What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? Please share! We’d love to know.
FINISHED:
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver
It’s been seven years since Mallory’s literary success but now in the middle of extended writer’s block she is desperate to find a new story. Enter Leo, a young, homeless, addict selling sex to survive. Mallory almost immediately sees the possibilities of making Leo’s story her next creative endeavor. In her position of privilege she is driven by ambition over all else. At what cost does a straight woman tell his story?
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout, read by Robert Petkoff.
Booker Prize longlist 2026.
This book contained pretty much everything I dislike in a book. Family dysfunction, non-linear storyline, and a theme that felt like a plank up side my head. I wonder how many times the word lonely appeared?
The Vivisectors by Missouri Williams
Booker Prize longlist 2026.
dnf. I had no clue what I was reading about.
Black Bag by Luke Kennard—
Booker Prize longlist 2026.
An out of work actor accepts a job to wear a black bag and sit quietly in a college lecture theater as part of a psychological experiment. Over the course of the semester unexpected events transpire. I’m not exactly sure I understood the larger message but apparently this is a recreation of a real experiment the author discovered while researching and he decided he wanted to explore the life of the person inside the bag instead of the reactions from those on the outside.
The Palm House by Gwendoline Riley.
Booker Prize longlist 2026.
It’s about office friends who are looking after each other when the office gets a new boss that no one likes. Many get pushed out and the lines of communication broken. This is yet another of this year’s Booker Prize longlist nominees that makes little sense to me.
NOW READING:
Kutchinsky’s Egg: A Family’s Story of Obsession, Love and Loss by Serena Kutchinsky, read by the author—
The Renovation by Kenan Orhan—
Booker Prize longlist 2026.
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@Anne_Glasgow, hahaha re the Strout book. Yeah, that’s pretty typical of her novels. What made you select that one in particular?
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It’s Booker longlist like most everything I read last week. I probably won’t be tempted again.
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@Anne_Glasgow My mother always said, “If you can’t say something good, then don’t say anything at all.” So I won’t say anything about Elizabeth Strout’s books.
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I completed our August read of the 1000 Books to read: THE INTERPRETER OF MALADIES by Jhumpa Lahiri. The book contains nine short stories. Each story examines the cultural emotions and the difficulties of communicating for American Indians and immigrants, and their challenges in today’s lifestyle.
My second read was APPRAISALS by Claire Boyles. The book is a well written story about a multi-generation farming family in eastern Colorado. The plot is based on husband and wife frustrations, family dynamics with the ecological and financial problems that the family tries to overcome. It also shows an emotional bond between the women in each generation.
The author, Claire Boyles will be Book Browse ask the author discussion on Monday, August 17th.
I am still continuing my summer read of Tolstoy’s WAR and PEACE in 1812.
I am currently reading LAND by Maggie O’Farreil. I am now finishing Part I of the book. I am starting to have my doubts about the book.
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Naturally, I’m still reading War and Peace. I did finally finish listening to Captain Blood. I wish I could have read it the print version and kept thinking how much fun it would have been to read an Illustrated Classics edition of it. N. C. Wyeth’s illustrations really pulled me in as a young reader. I’m currently reading Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, the August selection for BookBrowse 1000 Books to Read Before You Die side read. An added bonus is that I’ll be able to count it for one of the requireds in the BookBrowse Reading Challenge as it won a Pulitzer. Finally, I’m also reading Sylvia’s Farm by Sylvia Joorin for my local book club meeting at the end of the month.
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I know I am guilty of breaking mother’s rule and you are wise. I probably should have said less than I did. However, it wouldn’t matter who the author was I still don’t like those aspects in a book.
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Oh @Lynne_G. I hope you won’t give up on Land. I loved it so much. I do think it gets a little easier as the book morphs into more of a family story than in the earlier parts which are more history and land driven. The family sections are still somewhat dark but oh how I engaged with the family members.
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So glad to hear your take on “The Things We Never Say.” I really could not find a thing about it I liked. She writes such downers, makes me ponder. . . is she like this in person???
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I’m still reading ….. I wasn’t into the mythical stuff and the book seems too wordy.
I bought the ebook and the audio also so I have too much invested to give up.
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@Anne_Glasgow Absolutely not. I appreciated your comments. I don’t like her books and could have gotten really negative so decided to keep myself out of trouble and follow my mom’s old adage. Looking at new posts on this topic, I think @Carol_N hit it on the head. She consistently writes such downers. I know life is tough, but gosh, is it all bad?
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Wow, that @Lana_Maskus. Thanks for the tip about The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri winning a Pulitzer. I think that is one topic I have not filled.
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I am still reading “This Here Is Love” by Princess Joy L. Perry and it is pretty heavy. It analyzes the business of servitude and the methods of getting freedom and making sacrifices for your family. It is coming along slowly but I should be done this weekend.
I finished “The Creation of Half-Broken People” last week and it was pretty good but I had trouble following it in parts. I understand how readers made it of the Top 20 last year and am glad I read it.
Next in the stack…wish me luck. It is “Theo of Golden", which seems to be polarizing people. People have told me it is the greatest book they have ever read and those who didn’t agree seem angry about it.
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Wow, you and @Lana_Maskus and @kim.kovacs are certainly making me feel better about my analysis of Elizabeth Strout. I don’t at all mind dark/depressing but there was just little for me to like about this book/story. I can’t fathom why she got a Booker nod although nearly all the other Booker titles I’ve read so far have been virtually incomprehensible. At least I understood Artie Dam’s story.
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Ditto, @Lana_Maskus! It’s going on my Challenge list in that very same category, thanks to you!
Land is wordy and that is maybe the complaint I’ve heard most. I think this book is very personal to Maggie O’Farrell and she has put everything she had into it. I feel like it is her masterpiece but that being said I don’t think it is a perfect book, especially for the American reader. I truly believe you will be glad you stuck it out to the end.
Land is coming up soon on my reserve list. I’ll begin it with a fairly open mind but with a cautious eye. I’ve been known to skim. 
Re:The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout,
Your review cracked me up. I read another of her books years ago and haven’t picked up another. It was one people “LOVED”, not me.
I have another friend bound and determined to read the Booker longlist. At last count I think she has DNF’d at least three.
I saw you were also reading Kutchinsky’s Egg. I have this book on my Libby Suspend shelf. Have been meaning to read it for months.
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So far I’ve only dnf’d The Vivisectors from the Booker list but this year’s list definitely has some weird titles. I’ve knocked off 8 and that’s all I can currently get in the USA.
I am loving Kutchinsky’s Egg! The audio is read by the daughter who wrote it. She’s apparently a journalist by training and she does a good job with the narration. I like the personal touches she has put in the story. At the center of the story is her father, Paul. I’m down to just a little over three hours and kinda hate seeing it end.