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Out Stealing Horses by Per Peterson...
It's about an aging man who has recently relocated to a remote cabin in Norway. Lots of back and forth between the past and present. This is a slow, character focused book. I'm enjoying it so far, but I would not recommend if you're someone who prefers plot-driven fiction. |
I had the same experience with Happiness Falls, except that I did rage-finish it, which made me dislike the book even more. I just finished The Women by Kristin Hannah. I loved The Nightingale and liked Four Winds, but was so disappointed with this one. The writing, main character, and story did not live up to the concept. It read like it was written solely for the purpose of scoring a movie deal. My next book is Chain Gang All Stars, which I bought on sale via Amazon's daily ebook deals email. It was recommended by a Facebook friend as one of the top books she read in 2023 (out of 52!). |
The film adaptation was lovely, you should check it out when you are done reading. I should caveat that I only saw the film, didn't read the book - but I assume the book is not fully served by the film as most aren't. |
Does Four Winds get better? I loved the Nightingale and the Great Alone but 120ish pages into the Four Winds and I'm about to throw in the towel. And I NEVER quit books. |
I learned SO MUCH about wine from Cork Dork! |
| One of Us which is about Anders Behring Breivik and The Tragedy of the Whale Ship Essex. I started Anna Karenina but novels have a harder time holding my attention than nonfiction so it’ll take me awhile to get back to it. |
I read the Four Winds about 6 months ago. It was a tale of trauma from beginning to end. But I did learn a lot about what the dust bowl was all about. |
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What is everyone reading this month?
The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris What is it about? It is about how chaotic life was in the south right after the end of the civil war. Specifically, the book is set in Georgia, beginning at one week after the end of the war. Union troops have come to every home in the county to announce that the war is over and the slaves are free. These two brothers, former slaves, decide to take their bedding and sleep in the woods nearby, just because they can. They find a pond nearby and trap rabbits for food. The owner of the land the former slaves are camping on is informed that his son died in the war and decides to take a walk around his 200 acre property while he lets the news of his son sink in. He happens upon the former slaves and offers them jobs helping to start a peanut farm on his land. He treats them with respect and pays them "white man wages". Pretty soon the son they thought was dead comes home. Turns out he deserted and was taken prisoner. All parties involved are shunned by the people in town. The husband and wife because they are treating the former slaves with respect. The son because he was a deserter. The former slaves because they have money and keep going into town to buy groceries and decent clothes. Eventually someone is murdered. What do you think of it? I thought it was very good. Why did you pick that particular book to read? It was an Oprah's book club selection and the concept for the book was intriguing. How did you acquire the book? Downloaded from my library website. |
| Beyond That, the Sea- I enjoyed this coming of age story about a 11 year old English girl who comes to live with an American family during the war. She stays with a wealthy Boston family becomes part of their family. |
I just started Someone Else's Shoes because it had been on my list for awhile so you inspired me! I'm reading it on my Kindle. I'm about halfway through and I like it. It's sadder than I thought it would be - not sure why I was expecting a Jennifer Weiner/Elin Hilderbrand fluff kind of book, but it's good. I am also listening to The Andromeda Evolution on Audible, having recently re-read The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton. This one is basically a continuation of the first book decades later - the strain is discovered on earth again. So far I like the original book better but this one is an easy enough listen (I say easy enough because there are a lot of characters to keep straight, as was the case with the first one). |
100% agree. The Great Alone is my favorite of hers. I hated Firefly Lane. So I guess I find her to be really inconsistent as far as my tastes are concerned. I can't figure it out because she clearly has the ability to write deeply developed and interesting characters and create intriguing environments in which to place them but sometimes she just totally phones it in and turns out utter rubbish. Oh well. |
Wow! I had no idea of this follow up book to Andromeda Strain. Michael Crichton novels are kind of my weakness- so addicting! |
This is PP - to be clear, The Andromeda Evolution came out after Crichton's death. You can read more about the book coming to fruition in footnotes 1-3 in the Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Andromeda_Evolution |
Very interesting, thanks! I had no idea how I missed this but I get it now. |
Oh I love that book, its one of my favorites. I've since attempted to read others by him, all good but not quite as amazing. |