What I'm Reading - Mar & April 2022

[Donna]

I agree, there is a fine balance there with nonfiction, Dan. I tend to gravitate toward historical biography for nonfiction reading, which generally has a more narrative style and, when done well, provides a lot of historical context. One of my recent favorites: American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird.

[Book Concierge]

Say Nothing – Patrick Radden Keefe – 4****
I confess that while I had heard of “The Troubles” I had never really studied the causes of the conflict in Northern Ireland, nor did I closely follow the politics at play. I’m so glad that my F2F book club chose this book, because I learned about not only the conflict portrayed, but perhaps a little about how a young person becomes radicalized and how festering dissatisfaction can turn from angry rhetoric to acts of terrorism. Keefe is an accomplished investigative journalist, and he certainly did his homework here.
My full review HERE

[Theresa]

Daniel, some non-fiction books that I have found both informative and great reads:

Isabel Wilkerson's The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration is excellent. It could have used a good editor, though, that seems to be an issue with lots of non-fiction recently. Her more recent book "Caste" is on my shelf waiting to be read.


Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History. I have always loved her writing in the New Yorker and loved this book. Be prepared to be depressed about the world we are leaving for the next generations.

Between the World and Me
by Ta Nahesi Coates, who also writes for the New Yorker.

Into the Wild by John Krakauer. A great read! More of an adventure story than informative, though.

Waiting on my shelf to be read, The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America by Andres Resendez, about enslavement of Indigenous folks in what is currently referred to as North and South America.

I have really enjoyed Mary Karr's memoirs, and also Annie Dillard's. Years ago I enjoyed MFK Fischer's memoirs a lot, but I read something by her recently and found her insufferable, so snooty and self-proud. Maybe I was in the wrong mood . . .

Theresa

[Dan]

Thanks, Theresa! I enjoyed The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration. I agree she does repeat a lot, but overall the book really captured the motivations and migrations of Black Americans out of the south.

Elizabeth Kolbert's Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future is on my TBR. I'm glad to see you've read and recommend her work.

I plan to read Into the Wild one day, but I saw the film. With my own son in his early 20s bouncing state to state, I don't need added anxiety.

Donna: I've always read "around" Oppenheimer and never really about him specifically. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Ann D]

For very readable non-fiction, I really liked The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson.

It had a nice balance of hard science and human interest stories involving the scientists who contributed to gene science.

[Ann D]

Of course, what makes non-fiction engrossing is very much determined by your interest in the subject. I like reading about genetics, as long as the books are directed at the general reader.

[Dan]

In the book Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, there was a group who promised they could help you "Upgrade your DNA." I loved it--silly, impossible, but, damn, so inspirational for the scientifically illiterate. I've been "upgrading my DNA" all week and now my wife tells me to shut up already. Evidently volunteering to do the dishes isn't "upgrading one's DNA."

Now Ann recommends The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race. Look out world! There's a Dan Genotype Mark II manifesting as soon as he takes the trash to the curb, altruistically....

Seriously, thanks Ann. I'm putting it on my TBR.

[Lyn]

Also Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, and
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity.

[Ann D]

Lyn,
I thought Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity was fascinating.

[Ann D]

Dan,
OMG, the thought of upgrading my DNA is mind boggling! There's a sucker born every minute, isn't there?

[Sue]

My thoughts exactly, Ann. And someone there to take the suckers money!

[K]

Lyn wrote: "Also Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, and
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity."

I read very little non-fiction, but I did like Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity very much.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption was another work of non-fiction that affected me deeply.

[Ruth]

Ann D wrote: "Lyn,
I thought Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity was fascinating."

I enjoyed that one, too.

[K]

I am currently reading All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews and I love the writing. The story deals with a very heavy subject, but Toews intersperses humor throughout and makes it a real page turner for me. I have never read any of her other works, but I plan to add them to my shelf when I'm done reading this one.

[Barbara]

I've been meaning to read Miriam Toews' books for so long. I need to make that more of a priority.

[Sue]

I thought How the Word was Passed by Clint Smith was excellent.

[Gina]

I've read three of these wonderful non-fiction books and now I have more to add to my reading list. Hurry. Hurry. Read. Read.

[Molly]

Dracul

I don't normally read this sort of horror novel, but I have joined a new book club at my local library that asked to focus on their New Additions section, and my kids talked me into this one. So far it's an interesting take, and one of the co-authors is Bram Stoker's great-grand-nephew, so has some family resources to add to the tale. The jury is still out.

[Barbara]

A bit late, but I had to respond to Dan's question regarding well written nonfiction. Many of the ones that have already been mentioned would be recommendations of mine, particularly How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America. I think it was the best book I read last year, definitely the best about slavery and how it has affected our country over time.

Another of my favorites is The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCollough about interesting, ambitious Americans who were in Paris between 1830 and 1900. The list of famous names is long and McCollough puts it all together in an almost novelistic form.

Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer's Twenty-Year Battle against DuPont is another favorite. I can't say that I enjoyed it but it told an incredible true story about the lawyer who went from defending corporations to suing them when he saw what tainted water had done to the ground water where he grew up in West Virginia. I first read about it in an article in the New York Times magazine and was riveted. The book also kept me glued to the pages throughout. Now, many of us know about the PFAS, "forever chemicals", that are in our water. This book tells you how they got there.

[Dan]

Barb: Keep these recommendations coming. I'm adding them to my TBR.

Molly: Now Dracul looks interesting. First I thought it was a shameless cash-grab by a relative of Bram's, but the reviews and your recommendation seem like it may be worth a read. Thanks.

[Mary Ellen]

Dan, I highly recommend Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond.

I join the chorus praising Beyond the Beautiful Forevers!

[Gina]

I also enjoyed Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. It was self-affirming to a person like me that can't always be heard above the fray. I also enjoyed Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World by Anthony Doerr.

In the evil corporation section, I read The World According to Monsanto: Pollution, Corruption, and the Control of the World's Food Supply. And, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America.

[Lynn]

Thanks for the reminder about Four Seasons in Rome, Gina! That might have been the most recent nonfiction that really captured my interest. I felt like I was one of Doerr's friends, sitting around listening to him talk about his trip.

[Ruth]

Lynn wrote: "Thanks for the reminder about Four Seasons in Rome, Gina! That might have been the most recent nonfiction that really captured my interest. I felt like I was one of Doerr's friends, sitting around ..."

I loved it, too.

[Sheila]

I’m not a fan of reading non fiction which I seldom dip my toes into. In the past these have mainly been travel books.

I just finished a Margaret Atwood short story which was free on Amazon Uk at least called My Evil Woman - mothers and daughters with a twist, what we tell children to protect them. Tender, good characters, deft touches of humour, classic Atwood

[Sheila]

Sorry no links for the next month as I’m on the app on the tablet

[Tamara]

I read The Women of Troy by Pat Barker.
I enjoy reading and writing mythic re-tellings and thought this was one of the better ones I've read. It focuses on Briseis and the enslaved women in the aftermath of the Trojan War. I preferred it to The Silence of the Girls.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Book Concierge]

The Warmth of Other Suns – Isabel Wilkerson – 4****
Subtitle: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. I had heard of Wilkerson’s masterful social history, but had just never gotten around to reading it … until now. One thing I really appreciate about this work is how Wilkerson focuses on three individuals to illustrate the scope of the Great Migration. It was informative and interesting, and I definitely learned some things I had not known before.
My full review HERE

[K]

Sheila wrote: "I’m not a fan of reading non fiction which I seldom dip my toes into. In the past these have mainly been travel books.

I just finished a Margaret Atwood short story which was free on Amazon Uk at ..."

Thank you for this recommendation. I just downloaded it. I am on a quest to find short stories written by authors I have read.

[Sue]

I downloaded the story today too when Amazon offered it to me after I had bought a kindle book. I was happy to see your comment, Sheila.

[Sheila]

K always worthwhile Following you fav authors on Amazon and GoodReads, I keep getting such notifications

[Dan]

Tamara wrote: "I read The Women of Troy by Pat Barker.
I enjoy reading and writing mythic re-tellings and thought this was one of the better ones I've read. It focuses on Briseis an..."

Tamara: Have you read Madeline Miller? I'm interested in how Barker's reworking of Homer compares.

Good review.

[Dan]

Book Concierge wrote: "

The Warmth of Other Suns
– Isabel Wilkerson – 4****
Subtitle: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. I had heard of Wilkerson’s masterful soci..."

Good review. I recently read Wilkerson's opus and, despite the repetitious nature of her academic points, found it engrossing. I'm looking forward to reading Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.

[Ann D]

I've read 3 books recently that were certainly not literary fiction, but I enjoyed them very much . On a Zoom call, Sheila had mentioned the Slough House spy thrillers by Matt Herron. The first one that I read was Slow Horses, followed closely by the second Dead Lions.

These books revolve around a so-called group of "Slow Horses" in the MI5 secret service who have been relegated to a place called Slough House due to screw ups or machinations by the higher ups. They have been given meaningless busy work, in the hope that they will resign. There are some sharp individuals in this group and they are all itching for action and second chances.. These books are very witty, the characters are well developed, and the plots are interesting and repeatedly take unexpected turns. They were a lot of fun. Apple-TV has started a series based on the first book, which stars Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas. I'm looking forward to watching it.

The third book was recommended by a friend. It is called The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood. This book also has a lot of clever word play, although the story is basically serious. It involves immigrants from Pakistan in northern California, and an Iraqi girl who is forced to flee the Middle East. I used to teach Muslim students and I am interested in the culture of these and other immigrants. There is a lot of thinking and talking, but by the end, the action takes over. By then, I had a hard time putting it down.

[Sue]

Masood’s book looks interesting. Thanks for the suggestion, Ann.

[Sheila]

Ann glad you are enjoying the Mick Herron books, recommended to me by a person who used to come to my face to face book group. I haven’t started the streaming series yet but will soon.

[Sheila]

I just took a look at the Syed Masoor book recommended by Ann. Shock horror no ebook and a paperback that costs GBP 11.74 !!

[Sheila]

Started Amor Towles Lincoln Highway yesterday having loved his Gentleman in Moscow. I delayed reading this to do so with my face to face book club, even although as it turn out I will be Zooming! It is reading well 2 chapters in.

[Donna]

Thanks Ann. I’m very interested in the Slough House books.

[Ann D]

I watched the first episode of SLOW HORSES on APPLE TV. The cast is excellent. It doesn't have the wit that is in the books, but that is probably to be expected. It is hard to combine wit and terrorism in a min-series format

In the opening episode it amped up the action. The mishap that landed River Cartwright in Sough House takes place in an airport instead of a train station. There is plenty of action in the book once it gets going, and I'm sure we will see that on the screen.

Gary Oldman play Jackson Lamb with his disgusting personal habits in plain view. It will be interesting to see how he does with the semi-transformation of the character

[Lynn]

I'm in the middle of The Lincoln Highway too, Sheila. I'm surprised I haven't seen it surface here before. (Or maybe it has but I just missed it.)

I'll be interested to see what you and your F2F group think of it. Some of the appeal to me is that it covers geographic territory that is very familiar to me (the Midwest U.S.), but I assume your group wouldn't have that same connection. I've been making slow progress because every time a Duchess chapter shows up, I get a feeling of dread and want to stop reading. Right from the moment he and Wooly appeared in Emmet's barn, I just knew they were going to be trouble!!

[Sheila]

Lynn, yes Duchess is a character, and sign posted from the start. Even from what I read so far this is film ripe. One of my F2F group is on a review panel for a radio book club and got early access to it, not able to give us hints until after their programs air but two from that years worth she picked out for me were this one and Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun. Can’t wait for her recommendations from their current reads. No one else has a connection in the F2F group with the US except me, I only know the eastern pasts of the route and SF, my mid-west experience being a bit further south in Missouri

[Donna]

I read The Lincoln Highway earlier this year. It’s very different from A Gentleman in Moscow and also very different from what I was expecting based on the blurbs I had read. I live close to a part of the highway in Pennsylvania and there’s a Lincoln Highway Museum near me that purports to have the largest known collection of memorabilia on the highway. It’s interesting how enamored people are with the highway lure, including international visitors. I’ll be interested to k ow what you both think of the book.

[Ann D]

There is a part of the old brick Lincoln Highway a few miles from our house in Omaha. Of course, in the book The Lincoln Highway the characters travel east, not west.

I enjoyed the book.

[Book Concierge]

Sometimes you just need a "comfort" read ...


Precious And Grace – Alexander McCall Smith – 3***
Book # 17 in the hugely popular “No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” series, has Mma Precious Ramotswe and her “co-director” Mma Grace Makutsi at loggerheads once again over updating office practices vs relying on tried and true methods. I love this series. I enjoy spending time with these people, though I rather missed Mr J L B Matekoni who barely appears in this episode. Mma Ramotswe can always be relied upon to consider carefully the underlying motives and various options for dealing with any problem. While Mma Makutsi is frequently the one to rush forward, perhaps jumping to the wrong conclusion, or arriving at the right answer but for the wrong reason!
My full review HERE

[Sheila]

For lovers of Olga Tokarczuk she made the shortlist for the International Booker again. Could she win it twice?
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...

[Book Concierge]

Stones For Ibarra – Harriet Doerr – 3.5***
An American couple arrive in the remote mountain village of Ibarra, Mexico to reopen the copper mine his grandfather abandoned some fifty years previously. Clash of cultures. Very atmospheric. I loved the depictions of festivals and traditions. Several subplots involve the residents of the town, their lives, loves, disappointments and joys.
My full review HERE

[Book Concierge]

Out Stealing Horses – Per Petterson – 3.5***
Petterson has crafted an atmospheric, character-driven story of one man’s looking back on his coming-of-age summer when he was almost 15 and living with his father in a remote cabin on a river in eastern Norway, just on the border with Sweden. The story moves back and forth between the present day and the summer of 1948. As Trond matures he comes to realize that adventure isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be, and there can be a very real human toll to giving in to desire and youthful exuberance.
My full review HERE

[K]

I enjoyed The Lincoln Highway very much! I am so impressed with the way Amor Towles writes a story so different from his previous works. I don't want to give any spoilers, but I will say I did not want The Lincoln Highway to end.

I am currently reading Lamb in His Bosom by Caroline Miller. I am only about 100 pages in, but I am really enjoying reading about life in the backwoods of Georgia before the Civil War. I was born and raised in North Florida near the Florida/Georgia line and my grandfather was from Georgia, so this story resonates with me.

[Barbara]

K wrote: "I enjoyed The Lincoln Highway very much! I am so impressed with the way Amor Towles writes a story so different from his previous works. I don't want to give any sp..."

K, we discussed Lamb in His Bosom here on Constant Reader. Looking back to my comments, I remembered how much it affected me and a few others. You can read our talk here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...