What are you reading for June?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Currently reading The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty. Enjoying it.

Me too. It is very much not my usual thing—I am typically a more “domestic literary fiction” type—and feminist magic and pirates in the Indian Ocean in the 12th Century is a wonderful summer detour from that usual. I am finding it to be a great story and a fun new version of a beach read. I am the one who posted earlier that I needed something completely different after Bewilderment and this is exactly it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Currently reading The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty. Enjoying it.

Me too. It is very much not my usual thing—I am typically a more “domestic literary fiction” type—and feminist magic and pirates in the Indian Ocean in the 12th Century is a wonderful summer detour from that usual. I am finding it to be a great story and a fun new version of a beach read. I am the one who posted earlier that I needed something completely different after Bewilderment and this is exactly it.

This made me day. I’m so glad you’re liking it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any Anna Lee Huber fans excited for the new Lady Darby book to come out tomorrow?

She writes historical mysteries but is really heavy on the historical research. They’re slower reads as a result, but so good.

Is this the series where she is married now and they have a baby? Love that series! Didn’t realize there was a new one coming out… maybe this is a different one?

Sorry so late to reply. Yes, that’s the series. They’re on book 11. They’ve been married two years at this point. I’m really impressed by how the author still makes them page-turners after all this time. I’m about 75% through.

The baby isn’t exactly a scene stealer, but the parts with her are funny and cute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just finished Hello, Beautiful - different than I thought it would be but enjoyed it.

On my to read list:
The Light Pirate - book club pick
Class - looked interesting when I saw it at library
Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - recommended by others

I have Hello Beautiful from the library right now but haven’t started it yet. My sister just really liked the Light Pirate so I’ll have to read it soon too. I liked Addie LaRue - but it took me about 100 pages to really get into it.

[Anonymous]

I had never heard of Chakraborty before these dcum posts but I finally just put city of brass on my to read list.

[Anonymous]

I’m reading Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld and enjoying it so much! I have generally not loved her previous books but this is charming and funny so far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm reading The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandal (who wrote Station Eleven).

So far it's excellent and I cannot put it down. What is has that Station 11 didn't is a driving plot line from the start, a minor mystery. We get the story in different chronological orders but it works very well, not like a bad flashback in a movie.

Is it dystopian? Do kids suffer?
I love her stuff but just can't with kids now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just finished Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty, which was fun. Before that read Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls. Was disappointed. I kept waiting for it to go deep, but it never did.

I finished listening to "Apples Never Fall last night. I thought it was awesome. Very long, but still awesome.

It is about a couple who are recently retired and snapping at each other. One day the wife disappears. Maybe the husband murdered her. Maybe not.

I also listened to another book by Liane Moriarty this month. That book was called, "Three Wishes." It is about triplet sisters. The book covers their lives from their 33rd birthday to their 34th birthday. It was okay. Ehh.

On another thread, another poster and I mentioned books that needed an editor. Apples Never Fall was in that category for me. If someone tightened it up by 100-150 pages it would have been a much stronger book.

Added to my list. I like tennis! And magnets! Hope I can get through it all. Wish me luck.

I gave up on that book partway through because it felt so interminable - ended up just reading spoilers to give myself the narrative closure!

[Anonymous]

Has anyone read Mr. B about George Balanchine? I loved the NYCB growing up and followed the dancers like a rabid super fan (Suzanne Farrell and Edward Villeia, Patricia McBride, Lourdes Lopez). I am waiting for it to come through on the library.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just finished Hello, Beautiful - different than I thought it would be but enjoyed it.

On my to read list:
The Light Pirate - book club pick
Class - looked interesting when I saw it at library
Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - recommended by others

I have Hello Beautiful from the library right now but haven’t started it yet. My sister just really liked the Light Pirate so I’ll have to read it soon too. I liked Addie LaRue - but it took me about 100 pages to really get into it.

I liked Hello Beautiful too, good family saga and examination of generational impacts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm reading The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandal (who wrote Station Eleven).

So far it's excellent and I cannot put it down. What is has that Station 11 didn't is a driving plot line from the start, a minor mystery. We get the story in different chronological orders but it works very well, not like a bad flashback in a movie.

Is it dystopian? Do kids suffer?
I love her stuff but just can't with kids now.

It isn't dystopian like S11 was at all, no. It's very realistic. I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone, I'm nearly 1/2 way through. It's about a young man who finds out he "might" have a daughter and then goes searching for her. There are flashbacks to his time in HS with his then GF and there are also flashbacks to her on her own / with a baby. I think Emily SJM has really evolved as a writer, partly maybe from seeing her own work adapted for the screen. The book of Station 11 lacked that emotional tug from a central relationship that the tv show created between Kristen & Jeevan. This book seems to have got that, in a slightly different form.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m reading Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld and enjoying it so much! I have generally not loved her previous books but this is charming and funny so far.

I liked it, too! Except for the section with emails. I cannot stand an epistolary novel. Skimmed that part, tore into the rest.