Been a while since I posted here. Lots of mediocre books in between but, I had to give a shout out for this one…
The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel by Douglas Brunt. (Non-fiction) The man that invented the diesel engine. Excellent book! If you are a history buff, I highly recommend.
New Andrews and Wilson Son’s of Valor lll War Machine comes out Tuesday and so does Clive Cussler’s The Corsicana Shadow. It’s going to be a good week!
Edit: I forgot to mention I listened to Empire of the Summer Moon. I love the idea of the story but… the first part of the book seemed disjointed. If you are going to write a book involving the state of Texas, maybe you should buy an atlas first!
Pretty much on a par with The Goon Squad BUT definitely read on paper not Kindle, v difficult to keep up with who’s who with all the interlinking characters!
Thy Neighbor’s Wife by Gay Talese - Interesting piece of new journalism dealing with sexual moors and taboos in America. He does an incredible job of building a strong and interesting story. Does go a weee bit too heavy into obscenity laws and trials.
Hot Springs Drive by Lindsay Hunter - 4.5 stars Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison - 3.5 stars The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok - 3.5 stars The Silent Woman by Minka Kent - 4 stars Flight by Lynn Steger Strong - 3.5 stars The Engagement Party by Finley Turner - 3 stars The Second Chance Hotel by Sierra Godfrey - 3.5 stars Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry - 4.5 stars Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah - 4.5 stars Sun Damage by Sabine Durrant - 3.5 stars
Currently listening to: Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon
Listened to Sons of Valor lll War Machine- Andrews and Wilson… twice. I love these characters.
The Corsican Shadow Clive Cussler/ Dirk Cussler
Tried a few others… meh
On book #5 of the Haunting Danielle series.
The Ghost of Marlow House
The Ghost Who Loved Diamonds
The Ghost Who Wasn’t
The Ghost Who Wanted Revenge
The Ghost of Halloween Past
It took until book 5 for the kitty cat show up
Downloaded the new Dervla McTiernan- The Fireground. The reviews said its pretty dark so… I opted for the cozys.
ORLY? Well, I was tempted to come in a little bit ago do tell you that I was 40% of the way through Beartown and I’d suddenly fallen in love with it after sort of wondering what you’d loved so. I didn’t because I’m taking a social media break for the long weekend, in part so I can read more. But then (just now) it broke my heart, and I had to come in to say so. All these lives, ruined! Oy. And I know there’s more sadness coming. I suspect our raped girl is going to be dead in a few pages. OY.
Lucy Barton isn’t as sad as Beartown! I loved the rhythm of the writing somehow. The voice is unique. And I work with people who’ve come out of abuse and poverty as phoenixes, so it resonates in that regard, too. And personally, I guess. I often feel that I’m pretending to be normal.
But anyway, happy American Thanksgiving to all of you readers!
This makes me so happy - I absolutely LOVE it when some-one enjoys a book recommendation!
Books are so personal and subjective it’s very difficult to know what will appeal to anyone else, especially the ones that really tug at your heart.
So… if you’re feeling brave: Beartown is now a trilogy…
Just had a week’s holiday and got through 2 1/2 chunky books:
The Shards - Bret Easton Ellis. This was brilliant! A bit of a slow-burner, superbly written and then it really got me hooked from about halfway through, I ended up reading it right through until 5am when I got to the final chapters!
The Drop (Harry Bosch) - engrossing as always, Michael Connelly never disappoints
Now reading “Less Is Lost” by Andrew Sean Greer, the sequel to “Less” which won the Pulitzer in 2018. @EmilyQ if you’re willing to take another punt, give “Less” a try, it’s another understated gem. In my opinion, Andrew Sean Greer is one of the most gifted writers (as in, great with how well he writes as opposed to the actual storytelling) in the English language today.
I’ve already started the second book. I’d planned to read something different between Beartown books, but couldn’t bring myself not to keep going with it.
I read Less several years ago, and felt about it the way you do Lucy Barton. It was fine, I certainly didn’t dislike it, but I couldn’t understand the Pulitzer.
I’ve been reading a bunch because I need the distraction.
Most recently finished: All the Light We Cannot See (very good but not earth shattering) My Brilliant Friend (I like the writing and the characters but didn’t love it, #1 in a series of 4, will probably read all of them) The Dawn of Everything (An alternate philosophical/archeological/anthropological take on how humans evolved, presented with evidence. Not as compelling as I would’ve liked but clearly points out massive holes in our understanding of how we came to the condition we are currently in.) The Things They Carried (fictional vietnam war book about a guy writing a vietnam war book, very good) The White Tiger (took me a minute but a fascinating look into a culture i know nothing of, excellent) Matterhorn (another fictional vietnam war book, grueling scenarios but very good) The Rabbit Hutch (meh, too many on-the-nose takes) Demon Copperhead (the best book I’ve read in years, maybe ever, a modern retelling of David Copperfield. 10/10) The Blind Assassin (I just love Atwood’s writing style, didn’t care about the story but still loved the book) The Sense of an Ending (really depressing, really introspective, really good)
This isn’t in my top ten, but has been very influential on my writing. And the importance of orginazition, and finding solace in something being perfectly done resonated.
This discussion reminds me - time to reread the book. It’s one of the few I have read more than once.
Heart of Darkness is on that list too. Which most people hate (and I hated at first) until i reread it with the goal of actually understanding it. That short novel should not be taught to high schoolers.
Heart of Darkness hits me in a strange place. Not going to share that, but yeah.
So does Lord of the Flies. My mom was an English teacher who tought a few grades above me, and it so I read the book one night and got so freaked out I had to listen to bible casettes to fall asleep. She told the class as a “teachable moment,” and it became a thing at school, especially when the Hawaiian girl gave me a crowrie shell bracelet.
Hey, it was the 90’s. But the point is that life imitates art. Went full circle.
