Anonymous
Post 10/29/2024 15:57     Subject: Re:It is October, what are you reading?
I'm starting There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak. I loved her book The Island of Missing Trees, so I have high hopes for this one.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2024 11:07     Subject: Re:It is October, what are you reading?
I am working on Water for Elephants (yes, I'm late to the party on this one).

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.

The Grey Wolf, Book 19 in the Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny

Anonymous
Post 10/29/2024 11:03     Subject: It is October, what are you reading?
Anonymous wrote:I've fallen. Danielle Steel.


It's okay. Sometimes that's what you need.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2024 02:17     Subject: It is October, what are you reading?
I've fallen. Danielle Steel.
Anonymous
Post 10/29/2024 02:08     Subject: It is October, what are you reading?
Anonymous wrote:A memoir called The Shred Sisters about mental illness and family. Great so far!


Oh I listened to a New York Times Daily podcast last week that shared a little about this book, it did sound interesting
Anonymous
Post 10/28/2024 21:41     Subject: It is October, what are you reading?
Currently on Book Woman of troublesome Creek. I liked the Giver of Stars better.
Anonymous
Post 10/28/2024 13:42     Subject: It is October, what are you reading?
I just started The Wedding People. I didn't really go into it knowing what it was about, and I'm enjoying it. Breezed through 1/4 of it last night before bed.
Anonymous
Post 10/27/2024 19:09     Subject: It is October, what are you reading?
A memoir called The Shred Sisters about mental illness and family. Great so far!
Anonymous
Post 10/27/2024 18:24     Subject: Re:It is October, what are you reading?
Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson.
Anonymous
Post 10/26/2024 10:26     Subject: Re:It is October, what are you reading?
older book (2014), but just finished and loved A Burnable Book by John Holsinger

really brought medieval, Chaucerian London to life!
Anonymous
Post 10/26/2024 07:40     Subject: It is October, what are you reading?
Anonymous wrote:I just finished Intermezzo by Sally Rooney. I am a Sally Rooney fan and I enjoyed it, but I have some complaints. Most of the book is from the perspectives of two brothers, mourning after their dad’s death, and I appreciated the complicated relationship between the brothers. But somewhat weirdly for a female novelist who on the past has written interesting complex female characters, I really had a problem with the women characters in this book, especially the two involved with the older brother, Peter. One is an ex girlfriend of his; they were deeply in love but broke up after she had an accident that left her with chronic pain and (somewhat mysteriously) unable to have penetrative sex, though she is still beautiful, independent, without apparent physical disability, works, presents as basically fine except she goes to the hospital for “treatments” from time to time. The almost Victorian nature of the unexplained “no more sex” dimensions of her condition was bothersome to me as was the mostly unexamined acceptance of the idea that if you can’t do penetration you can’t have a sex life/can’t be in a relationship because it would not be fair to Peter. Plus she was saintly, in ways that seemed a bit ridiculous to me by the conclusion. The other woman in his life is super hot and also fairly saintly in a manic pixie dreamgirl way. I admit that if it were a male author, I might have given up on the book out of annoyance at how these two women were portrayed. So, I enjoyed the book—Sally Rooney is good at what she does—but I want to write a sort of cranky review of it.


Just finished Intermezzo, too, and really enjoyed it, but I share your view of the women, especially the first girlfriend. That seemed an unrealistic plot element. And while I see how you can describe her character as ‘saintly’, she came across to me as the opposite, and I questioned the whole framing of that part of the story. That said, I loved the questioning of traditional relationships, and really loved the younger brother story, but also the relationship between the brothers.

Then read Private Citizen, which made me feel ancient and depressed. Now reading Caledonian Road. Not far enough along to really have an opinion. The writing isn’t beautiful, so it will be about the story.
Anonymous
Post 10/26/2024 07:11     Subject: Re:It is October, what are you reading?
I'm reading The Husbands by Holly Gramazio. It's a cute premise - a young woman comes home from a night out to find she has a husband. And even more surprising, any time he goes in the attic, he comes down as a different husband. It's a really fast read, and I'm into it, but I'm not sure it's going to actually go anywhere.
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2024 09:13     Subject: It is October, what are you reading?
I'm the one who was reading Annie Bot and I finished it last night - man I loved this book (and found it heartbreaking). I see why some people don't love the ending, but I actually did.
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2024 00:38     Subject: It is October, what are you reading?
I’m the pp who just finished listening to “Listen for the Lie”. I binged it / really enjoyed it. I’m reading a few good books right now. I am reading Big Summer and enjoying it. I’m about to finish reading The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate to my 6th grader who happily still lets me read to her. It is SO good - although it’s a young adult book I highly recommend it.

Books that are okay but I’m not loving - I’m reading James and the Giant Peach to my 7 year old which, surprisingly, I’d never read before. I usually like Dahl but this one is just okay for me so far. My prior audiobook was “Moby Dick”. I was an English major and was supposed to read this in college and never finished so I decided to listen to it. I still didn’t like it very much. Before Big Summer I read “The Tangled Tree” by David Quammen, a science / nature writer. Usually I love Quammen’s books but this one was a slog. I highly recommend his “Song of the Dodo” and “‘Monsters of God”.
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2024 00:32     Subject: It is October, what are you reading?
Anonymous wrote:Just started Listen for the Lie. It's a good read! It seems like every chapter says "Lucy" at the top. I thought maybe a few chapters would be voiced by someone else, maybe Savannah. Am I missing something?


I just listened to this. It’s clear in audio format that some chapters are Lucy and some are a podcast.