It is October, what are you reading?

[Anonymous]

Has anyone read My Darlings, by Maria Still?

I have it on hold on Libby. Sounds like it's a domestic mystery/thriller that takes place in DC. Maybe the author is here on DCUM?

Description from Goodreads (4.15 stars):

"No one was supposed to know. I've always been so careful. My Darlings, how did we get here?

Evil lurks behind the perfectly manicured lawns, ornate iron gates, and long winding driveways of affluent DC–but not for long.

Stay-at-home mom Eloise Williams is PTO president and a respected local philanthropist who sits on the boards of many distinguished charities. In addition to being a doting wife and mother, she is also a serial killer.

But Eloise isn’t the only lady of society playing a part. As the hidden lives of Eloise's inner circle are exposed, the body count rises. When the stalker becomes the prey, Eloise desperately clings to remain in control.

Money and power can only buy influence and safety for so long. Eventually, the curtains lift, exposing the chilling reality hiding in plain sight."

[Anonymous]

I am reading All the Rage by Darcy Lockman. It was recommended by a poster on a thread here in the relationships section. The subtitle of the book is: mothers, fathers and the myth of equal partnership. I recommend it to all the frustrated moms out there - the validation alone is worth the read.

[Anonymous]

I'm reading The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow because one of the streaming services announced they're making an adaption.

It's LONG, but it's wonderful. I'm probably 200 pages from the end and am getting twitchy because I can't pick it up again until this evening.

The first part has the events of Pride and Prejudice reframed from Mary's POV. From there, there's a two year time jump. It's sad, but beautiful.

I'm a Janeite and hate most of the books I've read that are inspired by her work. This one is great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm reading The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow because one of the streaming services announced they're making an adaption.

It's LONG, but it's wonderful. I'm probably 200 pages from the end and am getting twitchy because I can't pick it up again until this evening.

The first part has the events of Pride and Prejudice reframed from Mary's POV. From there, there's a two year time jump. It's sad, but beautiful.

I'm a Janeite and hate most of the books I've read that are inspired by her work. This one is great.

I really liked The Other Bennet Sister too! Very satisfying.

I just picked up Tar Baby by Toni Morrison. I haven't ever read this one, and I'm always impressed by her writing, so I'm excited to finally read it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone read My Darlings, by Maria Still?

I have it on hold on Libby. Sounds like it's a domestic mystery/thriller that takes place in DC. Maybe the author is here on DCUM?

Description from Goodreads (4.15 stars):

"No one was supposed to know. I've always been so careful. My Darlings, how did we get here?

Evil lurks behind the perfectly manicured lawns, ornate iron gates, and long winding driveways of affluent DC–but not for long.

Stay-at-home mom Eloise Williams is PTO president and a respected local philanthropist who sits on the boards of many distinguished charities. In addition to being a doting wife and mother, she is also a serial killer.

But Eloise isn’t the only lady of society playing a part. As the hidden lives of Eloise's inner circle are exposed, the body count rises. When the stalker becomes the prey, Eloise desperately clings to remain in control.

Money and power can only buy influence and safety for so long. Eventually, the curtains lift, exposing the chilling reality hiding in plain sight."

I don’t know anything about this one but I love a good insider novel/ Roman a clef! Please come back and let us know if this one delivers!

[Anonymous]

I'm a perfume lover, but in the dog days of summer, can't stand perfume or make-up when I'm melting into a pile of goo. So come fall, every year, I start getting into perfumes again, and buying new ones.

I am reading Perfume, by Lizzie Ostrom, a look back on the major perfumes of the 20th century, and their chemical, historical or sociological importance. And I have a few other books on perfume I might dip into. Not the Chanel N5 bestseller - I've never liked that one!

[Anonymous]

I just finished Leaving by Roxana Robinson

What is it about? A later in life rekindled romance with one character now divorced, the other still married. Multiple issues with the adult child of the still married character who used emotional blackmail to keep her father from leaving his wife.

What do you think of it? I found the first half of the book very slow, had to skim read. The book drew me in at that point but I found the main characters pretentious and unlikable. The ending was awful, IMO.

Why did you pick that particular book to read? A book review, probably from WaPo.


How did you acquire the book? Library.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone read My Darlings, by Maria Still?

I have it on hold on Libby. Sounds like it's a domestic mystery/thriller that takes place in DC. Maybe the author is here on DCUM?

Description from Goodreads (4.15 stars):

"No one was supposed to know. I've always been so careful. My Darlings, how did we get here?

Evil lurks behind the perfectly manicured lawns, ornate iron gates, and long winding driveways of affluent DC–but not for long.

Stay-at-home mom Eloise Williams is PTO president and a respected local philanthropist who sits on the boards of many distinguished charities. In addition to being a doting wife and mother, she is also a serial killer.

But Eloise isn’t the only lady of society playing a part. As the hidden lives of Eloise's inner circle are exposed, the body count rises. When the stalker becomes the prey, Eloise desperately clings to remain in control.

Money and power can only buy influence and safety for so long. Eventually, the curtains lift, exposing the chilling reality hiding in plain sight."

This sounds fun— adding to my TBR list!

[Anonymous]

Just finished God of the Woods. Good, not great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just finished God of the Woods. Good, not great.

I agree. I was really loving it - I love the camp setting. But then it got weird with T.J. and the ending did not make sense at all when you really think about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just started God of the Woods by Liz Moore and it has sucked me right in. It takes place at a summer camp in the Adirondacks and one of the girls goes missing, bringing up a plot line from 8 years previous when her brother disappeared as well. I'm loving it -hope it stays good through the end.

This was our book group's pick for the month. I'm really enjoying it as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just finished “James” by Percival Everett. I liked it a lot— except I thought the pace sped up a little too wildly at the end. I wanted to sit a little more with some of the happenings at the end of the book and then the plot really sped up and then it was over (trying to be vague here)! Overall, very good, and a cool twist on a classic. But I wanted more.

Trying to decide what to read next.

This is next on my list, and I picked up Huck Finn to read first. I couldn't get through Huck Finn at all! I feel like it didn't age well and I was having to force myself to read it so I DNF.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just finished Tom Lake. I thought it was slow. And I’m not a person who needs an overly plot-driven, well, plot. But somehow stuff both happened and didn’t happen in that book? It was well-written and I liked a lot of the author’s language and how everything is slowly revealed over time. But still. In the end it was like (vague spoilers) “oh we got married somehow and xxx died in a yacht accident ain’t that crazy, anyway back to the farm!”

This was one that was definitely better as an audio book. Meryl Streep nailed it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just finished The Berry Pickers. I enjoyed it, but it was sad/depressing.
Just started Sandwich.

Loved Berry Pickers; hated Sandwich. I thought I would like Sandwich b/c I am the Sandwich Generation but the main character was very annoying. She was too much of what annoys me about Boomers.

[Anonymous]

I just finished The Briar Club by Kate Quinn. I liked it, especially since it was different than some of her other books that seem have a similar premise. It was fun that it took place in DC (1950s) and per usual woman centered. There are a ton of characters and she goes in depth into each. It's part mystery, keeps you guessing why what happened in Chapter 1 happened until the end. She pulls it all together nicely. I might read again because I bet I missed some details along the way.