Anonymous
10/10/2025 12:09
Subject: Re:Actober 2025 - What are you reading
Anonymous wrote:I am about 20% into the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and perhaps atypically for most readers, I'm having a bit of a tough slog. It is about a famous, but now elderly and somewhat reclusive, actress who plucks an obscure reporter out of the blue to pen her biography.
Folks seem to love this book, but I find the narrator/reporter dull and the story drags when she is the focus. Yea or Nay DCUM? (Part of the problem is that it feels reminiscent of City of Girls to me--which I read 1-2 months ago--but City of Girls is the much better version. Perhaps I should just pick up Seven Husbands at a later date?)
I tried and couldn't do it. I probably got about 20% in before stopping.
Anonymous
10/10/2025 10:48
Subject: Re:Actober 2025 - What are you reading
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I am nearly done Hamnet, and just sort of staggering out of it now. I had put down the book in sort of an accidental pause, not because it is anything but terrific, but because it is such a tough subject: the plot turns on the death of one of William Shakespeare's children (no spoiler, it's the premise), though the focus is his wife, Agnes. On the one hand, a devastating story; on the other, probably my top read of 2025 (with Life after Life, Atkinson). Not sure that's exactly a "recommendation"?
I enjoyed both of your top reads immensely—what were your top reads last year? (Curious if we have any other overlap or perhaps I’ll find a new favorite!)
My best of last year were, for better or worse, not particularly recent books--Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go and Sue Monk Kidd's Invention of Wings. Also a really gripping and terrific series, JK Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy. I know not all DCUM readers like sci fi/fantasy, but this one really transcends the genre.
Anonymous
10/10/2025 08:35
Subject: Actober 2025 - What are you reading
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just started Prophet Song by Paul Lynch.
A little unsure if I will continue, hoping to adjust to the writing style soon.
If you are interested in The Troubles in Northern Ireland you might enjoy Say Nothing: A true Story of Murder and Memory by Patrick Radden Keene. Great book, IMO.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Nothing_(book)
Looks interesting! Thanks for the recommendation & for the link below 🙂
Anonymous
10/09/2025 11:46
Subject: Actober 2025 - What are you reading
Anonymous wrote:Just saw Culpability at the library so checked it out. I went to get Dark Renaissance by Stephen Greenblatt. It's about Christopher Marlowe.
Oooh, thanks for this. I hadn’t heard of it and love Christopher Marlowe. What an absolutely spellbinding figure and I think as good as Shakespeare, maybe better. He died too young.
Anonymous
10/09/2025 11:35
Subject: Actober 2025 - What are you reading
Sorry for the above:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/90837/say-nothing-by-patrick-radden-keefe/
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/90837/say-nothing-by-patrick-radden-keefe/
Anonymous
10/09/2025 11:32
Subject: Actober 2025 - What are you reading
Hmm, that link is not working now and the last name is Keefe
Try
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Nothing_(book)
Try
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Nothing_(book)
Anonymous
10/09/2025 11:30
Subject: Actober 2025 - What are you reading
Anonymous wrote:Just started Prophet Song by Paul Lynch.
A little unsure if I will continue, hoping to adjust to the writing style soon.
If you are interested in The Troubles in Northern Ireland you might enjoy Say Nothing: A true Story of Murder and Memory by Patrick Radden Keene. Great book, IMO.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Nothing_(book)
Anonymous
10/08/2025 13:13
Subject: Actober 2025 - What are you reading
Just started Prophet Song by Paul Lynch.
A little unsure if I will continue, hoping to adjust to the writing style soon.
A little unsure if I will continue, hoping to adjust to the writing style soon.
Anonymous
10/07/2025 22:36
Subject: Re:Actober 2025 - What are you reading
Anonymous wrote:I am nearly done Hamnet, and just sort of staggering out of it now. I had put down the book in sort of an accidental pause, not because it is anything but terrific, but because it is such a tough subject: the plot turns on the death of one of William Shakespeare's children (no spoiler, it's the premise), though the focus is his wife, Agnes. On the one hand, a devastating story; on the other, probably my top read of 2025 (with Life after Life, Atkinson). Not sure that's exactly a "recommendation"?
I enjoyed both of your top reads immensely—what were your top reads last year? (Curious if we have any other overlap or perhaps I’ll find a new favorite!)
Anonymous
10/07/2025 16:16
Subject: Actober 2025 - What are you reading
Just saw Culpability at the library so checked it out. I went to get Dark Renaissance by Stephen Greenblatt. It's about Christopher Marlowe.
Anonymous
10/07/2025 16:10
Subject: Re:Actober 2025 - What are you reading
In response to the poster from earlier today who asked if Isola would be a good book for listening to as an audiobook:
I listened to it as an audiobook. It was narrated by a British woman. And there were some old fashioned words in the book that I looked up on the internet as to what they were. I wasn't sure how to spell the words, since I was listening to it. Words like "virginal" which is a musical instrument similar to a harpsichord, and what a 16th century version of a rifle was called. But I got through it. It was fine. And I got some yard work done while listening to it.
I listened to it as an audiobook. It was narrated by a British woman. And there were some old fashioned words in the book that I looked up on the internet as to what they were. I wasn't sure how to spell the words, since I was listening to it. Words like "virginal" which is a musical instrument similar to a harpsichord, and what a 16th century version of a rifle was called. But I got through it. It was fine. And I got some yard work done while listening to it.
Anonymous
10/07/2025 12:18
Subject: Actober 2025 - What are you reading
Hamnet was really good!
Anonymous
10/07/2025 11:17
Subject: Re:Actober 2025 - What are you reading
I am nearly done Hamnet, and just sort of staggering out of it now. I had put down the book in sort of an accidental pause, not because it is anything but terrific, but because it is such a tough subject: the plot turns on the death of one of William Shakespeare's children (no spoiler, it's the premise), though the focus is his wife, Agnes. On the one hand, a devastating story; on the other, probably my top read of 2025 (with Life after Life, Atkinson). Not sure that's exactly a "recommendation"?
Anonymous
10/07/2025 11:04
Subject: Re:Actober 2025 - What are you reading
Anonymous wrote:I just finished "Isola".
The short version of what it is about is that it is about a woman who was abandoned on an island and then rescued after two years.
The long version of what it is about is about is that it is set in the early 1500's and based on a true story of a french girl named Marguerite. Marguerite is born wealthy, but her mom dies in childbirth and her father dies in war a few years later. She is raised by a nurse. Her cousin is put in charge of her money. By the time Marguerite is a young adult, her cousin has sold her home and acreage and spent all her money buying ships. Seeing as how she has no place to live now, her cousin puts her and her nurse on his ship bound for new France (Canada). But on the voyage she befriends a young man. Which pisses off the cousin so he drops the three of them on a barren island off the coast of Canada.
I thought the book was awesome.
Do you think this would be a good listen (always looking for a great audiobook).
Speaking of audiobooks, I got stuck about 1/5 of the way into the Doorman, at some point recalling that I don't really enjoy books about unlikeable rich people unless very funny. Perhaps all the mentions of the book on this thread is a sign that I should start it up again though.
Anonymous
10/07/2025 01:09
Subject: Re:Actober 2025 - What are you reading
I just finished "Isola".
The short version of what it is about is that it is about a woman who was abandoned on an island and then rescued after two years.
The long version of what it is about is about is that it is set in the early 1500's and based on a true story of a french girl named Marguerite. Marguerite is born wealthy, but her mom dies in childbirth and her father dies in war a few years later. She is raised by a nurse. Her cousin is put in charge of her money. By the time Marguerite is a young adult, her cousin has sold her home and acreage and spent all her money buying ships. Seeing as how she has no place to live now, her cousin puts her and her nurse on his ship bound for new France (Canada). But on the voyage she befriends a young man. Which pisses off the cousin so he drops the three of them on a barren island off the coast of Canada.
I thought the book was awesome.
The short version of what it is about is that it is about a woman who was abandoned on an island and then rescued after two years.
The long version of what it is about is about is that it is set in the early 1500's and based on a true story of a french girl named Marguerite. Marguerite is born wealthy, but her mom dies in childbirth and her father dies in war a few years later. She is raised by a nurse. Her cousin is put in charge of her money. By the time Marguerite is a young adult, her cousin has sold her home and acreage and spent all her money buying ships. Seeing as how she has no place to live now, her cousin puts her and her nurse on his ship bound for new France (Canada). But on the voyage she befriends a young man. Which pisses off the cousin so he drops the three of them on a barren island off the coast of Canada.
I thought the book was awesome.