January 2023: What are you reading?

[Quarter Note]

One of my current reads right now is The Scarlet Letter.  Without meaning to sound high-brow or pretentious, I really, truly love this book.  It's my third time through it.  The language is so beautiful, and Hawthorne is such a master of symbolism. Just a few days ago I noticed something in a scene that struck me at a suck-in-your-breath level of surprise.

I'm also doing the Literary Life 2023 reading challenge - this is for the historical fiction category.

Love reading this thread for what all of you are reading!

[Pawz4me]

I've started The Catcher in the Rye. It's one of those books I feel like I should have read a long, long time ago. But now I am. And I've downloaded Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach to my phone. I'll work through that slowly. Whatever book I have on my phone is for waiting rooms, car rides and similar down times.

[kokotg]

3 hours ago, Quarter Note said:

One of my current reads right now is The Scarlet Letter.  Without meaning to sound high-brow or pretentious, I really, truly love this book.  It's my third time through it.  The language is so beautiful, and Hawthorne is such a master of symbolism. Just a few days ago I noticed something in a scene that struck me at a suck-in-your-breath level of surprise.

 

I'm not sure I can say that I love Scarlet Letter, but I have come to appreciate it a lot more as an adult reading it with my high school kids. I love the scene with the A in the sky and what Hawthorne does with the idea of symbols and their shifting meanings there. 

[PeacefulChaos]

So I started CS Lewis’s Out of the Silent Planet last week but it was feeling like a chore so I abandoned it. Last night I couldn’t sleep so I started - and finished lol - The One by John Marrs. 

[Forget-Me-Not]

On 1/2/2023 at 8:18 PM, Robin M said:

Oh man, I loved The Starless Sea and can't wait to hear what you think when you are done. I started listening to it first in the car and loved the two narrators, their voices perfect for the story. One for the in between stories and another for Zachary's part of the story. Then picked up the book to read when home for a couple days and couldn't put it down. Really captures your imagination, with plenty of sensory detail to keep both your mind and your senses engaged. Beautiful story and one of those books I'll enjoy reading again.

So the jury is still out for me on The Starless Sea. I mean Morgenstern can write, no doubt. Her imagery is beautiful. But I was sort of left with a “what the heck did I just read?” feeling. I plan to reread it again. I feel like there were loose ends that never really came together for me at the end and she leaves a lot to inference (I felt that way about The Night Circus too).  But I started out saying I might have to reread once I knew the ending. 
 

Current Read: A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab. Interesting premise; not sure I’m invested enough to finish the trilogy. I’m a little disappointed because I adored The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (I listened to it on audiobook and it’s read by Julia Whelan who is just fantastic). 

[Forget-Me-Not]

On 1/10/2023 at 8:17 PM, Vintage81 said:

Don’t read The Four Winds (same author)…it’s even worse! That one was rough. 

Ugh that one was painful. I stuck it out to the end in hopes of some kind of happy ending and . . . nope. 
 

On the flip side I got a view of the ugly underbelly of some CA history. I grew up there and I don’t remember being taught any of that in school. In fact there was a museum near my house that (among other things) celebrated “Okies” and crop pickers,  and there was zero mention of their abuse by state and local officials. 

[Vintage81]

10 hours ago, Forget-Me-Not said:

Ugh that one was painful. I stuck it out to the end in hopes of some kind of happy ending and . . . nope. 
 

On the flip side I got a view of the ugly underbelly of some CA history. I grew up there and I don’t remember being taught any of that in school. In fact there was a museum near my house that (among other things) celebrated “Okies” and crop pickers,  and there was zero mention of their abuse by state and local officials. 

I had seen reviews about the book before I read it, so I knew going in that it was going to be a bit depressing. But man, it was really hard to read. I, like you, kept hoping for something positive to happen and it was just one bad thing after another. Funny enough, I actually can’t say I hated the book, because I still really enjoyed the author’s writing. She has a way of pulling you into the story so that you don’t want to put the book down. Plus, like you said, it covered a time period that isn’t written about often, so it was very interesting to learn about. My DDs and I had previously read a middle grade book called Esperanza Rising that was about a girl from Mexico who moved to California during the Dust Bowl and ended up working in the fields. Each book gives a different perspective, but together they definitely paint a good picture of that time period. 

I don’t think I’ll give up on Kristin Hannah (yet), but I’ll definitely be more cautious about which of her books I read in the future. ☺️

[Amira]

I listened to half of Papyrus.  It was lovely.  The translation was lovely.  The topic was lovely.  But I was done after 8 or 9 hours of not really knowing where the book was going and not willing to commit another 8 hours to listening to musings about the western history of books.  And these were really short essay/chapters (they're not quite essays, but they're not quite chapters either) so it just felt choppy to me.

So I listened to Annette Gordon-Reed's On Juneteenth instead and I loved it.  I enjoyed her book on the Hemmings family too. This one is not so much about Juneteenth itself, but about being not-white in Texas when all of its mythology is built around white men. 

Now I'm listening to Joe Gould's Teeth.  Like I mentioned above, I liked Jill Lepore's These Truths and I recently read her Book of Ages and loved that, so maybe I'll listen to a few more of hers right now.

I just got Sarah Ruden's new translation of the gospels as an ebook and I'm liking it so far.

[Jenny in Florida]

I finished The Whalebone Theatre a couple of days ago. It was a lovely, melancholy book. From about halfway through, it didn't take me anywhere I didn't expect to go, but I was definitely along for the ride. Beautifully written. 

I felt like I needed something of an emotional palate cleanser afterward, though. So I was pleased that Aubrey Gordon's new book, You Just Need to Lose Weight: And 19 Other Myths About Fat People, was released just in time. Now that I'm into it a little bit and hearing how much research she quotes, I think I can in good conscience use this one to check off my "popular science" prompt on the StoryGraph genre challenge for this year. 

[Storygirl]

I just finished the audio of The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz. Really enjoyed this one! Interestingly, Horowitz has made himself the protagonist and references many things about his real life. A former cop turned contract investigator,who wants someone to write a book about him, invites Horowitz to follow him on a case. Horowitz is reluctant but intrigued and soon gets drawn in. Definite suggestions that this is meant to be a modern Holmes-Watson type partnership. Which is fun, because Horowitz in real life was chosen by the Conan Doyle estate to continue writing Sherlock Holmes stories. I'll definitely read more in this series.

I'm usually limit myself to two books at a time -- one on audio and one in print. However, I've got more going on right now.

I'm a little more than halfway through The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith. I was making slow progress on this one in print, because it's a huge tome, and I was only reading it in little bits. So I am now doing a combination of print and audio and am enjoying that combo. There is an unusual formatting to some of the text in this book (computer chats between characters), and I thought that might be hard to follow on audio, but it's actually easier than it was when I was just doing the print version.

In the meantime, my library hold of The Word is Murder was about to expire, so I took a break from Ink Black to read that one.

Then, when I thought I would go back to Ink Black, I found out that DS17 has been reading Jane Eyre for school and not doing as well as one would hope on his reading quizzes, so I'm starting Jane on audio. This was a favorite book of mine from my teen years, so I'm glad to read it again, though the timing isn't great. It's also on a Top 100 Books scratch-off poster that I'm completing, so double reason to read it. Only a couple of chapters in so far, and Jane is still a child.

I also realized that I had started Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard. I lost track of the book and had picked up other things, then found the book again. I need to return it to the library soon, so I need to fit it in, as well.

So I will read Jane Eyre on audio. I will read Run Time in print (mostly before bed). And each day, I will read a bit of Ink Black, so that I don't lose the plot while I'm pausing that one. One too many books to juggle for me, but I will try to make it work.

And what may be my biggest challenge -- I have some books that are due that I need to take to the library today, and I should resist grabbing a bunch more. But I probably will end up with a few in my bag, anyway.

Edited January 13, 2023 by Storygirl

[Kareni]

13 hours ago, Forget-Me-Not said:

..it’s read by Julia Whelan who is just fantastic.

I'm not one to listen to audio books so have never listened to Julia Whelan. I did, however, enjoy the book she wrote. It features ... surprise! ... an audio book narrator. This is what I said at the time:

"I quite enjoyed the contemporary novel Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan. Parts of this book strained credulity, but it was a fun read. This author excels at witty banter, and I laughed aloud several times. Be aware that this could be difficult to read if a loved one has/had dementia."

Regards,

Kareni

[Storygirl]

I also enjoyed Thank you for Listening by Julia Whelan. It was fun to listen to her reading the audiobook of her own book!

[PeacefulChaos]

So I had Lolita on my tbr list forever. Decided to give it a go. Put it down after a handful of chapters thinking I can’t read this.

So another abandoned book this week 😅. Idk why I even had it on my tbr list with the subject matter - so yeah.

Started Lagom by Niki Brantmark today instead. Much more my speed, though more ‘how-to’ than I’m used to in this sort of book.

[Kidlit]

I count my read-alouds!  📚✅. I finished a favorite Christmas book Maggie Rose: Her Birthday Christmas by Ruth Sawyer a few days ago with my nine year old. We got a late start, but who's counting? It was a joy to read it to him, and I doubt I'll have another opportunity to read it aloud. 😢. This was book number 3 of 2023. 
 

ETA: I also abandoned Lessons in Chemistry officially today.  I tried, but it was just a little, I don't know, whimsical for my taste. 

Edited January 14, 2023 by Kidlit

[Kidlit]

12 hours ago, Vintage81 said:

I had seen reviews about the book before I read it, so I knew going in that it was going to be a bit depressing. But man, it was really hard to read. I, like you, kept hoping for something positive to happen and it was just one bad thing after another. Funny enough, I actually can’t say I hated the book, because I still really enjoyed the author’s writing. She has a way of pulling you into the story so that you don’t want to put the book down. Plus, like you said, it covered a time period that isn’t written about often, so it was very interesting to learn about. My DDs and I had previously read a middle grade book called Esperanza Rising that was about a girl from Mexico who moved to California during the Dust Bowl and ended up working in the fields. Each book gives a different perspective, but together they definitely paint a good picture of that time period. 

I don’t think I’ll give up on Kristin Hannah (yet), but I’ll definitely be more cautious about which of her books I read in the future. ☺️

I enjoyed Four Winds (and Esperanza Rising!) Admittedly, though, I have a penchant for sad stories. 

[Kareni]

I just finished Four Kings (A Very Secret Garden Book 2) by Karan K Anders which I enjoyed. This is part two in a series and necessitates the reading of the first book, The Book of Firsts. Karan K Anders is a pseudonym used by author Andrea K. Höst for her books with adult content. (Book 7, RR 0, NS 1//)

Regards,

Kareni

[historically accurate]

Finished Golden Girl by Elin Hildebrand. I liked some parts, but others not so much. I liked the premise - afterlife observing and nudging your loved ones to the high road. But some parts were just defied belief. Who writes a novel about the biggest secret in their life and expects it to stay secret??? What a moron! Also, her family is pretty horrible, but she never addresses that. She seems to have no hard feelings toward her cheating ex who she pays massive quantities of alimony to despite her living in a house that needs renovation. So weird. Also, the whole Island population calls her children kids every time it's "their" point of view despite the fact that they are all adults, one of them is married and pregnant as well. Apparently, I had more I didn't like than I did like. 

I should finish up Anne of Green Gables this weekend. 

I started listening to The Nowhere Man by Hurwitz in the car on Friday. 

[Storygirl]

13 hours ago, PeacefulChaos said:

So I had Lolita on my tbr list forever. Decided to give it a go. Put it down after a handful of chapters thinking I can’t read this.

So another abandoned book this week 😅. Idk why I even had it on my tbr list with the subject matter - so yeah.

Started Lagom by Niki Brantmark today instead. Much more my speed, though more ‘how-to’ than I’m used to in this sort of book.

I read Lolita last year, only because it is on the scratch-off book poster challenge that I'm doing. It was super hard to read. ICK! ICK! ICK!

[KrissiK]

Speaking of abandoning books, I put down a book after 3 paragraphs this week. A new record for me. “The Anthropology of Turquoise: Reflections on Desert, Sea, Stone and Sky” by Ellen Malloy. It was even a Pulitzer Prize finalist. I picked it up in our trip because I liked the title. After reading the first three paragraphs I had no idea what she was talking about. I texted those paragraphs to BFF and her remark was “she used up all her adjectives in the first three paragraphs.” I went to GoodReads and saw nothing but praise, although one person said she had to work to get through the language.  I started thinking about whether I was just a lazy reader and should work through it and then decided that no, I don’t mind working through and wrestling with ideas. I just can’t stand having to deal with an author who cannot judiciously use figurative language.

Edited January 14, 2023 by KrissiK

[KrissiK]

13 hours ago, Kidlit said:

ETA: I also abandoned Lessons in Chemistry officially today.  I tried, but it was just a little, I don't know, whimsical for my taste. 

I think I abandoned that one, too, though not officially. I started out enjoying it, for the most part. Not the best book I’d even read, but it was ok. Then that r### scene just kind of got thrown in there and I felt like it was a little jarring and then, I just had a bad taste in my mouth continuing on with the book, so I put it down and just haven’t continued on with it. 

Edited January 14, 2023 by KrissiK

[Kassia]

1 hour ago, KrissiK said:

I think I abandoned that one, too, though not officially. I started out enjoying it, for the most part. Not the best book I’d even read, but it was ok. Then that r### scene just kind of got thrown in there and I felt like it was a little jarring and then, I just had a bad taste in my mouth continuing on with the book, so I put it down and just haven’t continued on with it. 

I finished it but really didn't like it.  It's so incredibly popular that I often feel I'm the only one who didn't like it and am glad it's not just me.  

[Kidlit]

@Kassia.   @KrissiK

I'm glad to know it's not just me!

[Robin M]

Welp! I’m giving up on Black Sun.  Cringe worthy first chapter, then it got more confusing from there. There is a character who is referenced as xe or xir or iktan interchangeably, within the same sentences and is not only annoying but confusing. I can’t follow the discussion because it keeps throwing me out of the story.  Unfortunately not enjoying the story, so time to give up. I enjoyed Roanhorse’s Trail of Lightning, this one not so much.

[importswim]

On 1/12/2023 at 10:16 PM, Forget-Me-Not said:

Ugh that one was painful. I stuck it out to the end in hopes of some kind of happy ending and . . . nope. 
 

On the flip side I got a view of the ugly underbelly of some CA history. I grew up there and I don’t remember being taught any of that in school. In fact there was a museum near my house that (among other things) celebrated “Okies” and crop pickers,  and there was zero mention of their abuse by state and local officials. 

Thanks for these reviews. I watched Ken Burns' documentary on The Dust Bowl a few years ago and it stuck with me. I'm not sure I could get through a book without some sort of redemptive storyline. 

[Vintage81]

I’ve finally finished a few books! 🎉

• Places We’ve Never Been by Kasie West - One of my goals for the new year was to read less contemporary romance and more fantasy and historical fiction, so of course I start the year off with…contemporary romance!! 🤣 In my defense, I had placed a hold on this book several weeks ago and it just became available. 🫣 Anyways, I’ve read several books by Kasie West, they are great “palate cleansers.” This one was just okay, my least favorite of hers. Two old friends meeting up again after several years to go on a cross country road trip with their families. I really disliked the mothers in this story, funny enough. (3 stars)
• The Family Romanov by Candice Fleming - DD and I are studying Russia in Geography so we read this together. I loved it. It was super informative not only about the Romanov family, but the political unrest at the time. Also, once it got close to the time of their murders, there was a sort of countdown that created a building tension in the story. I liked that effect. Even though Nicholas was an absolute horrific leader for the Russian people, these murders were horrific. It’s an interesting topic that I’d like to read more about. (5 stars)
• Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson - When Byron and Benny’s mother passes away, she leaves behind two things for them…a black cake (something they’ve had many times throughout their childhood and comes from an old family recipe) and a mysterious recording. The two siblings are currently not on speaking terms, but their mother hopes she can bring them back together by telling them about her past. This was a really interesting story, with lots of twists and turns. I enjoyed the journey the author took me on. There were a few characters/storylines that didn’t feel completely organic to the main plot, but overall this was pretty good. (4 stars)

[Vintage81]

4 hours ago, Storygirl said:

I read Lolita last year, only because it is on the scratch-off book poster challenge that I'm doing. It was super hard to read. ICK! ICK! ICK!

I haven’t read Lolita, but a few years back I read My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell….it is “Lolita-inspired” and it gave me that same ICK feeling. It took me a while to get over that book. 🤮

[Kassia]

13 minutes ago, Vintage81 said:

I haven’t read Lolita, but a few years back I read My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell….it is “Lolita-inspired” and it gave me that same ICK feeling. It took me a while to get over that book. 🤮

Same.  That was a very disturbing book.  

[marbel]

5 hours ago, KrissiK said:

Speaking of abandoning books, I put down a book after 3 paragraphs this week. A new record for me. “The Anthropology of Turquoise: Reflections on Desert, Sea, Stone and Sky” by Ellen Malloy. It was even a Pulitzer Prize finalist. I picked it up in our trip because I liked the title. After reading the first three paragraphs I had no idea what she was talking about. I texted those paragraphs to BFF and her remark was “she used up all her adjectives in the first three paragraphs.” I went to GoodReads and saw nothing but praise, although one person said she had to work to get through the language.  I started thinking about whether I was just a lazy reader and should work through it and then decided that no, I don’t mind working through and wrestling with ideas. I just can’t stand having to deal with an author who cannot judiciously use figurative language.

I picked that book up from the library once and quickly returned it. So glad I hadn't bought it.  I am very quick to abandon books and only try to work through something that I am pretty sure is going to be worthwhile.  For example, parts of War and Peace!

 

This week I finished Snow by John Banville. I enjoyed the writing; the story was rather ick. I'd read more of his. Also working slowly on a nonfiction book, Milk: A 10,000 Year Food Fracas by Mark Kurlansky. OK, so I said I was quick to abandon books, but I have liked a book of his in the past, and my kid bought this for me based on that, so I want to finish it. It's, I don't know, a bit boring and disjointed. However, his book Salt is fantastic! I need a new novel to read but have rejected a few recently. I am still listening to Moby Dick and enjoying it very much! But I don't get much time for listening. I generally listen while I'm walking but it's been cold so I've been exercising indoors, which doesn't lend itself to audiobooks the same way. 

[scholarly]

This week I finished a Nancy Drew, The Mystery of the Ivory Charm, twice. I read both an older version (30's?)and a newer version (70's?). I knew that the books had been significantly updated, but I've always been curious about what was changed. The differences were interesting! They definitely took out some of the racism. The language in the newer one is noticeably less formal, but the writing is also not quite as good, I thought. I enjoyed comparing and contrasting, but I also realized that a little Nancy Drew goes a long way and I didn't really like reading the same plot twice in a week.

[PeacefulChaos]

Today I finished Finding my Elegy by LeGuin as well as  Lagom, which I started yesterday. It was a laid back day lol, plus my library now does hoopla, which is GREAT! We live in a rural town and I get books from the library, but hoopla really widens the available selection!

Lagom wasn’t my favorite. It was very much a ‘how-to’ book written from one woman’s perspective after living in Sweden for 13 years. 

I did enjoy Finding my Elegy. Some of my favorites are Coast Range Highway, November; Every Land; and Navna: The River-running, by Intrumo of Sinshan.

That sums up the first 4 books of my year:

W: Wintering

O: The One

L: Lagom

F: Finding my Elegy

 

so I’ll be starting on February’s Snow moon next!
 

[Forget-Me-Not]

7 hours ago, Vintage81 said:

I haven’t read Lolita, but a few years back I read My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell….it is “Lolita-inspired” and it gave me that same ICK feeling. It took me a while to get over that book. 🤮

Oh that one was so gross. I wish I hadn’t finished it. 

[theelfqueen]

Currently listening to Outland by Dennis E Taylor on audio.

Reading Steven and Matildas Civil War: Cousins of Anarchy on Kindle.

Reading Vault of Walt Volume 10 in print. 

 

[importswim]

Just finished State of Terror by HRC and Louise Penny. Got it from my library based on recommendations in this thread (so, thank you!) Really enjoyed it as it definitely kept my attention!

[Granny_Weatherwax]

On 1/1/2023 at 5:50 PM, Robin M said:

Enjoy!  I finished the series a couple years ago. I originally read The Eye of the World in 2010 due to a dare challenge.  Then kept reading one or two a year.  I don't know why it took me years to do so when I devoured the Outlander series a years ago in a matter of months.  I think it's because Jordan's series was such a dense, intense, massive undertaking for the characters, it took time to absorb between each reading.  That's my theory and I'm sticking with it. LOL!  Maybe I'll binge read it one of these years when I have nothing else to read.  Ha Ha!   This year I have the last two books in Brandon Sanderson's Storm Light Archive to finish. 

You might remember I bought the series for my son for Christmas 2021 and he read them all within months. I would have to go back and look at last year's threads. 

He convinced me to read TEOTW last year and I have books two and three on my nightstand. Those books are why I have limited my challenge to 25 books this year. They are so chunky and I don't want to miss anything.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I haven't kept up on all of the posts but I have finished 4 books so far. The most disappointing was Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alum. It received numerous nods and nominations so I downloaded it as audiobook for travel. I wish I would have read some of the reviews first. The book needs to have a mature content warning on it. It was racy/raunchy in parts and I was not prepared for it. What is even more disappointing is that those passages did nothing to advance the plot or character development. Some were downright creepy and made me uncomfortable. 

I liked the premise (two families coming together at what will become the beginning of the apocalypse) but the random interjections of what was happening elsewhere (along with the detailed adult content) make me shake my head. 1/5

---

I also read Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown. I loved this book and wished I had it years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed her definitions and examples of various emotions. I completely agree with her assessment that we all need to better understand the subtleties between close emotions, including the near enemies. I checked this one out from my public library but will be purchasing a copy to reread and use for notetaking. 5/5

I finished my reread of The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. This was the 4th read of the book and I think I might not read it during the 2023 Christmas holidays. I struggled with it this year; I was distracted by so many other things and since I already knew the plot and the suspense and novelty weren't there, it was easy to set it aside. I still give it 4.5/5 stars. I need to read the rest of the series.

My first completed book of the year was I've Been Thinking by Maria Shriver. I wanted to like the book but parts of it didn't sit well with me. I think it was due to great disparity between our realities - she goes to private retreats with famous gurus to gain insight and reset and I check out books from the library or walk a local trail. She has years of family tradition and history to rely upon and, well, I do not. I also don't have that Kennedy hair (which she mentions at least twice).

I may need to check it out from the library at a later date and reread it with a different mindset.

[Robin M]

@Granny_Weatherwax Good for you. One or two a year is a good pace I think.  

 

 

 

[Robin M]

After Black Sun, which I could not read, I turned to Keri Arthur’s stand alone book Who Needs Enemies which was good. I like her writing. The poor character was battling trolls through out the story. She had remarkable recuperative powers. LOL!

Got through vol 1 of 1Q84 and now onto vol 2. It’s not at all like I remembered it. I think I mixed it up with Wind Up Bird Chronicles.

Thought it was time for something different. I pulled up dusty ebook The Blue by Nancy Bilyeau which is a historical fiction novel about a character finding out the secrets of making porcelain and the color blue. Enjoying it so far.

I’m also reading Julia Cameron’s Write for Life which has prompted me to think about perfectionism versus procrastination. Is perfectionism the same as procrastination? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? LOL! Do we  procrastinate because of perfectionist tendencies? Am I a perfectionist or do I just have a tendency to procrastinate. I do like to have huge chunks of time to write, rather than grab small chunks, as she suggests,  so I need to grab those moments and write.

I think I probably overthink the story to the detriment of the story, to the detriment of my imagination.   I’ve been avoiding my latest work in progress,  avoiding revising and finishing it. Why, I don’t know. Writer’s block or procrastination? I know the minute I open the document, I’ll change the same darn sentences for the millionth time until I warm up and wonder why I’m not making progress.

Cameron would say, as she says multiple time in Write for Life as well as The Artist’s Way and all her other books, take it to the page. Do your morning pages and figure it out. Which I will, when I find the time. LOL! Just kidding. I’ve done morning pages off and on over the years and they’ve helped me work out all kinds of problems.

It’s interesting because last night I watched a zoom conversation between Jayne Ann Krentz and J.T. Ellison and although they are seasoned writers, they go through the same self doubt with the beginning of every story. They both have new books coming out by the way:  Krentz – Sleep No More out now and Ellison’s It’s One of Us coming out in February.  I guess it never goes away and they just power through it. Time to throw my inner critic, my doubting Thomas in a box and lock him up, and back to the morning pages I go…

Edited January 16, 2023 by Robin M

[Emba]

After I finished the audiobook of A is For Alibi, I went on to the audiobook for B is for Burglar, which I enjoyed.

In paper books, I read Weight Training Fundamentals by David Sandler, which I did learn from but it wasn’t exactly exciting. It went fast because there were lots of photos, but I’ll have to go back and take some more time with it to develop a better at-home workout.

 I also read Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey. I did very much like it, even though the murder didn’t happen until pretty far into the book, and so I spent a lot of time wondering if a body was about to be found every time a character was late for dinner or something. But mysteries can get to formulaic, and this one wasn’t, and the characters were well-written and held my interest. 
 

I’m slowly, slowly working my way through a book called Unleashing the Poem Within. I have forgotten the author’s name. I hope to get back to writing at least some this year,

[Vintage81]

I finished another book...They Went Left by Monica Hesse. I've had this book sitting on my nightstand for a while because I had to mentally prepare for it...I just knew it was going to be a tough one. I was right...it was tough...but really good. 

It's 1945 and the war is over. We follow 18 year old Zofia Lederman, who is currently in a hospital having been liberated from the Gross-Rosen concentration camp. Her memory is scattered, her body is broken, and all she wants is to find her brother. The last time she remembers seeing him is when they were in line at Birkenau...

"In that line, Abek and I were sent to the right.

On this continent, I need to fine only one person. I need to go home, I need to survive, I need to keep my brain working for only one person.

Because everyone else: Papa, Mama, Baba Rose, beautiful Aunt Maja -- all of them, all of them, as the population of Sosnowiec was devastated, they went left."

 

Understanding what people went through after the war was over was something I hadn't read before in a historical fiction novel. So, while this book was heartbreaking and tragic, it was an interesting topic to read about. At the end, I do wish one character would have been explored a little bit more, but other than that I really loved everything about this book. I couldn't put it down! (5 stars)

[ScoutTN]

Listening to Midshipman Hornblower. I read the series multiple times as a teen/college student. Needed something light and lively. The audiobook is well read, except for the French characters. 

Edited January 16, 2023 by ScoutTN

[ScoutTN]

@Emba I enjoy Josephine Tey. Have you read any of her other books?

[madteaparty]

Finished Where the Crawdads sing and started O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker, both audio. It’s keeping my flighty attention so far..

[Emba]

26 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:

@Emba I enjoy Josephine Tey. Have you read any of her other books?

This is my first.  It’s part of an omnibus edition that has three novels, so I’ll probably keep going and read the other two.

[Kidlit]

42 minutes ago, Vintage81 said:

I finished another book...They Went Left by Monica Hesse. I've had this book sitting on my nightstand for a while because I had to mentally prepare for it...I just knew it was going to be a tough one. I was right...it was tough...but really good. 

It's 1945 and the war is over. We follow 18 year old Zofia Lederman, who is currently in a hospital having been liberated from the Gross-Rosen concentration camp. Her memory is scattered, her body is broken, and all she wants is to find her brother. The last time she remembers seeing him is when they were in line at Birkenau...

"In that line, Abek and I were sent to the right.

On this continent, I need to fine only one person. I need to go home, I need to survive, I need to keep my brain working for only one person.

Because everyone else: Papa, Mama, Baba Rose, beautiful Aunt Maja -- all of them, all of them, as the population of Sosnowiec was devastated, they went left."

 

Understanding what people went through after the war was over was something I hadn't read before in a historical fiction novel. So, while this book was heartbreaking and tragic, it was an interesting topic to read about. At the end, I do wish one character would have been explored a little bit more, but other than that I really loved everything about this book. I couldn't put it down! (5 stars)

Sounds excellent 

[Kidlit]

Light and lively may be what I'm in need of. . . 

39 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:

Listening to Midshipman Hornblower. I read the series multiple times as a teen/college student. Needed something light and lively. The audiobook is well read.

[math teacher]

On 1/11/2023 at 8:03 PM, PeacefulChaos said:

 

Adding both of these to my tbr list!

What is this? I’m intrigued!

It's a podcast done in 6 parts about students not learning to read or read as well using the whole language approach. I'm on part 3 now, and the author has done an amazing job. 

[math teacher]

I'm thinking about getting The Woman in White for my next audible book. What can you tell me about it? It's 26 hours long.

[Kareni]

This afternoon I finished Bewilderment: A Novel by Richard Powers which my local book group will be discussing on Wednesday. This was a sad book (and when Flowers for Algernon was mentioned, I knew that did not bode well). (Book 8, RR 0, NS 1//)

"The astrobiologist Theo Byrne searches for life throughout the cosmos while single-handedly raising his unusual nine-year-old, Robin, following the death of his wife. Robin is a warm, kind boy who spends hours painting elaborate pictures of endangered animals. He’s also about to be expelled from third grade for smashing his friend in the face. As his son grows more troubled, Theo hopes to keep him off psychoactive drugs. He learns of an experimental neurofeedback treatment to bolster Robin’s emotional control, one that involves training the boy on the recorded patterns of his mother’s brain…

 

With its soaring descriptions of the natural world, its tantalizing vision of life beyond, and its account of a father and son’s ferocious love, Bewilderment marks Richard Powers’s most intimate and moving novel. At its heart lies the question: How can we tell our children the truth about this beautiful, imperiled planet?"

Regards,

Kareni

[historically accurate]

I finished Anne of Green Gables - love it (as I did a few years ago when I read it for the first time).

Super quick read - Art Before Breakfast. Did that one in a couple of hours. I liked the concept, and I may add some of the ideas to my "time killers". Currently, I do audio books, physical books, sudoku, stupid phone game, and crosswords. May be kind of fun to draw a little too.

Started The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey. So far, I like Evelyn - I don't like Abby yet though. We shall see if she actually grows during the book.

Still listening to The Nowhere Man. 

[theelfqueen]

Set aside Steven and Matilda to read Tom Felton's memoir Beyond the Wand. Really enjoying it and relevant to the scrapbook project I'm working on with my Harry Potter Studios pics.