Welcome to Quick Lit, where we share short and sweet reviews of what we’ve been reading lately on the 15th of the month.
Just like last month, I’ve been reading at a brisk pace—and for similar reasons. I’m continuing to read lots of forthcoming selections as I choose books for the 2023 Summer Reading Guide (did you see we announced the date?) and for our summer Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club selections. But we’ll talk about those soon enough! The majority of the reads I’m sharing today are recent backlist: the oldest was published ten years ago; the newest comes out in two weeks. You’ll see historical fiction, contemporary fiction, a love story, and a stylish book in translation.
You may notice that one thing is different this month: because I’ve actually been able to get up off the couch to do things like dishes and laundry and even resume short walks with Daisy, I finished several audiobooks this month! It feels good to reconnect with a format I love. The audiobooks I read were quite different in style and subject matter, but the narration on each one was **chef’s kiss.**
As always, I compiled my roundup with major assistance from my My Reading Life book journal, so it’s easy to know what I’ve been reading lately. If you’re not currently tracking your reading, I highly recommend it, no matter what method you choose.
I hope you had a good reading month—I can’t wait to hear about your recent reads in comments!
Short and sweet reviews of what I’ve been reading lately
The Levee
The Cook: A Novel
The Portrait of a Mirror
Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?
The Idea of You
Bring Up the Bodies
What have YOU been reading lately? Tell us about your recent reads—or share the link to a blog or instagram post about them—in comments.
89 comments
The Measure…something I think about and wonder what I would do if I got a chance to know how much time I had left…
My son gave me The Measure as a Christmas gift. Very good and very thought provoking. Would I open my box?
My book club read and discussed The Measure last month and LOVED it! So much to talk about.
I gave The Measure to my oldest son for Christmas. His regular reads are all nonfiction focusing on economics. He really enjoyed The Measure. I thought the impact of the premise on society at large would interest him. His wife reads primarily classics and NYT best sellers. She likes it too. He’s talked about it so much to a friend they’re going to read it next. A success!
My book club read it a few months ago! We enjoyed the premise but thought the ending was disappointing. It did lead to a lot of interesting discussions.
One of my top books last year. I loved how it made you think.
Really good book! My book club will be reading it soon and I can’t stop thinking about it. I usually have a hard time remembering the books I read but don’t think I’ll forget this one.
Anne, I’m looking forward to reading all of the Hilary Mantel books!! I just started Wolf Hall last week and I’m loving it so much. Glad to see the series holds up.
January was a great month of reading for me! A few of my favorites from the month: A Marriage Portrait, Chouette, The Bluest Eye, and Signal Fires. Please visit my Cozy Burrow to read more: https://katiegilley.com/2023/02/06/january-2023-reading-review/
I really enjoyed The Levee by William Kent Krueger! The voice of JD Jackson absolutely made this book for me. His southern drawl made me feel like I was right on the delta. I am currently reading/listening to The Education of Kendrick Perkins and Against The Currant by Olivia Matthews.
I discovered J. Ryan Stradal when we read Kitchens of the Great Midwest in the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club. I went on to read the Lager Queen of Minnesota and I have an ARC of his newest book, Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club. I haven’t read it yet, but will read it closer to the publication date. I enjoy his writing so much, and I hope he has many more books in his future.
You can check out my newsletter where I wrote more about his life and career, which is fascinating.
https://sonovelicious.substack.com/p/an-author-and-his-books-ded
The Lager Queen was exceptional! I loved that book, I hope you will as well.
Wow, you have been reading a lot! I’ve heard about The Idea of You several times and I just can’t decide if I’m intrigued or think it sounds weird. Maybe I’ll give it try!
Here’s what I’ve been reading: https://readeatrepeat.net/2023/02/15/books-in-progress-february-2023/
I have a ton of five star reads this month but one book I didn’t love from a popular author! Come see which one: https://neverenoughnovels.com/2023/02/14/february-2023-mini-book-reviews/
The Good Wife of Bath – based on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales! 1300’s England – at over 20 hours on audiobook, I worried my attention would lag. Not for a second – wanted it to go on for twice that!
OOh, I haven’t heard about that book. I remember reading Tales in college for an English course. Interesting and I have often wondered if I could read it again without a teacher, but that sounds like a better option.
I love it when a book I read ends up taking place where I’m traveling. It happened to me last year with The Prince of Tides.
I had a good reading month in January. Here are the highlights:
http://www.allthebooksihaventread.com/blog-1/2023/2/14/show-us-your-books-february-2023
In preparation for our trip to England in April, I have been reading a stack of books about or set in England. I just finished The Shell Seekers and have started The Bookman’s Tale. Wolf Hall is also on my stack, so, Anne, your review of the second book is encouraging me to finally give Wolf Hall a try. I have so many books I hope to read before our trip, but guide books and trip planning are also taking up some of my reading time!
The Shell Seekers is one of my all-time favorites!
In this month’s bookbag –
* 4 historical fiction writers I love
* 3 upcoming releases I can’t wait for
* link love for writers
* kindle deals on wonderful reads
* a tour of one creative’s gorgeous bookshelves
http://www.lindastoll.net/2023/02/4-historical-fiction-writers-i-think.html
P.S.
And I just found out that BookNook is looking for online tutors if you’d love to help kids learn to read. I’ve updated the bookbag with info. Wow – what an opportunity!
Linda, I enjoyed looking at your list of favorite Historical Fiction books. I’ve read Surviving Savannah and A Fall of Marigolds is one of my all-time favorite books. I will put the other two books you mentioned on my TBR! I have a Netgalley copy of The Secret Book of Flora Lea.
One Historical Fiction author that I dearly love is Cathy Gohlke. She reminds me of Susan Meissner, but her books have more faith elements in them. I’ve read most of her books, but my favorite is Saving Amelie. I’ve read lots of WWII books, but this one had a side plot of something I was totally unaware of that was happening in THIS country!!!
I just read Amy Poeppel’s new book The Sweet Spot. I love a good story about a group of very different individuals finding community together in unexpected ways. Such a fun read!
Oooooh, The Levee sounds fabulous! I have had a great reading month which included the following:
* Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn – 4 stars. I enjoyed the story of these feisty assassins! It’s great to see older characters in non-cliched roles.
* Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – 4 stars.
* Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin – 4.5 stars.
* The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger – 5 stars. This was a re-read for my book club, and I think this is the third or perhaps even the fourth time I have read this book. Still a favorite and each time I read it I marvel at how Niffenegger manages the intricate timelines and sequence of events in these complicated characters’ lives.
Currently reading The Song of the Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning. This is a historical fiction about Jewish refugees who fled to China during Hitler’s rise and the early years of WWII when Britain and the US would not allow them to emigrate. Fascinating history of an event I knew nothing about. Happy Reading!
Adrienne, I could have written this exact post; we have the same taste in books! I tried to find you by way of Anne on Goodreads, but no luck. Holler at me if interested in connecting; [email protected]
Hi Shannon! Yes, I would love to connect with you on Goodreads! I am on there as Adrienne Hudson. I will send you an email with details.
Hi Adrienne,
Just added you on Goodreads! 😊
I marveled at Niffennegger’s ability to keep things straight in The Time Traveler’s Wife as well. I loved that book.
I might have to pick up YINKA. LOL
I’m sharing my January reads on my blog. Link: https://shannanenjoyslife.com/2023/02/15/quick-lit-next-page-please-january-2023/
I LOVED “Small World” by Laura Zigman. So many moments where I laughed and cried, it’s a beautiful story of sisterhood that I will continue to think about for a long time.
I read SO MANY great books this month, including a handful of 5-star books and at least two that I already know will be on my list of favorite books of 2023! An unexpected theme of motherhood ran through many of these books, and as a mom to three littles, this is always a motif that is close to my heart; I especially love when it comes up organically in my book selections.
https://kendranicole.net/february-2023-quick-lit/
Anything by Kelly Corrigan is going to be a forever fave
I’ll look forward to listening to The Levee. Thanks for the recommendation, Anne!
I have 7 great books to recommend from what I finished last month, both fiction and nonfiction. My list is here.
https://lisanotes.com/books-i-recommend-january-2023/
Lisa, thank you for making me aware of Russ Harris’ book When Life Hits Hard. A therapist introduced me to his ACT after my mom passed away in 2017, but since my dad passed away last year, I feel I could use a refresher on his ideas and this may be just the tool! I ordered it already. Thanks again and happy reading to you!
I had no idea there was a second Wolf Hall! Here’s what I’ve been reading (including a recommendation from you).
https://carolinestarrrose.com/quick-lit-what-ive-been-reading-lately-feb/
I’m definitely interested in Kreuger’s The Levee as he’s a favorite author. Yinka and The Cook sound interesting, as well. I read nothing particularly exciting this month; and a month heavy with non-fiction, atypical for me. https://susanbowers.typepad.com/in_the_storm/2023/02/what-ive-been-reading-january-2023.html
Someone Else’s Shoes by JoJo Moyes (audiobook, narrated by Daisy Ridley). Fantastic. Fan-freaking-tastic. This year’s “Lessons in Chemistry” for me.
Really thought that Maame by debut author Jessica George was very well done ; the audio was fabulous!
I am listening to Daniel Nayeri’s Everything Sad is Untrue on Anne’s recommendation and I am IN. AWE. of his writing and storytelling.
I just finished Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and LOVED it!
Oh my goodness, I couldn’t stop thinking about either one of those books for weeks! Such wonderful books that I wish I could read again for the first time!
These look good! I’ve been meaning to read Yinka! I’ve read A Lot this month. The most noteworthy is The Trees by Percival Everett. What a wild ride it is – combining horror, humour, and social commentary. This book is gutsy and edgy as heck and well written. Content warnings for racism, violence, murder, unnecessary body/fat commentary.
Thanks for sharing about WKK. I know he has a new stand-alone novel coming out soon, but didn’t know about this novella! I had the honor of interviewing him several years ago and seeing him speak in person and he is a delight!
I’m sharing 7 books this month that are all completely different including fiction, historical fiction, 3 memoirs, a middle-grade, and a novella.
https://www.sincerelystacie.com/2023/02/quick-lit-mini-reviews-of-some-recent-reads-february-2023-edition/
I just finished The Levee as well (but don’t have a review yet)! It was such a great reading month—at least one of my books will be on my best of the year list. I’m also sharing some interesting things to know about each one: https://www.mindjoggle.com/february-2023-book-reviews/
I loved your “Did you know?” additions to your book reviews!
I’m pretty new around here and one of the my joys of the MMD Book Club has been navigating through the archives. What a reader’s treasure trove! So, three of my recent reads are by (my newly discovered author!!!!) Chanel Cleeton: “Our Last Days in Barcelona”, “The Last Train to Key West”, and “Next Year in Havana”. Love her writing and happily for me there’s still a few to go with (hopefully) more on the way. I read some intriguing reviews of Janet Malcolm’s most recent book “Still Pictures” but hadn’t gotten around to reading a couple of her older books (and am trying to be more ‘thorough’ in my reading life), so have just finished “Nobody’s Looking at You” with “Forty-One Fast Starts: Essays on Artists and Writers” cued up. And finally, my most memorable recent read was “In The Shadow Of The Mountain: A Memoir of Courage” by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado. It’s a tale of great adventure and heroism on a mountain but also a personal journey of emotional healing after a lifetime of pain. Unputdownable and unforgettable! My Reading Year 2023 is off to a Great Start!
I’m nearly finished with the paperback of Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and halfway through the audio of The Winners by Fredrick Backman. I forgot how much I missed Beartown. Narrator Marin Ireland is a favorite too!
I just got The Winners from the loooong waitlist at the library and am so excited to get back to Beartown!
The Idea of You sounds like an interesting read to me. Check out what I read this month https://myviewofthehoneypot.blogspot.com/2023/02/what-i-read-february.html
I’m right smack in the middle of Middlemarch (a pun slipped out, oops) and I’m on track to finish it by the end of March (eep!). It’s so, so, so very good. I love how George Eliot shows how we can utterly fail to understand ourselves, let alone the people around us.
I also read (and really liked) The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, a YA fantasy that was published the same year I was born—vintage! And, another throwback, a children’s fantasy called The Little White Horse, a childhood favorite of J. K. Rowling. It’s girlier than a thousand Lisa Frank sparkle stickers.
Here’s everything: https://bookdevotions.com/book-reviews-for-february-2023/
The Blue Sword is so good. Love that book! Have you read its companion book? The Hero and The Crown. Another great story.
I haven’t read it yet, Symonie! But it’s on my bookshelf waiting its turn. I snagged them both at a used bookstore late last year, and I’m so glad I did!
I was on a mission to complete a great, big audiobook before my loan expired which kept me from reading other books on my TBR, but I still had an interesting month with a Nordic Noir and a couple of middle grade books in the mix. Here’s what I’ve read recently: http://www.avikinginla.com/2023/02/what-ive-been-reading-lately-january-2023/
Just finished reading Wolf Hall – not sure I would have made it through but for the fact that my adult son and I read it as a buddy read. Once I figured out that most of the indefinite pronouns referred to Cromwell (in other words the POV is mostly his) I was off to the races. Except this awareness took me until about page 100. And if I had not committed to the read with my son (which was more fun than I can tell you) I might not have powered through. One more comment: in some ways the book interested me more after I finished it, as I found it so thought provoking. Josh and I had some really great conversations, and he, as usual, finished before I did. In our family we have the reputations of being the slowest eaters and the fastest readers. Now those are qualities to brag about!
Such a great book, and what a great way to read it!
Glad you’re feeling better! Here’s what I have been reading 😊 https://www.instagram.com/p/CoYZ91AvVhL/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
The Trees by Percival Everett, a very quick read, wonderful and witty about very tragic subject matter.
I love reading a book in the real-world place where the action is unfolding. I just returned from Quebec City, having taken in Winter Carnival, and was actually able to sit in the Morrin Centre’s library while reading Penny’s Bury Your Dead (on the same couch, under the same statue, somewhat accidentally!) Our audio tour wound us through Old Town Québec, and we wandered down Rue St. Jean, just like Gamache, and passed Paillard, so of course had to go in and order a croissant and chocolat chaud – they even have bowls! We took in the ice canoe races on a bitterly cold day (the temperature warmed up to a balmly 10 degrees Fahrenheit – though that is before you take into account what the wind chill was – far too cold to be canoeing on ice in my opinion). I love how the pages of a book can come alive and take on a new meaning.
I’m trying to whittle down my unread books on my Kindle. My January selections included “Sisi, Empress On Her Own” by Allison Pataki, “Comanche Moon”by Larry McMurty and “ I Shall Live: Surviving the Holocaust Against All Odds” by Haney Orenstein.
This Winter I have spent a lot of time with mysteries, my comfort genre (love good stories with women of a certain age):
*Killers of a certain age by Deanna Rayburn – 4.5 entertaining and fast-paced
*Remarkably bright creatures by Shelby Van Pelt – 4 I fell in love with the octopus
*Bleeding hard yard by Elly Griffiths – 4 Her detective is one of my favorites
*The bullet that missed by Richard Osman (audiobook) – 4 The Thursday Murder Club is just plain fun
*The old woman with the knife by Gu Byeong-mo -4 This short novel is more on the darker side of things, but the style will sound familiar to fans of Korean drama procedurals
* Marple: twelve new stories – 4.5 I didn’t know how much I missed spending time with my favorite sleuth
* We are the Brennans by Tracey Lange – 3, The first part of the book sounded all promising, but the second half was not that well executed.
* A world of curiosities by Louise Penny (audiobook) – 4.5 Another great book in this series
* The night haws and The locked room by Elly Griffiths (audiobooks) – 4, Always good to revisit these characters in the Ruth Galloway series, although not 100 % satisfied with the author still dragging Ruth’s personal life.
Currently devouring Exiles by Jane Harper. I started reading it yesterday and am already on page 120. Any excuse works to drop what I’m doing and read “just one chapter”. (At some point I will slow down because I won’t want to finish it.)
I have read all her books and am usually struck by how quickly I begin to care about her characters.
Oh lucky you! I’m on a very long waiting list at my library for Exiles. She is one of my favorites as well.
Yay! I, too, enjoy Jane Harper and have Exiles in hand. Hope to finish current book and begin Exiles this weekend.
Just finished My Father’s House by Irish writer Joseph O’Connor. Have to catch my breath! the main setting is the Vatican during the Nazi occupation of Rome, and the central character is Monseigneur Hugh O’Flaherty. Along with a group of trusted friends referred to as The Choir he raises money to help allied soldiers and Jewish refugees escape from Rome. Really, your heart is in your mouth for most of this read. What is so amazing is that the choir members and Hugh are all real people. Hugh O’Flaherty was credited with saving 6500 lives and awarded a CBE by the Crown and given a freedom medal by the USA. Apparently this is the first of a planned trilogy about the Rome Escape Line.
Unfortunately, my friend had to cancel our snowshoeing trip today so I have THE WHOLE DAY FREE TO READ. Woot! Lessons in Chemistry to finish. My Selma, by Willie Mae Brown about growing up in Selma during the Civil Rights Movement. The Book of Everlasting Things by Aanchal Malhotra about India’s independence and Partition. Roaring fire, coffee pot brewing. All day to read! And more and more to add to my list from this post!
This reminds me of the nonfiction book The Vatican Pimpernel by Brian Fleming.
Two of these sound right up my alley: The Cook, and Portrait of a Mirror.
I’m currently ALMOST finished with two books:
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottleib, and The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Loving both!
Up next:
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, and Becoming Duchess Goldblatt.
I really loved William Kent Krueger’s This Tender Land, so I’m looking forward to hearing The Levee when it’s available.
I read Charles Martin’s newest release, The Record Keeper. It’s the conclusion of the trilogy focused on fictional modern day rescues of trafficked young people. I liked it, but didn’t love it.
I’m rereading Essentialism because of book club, and have finally talked my hubby into reading it with me.
I’m aware of the debate surrounding “clean” books, and clean romance can be especially hard to define, but as long as there are readers out there searching for clean books, I’m up for listing my favorites.
https://purplecrayonyourworld.com/the-best-clean-romance-books-to-love-in-2023/
Glad to hear you are able to be up and about again, Anne!
I hadn’t thought about the connection between Mantel’s books and the musical SIX, but that sounds like a fun way to really get immersed into that time period.
I had a lot of really great reads in the past month, including both YA and nonfiction: https://cocoonofbooks.blogspot.com/2023/02/what-ive-been-reading-lately-quick-lit.html
I’m currently reading The Murmur of Bees. I read Tears of Amber a couple of months ago and enjoyed it, so I decided to try this one. I’m enjoying it so far. I found it a bit difficult to follow at first. For about the first 20%, I was confused about the narration, who was narrating, and who was being talked about in each chapter since it was jumping around multiple generations. I don’t know if the writing was actually that confusing or if it was just because my brain was addled between my daughter’s surgery recovery in the hospital and then my having covid. Either way, I soldiered through, and now I’m enjoying the story.
Before starting Bees, I breezed through the first Enola Holmes mystery and completed Ruta Sepetys’s backlist with the audio of Fountains of Silence. I have enjoyed every Sepetys book, and that may be the first author whose entire backlist I’ve read (though hers is short with 5 novels), unless you count her new non-fiction writer’s guide.
I just finished The Keeper of Stories, by Sally Page. Really enjoyed it, though found it hard to get going, once I did I was hooked. Few more f-bombs than I usually tolerate and there’s some domestic violence described, so there are triggers. Just love the premise of a fresh start and also other people’s stories, and loved seeing the main character unfold.
Listening to the Dutch House (Tom Hanks is an amazing narrator!), and just started to read Angels of the Resistance, by Noelle Salazar. I just added Killers of a Certain Age to my TBR. I enjoy reading about what others are enjoying reading!
I’ve been reading some fabulous books lately, and I recently began writing about my book club and our reads on Substack. Here’s a link to learn more about what I’m loving reading right now!
https://thebhive.substack.com?sd=pf
I am reading “American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummings. Wow. Compelling but difficult. Very good writing makes this hard to put down. It should be an interesting book club discussion in March with my Bookenders. I also have attempted some Anthony Horowitz after watching “Magpie Murders” on Masterpiece Theater. He definitely is a screenwriter. The books are driven by conversation rather than scene and plot. I found the show more fun than the book. I read “The Word is Murder” recently, which was good too but also driven by the writer/detective relationship, all through conversation. It too would make a good show/movie. I also started “My Name is Lucy Barton.” I was so disappointed that I didn’t enjoy it. Although Elizabeth Strout writes beautifully, I found it too sobby and pointless and found myself wondering what the storyline was? I like a story to move forward. I wanted to read all her books as she is a Maine author and I live in Maine. Maybe I can give them a try another time. Right book, wrong time, maybe? Also started “In the Unlikely Event” about a community dealing with plane crashes in their hometown. Its by Judy Blume and it is based on something that did happen in her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, but I had to put it down to work on “American Dirt.” There are a lot of characters and sometimes I can’t keep them straight. And finally I got to “Everyone Brave is Forgiven” by Chris Cleave, which I put off because I’ve just read so many WWII historical fiction but wow. It has a compelling storyline with a few very difficult scenes, but I enjoyed his clean style and witty characters who were doing the best they could to survive the war in London and on the front.
Just finished the amazing Kindred by Octavia Butler. Now reading Writers & Lovers by Lily King. So glad MMD alerted me that Women Talking is on sale (Kindle) today.
I’m about to read Kindred soon as my February buddy read with 2 of my sisters!
Did you know there is now a Kindred series on HULU? I’ve watched the first episode so far, but in case you were interested…
My January Wrap Up…
https://readingladies.com/2023/01/31/january-2023-reading-wrap-up-januaryreadingwrapup/
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah and Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky.
If you haven’t already watched it, I HIGHLY recommend the BBC miniseries of Wolf Hall. The casting is stellar – Sir Mark Rylance as Cromwell, Clair Foy – Anne Boleyn, Damien Lewis as Henry VIII. The production includes both Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies. I think it is the best book to film adaptation I have seen.
This series is QUALITY tv programming at its best. Hilary Mantel was something, what a loss.
I just finished The Light Pirate. It was one of the best books I’ve read in the past several years — I dreaded it ending and yet couldn’t wait to see how it unfolded. What a gem!
Felt good about my January start to my reading year. A decent mix and overall happy with most of what I read!
January reading recap
I am reading and listening to The Deluge by Stephen Markley. At about 900 pages it is the only way I can get through it. The climate crisis information and perspective of this book makes it essential but tough reading. With long books like this my fear of missing out on other reads kicks in. Just read All the Light We Cannot See-I know-Pulitzer prize in 2014 so I am a bit behind. Fascinated by the similarities to Cloud Cuckoo Land since I read them in this order. Also read The Flight, The Villa, and The Frederick Sisters are Living the Dream. The Villa was disappointing but recommend the others. I appreciate when titles are included rather than directing me to an additional website.
I, too, prefer books mentioned in the text. For many, many months I did the tedious work of looking at each link. And then I had a page in my TBR journal for each site; and I wrote the titles that interested me there. Over time I was able to determine which sites consistently recommended titles for me that I actually read and enjoyed. It was time consuming to look at each link. But now I have it narrowed down and have bookmarked those sites. And others I will then occasionally go to and see what they’re recommending. My TBR list does not seem to be shrinking!
I started this year with Fredrick Backman’s Beartown and then had to get the second in the trilogy, Us Against You. I’ve just gotten The Winners from the library and can’t wait to get started on that. I’m wondering which others fans of Backman would recommend next?
An amazing nonfiction book for anyone interested in psychology and child development is Good Morning, Monster. But triggers abound, and the descriptions of childhood trauma are detailed, so look for information and be careful before diving in.
After that, I needed something light and chose The Villa as an audiobook. I will listen to anything Julia Whelan narrates and she is incredible as usual as are the other narrators. It’s captivating, though I didn’t love the ending. Finally, I just started The Spare in audio format by Prince Harry. I’ll tell you, I could listen to his accent all day. I was worried I had heard about everything of interest, but though I am not even past the first few chapters (he starts with his mom’s death) it is fascinating and so sad all at once.
ALL of Backman’s books are fantastic! Anxious People was a favorite book club read and discussion. I loved Britt Marie Was Here and A Man Called Ove.
Thank you, Susan!
I recently listened to French Braid by Anne Tyler and Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile (happened to be listening to her recount her first performance at The Grammy’s on the same day she performed at the 2023 Grammy’s!). Currently listening to Lucy by the Sea and reading a hard cover of Rosamunde Pilcher’s Coming Home. Loved/loving each!
Maame, debut novel by Jessica George.
Enjoying it, but could do without the Google fillers.
Otherwise, well done. Learning lots about Ghanaian traditions.
I have too many TBRs to count and have come to the realization that I need to slow down my library requests. They seem to come in very quickly these days; too quickly for me to keep up with.
In January, I read: “Greenlights”: Not a huge Matthew McConaughey fan, but his narration of his memoir is a hoot! Insightful, inspiring, funny, interesting. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.
“Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story”: Perhaps this would have been better on audio with Bono’s narration. I really liked it, but coming off “Greenlights,” it just wasn’t as entertaining, but it’s worth reading as a U2 fan. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.
“A World of Curiosities” by Louise Penny. I think this may be the best in the Inspector Gamache series. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.
“Spare”: Another memoir on audio and a prince Harry’s narration is a plus. His ghostwriter (JR Moehringer, author of the wonderful “The Tender Bar”) certainly elevates the story. Harry has many attributes, but academics isn’t among them. I appreciated the insight and honesty and behind-the-scenes look at events I already knew and gained a deeper understanding of the brutal British press. At its heart, though, it’s the story of a boy traumatized by the loss of his mother. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.
“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus: Really liked this. The cover is very misleading. This is not a rom-com, chick-lit book. While it’s a bit heavy-handed at throwing every possible gender-addled stereotype of a working woman in the 1960s, the story is important and I get why Garmus took that approach. The characters and humor and the dog make the book. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.
“Nora Goes Off Script” by Annabel Monaghan: A high-caliber rom-com of a book with likable characters, really well-drawn kids, a great twist I didn’t see coming and just a couple instances where I needed to suspend my disbelief. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.
Almost finished with audio of “Crying in H Mart” and really love it, although it’s tough subject matter and hitting close to home. Will give it. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.
Thanks for these recommendations! I put most of them on hold on my Libby app with my library. Books I’ve read recently that I really loved were: The No-Show by Beth O’Leary (it did have a twist that I did not expect and I did cry at one part), Lab Girl by Hope Jahren (being a woman in STEM I loved this book!), and Book Lovers by Emily Henry (really loved that the character thought she was the person in every love story/movie that gets dumped for the story’s real heroine)