It’s August, what are you reading?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm working on three books:

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
Grumpy footballer (soccer player) needs to write his memoirs and hires a Sunshine ghostwriter. Romance ensues. I'm listening to the audiobook, and I'm only 18% into it but my mind has wandered a bit already so I'm not sure if this one is going to hold my attention.

Captain Saturday by Robert Inman
Popular middle aged TV weatherman loses his job following a mega corp station buy out. He also has some issues with his wife and college age son, and some things from his past to resolve. A coming of middle age story.
I'm about halfway through this one and enjoying it so far.

Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
I'm only about one chapter in to this one and so far it's a bit of a slog. Tyler has been recommended by DCUM so I'm trying to give it a chance.

These three ending up on my DNF shelf. I scanned the Grumpy book to see how it ended. I might try to go back to Breathing Lessons at some point but definitely not the other two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm working on three books:

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
Grumpy footballer (soccer player) needs to write his memoirs and hires a Sunshine ghostwriter. Romance ensues. I'm listening to the audiobook, and I'm only 18% into it but my mind has wandered a bit already so I'm not sure if this one is going to hold my attention.

Captain Saturday by Robert Inman
Popular middle aged TV weatherman loses his job following a mega corp station buy out. He also has some issues with his wife and college age son, and some things from his past to resolve. A coming of middle age story.
I'm about halfway through this one and enjoying it so far.

Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
I'm only about one chapter in to this one and so far it's a bit of a slog. Tyler has been recommended by DCUM so I'm trying to give it a chance.

These three ending up on my DNF shelf. I scanned the Grumpy book to see how it ended. I might try to go back to Breathing Lessons at some point but definitely not the other two.

This is blasphemy around here but I think Anne Tyler books feel really dated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:God of the Woods and All the Colors of the Dark have been favorites. I also really really liked Sandwich and the Wedding People. Long Island Compromise was solid as well.

I also read It's a Privilege to Be Here and it was both boring and angry. Husbands and Lovers was a lovely beach read as well. I've gotten pretty lucky with my summer reads.

OH! And in honor of Francine Pascal's passing, I read the first 3 Sweet Valley High books. They are both wholesome and chaotic.

Sweet Valley High was such a part of my childhood! I haven't read those books in years but I would like to go back and give them a reread. I do remember really well the "Love and Death in London" trilogy where Elizabeth ends up dating a British guy who turns out to be... a werewolf. lol. Rich princess Lila Fowler was my favorite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just finished listening to Good Company by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney.
It was about a woman who found out her husband had a year-long affair more than a decade earlier.
I thought the book was a dud. Most of it was navel gazing while she contemplated whether to stay in the marriage or go.

I got this one from the library and gave up after a few pages. I had read another one by the author, The Nest, which was in the realm of okay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I liked the beginning of Tomorrow and Tomorrow etc as others have said, however after a certain point not much happened, the characters and story weren't compelling, and the whole thing felt like a Sally Rooney novel but with video games.

Yes indeed. I actually had just read Normal People a month before Tomorrow etc. I felt like I had had my fill of stories about intense, long-lasting relationships with cycles of miscommunication/break ups/make ups.

I also read Normal People and Tomorrows and didn't really enjoy either. Not terrible. Just meh. Not my thing.

I'm reading a Philippa Gregory series now (Tidelands, Dark Tides and Dawnland) and it's fine. I'm over it but too stubborn not to finish at 2/3 done with the third and last book in the series. I do wish it would just wrap up already. Maybe the ending will redeem the whole series, but at the moment it's dragging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just finished Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. It was an easy read about a 19 year old who finds herself pregnant after having an affair with her English professor, and decides to keep the baby. It's not a heavy book (or a pro-life book or political book), just a girl making life work. I enjoyed it quite a bit, 4 stars.

I read this one also and enjoyed the story despite my personal feelings about some of her choices.

I felt that way about all of the characters. Other than maybe roommate Suzie. Margo came from a rocky foundation, so there's little hope of good decisions at 19. I read there is talk of a mini series on the horizon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just finished Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. It was an easy read about a 19 year old who finds herself pregnant after having an affair with her English professor, and decides to keep the baby. It's not a heavy book (or a pro-life book or political book), just a girl making life work. I enjoyed it quite a bit, 4 stars.

I read this one also and enjoyed the story despite my personal feelings about some of her choices.

I felt that way about all of the characters. Other than maybe roommate Suzie. Margo came from a rocky foundation, so there's little hope of good decisions at 19. I read there is talk of a mini series on the horizon.

Not sure of the choice of Nicole Kidman, but Elle Fanning works for me.

https://deadline.com/2024/02/margos-got-money-troubles-apple-elle-fanning-nicole-kidman-1235811500/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just finished Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. It was an easy read about a 19 year old who finds herself pregnant after having an affair with her English professor, and decides to keep the baby. It's not a heavy book (or a pro-life book or political book), just a girl making life work. I enjoyed it quite a bit, 4 stars.

I read this one also and enjoyed the story despite my personal feelings about some of her choices.

I felt that way about all of the characters. Other than maybe roommate Suzie. Margo came from a rocky foundation, so there's little hope of good decisions at 19. I read there is talk of a mini series on the horizon.

Not sure of the choice of Nicole Kidman, but Elle Fanning works for me.

https://deadline.com/2024/02/margos-got-money-troubles-apple-elle-fanning-nicole-kidman-1235811500/

Is Kidman going to act in it or just produce? The article didn't mention a role for her and none of the characters seem to be a good match for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just finished listening to Good Company by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney.
It was about a woman who found out her husband had a year-long affair more than a decade earlier.
I thought the book was a dud. Most of it was navel gazing while she contemplated whether to stay in the marriage or go.

I got this one from the library and gave up after a few pages. I had read another one by the author, The Nest, which was in the realm of okay.

I think you were smart to give up on Good Company after a few pages. I saw on my library website that the author has also written the Nest, but at the moment I am not interested in reading anything else by her ever.

[Anonymous]

I just finished "Happiness for Beginners" by Katherine Center.
It is about a woman who is recently divorced and goes on a wilderness group outing in Wyoming so she can learn to be an a$$ kicker instead of a pushover.
I thought it was pretty good.
Downloaded it from my library website.

[Anonymous]

I'm rereading Possession by A.S. Byatt. I loved it the first time around and I still appreciate it, but I've sort of gotten out of the mood for erudite explorations of literary heros through the lens of 80s feminism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm rereading Possession by A.S. Byatt. I loved it the first time around and I still appreciate it, but I've sort of gotten out of the mood for erudite explorations of literary heros through the lens of 80s feminism.

I read that last year when I was doing a little tour of older Booker reads. I loved it!

[Anonymous]

Just finished listening to James by Percival Everett and can see why it's gotten such good reviews.

Currently listening to The Bookbinder. A little longer and slower, but still good. "A young British woman working in a book bindery gets a chance to pursue knowledge and love when World War I upends her life..."

[Anonymous]

I finished "The Chicken Sisters" by KJ Dell'Antonia yesterday.
It is about two chicken restaurants in a small town in Kansas that are competing in a reality cooking competition show called Food Wars. Both restaurants were started by sisters in the 1880's and are still run by descendants of those two sisters.
I liked it. It was a little long but I was not bored with it. It was nice to find a book that was as light as your typical RomCom that was not a romance. Hallmark is making an 8 episode series based on the book.
Downloaded it from my library website.

[Anonymous]

Halfway through an ARC of “Absolution” by Jeff VanderMeer.

This is an extension of his famous trilogy (“Annihilation,” “Authority,” and “Acceptance”). Annihilation was one of the strangest, most creative works I had ever read, and I think it’s been hard to live up to that.