It is September, what are you reading?

[Anonymous]

I'm halfway through Gilead (Marilynne Robinson). It's good, perhaps too good--styled loosely as a sort of journal by an elderly minister reflecting on his days for the benefit of his much younger son. But reads almost like poetry--so slow-paced that it is almost not paced at all. It works excellently in 12 minute bursts on the metro, but I cannot even conceive of trying to read it cover to cover... so make of that what you will!

I am also picking up The Fifth Season (Jemisin) again, after getting through about 5-6 chapters previously via audiobook. It has possibly the absolute bleakest premise/ prologue for a sci fi story I can imagine so I got a little stuck my first time around, but it is so well regarded I thought I should give it another go, but this time in book form to get a little distance. Wanted to survey if any DCUM'ers have opinions as to whether yea or nay on the second attempt?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm halfway through Gilead (Marilynne Robinson). It's good, perhaps too good--styled loosely as a sort of journal by an elderly minister reflecting on his days for the benefit of his much younger son. But reads almost like poetry--so slow-paced that it is almost not paced at all. It works excellently in 12 minute bursts on the metro, but I cannot even conceive of trying to read it cover to cover... so make of that what you will!

I am also picking up The Fifth Season (Jemisin) again, after getting through about 5-6 chapters previously via audiobook. It has possibly the absolute bleakest premise/ prologue for a sci fi story I can imagine so I got a little stuck my first time around, but it is so well regarded I thought I should give it another go, but this time in book form to get a little distance. Wanted to survey if any DCUM'ers have opinions as to whether yea or nay on the second attempt?

I haven’t read any Marilynne Robinson, is this her usual style?

[Anonymous]

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell - felt like it was longer than it needed to be but overall I enjoyed it. Second chance romance for characters in their 30s with flashbacks to high school days.

[Anonymous]

I reread Gone With the Wind this month for the first time since I was 19 . It is so much better than I remembered. The chapter when Melanie dies and Scarlett realizes she’d gotten so much of her strength from Melanie and not herself as she’d always believed was so beautiful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I reread Gone With the Wind this month for the first time since I was 19 . It is so much better than I remembered. The chapter when Melanie dies and Scarlett realizes she’d gotten so much of her strength from Melanie and not herself as she’d always believed was so beautiful.

I reread Gone With the Wind through an audiobook this year and I also was shocked at how good it was. I was so wrapped up in those characters. It's a shame that it's so wrapped up in the very wrong Confederate myth, because the book itself is so good.

[Anonymous]

I'm reading Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks. This came out in the 90s, I think, and is a very long historical fiction work about John Brown and the raid on Harpers Ferry. I've been reading a lot of Civil War novels/nonfiction this year so I'm finally giving this one a try. The first chapter makes it seem like it will be pretty readable, even though it's long. We'll see!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm halfway through Gilead (Marilynne Robinson). It's good, perhaps too good--styled loosely as a sort of journal by an elderly minister reflecting on his days for the benefit of his much younger son. But reads almost like poetry--so slow-paced that it is almost not paced at all. It works excellently in 12 minute bursts on the metro, but I cannot even conceive of trying to read it cover to cover... so make of that what you will!

I am also picking up The Fifth Season (Jemisin) again, after getting through about 5-6 chapters previously via audiobook. It has possibly the absolute bleakest premise/ prologue for a sci fi story I can imagine so I got a little stuck my first time around, but it is so well regarded I thought I should give it another go, but this time in book form to get a little distance. Wanted to survey if any DCUM'ers have opinions as to whether yea or nay on the second attempt?

I haven’t read any Marilynne Robinson, is this her usual style?

NP, but yes, I'd say she consistently writes this way. I'd describe her style as very interior, quiet and understated, poetic. Big, dramatic things happen, but the writing style keeps everything in a quiet, reflective tone. I love her writing when I'm in the right mood.

[Anonymous]

Just finished listening to "Finding Audrey" by Sophie Kinsella.
It is a book written for teens, which I didn't realize before I started.
It was about a 14 year old girl who has panic attacks after an incident at school. The incident was never explicitly described, just alluded to. I assume it was a teen girl bullying incident.
It was good. I liked it.
Downloaded from my library website.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm halfway through Gilead (Marilynne Robinson). It's good, perhaps too good--styled loosely as a sort of journal by an elderly minister reflecting on his days for the benefit of his much younger son. But reads almost like poetry--so slow-paced that it is almost not paced at all. It works excellently in 12 minute bursts on the metro, but I cannot even conceive of trying to read it cover to cover... so make of that what you will!

I am also picking up The Fifth Season (Jemisin) again, after getting through about 5-6 chapters previously via audiobook. It has possibly the absolute bleakest premise/ prologue for a sci fi story I can imagine so I got a little stuck my first time around, but it is so well regarded I thought I should give it another go, but this time in book form to get a little distance. Wanted to survey if any DCUM'ers have opinions as to whether yea or nay on the second attempt?

I read the Fifth Season. I thought it was fine— not particularly groundbreaking or gorgeous in execution but interesting enough. I made it through. I completely gave up about 1/3 into the next book (the Obelisk Gate). I just didn’t care. I will say that I used to be a big sci fi/fantasy fan and I’ve kind of lost that interest as I’ve gotten older. So it’s possible that much of the genre doesn’t appeal to me anymore— nothing about these books in particular.

[Anonymous]

I am reading a bio of Kafka and his Letters to Milena; Begley’a biography is titled The Tremendous World I Have Inside My Head, and it’s factually dense but so readable.

I just got a copy of Liane Moriarty’s The Husbands Secret. I’ve never read her, and have only watched s1 of Big Little Lies.

I read an article about book parties for Intermezzo - part of me wonders if at 50 and feeling soft in the brains, whether Sally Rooney is for me or not. I LOVED the televised Normal People, found it so moving and devastating, so, maybe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am reading a bio of Kafka and his Letters to Milena; Begley’a biography is titled The Tremendous World I Have Inside My Head, and it’s factually dense but so readable.

I just got a copy of Liane Moriarty’s The Husbands Secret. I’ve never read her, and have only watched s1 of Big Little Lies.

I read an article about book parties for Intermezzo - part of me wonders if at 50 and feeling soft in the brains, whether Sally Rooney is for me or not. I LOVED the televised Normal People, found it so moving and devastating, so, maybe?

The good thing here is that her books are pretty compact. I think I read Normal People in a weekend (and I have small kids so I mainly read after they go to bed). So you don’t need to put in a huge amount of effort to see if she’s for you!

[Anonymous]

I am listening to Say Hello to My Little Friend, which was on the Booker long list. I am really enjoying it. And I am reading the new John Banville, The Drowned. I love his use of language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I reread Gone With the Wind this month for the first time since I was 19 . It is so much better than I remembered. The chapter when Melanie dies and Scarlett realizes she’d gotten so much of her strength from Melanie and not herself as she’d always believed was so beautiful.

I reread Gone With the Wind through an audiobook this year and I also was shocked at how good it was. I was so wrapped up in those characters. It's a shame that it's so wrapped up in the very wrong Confederate myth, because the book itself is so good.

There was a recent discussion about racism in GWTW. Did a rereading make you feel differently about the book? Sounds like both PPs were able to appreciate the good aspects.

[Anonymous]

Just finished Such a Fun Age and now I’m waiting for Ina Garten’s book to drop tomorrow!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I reread Gone With the Wind this month for the first time since I was 19 . It is so much better than I remembered. The chapter when Melanie dies and Scarlett realizes she’d gotten so much of her strength from Melanie and not herself as she’d always believed was so beautiful.

I reread Gone With the Wind through an audiobook this year and I also was shocked at how good it was. I was so wrapped up in those characters. It's a shame that it's so wrapped up in the very wrong Confederate myth, because the book itself is so good.

I just looked on Libby and it’s 49 hours long! I listen to audiobooks about 3-6 hours a day, depending, but this still sounds daunting! How many days did it take you to listen?