101 Books to Read Before You Die discussion
What are you reading?
The Dry by Jane Harberhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In a semi-rural area of Australia where the farmers are being broken by drought, a family is found murdered. Although the police from the nearest city quickly name it a murder suicide, the loan local cop recognize signs that point in another direction. In this small community, one rare murder conjures up others, particularly the suspicious drowning of a teen twenty years earlier. The story line was sufficiently engaging to keep me awake at the end of a long day, but the writing was rather clichéd. The introduction of memories without warning was disorienting and annoying.
Finished
by Jane Harper-- 5 Stars.Wow- I just ate this one up... AND it's a debut? SOLD!
My Review:
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Finished
by G. Willow Wilson-- 4 Stars.Picked up this one for a challenge "Superhero Comic with a Female Lead"- perfectly fits the bill.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnethttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In the mid-19th century, in a Scottish community of tenant farmers, a quiet 17 year old boy hacks his 3 neighbors to death. This is the account as told by the young man who writes his story while awaiting trial, the doctor called in to determine his sanity, the lawyers who conduct the trial. Guilt is never in question, only culpability. This is a very well written novel that explores the forces that might motivate a person to act in violence and the perceptions of the larger society.
Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjianwww.goodreads.com/review/show/1998109292
About 3/4ths of the way through this book, I came across a phrased that summarized this volume for me. Speaking of some recollections, the author described them as “shreds of inconsequential memories”. That perfectly described this book in my humble opinion, a collection of shreds of inconsequential memories. In 1983, the author discovers that he was incorrectly diagnosed with lung cancer. At the same time he gets this second lease on life, he hears rumors that he is about to be arrested for unpatriotic activities on account of his writings. So he embarks on a 5 month “journey of epic discovery” through the remote forests of southwestern China. In these pages, we jump from first person to second person to third person narration, in and out of snippets of conversation, between descriptions of landscapes and memories and folk tales and interactions with strangers and peasant songs and…. Nothing seems to have a beginning or end. It felt as if someone randomly took pages from the travel journal of a highly literate writer. Gao Zingjian is a poet and artist and maybe the reader needs to bring a poet’s sensibility to these pages to fully appreciate them. After all, he is the first person from China to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. But, I am not a poet and I did not appreciate this far too long book
The Reivers by William Faulknerwww.goodreads.com/review/show/56841153
I re-read this Pulitzer Prize winner for a discussion here on GR. Although this recollection of an adventure in 1905 by an 11 year old boy and two older companions who take a joy ride to Memphis is much easier to follow than many of Faulkner’s novels, I still found the convoluted sentence structure, of which Faulkner is a master and which accurately represents the way most people think and speak, difficult to follow since it is not my preferred style, although I can appreciate the skill it takes to capture such a narrative flow. The humor also eluded me.
Mod
LOL! That's brilliant Irene, I love it! I have read many a book that felt this sickly sweet to me, but I've never had anyone put it into words quite so well!
I randomly picked up The Gift of Anger: And Other Lessons from My Grandfather Mahatma Gandhi on a whim and it's really good. I thought it would be a lot more pushy on doctrine, but instead it was very open to different opinions. Really glad I picked it up!
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodsonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a memoir of an African American girlhood in the 1960s & 1970s told in short free verse poems. I do not have enough exposure to free verse poetry to evaluate the quality of the poems. It is directed to a younger audience so the writing is very accessible. It is a very quick read.
The Axe (Master of Hestviken #1) by Sigrid Undsethttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is the first book in a multi-volume family saga set in 13th century Norway. This book focuses on the marriage of a young couple amid scandal.
Finished
by Rebecca Traister-- 3 Stars...and it started off so good.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just Mercy by Brian Stevensonwww.goodreads.com/review/show/2005531803
Brian Stevenson, a graduate of Harvard Law School, has spent his career fighting for those wrongly incarcerated, victims of systemic injustice perpetrated by the judicial system against the poor, largely African American population of Alabama and across the country. I have read many articles about the racial injustice in death penalty cases, by police departments, in the defense of the indigent and more. But, in this book, Stevenson allows us to get to know several individuals personally. As I read, I was enraged, horrified, deeply saddened and ashamed for my country. I am in awe of the work of the Equal Justice Initiative which Stevenson founded. I wish I knew what to do to help. 4.5 stars
Women in Ministry: Emerging Questions About the Deaconate by Phyllis Zaganohttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a collection of three well-argued and thought-provoking essays about the possibility and implications of ordaining women to the permanent deaconate in the Roman Catholic Church.
The Queen of Spades and Other Stories by Alexander Pushkin
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I really enjoyed this collection of 6 short stories by the “father of Russian literature”.
Finished
by Noah Hawley-- 4 Stars.Slow building burn of a thriller.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewishttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Watching the rise of dictators across Europe from Stalin’s Russia to Hitler’s Germany, Lewis argues that, despite our fervent denials, the same thing could happen here. Told from the point of view of a small town newspaper editor, Lewis depicts the election of a charismatic populist president who quickly discredits journalists, promulgates falsehoods as truth, circumvents the judicial and legislative branches of government, eventually establishing a military dictatorship which tortures, confines to concentration camps and executes dissenters. It is frightening how many parallels can be made between this novel and the current political scene in the US.
Finished
by Jacqueline Woodson-- 3 Stars.Writing: Amazing || Content: Meh
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Holy Spirit by Veli-Matti Karkkainenwww.goodreads.com/review/show/2014511299
This is a dense, excellent survey of pneumatology from biblical passages through contemporary questions.
The Secret Place by Tana French
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
An unexpected lead reopens a cold case of a murdered teenage boy whose body was found on the grounds of an exclusive girl’s boarding school. The story is told in chapters that alternate between the re-interviewing of 8 girls in light of the lead and the actions of those girls in the months leading up to the murder. This was strikingly over written, glittering bubbles of metaphors squeezed out of every sentence, slick and shiny and elastic, filling the page with distracting color, careening and bouncing off one another, belying the reality that they were just so much pointless hot air. The teenagers were unrelentingly catty with nonstop mean-spirited retorts only found in TV scripts after much revision. With all of my years working with teens, this did not feel like an accurate portrayal of teens, but a caricature. It was so relentless and so over-the-top that it soon grated on the nerves. The introduction of psychic phenomenon added nothing to the story, but made the entire story less credible to this reader. I am glad that this is the fifth in the series because if this was my first encounter with French, I would not be picking her up again.
Finished
by Karin Slaughter-- 3 stars.Creepy and Brutal...
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Restless Heart by Ronald Rolheiserhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In this early book, Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, a popular spiritual author, argues that a sense of social, emotional and existential loneliness is a basic human condition which has been exacerbated by several contemporary cultural trends. Despite its discomfort, he argues that loneliness is a gift from God that pulls us beyond ourselves, into community, into a deeper relationship with God and into a fuller embrace of our human identity. Although I appreciate Rolheiser’s insights, I find his writing style a bit too repetitive. 3.75 stars
Finished
by Beatrice Colin- 3 Stars.Historical novel about the building of the Eiffel Tower mixed in with some deplorable siblings and topped with a love story.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
One Foot In Eden by Ron Rashhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A missing man, marital infidelity, the suspicion of a murder… set in rural South Carolina in the mid-20th century, this story is told through 5 characters. What I loved about this book was the use of dialect, rich colloquialisms created a vibrant sense of place. The story gets 3 stars, the language gets 5 stars.
We Are Not Ourselves By Matthew Thomashttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a slow, quiet book about nothing and everything. It follows the life of one woman from her childhood as the only daughter of Irish immigrants in New York City through her widowhood and her son’s maturation into an adult. This is a novel about the relationship between parent and child, husband and wife, inner and outer self. It is about the dreams of our parents, the courage to fight for dreams of our own, the maturity to accept the ways those dreams were modified by life. This is a book about family, about the shape-shifting nature of love, about death. Nothing much happens in this long novel and everything that really matters happens between its covers.
Finished
by Ben H. Winters -- 3.5 StarsWhat would the world look like if the civil war never happened?
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love Carl Anderson & Eduardo Chavez3.5 stars
Finished
by Tana French--2 Stars.I think I'm done with this series- just not working for me.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodsonwww.goodreads.com/review/show/2034899039
I have heard this called a coming of age story, but I think that is a misnomer. This is less a narrative than a layering of impressions created by the memory of growing up in Brooklyn, black, female, in the 1970s, part of a close group of girlfriends. Time with her brother for the funeral of their father bookend the memories, connecting past and present in a coil of mutual interpretation. Woodson is a poet and it is most definitely a poet’s pen that crafted this slim volume. Translucent snippets of memories, sensory impressions, flickering emotions are laid down one on top of the next creating patterns of increasing depth and texture. Not expecting much, I read this too quickly and when I was too tired. I need to re-read this one.
A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmelwww.goodreads.com/review/show/2036015599
This is a series of light, sweet vignettes about growing up in a small town in Middle America among quirky neighbors and a loving family. This is a time when parents did not feel responsible to protect children from broken bones, road rash and wounded hearts, but believed it was their responsible to help kids heal from and live through them. These felt like the self-contained stories one might find in Family Circle or similar magazine. It is not my preferred reading material, but is a good example of its genre. It is the pick for my local book group to discuss tomorrow night, and members are already talking about how much they enjoyed it.
Love Medicine by Louise Erdrichwww.goodreads.com/review/show/2039242741
I loved this collection of interlocking stories, each featuring members of two related Chippewa families over three generations in the 20th century. Alcoholism, domestic violence, fierce loyalty, shredded dreams, endurance, the incredible strength of the human spirit are among the themes explored with sensitivity and beautiful insight. Erdrich captures the complexity of the relationships with amazing nuance. Even though we are introduced to a large cast of characters, Erdrich paints each so vividly that I felt as if I knew each one.
Finished
by Jenny Colgan-- 3 Stars.Excellent audio narration- cute read for the summer.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Two doneThirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
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A teen girl records her suicide note on a series of cassettes which are to be passed among the 13 people she blames for her suicide so that they will know how their thoughtless or disrespectful behavior snowballed into her death. The novel follows one boy as he listens to the recordings. Neither voice sounded authentic. Hannah, the voice on the tapes, was particularly problematic. She never sounded distraught, but rather angry and a bit self-righteous. The negative encounters she recounts never reaches the level of bullying or a violation beyond what most teens could process. I do not want to engage in victim blaming. Why one youth can live through the horrors of war, abduction and brutalization by a terrorist group, child abuse and still fight for life and wholeness while another gives up after being the subject of a rumor or rejected by a romantic interest is a mystery to me. Just as a toddler who takes a tumble looks to a parent before deciding whether or not to cry, adolescents also look to others to make sense of life’s traumas. The circumstances narrated in this suicide note are common place. Most teens find a way to cope adequately. But, I fear that a young reader will recognize a common event in these pages and question if the trauma was not far worse than realized. The dead girl comes off as a tragic hero, the only character with depth and integrity, which is now recognized by those hearing the tapes. If suicide gains vindication and positive attention for this fictional figure, why not for the real life reader. It also puts an incredible amount of blame on those who failed to recognize the signs that she was suicidal, indicating that those around her could have, should have prevented the suicide. Anyone who has lost a loved one in this way knows how hard it is to see the signs. This message is unfair. On so many levels, I think this novel is irresponsible. On a purely literary level, I thought the writing and character portrayal was inadequate.
Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela
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This account of the life of the person who became the face of the antiapartheid fight in South Africa was inspiring, intriguing and interesting. It left me feeling both bogged down in details and craving so much more of the story.
Finished
by Graeme Macrae Burnet-- 3 Stars.Great fictional account of a few murders and the aftermath in a tiny Scottish town.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished
by Lene Kaaberbøl-- 4 Stars.This was a quick, fast-paced read that I couldn't stop listening to.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished
by Ron Rash-- 4 Stars.Gorgeous slow burn of a novel with a strong female character that I loved to hate.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Two finishedOpenning To You: Zen-Inspired Translations of the Psalms by Norman Fischer
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I could not identify what was Zen about these re-writes of the Psalms. The slight alterations in phrasing did not seem to bring out a new theology. It only seemed to diminish the richness of the ancient poetry.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
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I put off reading this group pick here on GR as long as I could. I have never enjoyed any romantic novel of this era. Although I did not like this one either, I did appreciate the more adult theme. Rather than endless courtship games, this novel addresses emotional abuse in a marriage and society’s imprisoning of women in abusive unions. Bronte deserves credit for taking on this topic at a time when domestic discord was hidden. Helen’s story is told in part through her diaries and in part through the voice of a young man who meets her during a period of separation from her husband. Maybe I am imposing contemporary preferences on this 19th century text, but I was bothered by the lack of realism in the text. Both narrative voices sounded identical. The diary was a thin pretext for communicating her tale and never sounded like an authentic journal. But those stylistic concerns were not my real frustration with the novel. Rather it was the heavy handed moralizing that turned me off. Helen’s voice is so sanctimonious that, rather than sympathizing with her, I came to dislike her. At a time when women could be easily dismissed as hysterical, I was glad to see Helen portrayed as supremely rational and in complete control of her emotions. It was the men who sobbed, stormed, gave vent to their tempers, not Helen. But, Helen’s stoic Christian charity in the face of every provocation was a depiction of the good and dutiful wife that is an unfair standard for any woman (or man) reading this book.
Finished
by Gary Younge - 3 Stars.Falling right down the middle on this one.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Trespasser by Tana Frenchhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is the final book in the Dublin Murder Squad series and I thought it was the best. A straight forward murder investigation of a woman found dead in her home is complicated by internal office politics on the squad.
Finished
by Imbolo Mbue-- 4 Stars.I really enjoyed this book about race, class, and immigration in the US.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
She Got Up Off the Couch by Haven Kimmelhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This sequel to A Girl Named Zippy is the July pick for my in-person book club. Ostensibly this book is about the author’s mother who, after two decades of a paralyzing lethargy from an oppressive marriage and grinding poverty, got her college degree in 2 years and went on to a master’s degree and a successful career. In actuality, this was a collection of more cute stories of growing up in small town America, of broken bones and school plays, of meeting her first African American family and baby-sitting her nephew, only a handful of chapters had anything to do with her mother. This is not my preferred reading material; two such books back-to-back became very tedious for me.
If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregorhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This book had so little in the way of plot or character development (in fact, we never learn the name of nearly everyone) that I am not sure it qualifies as a novel. I am surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. Maybe the relatively short length kept me from losing patience with the highly descriptive tone of it. This is the account of one late summer day in the lives of the residents on a block of flats. I felt like a voyeur as the literary camera swung into flat after flat exposing the actions and thoughts of these people. With the exception of one character, these lives are narrated in the omniscient third person, but without back story, we are only given the actions and thoughts of the present moment. The first person narrative exception is told from a few days or weeks beyond this date and notifies the reader that some dramatic event took place, dividing the day into before and after. I am not sure what the “remarkable things” of the title refers to. Is it the dramatic event which looms over the pages, unseen by its inhabitants? Is it the pivotal moments of birth and death, of love and loss unfolding on this ordinary street in such ordinary lives, the mother who cannot speak of her childhood to her adult daughter, the husband of many years who could never speak of his war experience, the man who keeps his cancer diagnosis secret from his wife? Is it the abundant moments of stunning beauty, of jaw-dropping awe that most of us fail to even notice: birds flying in perfect formation, light refracted through water droplets, a woman checking on her sleeping children in the wee hours of the morning, a young father dressing his toddler with hands scarred beyond use by a fire? The writing was so vivid that I saw, heard, smelt and felt every bit of this day, held fast by some inexplicable power.
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteenwww.goodreads.com/review/show/2061920214
Any die-hard fan will most likely not find much new in this memoir. But, the chance to hear this life story in his own words was worth the time. Besides, for the true fan, any opportunity to spend time near the Boss is worthwhile.
Finished 3
by Paulette Jiles-- 3 StarsMy Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
by Paulo Coelho-- 3 StarsMy Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
by Danya Kukafka-- 4 StarsMy Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This novel invites the reader into the lives of broken people in broken relationships populating the seedy backside of a small race track in West Virginia. Gordon masterfully captures the colloquial slang of the horse race scene in both the dialogues and internal monologues of the characters. In fact, it is so authentic that I was often confused about what was actually being communicated. Violent sex, murder, fraudulent schemes, this is the world of the characters that Gordon introduces the reader to and in which we find people that we are asked to understand, even if we can not love them. And, to this end he was successful; I never loved or approved of these figures, but I did come to appreciate their humanity.
Strong Was Her Faith by J. Ellsworth Kalashttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Kalas, a Methodist minister, explores the witness and spiritual challenge of 11 New Testament women in 12 short chapters (Mary, Mother of Jesus, gets 2 chapters). A study guide at the end of the book makes it easy to use for a women’s study group. This is appropriate for both mainline Protestant and Catholic readers, for those with little experience with Scripture study and veterans of the practice. 3.5 stars
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchetthttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a collection of essays previously published in a variety of publications. I found several, those about writing or facing opposition to one’s writing, fascinating and thought-provoking. Most, such as those about her dog, a false attempt to get into the L.A. P.D. academy or traveling in a motor home, I had no interest in.
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunnwww.goodreads.com/review/show/2071392947
Clever, totally fun read about an isolated utopian community dedicated to the celebration of the English language. As lettered tiles drop off an old monument in the town square, the governing body interprets it is a supernatural sign that each letter should be removed from all spoken and written language. The verbal acrobatics that ensue is entertaining. This is also a satire of the ludicrous attempts to censure language and ban ideas and the small-minded autocrats that enact such policies.
Finished
by Sheryl Sandberg-- 3.5 Stars.Glad I read this one, but wasn't spectacular.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Color of Lightning by Paulette Jileshttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
When doing research for another book, Jiles came across Britt Johnson, a freed slave who settled with his wife and children in southern Oklahoma in the 1860s. In this book, Jiles imagines a life for this man about whom history has kept little record. Although Johnson inspired this novel, his story is only one of many threads that Jiles tries to follow. This is historical fiction about the clash of cultures between the native peoples of the southern Great Plains and the American settlers who arrived with an abundance of cultural imperialism certain that the indigenous nations would be grateful to exchange the land for the chance to be enculturated into European norms and lifestyles. Needless to say, the result was brutal bloodshed, captivity, impoverishment and hardships for all, especially the natives who lost land, language, autonomy, and most of their culture by the time all was over. I had the impression that Jiles was more interested in teaching history than in unfolding a story. This book had the literary feel of one of those documentaries where a historian’s voice narrates and explains events while footage of that piece of history unspools on the screen. Her descriptions were vivid enough that I could see it all, but her tendency to tell rather than show, left me at a distance from the characters and events. The sense that I was being given a history lesson was compounded by the number of details and scenes that were historically interesting, but did nothing to further the narrative. This is a low 3 stars for me, just above average.
A Fatal Grace by Louise Pennywww.goodreads.com/review/show/2076734007
I think this series is so popular because it hits a sweet spot on so many levels. The setting of the village of Three Pines is the ideal mix of quaint and très chique, a community small enough to allow everyone to be known and loved, yet large enough to support a bookstore, a bistro that doubles as an antique shop and a Yoga Center. Since this is the second in a series of more than 20 volumes, it also seems to have an extraordinarily high murder rate. Each novel is the perfect balance of plot and character development, paced fast enough to avoid dragging, but giving enough about each character to avoid the feel of a formula. The main character, our Chief Inspector, also gives us just the right combination of brilliant insight and folksy warmth, of excellent leadership and humility.
101 Books to Read Before You Die
Books mentioned in this topic
Persuasion (other topics)It (other topics)
The Immortalists (other topics)
The Hate U Give (other topics)
Timekeeper (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jane Austen (other topics)Madeline Miller (other topics)
Sarah Henning (other topics)
Sarah McCoy (other topics)
Sarah Pekkanen (other topics)
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This book may be the proverbial last straw. I need to search GoodReads for “School of the Americas Alumni Reading Circle” or something similar because if I read another book group pick with this much sweetness and light I may be responsible for some serious carnage at a Marshmallow Peep Farm. When 29 year old children’s librarian loses her job due to funding cuts, she decides to pursue her dream of running a mobile bookstore. And, Voila! With a magical dream-come-true that even Cinderella’s fairy godmother would envy, a large van appears at a steal, is fitted with shelves overnight, a posh apartment is offered to her for a pittance, pristine second-hand books drop in her lap for no cost and the locals in the rural Scottish town buy her books at a rate that even Amazon would find mind-boggling. If this is not enough, add in hunks in kilts, warm locals that make her feel like Queen of the May Pole, and several local problems that were unresolvable until she arrived with her charm and wisdom. The writing reminded me of a fourth grade chapter book, at least until chapter 31 when sex consumed the story line. I feel like I just bathed in a vat of marshmallow fluff.