May 2023: What are you reading?

[marbel]

1 hour ago, Lady Florida. said:

 

Libby users: Help! 

I let things get down to the wire and now am being forced into Libby. Weirdly my libraries seem to still have Overdrive though it supposedly was discontinued on May 1st. I use my laptop (Windows 10) for borrowing books then have them sent to my Kindle. I don't want to start using my phone. I only use my phone for borrowing audio books. Any tips for Windows Libby users? I read mostly ebooks so I'll be using it often. 

 

I've only ever had Libby on my phone and use it as Paws suggested. But I found this on Libby help:

 

[Grace Hopper]

2 hours ago, KrissiK said:

I hate it when that happens. Kristin Hannah is like that for me. i just gobbled down “The Nightingale” and that Alaska one. but “The Four Winds”…. I just got mad. Like, why are you putting me through this?? This story is awful. I read a couple of other ones by her and was like, meh. They were ok. I think I am over her.

I like all I’ve read by Hannah and liked The Four Winds, but yeah, I have decided I have to go in knowing she is going to kill or maim or otherwise break her main characters. That mental prep helped me get through The Great Alone. 

2 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

 

Libby users: Help! 

I let things get down to the wire and now am being forced into Libby. Weirdly my libraries seem to still have Overdrive though it supposedly was discontinued on May 1st. I use my laptop (Windows 10) for borrowing books then have them sent to my Kindle. I don't want to start using my phone. I only use my phone for borrowing audio books. Any tips for Windows Libby users? I read mostly ebooks so I'll be using it often. 

 

I only use it on my iPhone for audiobooks, but honestly find it a little easier than overdrive for that. Hope you get it sorted out. 
 

I have had a hard time getting into fiction (very very strange for me). Based on recs here I just requested Go As A River but I’m #77 in line so it’ll be a while. I honestly believe I’m still languishing in an Anthony Doerr book hangover. 
 

In the meantime I started on one from my non-fiction list, Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation by Jon Ward. The introduction alone has me adding some Fujimura to my reading list. Just a chapter in but so far I’m tracking with it. 

[4kidlets4me]

I just finished Miss Benson's Beetle. This has been on my Kindle for a few years now and I had completely forgotten why I downloaded it or what it was about. I didn't even bother to look before I started it. I had no idea that is was really about a beetle, I honestly thought it was about a VW Bug! Nope, turns out it's about 2 very different women who go halfway around the world looking for a gold beetle that may or may not exist. It was absolutely wonderful! It was really about the power of women's friendship, forging your own path, and finding out you can do hard things.  4/5 stars.

[Kareni]

I've finished two items recently ~

I quite enjoyed Roommate (Vino and Veritas) by Sarina Bowen; this is a male/male contemporary romance. (Adult content) 

"Wanted: One roommate to share a 3-bedroom house, split the rent, and ideally not be the guy I can’t stop thinking about.

I’m a man with too many secrets, so the last thing I need is a new roommate with a sexy smile and blue eyes that see right through me. Eight years ago, Roderick left town after high school. We’re not friends. I owe him nothing. But back then, I let one of my secrets slip, and he’s the only one who noticed. 
Part of me knows I should run far, far away. But the other part wants him to come upstairs and spend the night. But if I let him in, I could lose everything.
 
Seeking: a room to rent in town. I’m tidy, have no pets, and I will feed you homemade bread. 
I should probably add: Gay AF, and has no filter. It’s no wonder my new landlord is so wary of me. 
A smarter man would ignore those hot glances from Kieran Shipley. The broody lumberjack wants more from me than another homemade pretzel, but if I push my luck, I’ll end up back on the street.
Too bad I’ve never been smart with my heart…"

**

Unbury the Bones (Ember Bones Book 1) by Coyote JM Edwards was an enjoyable paranormal story featuring a vampire and a werewolf who solve a mystery. This happens to be free for US Kindle readers. (FIC 45, RR 24, NF 4, NS 12//)

"Luck is NOT on their side.

When a series of bizarre coincidences leaves a man bleeding out in an alleyway, the Ember Guard call on their secret weapon: a takeout-fueled nonbinary vampire and their werewolf partner who's more puppy than beast.

Grim knows Embervein like they know their own skeleton -- a little too well. They may have a knack for sorting out the arcane, but their freak ability to see every body's bony insides has left Grim hiding from the one thing they really crave. If they can’t learn to accept their unique talents -- and the friendship of a good wolf -- how will they be able solve this mystery before someone else gets hurt...or worse?"

Regards,

Kareni

[historically accurate]

5 hours ago, kokotg said:

I finished Maggie O'Farrell's The Marriage Portrait a few days ago. It was well written, and I got through it a lot easier than Hamnet (even though I really liked Hamnet), but it was...a little silly? Not my favorite. Then I started The School for Good Mothers, but it was really feeling like a slog, and I disliked the main character, so I've abandoned the attempt. I'm on to Dark Matter now. I read a ton of sci-fi in 2020 as an escapist thing, but then not so much lately. 

Oh, The School for Good Mothers was weird - I, too, disliked the main character. I kept coming back to she really WAS a bad mother even though I think she was supposed to be a sympathetic character.

[Kareni]

I just finished a science fiction work that I enjoyed ~  Scavenger Alliance (Scavenger Exodus Book 1) by Janet Edwards. It was a mother's day gift from my daughter. This is the first of a prequel duo to the Earth Girl series by the same author which I reread recently. (FIC 46, RR 24, NF 4, NS 12//)

"2408. Humanity has gone to the stars through interstellar portals, but the rebels and criminals were left behind on a ruined Earth. Eighteen-year-old Blaze is one of the last seven hundred people scavenging a living in an increasingly lethal New York. Her mother died six years ago. Her brother turned traitor. She believes her father is Donnell, the leader of the uneasy alliance between the remnants of the Earth Resistance and the old criminal gangs. She’s not sure what Donnell believes because he’s barely spoken to her since her brother betrayed him.

Blaze has survived this long by being too unimportant to kill, but now the alliance is on the brink of starvation, and an old enemy is trying to seize power. When an aircraft carrying three privileged off-worlders crashes in New York, it adds more fuel to an already explosive situation, and Blaze is forced to step into the spotlight. Can the traitor’s sister convince Donnell, the warring divisions, and the off-worlders to work together to leave the death trap of New York? Blaze thinks that failure will mean the death of everyone she knows, but then she discovers the off-worlders’ secret. The stakes here are far higher than just seven hundred lives.

Scavenger Alliance is set in the same future timeline as the Earth Girl trilogy, but takes place several centuries earlier, and features an ancestor of the trilogy’s main character, Jarra."

Regards,

Kareni

[Kidlit]

I just stayed up way too late to finish what will surely go down as one of my favorite books of all time:  These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 by Nancy E. Turner.   I LOVE histroical fiction, and this one is the perfect blend of historical authenticity and character development and beautiful writing. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[GailV]

5 hours ago, Kidlit said:

I just stayed up way too late to finish what will surely go down as one of my favorite books of all time:  These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 by Nancy E. Turner.   I LOVE histroical fiction, and this one is the perfect blend of historical authenticity and character development and beautiful writing. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I read this 15 to 20 years ago and still think about it. May be time for a re-read.

[Kassia]

31 minutes ago, GailV said:

I read this 15 to 20 years ago and still think about it. May be time for a re-read.

I had it on my to-read list but @Kidlit's post pushed me to order it from the library so I can read it ASAP.  

[Kidlit]

@GailVI hope you do re-read!  I was surprised to see on Amazon that there are two sequels! I'm going to request them at my library (where I work). 
 

@Kassia Yippee!

[Kidlit]

I just finished the audio version of The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr.  It was very good, though I confess some of the historical details left me lost in the weeds at times (more a result of listening rather than reading).  I grew up in a denomination that permits women to preach, etc., so it wasn't exactly a problem I saw firsthand, BUT I can say that I was affected by the idea as a young adult.  I never had a hard time resisting the idea of women not being allowed a voice in the church, but I hadn't thought about how it has trickled down elsewhere.   

[4kidlets4me]

I finished Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner. Meh. This was another book I've had on my shelf for a long time. I've read several of her books in the past so I knew it would be a light chick lit type of book, but this was weird. It started with a prologue that turns out to be completely irrelevant to the rest of the story. The first half of the book is what I expected, protagonist has falling out with her "best friend" from high school, six years go by then the friend pops up out of the blue and asks her to be a bridesmaid at her wedding because she has been an awful person her entire life and has no real friends etc. The second half then becomes a Nancy Drew mystery that is so obvious it's almost comical. Lots of plot holes and characters just knowing stuff they shouldn't know. I gave it 3 stars.

[GailV]

1 hour ago, Kidlit said:

@GailVI hope you do re-read!  I was surprised to see on Amazon that there are two sequels! I'm going to request them at my library (where I work). 
 

@Kassia Yippee!

WAIT, THERE ARE SEQUELS??!!?? Holy moley, I love sequels and series. Now I MUST re-read and then read the next ones. 

Between this, catching up with Gamache, and continuing on some other series I'm working through, I've pretty much got summer reading sorted. I feel so secure knowing I'll always have another couple of books queued up, kwim?

[Kareni]

I just finished a collection of science fiction stories by Janet Edwards which I enjoyed. These are set after the Earth Girl trilogy and would make little sense without first reading those books. (FIC 47, RR 24, NF 4, NS 12///)

Earth Prime (The Earth Girl Aftermath Stories Book 1) by Janet Edwards

Regards,

Kareni

[Kassia]

On 5/22/2023 at 6:36 PM, Kassia said:

.  

Just started The Rules of Inheritance by Claire Bidwell Smith.  It's very good so far but also sad.  

Finished The Rules of Inheritance.  It was a very heavy book about grief and loss.  I'm glad I read it but think it would have been better if it had been a bit shorter.  Now I have to figure out what to read next.  I have way too many library books here that need to be read.

[Vintage81]

It took me forever, but I finally finished Demon Copperhead. I can’t say it was an enjoyable read, but it was a good book. I definitely went on a long journey with Demon. The thing that bothered me a bit was that I didn’t always feel like I “knew” Demon or connected with the character. Everything was told from his perspective, but it seemed more like him just walking us through everything that happened to him and not his emotions to go along with everything. I’m probably explaining that poorly, but something felt like it was missing. I’m still glad to have read the book. (4 stars) 

[Kidlit]

48 minutes ago, Vintage81 said:

It took me forever, but I finally finished Demon Copperhead. I can’t say it was an enjoyable read, but it was a good book. I definitely went on a long journey with Demon. The thing that bothered me a bit was that I didn’t always feel like I “knew” Demon or connected with the character. Everything was told from his perspective, but it seemed more like him just walking us through everything that happened to him and not his emotions to go along with everything. I’m probably explaining that poorly, but something felt like it was missing. I’m still glad to have read the book. (4 stars) 

I read it and was wowed by it. I think knowing it was modeled on David Copperfield did it for me. Also, Barbara Kingsolver is 🤯 to me.  I'd never call it enjoyable, but memorable for sure. 
ETA: also, I listened to it in audio, which might've made it better for me. 

Edited May 27, 2023 by Kidlit

[4kidlets4me]

9 hours ago, Vintage81 said:

It took me forever, but I finally finished Demon Copperhead. I can’t say it was an enjoyable read, but it was a good book. I definitely went on a long journey with Demon. The thing that bothered me a bit was that I didn’t always feel like I “knew” Demon or connected with the character. Everything was told from his perspective, but it seemed more like him just walking us through everything that happened to him and not his emotions to go along with everything. I’m probably explaining that poorly, but something felt like it was missing. I’m still glad to have read the book. (4 stars) 

Demon is on my list for this summer. I've never read David Copperfield so I want to read that one first, or maybe at the same time.

[Vintage81]

27 minutes ago, 4kidlets4me said:

Demon is on my list for this summer. I've never read David Copperfield so I want to read that one first, or maybe at the same time.

I haven't read David Copperfield, but I knew Demon was based on it. I'm not sure it would've changed my opinion of Demon, since my only issue with it was how I connected with the character, but I think it would be interesting to see how the two books compare to each other. 

[Kassia]

On 5/20/2023 at 1:22 PM, Kareni said:

I read a fun book last night that had been given to me ~  Someone has to set a bad example: An Anne Taintor Collection by Anne Taintor. It's a collection of visual images that had me laughing.  (FIC 44, RR 24, NF 4, NS 11//)

"We can't be good all the time, and no one knows it better than Anne Taintor. This generous collection of her most popular artwork includes more than 150 images in categories such as friendship (a real friend will help you hide the body), motherhood (WOW! I get to give birth AND change diapers!), money (screw the budget!), attitude (let a smirk be your umbrella), and more. Also featuring an introduction by Taintor, this hilarious volume perfectly captures the deliciously sarcastic, snarky, and honest things that most women have found themselves thinking at one time or another. If you're looking for trouble, look no further...."

Regards,

Kareni

I've read two of her books now since you posted and have enjoyed them.  Thank you for sharing!  

[Kidlit]

@4kidlets4me @Vintage81 I hadn't read David Copperfield when I read Demon Copperhead, but started listening to the audiobook shortly after I finished Demon.  I still haven't finished it, but I listened to several hours of it and it did enhance my understanding especially of David/Demon's naïveté and the evil of the antagonists.  

[Kareni]

@Kassia, I'm so pleased to learn that you enjoyed the Anne Taintor book/s! Thanks for letting me know.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kassia]

15 minutes ago, Kareni said:

@Kassia, I'm so pleased to learn that you enjoyed the Anne Taintor book/s! Thanks for letting me know.

Regards,

Kareni

They are a lot of fun.  I have one more from the library that I'm reading now (obviously very quick reads).  I usually read a lot of heavy stuff and don't like beach reads and light fiction like that, so these are absolutely perfect.

Edited May 27, 2023 by Kassia

[Kareni]

I've recently finished two novellas. (Some adult content)

I quite enjoyed Tommy Cabot Was Here by Cat Sebastian which is a historical male/male romance set in 1950s New England and features two once good friends who are reunited after 15 years.

"Massachusetts, 1959: Some people might accuse mathematician Everett Sloane of being stuffy, but really he just prefers things a certain way: predictable, quiet, and far away from Tommy Cabot—his former best friend, chaos incarnate, and the man who broke his heart.
The youngest son of a prominent political family, Tommy threw away his future by coming out to his powerful brothers. When he runs into Everett, who fifteen years ago walked away from Tommy without an explanation or a backward glance, his old friend's chilliness is just another reminder of what a thoroughgoing mess Tommy has made of his life.
When Everett realizes that his polite formality is hurting Tommy, he needs to decide whether he can unbend enough to let Tommy get close but without letting himself get hurt the way he was all those years ago."

**

And I enjoyed a reread of the science fiction novella The Sentinel by Eden Winters which features an augmented soldier, a baby he rescues, and a man on the planet to which they escape. It's about family and is a lovely romance.

(FIC 47, RR 25, NF 4, NS 13//)

"Since the day he was dropped off at a Federation camp by parents who used him to gain political favor, cybernetic killing machine Soldier Fourteen existed only to carry out his orders. But when commanded to kill a baby girl, he defies his commander and deserts the Federation, seeking a place in the universe for himself and the defenseless innocent he’s promised to protect."

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I just finished Fourth Wing (The Empyrean Book 1) by Rebecca Yarros; I enjoyed this fantasy (even if it did have a cliffhanger ending). Though this features young people, it is definitely NOT a young adult novel. It is set in a war college training candidates to ride dragons into battle; days at the college begin with a list of those who died in the last day. (Adult content and violence) (FIC 48, RR 25, NF 4, NS 13//)

"Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die."

Regards,

Kareni

[GailV]

I just finished Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh, which was reviewed in our newspaper in a list of scifi beach reads. The review mentioned that it's the sort of book you want to discuss with others who've read it, and, yep, they got that right. Seemed sort of YA, whole slew of trigger warnings at the front of it, some great plot twists. It took longer to get from the library hold waiting list than to read the entire 436 pages.

[Kidlit]

2 hours ago, GailV said:

I just finished Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh, which was reviewed in our newspaper in a list of scifi beach reads. The review mentioned that it's the sort of book you want to discuss with others who've read it, and, yep, they got that right. Seemed sort of YA, whole slew of trigger warnings at the front of it, some great plot twists. It took longer to get from the library hold waiting list than to read the entire 436 pages.

Intrigued! 

[Indigo Blue]

I’m not reading anything right now, but I just wanted to recommend two of my favorites:
 

Endurance by Alfred Lansing

Sea Biscuit by Laura Hillenbrand 
 

 

[Acorn]

For anyone who has read Sarah’s Quilt by Nancy Turner, I need some character help.

I enjoyed These is My Words, and read the second book this weekend after seeing an earlier post. I have some questions if anyone wants to message me after reading it. I don’t have enough Bible knowledge to figure out part of the plot.

@Kidlit? Or anyone else?

Thank you.

[Kassia]

12 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

 

Endurance by Alfred Lansing

 

 

I could not get through this book.  Everyone else seems to love it but I didn't even finish it.  

I'm reading But I Live: Three Stories of Child Survivors of the Holocaust, which was recommended on another thread by @bibiche

[bibiche]

5 hours ago, Kassia said:

I'm reading But I Live: Three Stories of Child Survivors of the Holocaust, which was recommended on another thread by @bibiche

How do you like it, Kassia?

[madteaparty]

Re-listening to Jane Austin. This must be some sort of disorder.

Also, Story. 

[Kassia]

2 hours ago, bibiche said:

How do you like it, Kassia?

I'm about halfway through and it's very good, but heartbreaking (of course).  

[Hilltopmom]

I read 2 Colleen Hoover books to see what the hype was about and… no thanks.

I prefer historical fiction.

I enjoyed the Lions of Fifth Avenue last week.

today I just started The Moonshiner’s Daughter.

I found some Facebook group for book suggestions: historical fiction, thrillers, modern fiction and got a bunch of suggestions for my TBR list.

[TexasProud]

This month I have read:

Digital Detox by Cal Newport
Deep Work by Cal Newport
Raymie Nightingale, Louisiana's Way Home, and Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo
Finishing up Word by Word by Marilyn McEntyre in the next week
Have one more chapter in From Broken to Beloved by Terry Wardle
Taking Strong Like Water chapter by chapter with my table of beloved group (I have missed the last two meeting...boo)

[historically accurate]

Just finished Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge. I'm not a huge murder mystery fan, but the premise seemed good so I thought I'd give it a go. It was meh in my opinion - a little too obvious and the Julia Child tie-in just seemed a stretch.

Listening to Bloombury Girls - I vaguely remember the Jane Austin Project by the same author and this has some of the same characters. I like it a little better than French Murder, but it's not really speaking to me. 

Going to start book 3 in Anne of Green Gables and whatever random audiobook I find at the library next. 

[Pawz4me]

1 hour ago, Hilltopmom said:

I read 2 Colleen Hoover books to see what the hype was about and… no thanks.

 

I just finished Verity last night. I bought it a few weeks ago when it was a Kindle daily deal. I'd of course heard Colleen Hoover's name, but I didn't really know anything about her or her writing style except that she seems very prolific. But I figured for $3 why not give it a try? I don't know if it's her usual style or not, but Verity is sort of a psychological thriller with a side of romance. It was pretty bad. The plot was kind of intriguing and I think a truly talented author could have done a great story with it. But a lot of this one was implausible, and the heroine wasn't really likeable. I'd probably consider reading another of her books just to  give her a fair chance, but I won't go out of my way to track one down.

[4kidlets4me]

I finished Hi Five which is the 4th installment of the IQ books by Joe Ide. I didn't like this one as much as the others. The case was really clunky, it involved a witness with multiple personalities which just made everything over the top, bordering on unbelievable. Then the ending left too many cliffhangers for the next book. I only gave this one 3 stars

I also finished Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. I absolutely loved this book even though I cried through the entire thing. There is a cafe where you can time travel but there are several rules you have to follow. You can only visit someone who has been to the cafe, there is only one seat in the cafe from which you can travel and it's occupied by a ghost for most of the day ( she only gets up once per day to use the bathroom), you have to remain in that seat the entire time, no matter what you do nothing will change the present, and you can only stay until the coffee gets cold. So after all those rules I was thinking who would do this? It's told over 4 interconnecting stories that are so beautiful and heartbreaking I never wanted it to end. 5 stars.

[WildflowerMom]

The Warmth of Other Suns https://www.amazon.com/Warmth-Other-Suns-Americas-Migration-ebook/dp/B003EY7JGM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3VN04R9LSAA44&keywords=the+warmth+of+other+suns-+by+isabel+wilkerson&qid=1685496251&sprefix=The+war%2Caps%2C114&sr=8-1

At Home in Mitford https://www.amazon.com/At-Home-Mitford-Jan-Karon-ebook/dp/B0018MS1Y6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GZM8HCW10H34&keywords=at+home+in+mitford&qid=1685496223&sprefix=At+home+i%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-1

Midnight for Charlie Bone https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Charlie-Children-Nimmo-Hardcover/dp/B00C7F0UHE/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1WUPGG5KUBM32&keywords=midnight+for+charlie+bone&qid=1685496280&sprefix=Midnight+for+%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-3

[Kidlit]

17 minutes ago, 4kidlets4me said:

 

I also finished Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. I absolutely loved this book even though I cried through the entire thing. There is a cafe where you can time travel but there are several rules you have to follow. You can only visit someone who has been to the cafe, there is only one seat in the cafe from which you can travel and it's occupied by a ghost for most of the day ( she only gets up once per day to use the bathroom), you have to remain in that seat the entire time, no matter what you do nothing will change the present, and you can only stay until the coffee gets cold. So after all those rules I was thinking who would do this? It's told over 4 interconnecting stories that are so beautiful and heartbreaking I never wanted it to end. 5 stars.

I listened to this one and enjoyed it.  I believe there is a sequel, correct?

[Kidlit]

On 5/29/2023 at 8:46 AM, historically accurate said:

 

Going to start book 3 in Anne of Green Gables and whatever random audiobook I find at the library next. 

Anne/ LM Montgomery is my favorite of all time.  Fun fact: dh and I went to PEI on our honeymoon 24 years ago this summer!

[historically accurate]

4 minutes ago, Kidlit said:

Anne/ LM Montgomery is my favorite of all time.  Fun fact: dh and I went to PEI on our honeymoon 24 years ago this summer!

That's super cool! Happy Anniversary, by the way. 

 

I didn't discover Anne until I read it aloud to my girls. I did love LM Montgomery's Emily of New Moon series when I was a kid.

[Kidlit]

1 hour ago, historically accurate said:

That's super cool! Happy Anniversary, by the way. 

 

I didn't discover Anne until I read it aloud to my girls. I did love LM Montgomery's Emily of New Moon series when I was a kid.

Thank you!

If you haven't read her other novels (The Blue Castle and A Tangled Web are my favorites), you have much to look forward to!

[math teacher]

I'm listening to Born in Fire (Nora Roberts). Haven't listened enough to be able to give insight yet, but it's holding my attention so far.

[Kassia]

I'm reading Looking for Jane (Heather Marshall).  There were a few things that bugged me on the very first page and I shouldn't have continued reading it but it got really good reviews so I kept going.  I'm about 25% through it now and it's okay. I don't care for the writing and the story is just so-so.  I think it's going to be one of those stories with a lot of hard to believe coincidences and I'm just going to end up being really irritated but it's not bad enough for me to just move on to the next book.  

 

[Amira]

The rest of May's reading:

Not a Nation of Immigrants by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz- I've read several of her books now and there is some repetition between some of them, but if books like this can shift typical American thinking about our history, then that's a good thing.

Reading While Black by Esau McCaulley- This is a short book of Biblical interpretation by a Black evangelical Bible scholar.  Really interesting.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi- I read this after seeing it mentioned upthread and really enjoyed it.  I agree that you only get tiny glimpses into people's lives, but that worked for me.  

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towels- I really liked this, but I am not at all sure that I liked the ending.

There There by Tommy Orange- Same thing as the previous book.  The same friend recommended both to me, so I'll text her soon because I need to talk about these books.

Help Me to Find My People by Heather Andrea Williams- This was similar to but different from All that She Carried that I read a few weeks ago.  They both get into family separation and trauma that enslaved people experienced.  All that She Carried is a more engaging narrative that I think more people would relate too, but Help Me to Find My People has a lot of important historical detail and research.  

[GailV]

In the past couple of days I've finished

The Immortality Thief by Taran Hunt -- scifi with a side helping of horror. I usually avoid horror but I was charmed by the main characters developing a found family, not to mention the weight given to language and names.

Real Life: the Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom by Sharon Salzberg, which is pretty much what you'd expect if you've read anything by or about the author. One week at the library I happened to pick up an armload of books that were centered on Tibetan Buddhism (Pema Chodren, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche), which I didn't notice until  I got home. Bonus surprise that the authors all know each other and the two Rinpoches are brothers. I felt like I wandered into a party they were all having, and they graciously let me hang around.

 

 

[marbel]

Yesterday I finished Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark. This was another book that started off very promising, then got boring, then took a ludicrous turn. I finished it despite becoming disenchanted about halfway through. The main character was supposed to come off as a "good" or sympathetic character, but I found her completely unlikeable! 

I started The Maid by Nita Prose on audio today. Not sure what I think yet. 

 

 

[Lady Florida.]

On 5/28/2023 at 5:09 PM, Kassia said:

I could not get through this book.  Everyone else seems to love it but I didn't even finish it.  

I didn't quote the book you were referencing but that's how I felt about Demon Copperhead. Everyone thought it was great, so much so that it won the Pulitzer. I get that the topic is important but it was just too bleak for me so I dnf'd it. David Copperfield is one of my favorite Dickens books so I thought I'd like this one. I saw the parallels but where they differed is that Dickens gave us downtrodden but quirky, plucky characters while Kingsolver just gave us downtrodden ones. 

On 5/28/2023 at 11:37 PM, madteaparty said:

Re-listening to Jane Austin. This must be some sort of disorder.

 

I regularly reread Jane Austin novels, usually about every 2-3 years. Sometimes I choose the one I haven't read in the longest while and sometimes I just go with whichever one I feel like reading. If it's a disorder I have it too. 

3 hours ago, Amira said:

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi- I read this after seeing it mentioned upthread and really enjoyed it.  I agree that you only get tiny glimpses into people's lives, but that worked for me.  

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towels- I really liked this, but I am not at all sure that I liked the ending.

There There by Tommy Orange- Same thing as the previous book.  The same friend recommended both to me, so I'll text her soon because I need to talk about these books.

 

I read and enjoyed all three of those, the last two with book clubs. I feel the same as you about all of them.

[Vintage81]

3 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

I didn't quote the book you were referencing but that's how I felt about Demon Copperhead. Everyone thought it was great, so much so that it won the Pulitzer. I get that the topic is important but it was just too bleak for me so I dnf'd it. David Copperfield is one of my favorite Dickens books so I thought I'd like this one. I saw the parallels but where they differed is that Dickens gave us downtrodden but quirky, plucky characters while Kingsolver just gave us downtrodden ones. 

My favorite characters in Demon were Angus and June. They seemed like the "light" to counteract some of the dark. I haven't read David Copperfield, so I'm not sure if they'd match up to the quirky/plucky characters you're thinking of, but maybe. I wish there had been more of Angus and June in the book. ☺️