Anonymous wrote:I'm reading to The North Woods by Daniel Mason, a booker finalist for other works. It's the story of a cabin/house in rural western Mass and the stories of the inhabitants over 300 years. Really wonderful, especially since I grew up in a similar house in Vermont.

Unlike the PPs who disliked it, I think North Woods is a masterful, magical book. I liked it a lot on the first read and loved it on the second. The creativity in this novel is just unmatched and so clever. It's packed with quiet, subtle gems. It's like Daniel Mason trusted his readers to be intelligent, thoughtful readers instead of spelling everything out and hitting us over the head.

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Anonymous wrote:I'm making my way through all the Elin Hilderbrand books. They are not my usual genre but so delightful, fun and vivid. They are making me want to go to Nantucket this summer, I've never been.

I read all of the Hilderbrand novels during Covid, and I’m feeling a lot of parallels to early 2020 right now. I hope the books are as much as an enjoyable escape for you now as they were for me then! I liked Love Season best.

I love her! But I’m trying to read them all more slowly - 2 a year or so

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Anonymous wrote:I'm reading to The North Woods by Daniel Mason, a booker finalist for other works. It's the story of a cabin/house in rural western Mass and the stories of the inhabitants over 300 years. Really wonderful, especially since I grew up in a similar house in Vermont.

The North Woods was a DNF for me.

Agree. I barely finished this one!

Anonymous wrote:I'm reading to The North Woods by Daniel Mason, a booker finalist for other works. It's the story of a cabin/house in rural western Mass and the stories of the inhabitants over 300 years. Really wonderful, especially since I grew up in a similar house in Vermont.

The North Woods was a DNF for me.

I'm reading to The North Woods by Daniel Mason, a booker finalist for other works. It's the story of a cabin/house in rural western Mass and the stories of the inhabitants over 300 years. Really wonderful, especially since I grew up in a similar house in Vermont.

Anonymous wrote:I'm making my way through all the Elin Hilderbrand books. They are not my usual genre but so delightful, fun and vivid. They are making me want to go to Nantucket this summer, I've never been.

I read all of the Hilderbrand novels during Covid, and I’m feeling a lot of parallels to early 2020 right now. I hope the books are as much as an enjoyable escape for you now as they were for me then! I liked Love Season best.

Anonymous wrote:I'm reading Onyx Storm. I'm surprised not to see it mentioned here as it's on all the best seller lists, but I suppose not everyone wants to own up to it.

So far it's just okay. Not nearly as good as Fourth Wing, but I have a lot to go.

I'm still waiting my turn on the library hold list My sister DNF it though, so I decided to just wait it out instead of buying.

Anonymous wrote:12:22, I took a year to finish The Best Minds. Putting it down when I felt restless with the writing. I only recently finished it and was glad that I did. The second half was a much better pace and more fluid/readable.

DP- thank you, this is encouraging. /another reader trying to make it through Best Minds

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Anonymous wrote:I’m a fed and I’ve been too anxious to read anything lately. I know it would do me good, though.

I’m sorry! I have a hard time reading when I’m stressed. But what helps me at that time are mysteries. Engages the brain, easy to follow, light, etc.

Very sorry to the PP.

Oddly enough when I get stressed, I like reading about situations that were worse that we prevailed. Like, I read a book about the Spanish Flu during Covid. And reading about other times in America where politically things were very unstable.

You have a lot of fortitude to take that approach.

12:22, I took a year to finish The Best Minds. Putting it down when I felt restless with the writing. I only recently finished it and was glad that I did. The second half was a much better pace and more fluid/readable.

Wifey by Judy Blume, based off of the inappropriate books thread. A quick, juicy read. I was certainly bored in Sandy's marriage. Still she went from 0 to 100 in a few short weeks.

I'm reading The Best Minds by Jonathan Rosen.

So far it's interesting, but there is some odd inconsistency in his writing where I feel like it's not very fluid.

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Anonymous wrote:I’m a fed and I’ve been too anxious to read anything lately. I know it would do me good, though.

I’m sorry! I have a hard time reading when I’m stressed. But what helps me at that time are mysteries. Engages the brain, easy to follow, light, etc.

Very sorry to the PP.

Oddly enough when I get stressed, I like reading about situations that were worse that we prevailed. Like, I read a book about the Spanish Flu during Covid. And reading about other times in America where politically things were very unstable.

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Anonymous wrote:The Guest, Cline - beach read but I like novels with unlikeable main characters
Creation Lake, Kushner - good plot but too much esoteric environmentalism
The Wager, Grann - fascinating true story

I read The Wager last month and really enjoyed it! For anyone considering it and debating on format, I recommend audio + book if you can work it with your library…the maps, pictorial references, and some of the end notes were great in the ebook, and I really liked the audio narrator—he brought a lot of energy to his performance.

The Wager was fascinating.

Anonymous wrote:The Netanyahus. Enjoying it so far.

It took me ages to get through this book. It was really wild. I ended up feeling pretty "meh" about it.