January 2023: What are you reading?

[Laurel-in-CA]

Lindsay Buroker does fast, fun fantasy and space opera series. I got the first one in this series free and then dashed through the others pretty quickly. Urban fantasy with a hero and a dragon and many, many snarky complications: Sinister Magic.

A distraction during dd's surgery, which went well. She's getting her mouth unwired today but will be on soft foods only for a few weeks before actually chewing things. 

Now I am working on The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling).

[WildflowerMom]

Still reading An Enchanted April, delightful. 
I could not get through Liturgy of the Ordinary. Trying to find something else. 

[Emba]

On 1/16/2023 at 6:11 PM, math teacher said:

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.

 By Wilkie Collins? I don’t remember much about it, it’s been a few years since I tried to listen to it. To me it dragged, and I never finished it.  

Edited January 21, 2023 by Emba

[marbel]

1 hour ago, Emba said:

 By Wilkie Collins? I remember much about it, it’s been a few years since I tried to listen to it. To me it dragged, and I never finished it.  

I've tried to listen to it twice but have abandoned it each time. One of the narrators sounds nearly hysterical to me, which makes listening difficult.  I think I won't give a third try. 

I'm in a bit of a reading slump but today started reading a book of regional interest to me: The Wissahickon published in 1922 by the Garden Club of Philadelphia.  Wissahickon Valley Park (which surrounds the creek of the same name) is one of the treasures of the Philadelphia area. This little book details some of the history, plants and animals of the area. 

This will no doubt inspire a visit to the park and then maybe get me out of my slump. 

[Pawz4me]

On 1/16/2023 at 7:11 PM, math teacher said:

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.

I read it many years ago and remember really enjoying it. 

[ScoutTN]

Started Howard’s End last night, a reread for me. 

[Jenny in Florida]

3 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

I read it many years ago and remember really enjoying it. 

I loved The Woman in White, but it definitely is one of those books you have to let yourself sink into. Collins was a contemporary of Charles Dickens, and they have much in common in terms of  never using three words when 10 will do. Understanding the novel's place in literary history helps, too.

I went on a Collins kick several years ago and read everything I could find. 

Edited January 18, 2023 by Jenny in Florida

[Robin M]

I succumbed to temptation and bought the Lee Child course on Writing Popular Fiction when it was on sale through BBC Maestro.   Then a couple days later, another offer to subscribe for the year came up at 80% off,  so now have an annual subscription.   So far, Child has talked more about reading than writing.  Read widely as well as randomly.  Read that book that you don’t like because you’ll be able to figure out what was bad about it and why you didn’t like it, and that will be useful when writing as well. Every five to ten books, choose a random subject totally out of your wheelhouse and read it. Someday it may trip a memory and be useful to your character.

BBC Maestro is kind of like Great Courses Plus except they have a select choices. There are videos on  Poetry with Carol Ann Duffy, Comedy with Billy Connolly, Story Telling with Alan Moore, as well as  songwriting, classic French Bistro cooking, Breadmaking, and winemaking,

[lauraw4321]

Finished Caine Mutiny - loved it. Also Eleanor Olliphant is totally fine. It was absolutely lovely. 

[Vintage81]

3 minutes ago, lauraw4321 said:

Finished Caine Mutiny - loved it. Also Eleanor Olliphant is totally fine. It was absolutely lovely. 

I love Eleanor! ☺️

[WildflowerMom]

I just started reading Grocery: The Buying and Selling of Food in America.  So far, it's excellent.    Still reading An Enchanted April.   

[math teacher]

Downloaded The Woman in White to start on tomorrow. My I drive a minimum of 15 minutes one way nearly every time I leave the house, so a 24 hour book will last me awhile.

[GailV]

What I've finished so far this month: 

Black Girl, Call Home (book of poetry rec'd for Christmas - really liked it)

The Flowering Wand (ended up falling under the concept of reading writing you don't like and thinking about why it's so annoying)

A Fang to Remember (Dmmettler had suggested this months ago; not my usual thing, but fun, plus I appreciated the glimpse into life as a person dealing with a disability)

A Life Discarded (I like his writing style, but the best part was dd found the book discarded on someone's stoop, so it was even more discarded - very meta)

Sinister Magic: Death Before Dragons vol. 1 (recommend somewhere up-thread, and this is why I don't usually participate in these threads, because y'all keep mentioning interesting books and I now have MORE ON MY LIST OF BOOKS I'D LIKE TO READ THAN BOOKS I JUST FINISHED!)(Also, wow, what a fun book!)

Currently working through a pile which I'm not going to list out in case I don't finish them. Plus I tend to read 5-10 books at a time which may seem excessive. They tend to randomly cross-reference, eg within a day I read 2 mentions in extremely different books of how often CEOs are psychopaths - and now that little nugget is firmly lodged in my head.

 

[Laurel-in-CA]

4 hours ago, GailV said:

Sinister Magic: Death Before Dragons vol. 1 (recommend somewhere up-thread, and this is why I don't usually participate in these threads, because y'all keep mentioning interesting books and I now have MORE ON MY LIST OF BOOKS I'D LIKE TO READ THAN BOOKS I JUST FINISHED!)(Also, wow, what a fun book!)

 

Wasn't it? My first series by Lindsay Buroker was The Emperor's Blades - and it really got me hooked on her work. That was swords & sorcery, but Sinister Magic is more urban fantasy and I like that too.

[marbel]

On 1/15/2023 at 9:37 PM, Emba said:

 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. 

Thank you for mentioning Josephine Tey! She was one of my mother's favorite authors; mom still had her beat-up old paperbacks among her few possessions when she died. (She was into Swedish death cleaning long before it was a thing in the US.) I couldn't read them - the acid paper made my eyes sting - but I did read a few from the library. Brat Farrar was her favorite, and I enjoyed that. 

Anyway, long way to say I saw Miss Pym mentioned and thought it was about time I went on with reading my mother's favorite books. So I got a copy from the library today.

I also started The Blackhouse, by Carole Johnstone. There are several books out there by the same name - I've read one other, by Peter May.  Both are thrillers set in the Outer Hebrides. I've just started it and it may be usurped by Miss Pym; we'll see. The bit I've read seems good.

Also moving along slowly with Moby Dick on audio. Haven't had much listening time lately but haven't abandoned it! 

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by marbel

[Kidlit]

I've sort of been in a slump this week.  I am listening to John Green's Anthropocene Reviewed  in audio and just picked up The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian upon the recommendation of a few of my library coworkers. So far, so good. 

[historically accurate]

Finally finished The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey. Overall, I'd give it 3 stars. Evelyn's story is pretty well done, although a little muddled at the end. Abby's story seemed like it wasn't fleshed out enough - she just kind of bumbled along. 

Going to start The House in the Cerulean Sea next. 

Still listening to The Nowhere Man. 

[LaughingCat]

Read Ilona Andrew's new book Magic Tides and enjoyed it.

Forced my way through Harrow the Ninth -- I should have stopped after the 1st section but I kept going because I read that the end got better -- although the last section was better it didn't make up for the earlier sections. I won't be reading any more in that series.

[Alicia64]

I'm reading The Humans by Matt Haig and The Midnight Library both by Matt Haig. Here's how I review the book on my blog (meaning I'm not a professional reviewer, you might notice):

My habit is to try several books each week and ditch the ones that don’t work for me. I read to about page 10 or even 20, but if something doesn’t improve, back into my library bag it goes. I promise to only share amazing books that I LOVE (caps intended; books deserve it).

The author I have for you today is Matt Haig who authored two incredible, wowza books:

The Humans. When you first start reading The Humans you might wonder if it’s a non-fiction and then think that maybe it’s sci-si. It’s neither. It’s a five-star read, infused with a bit of magic, that’ll make you happy to be a human. The story is about an alien who’s been tasked with visiting Earth to see what humans are all about. The alien inhabits a dad’s body and goes home to “his” family. It’s a fish-out-of-water story and has humorous moments, but it’s touching and wonderful and please read it.

The Midnight Library. This Haig-masterpiece is about a woman who isn’t so thrilled with her life. Nothing’s going her way and she’s done. She ends up in a purgatory that takes her down several cool life-threads. If you’ve ever wondered, what if?, this is your read. And Haig outdid himself with the ending.

I highly recommend both The Humans and The Midnight Library. They’re easy to read and you can plow through each in a weekend. ♥

Thank you for all of the great book ideas!

 

[Kareni]

After recently reading Karan K Anders' Four Kings, I decided to reread the first book in that series. 

The Book of Firsts (A Very Secret Garden 1) by Karan K Anders   I enjoyed it once again.  (Adult content) (Book 8, RR 1, NS 1//) 

"Three boys, the 'kings' of the school. One cynical newcomer. An outrageous competition.

When Mika Niles overhears the details of "The Book of Firsts" she's at first bemused, then scornful, then intrigued. Judging which of three very handsome young men is best at kissing, and...?

With no time in her final year for serious attachments, a series of lunchtime trysts is more than tempting – and an opportunity like this might never come her way again. But this light-hearted game is also a scandalous secret, and few can play with fire and walk away unscathed."

Regards,

Kareni

[Kidlit]

11 hours ago, Alicia64 said:

I'm reading The Humans by Matt Haig and The Midnight Library both by Matt Haig. Here's how I review the book on my blog

Oooh! I'd love to read your blog!

[Robin M]

I finished The Blue and wanted to love this story, but i couldn’t. I felt like the main character was a victim of circumstance, never growing, naïve, going along while every one else around her - the men - solved the problems. The latter half of the story was a disappointment with Thomas being the one that did all the heavy lifting, so they could have their happily ever after.

I’m still working my way through Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 (80%) done and on my second reread of Julia Cameron’s Write for Life and writing down all the stuff I underlined.

The suburban has been loaded with multiple bags of books: fiction, nonfiction, and a bunch of homeschool books to take the friends of the library.  Have been going down memory lane culling through all the homeschool memorabilia – what to keep, what to get rid of.  We may be able to fit the car in the garage by the end of the month.  Woot Woot!

[alysee]

Trying to read The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly. It's my second time picking it up. The first time was last year and the talk about covid in the book had hit a little too close. I am still not loving it and I think it might be the new character of Renee Ballard who he is writing a series from the original Harry Bosch series. I think I just liked the Harry Bosch character better? 

[alysee]

Also, I completed #2 and #3 in the Virgin River series. 

[KrissiK]

1 hour ago, alysee said:

Trying to read The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly. It's my second time picking it up. The first time was last year and the talk about covid in the book had hit a little too close. I am still not loving it and I think it might be the new character of Renee Ballard who he is writing a series from the original Harry Bosch series. I think I just liked the Harry Bosch character better? 

I really gobbled down the Harry Bosche books a couple of years ago. I started from the beginning and read till the current ones, but his latest books I haven’t been too in to. I like Renee Ballard, actually, but… I don’t know. It’s like Connelly lost his edge. Or something. I never really enjoyed his other series. Really never got into the Mickey Haller books at all. 
 

I have been reading the Cork O’Conner books by William Kent Krueger. Not nearly as intense and gritty as Harry Bosche at his prime, but entertaining enough.

Edited January 23, 2023 by KrissiK

[alysee]

29 minutes ago, KrissiK said:

It’s like Connelly lost his edge. Or something. 

That's exactly what I was thinking but couldn't find the right word. I will push on but will probably be my last Connelly book. 

[Storygirl]

Interesting! I still like all of the Connelly books, but there are definitely some that I have enjoyed more than others. I do like Renee Ballard, but I think I didn't like The Dark Hours as much as some others.

[Storygirl]

I just finished Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. This was my first Rushdie, and I read it, because it's on my book challenge scratch-off poster. And.....wow! This book has won the Booker Award (1981), Booker of Bookers Prize (1993, as the best of all of the cumulative Booker winners), and Best of the Booker (2008, a public vote award).

I cannot say that I completely loved it, but I admire it and enjoyed reading it. I think I would have enjoyed it more, if I had read it for a class, because I don't have the background knowledge of the history of India to appreciate all of the references and points that Rushdie wanted to make. But that is not the fault of the book, of course. I do wish it were a little shorter (25 hours on audio), and at times it was a little hard for me to keep all of the characters straight. Some of the characters switch their names midway.

The story weaves together magical realism and history in the tale of boy who was born at the crack of midnight at the moment of Indian independence from Britain's colonial rule. His fantastical life story is meant to mirror and reveal truths about those years of India history. I thought the expressive audio narrator added a lot to the telling, emphasizing the humor. The imagery and characterizations are extremely vivid and creative.

Edited January 24, 2023 by Storygirl

[Kareni]

A thoughtful post from author Alix E. Harrow ~

on (re)learning how to read

Regards,

Kareni

[WildflowerMom]

7 minutes ago, Kareni said:

A thoughtful post from author Alix E. Harrow ~

on (re)learning how to read

Regards,

Kareni

Oh I just read this and I loved it!!   Thanks for sharing!  I think I’m going to get a journal and write about what I’m reading.  

[Laurel-in-CA]

Blood and Thunder is my first attempt at an audio book, which plays through my hearing aids...needless to say, this creates some confusion!! I am finding it frustrating. The book is already so FULL of personalities and their backgrounds and only some of them familiar enough for me to use them as "hooks."  I'm about halfway through and need to finish as book club is discussing this next weekend. Feeling stressed. Maybe I would like a "fluff" audiobook more?

[Acorn]

Reread Jane Eyre. It’s been 30 years since the first time I read it. Now I feel ready to read The Eyre Affair by Fforde.

[historically accurate]

I finished listening to The Nowhere Man. Found out it was book 2 in the series when I was about halfway through it. Oops. I don't know that I care all that much to go back and do book 1. I really liked the story - Orphan trained to be a US assassin who goes rogue and starts killing the bad guys for individuals in trouble. However, the repeating dreams got old, although about 3/4 of the way through, you find out why they harp on his recollections/dreams. The middle kind of dragged (which for a book that is supposed to have all this action is sad) and became "How many ways can someone torture someone else?" Overall, I liked Orphan X (which just so happens to be the title of the first book in the series), but I don't know if I liked it enough to read any more in the series.

Going to listen to Hawthorne's House of the Seven Gables next, which is one of my 4 not-yet-read classics on the docket for 2023 (I try to read one per quarter). 

Reading The House in the Cerulean Sea currently. Love it, although it can be a little preachy and reads more like a children's novel more than an adult novel.

[Vintage81]

1 hour ago, Acorn said:

Reread Jane Eyre. It’s been 30 years since the first time I read it. Now I feel ready to read The Eyre Affair by Fforde.

Did you enjoy Jane Eyre? I read it for the first time a few weeks ago and while I appreciated the writing, especially the author’s extensive vocabulary, I didn’t love the story. Well, mainly I didn’t like the Mr. Rochester part of the story. 😆

[Vintage81]

29 minutes ago, historically accurate said:

Reading The House in the Cerulean Sea currently. Love it, although it can be a little preachy and reads more like a children's novel more than an adult novel.

I thought this book was charming. ☺️

[ScoutTN]

Continuing to reread the Hornblower books. Also got the first of the Brittany mysteries from another thread. Life is tough here right now and I need light, entertaining reading. 

[Kareni]

I finished two things recently.

The prequel (and currently free) novella, A Sight for Psychic Eyes (Piper Ashwell Psychic P.I.) by Kelly Hashway, was not what I'd hoped for; I don't plan to read on.  (Book 8, RR 1, NS 2//) 

"Being psychic doesn’t mean private investigator Piper Ashwell has all the answers. 

She’s surrounded by people who either don’t believe in her abilities or want her to solve all the world’s problems.

When nine-year-old Eric Danson goes missing in the middle of the night, Piper is reminded of her first case ever, when she was only twelve years old and her ability to read objects first surfaced. Now, she’s hoping to use that ability to bring the boy home unharmed.

But things only get worse when the boy who’s been bullying Eric goes missing as well. With a kidnapper on the loose, Piper will need to prove she’s the best P.I for the case. But can she find the boys before it’s too late?"

**

I also reread with pleasure Stray (Touchstone Book 1) by Andrea K. Höst. This science fiction novel is permanently free to US Kindle readers; it is appropriate for teens and adults.  (Book 8, RR 2, NS 2//)

"On her last day of high school, Cassandra Devlin walked out of exams and into a forest. Surrounded by the wrong sort of trees, and animals never featured in any nature documentary, Cass is only sure of one thing: alone, she will be lucky to survive.

The sprawl of abandoned blockish buildings Cass discovers offers her only more puzzles. Where are the people? What is the intoxicating mist which drifts off the buildings in the moonlight? And why does she feel like she's being watched?

Increasingly unnerved, Cass is overjoyed at the arrival of the formidable Setari. Whisked to a world as technologically advanced as the first was primitive, where nanotech computers are grown inside people's skulls, and few have any interest in venturing outside the enormous whitestone cities, Cass finds herself processed as a 'stray', a refugee displaced by the gates torn between worlds. Struggling with an unfamiliar language and culture, she must adapt to virtual classrooms, friends who can teleport, and the ingrained attitude that strays are backward and slow.

Can Cass ever find her way home? And after the people of her new world discover her unexpected value, will they be willing to let her leave?"

Regards,

Kareni

[Storygirl]

6 hours ago, Acorn said:

Reread Jane Eyre. It’s been 30 years since the first time I read it. Now I feel ready to read The Eyre Affair by Fforde.

I just finished it, as well! I read it many times as a teenager, but never since college. I admire Jane's spunkiness. I can't say that I'm a fan of Rochester.

I read The Eyre Affair last year, and it would have been better to have read Jane Eyre more recently before that. I hope you like it!

[Vintage81]

1 hour ago, Storygirl said:

I just finished it, as well! I read it many times as a teenager, but never since college. I admire Jane's spunkiness. I can't say that I'm a fan of Rochester.

I read The Eyre Affair last year, and it would have been better to have read Jane Eyre more recently before that. I hope you like it!

Have you read the book Jane Steele? I think it’s some sort of Jane Eyre retelling. It’s on my TBR shelf. Now that I’ve finished JE, I guess I should read it before I forget all the details of the original. 🤣

[Storygirl]

37 minutes ago, Vintage81 said:

Have you read the book Jane Steele? I think it’s some sort of Jane Eyre retelling. It’s on my TBR shelf. Now that I’ve finished JE, I guess I should read it before I forget all the details of the original. 🤣

Ha! No! I just read the plot description on Amazon, though. Jane as serial killer is definitely a creative twist!

[Robin M]

It's been exactly 10 years since I first read Haruki Murakami's 1Q84.  I remember loving it then. Now, I don't remember much at all. I didn't love it, but enjoyed the bizarre magical realism.  The story is about two characters who never get together until practically the end of the story.   Both characters, Tengo and Aomame are flawed, far from perfect, and find themselves in odd situations. 

 Aomame, stuck in a taxi on a gridlocked expressway,  climbs down the emergency escape ladder on the side of the expressway in order to get to an appointment in time.  Thus begins her journey into the surreal. 

"1Q84 - That's what I'll call this new world... Q is for Question mark. A world that bears a question. Like it or not, I'm here now, in the year 1Q84.  The 1984 that I knew no longer exists.  It's 1Q84 now. The air has changed. The scene has changed. I have to adapt to this world with a question mark as soon as I can. Like an animal released into a new forest, in order to protect myself and survive, I have to learn the rules of this place and adapt myself to them."

Tengo is pulled into a scheme to rewrite a story written by a 17 year old girl about a girl, the death of a goat, and the 'little people,' and his life is forever altered.  

Murakami has a tendency to have the characters repeat themselves over and over and over again, but with each reiteration, you're pulled in just a little bit deeper in to the weird life of the characters which is full of symbolism with cats, and crows, and owls, and death. It's full of  mystery and romance, with much to do about a cult, as well as a literary conundrum, in which Leoš Janáček Sinfonietta plays a big roll in the fusion of the alternate world.  It's bizarre, but a good bizarre to say the least, but well worth reading once or twice in your lifetime. 

[Amira]

I think I've run out of Jill Lepore audiobooks from the library.  I enjoyed both Joe Gould's Teeth and New York Burning, but I liked These Truths and Book of Ages more.  I'm starting So Big now for a book group.

[Kareni]

In April 2021, this book was published:

Book Marks: An Artist’s Card Catalog: Notes from the Library of My Mind by Barbara Page

"One artist's whimsical and inspiring way to keep track of the books she has read, Book Marks is a visual journey through a lifetime of reading and remembering that features 434 richly illustrated artworks created on old library checkout cards; each collage or drawing distills the contents of a single title.

This alluring blend of art book and autobiography will capture the imagination. At its heart are hundreds of captivating 3 x 5-inch artworks―intricate collages and drawings created on old library checkout cards, each one representing a book that left an indelible mark on artist Barbara Page. She began creating these illustrated “book marks” as a colorful way to remember titles she was currently reading. Before long, Page embarked on a decade-long art project recreating her reading history, starting with picture books from early childhood...."

The book sounded fascinating to me, and I put in a purchase suggestion at my library. They declined the suggestion, and I placed the book on my Amazon wishlist. Some months later, the book went on sale, and I bought a copy. I promptly read the prologue and the first chapter...and then the book languished on my coffee table for fifteen plus months until I picked it up again last week. Go figure! I definitely enjoyed this book; I think it would appeal to both book lovers and artists. You can see a nice assortment of the author's art on the Amazon page linked above.  (FIC 8, RR 2, NF 1, NS 2//)

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

A hodgepodge of free books for US Kindle readers ~

**The Reluctant Coroner (Fenway Stevenson Mysteries Book 1) by Paul Austin Ardoin

**The Fat Detective (The Eugene Blake Series Book 1) by Christian Hayes 

**Cold Evidence by Rachel Grant 

**The Duke and the Spinster: A Historical Regency Romance Novel by Emma Linfield

**Sweetheart (The Busy Bean)

by Sarah Mayberry

**Broken Road (Milltown Book 1) by Devin Sloane

**Sleepover: A Steamy Single Dad Romantic Comedy by Serena Bell 

**Switch-Hitter (Hit and Run Book 1) by E.M. Lindsey 

Regards,

Kareni

[Vintage81]

Last night, I finished As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh. 

I'm not sure why I chose this book to read right after finishing They Went Left, but it was eerily similar in that both protagonists were dealing with extraordinary trauma in very similar ways; however this book was 60+ years later and in a completely different part of the world. 🤯 

Salama is a pharmacy student when the revolution started in Syria. She is eighteen years old happily living with her parents, but everything changes dramatically. She loses her parents and her brother and only has her pregnant sister-in-law left. Since she has knowledge of medication, she volunteers in the local hospital, but it becomes very difficult to see the victims of these horrible atrocities everyday. She struggles with the decision to stay and help her people, or go so that she can take care of her sister-in-law, the only family she has left. 

This was definitely another tough story to read, but an important one. While I've heard of the conflict in Syria and seen things on the news, I learned a lot from this story. It was fictional, but many of the events and things that were portrayed really happened. I highly recommend it (but with caution). 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Vintage81]

16 hours ago, Storygirl said:

Ha! No! I just read the plot description on Amazon, though. Jane as serial killer is definitely a creative twist!

So, I've had this book on my shelf for several years. I bought it from Book Outlet because someone told me it was good (and I probably needed an extra book or two to get to $35 so I could get free shipping 🤭...I seriously can't think of another reason why I would've purchased it).  Anyways, it's stayed on my shelf because I knew I should probably read Jane Eyre first. I never actually read the plot synopsis though!! Jane as a serial killer...I went and pulled that book right off my shelf!

After reading two fairly depressing, albeit very good books, I think I need something a little different, and this one might just be it! 

[Pawz4me]

I finished Unspeakable by Jessica Willis Fisher. I bought it a week or two ago when it was a Kindle daily deal. I learned from reading the blurb that she was somebody, but I'd never heard of her or her family. It was . . . something. I don't think I'm easily bothered by stories of abuse, but this one got to me. I didn't sleep well while I was reading it. She has trigger warnings for the worst parts. Could have been better edited. Overall I'm glad I read it, but I need something lighter now.

[Kareni]

I very much enjoyed Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow: A novel by Gabrielle Zevin. It's a book with a bit of everything (friendship, life, death, disability, love, jealousy, creativity, and infidelity to name a few) and a whole lot of game designing and playing.  (FIC 9, RR 2, NF 1, NS 2//)

"On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom.

These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love."

Regards,

Kareni

[Vintage81]

8 hours ago, Kareni said:

I very much enjoyed Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow: A novel by Gabrielle Zevin. It's a book with a bit of everything (friendship, life, death, disability, love, jealousy, creativity, and infidelity to name a few) and a whole lot of game designing and playing.  (FIC 9, RR 2, NF 1, NS 2//)

"On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom.

These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love."

Regards,

Kareni

I’ve seen this book around a lot. I really didn’t care for the author’s other book, The Storied Life of A.J Fikry, so I haven’t been to eager to pick this one up. Plus, I’m not sure about the gaming aspect. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Maybe I’ll have to reconsider and try it out sometime. ☺️

[Storygirl]

4 hours ago, Vintage81 said:

I’ve seen this book around a lot. I really didn’t care for the author’s other book, The Storied Life of A.J Fikry, so I haven’t been to eager to pick this one up. Plus, I’m not sure about the gaming aspect. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Maybe I’ll have to reconsider and try it out sometime. ☺️

I enjoyed Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (not one of my favorites, but I still liked it), even though I have little to no interest in video games. Other than one section, in which the characters are interacting with each other within a game, their jobs really could be in any creative industry. The focus is on their pursuit of their goals and on the relationships.

I have not ready anything else by Zevin but have AJ Fikrey in my library bag and will try it soon.