What are you reading? November edition

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm reading The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren.

It's a fun, mindless beach novel, with a bit of steam. Perfect to get lost into this week.

I wanted to like this but the main character was just unbelievable

[Anonymous]

Just finished Sandwich by Catherine Newman

The main character Rachel "Rocky" is menopausal with two 20 something kids and aging parents in the "sandwich" generation. The story takes place at their annual vacation in Cape Cod - with the adult kids and parents but the parents don't show up until halfway through the book. There are many flashbacks. Rocky is a bit annoying and isn't really struggling with what many do with kids and parents because both of her kids are successfully launched and the parents live independently and don't require Rocky to do much for them.

Goodreads average rating is 3.68 and I'd give it a 2.5-3. The writing is not bad, but the issues mentioned above kept me from fully getting lost in the story.

I liked this on interactions with adult children especially the italicized: "They can bristle, take offence, go silent. They chafe against the very fact of you, the parents. Against the judgement seeping out of you even while you're busying impressing yourself with your own restraint."

[Anonymous]

Matrix. Lauren Groff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Right now, I'm finishing a late started Halloween re-read of Dracula.

I reread Dracula recently. I was like, what is this epistolary YA stuff? lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Finally getting to The Mirror & The Light by Hilary Mantel. It's been sitting on my nightstand in a stack for about two years. Read the first two in the trilogy and loved them, so I don't know why it took me so long to remember I had this one. I skipped over it for lighter reading during the summer. Somehow some books just feel like colder weather reading to me if that makes sense to anyone else

Love this book, although not as much as the first two. Report back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Updating my October list as these were finished in November:

I am working on Water for Elephants (yes, I'm late to the party on this one). [b]Finished this one and although there were parts I disliked, overall I enjoyed it and would recommend if you like historical fiction with narrator alternating between himself at a young age and old age.[/b]

Next up or simultaneously because one is non fiction and because WFE might not hold my attention:

From Here to the Great Unknown, memoir by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough
I am going to listen to the audiobook narrated by Keough and Julia Roberts which according to Goodreads is fantastic.
Highly recommend this one if you have any interest in the Presley family

The Grey Wolf, Book 19 in the Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny
Penny continues her overuse of sentence fragments, but these are less noticeable when listening to the audiobook versus reading the paper copy or e-book. The audiobook narrator is new on this book and is not as good as the first two for this series. This book also continues the recent trend of Gamache books where the danger is widespread versus focused in Three Pines. It's a bit convoluted and ends with a set up for book 20. I'm a fan of Penny and do recommend her books - and go see her in person if you ever have a chance to see her speak - and sometimes I want a series to go on forever, but maybe there comes a time when it's better to end.

I hated Like Water For Elephants. I thought the prose was bad. To a distraction. I didn’t finish it.

[Anonymous]

I just finished Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews.
It is about a resort near Savannah and the people who work there. There is a murder, and some other nefarious activities. There is also a romance.
I thought it was excellent. I have very much enjoyed every book Mary Kay Andrews has written.
I downloaded it as an audiobook from Libby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Finally getting to The Mirror & The Light by Hilary Mantel. It's been sitting on my nightstand in a stack for about two years. Read the first two in the trilogy and loved them, so I don't know why it took me so long to remember I had this one. I skipped over it for lighter reading during the summer. Somehow some books just feel like colder weather reading to me if that makes sense to anyone else

Love this book, although not as much as the first two. Report back.

NP. I’m excited that the second part of the miniseries is finally coming back (after almost five years?). I thought the first was an excellent adaptation.

[Anonymous]

I just read God of the Woods. Very readable; not great literature or anything. But worked for pulling me through a book as post-election escapism. A good book for distracting oneself briefly without having to think too hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm reading The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren.

It's a fun, mindless beach novel, with a bit of steam. Perfect to get lost into this week.

I wanted to like this but the main character was just unbelievable

Yes, the whole thing is unbelievable, but I still enjoyed it at 3.5 stars. Brain candy, in that's it shuts your brain off and lets you enjoy without deep thoughts, or tough feelings.

[Anonymous]

I'm near to the end of Fatelessness by Imre Kertesz. Then I'll start Kaddish for an Unborn Child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Matrix. Lauren Groff.

I really liked this one.

About to start O Caledonia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell
- especially great if you happen to live in NY in the late 90s/early 2000s

You've Got Mail for a new generation, set in the days of AOL and instant messenger banter, about a freshly engaged editorial assistant who winds up spending her "summer Fridays" with the person she least expects

Summer 1999: Twentysomething Sawyer is striving to make it in New York. Between her assistant job in publishing, her secret dreams of becoming a writer, and her upcoming wedding to her college boyfriend, her is plate full. Only one problem: She is facing an incredibly lonely summer as her fiancé has been spending longer and longer hours at work . . . with an all-too-close female colleague, Kendra.

When Kendra's boyfriend, Nick, invites Sawyer to meet up and compare notes about their suspicions, the meeting goes awry. She finds Nick cocky and cynical, and he finds her stuck in her own head. But then Nick seeks out Sawyer online to apologize, and a friendship develops.

Soon, Sawyer's lonely summer takes an unexpected turn. She and Nick begin an unofficial ritual—exploring New York City together every summer Friday. From hot dogs on the Staten Island Ferry and Sea Breezes in a muggy East Village bar to swimming at Coney Island, Sawyer feels seen by Nick in a way that surprises her. He pushes her to be braver. To ask for what she wants. Meanwhile, Sawyer draws Nick out of his hard shell, revealing a surprisingly vulnerable side. They both begin living for their Friday afternoons together.

But what happens when the summer is over?

Summer Fridays is a witty and emotional love letter to New York City that also captures the feeling of being young and starting out, uncertain what to do on your summer Friday. It’s also perfect for readers who remember when “going online” meant tying up the phone line, and the timeless thrill of seeing a certain someone’s name in your inbox.

That sounds incredibly fun. I did live in NYC in the lat 90s/early 2000s and will download this one immediately.

I'm reading God of the Woods now. Just a little into it - enjoying it so far.

Does that PP work for the publisher? I refuse to quote her post. She just
cut and pasted the publisher’s summary I saw on Libby.

[Anonymous]

It Takes A Village, by Hillary Clinton.

[Anonymous]

Just finished This Other Eden and absolutely hated it.

This was right after Long Island which I also hated!

Last night I started an Annie Proulx book called That Old Ace in the Hole, so we'll see if that's an improvement in my reading so far this month!