@Carol_N @Anne_Glasgow Thank you for the recommendations. I just purchased Mailman at a big box bookstore as the one free of a BOGO offer for a book I really wanted. Now I’m in a quandary. Do I read the book I really wanted next or do I read Mailman?
@Anne_Glasgow Reading your comments about American Rambler reminded me of a historical fiction book, At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier, about orchardists on the Ohio frontier in the 1830s that I enjoyed several years back. Although not the main character, there is a Johnny Appleseed like individual in the novel.
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Somewhere I stumbled across the title, I Who Have Never Known Men, by Harpman. It probably would be classified as dystopian, but the story is difficult to explain. Here’s an internet summary. “The story follows a group of 40 women held captive in an underground bunker guarded by uniform men.” A sudden siren scares the men, one drops the keys to the facility. The women escape to the upper, outside world and search for others. The narrator is the youngest of the 40, a child. Her story becomes the book.
Currently reading Dominion by Citchens. I started listening to The Ascent of Rum Doodle.
Thanks! Yep, the only tree known for sure to be planted by him is in Ohio in a woman’s backyard!
Totally get the downfall of audio…but I love being able to listen while doing something else. Thanks again, Dee
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Good problem to have! Enjoy!
@NanK I found I Who Have Never Known Men to be so interesting. I enjoyed it but like you I would find describing it difficult.
There were unanswered questions that in the end didn’t matter; however, I wanted to know the initial reasons for the cabins/camps. Someone was in charge as evident in electricity, air conditioning and seemingly unlimited lockers and pantries of food. Yes, the story was strange, but I did like it.
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Hi @Lana_Maskus and @Lynne_G - Sorry, not sure why I missed this yesterday. Anyhoo, @Gabi_J did, indeed, post a character list here.
You can find all the W&P stuff under Community Book Clubs (on the left side of the computer screen, or on a phone, tap the three bars next to your profile pic).
Thanks Kim for sending me a copy of the character list. It does help……remembering the names is the most difficult part of reading the book. Maybe when we have finished I will be dreaming 
about these people.
Almost finished with The Space Between Us by Thrity Urbarger, which turned out to be a quick-read for me, thank goodness, as it is to be part of a discussion at a Book Club this coming week. I look forward to the discussion, not because I was necessarily enthralled by the work, but am hoping maybe there will be a few who might enjoy looking at the making(s) of the book. Ah, but it is the ‘English teacher,’ me, never really retired.
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I’m reading a mystery that was originally published in 1935, The Great Hotel Murder by Vincent Starrett (reading it as an e-book from Penzler Publishers, 2020). I am perplexed but I have an idea about who the perp could be! 
I’m also reading another essay from The World-Ending Fire by Wendell Berry. I would love to know if he’s written anything recently about the building of data centers (this is an issue in rural or semi-rural areas, and the taking of land and water for these projects irks me no end). I’ve read that AI and cloud computing are driving the surge (and yes, I’m feeling awkward/guilty reading e-books and utilizing anything internet/tech).
Is he as disheartened as I am, given that some of these essays were written so many decades ago?
From the end of one essay, “The Unsettling of America”, published in 1977:
“But the care of the earth is our most ancient and most worthy and, after all, our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it, and to foster its renewal, is our only legitimate hope.”
All this reminds me of a quotation (and yes, sigh, the irony that I’m looking it up online 
):
“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing which stands in the way.”
– William Blake, from a letter to Reverend John Trusler, 1799.
(Here is one source of the quotation: William Blake’s Most Beautiful Letter: A Timeless Defense of the Imagination and the Creative Spirit – The Marginalian )
Sorry for such a long, rambly post. I know it’s a bit disjointed but brain fog 
is creeping in on big tiger feet (apologies to Carl Sandburg). I love sharing my thoughts or impressions about what I’m reading (as well as reading what others’ thoughts, etc., here) – I hope it’s not too taxing for anyone to read.
ETA: I just finished The Great Hotel Murder. I was wrong about who I thought was the perp! 
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I finished Dominion. Has anyone else read the book? There was a strong belief that men ought to dominate women, and yet the women prevailed. The story’s ending was okay, but it seemed the author could have extended the “afterward.” I started Flesh, but it’s not for me. While flipping through the TV guide I stopped at CSPAN upcoming book discussion. That’s when I landed on the author, Candance Millard. I just started her book, *Destiny of the Republic. It’s the story of James Garfield’s rise in politics, his election and assassination. *****
Hey @NanK, I’ve read all the books you just mentioned. I really liked Dominion and Flesh. My book club will be discussing Flesh later this year.
Candice Millard is a fabulous historian. I think I’ve read everything she has written but Destiny is my favorite.
I’ll try a few more pages of Flesh. Maybe it’ll hook me soon.
NanK - I saw the CSPAN interview with Candace Millard, too and have wanted to read more of her books. Garfield’s history is not too far from where I live. I’ve seen the statue dedicated to him at Hiram College (in Hiram, Ohio - and for a brief spell, the head of the statue was missing - a college prank evidently) and have also visited Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland where he is buried in a very impressive tomb, including a statue of the president inside and stained glass windows.
Flesh doesn’t change much throughout the book. It’s a very spare writing style that I think works for the character but it annoys many readers as best I can tell. Don’t hesitate to put it down—life is too short and there are many books to be read.
I’m enjoying An Immense World by Ed Yong and learning so much about the animal kingdom, including domestic animals. And, on the other side of the coin, I choose something for Summer reading from the too large inventory of books at home - Beatriz Williams’ The Beach at Summerly.
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I love Ed Yong! He read the audiobook for An Immense World and it was fascinating as well as a pleasure to listen to him talk science.
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I agree Anne! Can you imagine if you had Ed Yong as a biology teacher in school? He has a wonderful way of explaining such complex organisms/biological systems.
Being around Ed Yong in any capacity would be so cool. He just has a brilliant way of looking at the world. I just looked him up because I knew he was talking about burnout after the publication of his last book. Here’s what I learned:
He stepped down from his staff writer position at The Atlantic in 2023 following burnout from his Pulitzer Prize–winning pandemic coverage. He has since shifted his focus heavily toward birdwatching and nature writing, using these pursuits as a way to recalibrate his mental health.
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