Welcome to Quick Lit, where we share short and sweet reviews of what we’ve been reading lately on the 15th of the month.
I’ve been reading a lot lately, yet I feel like I don’t have much to show for it here! Some of my recent reads don’t come out until November or January or beyond; others I’m reading for projects that won’t see the light of day for a few more weeks. Of the new releases and older books I have finished, several have been SO VERY LONG, which means while I’m reading lots of pages I’m not reading lots of books.
It’s easy to see what I’ve been reading lately because I’m logging all my reads in my My Reading Life book journal. Many of my reads have been new or forthcoming releases, but you’ll only see one of those in today’s round-up. (I recently logged book 100 which means I get to start a new journal—hopefully before the weekend is out!)
Today’s collection of recent reads hints at what I’ve been up to (road trip!) and also carries hints of the season, with some moodier novels that feel just right for fall.
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
Counterfeit
Now THIS was a great reading experience. A few weeks ago I needed a good listen for my drive home from Bookmarks NC and queued up this one on a whim. (I had been listening to a broody literary novel but it was NOT the right vibe for a sleepy solo drive!) By the time I got to Louisville, I was DONE—and the journey was fabulous. On the surface this almost has a heist kind of vibe. The clever structure elevates the story, but what really wowed me was the initially surreptitious and then all at once interrogation of the American Dream. I relished the details of the fashion industry and handbags in particular. This was good, smart fun that made the miles fly by. More info →
The Woman in the Library
My friend and MMD team member Leigh recommended this as an utterly compelling read, featuring not just a book within a book but a mystery within a mystery! This is the story of Australian writer Freddie Kincaid, who's working in Boston after winning a literary fellowship. She's sharing a table with three strangers at the Boston Public Library when the quiet is pierced by a woman's scream—and the four, who quickly bond after sharing this frightening moment, later discover that what they really may have heard was a murder taking place. But wait! Freddie and her pals are actually characters in a novel that established Australian writer Hannah Tigone is working on, and she's mailing chapters we're reading to a doting fan who has some advice for Hannah ... along with pointed tips that grow ever more disturbing. This is a fun little puzzle box of a book, although I've got to warn you: some of you are really going to hate the ending. (Love it or hate it, it sure would give your book club or buddy read partner plenty to talk about!) More info →
Three
After reading Perrin's English language debut Fresh Water for Flowers (which I wrote about in last month's Quick Lit) I decided to try this new-for-2022 release and WOW was it not what I expected. At 512 pages, it's long. And unlike Fresh Water, the translation felt a little jarring in places. But mostly, never have I read so many reviews of a book—before, during, and after—that not only failed to capture what the book was ABOUT, but often intentionally obfuscated the oft-described "mystery" at its heart. I'm sympathetic to those authors' reasons, because I'm not going to tell you either, but still found it frustrating. I wish the gorgeous language, compelling characters, and ambitious storyline had resulted in a more satisfying—and less meandering—story. More info →
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution
When MMD Book Club hosted Peng Shepherd in August to discuss The Cartographers, Peng raved about this new fantasy release from the author of The Poppy War trilogy (which I haven't yet read, should I?). It's a cool 545 pages in hardcover, and WOW does she put every one to good use. The publisher calls it “a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal response to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell”—if that sounds a little cerebral for you, don’t worry, it’s easy to get swept up in the story. Since I began I've found myself talking about it ALL THE TIME to all sorts of readers. Kuang's historical fantasy takes place primarily in 1830s Oxford, where the workers at the translation institute Babel literally fuel the British Empire by combining their language skills with precious silver bars. The comparisons to Harry Potter are inevitable—and it IS a good pick for adult readers looking to scratch that itch—yet Kuang's work is decidedly different in approach. While I loved the academic setting and band of four fast friends, her engagement with the complexities of race, power, and privilege are what really ground the novel. There's also a lot of philosophizing about the art of translation and discussion of what the practice actually involves, which I found insightful and fascinating (especially in light of my recent stack of translated reads). More info →
Rethinking Sex
The subtitle of this book is exactly right: a provocation, indeed! I picked this up after reading a flurry of critical reviews and Emba's own op-eds when it came out in the spring and slowly worked my way through. Her core thesis is that we need a new sexual ethic that goes beyond consent. The reviews were ALL OVER the place: readers love her premise, readers despise it, readers argued with her, point by point. I picked this up because I have three (soon to be four) teenagers, and I am trying hard to not put my head in the sand when it comes to the cultural landscape they will and do face when it comes to sex, drugs, and alcohol. (One parent I know paid her daughter a hefty amount of cash money to read and discuss this book with her.) I found the arguments imperfect and some important pieces missing, yet I found it to be an excellent conversation starter: it makes good and important points, it gave me much to think about and wrestle and argue with, and I hope it will help me have better conversations with younger generations about sex and relationships. More info →
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.
61 comments
The Woman in the Library sounds delightful! What’s not to love about a bookish mystery within a mystery?
Here’s what I’ve been reading:
https://readeatrepeat.net/2022/10/15/books-in-progress-october-2022/
I had an incredible reading month, with a few new five star reads and a series re-read thats an absolute favorite! Check them out here!
https://neverenoughnovels.com/2022/10/15/october-2022-mini-book-reviews/
You have lots of complex themes in your recommendations this month! I’m looking into Counterfeit. Thanks, Anne.
In time for the next political cycle, I read “Now What?” from the Pantsuit Politics women about moving forward when we’re divided. I also read “Overdue” about our current public library situation. So interesting! I finished a few fiction and a few more nonfiction books too.
Here are the 7 books I recommend this month:
https://lisanotes.com/books-i-recommend-september-2022/
Hi Friends!
In this month’s BOOKBAG –
* 4 all-time favorite reads for building healthy relationships
* 5 bookish links
* 50+ e-book bargains
http://www.lindastoll.net/2022/10/4-life-changing-relationship-books.html
I’m also reading some LONG books right now and it’s so satisfying! Babel is on my list for next month and I can’t wait to get to it. I’m reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell to scratch that itch right now 🙂
September was a slow down for me, but I loved reading some seasonally-appropriate books, like September and Thornyhold (my yearly re-read). I also enjoyed lots of readalouds with my children! Please visit my Cozy Burrow to read more about last month’s reading: https://katiegilley.com/2022/10/10/september-2022-reading/
My reading month was full of good but not great reads. However, I did learn some new things!
https://cocoonofbooks.blogspot.com/2022/10/what-ive-been-reading-lately-quick-lit.html
This month I read some fascinating speculative fiction, some romance (including one book from an author having a BIG moment lately whose books I now know just aren’t to my taste) and some endearing middle grade.
https://kendranicole.net/quick-lit-october-2022/
This go around I’ve got the middle grade novel I think will win the Newbery, a sweet picture book about dogs, and an Australian classic I know you’ve enjoyed, Anne. 🙂
https://carolinestarrrose.com/quick-lit-what-ive-been-reading-lately-20/
I love reading middle grade novels!
https://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2022/10/reading-update.html
Books 44-58 of 2022
It’s been a slow reading month for me. I’m swamped at work and by the time I get home and have time to read, I’m so tired I can’t stay awake to read more than an page or two.
I’m a huge Top Chef fan and when I requested and received the ARC of Fatima Ali’s book, I couldn’t wait to read it. It was terribly difficult to read at many points in the book, I was in a puddle of tears several times, but I’m so glad I read it. What an incredible young woman she was; a life ended way too soon. You can read about it here:
https://sonovelicious.substack.com/p/nibbles-and-bits-vol-4
Thanks for mentioning Fatima Ali’s book , I didn’t know this was happening . She was such a force and she was gone much too soon . I will be reading it !
I read The Change this week and thought it was so good. I finished Who is Maud Dixon yesterday and didn’t think it was that great. And I’m starting Spells of Forgetting today – and so excited about it.
I didn’t like Maud Dixon, either. Nobody had any redeeming qualities!
Intrigued by the title Counterfeit and Babel. I am going to add those to my TBR. My reading was a bit on the slower side this month https://myviewofthehoneypot.blogspot.com/2022/10/what-i-read-october.html
I’ve been reading a lot of advanced copies of really good upcoming releases! https://amandahollandwriter.wordpress.com/2022/10/14/quick-lit-october-2022/
Recently I’ve read:
Educated: a memoir, Tara Westover
Crying in H Mart, Michelle Zauner, Korean-American food memoir
The Love Hypothesis, Ali Hazelwood
I am Vengeance, Dan Smalley (Texas crime novel set in 1933)
Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin, about game designers
Left on Tenth: a second chance at life, memoir, Delia Ephron
I keep seeing people rave about Counterfeit. I hope my Libby has it on audio.
I’m sharing 5 books this month including two historical fiction novels, a couple of popular older fiction novels, and a popular new release that I just loved on audio!
https://www.sincerelystacie.com/2022/10/quick-lit-mini-reviews-of-some-recent-reads-october-2022-edition/
I’ve been wanting to read Kristin Lavransdatter, which is extremely long. I hear it’s amazing though! Has anyone read it?
Yes! It is very, very long, but fascinating and worth it. I have only daughters but I imagine it rings very true to mothers of sons.
Last fall I made it through all the way to halfway through the third one. But then I stopped due to my personal life getting upended. I do want to go back and finish, though, and plan to this winter. I am glad I have read (most of it) and have found it interesting. I wouldn’t call it amazing yet, but, again, I haven’t finished. Well, actually, given its time/era, it is pretty amazing! And I’ve enjoyed learning so much about that period of Norwegian history it was set in. I think I should probably reread it later on without stopping for a year in process.
Kristin Lavransdatter is actually the trilogy in one edition. Each installment was originally published separately (The Wreath in 1920, The Wife in 1921, and The Cross in 1922). I read one a year which was a very manageable way to read the series (I don’t normally binge read a series). I really enjoyed the series! Make sure to read the translation by Tiina Nunnally.
I have read the 1st volume of Kristin. Interesting history & sense of place, but not amazing (yet). But worth reading, I think. Maybe I will get to the final 2 volumes this winter.
Babel on the surface sounds like something I wouldn’t have even glanced twice at, but what a description!
I’ve been finishing books right and left (finally!) because our flower farming season is starting to wind down with the first frost. Lots of five star reads lately:
https://www.toloveandtolearn.com/2022/10/11/loving-and-learning-lately-46/
So far this month I’ve read The Library: A Catalog of Wonders, The Bone Houses and The Drowned Woods, My Lady Jane, and My Plain Jane. I’m almost through My Calamity Jane and I’m planning on reading My Contrary Mary, My Imaginary Mary, Brave New World, and Nevernight before the month ends.
Thanks, as always, for sharing! Three and Babel we’re on my DVR but I will adjust my expectations about the former which is helpful. Thanks for sharing about your motivations for reading Rethinking SexI sometimes feel pretty hopeful about how much more conversation there is now about consent than when I was a teen and how that might better prepare future generations. I hope your conversations with your own kiddos go well.
I absolutely loved Now Is Not the Time to Panic (I had an ALC, it comes out in November). Kevin Wilson is brilliant as usual and Ginnifer Goodwin’s narration was just perfect. It brought to mind how special it can be to “find your people” as an adolescent and also lots of questions about the responsibility of artists, etc. The author’s note at the end was also awesome and he reads it himself on the audio version.
I’m realizing I had a really great reading month with two other 4.5-5 star reads:
White Smoke by Tiffany D Jackson (kindly recommended by you, Anne, in one of the Patreon livestreams) was an excellent look at gentrification, the injustice of incarceration for marijuana possession and many other topics. I loved it and it’s put me on a quest for more thrillers, gentle horror, etc.
The Anthropocene Reviewed was also lovely and brilliant. My partner and I read it aloud together and both really enjoyed it.
Nosy Parker by Lesley Crewe is a coming of age novel set in Montreal in the 1960s in the neighborhood my mom grew up in. My mom and I read it aloud together and it was a really special reading experience. Crewe’s writing is cute and very funny and I’ll be picking up more of her work for sure.
I also really enjoyed The Change which I gave four stars only cause I tend to overthink revenge stories where there’s killing involved (like isn’t that the death penalty which I don’t like – I wish I could relax more and appreciate the catharsis fiction offers) but I LOVED the well developed women characters kicking
ass.
I had the exact same reaction to Three by Valerie Perrin (translator Hildegarde Serle). Loved Fresh Water for Flowers, and Three frustrated me for the same reason (while I liked the complicated friendships and atmospheric setting).
I always love to see what you have been reading! September was a great reading month for me. Three of the books will probably make my list of favorite books of the year. One of the books I read and loved was a 2022 release that has not gotten a lot of attention. It is a nonfiction true crime book about trees and tree theft called Tree Thieves. It is set in the woods of the western U.S. I grew up in a logging town in the Pacific NW and thought the author did a great job describing the NW, the forests, and the overall topic. https://fromourbookshelf.com/september-2022-reads/
Re The Woman in the Library. I was lucky enough to hear the author speak at a writers festival, and get a copy signed by her. She wrote “Suspect everyone”! I loved the book – such a clever premise.
This month, I loved Remarkably Bright Creatures, and I read a couple of beautiful kids’ books. At the moment, I’m in the middle of A Gentleman in Moscow, and I’m amazed by how incredibly good it is (even though the premise sounds flat-out boring).
https://bookdevotions.com/book-reviews-september-2022/
A Gentleman in Moscow is an all-time fave, for me. Right now I’m reading The Weight of Ink, by Rachel Kadish, which is another one of those books with a premise that might sound “boring,” depending on your taste. I mean, one of the main characters is an elderly scholar working on translating a cache of letters by a 17th century rabbi. But it’s excellent and much more gripping than this detail makes it sound.
Two great reads from this month were The Cartographers and The Salt Path, both of which I’ve written about in my Substack. https://allbyourshelves.substack.com/
That was my first Towle book. Loved it.
I am currently reading Horse by Geraldine Brooks (almost finished), and really enjoying it. I sometimes hesitate to read books about horses, because it is usually blatantly obvious to me when authors have not done enough research, but this is very well written, well-researched (as best that I can tell), and a good balance of tying together the historical fiction aspect as well as present day concerns with related themes. The characters’ stories are interwoven in a way that is semi-predictable, but still revealed slowly, in a very engaging way. The use of multiple narrators for the audiobook helps prevent me from getting confused. Although it deals with difficult themes and content, the descriptions are not overly grotesque, which is something I, as a highly-sensitive person, find off-putting. I also enjoy the rich vocabulary.
On your list, Anne, Babel sounds quite interesting.
Halfway through a marvelous book: A Secret Within A Secret by Peter Spiegelman. Oh, my! This is, hands down, the best procedural murder mystery I’ve read. The author’s skill in revealing the character of the victim is like watching a skilled chef peeling back an onion, layer by layer. I started it Thursday evening after returning home late from seeing a new play. At 11:15pm, I looked up, saw the time, and reluctantly put the book down. Now I can’t walk past it without stopping to read a few chapters. The writing is beautiful, the characters well drawn and interesting and so far, I have not figured it out. I’m already searching for his other books to place them on my library hold list!
Holy cow these books look fascinating! I’m adding Counterfeit, The Woman in the Library, and Babel to my TBR and library hold list immediately!
I have had a fantastic reading month, which included:
* The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin – 4 stars. I just loved the characters so much. Hopefully there will be a sequel..??
* Managing Expectations: A Memoir in Essays by Minnie Driver – 4.5 stars. I rarely read memoirs, but I saw this one recommended here a while back and since I have always liked Minnie Driver as an actress, I put this on my TBR list. I really enjoyed her humor and she is a very talented storyteller.
* The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz – 5 stars. Another book that I chose based on recommendations here. This is such a good story about broken and highly dysfunctional familial relationships, but I loved it, and there is some healing and redemption in the end. Would love to read some backlist titles by Korelitz.
* The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James – 4 stars. I grabbed this off the library new releases shelf because I loved her previous novel, The Sun Down Motel. This one was a good mystery with a bit of a supernatural, ghostly vibe, perfect for this time of year.
* The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley – 4 stars. I picked this book off the library shelves (while looking for an entirely different book) because the title just grabbed my attention. It is a sweet book, but not sappy, and was just a fun, light read.
Current reads are Ursula, Under by Ingrid Hill and Beach Read by Emily Henry, and I’m also listening to Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid on audio again; this is my second time listening to this one.
Happy Reading!
This was a month unlike others with mostly nonfiction reads. I don’t usually read a lot of nonfiction, but on the rare occasions that I do, I tend to really enjoy it, and this month was no exception. And then I wonder why I don’t read more of it. And of course I made progress on my Scandinavian Reading Challenge this month.
http://www.avikinginla.com/2022/10/what-ive-been-reading-lately-september-2022/
I had a great month, starting to think I may be grading my books too hard because I really enjoyed most of these, but it needs to be near perfect to get 5 stars from me!
Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani (4 stars) – Sweet book about grief, love, and finding your place in the world. Narrated by the author who does a great job!
Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan (4 stars) – perfect for audiobook lovers!
A Mirror Mended (A Spindle Splintered #2) by Alix E. Harrow (3 stars) – cute novellas, I hope she continues them!
Good Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girls Guide to Murder #2) by Holly Jackson (4 stars) – I loved the first book, and this one was almost as good!
As Good As Dead (A Good Girls Guide to Murder #3) by Holly Jackson (2 stars) – This was a disappointment to me, I did not like the ending, and it was scary! But I am a wimp and I know people who LOVED the ending.
The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting by Evanna Lynch (4 stars) – Beautiful memoir by the actor who played Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films. Details her struggle with an eating disorder and grappling with the transition from childhood to womanhood.
The Final Gambit (Inheritance Games #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (4 stars) – after a wonderful first book, and mediocre second, this was a great conclusion to the trilogy! If you love a puzzle and riddle, this series is amazing!)
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware (3 stars) – I enjoyed this, it was a little slow for me in the beginning, but picked up the pace. This was my first novel by Ware and I am excited to try more!
I read Counterfeit this summer and WOW I loved it so much!
My tbr this year was books with places or titles (people nouns?)in the title. I’m currently reading Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene which covers both and is such a fun story!
I’ve finally got my groove back this month after traveling to Scotland for the first time at the beginning of September. I was reading The Trees by Percival Everett, but who can read when there are things to see & so many places to walk to!! I did not finish my book & I plan to get back to it.
So this month (and the tail end of Sept,) I read Lucy By The Sea. Elizabeth Strout never let’s me down & was a pleasure to read as always. This one as the title states, is more Lucy and William as well. And there are Easter Eggs featuring another much loved character.
Next I read The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. The subject matter Medici girl marries into the Este family was right up my alley. My daughter actually lived in a small town near Ferrara and visited the Estense castle. As much as I enjoyed it, it was not O’Farrell at her best. The subject had me looking up the real people. Always fun when a book sends you down a rabbit hole. These two families provide endless material.
The best book I have read so far this month was Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro. This was long listed for the International Booker prize and deserved it. Some of these unnecessarily lengthy wordy books could learn from this sparsely written book that pulls you in and packs a punch. The main character Elena suffers from a particularly cruel form of Parkinson’s and is determined to find out the truth behind her daughter’s death.
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult was maddening indeed with its bee factoids thrown in here and there among an educational story. There was a lot going on in this book. Maybe too much? At times I just wanted it to stick to the main story. There was a twist. But I think the author’s (yes it is co authored with Jennifer Finney Boylan) could learn a thing or two from Claudia Piñeiro.
Currently reading the spooky The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon & enjoying it so far!
I gave birth in September and listened to a lot of audiobooks while nursing. Here are my September reviews:
https://elle-alice.blogspot.com/2022/10/september-book-reviews.html
Ohhhh thank you Babel sounds perfect for me. Jonathan Strange is in my top 3 books ever read, I loved the Secret History, I’m a Harry Potter nerd and I recently LOVED TJ Klune’s Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door. I’m going to give Babel a read (I’m currently reading Ordinary Monsters by JM Miro and loving it too.
Adding Counterfeit to my audio TBR list. I have some read some great ones this month: Wrong Place Wrong Time, Carrie Soto Is Back, and Lucy by the Sea.
Currently reading Meant to Be by Emily Giffin.
I just added three more books to my TBR list, Counterfeit, Babel, and The Woman in the Library. The books I’ve read thus far this month are:
-Open Season by C.J. Box
-Tiny Imperfections by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans (one of your recommendations Anne)
-Mercy by David Baldacci (love this series, especially this installment)
-The Sentence by Louise Erdrich (an amazing writer and storyteller)
-You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akweaeke Emezi
Finally, I’m trying to finish Nightcrawling by Lelia Mottley.
I just finished Lessons in Chemistry and LOVE LOVE LOVED it! What fun, and I loved Elizabeth Zott, Calvin, Harriet, Mad, Six-Thirty, Dr. Mason and Wakely–what characters! It had a very “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” vibe to me—a little eccentric, fast-paced, witty, with a brilliant woman lead—-such great ingredients for a GOOD story. Good ending, too.
My favorite read of the year. Will be hard to top this.
I just finished reading I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, a novel published in 1948 by the author of The One Hundred and One Dalmations.
I enjoyed the themes including stalled creative genius, the challenges of reversal of fortune and an unpredictable love story.
On my blog, I made a list of top picks for fourth grade girls. I did it for a friend looking for recommendations for her daughter, but I had fun revisiting old and new favorites. https://purplecrayonyourworld.com/best-chapter-books-for-fourth-grade-girls/
Counterfeit sounds fun! Adding to my list!
October has been a great reading month for me (reading some shorter books to help clear up my TBR and keep momentum going). September Reading Recap!
I’ve added them all, except Counterfeit. Babel and Rethinking Sex sound absolutely fascinating. I’m reading lightly right now – Back Bay by William Martin and No One is Perfect (about Candace Mossler – it’s a true crime book) are the books I’m reading (one of the podcasts I listen to has a book club and this is our book for the month). I’m also reading my New Yorker.
Thanks for the rec on Rethinking Sex. Teenagers in my house too.
Here’s the highlights of what I read in September:
http://www.allthebooksihaventread.com/blog-1/2022/10/16/show-us-your-books-october-2022
Love all the reading reccomendations!!! This month I have enjoyed The Inheritance of Orquidea Davina by Zoraida Cordova and from a nonfiction perspective I’m reading Quit by Annie Duke, it is really making me think.
I Loved The Woman In The Library. I’ve been tasked with leading the discussion on it in my online book club in November! It’s a wonderful story and truly it is a book within a book within a book…if you count the work that Freddie is writing! It is a wonderful, fun, slightly creepy story that is well worth the read!
I completed some books this month that have been on my TBR forever. The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory wasn’t my favorite one of hers, but ai liked the banter in the frown group.
Be Frank with Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson reminded me of Nothing to see here by Kevin Wilson although I liked this one better.
I listened to Daisy Jones and the six. It was my first TJR. I see how it was well written, but not my cup of tea. It totally helped that the story was from mature characters talking about their ambitious, optimistic, messed up youth.
Ohhh I forgot to mention what I am reading now… I just finished Mexican Gothic…good, creepy read for Halloween! Of course, still reading The Arsonist’s City…loving that one! Getting ready to start Writers and Lovers. I have 2 friends that have asked to do a buddy read with me. One wants to re-read in November The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom and my other friend wants to buddy read Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber. I haven’t read this title yet but read The Hiding Place decades ago so I’m excited for both of those. I am also currently reading Homegoing for a book club I attend on our Air Force Base here in town. And I have a HUGE stack of books on my bedside table to get to also! One of them that I am oh so very slowly moving through is Pillars of the Earth (thanks to Anne’s mention of this title!). Happy Reading everyone!
Just finished one that I couldn’t put down (with a 2 a.m. finish!) called The Girls in the Stilt House, by Kelly Mustian. Set in the 1920s in the swamp of Mississippi. (Possible triggers for abusiveness, violence around bootlegging and a house fire.) It has stayed with me since finishing, too.
Still reading The Lazy Genius Way and enjoying that a lot.
I read Stephen King’s Fairy Tale, the first one of his books I have ever read because I stay far away from horror but I heard reviews of this and decided to try it. 600 pages, but it was so good I read it in three days.
I read Killers of a Certain Age, which I enjoyed. Unusual group but it was a page turner. Highly Recommend.
I read Survivor’s Guilt by Robyn Gigli. I won a good reads copy of her first legal thriller and was keeping an eye out for another one. It was just as good — up there with Grisham. Lawyer is a trans woman and the reactions of other in the legal profession, clients and criminals all play out. If you haven’t tried this relative new author, don’t miss out.
I read the Half Life of Valery K. A Russian town where experiments on how radiation effects human is being held, although the residents don’t know they are test subjects and don’t know about the radiation… and the Russians think this town is a secret. One scientist decided to end the experiments. Thought provoking, interesting.
I read the 6:20 Man by Baldacci. As usual, a fast page turner, done in 48 hours read. Really enjoyed it.
Also read Lessons in Chemistry. Glad I listened to the reviews on this one, the title would have kept me from picking it up! Excellent read. I have been recommending it to everyone.
Lastly I read The Measure. It was Sooooo good, I have bought several copies for those on my Christmas List. I couldn’t put it down and then when I got about 30 page from the finish, I didn’t want it to end.
Currently Reading Braiding Sweetgrass a book on Native American knowledge of biological connections in the landscape and a different way of looking at how we relate to nature and Desperation in Death by JD Robb
My recent reads started with my book club’s choice for September: The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian. I am also reading Fredrik Backman’s backlist of titles to catch up with his new release. But the book I’m most excited about, and Anne I think you will really enjoy is The Enigma of Room 622 by Joel Dicker. It’s a mystery but it is also a book about relationships and timing and how we feel about the people we deeply care about in our lives.
I read through many of the comments and was surprised I didn’t run into the title that I completely loved in the last month. That was The Properties of Thirst by Marianne Wiggins. It is a family drama overlaid with the story of the Japanese detention camps started at the U.S.entrance to WWII. There is an amazing back story to the book because the author, a past Pulitzer winner, suffered a major stroke near the end of her writing this book. Her daughter came to care for her and together they managed to finish the book. I can’t imagine it won’t be on many award lists in the coming year.
I read The Woman in the Library of few weeks ago. I could not put it down. I just had to know whodunnit! So about the ending, it clearly didn’t wow me because two weeks later I had to stop and really think about how it ended. It took me a few minutes to remember. I’ll agree with the “Didn’t like the ending” gang. Though parts of the story felt trite and anti-climactic, the suspenseful and sometimes creepy journey was fun. Plus, it bothered me that I never got know the Australian Author Hannah Tigone.
I read The Change this week and thought it was so good. I finished Who is Maud Dixon yesterday and didn’t think it was that great. And I’m starting Spells of Forgetting today – and so excited about it.
I loved The Meaure and I loved The Matchmaker’s Gift. Both were beautiful books!