Anonymous wrote:I really enjoyed A Place For Us, by Fatima Farheen Mirza (2018), about an Indian Muslim family living in the U.S. The youngest brother of three siblings is estranged from the family, and the novel goes through how that estrangement came to be, through flashbacks. I found it to be sensitively written and moving. An excellent debut by a promising new author.

I also thought this was a beautiful book.

I really enjoyed A Place For Us, by Fatima Farheen Mirza (2018), about an Indian Muslim family living in the U.S. The youngest brother of three siblings is estranged from the family, and the novel goes through how that estrangement came to be, through flashbacks. I found it to be sensitively written and moving. An excellent debut by a promising new author.

Anonymous wrote:A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozecki

This recommendation came at just the right time! I’ve got the ebook from the library right now but was hesitant to dive in because I had complicated reactions to one of Ozeki’s other novels.

Anonymous wrote:I just started reading Killers of a Certain Age and am really enjoying it so far, a few chaps in.

This thread is what got me started with contemporary mysteries and thrillers - and these books are so fun! Thank you for the recs!

When I saw this thread pop up again, I opened it to add Killers of a Certain Age. I’m listening and so far (in part 8 of 9) it’s a fun read.

I was really disappointed by the recently published The Ink Black Heart, though I enjoyed the prior 4 books in the series.

I just started reading Killers of a Certain Age and am really enjoying it so far, a few chaps in.

This thread is what got me started with contemporary mysteries and thrillers - and these books are so fun! Thank you for the recs!

Still Life by Sarah Winman. One of those books that I didn't want to end, and after I finished it I couldn't find anything to read for a while because I knew it wouldn't come close.

Between Enzo and the Universe, by Chase Connor.

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/48979616-between-enzo-and-the-universe

We spend the evening/night with Enzo and a tourist he meets at a street market.

I thought it was going to be a regular romance. It is a romance, but not typical of the genre. It's more an intimate study on hopelessness, hope, family, love, and life meaning.

If you want your heart worked, this is a good one. It absolutely ends on a hopeful note, though!

I found it so lovely and touching that I bought a physical copy after reading through KU. The author recently released a sequel, which is on my TBR. I don't think he originally planned to, but people fell in love with Enzo and wanted more.

Daisy Darker is a fun little murder mystery.

Anonymous wrote:Loved American Dirt. Didn’t think it sounded good but finally picked it up after so many people told me they loved it and I read it in two days.

I hated this. So cliche. Wanted to understand the hype and did not get it at all.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Guncle. I loved it, but it’s certainly not woman-centered.

Guncle is very good! Did you already read These Precious Days from Ann Patchett? That was fantastic. I also am a big Anne Tyler fan and just read French Braid which I enjoyed. We Are the Brennans (family saga), Circe, The Great Alone by Kristen Hannah are all ones I liked too.

couldn't get into circe

I read Guncle off this rec and really enjoyed it. Much more than I expected. Thank you!

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Anonymous wrote:This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

I haven't loved all of her previous books so I was surprised by how much I liked this.

+1

More depth than I expected. Love that it was about more than just finding romance! (Not that finding romance is bad, of course. But I enjoyed that it was a bit more ambitious and thought-provoking.)

Speaking of romances, I just finished Very Sincerely Yours, by Kerry Winfrey. Sweet and straight-forward, but not at all vapid. Though I didn't relate to the main character personally, I immediately felt so much empathy for her and her "journey".
Good stuff in a simple story.

I agree - I think this was Emma Straub's best yet. Touching story with good characters and I thought the time travel was well-done too.

So I had no idea Emma Straub was Peter Straub’s daughter. He died earlier this month, which makes this (already great) novel even more touching! 😢

She wrote a beautiful essay about him/them this week. Contains a few spoilers about the book, but nothing that would ruin the experience IMHO. Lovely piece of writing:

https://www.vulture.com/article/peter-straub-emma-straub-remembrance-father.html

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

I haven't loved all of her previous books so I was surprised by how much I liked this.

+1

More depth than I expected. Love that it was about more than just finding romance! (Not that finding romance is bad, of course. But I enjoyed that it was a bit more ambitious and thought-provoking.)

Speaking of romances, I just finished Very Sincerely Yours, by Kerry Winfrey. Sweet and straight-forward, but not at all vapid. Though I didn't relate to the main character personally, I immediately felt so much empathy for her and her "journey".
Good stuff in a simple story.

I agree - I think this was Emma Straub's best yet. Touching story with good characters and I thought the time travel was well-done too.

Anonymous wrote:I just finished cloud cuckoo land and loved it.

I did too, although it took a while to get into.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozecki

That is a GREAT book

On the other hand, reading this book made me feel like poking my eyes out. It was a slog, and I generally love long sagas.

Anonymous wrote:This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

I haven't loved all of her previous books so I was surprised by how much I liked this.

+1

More depth than I expected. Love that it was about more than just finding romance! (Not that finding romance is bad, of course. But I enjoyed that it was a bit more ambitious and thought-provoking.)

Speaking of romances, I just finished Very Sincerely Yours, by Kerry Winfrey. Sweet and straight-forward, but not at all vapid. Though I didn't relate to the main character personally, I immediately felt so much empathy for her and her "journey".
Good stuff in a simple story.