Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand as recommended on here for a holiday read

I am so TIRED of her and her same formulaic writing. If she weren't retiring I would definitely recommend a new editor. So many misspellings and name issues. It's really quite amazing that she has been as successful as she has been.

Rant over. That being said I would recommend Tom River by Ann Patchett but you have to get past chapter 4. IT IS SO GOOD.

PP here. I have read three Elin books ever, so I'm not a rabid fan. I do think she's formulaic, but so are other similar writers (Sophie Kinsella, Jennifer Weiner, etc.), but that's also what makes them "comfort reads." You know what you're going to get. It isn't going to be great, but hopefully it won't be bad. Winter Street was fine, but I didn't like the characters enough to want to read all four of them.

And do you mean Tom Lake? I loved that book!

Anonymous wrote:I'm starting The Lincoln Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch about the failed assassination attempt in 1861. I love Meltzer's Ordinary People children's book series and anything about Abe Lincoln, so I have high hopes.

Plus, I only have to read two more books to finish my 24 books in 2024 challenge.

I'd be interested to hear what you think of this. I have tried multiple Brad Meltzer books because the topics can be really interesting but I end up hating a lot of them. There is something about him that infuriates me but I can't put my finger on what it is!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did non-fiction November and am still reading two memoirs— Class and A Living Remedy. My plans for December are Heaven and Earth Grocery Store and Memorial. We’ll see how things play out.

Loved Heaven and Earth Grocery Store

It's on my list! This is one of the few books I've purchased recently after going overboard with pandemic book purchases. James McBride is a genius.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Finally reading all the light we cannot see. I don't usually like historical fiction, but I like it so far.

Oh I loved that book! Can I ask why you don't like historical fiction? I've found that I really enjoy it because I feel like I am learning while still reading something "easy" (i.e. doesn't feel like a textbook).

I don't really like history in general. As a person of color, historical fiction doesn't usually feel relevant to my experience.

Thanks for responding. In high school and college I mostly hated my history classes and I think it was because I had a hard time imagining what I was learning about because I had no frame of reference (I had never been to Europe, for example, so learning about WWII battle sites was not fun). I enjoy learning things about places I've been but I've also discovered that historical fiction can make learning fun because it's written in an easily digestible way. I don't feel like many historical fictions I've read were relevant to my experience because I have no reference point for Elizabethan times, for example, but I can appreciate that you're saying that's possibly because the characters are White like me so I just never consciously or unconsciously questioned it. I do also enjoy books about non-White experiences, but I suppose it's impossible for me to say one way or the other whether they feel relevant because they have an element of Whiteness about them even if they take place in India, for example, and consist of entirely Indian characters. Anyway, interesting perspective, and thanks for sharing.

Just finished Yellowface - pretty great.
Started - Berry Pickers
Next up - What We Kept to Ourselves

Reading Killers of the Summer Moon. I love historical books - fiction and non fiction- but I can see how a person of color would feel left out. Even though there are Osage in the book, they really don’t have a voice. They are just written about, part of the story, but it’s rally about white men mostly.

Anonymous wrote:I read an advanced reader copy of Laurie Frankel's upcoming release, Family Family. It's excellent. I highly recommend it, especially if you like stories that explore what it means to be a family.

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Great news, I love Laurie Frankel. How do you get ARCs?

I read an advanced reader copy of Laurie Frankel's upcoming release, Family Family. It's excellent. I highly recommend it, especially if you like stories that explore what it means to be a family.

Anonymous wrote:Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand as recommended on here for a holiday read

I am so TIRED of her and her same formulaic writing. If she weren't retiring I would definitely recommend a new editor. So many misspellings and name issues. It's really quite amazing that she has been as successful as she has been.

Rant over. That being said I would recommend Tom River by Ann Patchett but you have to get past chapter 4. IT IS SO GOOD.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Finally reading all the light we cannot see. I don't usually like historical fiction, but I like it so far.

I tried reading this when it first came out years ago- I just could not get past the first few pages, are you finding it easy to read?

I saw it’s a show now, so I’d like to give it a try again

Book is so much better than the Netflix show. Confusing until you get into the rhythm of the book and its going back and forth in time. But the Netflix adaptation changed some things and was over-the-top in its stereotypical portrayal of Nazis - as in, every Nazi that appears is really over-the-top.

Anonymous wrote:Tearing through the Bandit Queens. Saw it recommended here and really enjoying it. Feel like I’m learning a lot too.

I just checked this out based on a DCUM rec - excited to start it!

I just finished Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See and really enjoyed it. It’s inspired by a real life woman physician in 15th-century China.

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
"It is a historical urban fantasy of sorts, about a Golem and a Djinn separately stranded in turn-of-the-century New York city. "

Long book and I flew right through it. I do think it's set up for a sequel which I would also enjoy.

It's a beautifully written book that spans the deserts of syria, the jews of nyc, old mysticism.

I'm starting The Lincoln Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch about the failed assassination attempt in 1861. I love Meltzer's Ordinary People children's book series and anything about Abe Lincoln, so I have high hopes.

Plus, I only have to read two more books to finish my 24 books in 2024 challenge.

Anonymous wrote:"An elderly lady is up to no good" by a Swedish author named Helen Tursten.
It's about -- well, it's about an elderly lady who is up to no good. And no one suspects her because she is elderly.
I thought it was awesome. It's a short book at just under 200 pages. The audio version is 3 hours long.
I plan to check out what else this author has written because I really liked this one. I see there is a sequel to the one I just read.

I read these a couple of years ago and agree they are great.

I just finished Lisa See’s Lady Tan’s Circle of Women. I normally love her books but this felt like a poor knock off of her own Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (which I loved).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Finally reading all the light we cannot see. I don't usually like historical fiction, but I like it so far.

Oh I loved that book! Can I ask why you don't like historical fiction? I've found that I really enjoy it because I feel like I am learning while still reading something "easy" (i.e. doesn't feel like a textbook).

I don't really like history in general. As a person of color, historical fiction doesn't usually feel relevant to my experience.