What are you reading right now?

[Sara]

I just finished a book I normally wouldn't have picked up--His Majesty's Dragon . I really liked Naomi Novik's more recent books, Uprooted and especially Spinning Silver so I thought it would be fun to try her first novel. Dragons + Napoleonic wars=more fun than I expected! What are you reading?

[Ann]

I just finished Love is Blind by William Boyd last night late. VERY travel-y--Edinburgh, Paris, St. Petersburg, Nice, the Adaman Islands--and about 19th- and early 20th-century musicians, so that was fun. Illicit love affairs! Murder! Plagiarism! Cat and mouse chases across Europe! Sounds silly, and goodness knows the UK edition's cover was embarrassingly so, but it was gorgeously written and pretty high-minded.

[Pat]

Well, I just finished two mysteries, one supposedly literary and not good ("The Feral Detective" by Jonathan Lethem, first of his I've read) and another in the very good Sean Duffy series by Adrian McKinty. Duffy is a Catholic detective in Protestant police near Belfast; series is set in the 1980s. Well written, good humor, and you learn a bit about the Troubles. S/b read in order; earliest in series that I've read is "In the Morning I'll be Gone."

[Jeremy]

I'm almost done with Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. Man, I miss having that guy as our president. I'm right in the middle of the part where he's learning about his Kenyan family's history, and it's a really vivid way to learn about the history of Kenya since the Europeans showed up.

[Claudia]

I have just finished reading Caging Skies by Christine Leunens. It's the book that inspired the movie Jojo Rabbit so my expectations were VERY different. Dark at moments and heartbreaking, maybe not the kind of reading you want during a pandemic that feels like a war, but absolutely beautiful.

[Lyndsey]

I recently finished Daisy Jones & The Six. Now I wish I was quarantined in a bungalow in Laurel Canyon with a bunch of musicians (with less ego and drama, of course).

[Sara]

Claudia wrote: "I have just finished reading Caging Skies by Christine Leunens. It's the book that inspired the movie Jojo Rabbit so my expectations were VERY different. Dark at moments and heartbr..."

I am so curious how it compares to the film! Have you watched it yet, Claudia? Would you recommend watching or reading first?

[Allyson]

I just finished reading The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali about a budding romance in 1950's Iran. I loved it. The food descriptions will make you hungry.

[Lisa]

Currently reading A Room of One's Own and Creatures. Just finished Sabrina & Corina: Stories and the fifth Veronica Speedwell. I had put a physical hold on the new NK Jemisen months ago (and am first in line!) but with my library closed I had to add myself to the growing list of eholds.

[Annette]

Just finished I Know This Much Is True and now reading Guts and Grace: A Woman’s Guide to Full-Bodied Leadership

A friend recommended Wally Lamb's book and it was a healthy escape as we cared for our elderly parents this month amidst the C19 crisis.

Met LeeAnn Mallorie at the World-changing Women's Summit in Sonoma in January. Her concepts are compelling - look forward to learning more and sharing as I go.

[Annette]

Ann wrote: "I just finished Love is Blind by William Boyd last night late. VERY travel-y--Edinburgh, Paris, St. Petersburg, Nice, the Adaman Islands--and about 19th- and early 20th-century musi..."

This sounds so cool. I'm adding it to my list. Thank you, Ann.

[Ploy]

Just started Seven Years in Tibet. I’ve never seen the movie so I guess I’ll have to do that next!

[Pamela C. Griffin]

I am currently reading 'The Year of Living Danishly". I was inspired to read it after my trip to Denmark last fall.

[Colleen]

I just finished Lily King's "Writers & Lovers", which I loved enough to seek out her other works - so now reading her award winning "Euphoria", about three anthropologists adventures in the amazon in the 1930's, transporting me to another time and place.

[Claudia]

Sara wrote: "Claudia wrote: "I have just finished reading Caging Skies by Christine Leunens. It's the book that inspired the movie Jojo Rabbit so my expectations were VERY different. Dark at mom..."

The movie is also amazing but quite different in tone. It defuses the drama with some pretty funny moments. I would read the book first because that's what I usually prefer to do but in this case maybe it doesn't matter that much

[Sara]

Colleen wrote: "I just finished Lily King's "Writers & Lovers", which I loved enough to seek out her other works - so now reading her award winning "Euphoria", about three anthropologists adventures in the amazon ..."

That sounds really interesting. Have you read The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston? That one (nonfic) about people searching for a hard-to-find archaeological site in the Honduran rainforest, really blew me away.

[Sara]

Lisa wrote: "Currently reading A Room of One's Own and Creatures. Just finished Sabrina & Corina: Stories and the fifth Veronica Speedwell. I had put a physical hold..."

I recently started my first NK Jemisin book (The Fifth Season) but then my library hold expired. :( I've heard such great things!

[Sara]

Ploy wrote: "Just started Seven Years in Tibet. I’ve never seen the movie so I guess I’ll have to do that next!"

PLOYYYYY! Thanks for coming. :) Curious to hear how Seven Years in Tibet the book holds up against the movie, when you get there (if you haven't figured it out yet, I love book-to-movie adaptation discussions...)

[Carolyn]

I am currently devouring and enjoying The Scent Keeper which is transporting me to the intoxicating Pacific Northwest where I took my honeymoon nearly 25 years ago...

[Fran]

Just finished GRACE by Paul Lynch--extraordinary writing, highly recommend

[Erin Becker]

The Shadow of the Wind, which takes place in Barcelona in the 1950s, with flashbacks to earlier times.

[Ayla]

Sara wrote: "I just finished a book I normally wouldn't have picked up--His Majesty's Dragon . I really liked Naomi Novik's more recent books, Uprooted and especially [book:Spinning..."

I'm listening to the audio book of Spinning Silver right now and loving it. I read Uprooted last year.

[Anne]

I so enjoy the sense of place in all of Alexander McCall Smith's books, and just re-read his lighthearted My Italian Bulldozer - great armchair travel to Tuscany right now!

[Shelby]

Close to finishing Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb. The book was suggested as part of a different book club I’m in, and so far it is an interesting dissection of what makes us human and the experiences that we all share in our own ways. While not about travel, i have felt similar realizations as a result of many of my travels. Excited to get going on A Room with a View!

[Jane]

Currently I'm reading "Tangerine", a suspense set in Morocco. One of the best books I've read lately was "Cinnamon and Gunpowder" by Eli Brown, about a female pirate and her captive chef (if you like pirates and food, as I do, this is an exhilarating read!).

[Chloe]

I just finished reading Ask Again Yes, wasn’t my favorite read though. Now I just started reading The Ninth House.

[Patricia]

I am reading “ All the light we cannot see” set in France and Germany during WWII. Not my favorite book but have enjoyed it more once I got about half way through.

[Kathryn]

Close to finishing "An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones and recently read "The One" by John Marrs, an interesting book about how to find your perfect match (fiction). Soon to be a Netflix show. I also loved Spinning Silver so I will have to read Her Majesty's Dragon!

[Sallie]

Erin Becker wrote: "The Shadow of the Wind, which takes place in Barcelona in the 1950s, with flashbacks to earlier times." I loved that book. Such a compelling story!

[Sallie]

I'm currently reading "Dollbaby" which is set in New Orleans in the mid-60s. Since I used to live there I'm finding it very fascinating. Just finished Alex Schaitkin's first novel called "Saint X." It was a very good read set in a fictional Caribbean Island. Sort of a mystery.

[Morgan]

I just finished the Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna and I'm now reading Four Seasons in Rome. I didn't intentionally pick Italy-centric books, but it has been wonderful to be transported to a different time and place during this upheaval.

[Garret]

I'm currently finishing up The Ghost Ships of Archangel by William Geroux, and planning on starting Roma - The Novel of Ancient Rome by Steven Saylor and Becoming by Michelle Obama.

[H-Grace]

Psyche wrote: "I just finished reading Ask Again Yes, wasn’t my favorite read though. Now I just started reading The Ninth House."
Psyche, H-Grace here. I read Ask Again Yes a few months ago and found it to be a powerful book about family and parenting. I thought it especially brave when I read the author’s note that she indeed has a trans child.

[H-Grace]

I’m wrapping up the novel “Americanah”, by Chimanda Ngozi Adichie, for our local small Florida town book group. Our April meeting will be via Zoom, even though many of us only live blocks apart. “Americanah” has not been a fun read, but I’ve learned a lot about Nigeria and about a Nigerian woman living as an ex-pat in the US. At over 500 pages, it has been a commitment and one I’m glad I’m completing.

[Rosalind]

I'm reading "This Terrible Beauty: A Novel." It's a look at the lives of Germans after the war and how they fared, through the eyes of one woman who lived through it all.

[H-Grace]

Kathryn wrote: "Close to finishing "An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones and recently read "The One" by John Marrs, an interesting book about how to find your perfect match (fiction). Soon to be a Netflix show. I..."
Kathryn, I enjoyed “An American Marriage,” but I found her first book, “Leaving Atlanta,” to be even better.

[Lori]

I'm reading Tidelands by Phiippa Gregory. Very evocative descriptions of the area.

[Wendi]

I've gotten into the terrible habit of reading more than one book at a time, so I have a few. I'm reading "The Pilgrimage" by Paulo Coelho, "A Spiritguide" by Patrick J Howell, and "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert.

[Anne]

Really enjoying "The Adventurer's Son" by Roman Dial!

[Amy]

I’m reading The Caliph’s House by Tahir Shah and enjoying it so much I ordered In Arabian Nights from my local bookstore. It should arrive next week.

I read A Room with a View back five years ago and am looking forward to retreading with a new lens.

[Milla]

I just finished Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982. A depressing window into gender inequality and societal conditioning in South Korea.

Currently reading The Death of Ivan Ilych. Thoroughly captivated by Tolstoy's writing.

[Sara]

Morgan wrote: "I just finished the Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna and I'm now reading Four Seasons in Rome. I didn't intentionally pick Italy-centric books, but it has been wonderful to be transported to..."

I LOVE Four Seasons in Rome. I think it might be my favorite Rome memoir. Curious to hear what you think!

[Sara]

Anne wrote: "Really enjoying "The Adventurer's Son" by Roman Dial!"

I have that sitting on my desk but haven't cracked it yet! Sounds like it's worth a look.

[Adriana]

I just finished Norwegian Wood by Murakami. I'd highly recommend his work! Unique and cookey, but a whirlwind of influences! Just started: There, There by Tommy Orange.

[Colleen]

Currently reading Exit West by Mohsin Hamid. Definitely recommend it so far!

[Autumn]

I'm currently reading "The Last Odyssey" by James Rollins. If you like adventure, science, history and wonderful story to get lost in then I would try out the Sigma Series. This book is the most current book from the series. I have been reading this series for years. I can't put them down. :)

[Kim]

I am currently reading Such a Fun Age. I am past part 1 and I am enjoying it so far. I normally would read while on the train and now that I am working from home, I have to be strict with myself and really sit down to read. Such a Fun Age

[Sara]

Kim wrote: "I am currently reading Such a Fun Age. I am past part 1 and I am enjoying it so far. I normally would read while on the train and now that I am working from home, I have to be strict with myself an..."

That book is definitely on my list. I know what you mean about having to be more disciplined now without a commute--I used to read on BART but now I need to be a lot more deliberate about my reading time.

I'm about halfway through Disappearing Earth and it is really interesting. It's set in the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, and weaves through a number of different characters' stories.

[Robyn]

I recently finished The Book Thief. One of my children will be reading this for school and I try to read all of their required reading before they do. Now I am reading something for me--To Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins which is his memoir of the 16 months he spent bicycling from Oregon to Patagonia. It has been lovely to read about his adventures and the places I have never visited while I am home.

[Amanda]

When All Is Said, what a tear jerker