It is September, what are you reading?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

I listened to the audio book over about a month - maybe even longer? It was a reread, so that worked for me. I never lost the flow of the book because I know it pretty well.

About the racism question - yeah, it's bad. But I'm not reading it as someone who wishes it were true that the South was some sort of glorious place where all the enslaved people loved being enslaved. So, I can read it as historical fiction and leave it at that. It is remarkably accurate as far as battles/timeline of the war, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curtis Sittenfeld’s new short story collection, “Show Don’t Tell.”

^^ I finished this quickly.

The cool thing is that if you’re a fan of “Prep,” a fairly beloved novel (though I wonder how I’d like it as an adult!), one of the short stories is a follow up, describing a 30 year reunion. Otherwise, many of the other stories were misses for me.

[Anonymous]

Just finished Liane Moriarty's latest, Here One Moment, and I was disappointed not to love it. It's fine. It's entertaining and readable, but it didn't have the page-turner tension her novels usually have. It was a bit of a slog.

[Anonymous]

I am reading Kevin Kwan's Lies and Weddings now. It got pretty bad reviews but it's just what my brain is looking for. I'm really enjoying it (about 1/3 of the way through; maybe it gets worse!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

DP. I absolutely loved Normal People but hated Conversations with Friends with a passion, so I guess Intermezzo will be my Sally Rooney tiebreaker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:so far in September I've read:

Best **
The Searcher by Tana French. It's my first time reading her and I just loved this book. Mystery with a slow burn feel to it, from the perspective of a retired Chicago cop who relocates to rural Ireland and is asked by a 12yo to help find their missing sibling. It's a very delicate balance to investigate when you're not actually a cop anymore (and don't necessarily want your neighbors to know you were one) over a crime that may or may not have been committed. On top of that, all the people you're talking to have basically known each other their whole lives. A lot going on under the surface and beautifully written. The second in the series comes out this month.

Runner up *
Sandwich by Catherine Newman: I found this book to be very readable and relatable, a slice of life from the perspective of a woman going through menopause with young adult kids and aging parents during a week(?)long vacation in Sandwich, MA. Newman's writing style is very personal (even her fiction feels more like a memoir to me) and sort of breathless/fast-paced/intense. Idk how to explain other than that.

Least favorite: The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center: I liked the first 2/3 of this one but was super disappointed by the ending. I am a huge fan of Center's previous two books but this was just not it for me. Sadly.

Others:
Swift and Saddled by Lyra Sage - romance, cowboys, fun setting.

Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus - YA thriller, dual perspective from two teenagers (with morally shady parents) who investigate a murder/try not to get implicated in wrongdoing.

Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hazy - cozy mystery from the perspective of the head chef at the White House. It's older and a bit dated but still fun enough.

I have Sandwich but haven't read it yet. I saw her speak at a book lunch this summer on Cape Cod and she is breathless/fast paced in person too!

I liked the beginning of Sandwich so much - and then I just got so sick of it! I thought it got so repetitive - which, perhaps, was part of the point; but it left me bored after a while. And the big reveal just felt weirdly executed.

I've started it and liked it so far, if only because it reminded me so much of our Cape Cod vacations. My adult kids still try to recreate aspects of their childhood trips. But will report back when I finish it. Luckily it's short so even if it gets boring it will be a fast read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curtis Sittenfeld’s new short story collection, “Show Don’t Tell.”

^^ I finished this quickly.

The cool thing is that if you’re a fan of “Prep,” a fairly beloved novel (though I wonder how I’d like it as an adult!), one of the short stories is a follow up, describing a 30 year reunion. Otherwise, many of the other stories were misses for me.

It looks like this will be published in February 2025. How did you get a copy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curtis Sittenfeld’s new short story collection, “Show Don’t Tell.”

^^ I finished this quickly.

The cool thing is that if you’re a fan of “Prep,” a fairly beloved novel (though I wonder how I’d like it as an adult!), one of the short stories is a follow up, describing a 30 year reunion. Otherwise, many of the other stories were misses for me.

It looks like this will be published in February 2025. How did you get a copy?

It is available now as an ARC (advance review/reader copy). I read and review ARCs as a hobby via NetGalley. Anyone can do it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am reading Kevin Kwan's Lies and Weddings now. It got pretty bad reviews but it's just what my brain is looking for. I'm really enjoying it (about 1/3 of the way through; maybe it gets worse!).

I'm listening to the audiobook of this, and I'm at 30%. There are a lot of characters to keep up with and I think I would benefit from having the book book, but it wasn't available at my local library.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It’s easy enough to overlook. It’s written by a Georgian in 1900 who of course would’ve been fed a bunch of confederate hullabaloo. Like, acknowledging the racism of the characters and the flawed premise of the confederate characters who believe their slaves love them and this is a noble cause is one thing but shunning the ENTIRE book because of it is goofy. It’s a master class at storytelling and character building. The pace is incredible, at no point in the story does it flag for 960 pages. The characters feel real. And the growth between Melanie and Scarlett is really the centerpiece of the story.