What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? Please share! We’d love to know.
FINISHED:
A Private Man by Stephanie Sy-Quia—a novel about a family history that a young man discovers while caring for his aging grandmother. His grandfather was a defrocked priest according to found documents but his grandmother has dementia and so can’t provide answers to the questions that arise. This is a beautiful debut novel based on the author’s own family history.
Good Material by Dolly Alderton. In a departure from romance and a twist on the break-up story this novel tells of a relationship gone wrong from the guy’s perspective. He doesn’t understand what happened and aches with missing her but doesn’t know what to do about it. He tries hanging with best buds but they are now mostly married with kids. He tries dating but it just isn’t the same. It’s in missing her that he learns about himself, about her, and about what is really important to each of them. This was for my irl book club
AMERICAN RAMBLER: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed by Isaac Fitzgerald, read by the author. A memoir/historic travelogue that is both informative and entertaining. Not afraid to share his colorful, cider fueled experiences, Fitzgerald follows the trail of Johnny Appleseed while delivering the history of John Chapman, the man on whom the legend is based. I get the feeling the author may be just a large a character as the Johnny Appleseed of whom he writes.
WHEN TREES TESTIFY: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy by Beronda L Williams—the author is a botanist specializing in trees and she shares her own memories of trees along with some of the devastating racial history and significance that is associated with trees. But for repression in ownership, Black Americans would likely be leaders in our agro-economy.
NOW READING:
Nonesuch by Francis Spufford. Marketed as fantasy this spellbinding novel takes a look at an alternative WWII London where there are dark and mysterious happenings.
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy, read by the author. Autobiography of the author and the relationship with her mother, who she calls Mrs Roy, a woman she both loved and feared. 
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Anne - Interested in your book club’s thoughts on “Good Material” - I was disappointed in it.
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Good Material was definitely not my typical reading choice but I always try to go along with the book club’s whims. I read it. As mama always said, if you can’t say something nice, say nothing at all. 
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Last week, I finished The Original by Nell Stevens and Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Lee. I really liked the ending of The Original even though some parts dragged on. The ending was something special. Things in Nature Merely Grow, the Pulitzer winner for Memoir/Anthology, is beautifully written, but I have to recommend it with a serious trigger warning for those experiencing trauma. The author lost two kids to suicide and talks about the aftermath in great and excruciating detail.
I started Legendary Frybread Drive-in: Intertribal Stories, the Michael L. Printz Award winner for Young Adult Fiction. I read 1 1/2 stories this morning and it is off to a great star!
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To continue my reading for the 250 Challenge: 26 Books for Reading US History. I finished The Sentence by Louise Erdrich. The book focuses on the COVID-19 - Panic, the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and a beautiful tribute to the Indigenous American Identification.
I was up in today’s early morning hours finishing Ann Patchett’s new novel: Whistler. For all lovers of Ann Patchett, I hope you will enjoy this book as much as I did. It is a beautiful story of how a family endures after a consequential moment that defined their lives and how despite secrets and regrets a family’s love can still be united. It was a beautiful and emotional read for me. (A hint to animal lovers: the horse does not die in the book……it was a main concern for me).
I am continuing my journey reading War and Peace. I have read 70% of Part 1. I have to admit it is very frustrating to remember all the names the individual Russians have. I can’t find the list that one of the members graciously posted of the family names and relationships. I think it may have been either Gabi or Lana. I will keep searching but if you can resend me -it would be a lifesaver.
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This week I’m listening to Five by Ilona Bannister which is described as a psychological thriller. Five strangers are waiting at a London train station, and one will die, says the narrator, in five minutes when the next train arrives. She goes on to give back stories for the characters which is where I am currently and she doesn’t paint pretty pictures let me just say. But, of course, my curiosity drives me onward to see who will go lights out.
I read A Pair of Aces by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray for the BookBrowse Book Club discussion, and I’m almost done with The Reimagining of Thornwood House for an interview with the author, Jaleigh Johnson, next week. The former is typical of these authors’ work - high caliber historical fiction featuring women pretty much lost to history - and the latter is a cozy fantasy fun read.
I’ve been doing a lot more audio this week (prepping our condo’s pool for the summer). Finished up Harry Potter book 1. I never listen to podcasts, but I wanted to learn more about Zayd Dorhn’s book, Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young, and his podcast, Mother Country Radicals, was a precursor to that. I just tore through the podcast. If you’re interested in the Weather Underground and 1960s-1970s America, I highly recommend it. I thought the book was excellent, but the podcast was incredible. And I’m just about done with Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (jury’s still out on that one).
Next up, Contrapposto by Dave Eggers for review, and Merry-Go-Round Broke Down for the book club here. In audiobook, it’ll be Mother of Rome by Lauren Bear in prep for her visiting us in a couple of weeks.
@Anne_Glasgow I have American Rambler waiting for me on Audible. Some listeners have expressed disappointment that it wasn’t enough (or at all) about Appleseed but narcissist stories about the author whom they could care less about. Did you feel any of that?
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Hi @Connie_K. I would say that is a pretty true assessment. I maybe felt a little disappointment in the beginning but then I just began to appreciate the author for his own colorful existence. He was just at our local indie and I almost went out to meet him. He seems like a really charming and likable guy. He’s pretty open about his own foibles and while there is a lot about him there are also lots of random facts about Johnny Appleseed and apples in general. I enjoyed it and suggest tossing any expectations you might have and just going along for the journey.
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@Lynne_G I really enjoyed The Sentence (Erdrich). It might be my favorite of hers.
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Finished “Yesteryear” this week, quite a ride. Lots of food for thought and it drew me to exploring “trad wives” on the net. Not into Instagram so when I found the background information for this book, it was an eye opener. Learned a lot about “Ballerina Farms”, supposedly the model used in the book.
Last night I started, “The Mail Man” Story of a middle aged man who loses his high profile job in advertising and is forced to take on the only available job (rural mailman) in his little Appalachian Virginia hamlet to survive. So far very interesting, however the book’s beginning is several chapters of the who, what and why’s of the postal service so I am ready for some human contacts on his route. Book is a highly recommended by a member of my book club. Lets see if i agree.
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I loved The Mailman @Carol_N. But it might have also been my story because I grew up in the home of a rural mail carrier. The author is neurodivergent, my dad was not, but almost everything he talks about in the book I experienced with my dad on his route. I don’t know how interesting the book would be for someone without my history but it was like revisiting wonderful memories and experiences for me.
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@Anne_Glasgow, I don’t know if I will get to American Rambler, but I was curious what type of apple did he plant? I understand some apple types from his time are no longer around. Thanks!
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kim.kovacs, that is an impressive list. I am glad A Pair of Aces is a good addition to their work. I have it on my TBR.
Great Big Beautiful Life was not a total win for me. I appreciate when an author wants to try something different and it is a tough standard to live up to prior successes. Overall, I am happy Emily Henry took this year off from writing, as I know she is busy in working on adaptions of her work, but I also think she needs to figure out what directions she wants to go in her writing.
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I just finished ‘Whistler’ by Ann Patchett today - one of the loveliest books I’ve read in a long time. My heart is full!
Last week I read ‘Good Joy, Bad Joy’ by Mikki Brammer - a sweet story about friendship and growing older.
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I love love love ‘Whistler’ and wish I could read it all over again for the first time.
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I’m reading Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett and really enjoying it. Her characters are as memorable as those in The Help.
I finished rereading Wild, Dark Shore for book club. It was even better the second time around. Thanks to BookBrowse for the Beyond the Book info about seed banks.
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Apparently different varieties. There was a brief mention of the fact that there may be only one tree left of the Johnny Appleseed variety. It’s a little hard for me to recall all the details which is the downside to listening while I walk. I did not find the author narcissistic. To me he just seemed like a nonconformist who loves the outdoors and adventuring.
It wasn’t me who posted the list. I, too, am struggling mightily with the names. I did find a fairly complete list in Wikipedia of all the names and familial relationships. I saved it to my iPhone home screen so it’s readily accessible.