May 2026 - What are you reading?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just finished Ian McEwan’s What We Can Know, and not sure what I think of it.

Set 100 years into the future after climate disaster has struck, but really about the lives of an imaginary poet and his wife from our times. The first half of the book focuses on the two academics of the future who are researching the poet/wife. Although the story should have hit all my buttons (speculative fiction, literary puzzle, check, check), the characters were all fantastically boring—left me wondering if this was intentional? The second half went back to focus on the wife and I guess served as a bit of a twist—certainly more interesting—but left me wondering what the point of her story was. Altogether I am not sure I “got” the book, and the whole thing read sort of like a rough draft.*

*Sort of an echo/draft of Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, which, however, succeeded in compellingly depicting the banal everyday surface of a horrifying future, was that the point here too?

I had mixed feelings about it. I've read all of Ian McEwan's books, and every time I read another one, I kind of wonder why. Agree that the characters were "all fantastically boring."

I loved it. But then again I work in a field related to climate and I just thought it was relaly genius. I loved the premise of what you relaly can know looking back at history. I love thinking about what peple in the future will think of this time.

I do think the characters were boring, but I think intentionally so. The main character was stuck in the past so much so he could'nt even see all the things he didn't know. And I think he mourned for birds and wildlife and all the things that were lost.

I don't think that was a wise choice. But I have spent far too many years picking apart writer's choices and can overthink things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just finished Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth. Very different from her usual style of writing.

Did you like it?

It was slow to get into, but then I loved it. I was sorry when I was finished.

If you read it, I hope you enjoy it and come back to let us know what you thought of it.

[Anonymous]

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women

[Anonymous]

I just put John of John on my reading list after hearing Oprah announce it for her next bookclub pick. Looks interesting.

[Anonymous]

I just started “His Majesty’s dragon” by Naomi Novik. I am listening to the audiobook narrated by Simon Vance. It is a reimagining of the Napoleonic wars with both England and France having sort of a dragon Air Force. Really liking it so far. Has anyone read it? Did you like it? (No spoilers please). This is my first Naomi Novik read.

[Anonymous]

I’m reading The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey. I’m liking it so far (about 1/3 through), though it’s feeling a little bit like a reworked Never Let Me Go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just started “His Majesty’s dragon” by Naomi Novik. I am listening to the audiobook narrated by Simon Vance. It is a reimagining of the Napoleonic wars with both England and France having sort of a dragon Air Force. Really liking it so far. Has anyone read it? Did you like it? (No spoilers please). This is my first Naomi Novik read.

I enjoyed it a lot. It's like Jane Austen and Patrick O'Brien, but with dragons. Manners, etiquette, social class/hierarchy, but also naval and aerial battle tactics, and also dragons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just finished Train Dreams which...wow. I'm not quite sure how to describe it other than a loose biography (?) of a railway worker in the american west. That feels very inaccurate but it was a really interesting read. Now starting Mrs. Dalloway because I've never read it and it's referenced so often (I see you, PP who recently finished the Wedding People!).

It's a novella and a movie? Just watched the trailer. Holy Guacamole that looks good. I'll have to be in the right state of mind to read and watch!

Yes, and both the novella and the movie are beautiful.

[Anonymous]

I just finished Emma Straub's "American Fantasy." Multi POV that takes place on a cruise themed around a fictional boy band called "Boy Talk" (no longer together except for these cruises) and attended by women in their 40s/50s, who were teens when the band was popular. At the beginning, all of the POV characters are in a place in their life where they are closed off to new things happening in their future, they've kind of given up on that aspect of themselves. It's also about revisiting the specialness of being young, and kind of realizing you are the same person that you were back then. I just loved it.

I'm now reading "Before She Was Helen" by Caroline B. Cooney--a dual timeline mystery about an elderly woman whose mysterious past comes back to haunt her as she gets wrapped up in a current murder investigation. I'm thoroughly enjoying it. (And I only just now realized that this is the author of "The Face on the Milk Carton," a book I *adored* in sixth grade. I knew her name sounded familiar! Full circle moment.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just finished Ian McEwan’s What We Can Know, and not sure what I think of it.

Set 100 years into the future after climate disaster has struck, but really about the lives of an imaginary poet and his wife from our times. The first half of the book focuses on the two academics of the future who are researching the poet/wife. Although the story should have hit all my buttons (speculative fiction, literary puzzle, check, check), the characters were all fantastically boring—left me wondering if this was intentional? The second half went back to focus on the wife and I guess served as a bit of a twist—certainly more interesting—but left me wondering what the point of her story was. Altogether I am not sure I “got” the book, and the whole thing read sort of like a rough draft.*

*Sort of an echo/draft of Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, which, however, succeeded in compellingly depicting the banal everyday surface of a horrifying future, was that the point here too?

I had mixed feelings about it. I've read all of Ian McEwan's books, and every time I read another one, I kind of wonder why. Agree that the characters were "all fantastically boring."

I loved it. But then again I work in a field related to climate and I just thought it was relaly genius. I loved the premise of what you relaly can know looking back at history. I love thinking about what peple in the future will think of this time.

I do think the characters were boring, but I think intentionally so. The main character was stuck in the past so much so he could'nt even see all the things he didn't know. And I think he mourned for birds and wildlife and all the things that were lost.

I don't think that was a wise choice. But I have spent far too many years picking apart writer's choices and can overthink things.

Yes, I'm the original poster, and the fact that McEwan is obviously a deft writer, the characters were not hackneyed or stereotypical, and the "present day" figures became so much more interesting in the second half when we were actually brought into their interior lives--makes me wonder if it was intentional. As one PP says, the future people (certainly the main academic) lived this odd backwards-looking existence, sort of a vestigial limb to our present day, perhaps it makes sense to the story that they do not seem fleshed out or interesting.

That said, if intentional, it certainly was a gamble, and made the book a bit of a slog.

[Anonymous]

I just finished The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey. It was lovely. It's about an older couple (maybe late middle age) who moves to Alaska to homestead in the early 20th century. There's a little hint of magic, but it's really just the magic of the land and the people and life in that time and place. Low conflict, setting is beautiful but also harsh. 8/10

Almost done now with The Lonely Hearts Hotel, by Heather O'Neil. Not sure why it's described as magical realism. It's pretty real. Two orphans fall in love at the orphanage during the Great Depression and go on to have hard but happy lives. 7/10

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just finished Train Dreams which...wow. I'm not quite sure how to describe it other than a loose biography (?) of a railway worker in the american west. That feels very inaccurate but it was a really interesting read. Now starting Mrs. Dalloway because I've never read it and it's referenced so often (I see you, PP who recently finished the Wedding People!).

It's a novella and a movie? Just watched the trailer. Holy Guacamole that looks good. I'll have to be in the right state of mind to read and watch!

I loved the movie. It's beautiful and heart wrenching and moves at a nice quiet pace. But yes, I cried, so bring some tissues.

[Anonymous]

I just finished So Old, So Young. It's a "coming of middle-age novel" about college roommates over 20 years. I especially recommend it to all Penn grads of the Aughts.

I also subscribed to the email Dracula Daily - I have not previously read the book Dracula (and I have a goal of reading one classic a year, so this is going to be my classic for 2026!). Apparently the book is a series of dated journal entries and letters starting on
May 3. You get an email every day that there is a book entry, starting on May 3. It has been fun and I like this idea so far! You can sign up too - you only have a few days you need to read to catch up!

https://draculadaily.substack.com/

[Anonymous]

I am listening to Christina Applegate’s memoir You with the Sad Eyes. She narrates it (of course), and I am loving it. Especially when she laughs at her own lines. Highly recommend the audiobook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just finished Emma Straub's "American Fantasy." Multi POV that takes place on a cruise themed around a fictional boy band called "Boy Talk" (no longer together except for these cruises) and attended by women in their 40s/50s, who were teens when the band was popular. At the beginning, all of the POV characters are in a place in their life where they are closed off to new things happening in their future, they've kind of given up on that aspect of themselves. It's also about revisiting the specialness of being young, and kind of realizing you are the same person that you were back then. I just loved it.

I'm now reading "Before She Was Helen" by Caroline B. Cooney--a dual timeline mystery about an elderly woman whose mysterious past comes back to haunt her as she gets wrapped up in a current murder investigation. I'm thoroughly enjoying it. (And I only just now realized that this is the author of "The Face on the Milk Carton," a book I *adored* in sixth grade. I knew her name sounded familiar! Full circle moment.)

I LOVED "The Face on the Milk Carton” at a similar age…thanks for reminding me about it!