It’s August, what are you reading?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko about his and his buddy's effort to hike the length of the Grand Canyon. HIGHLY recommend.

If you liked this try A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson! Same idea but with the Appalachian Trail.

PP here - I read A Walk in the Woods years ago - and loved it. This book, however, is better imho. The hike here was on another level as far as danger was concerned, and he spends alot more time discussing the natural and cultural history. Don't get me wrong - it is uproariously funny in parts, but it is not a humor travelogue. He knows he walks in the footsteps of giants (even gives a shout-out early on to Bryson), but, in the end, it's a much more serious book than AWITW.

If you like more danger, have you read Into Thin Air by John Krakauer? It's an oldie but a goodie.

I also recommend John Krakauer books - Into Thin Air, Into the Wild. They are so interesting and easy to read.

I feel like Into the Wild should be required reading for any high schooler (and it actually was in AP Lit at my school)! Under the Banner of Heaven is also fascinating but much more disturbing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just finished Come and Get It by Kiley Reid. Hated it! Irredeemable characters.

I don't get the hype around her. I did not like "Such a Fun Age" either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just finished Come and Get It by Kiley Reid. Hated it! Irredeemable characters.

I don't get the hype around her. I did not like "Such a Fun Age" either.

+1

I really wanted to like that book a lot more, but just felt irritated at all of the characters

[Anonymous]

Reading all fours and loving it.

[Anonymous]

I’m working on the following:

- The Idea of You, Robinne Lee
- A Long Petal of the Sea, Isabel Allende
- Us Against You, Fredrik Backman

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko about his and his buddy's effort to hike the length of the Grand Canyon. HIGHLY recommend.

If you liked this try A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson! Same idea but with the Appalachian Trail.

PP here - I read A Walk in the Woods years ago - and loved it. This book, however, is better imho. The hike here was on another level as far as danger was concerned, and he spends alot more time discussing the natural and cultural history. Don't get me wrong - it is uproariously funny in parts, but it is not a humor travelogue. He knows he walks in the footsteps of giants (even gives a shout-out early on to Bryson), but, in the end, it's a much more serious book than AWITW.

If you like more danger, have you read Into Thin Air by John Krakauer? It's an oldie but a goodie.

I also recommend John Krakauer books - Into Thin Air, Into the Wild. They are so interesting and easy to read.

I feel like Into the Wild should be required reading for any high schooler (and it actually was in AP Lit at my school)! Under the Banner of Heaven is also fascinating but much more disturbing.

Why do you think Into the Wild should be required? I taught it one year to 11th graders. They honestly liked The Crucible more. And hated Chris as a “protagonist.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko about his and his buddy's effort to hike the length of the Grand Canyon. HIGHLY recommend.

If you liked this try A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson! Same idea but with the Appalachian Trail.

PP here - I read A Walk in the Woods years ago - and loved it. This book, however, is better imho. The hike here was on another level as far as danger was concerned, and he spends alot more time discussing the natural and cultural history. Don't get me wrong - it is uproariously funny in parts, but it is not a humor travelogue. He knows he walks in the footsteps of giants (even gives a shout-out early on to Bryson), but, in the end, it's a much more serious book than AWITW.

If you like more danger, have you read Into Thin Air by John Krakauer? It's an oldie but a goodie.

I also recommend John Krakauer books - Into Thin Air, Into the Wild. They are so interesting and easy to read.

I feel like Into the Wild should be required reading for any high schooler (and it actually was in AP Lit at my school)! Under the Banner of Heaven is also fascinating but much more disturbing.

Why do you think Into the Wild should be required? I taught it one year to 11th graders. They honestly liked The Crucible more. And hated Chris as a “protagonist.”

What did they hate about Chris? I found him to be misguided, head in the clouds, but hate seems like a strong emotion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just read Far from the Tree (one of the NYT top 100 of 2000s pick) but I found it very uncomfortable as a parent/ sibling of child with special needs.

Are you willing to share more? That book affected me deeply, and I’m always eager to hear what others experienced when reading it. (I ask with curiosity and empathy, not judgment.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko about his and his buddy's effort to hike the length of the Grand Canyon. HIGHLY recommend.

If you liked this try A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson! Same idea but with the Appalachian Trail.

PP here - I read A Walk in the Woods years ago - and loved it. This book, however, is better imho. The hike here was on another level as far as danger was concerned, and he spends alot more time discussing the natural and cultural history. Don't get me wrong - it is uproariously funny in parts, but it is not a humor travelogue. He knows he walks in the footsteps of giants (even gives a shout-out early on to Bryson), but, in the end, it's a much more serious book than AWITW.

If you like more danger, have you read Into Thin Air by John Krakauer? It's an oldie but a goodie.

I also recommend John Krakauer books - Into Thin Air, Into the Wild. They are so interesting and easy to read.

I feel like Into the Wild should be required reading for any high schooler (and it actually was in AP Lit at my school)! Under the Banner of Heaven is also fascinating but much more disturbing.

Why do you think Into the Wild should be required? I taught it one year to 11th graders. They honestly liked The Crucible more. And hated Chris as a “protagonist.”

What did they hate about Chris? I found him to be misguided, head in the clouds, but hate seems like a strong emotion.

They thought he was a clown! He was rich and his biggest problem is his parents were divorced - they couldn’t relate to him at ALL and thought all his decisions were stupid and he lost his own life senselessly.

[Anonymous]

I'm reading We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen.

[Anonymous]

I "finished" Britt-Marie was here. Did not like it. I am now on Finlay Donovan, next is the Guncle, and it's almost my turn for Part of Your World via the library so I'm hoping for that this month, or an easy Sophia Kinsley book like I've Got Your Number.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko about his and his buddy's effort to hike the length of the Grand Canyon. HIGHLY recommend.

If you liked this try A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson! Same idea but with the Appalachian Trail.

PP here - I read A Walk in the Woods years ago - and loved it. This book, however, is better imho. The hike here was on another level as far as danger was concerned, and he spends alot more time discussing the natural and cultural history. Don't get me wrong - it is uproariously funny in parts, but it is not a humor travelogue. He knows he walks in the footsteps of giants (even gives a shout-out early on to Bryson), but, in the end, it's a much more serious book than AWITW.

If you like more danger, have you read Into Thin Air by John Krakauer? It's an oldie but a goodie.

I also recommend John Krakauer books - Into Thin Air, Into the Wild. They are so interesting and easy to read.

I feel like Into the Wild should be required reading for any high schooler (and it actually was in AP Lit at my school)! Under the Banner of Heaven is also fascinating but much more disturbing.

Why do you think Into the Wild should be required? I taught it one year to 11th graders. They honestly liked The Crucible more. And hated Chris as a “protagonist.”

Because you can debate it endlessly! When we read it, it engendered strong feelings. Some strongly identified with Chris— they craved adventure, felt stifled, thought the whole idea was so romantic. (We grew up in NOVA, like Chris!) Others hated him, thought him obnoxious and privileged. Others (smaller group, as we were younger and perhaps not as sympathetic to him, as I am now), just felt sorry for him. There are also wonderful literary references throughout the book so we also studied those. I later taught it to a group of high schoolers, ten years later, and it was the same lively discussion.

I think the reader can “hate” Chris and still get a ton out of that book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko about his and his buddy's effort to hike the length of the Grand Canyon. HIGHLY recommend.

If you liked this try A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson! Same idea but with the Appalachian Trail.

PP here - I read A Walk in the Woods years ago - and loved it. This book, however, is better imho. The hike here was on another level as far as danger was concerned, and he spends alot more time discussing the natural and cultural history. Don't get me wrong - it is uproariously funny in parts, but it is not a humor travelogue. He knows he walks in the footsteps of giants (even gives a shout-out early on to Bryson), but, in the end, it's a much more serious book than AWITW.

If you like more danger, have you read Into Thin Air by John Krakauer? It's an oldie but a goodie.

I also recommend John Krakauer books - Into Thin Air, Into the Wild. They are so interesting and easy to read.

I feel like Into the Wild should be required reading for any high schooler (and it actually was in AP Lit at my school)! Under the Banner of Heaven is also fascinating but much more disturbing.

Why do you think Into the Wild should be required? I taught it one year to 11th graders. They honestly liked The Crucible more. And hated Chris as a “protagonist.”

Because you can debate it endlessly! When we read it, it engendered strong feelings. Some strongly identified with Chris— they craved adventure, felt stifled, thought the whole idea was so romantic. (We grew up in NOVA, like Chris!) Others hated him, thought him obnoxious and privileged. Others (smaller group, as we were younger and perhaps not as sympathetic to him, as I am now), just felt sorry for him. There are also wonderful literary references throughout the book so we also studied those. I later taught it to a group of high schoolers, ten years later, and it was the same lively discussion.

I think the reader can “hate” Chris and still get a ton out of that book.

A fascinating exercise would be to have them read the book and then read the book by McCandless' sister - The Wild Truth. She details their abusive childhood and talks about why Chris actually wanted to leave. It brings a whole new perspective.

[Anonymous]

I’m struggling thru Women Talking by Miriam Toewes. I can’t keep the characters straight and the stilted nature of the whole thing grates. But someone whose readerly tastes I admire gave it five stars, so I’m slogging through.

Guilty easy night time reading - Ken Follet’s The Armor of Light.

[Anonymous]

Just finished "The Dollhouse" by Fiona Davis.
It is about the women who have lived at the Barbizon hotel for women in NYC over the years, but mostly in the year 1952.
I liked it.