What non-mystery books are you reading? (2021-2022) Showing 851-900 of 1,030

[Abigail]

So far I’m finding the writing extraordinarily beautiful.

[Carolien]

I finished Mona in Three Acts by Belgian author Griet Op de Beeck this week and was consumed by it for a few days. Written in the first person from Mona's perspective, the first act is set in her childhood and the death of her mother. We then encounter her as a twenty year old starting a career in theatre and then in her thirties as her father is dying. I enjoyed seeing her character grow and change.

[Tania]

Abigail wrote: "Currently reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston."

Look forward to your thoughts pn this one, I've been meaning to read it for so long.

I've startef The Skin Chairs by Barbara Comyns. Not far in yet, but intriguing. I hope to finish over the weekend.

[Abigail]

There’s a group read of Their Eyes Were Watching God in July in the Women’s Classic Literature group if you want to seize the day, Tania!

[Susan in NC]

I’m trying to whittle away at my nonfiction TBR by choosing a book a month, currently reading and listening to Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake. The author narrates, and he has a lovely, restful voice, so it is very interesting and soothing. Also, the writing is beautiful and entertaining - I wish these brilliant young scientists were writing textbooks back when I was in school!

[Sandy]

Susan in NC wrote: "I’m trying to whittle away at my nonfiction TBR by choosing a book a month, currently reading and listening to [book:Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures|..."

I liked Entangled Life quite a lot. There does seem to be more scientists writing well today.

[Susan in NC]

Sandy wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "I’m trying to whittle away at my nonfiction TBR by choosing a book a month, currently reading and listening to [book:Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds ..."

I agree - maybe publishers are making science books meant for the interested amateur more available? I’m grateful, trying to plug the holes in subjects I wasn’t terribly interested in back in high school and college. ;)

[Jan C]

I had trouble with Their Eyes Were Watching God. Not crazy about dialect books.

[Abigail]

The dialect kind of takes me back to my childhood; but perhaps dialect has been spoiled for us by the movies, where it was used in such demeaning ways.

[Sid]

Sandy wrote: "I liked Entangled Life quite a lot. There does seem to be more scientists writing well today."

There are - and it warms this ex-science teacher's heart to see it. There have always been some very fine writers on science (I'd especially recommend Peter Medawar and Stephen Jay Gould if you've not read any of them) but it's great to see so many current scientists producing such good books about what they do.

And if you can access BBC Sounds, I strongly recommend the series The Life Scientific; half-hour podcasts in which the excellent Jim Al-Khalili interviews all kinds of scientists about their life and work.

[Sid]

I've just finished The Devil In the Valley by Castle Freeman Jr.. It's a sort of retelling of the Faust legend in present-day rural Vermont and I enjoyed it a lot. Freeman is a really good writer, I think.

My review, if interested: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Tania]

Abigail wrote: "There’s a group read of Their Eyes Were Watching God in July in the Women’s Classic Literature group if you want to seize the day, Tania!"

Thanks Abigail, I might just do that.

[Sandy]

Sid wrote: "Sandy wrote: "I liked Entangled Life quite a lot. There does seem to be more scientists writing well today."

There are - and it warms this ex-science teacher's heart to see it. There have always b..."

I haven't tried Medawar and will investigate his books. I love Gould and subscribed to a magazine mainly for his monthly column, This View of Life. He ended it on the new millennium which he correctly pointed out was 2001. I miss him still.

[Tara]

Novel Houses: Twenty Famous Fictional Dwellings by Christina Hardyment. The book discusses the real-life influences of each author that lead to them creating the iconic places in their books. So far the books/buildings covered are things I haven't read, but have piqued my interest to read at some point.

[Judy]

Tara wrote: "Novel Houses: Twenty Famous Fictional Dwellings by Christina Hardyment. ..."

That looks like a lovely book, Tara! Does it have a lot of illustrations?

[Susan in NC]

Sid wrote: "Sandy wrote: "I liked Entangled Life quite a lot. There does seem to be more scientists writing well today."

There are - and it warms this ex-science teacher's heart to see it. There have always b..."

Thanks, Sid. Gould is on my nonfiction TBR, but Medawar is a new name for me, so I will check him out!

[Carolien]

Tara wrote: "Novel Houses: Twenty Famous Fictional Dwellings by Christina Hardyment. The book discusses the real-life influences of each author that lead to them creating the ico..."

This looks very interesting!

[Abigail]

Starting Belinda by Maria Edgeworth.

[Rosina]

Tara wrote: "Novel Houses: Twenty Famous Fictional Dwellings by Christina Hardyment. The book discusses the real-life influences of each author that lead to them creating the ico..."

Michael Innes has some weird 'houses' in his books - sometimes excessively described, although frequently important for the plot.

[Sid]

Rosina wrote: "Michael Innes has some weird 'houses' in his books - sometimes excessively described, although frequently important for the plot."

Indeed - and you've reminded me that it's high time I reread Christmas at Candleshoe!

[Susan]

Rosina wrote: "Tara wrote: "Novel Houses: Twenty Famous Fictional Dwellings by Christina Hardyment. The book discusses the real-life influences of each author that lead to them cre..."

Looks great, Rosina. Thanks for telling us about it.

[Sandy]

I am reading Everything in Its Place: First Loves and Last Tales, a collection of essays by Oliver Sacks, another scientist that was also an excellent writer. Not very far into it yet. The first part is on his early life and I've read On the Move: A Life, his autobiography.

[Jackie]

just started Etched in Bone, it's the last of a series so I'm stoked to find out what happens.

[Abigail]

I’ve started reading Belinda by Maria Edgeworth.

[Jackie]

I just started what will be my first read of The Crystal Cave for the Mary Stewart group. I know I tried reading it at least once, because an early scene was familiar, and don't know why I stopped reading, but no stopping this time and I think I'm really going to like it.

[Abigail]

I love The Crystal Cave! Stewart really steeped herself in Celtic spiritual traditions to write it.

[Abigail]

Because Belinda is a group read that goes through only a few chapters a week, I am starting a second book in parallel: A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. It’s 1,500 pages long (!!) so I expect to be shuttling between the two for quite some time.

[Tara]

Judy wrote: "Tara wrote: "Novel Houses: Twenty Famous Fictional Dwellings by Christina Hardyment. ..."

That looks like a lovely book, Tara! Does it have a lot of illustrations?"

Sadly there are not, and the descriptions for each novel are so spoiler heavy I wouldn't recommend it unless you've read all of the books you're interested in first.

[Tania]

Abigail wrote: "Because Belinda is a group read that goes through only a few chapters a week, I am starting a second book in parallel: A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. It’s 1,500 pages long (!!) so I ex..."

I've been meaning to read Maria Edgeworth so I'm looking forward to your review.

Yesterday I finished The Skin Chairs by Barbara Comyns, which was pretty great. She ceryainly seems to be a very original author and I do want to read more of her books. So far I've only read Our Spoons Came from Woolworths and Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead, both great in a quirky way.

[Abigail]

Loving Belinda so far.

[Tania]

Good to hear.

[Judy]

Tara wrote: "Judy wrote: "Tara wrote: "Novel Houses: Twenty Famous Fictional Dwellings by Christina Hardyment. ... Sadly there are not, and the descriptions for each novel are so spoiler heavy I wouldn't recommend it unless you've read all of the books you're interested in first."

Thanks, that's a shame on both counts.

[Louise]

A Picnic in the Shade by Rosemary Edisford. Very entertaining memoir. Unfortunately not on goodreads and it seems it’s now not possible to add books, which is a pity,

[Abigail]

Have you asked the Goodreads Librarians Group to add it?

[Sid]

I've just finished Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban, as a buddy read on Reading the 20th Century. I thought it was stunning when I first read it 40 years ago and I'm equally stunned this time. An absolutely fantastic book.

[Susan in NC]

Started a reread of Sylvester by Georgette Heyer for the Heyer group July read.

[Abigail]

Hoping to get to Sylvester in another week or so—still over 700 pages to go with A Suitable Boy!

[Judy]

Are you enjoying A Suitable Boy, Abigail? I have been meaning to read it for ages and liked the TV adaptation, but the length of it is daunting.

[Abigail]

I am enjoying it. It reads pretty quickly and the many characters and situations are mostly interesting. The author has a good eye for social interactions (he’s an Austen fan and it shows). I wouldn’t try to read it in ebook format because it would be too hard to keep up with all the relationships—my paperback copy has four family trees in the front.

There’s a fair amount of unfamiliar terminology and some baffling politics, but I just slide over those bits and try to figure them out from context. If I stopped to look them up I’d never get through!

[Judy]

Thanks Abigail, that sounds good and useful to know about the advantages of reading A Suitable Boy on paper. I own it on Kindle but sounds as if it would be worth getting hold of a physical book as well.

[Abigail]

Either that or take notes of who the characters are as you go along!

[Jan C]

Getting ready to start the third Elizabeth Daly in her Henry Gamadge series, Murders in Volume 2. I found it on a used book site since I missed picking it up on sale on Kindle.

[Susan in NC]

Started my nonfiction read for this month, John Adams by David McCullough. Too bulky to carry in my purse for a doctor appointment this afternoon, so threw in my used paperback for an upcoming read of Pomfret Towers by Angela Thirkell with the Retro Reads group. Some of my dear mother’s best advice: always have a book when you may have to wait for appointment!

[Abigail]

I’ve added a third book to my reading rotation, Sylvester; or, The Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer.

[Jill]

I did that one time with a paperback the puppy had chewed. Think the doctor thought I was really nervous about my health.LOL

[Jackie]

I started Pomfret Towers as well and I am loving it.

[Abigail]

Yes, I have to get to that soon too! And there’s a Michael Innes novel in Reading the Detectives and Midnight Library for my real-world reading group and Belinda for my Jane Austen book club and . . . This is a ridiculously heavy reading month for me—it doesn’t help that one of the books is 1,500 pages long (??) plus it’s Jane Austen July.

[Susan in NC]

Jill wrote: "I did that one time with a paperback the puppy had chewed. Think the doctor thought I was really nervous about my health.LOL"

Lol!

[Susan in NC]

Jackie wrote: "I started Pomfret Towers as well and I am loving it."

Me, too, like sinking into a comfy chair, love to revisit Barsetshire! Just finished “Sylvester” yesterday, I’m on a roll with delightful reads!

[Jan C]

Started a true crime this week, The Vanishing Triangle by Claire McGowan. About women in Ireland disappearing.

Started Clark and Division last night - but that might be a mystery, I'm not sure. They've just gotten sent to the internment camp and are about to move to Chicago.