What are you reading for January 2024?

[Anonymous]

Kaveh Akbar's MARTYR!

He's a fabulous poet and this is his first novel.

Huge book but I am whipping thru it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kaveh Akbar's MARTYR!

He's a fabulous poet and this is his first novel.

Huge book but I am whipping thru it.

I’m also reading Marytr! and am almost done— it’s hard to put down.

[Anonymous]

Just picked up “Wandering Stars” by Tommy Orange. I don’t remember “There There” super well but it’s not necessary to remember it or to have read it at all. This new book is beautiful but devastating so far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am reading The North Woods. I am not too far into it yet and am undecided. Some of it is poetic and lovely. Some of it is really funny. But I admit I am not sure whether/how this will sustain a whole book. I just finished Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri, which I enjoyed—short stories set in Rome, with a lovely pace and sense of place.

Ok, finished North Woods and am back to say that it is weird and compelling and excellent. Highly recommend. It is not like anything I have read before but it is fascinating and moving. A good kick off to a year of reading!

I also loved North Woods. I’m not even sure how to describe it to anyone else except to say I loved it.

Did you both read or listen to it?

I just read an excerpt and it's definitely weird (although I like weird!) and I think it might be hard to listen to? I always have a reading book and a listening book going so I keep lists of books that are better for one or the other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just finished all 3 of the Rosie Project books.
I thought they were all pretty good.

The first book was about a 39 year old autistic man who has decided it is time to fine a wife. He types up a 16 page questionnaire and signs up for some speed dating encounters. Of course every woman answers some question wrong and are promptly eliminated. But then by other circumstances he meets a woman named Rosie, who is willing to put up with his quirks.

In the second book, Rosie becomes pregnant just before their first anniversary. Don, the protagonist, spends the next several months researching how to be a parent.

In the third book, their 10 year old son is getting in some trouble at school and Don expends a lot of effort to help his son out.

I loved the Rosie Project books! I read them when they came out and I've debated re-reading them multiple times but there are always so many new books I have a hard time going back to something I have already read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am reading The North Woods. I am not too far into it yet and am undecided. Some of it is poetic and lovely. Some of it is really funny. But I admit I am not sure whether/how this will sustain a whole book. I just finished Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri, which I enjoyed—short stories set in Rome, with a lovely pace and sense of place.

Ok, finished North Woods and am back to say that it is weird and compelling and excellent. Highly recommend. It is not like anything I have read before but it is fascinating and moving. A good kick off to a year of reading!

I also loved North Woods. I’m not even sure how to describe it to anyone else except to say I loved it.

Did you both read or listen to it?

I just read an excerpt and it's definitely weird (although I like weird!) and I think it might be hard to listen to? I always have a reading book and a listening book going so I keep lists of books that are better for one or the other.

I read North Woods in print, and it worked well for me that way. I'm glad it was a paper copy as well, rather than my kindle, because I did flip back and reread a few sections. There are lots of small details that connect the different stories and there were a couple times I wanted to reread an earlier section to solidify those connections. Really loved it.

[Anonymous]

Just finished Daisy Jones & the Six - I know I'm about five years behind popularity wise. I enjoyed it and I'm very happy with the ending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am reading The North Woods. I am not too far into it yet and am undecided. Some of it is poetic and lovely. Some of it is really funny. But I admit I am not sure whether/how this will sustain a whole book. I just finished Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri, which I enjoyed—short stories set in Rome, with a lovely pace and sense of place.

Ok, finished North Woods and am back to say that it is weird and compelling and excellent. Highly recommend. It is not like anything I have read before but it is fascinating and moving. A good kick off to a year of reading!

I also loved North Woods. I’m not even sure how to describe it to anyone else except to say I loved it.

Did you both read or listen to it?

I just read an excerpt and it's definitely weird (although I like weird!) and I think it might be hard to listen to? I always have a reading book and a listening book going so I keep lists of books that are better for one or the other.

I read North Woods in print, and it worked well for me that way. I'm glad it was a paper copy as well, rather than my kindle, because I did flip back and reread a few sections. There are lots of small details that connect the different stories and there were a couple times I wanted to reread an earlier section to solidify those connections. Really loved it.

That's really helpful to know. I love my Kindle but there have been books I have read that I wish I could easily flip back and forth so I'll plan to get the paper copy of this book. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Currently reading The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, about a murdered Sri Lankan photographer navigating the afterlife. Just started, but so far it's good. Mixes the politics and violence with themes of memory, vengeance, and justice, and what it means to speak or choose to forget.

I did not read all of the intervening pages, but I highly recommend the "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida." It was the Booker prize winner last year or 2022 and it is excellent. Mystic and thought provoking. I ended up doing a lot of research about the Sri Lankan civil war and could not stop thinking about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am reading The North Woods. I am not too far into it yet and am undecided. Some of it is poetic and lovely. Some of it is really funny. But I admit I am not sure whether/how this will sustain a whole book. I just finished Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri, which I enjoyed—short stories set in Rome, with a lovely pace and sense of place.

Ok, finished North Woods and am back to say that it is weird and compelling and excellent. Highly recommend. It is not like anything I have read before but it is fascinating and moving. A good kick off to a year of reading!

I also loved North Woods. I’m not even sure how to describe it to anyone else except to say I loved it.

Did you both read or listen to it?

I just read an excerpt and it's definitely weird (although I like weird!) and I think it might be hard to listen to? I always have a reading book and a listening book going so I keep lists of books that are better for one or the other.

I read North Woods in print, and it worked well for me that way. I'm glad it was a paper copy as well, rather than my kindle, because I did flip back and reread a few sections. There are lots of small details that connect the different stories and there were a couple times I wanted to reread an earlier section to solidify those connections. Really loved it.

That's really helpful to know. I love my Kindle but there have been books I have read that I wish I could easily flip back and forth so I'll plan to get the paper copy of this book. Thanks!

Yes, I wouldn’t listen to North Woods. I read it on kindle, it’s possible print could’ve been better.

It’s very strange but also addicting (at least for me).

[Anonymous]

Accidentally read two books with similar titles (and covers!) recently: The Maid (by Nita Prose) and The Housemaid (by Freida McFadden). Both mysteries of a sort, with distinctive narrators (the maids), and I didn't like either one. Two stars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just finished Horse, by Geraldine Brooks. I spent the first half thinking I was enjoying it more than I expected to, but by the end I had soured a bit. I found the modern story re race to be a bit broadly drawn nor did I think the romance was especially persuasive. I did like the discussion of their professional lives and wish there had been more of that. The civil war era story was interesting, but the life of Jarrett, the enslaved groom, with a few fairly short lived exceptions seemed like a suspiciously pleasant life for an enslaved groom. And the 1950s era story re the art dealer seemed entirely tacked on. So, overall it was not uninteresting, but in the end it is not really a recommendation from me.

If you haven’t read “People of the Book,” you should. It’s a better version of Horse.

Interesting. I read March years ago and liked it/didn’t love it. Maybe I should investigate People of the Book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Accidentally read two books with similar titles (and covers!) recently: The Maid (by Nita Prose) and The Housemaid (by Freida McFadden). Both mysteries of a sort, with distinctive narrators (the maids), and I didn't like either one. Two stars.

I thought The Maid was offensive to neurodivergent people and far fetched as a crime story.

Like the police just go “must be the killer, let’s take them in” without any real investigation?

I can’t believe they gave it a second book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Accidentally read two books with similar titles (and covers!) recently: The Maid (by Nita Prose) and The Housemaid (by Freida McFadden). Both mysteries of a sort, with distinctive narrators (the maids), and I didn't like either one. Two stars.

I thought The Maid was offensive to neurodivergent people and far fetched as a crime story.

Like the police just go “must be the killer, let’s take them in” without any real investigation?

I can’t believe they gave it a second book.

Agreed!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just finished all 3 of the Rosie Project books.
I thought they were all pretty good.

The first book was about a 39 year old autistic man who has decided it is time to fine a wife. He types up a 16 page questionnaire and signs up for some speed dating encounters. Of course every woman answers some question wrong and are promptly eliminated. But then by other circumstances he meets a woman named Rosie, who is willing to put up with his quirks.

In the second book, Rosie becomes pregnant just before their first anniversary. Don, the protagonist, spends the next several months researching how to be a parent.

In the third book, their 10 year old son is getting in some trouble at school and Don expends a lot of effort to help his son out.

I loved the Rosie Project books! I read them when they came out and I've debated re-reading them multiple times but there are always so many new books I have a hard time going back to something I have already read.

I can relate! There are so many books that -- to me at least -- sound appealing. I guess it is a good problem to have.