"The Antidote" by Karen Russell. A little slow going the first 100 pages. Some literary tricks I don't love but am sticking with it. Learning about the Dust Bowl from the perspective of those living in it as opposed to those fleeing it is interesting, I have to say.

“My Antonia” by Willa Cather. (I really needed a bit of a slow, historical novel that is completely removed from contemporary times.)

Pastorial. Absolutely loving it, so intriguing and mysterious.

Heart, Be at Peace by Donal Ryan - set in rural Ireland, told in 21 chapters by different narrators. Some of the voices resonated with me more than others, but I really enjoyed the full view of the trauma and strength of a community. I started it on a whim, and now have to/plan to read predecessor book The Spinning Heart.

Audition by Katie Kitamura - just started. So far it seems very skillful, but I am not sure I like it. Somewhat detached narrative voice. Starts with a middle aged actress narrator at a lunch with a young man.

Clown Town by Mick Herron (the 9th Slow Horses book)

It's ok. He doesn't quite bring the energy of the previous books (I'm not done yet). and there's a lot of revisiting old ground so far... I will come back and update

Anyone else reading this one? I loved the book series, devoured books 1-8

Anonymous wrote:17:07 here.

One more: The Guest by Emma Cline.

This is about a young woman who gets into a fight with her much older boyfriend at his beach house. She can't go back to the city because she owes someone something big. She goes from person to person, place to place, thinking all she needs to do is make it to the boyfriend's Labor Day party where they will make-up and all will be well.

The feel of this narrative is quite different from what I normally read so I appreciated the change of pace, but I'm not sure if I liked it.

I thought it was interesting but I didn't like it, if that makes any sense.

Anonymous wrote:I'm starting The Displacements, by Bruce Holsinger

The premise sounds good, but I'm having a hard time getting into it. Has anyone read it? Thoughts?

Meanwhile, according to Goodreads, I read and liked one of his earlier books (The Gifted School), though that was five years ago, and I can't seem to remember anything about it now . . . not a great sign?

This looks good! The gifted school is one of my favorite books. Which surprised me as I typically lean more toward women writers these days.

I just finished Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, by VE Schwab, and enjoyed it. An Amazing review described the storyline as “messy lesbian vampire drama,” which was accurate. Vampires aren’t normally my thing, but I enjoyed The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue so figured I’d give it a shot. Overall, it’s just a good yarn. Very readable. I got bogged down a few times in Addie LaRue but less so here, even though it was over 500 pages.

Before that: Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead. Loved it.

Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa. Mesmerizing writing but an awful storyline about sexual abuse of a 17-year-old girl (with her somewhat willing participation, but still).

So then Christina Lauren’s Twice in a Blue Moon as a palate cleanser. Not my favorite of their books, but I don’t think they’re capable of writing a truly bad book. Their books are always a pleasant read.

Anonymous wrote:An ARC of “A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing” by Alice Yang, to be published early next year. It’s sort of magical realism about several generations of a Chinese family during WWII, the cultural revolution, and then immigrating to States. I like it a lot, though parts of the narrative (particularly during the war, and then later on during the cultural revolution) are really, really horrific and hard to read.

Ooh, I love a good magical realism and will be all over this! I read Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls (which had some of the lead up to WWII as well as immigration to the US) and its sequel (which covered the Cultural Revolution), so I definitely hear you on the “horrific” parts. A fascinating time in history, though.

Based on a review in the article below I just finished:

The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons.

“Siddons conjures anxiety from the ordinary in this slow-burn, Southern Gothic thriller — one of the best haunted house tales of the last century. The book’s narrator, a wealthy Atlanta woman, is living a picture-perfect suburban life, until someone builds a house on the vacant lot next door. It quickly becomes clear that there is something malevolent about the new build, which infects anyone who enters it with scandal, suffering and, ultimately, death.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/books/paranoia-thriller-books.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jU8._RPN.upBzXBSCOu8X&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare


Partway through I realized I had read it before (came out in the 1970’s) but continued to read because my memory was fuzzy and I was enjoying it. Great story that kept me engaged throughout.

I just finished Buckeye by Patrick Ryan. It is about a woman in Ohio around WWII and her relationships with family and some friends. It was nicely written, but really slow. Very historical.

I am now reading Homeseeking by Karissa Chen. It is about a man and woman who grew up together in China during the war and reunite in California in modern times. Beautifully written with lovely characters. Also slightly slow.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Stout. I just started it, and so far so good. I loved "Olive Kitteridge" and am really looking forward to reading this.

Reading Olive Kitteridge and loving it so far. Grabbed me from the first page. Maybe I'll read Tell Me Everything next.

NP. I just finished Oliver Kitteridge. Wow, she is a great writer. Definitely will read more of hers.

I am reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I have mostly liked it but it is such a downer right now at this point in the book.

I am in the mood for something good but happy if anyone has any recs for what to pick up next?

I liked Atmosphere! I’m a bit of a science nerd and I love a female protagonist. It’s about the first women in the space shuttle program and their relationships.

Anonymous wrote:Just started Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Same--got a skip the line copy from Libby.

Has anyone read any of this month's Amazon Prime First Reads?

Just started beautiful ugly seems interesting so far.