Earthly Delights by Kerry Greenwood

Relatively cozy mystery set in Melbourne in the early 2000s. By the same author as the original Miss Fisher book series which is why I grabbed it; while I like the tv show a bit better, the books are very well plotted and meticulously researched. I was interested in how what her contemporary writing would be like (these were published in the 00s). I’m enjoying it; I like heroine and her love interest and mystery is solid. The 00s-ness is agressive and it’s fascinating to see what details of daily life have changed in the past 20 years. I got it from the library (physical book).

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Anonymous wrote:I’m still plugging through Spare. I am listening to it (I don’t do audiobooks often - but I occasionally do it when it’s a famous person reading their autobio). Anyway, I’m going to plow through it to get it over with but I’m not sure how much more of his whining I can take!

I want to read The Women when I finish this.

I hated The Women. And I loved some of her other books like The Great Alone. Hated Firefly Lane. I'm hit or miss with her.

I found it extraordinary long. Kind of like a movie that should be over but keeps going.

Anonymous wrote:Just finished Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter.

Bought it based on recs here. I liked it. Found it relatable in many ways, not all, but enough that little disturbed me. The drugs disturbed me, but only slightly, the whole book had a bit of a surreal edge, like it was over before it started.

Would recommend if you aren't bothered by the reality of some people's human experience, and if you like reading all sorts of stories.

I'm wondering how true the catholic catechism story was, that they passed out small 12 week old plastic fetuses to 8 year olds for them to treasure so they never get an abortion?! But don't really want to google that up. How much did that happen?

My mom showed me one of those when I was a kid - she didn't say anything about abortion, but they were definitely handing them out somewhere at church...

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Anonymous wrote:I’m about a third into Tom Lake. This will be a DNF for me. I just don’t find the story or the characters interesting.

Yes! Everyone loved it but I couldn't get into it at all.

Agree, another NOPE for Tom Lake. I simply did not care about the story. Also what grown children want to hear about their parent’s past?

I do - I'm 50 and I love hearing my parents' stories! (I might be weird.)

I don't think you are weird. I think it's weird that anybody doesn't want to hear about their parent's past. I have regrets about what I didn't ask and didn't learn about both my parent's pasts and now can't because they are gone and so is anybody else who might answer my questions.

I also enjoyed Tom Lake.

I like hearing about my parents’ past, but Patchett’s characters were not believable, in my opinion. A slow rather uninteresting story.

What is everyone reading this month?
What is it about?
What do you think of it?
Why did you pick that particular book to read?
How did you acquire the book?

I listened to "My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me" by Jason Rosenthal.

It was a nonfiction about a man whose wife died of cancer when they were both 52. The book covers his early years, their 26 years of marriage and 3 kids, her illness, and his adjustment to being widowed. His wife was a children's book author. A few weeks before she died, she wrote an article that was published in the NYT modern love column called "you may want to marry my husband", which apparently went viral.

I thought it was dry. 95 percent of what I read is fiction, and this is the first nonfiction I had read in a while. It made me realize how much more boring real life is than fiction.

I chose the book because it had an interesting title. I thought the book would mainly be about the responses to the article his wife had written for the NYT. Instead, that part was barely mentioned.

I checked the book out from my library Libby /Overdrive website.

Finished The View from Pompey’s Head. Hard to get into, but then I couldn’t stop reading it. There is some overly lush 1950s romanticism in there, and its treatment of some major themes and characters is definitely very dated, but I’m glad I read it.

Interesting that it’s sort of a forgotten book when it seems like it was insanely popular when it was published (as was the author). It also has some foreshadowing of the major plotline (and themes) of To Kill A Mockingbird, which it predates by five years. It’s funny which books endure and which do not.

Anonymous wrote:I dnf'd Shark Heart--not because I didn't like it, but because it was about the persistence of love as someone changes into something distressing and scary, and it was too much like my real life (caregiving for a mom with Alzheimer's disease).

Then read and loved Kevin Wilson's Now is Not the Time to Panic. God, he's just a wonderful writer. Still liked Nothing to See Here a bit more, but that's a really high bar.

I agree with you, Shark Heart was surprisingly emotional. Maybe for another time in your life. I also wish there were more Kevin Wilson-type reads, as a beach read alternative to the rom com type books out there.

Just read Night Watching by Tracy Sierra. Gripping from start to finish.

I dnf'd Shark Heart--not because I didn't like it, but because it was about the persistence of love as someone changes into something distressing and scary, and it was too much like my real life (caregiving for a mom with Alzheimer's disease).

Then read and loved Kevin Wilson's Now is Not the Time to Panic. God, he's just a wonderful writer. Still liked Nothing to See Here a bit more, but that's a really high bar.

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Anonymous wrote:I’m about a third into Tom Lake. This will be a DNF for me. I just don’t find the story or the characters interesting.

Yes! Everyone loved it but I couldn't get into it at all.

Agree, another NOPE for Tom Lake. I simply did not care about the story. Also what grown children want to hear about their parent’s past?

I do - I'm 50 and I love hearing my parents' stories! (I might be weird.)

I don't think you are weird. I think it's weird that anybody doesn't want to hear about their parent's past. I have regrets about what I didn't ask and didn't learn about both my parent's pasts and now can't because they are gone and so is anybody else who might answer my questions.

I also enjoyed Tom Lake.

Anonymous wrote:I just finished Olga Dies Dreaming and absolutely loved it.

Oh I’ve heard good things about this one—this was the nudge I needed to read it!

Finally got around to reading Demon Copperhead and really enjoyed it. I was afraid it would be overwhelmingly sad — as in nothing even remotely positive would ever happen. Thankfully that wasn’t the case.
Just went wild and bought 3 new books (a committed library-goer usually): a new Anna Quindlen, the new Amor Towles, and I Have Some Questions for You. Going to start one of those tonight.

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Anonymous wrote:I’m about a third into Tom Lake. This will be a DNF for me. I just don’t find the story or the characters interesting.

It's wild how people either love or hate this book. I'm in the hate camp with you, I found it so dull.

I'm a rare "meh" person. It wasn't awful, but it was boring. Ann Patchett is one of my favorite authors, but her last couple of books needed some excitement.

I just finished Olga Dies Dreaming and absolutely loved it.

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Anonymous wrote:Just started The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek. So far, so good. I'm listening on Libby and I chose it, because it was available now. I've got 3 other books on hold and needed something to fill the gap while I wait.

Came back to report that this was very good and I highly recommend it. There's a sequel that I've got on hold now.

Just wanted to say that I loved the Bookwoman and the sequel the Bookwoman's daughter! I'm so glad you're reading them! It made me research the Applachian blue-skinned people as a result - such fascinating history!