What is everyone reading for April?

[Anonymous]

For those that mentioned Olga Dies Dreaming earlier, curious what you thought of it. The story was OK but I found it overly preachy by the end.

[Anonymous]

Just finally came off the hold list for Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld! I’m only one chapter in but it seems a little uneven so far. But I find that her books tend to pick up a lot in the middle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two books by Sophie Kinsella.
She is a British author who writes romcoms set in or around London.

The first book was called "Can You Keep A Secret". It was about a young woman who sits on a plane and freaks out when the plane hits turbulence. She ends up confessing lots of stuff to a nearby plane passenger. The next day when she arrives at work she discovers that the fellow plane passenger is actually the CEO and founder of the company she works for.

The next book was called "I owe you one". A woman is in a coffee shop and the guy at the table next to hers asks her to watch his laptop for a few minutes while he takes a phone call outside. The ceiling happens to cave in from a water leak while the guy is outside . She saves his laptop. They strike up a relationship.

I liked both books. They were both fun. I thought the characters and the story were well developed.

I picked up those particular books because I have read a few other books by the same author and always enjoy her books.

I downloaded the books from my library Libby / Overdrive website.

I too read “secret”. It was fun and silly and predictable but light. I liked the audio version.

I mostly read “light/fluffy” books as well since reading is a big escape for me. I have read all of Sophie Kinsella’s books and the only ones I don’t really like are the later shopaholic books (first one is fine). I just finished “you deserve each other “ by Sarah Hogle and can’t believe how much I enjoyed it.

I just looked up the book you mentioned -- You Deserve Each Other. That looks fun! Thanks for suggesting it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two books by Sophie Kinsella.
She is a British author who writes romcoms set in or around London.

The first book was called "Can You Keep A Secret". It was about a young woman who sits on a plane and freaks out when the plane hits turbulence. She ends up confessing lots of stuff to a nearby plane passenger. The next day when she arrives at work she discovers that the fellow plane passenger is actually the CEO and founder of the company she works for.

The next book was called "I owe you one". A woman is in a coffee shop and the guy at the table next to hers asks her to watch his laptop for a few minutes while he takes a phone call outside. The ceiling happens to cave in from a water leak while the guy is outside . She saves his laptop. They strike up a relationship.

I liked both books. They were both fun. I thought the characters and the story were well developed.

I picked up those particular books because I have read a few other books by the same author and always enjoy her books.

I downloaded the books from my library Libby / Overdrive website.

I am the same poster who read "Can You Keep A Secret" and "I Owe You One" earlier this month. I read two more books also by Sophie Kinsella this month.
I read "Twenties Girl" And I just finished listening to "Wedding Night".
Twenties Girl was about a young woman who is haunted by the ghost of her great aunt.
Wedding Night was about a woman who breaks up with her boyfriend of 4 years, then happens to run into a guy with whom she had a teenage summer romance 15 years earlier. They impulsively decide to get married even though they had not seen each other in 15 years. The bride's sister pulls all kinds of stunts to prevent them from consummating the marriage so that it can be annulled.
I enjoyed them both. There was this one part in Wedding night that I literally laughed out loud about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two books by Sophie Kinsella.
She is a British author who writes romcoms set in or around London.

The first book was called "Can You Keep A Secret". It was about a young woman who sits on a plane and freaks out when the plane hits turbulence. She ends up confessing lots of stuff to a nearby plane passenger. The next day when she arrives at work she discovers that the fellow plane passenger is actually the CEO and founder of the company she works for.

The next book was called "I owe you one". A woman is in a coffee shop and the guy at the table next to hers asks her to watch his laptop for a few minutes while he takes a phone call outside. The ceiling happens to cave in from a water leak while the guy is outside . She saves his laptop. They strike up a relationship.

I liked both books. They were both fun. I thought the characters and the story were well developed.

I picked up those particular books because I have read a few other books by the same author and always enjoy her books.

I downloaded the books from my library Libby / Overdrive website.

I am the same poster who read "Can You Keep A Secret" and "I Owe You One" earlier this month. I read two more books also by Sophie Kinsella this month.
I read "Twenties Girl" And I just finished listening to "Wedding Night".
Twenties Girl was about a young woman who is haunted by the ghost of her great aunt.
Wedding Night was about a woman who breaks up with her boyfriend of 4 years, then happens to run into a guy with whom she had a teenage summer romance 15 years earlier. They impulsively decide to get married even though they had not seen each other in 15 years. The bride's sister pulls all kinds of stunts to prevent them from consummating the marriage so that it can be annulled.
I enjoyed them both. There was this one part in Wedding night that I literally laughed out loud about.

I picked up Sophie Kinsella based your recommendation and am really enjoying it. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m about a third into Tom Lake. This will be a DNF for me. I just don’t find the story or the characters interesting.

Yes! Everyone loved it but I couldn't get into it at all.

Agree, another NOPE for Tom Lake. I simply did not care about the story. Also what grown children want to hear about their parent’s past?

I have always wanted to learn everything about my family - including their pasts. Perhaps you aren't curious, perhaps you are shallow, or perhaps you are 12.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two books by Sophie Kinsella.
She is a British author who writes romcoms set in or around London.

The first book was called "Can You Keep A Secret". It was about a young woman who sits on a plane and freaks out when the plane hits turbulence. She ends up confessing lots of stuff to a nearby plane passenger. The next day when she arrives at work she discovers that the fellow plane passenger is actually the CEO and founder of the company she works for.

The next book was called "I owe you one". A woman is in a coffee shop and the guy at the table next to hers asks her to watch his laptop for a few minutes while he takes a phone call outside. The ceiling happens to cave in from a water leak while the guy is outside . She saves his laptop. They strike up a relationship.

I liked both books. They were both fun. I thought the characters and the story were well developed.

I picked up those particular books because I have read a few other books by the same author and always enjoy her books.

I downloaded the books from my library Libby / Overdrive website.

I am the same poster who read "Can You Keep A Secret" and "I Owe You One" earlier this month. I read two more books also by Sophie Kinsella this month.
I read "Twenties Girl" And I just finished listening to "Wedding Night".
Twenties Girl was about a young woman who is haunted by the ghost of her great aunt.
Wedding Night was about a woman who breaks up with her boyfriend of 4 years, then happens to run into a guy with whom she had a teenage summer romance 15 years earlier. They impulsively decide to get married even though they had not seen each other in 15 years. The bride's sister pulls all kinds of stunts to prevent them from consummating the marriage so that it can be annulled.
I enjoyed them both. There was this one part in Wedding night that I literally laughed out loud about.

I picked up Sophie Kinsella based your recommendation and am really enjoying it. Thank you!

Oh how cool! Which one did you start with?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I finished “Grendel” and think I may need to take a philosophy class to fully appreciate it.

I’ve started “How High We Go in the Dark” and am feeling skeptical.

I read “How High” about a year ago. Curious to hear your thoughts after you’re done reading.

Just finished it. I was disappointed by it. It just felt relentlessly grim and monotonous; despite taking place across decades and centuries (and space?!), almost every chapter had the same style and voice. It reminded me so much of other IMHO better books: Cloud Atlas; Cloud Cuckoo Land; Sea of Tranquility (which I actually thought was an okay imitation of the former two anyway!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two books by Sophie Kinsella.
She is a British author who writes romcoms set in or around London.

The first book was called "Can You Keep A Secret". It was about a young woman who sits on a plane and freaks out when the plane hits turbulence. She ends up confessing lots of stuff to a nearby plane passenger. The next day when she arrives at work she discovers that the fellow plane passenger is actually the CEO and founder of the company she works for.

The next book was called "I owe you one". A woman is in a coffee shop and the guy at the table next to hers asks her to watch his laptop for a few minutes while he takes a phone call outside. The ceiling happens to cave in from a water leak while the guy is outside . She saves his laptop. They strike up a relationship.

I liked both books. They were both fun. I thought the characters and the story were well developed.

I picked up those particular books because I have read a few other books by the same author and always enjoy her books.

I downloaded the books from my library Libby / Overdrive website.

I am the same poster who read "Can You Keep A Secret" and "I Owe You One" earlier this month. I read two more books also by Sophie Kinsella this month.
I read "Twenties Girl" And I just finished listening to "Wedding Night".
Twenties Girl was about a young woman who is haunted by the ghost of her great aunt.
Wedding Night was about a woman who breaks up with her boyfriend of 4 years, then happens to run into a guy with whom she had a teenage summer romance 15 years earlier. They impulsively decide to get married even though they had not seen each other in 15 years. The bride's sister pulls all kinds of stunts to prevent them from consummating the marriage so that it can be annulled.
I enjoyed them both. There was this one part in Wedding night that I literally laughed out loud about.

I picked up Sophie Kinsella based your recommendation and am really enjoying it. Thank you!

Oh how cool! Which one did you start with?

Can You Keep a Secret, it was hilarious. I read Surprise Me too. I am looking forward to Wedding Night next when I need a Sophie-pick me up. I’m trying to pace myself but she is very readable and enjoyable!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is reminding me that I put down Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad after getting about halfway, and apparently have not picked it up for two weeks. The writing itself is reasonably compelling, but the story/stories circle around the music industry/ musicians, which, in perhaps an unpopular opinion, I just find incredibly tiresome as a subject for fiction. The characters are predictably eff'd up and self-regarding. 50-50 on whether I continue.

But put me in the pro-Tom Lake camp, 8/10, though probably at least 1 point is due to Meryl Streep since (I did it on audiobook).

Also about halfway through Haidt's Anxious Generation (why online childhood is so bad for mental health). It's fine, and I think the minor political controversy around the book is basically all beside the point (of the book). It is just that Hari's Stolen Focus already did the subject and did it (much) better...

Goodness- A Visit from the Goon Squad is one of my all-time favorites. If you like that, I recommend Modern Lovers. Also Jennifer Egans other books are good but not as good as goon squad.

I read A Visit from the Goon Squad last month. I thought it was a solid, entertaining book, but nothing that moved me. Nothing about it was very original.

[Anonymous]

This month I read The Goldfinch, which I loved except for the last 100 pages or so. I just didn’t think the action scenes at the end fit with the rest of the story or were compelling.

Now reading Demon Copperhead and I like it but it feels like retreads of several books I’ve read previously (The Glass Castle, among others).

[Anonymous]

Sophie Kinsella has been dealing with a glioblastoma for a year or so, just revealed.

The Women - not a Hannah fan but I'm a librarian so must read.
Station Eleven
North Woods (may be in my top 5 of all time)
East of Eden (more of a slog than I thought)
Anne Lamott's new book of essays
Go As a River

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sophie Kinsella has been dealing with a glioblastoma for a year or so, just revealed.

The Women - not a Hannah fan but I'm a librarian so must read.
Station Eleven
North Woods (may be in my top 5 of all time)
East of Eden (more of a slog than I thought)
Anne Lamott's new book of essays
Go As a River

Funny to see that you’re not a Hannah fan but need to read it for your job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trying to decide between Lincoln Highway or Song of Achilles

If you end up liking this, let me know. I tried listening to it and it was SO slow (and I sped it up!) and eventually I just gave up. I kept wanting to care about the characters and I just didn't.

I'm a DP but I love, love, loved The Lincoln Highway. Then I lent it to a friend and she could not get into it at all. If you don't like the quirky characters, I don't think that will change because I adored them from the beginning. My friend was driven crazy by all of their poor decisions, meanwhile I cared about the characters so much that their decisions made me invested. It is a slow book though, so maybe that doesn't translate well to audio.

Me too! I almost gave up on it but pushed through and am so glad I did. I loved it and all the characters!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those that mentioned Olga Dies Dreaming earlier, curious what you thought of it. The story was OK but I found it overly preachy by the end.

I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. Even though I read it less than two years ago I've already forgotten most of it. I agree about the preachiness. I remember being propelled more by her brother's story.