What are you reading for August?

[Anonymous]

Any more sci fi recommendations? DW loves good, classic sci fi and we're headed on vacation Labor Day so I'd love to get her something she'll enjoy.

[Anonymous]

I just finished Tom Lake from the ever delightful Ann Patchett. For those concerned this would be a pandemic book, it barely touched that. I really enjoyed the book and thought she tied it very well together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any more sci fi recommendations? DW loves good, classic sci fi and we're headed on vacation Labor Day so I'd love to get her something she'll enjoy.

Arkady Martine, An Empire Called Memory
Ann Leckie, Ancillary Justice
China Mieville, The City and The City

[Anonymous]

After the Funeral & other stories by Tessa Hadley. She's a UK author and they are brilliant stories. I have to take a break between each one because I get so absorbed in the universe that I have to teach myself to drop it before starting the next one (as is always the way with short stories).

[Anonymous]

I just finished Atonement. I picked it up after reading a PP's post on another thread about how gut-wrenching/devastating it was.

That was not my experience with this novel at all. Probably my expectations were skewed by the other post, but I also think this book does a fair job intentionally "spoiling" itself.

I found the beginning a total slog and was tempted to DNF. Thankfully, that writing style is not continued throughout. I did like it though, and may check out the movie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just finished Atonement. I picked it up after reading a PP's post on another thread about how gut-wrenching/devastating it was.

That was not my experience with this novel at all. Probably my expectations were skewed by the other post, but I also think this book does a fair job intentionally "spoiling" itself.

I found the beginning a total slog and was tempted to DNF. Thankfully, that writing style is not continued throughout. I did like it though, and may check out the movie.

I liked the book and loved the movie.

[Anonymous]

Reading Jeanette Winterson's 12 Bytes, which is essays about AI. Really interesting, very different from what I associate her with, which is her memoir The Glass Castle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just finished Atonement. I picked it up after reading a PP's post on another thread about how gut-wrenching/devastating it was.

That was not my experience with this novel at all. Probably my expectations were skewed by the other post, but I also think this book does a fair job intentionally "spoiling" itself.

I found the beginning a total slog and was tempted to DNF. Thankfully, that writing style is not continued throughout. I did like it though, and may check out the movie.

I didn't love Atonement, either. Which surprised me, because I loved all of Ian McEwan's other books, especially Amsterdam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any more sci fi recommendations? DW loves good, classic sci fi and we're headed on vacation Labor Day so I'd love to get her something she'll enjoy.

Has she read Never Let Me Go? It's not new, but it is amazing. I remember reading it and getting about 1/3 of the way through and thinking "Wait, I thought this was supposed to be sci-fi?" and then getting a bit further in and going "Whoa, wait, what the hell is going on here???" It's one of the books that has stayed with me for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just started This Tender Land.

I liked that book!

I "finally" just started American Dirt last night. Idk what I think of it yet.

I liked American Dirt - I had to read it after hearing about the controversy about how the publisher and film company that bought the rights favored the writer, who is not LatinX. I thought it was interesting and I learned a lot about immigration and drug wars.

Then I started Yellowface, because it tackles the issue of authority in publishing head on. It's also interesting and a bit satyrical which I love.

I loved American Dirt! I think the whole kerfuffle about the author was totally ridiculous. It's a good book. Who cares what race or ethnicity the author is.

Yellowface was ok. It's well written and humorous in parts. But overall it made me really anxious, and not in that fun excited way that thrillers typically do but in the way that you find yourself constantly cringing and covering your face on behalf of the characters and their bad choices. I realize this was the author's intention but it was very unpleasant to experience as the reader.

Sigh. Not ridiculous at all, and the book perpetuates dangerous stereotypes which is to be expected given the clueless writer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Almost finished East of Eden by Steinbeck
--Fascinating

Did you love it? I have a tattoo of "timshel" on my wrist.

[Anonymous]

Count of Monte Cristo cause a bunch of people on Reddit told me to. (The last time I followed their recs I ended up wasting my time with Shogun. Hope this time is not a repeat.)

[Anonymous]

I just finished Birnam Wood.

Now I need to pick among these:

Mad Honey
Lessons in Chemistry
The Heart’s Invisible Furies

Help me choose!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just finished Birnam Wood.

Now I need to pick among these:

Mad Honey
Lessons in Chemistry
The Heart’s Invisible Furies

Help me choose!

I just finished Lessons in Chemistry and really enjoyed it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Count of Monte Cristo cause a bunch of people on Reddit told me to. (The last time I followed their recs I ended up wasting my time with Shogun. Hope this time is not a repeat.)

I think you will find Count of Monte Cristo significantly better than Shogun, lol.