April 2025 - What are you reading?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reading Orbital which won the Booker Prize. Beautiful prose.

I found this one so calming before bed. Meditative and helpful to have perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin

Just finished it and just found it meh. While I can relate to the difficult nature of a platonic friendship that evolves from childhood into adult life, I found the characters to be mostly unlikeable and the story to be unrealistically tragic. It reads like mediocre YA but with a big vocabulary, and it has one standout first-person POV chapter that doesn't redeem the rest of the book.

This was highly recommended to me by several people whose book opinions I respect. I hated it! I also found it to be YA-ish, like a bit immature but weirdly pretentious? Anyway, I probably would’ve just found it mediocre if I hadn’t heard it talked up so much.

[Anonymous]

I just read The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County. It was a recommendation I found on last month's reading thread. It was a sweet story. Nothing fabulous, but worth a read if you need something between holds!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:James, by Percival Everett. This is the reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from the enslaved point of view of Jim.

Sounds good! Report back.

James is excellent, highly recommend

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin

Just finished it and just found it meh. While I can relate to the difficult nature of a platonic friendship that evolves from childhood into adult life, I found the characters to be mostly unlikeable and the story to be unrealistically tragic. It reads like mediocre YA but with a big vocabulary, and it has one standout first-person POV chapter that doesn't redeem the rest of the book.

I had a very similar reaction. Also, the constant explaining felt condescending. If you’re going to refer to a character as “a poor man’s Chris Cornell”, that should be the end of the description. You don’t need to then spell out why…it undermines the whole point of the reference.

[Anonymous]

Lorne, the bio of SNL creator Lorne Michaels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spent the weekend absolutely buried in Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry. Could not put it down and was very sad to leave the world when it was over. I didn't think the subject matter would interest me (no previous interest in Westerns) but I love epic novels and this was recommended and wow, is all I can say. The characters, the settings, the interpersonal relationships, the humor and tragedy, the internal monologues, all of it was totally absorbing. Highly recommended.

One of my favorite books is The Last Picture Show by him and I also liked Horseman Pass By. He's a good writer. These are his first two books, I think.

[Anonymous]

The Covenant of Water - It’s good but long. Saga about a family living in India starting in 1900 to 1970’s. I’m on chapter 40 something and I’m not halfway through.

[Anonymous]

I’m too depressed to read. My Libby holds keep expiring. I was thinking of getting Sister Europe by Nell Zink, based on NYT review. Anybody know if it will make me more depressed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just read The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County. It was a recommendation I found on last month's reading thread. It was a sweet story. Nothing fabulous, but worth a read if you need something between holds!

Oh, I am the person who read that book last month and posted about it. I am glad you enjoyed it!. I agree, the book was sweet.

[Anonymous]

I just finished "Maybe in Another Life" by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
It is about a young woman who, at the end of a party, is faced with the choice of going home with either her old boyfriend or her best female friend. The rest of the book depicts her living different lives as a result of which choice she makes. It reminded me of those "choose your own adventure" books from back in the day.
I thought the book was good. Okay. Meh. The target audience for the book was young adult, I think.

[Anonymous]

House of Beckham

[Anonymous]

Timothy Snyder, On Freedom.

Really explains our current malaise.

[Anonymous]

All The Colors Of The Dark, quite a page turner. I have stayed up late some nights because I could not put it down.

[Anonymous]

Bad Nature, by Ariel Courage. I'm a little over half way through and finding it a fairly engaging read.