101 Books to Read Before You Die discussion
What are you reading?
The Hate You Give by Angie Thomashttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sixteen year old Starr straddles two worlds, the African American hood where she lives and the predominantly white exclusive private high school she attends. Her world is turned upside down the night she is in the car with her childhood friend when he is pulled over for a broken tale light, pulled out of the car and fatally shot when the cop mistakes his hair brush for a gun. I am ambivalent about this book. It is a relevant contemporary topic well written for a young teen audience. But, I am decades away from being a young teen reader. So, the elements that would make this accessible for its intended audience were exactly the elements that were unappealing to me. The characters are emotionally intense, but not at all complex. Although we are told of domestic violence in neighboring homes, the adults in Starr’s family always fight fare, make up in a few hours and speak in a flow of wise aphorisms. Nothing is left to the reader’s conjecture, and anything of social or emotional complexity is explained numerous times. If we were told that Starr had to put forth two different personas in her two worlds once, we were told it 4 dozen times. Every teachable moment is exploited with age appropriate advice on handling difficult emotions, what makes for a healthy friendship, what it means to act with integrity, etc. Even when violent riots erupt all around them and their lives are threatened, Starr and her idealized family never lose their wise self-control. Even the teen romance between Starr and her boyfriend felt more like an instructional depiction of what should be rather than a depiction of a real teen relationship. For its willingness to tackle this important topic, for portraying the African American family in positive terms, I want to give this 4 stars. For my enjoyment of the reading experience, I want to give it 2 stars.
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula LeGuinhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Global warming and over population has left the world in a state of war, disease and dramatic lack of basic resources by the year 2000. In this world, a strikingly unremarkable man discovers he has a frighteningly remarkable ability, at times, he can dream with such vividness that the dreams become reality. Sent into governmentally mandated therapy, he ends up under the care of a man determined to harness this power to remake the world according to his perception of the common good. This short science fiction novel explores the nature of reality and the perils of playing God.
Finished
by Taylor Jenkins Reid -- 4 StarsLoved this one-- need to add more by this author, any recs?
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nahisi Coateshttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Coates wrote a series of essays for the Atlantic Magazine about racial inequality in the U.S. He published one a year during the 8 years of the Obama presidency. This volume collects these essays with an additional introductory piece to each in light of the election of Trump. Coates argues that the history of slavery and on-going systemic racial discrimination is to blame for most, if not all, contemporary problems experienced by black America. He also argues that racism is strong in white America despite claims to the contrary. He credits this racism for the success of the Trump presidential campaign. Coates gives us well written arguments supported with evidence from history, current statistics and his personal story. This is a very thought provoking volume, a great conversation starter on the issue. My primary disappointment is that Coates leaves me without a way forward. White racism is so embedded in the American psyche and self-understanding, that even an extremely articulate, morally exemplar, black family in the White House does not advance racial respect, but rather a violent, extreme backlash.
The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermotthttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
What does it mean to love, for love to stand before suffering one’s own and another’s suffering, to stand even when love can not end the suffering, to love without counting the cost even though one knows what must be paid, to sacrifice whatever is asked? This is the question I found at the heart of this novel of a young widow raising her daughter under the care of a local convent of nursing sisters. I liked this story with its complicated characters, religious themes, layers of glimpsed questions. I appreciated that McDermott trusted her reader enough to open door after door, letting the reader make her own observations, draw his own conclusions.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Evelyn Hugo, a 79 year old movie star contacts a young, relatively inexperienced magazine feature writer to pen her authorized biography. With only her extraordinary beauty and bust size, Evelyn sleeps and claws her way to the top of the industry. Apparently, Evelyn also has an extraordinary memory because she recounts 65 years of her life in cinematic detail, repeating conversations verbatim and recalling every outfit worn by anyone. Evelyn does not regret how she used people, manipulated situations, engaged in morally questionable behavior in order to advance her aims. I did not find Evelyn’s voice credible. The passion scenes were so cheesy that I think they would have been rejected by the worse soap opera scrip writer. The end came across as moralizing and Smoltzie. I know that I am the odd one in my assessment of this novel. Others have absolutely loved it. 1.5 stars.
The Condition by Jennifer Haighhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have heard great things about Jennifer Haigh, so maybe this was the wrong book at the wrong time for me. This is the story of another dysfunctional family. How dysfunctional, let me count the ways. A divorced couple… He can’t stop thinking about his limp dick and the pretty young women he can no longer have. She can’t stop thinking about the umbilical cord she refuses to cut despite her adult children stretching it to the breaking point. Their three adult children… The oldest son can’t come to terms with his homosexuality. The daughter can’t come to terms with her Turner’s Syndrome. The younger son can’t come to terms with being an unambitious pot head. The ending did not feel true to the characters but to the expectations of the Life Time Channel.
Finished
by Alessandra Torre-- 3 StarsThis was just ok for me (unpopular opinion).
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Immersion Bible Studies: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah by Bruce Epperly https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This was a very accessible introduction to the major theological themes of 5 prophetic books of the Old Testament. This study would be understandable by a novice to Bible study, yet offered challenge to a reader familiar with these prophetic texts. I particularly appreciated the use of gender neutral language for God.
Hosea, Amos, Micah by David E. Garland, M. Daniel Carroll, Thomas E. Mccomiskey, Tremper Longman
www.goodreads.com/review/show/2272167692
Excellent synthesis of extensive research.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
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I first read this book decades ago as a young high school student and loved it. This story of a Nigerian village being transformed by their initial encounter with British missionaries bent on colonizing the native population is told with a sympathetic bent for the male Nigerians. As a young teen, I was fascinated by the tribal traditions and heartbroken for the loss of this way of life. This time, I was struck by the similarities between the tribal leadership and the Europeans: their shared use of violence to intimidate, their brutality toward those socially weaker than them, their lust for power. I hope this continues to be required reading in high school because I think this is an excellent young adult novel. However, as an older adult, it lacked a level of complexity that I look for when reading.
The Other Girl by Erica Spindlerhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A popular college professor is murdered and sexually mutilated. At the crime scene, the lead detective finds a newspaper clipping of an attack she endured as a teen but which the local police didn’t seem to believe. How the murder and the detective are connected is obvious from the start. What I liked about this murder mystery: it was a straightforward investigation, there was no unreliable narrator, no deliberate attempt to mislead the reader, no literary slide of hand, no sense that the author and reader were in some contest of wits. What I disliked about the book: the gratuitous office romance and badly written sex scenes, the outlandishly unprofessional actions of the lead detective, the unnecessary sappy family story line. 2.5 stars.
Finished
by Dan Brown - 4 StarsHow has it taken me this long to read this book? What an adventure!
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Georgia: A Novel of Georgia O’Keeffe by Dawn Tripphttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This was not what I was hoping for when I chose to read this book. I was looking for insight into the artistic vision and development of this ground-breaking painter. Instead, this focused on the romance between O’Keeffe and Stieglitz. It is not that the art is absent; it could not be neglected when the two main characters are such famous artists. Rather, it felt that the art served as the backdrop to the interpersonal life. Although I know more about the life of O’Keeffe after reading this novel, I don’t have a better understanding of her artistic vision or contribution to the art world.
Finished two totally different books and loved them both
by Elizabeth StroutMy Review:
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by Lauren OliverMy Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished
by Michael Bornstein & Debbie Bornstein HolinstatBook Hangover commences
My Review:
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A Trick of the Light by Louise Pennyhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just another murder in paradise.
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzenhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a tragedy told as a farce. This book introduces us to Alfred and Enid and their adult children: Gary, Chip and Denise. These are all deeply flawed, extremely complex, a bit ridiculous characters. Little happens in this book; for every 20 pages in the present, we have 80 of back story. In the hands of a less skilled writer, this would drag to the point of inducing a coma. But Franzen draws us in and keeps the reader riveted.
The Counterlife by Philip Rothhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a difficult book to rate and review. The writing is superb. The dialogue is intelligent, witty and reflects a perfect ear for the cadence and pitch of human interactions. But I am obviously too stupid to understand where this book was trying to lead me as a reader. I read the final page three times hoping that some light bulb would finally illuminate, but it did not. This is a novel within a novel, with the chapters of this secondary book taking precedence over the actual character’s lives of the initial story. What is the reality that I am to embrace as a reader? And, what does the Jewish angst of the secondary novel have to do with the apparent lack of Jewish angst of the primary characters’ lives? I suspect that this book is about the way we create and revise our personal and group narrative, but I need someone to unpack this award winning story for me.
Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayohttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This novel is set in modern Nigeria in a culture that places an extremely high value on baring and raising children. In thissociety, what happens when a couple faces infertility? This story is told in the voice of both the wife and husband. I enjoyed being invited into a new culture. I was offered new perspectives and insights through the eyes and actions of these hurting individuals. But I also found it unsatisfying in some ways. Although both husband and wife were given opportunities to tell the story, it was the female voice that dominated receiving the majority of time and revealing most of the emotional and motivational details. The male voice seemed to be used primarily to provide elements of the story not fully known to the female. When we do hear from him, he sounds exactly like his wife, so much so that I could not tell that we had switched narrators until well into his sections. At a few critical times, the characters acted in ways that did not feel to be in keeping with what was revealed about them. I would have accepted this as the author’s willingness to allow the reader to draw independent conclusions except that so much of what was felt or thought, especially for the wife, was repeated eight ways to Sunday. Finally, the book ended on a point that begged for more time, more information about what would happen. 3.5 stars
Dreams of My Comrads by Scott Zuckerman
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This was a Christmas gift from my brother whose good friend is the author. When Zuckerman, an acupuncturist, met the 90 year old father of a patient and learned he had fought in the Pacific theater of WWII, he asked permission to publish his story. But when Zuckerman does a bit of research to fill in details, it turns out that the man’s memories sharply deviate from the historical record. Zuckerman shifts from a simple oral history to an attempt to reconcile the differing narratives. The author used an informal, conversational style of writing which adequately conveyed information, but was far from gripping. A great deal of unnecessary information was provided: biographical summaries of a handful of individuals who had very brief contact with the man, multiple transcripts of letters written from basic training to his wife that said exactly the same thing, experiences of the author around this project which were irrelevant to the story, etc. This book could have easily been a third shorter and would have been stronger for the cuts. When the final chapter reveals that the author had missed a number of details in the man’s service record, details that might have accounted for some, but certainly not all, of the discrepancies, I found myself wondering what else he had overlooked. The lack of strong prose and the misreading of the documents gave this book a rather unprofessional feel.
Finished
by Kristin Hannah-- 5 StarsI Loved this book!
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished
by L.M. Montgomery-- 2 starsNot enough of Anne Shirley in this one for me...
My Review:
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Ruby by Ann Hoodhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A young woman, recently widowed and a 15 year old pregnant run away have an unlikely meeting which leads to a healing friendship for both. I was challenged to read a “sweet” book during February, so knew that the sugar level in this one would be higher than in my normal literary diet. Therefore, I can’t complain about this aspect of the story. But, I do wonder if it is possible to write a book that is both sweet and that respects the intelligence of the reader. Hood pounded the reader over the head with every bit of emotional information. Is it really necessary to remind the reader every 100 words that the young widow is jealous of her friends who are starting families or that she blames herself for her husband’s vehicular death, for example? I also did not find the teenaged Ruby a credible portrayal of adolescence. This story dragged for me. I have also read short stories by Hood and I think the confines they present work to her advantage.
Perfectly Yourself by Matthew KellyThis bit of pop psychology sprinkled with a smattering of God language proposes to tell the reader how they can find happiness by being “perfectly yourself”. If it were not for the examples from work life, parenting and marriage, I would have thought I was reading a seventh grade mini-course text on personal development. The themes addressed, the simplistic tone, the over explanation of the most basic concepts, the unending repetition, the life principles highlighted, gave this an adolescent feel. As an adult reader, it was insulting on numerous levels. The author’s frequent mentions of his large audiences, his international speaking engagements, the thousands of people who sought his advice came across as braggadocious. 1.5 stars
Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I had the strange sense of having already read this novel. I think it is because it felt so similar to Gilead. A preternaturally wise minister in a small semi-rural congregation, a wife that is met by chance when she visits the church and who is ill matched to the expectations of a preacher’s wife, children that he desperately loves but with whom he is not quite connected, a congregation of gossips and small-minded complainers that challenges his message of an infinitely loving God. Of course, gentleness, compassion, a willingness to be vulnerable is all that is required to heal and transform the brokenness in everyone, including the minister.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grannhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This was an interesting and tragic piece of U.S. history with which I was unfamiliar. The author does a wonderful job of telling the story in a clear, concise and engaging fashion.
The Ballroom by Anna Hope
This was a re-read in preparation for my in-person book group. It was just as wonderful the second time.
Finished
by Diane Chamberlain-- 4 StarsCouldn't put it down...
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Humility of God: A Franciscan Perspective by Ilia Delio, O.S.F.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A Franciscan theologian, the author uses the life of St. Francis and the writings of St. Bonaventure to argue that humility is the quality of God evident in the inner life of the Trinity, the Incarnation, the processes of the natural world, the suffering of humanity and in the mandate of Christians to divinize all of creation. Delio applies some very traditional Franciscan spiritual language to some contemporary theological notions such as Process Theology and a “Cosmic Christ”. This is a great deal of material to cover in less than 170 pages. My prior familiarity with the Franciscan theological giants made some sections, such as her exploration of the Incarnation, familiar and easy to follow. But, other elements, such as quantum mechanics or the concept of “Cosmic Christ, needed a fuller explanation. At times, it felt as if she was clinging to a handful of sufficiently vague catch phrases and repeating them chapter after chapter. This book is intended for a non-scholarly reader. Maybe I need to look at her more scholarly works in order to find the deeper clarity I desire. 3.5 stars
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
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This is a 20th century family saga that begins in Korea and matures in Japan. It depicts the impact of Japanese discrimination of Koreans on multiple generations of a Korean family. I was unaware of the systemic injustice and personal vitriol second and third generation Koreans living in Japan experienced. I found the introduction to various aspects of both Korean and Japanese culture quite interesting. The characters were well developed and sympathetic. The author chose to have the most highly charged events in the novel occur off stage. We saw the setting and the aftermath, but were not privy to the raw feelings. This kept the reader outside the family and muted the emotional impact. This may have served the purpose of communicating a highly private and stoic culture, but it left me less invested.
Finished
by Kwame Alexander -- 3 StarsMy Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished
by Ian Morgan Cron -- 4 StarsMy Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Radium Girls by Kate Moorewww.goodreads.com/review/show/2320808806
This is the story of young women exposed to high levels of radium working as painters of glow-in-the-dark dials in the years from about 1915-1925. Although not aware of the deadly effects of radium exposure initially, the scientific community soon came to recognize the connection. But, the companies refused to compensate the suffering workers, to protect newer hirers or accept any responsibility. This book chronicles the fight for justice for these women. Rather than follow the story of a single dial painter, Moore chooses to give the breadth of the story, introducing the reader to numerous sickened women, doctors and attorneys. This could have become overwhelming, confusing or simply dry. But Moore avoids all of these pitfalls to give the reader a clear, compelling, story that conveys the full humanity and awful suffering of these women.
The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticathttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
These are interconnected stories which revolve around a former Haitian torturer now living a quiet life in the United States, his former identity known only to his wife. The characterizations were fantastic. The experiences of Haitians living through a brutal dictatorship and its aftermath in exile was powerfully conveyed.
Educated by Tara Westoverhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Tara Westover was raised in a fundamentalist Mormon family, survivalists who distrusted every aspect of the government, by a domineering, emotionally abusive father and a physically abusive older brother. She received no formal schooling, not even home schooling. At the age of 16, she was admitted to BYU and went on to study at Harvard and receive a PhD from Cambridge. This is the memoir of a brilliant, strong, hard working, resourceful traumatized young woman. The writing was excellent. She drew the reader into her family but avoided portraying herself as a pitiable victim. Fantastic memoir.
Sweet Girl by Travis Mulhauserhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In the middle of a blizzard, our 16 year old narrator heads into the woods to retrieve her meth addicted mother from the farm house of the dealer. Instead of her mother, she finds a crying, hungry, wet baby in a room filling up with snow, the child’s mother and the meth dealer passed out in another room. She decides to spirit this little girl through the storm to a hospital before the addicts can discover her absence and come after them. The story is told from the pov of this teen and from the meth dealer. The characters in the teen’s camp are a bit crusty with sweet, lovable insides. Those we meet through the dealer are buffoons who might have walked off the set of “Dumb and Dumber”. Maybe this is an accurate portrayal of folks perpetually stoned, I wouldn’t know. I am not sure why this tender story did not resonate since it is well written, but I just could not connect with the characters or care about the plot line.
Finished
by Lindy WestGreat book by such a strong female voice. Got laughs and I even teared up a bit.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Pennyhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This murder mystery in the series leaves the paradise of Three Pines for the paradise of a secluded monastery, shifts from passion over painting to passion over music. Once again, without any forensic investigation, only pure reason, our brilliant inspector solves another crime, all the while being thwarted by his own supervisor. I was extremely distracted by the strange depiction of monastic life, the inaccuracies about Catholic practices and structures, and the inconsistencies in the setting. Apparently, this monastery has been hidden for 400 years, even the Church hierarchy does not know they exist, but they have had new members throughout those centuries, have brought in materials for indoor plumbing, geothermal heating and have a phone connection. I suspect my irritation is similar to real law enforcement officers who read these stories; the portrayal of a police investigation must strike them as ludicrous. 2.5 stars
The Collected Stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer by Isaac Bashevis Singerhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This volume contains 47 of the prize winning author’s short stories. Set among Jewish peasants in Poland or Jewish immigrants to the New World, their characters grapple with existential crisis: the temptation to abandon the practices of the faith, the struggle with doubt or the ambiguity of living between worlds force characters to confront questions of meaning. All are extremely well written. They beg to be read individually, with days or weeks to ruminate between each one. I did not do this and they began to seem too similar, losing their potency.
Finished
by Lisa Wingate-- 3.5 StarsMy Review:
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Finished
by David Lagercrantz-- 3 StarsMy Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The One In A Million Boy by Monica Woodwww.goodreads.com/review/show/2341361531
It feels like an overused plot theme, an awkward youth and a curmudgeonly senior develop a friendship that is mutually healing and transforming. The spin unique to this novel is that the reader knows from the outset that the child has died unexpectedly. His parents are drawn into the relationship with the centenarian post-mortem healing their grief and sparking a new joi de vivre in the elderly woman. Too much in this book seemed to serve the needs of the plot while not being true to the characters and their situation. This narrative held an unswerving, full-throttle-ahead course to a very predictable happy ending and had no qualms about running over anything that threatened to get in its way. 2.5 stars
The Everlasting Man by G. K. Chestertonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Considered a masterpiece among Chesterton’s many books, this was written to refute H. G. Wels’s endorsement of a purely natural view of the evolution of Homo sapiens and of human culture. Chesterton here argues that religion is integral and essential to understanding humanity and the world and that, of all religious systems, Christianity is alone true and Catholicism the most perfect expression of Christianity. I am not a fan of polemics; it only affords access to one side of an argument without the rebuttal of the opposing view. Although I am a member of Chesterton’s praised group, I frequently wondered about the claims he made about other religious groups and other cultures. Chesterton’s argument is so multi-faceted that questioning one claim might feel like nitpicking. But there were so many questionable assertions that it began to feel like literary Jenga, the entire structure seemed endanger of toppling.
Finished
by Annie Spence - 4 StarsI ate this one up! Particularly good on audio.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Possession by A.S. Byatthttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This literary mystery has two 20th century British scholars in hot pursuit of newly discovered correspondence between two 19th century British poets. Access to these letters appears to be radically consequential to the world of scholarship since others are equally desperate to own these documents. Byatt is a fantastic writer. From excerpts of these poets’ over, to 19th century love letters to 20th century academic discourse, she displays a terrific range. Unfortunately, I found the ultimate revelation rather anti-climactic, maybe because I had guessed the secret, maybe because I could not quite figure out how it changed the face of scholarship. When a mystery is over 500 pages, the ending had better be incredible. Unfortunately, it did not rise to that level. This gets 4.5 stars for the writing and 3.5 stars for the story.
The Seven Last Words by Michael Crosby OFM Cap
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In this slim volume, Michael Crosby explores how the words spoken by Christ from the cross might be fulfilled in the lives of contemporary American Christians.
Inside The O’Briens by Lisa Genovahttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
By making a particular neurological condition the primary character in her novel, Lisa Genova provides the reader with a decent understanding of the disease while humanizing the information. In this novel, it is Huntington’s Disease that has the starring role. We watch Joe O’Brien move through a year with HD, from initial diagnosis through denial, anger, and eventually a level of acceptance as his symptoms increase. We also watch his adult children deal with the ramifications of the news, especially the genetic implications. What Genova does so well is also the limitation of the book. Because the disease is the focal point of the novel, it reads like a docudrama. Elements of the illness are depicted, then dropped, as if it is enough to illustrate this or that symptom. By way of example, uncontrollable, violent mood swings is a symptom. In the opening chapter, we see Joe in such a rage because he is running late for work. The scene ends as he flings a cast iron skillet full of hot bacon grease across the kitchen nearly missing his daughter’s head. The book then skips ahead 7 years when the physical symptoms force a neurological exam and his wife informs the doctor that Joe has had a violent, erratic temper for 6 to 7 years. Yet, the reader never sees the impact of living with these violent outbursts on his wife or children. There is no fear, no anger, no PTSD in the children, just adoring love and unconditional trust. Had they known the cause of this rage during those years, this might be understandable, but they do not, he simply becomes verbally and physically violent for no explicable reason. I appreciated what this book taught me about Huntington’s Disease, but it was not a great piece of literature.
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boynehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Once again my reaction to a novel deviates from that of most of the people I know. This was not the unambiguous 5 star read that it was for most. This novel is the life story of Cyril, a man who was born to an unwed teen in Ireland at the end of the 2nd World War, adopted by an affluent but emotionally stunted couple who gives him every financial advantage, but no affection, and who spends his adult life reacting to being gay in a time and place with extreme prejudices against homosexuality. I really enjoyed Boyne’s writing. He told a story in a way that made it come to life. I could read for hours without becoming fidgety. But, the fixation on Cyril’s sexual activity was a bit too much. For the majority of this book, Cyril seemed to swing between anonymous hook-ups and masturbation in the dark and back again. We see glimpses of his mother through the book, a character who endures as much humiliation, prejudice, marginalization as Cyril, but who never sinks into episodes of self-pity, let alone the lifelong self-absorbed self-pity of Cyril. Boyne appears to have a very low opinion of his native Ireland and a total distain for the Catholic Church. Every practicing Catholic is judgmental, hypocritical and cruel. The Irish are small-minded, violent and sex obsessed. People are not much better anywhere else this novel visits. The only people Boyne seems to regard as capable of kindness and compassion are gays and some unwed mothers. Boyne seems to be writing with an agenda that is force fed to the reader. I want a bit more subtlety in my fiction. Although I could sympathize to some extent with Cyril, he eventually tried my patience. I loved the humor but at times was confused by the close proximity of awful violence with farcical interactions. There were also far too many unbelievable coincidences on which this story depended. 3.5 stars
Holiday by Stanley Middletonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is one of those award-winning novels that, despite its stellar technical quality, left me bored. A young man, recently separated from his 6 year marriage, spends a week’s vacation at the shore. There he recalls childhood holidays, flirts with other vacationers and contemplates his complicated relationship with his wife. I never connected with this young man, understood the motivations of the central characters, made sense of all the sexual tension among the vacationers or cared about their petty lives.
Jesus of Nazareth: What He Wanted, Who He Was by Gerhard Lohfinkhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a scriptural Christology and exegesis of the concept of the Kingdom of God by a highly regarded German theologian. I found it in turns, thought-provoking, challenging and confusing. I plan to return to page 1 and start a re-read immediately, not something I usually do.
Finished
by Robert Galbraith-- 4 StarsCannot wait for the next book to come out!
My Review:
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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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Such a powerful book with a YA focus.
My Review:
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