work,lol. I just want to keep reading. This book really makes me forget everything going on in this world.
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Ditto on wanting to know your thoughts. I’ve been intrigued by that one for a while.
I finished Python’s Kiss, by Louise Erdrich. I’m not a fan of short stories, but when Louise Erdrich publishes something new, I read it. I liked most of the stories in this collection but some were too dark for my taste. Then I am starting Mad Mabel.
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I second @Holly_Batsell’s request for info! After reading Palaces of the Crow - which was excellent - I very much want to snag a copy of The Mountain in the Sea.
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