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 Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar—in a near future India a family is trying to get out of the country before Kolkata collapses. Their lives intersect with a thief who is commits a series of crimes to support his family. 
Flesh by David Szalay—this is a reread for my irl book club. It is a story about a man who at a young age is abused and then is involved in a crime. He is jailed, joins the army, comes back with PTSD, moves through his life in a series of vignettes the author has chosen to represent what this man is experiencing—some good and some not. It won the 2025 Booker Prize described as a book of “radical minimalism, stylistic singularity, and deep exploration of modern masculinity and class.”
THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS by Emma Garman—Honor Wilson runs a small literary journal and a boarding house in London. The rooms are occupied by two women and two men when Jimmy Sullivan arrives and settles into the last room in the attic. He’s soon on everyone’s radar as a man who carries a bit of a toxic personality that drives petty bickering, jealousies, and suspicion. In this closed environment when a murder occurs it means everyone is implicated. Comparisons to Agatha Christie are undeniable but this book seems to me to be a step above with its alternating voices interspersed with what appears to be journal entries that open the book with a Prologue of the crime. It is only over time that backstories, relationships, and even criminal pasts come to light. This is a great nod to the golden age mysteries.
NOW READING:
FEAR AND FURY: The Reagan Eighties, the Bernie Goetz Shootings, and the Rebirth of White Rage by Heather Ann Thompson—
CITY OF WIDOWS by Nadia Hashimi—
UP ON COVE MOUNTAIN: Adventure, Tragedy. and a Quest for Meaning on the Appalachian Trail by Earl Swift—
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I am absolutely struggling through Catcher in the Rye at the moment (and this is after struggling to get through Maggie O’Farrell’s latest, Land). I’m trying really hard to relate to the protagonist, but getting into the mind of a 16-year-old male ain’t easy. Looking forward to finishing it so I can move on to All Her Beautiful Deaths.
I’m not sure if it’s the books I’m choosing or the time of year, but for the past month or so every book has been a real challenge for me. I’ve hit a much longer than usual stretch of three and four star books without a single five-star one showing up on my list.
Also still making my way through War & Peace in audio. I’m at the buildup to the Battle of Borodino, where Pierre is having a conversation with Andrei (who is getting rather heated about the subject).
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I wish I had the magic fix for you @kim.kovacs. What I can tell you about Land is that it isn’t about the characters, it is truly about the land and it does get better after the slow start. I don’t know the other book you mentioned but I can say that W&P kind of picks up at that point. I suppose because it is nearing the end and he has lots of characters and storylines to resolve.
I’m so glad that I don’t seem to suffer from mood reading or reading slumps. I just sometimes have to talk myself through a mental reset because books have such different styles and purposes.
Are you allowed a time out from required reading? It seems to me that there is a lot of pressure with deadlines and book reviews etc. Good luck with it all.
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@Anne_Glasgow, one of my “break books” was supposed to be Catcher in the Rye. Short book, easy read, right? So far I feel like it’s a real slog, but I still want to finish so I can say I read it.
I probably do need a break from the required reading, and hopefully the end of the year will be slower. There aren’t any author interviews on the horizon (so I don’t need to read any books in prep) and the number of book club books seems to be dwindling as the read winds down, too. And it’s always up to me, whether or not I choose a book for review. I just need to let the list pass me by! That’s really hard for me to do - “shiny book syndrome” kicks in each time I see a new set of books come my way.
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So, it sounds like a “no” problem. You have a hard time saying no. I get that and know many people with that dilemma. Remember that the bright shiny new books will start appearing very soon with 2027 pub dates. Time for some New Year resolutions so you can get back to really enjoying reading. I feel that pain and I’m about to enter my own crush because the book festival author list comes out next week. I want to read ALL the books. I’m sure there’s a tee shirt for this.
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I am still trucking through There Is No Place for Us: Working And Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone. It is a lot of reality for your downtime, but some of the people involved really make you feel for them. As I stated about Evicted and Rough Sleepers, the line between homes and the cheapest possible home is a vast one; nonetheless, Gladstone’s biggest victory is that he shows both sides, because many people have tried to provide shelter to people with no money to help with the inevitable expenses.
Next up is My Friends by Fredrik Bachman, which is probably more my speed. I am avoiding spoilers at all costs since people seem to have very strong opinions about it.
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I finished, Go as a River, by Shelley Read very early this morning, since I could not put it down. Beautifully written historical fiction and I highly recommend it.
I started, James by Percival Everett today, so far, so good!
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Go As a River made me about as sad as any book has. It was such an emotional experience. I loved it.
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@kim.kovacs Hate to say it, but Catcher in the Rye is one of my least favorite books. I read it for the first time four years ago and found it slow moving, shallow, boring, and repeating itself over and over. Even though I am a senior citizen I can almost guarantee I would have felt the same if I had read it as a high schooler.
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Haha, @Lana_Maskus, I bagged Catcher in the Rye about three hours ago, only my second DNF this year. I’d been reading it since Monday and still hadn’t hit 100 pages, and every single paragraph was making me hate the book even more. The massively unreliable narrator was entertaining at times, but the repetitive monologue and the teenage point of view were more than I could cope with.
I started All Her Beautiful Deaths for the book club here, and so far I’m really enjoying it. Hopefully it’ll end my slump. After I finish that, it’s on to Music Against the Night, which Ann Patchett said was one of the best-written books she’s read.
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After having finished “Tiger Palace” for discussion, I was finally able to get back to my two other reads, “Villa CoCo” and “Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows.” Then this week “All Her Beautiful Deaths” finally arrived on my doorstep and since discussion starts in about a week, I once again put books aside and began reading. So far I am hooked, needed to do some Goggling about Victorian Death Photography as this was a subject I was not familiar with. I look forward to the discussion, this book seems to be a winner I find myself saying just another chapter and ignoring that the wash needs sorting or folding.
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I put aside the two memoirs I was reading when I picked up Under Story by Chloe Benjamin, because the story propels you to keep going! So, now I’m back to The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander (and understand why Ann Patchett liked it - Alexander is a poet, so the language is rich and you need to let it sink in) and Journey of a Thousand Miles by pianist Lang Lang. The Lang Lang book is a great to have on hand while waiting - e.g., at a cafe while waiting for a friend, in the waiting room for an appointment, etc. The chapters are short so they are easy for quick spurts.
I also started Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly (MHK). I was motivated to read it (it has been on my book shelf for a long time) because I recently read The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by MHK and a friend I’ll see while we’re out of town next week mentioned that she is reading MHK’s Lilac Girls. Lost Roses is evidently a “prequel” of sorts to Lilac Girls. So, I’m aiming to finish it and then pass along to my friend.
I hope Music Against the Night by Yiyun Li is just the breather you need, Kim. I’m looking forward to your thoughts on it because I’m very interested in it.
Lisa_R - Go as a River is my local library’s IRL book club selection this month and we’ll be discussing it Monday night. It was a re-read for me and reawakened many concerning perspectives of how we treat others and the earth. I think the moderator for our discussion is prepared to share some before and after photos of Iola, Colorado.
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If your mood for music remains after Yiyun Li you can pick up the new Kingsolver about a female piano prodigy. I too will be waiting for your comments on the Li book.
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Now in my 70’s CITR is a totally different experience than when I read it as a teenager in 1968. That was a very traumatic year with the killing of Martin Luther King and with all the rebellious fires that I witnessed living in the DC area. The Washington Mall was called Resurrection City and full of temporary tents for the homeless who lost their homes.
Also, the Vietnam War had such a negative impact on the youth who were forced to fight and die in a war that was controlled by government agencies.
The book had a cult following and was a voice for the youth at that time.
One of the reasons the book had such notoriety was that Salinger wrote the beginning when his life was devastated while witnessing the horrors of the Normandy invasion and the Battle of the Bulge, which resulted in his confinement in a mental institution.
After publishing the book, the impact of the attention he received from media and the public celebrity brought him to be reclusive for his remaining years. That also brought more attention to the book.
Yes, after just reading I felt the narrative was depressing with all his negativity. I also felt the hypocrisy of Holden Caulfield’s criticism and his hatred for the bourgeois culture when his parents were part of the same society.
@Kim, don’t beat yourself up that you dislike a book that was once considered a literary masterpiece because it reflected a different mindset of the youth at that time period.
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I put it down as a teenager and never picked it up again.
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I’m getting back to my Challenge list of books by picking up Lady Tan’s Circle of Woman by Lisa See, which is my “on your TBR list for more than a year.” selection.
My book club had an energetic discussion this week over Bruce Holsinger’s novel Culpability. It is at once a cautionary tale, a thriller, an eye-opener, and a good read about AI and family dynamics. I highly recommend! You Tube has a decent interview with him by Oprah if you want to get a feel for the book.
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I’m reading Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce. Post WWII, a spinster decides to abandon her job to set out on an expedition to New Caledonia to try to capture an elusive golden beetle. She advertises for a companion to go with her. The pair set off on the journey. It’s a fun read, with quirky characters, crime, laughter and in the end it’s about friendship.
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I’m glad you’re enjoying All Her Beautiful Deaths, @Carol_N! I’ve found the book club books can be hit-or-miss. I agree with your assessment of this one; I’m thoroughly enjoying it as well.
I’ll swap you reviews, @Diane_Jones! I’m really interested in Under Story. That one’s popping up all over the place - lots of “must-read” lists.
Same deal for you, @Anne_Glasgow! Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors and I’m eager to read Partita as well. I was a violinist in a former life, so I tend to really like books with musical themes.
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