What I'm Reading - Sept/Oct 2023

[Lynn]

I don't know how we got this far into September without a new thread, but here we are!

Please continue discussions of your current reading here. The thread for July/August is closed to new posts now.

[Shirley]

I’m reading The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride, winner of the National Book Award for his Good Lord Bird. I chose it because of high praise I read somewhere (?)!
The subject is so different, and it’s a refreshing change from the female heroine-centered historical novels so common on book club reading lists lately. But I’m finding it a hard slog. I’m about 30% in, and the narrative introduces so many characters and goes off in so many directions that I can’t keep track of the characters. I’ve just decided to plow through without doing that. Has anyone else read it? Please tell me there’s a reward at the end!

[Mary]

Shirley, I just finished The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store today. For me, it was a satisfying read - once I sorted out the people and all the jumping around in time. In some ways, it’s a quiet novel about these interesting people and their community. I thought the details of time and place were well done. I rarely look at reviews before I read a book so I haven’t actually read any about this one yet. One of my sisters recommended it to me.

[Lynn]

Steve wrote: "It recently occurred to me, however, that maybe they were trying to tell me something that they themselves did not want to say"

That was the first thing that crossed my mind. :)

[Shirley]

Mary, thank you so much for your response. Good to hear from someone else who’s read Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. I’m encouraged to keep reading. The plot, setting, and characters are certainly unusual.

[Gina]

It's on my list, I'm no. 52 on the waiting list at my library. I'm hoping for something like Deacon King Kong which I thought was wonderful.

[Barbara]

I am only 13% into Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow but I am truly loving it.

[Gina]

I just started it too, but find that I have to make myself read it - not going smoothly for me.

[Ruth]

Nor me, Gina.

[Book Concierge]

The Daughters of Juárez – Teresa Rodríguez – 4****
Subtitle: A True Story of Serial Murder South of the Border. Beginning in 1993, the residents of Juárez, Mexico, just across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, became aware of a disturbing frequency of murders of young women. Some estimate that at least 350 women were murdered between 1993 and 2005. It seems that the machismo culture put little value on these women. But Rodríguez makes it clear that there was considerable corruption and/or ineptitude among authorities. The most disturbing thing to me is that the book leaves the reader with more questions than answers.
LINK to my full review

[Donna]

Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow - a slow start but I’m hopeful.

[Georgia]

I just finished several books. All good. The two most interesting were
Graham Greene's The Confidential Agent (a thriller)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and
David Storey's This Sporting Life (a love story)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Lynn]

I just finished Commonwealth by Ann Patchett for a discussion at my Wisconsin library this Friday. I thought I'd read it before, but discovered that I abandoned it partway through the first time. The dangerous nature of the feral summers the children of the blended family spent together drove me nuts, but I was more intrigued by the way the relationships developed as they reached adulthood.

I'm also well into Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, but I might be a bit late to the discussion here unless I focus more of my time on reading between now and then.

[Book Concierge]

A perfect "cleanse" after The Daughters of Juárez ...


Big Panda and Tiny Dragon – James Norbury – 4****
”Which is more important,” asked Big Panda, “the journey or the destination?”
“The company,” said Tiny Dragon
And so, two unlikely friends set off on a journey of discovery. They have no specific plan and go where life leads them over the course of four seasons. The story is told through Norbury’s wonderful drawings and the pair’s quiet conversations. There were times when I just sat and looked at one of those drawings and let my mind take me where it wanted. How refreshing!
LINK to my full review

[Book Concierge]

They Called Us Enemy – George Takei – 4****
George Takei, best known as Lt Hikaru Sulu, science officer aboard the Spaceship Enterprise, recalls his childhood growing up in an internment camp after the US government required that even US-born persons of Japanese ancestry be treated as “enemy” during World War II. I found the graphic novel format really engaging and accessible. Becker’s illustrations were excellent; not too dark so it was still easy to read the text. The facial expressions she gave the characters really helped to convey the emotions they were feeling.
LINK to my full review

[Book Concierge]

Her Last Flight – Beatriz Williams – 3.5***
This work of historical fiction was clearly influenced by the real saga of Amelia Earhart, though it is NOT her story. Although I’ve come to dislike the dual timeline so popular in historical fiction, Williams handles it very well in this case. And it did serve to heighten interest and intrigue. I couldn’t help but try to fit the puzzle together, but I was as surprised as Janey to learn the full truth of the story.
LINK to my full review

[Book Concierge]

Less – Andrew Sean Greer – 3***
Novelist Arthur Less is almost fifty, can’t seem to get his writing mojo back, and now his recent ex-boyfriend is getting married! So, Arthur does the logical thing. He runs away from his troubles on an around-the-world lecture tour. This won the Pulitzer for fiction and I’m not sure why. I never warmed to Arthur. There were episodes in his journey that I really liked and that kept me reading, but it’s not a prize-winner in my opinion.
LINK to my full review

[Shirley]

Can anyone tell me why I can see everyone's comments except those by Book Concierge? I can only see a picture of the book they are reading. I contacted Book Concierge, and they had no idea why. I went to “Help” and found no answer. Is anyone else having this problem?

[Sue]

Shirley, if you’re reading on a tablet like I am, the copies of the book covers that she puts up don’t automatically show up when the page loads. What I do is scroll the page down so her entries are off the page and then scroll them back up. Usually they then appear. Sometimes I have to do it a few times. If she posts at the top of the page, I can’t see it.

[Shirley]

Thank you, Sue. I am reading on an Ipad, so I'll try that.

[Sue]

Good luck. It took me a bit to figure that out.

[Sheila]

BC s pictures and comments never show up on my ipad either

[Sheila]

Bc s pictures and comments never show up on my ipad either. If I click on her entry all i get is her homepage on goodreads. I se Tess’s full post only when i look on my desktop pc

[Ann D]

BC, I tried to read Pulitzer Prize Winner LESS, but just couldn't get into it.

[Ann D]

I am reading the Oxford World Classic's edition of Notre Dame de Paris translated by Alban Krailsheimer. (Note that this translation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame retains Hugo’s original French title). Notre-Dame de Paris

I was traveling and missed the excellent discussion on CC in July about the best translation of Hugo's book. My personal experience is that it matters a lot what translation you read.

I wanted one on Kindle, which narrowed my choices. I started out with a free version of the Dover Classics version from the library, translated by A. L. Alger. This was awkward and left a lot of phrases untranslated. There were no notes. I progressed to a $.99 version on Amazon, no translator listed – definitely a bad sign. The description of “annotated” was a lie and I found the text confusing.

A couple of days ago, I stumbled upon the recommended translation article most of you found in July. I decided to go with the Krailsheimer version, and I am happy. It has a much better flow and lots of notes, some of which are quite useful.

If I run into more detailed descriptions of architecture and malicious students, such as those at the start of Hugo’s book, I will probably skim them. But when Hugo finally introduced the main characters – Quasimodo, Archdeacon Claude Frollo, and the enchanting Esmeralda - I was hooked.

[Lyn]

I felt the same way about "Less" when I read it, BC.

[Sue]

Sheila, have you tried scrolling all the messages to the bottom of the page then scrolling them up again? That usually works for me. Sometimes I have to do it more than once.

[Book Concierge]

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina – Zoraida Córdova – 3.5***
This is unlike anything I’ve read before. Part family saga, part paranormal horror, part fantasy, part historical fiction, part quest, part love story. I’m so grateful that there is a family tree in the beginning, as I referred to it several times to clarify relationships of Orquídea’s many descendants. I was fascinated by the story but I think I need to re-read it to fully absorb the magic of Córdova’s storytelling.
LINK to my full review

[Book Concierge]

I use a desktop (Firefox browser, or sometimes chrome). I know there are considerable deficiencies with the mobile app ... don't know if that is what you are using on the I-pad, though.

Sorry I can't help.

The Goodreads "help" pages are anything but. Not manned by staff with real answers, but by other GR members who offer suggestions. There is a a way to contact support with more specific requests, but I can't remember exactly how to get there any longer. I think maybe a "contact us" link on the help page?

[Shirley]

Sadly, the “scroll up/scroll down hasn’t worked for me. I guess your posts will just have to remain the stuff of mystery, Book Concierge. 😊

[Lynn]

I'm too lazy to look back and see who first mentioned The Narrowboat Summer, but I'm glad you did. It sounded intriguing to me so I found a copy through interlibrary loan and started reading yesterday. I can already tell I'm going to enjoy it!

Side note: my library is part of a consortium of libraries in NW Wisconsin, so that gives me access to a wider variety of books than I would otherwise have. In spite of that, there was only one copy of this book in the entire consortium - in the little town of Phelps - which sort of surprised me. When I received it I noticed a little sticker just inside the cover that said "Initial here if you have read this book"... and there are no other initials there, so I assume I'm the first person to check it out since they acquired it in January 2022 (that was also inside the cover). Clearly, somebody needs to be spreading the word more :)

[Sue]

Sorry that isn’t working for you Shirley.

[Sue]

Lynn, I don’t know who recommended Narrowboat Summer to you but I really liked that a lot. It just quietly built up and and I grew to really enjoy those ladies.

[Shirley]

Another “thumbs up” for Narrowboat Summer. My book club read it a couple of years ago. The characters and their growth made for such interesting discussion, and the vivid description made me feel that I’d gone along on the journey up the canals.

[Erika]

Narrowboat Summer sounds amazing. I’m putting it in my queue and allowing it to jump the queue.

[Book Concierge]

I know I read The Narrowboat Summer in the past year and I think I posted my review here. But I don't remember where I got the recommendation. I found it delightful.

I call these kinds of book "coming-of-middle-age"

[Book Concierge]

(Experiment: I'm going to delete the cover image to see if that helps others access it.)

Hiroshima – John Hersey – 4****
First published in 1946, Hersey recounts the story of the first atomic bomb dropped on the city of Hiroshima, through the recollections of six survivors. The tale begins with the residents starting their day on an August morning, completely unaware of the devastation to come. Hersey follows them from the initial experiences to long-term aftermath. It's a gripping story, made more so by the personal accounts.

MY full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Lyn]

I read The High House for another book group in one sitting yesterday. (It was Sunday, I had done a long walk with friends earlier so was relaxed, and the writing flowed).

The book's theme is the final stages of worldwide environmental climate disaster, so there is that sadness..., but I must admit that I liked the environment of the high house, the river channels and the sea, and the lovely descriptions of them.

I also enjoyed the characters. And liked thinking about living with what they could get from the environment plus the vast stores of goods set aside for their survival.

[Sue]

BC, I see a full review and rating from you now that the image is removed!

[Shirley]

BC, I also am seeing your text now,. So glad.
Dropping the book jacket image must have helped.

[Shirley]

I’ve just finished The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by McBride, and would like to recommend it highly. For me, it’s a rare book that rates 5 stars, but this one did. After wading through the first third, with its confusing parade of characters and diverging stories, the plot took hold and gripped me all the way to the moving epilogue. I look forward to reading some of his other books that several of you mentioned.

[Ruth]

I read Tom Lake a couple of weeks back and liked it quite a bit. With the exception of a bit too much light and sweetness to tie things up, it was a really good read.

[Sue]

Two more for my huge tbr list. It must be at moon level by now.

[Gina]

I know, I'm reading as fast as I can and can't catch up.

[Lynn]

I just finished The Narrowboat Summer and am so glad I spent this time traveling through the English canals with them. I loved getting to know the three women and watching them develop as they leaned into the next stages of their lives. I also enjoyed the various characters Eve and Sally met along the canals and the way their stories unfolded, eventually becoming threads woven into a larger tapestry. The ending felt like a perfect conclusion to that stage of the journey and the beginning of a new one.

[Ruth]

I’ve ordered Narrowboat Summer.

[Shirley]

It's interesting to read about the background of the author of Narrowboat Summer. I think it is mirrored in the story of one of her characters.

[Ruth]

A few years ago, I spent a lot of time watching a guy called Country House Gent navigate his narrowboat around, so the idea of this appeals to me.

[Lynn]

Shirley wrote: "It's interesting to read about the background of the author of Narrowboat Summer. I think it is mirrored in the story of one of her characters."

I just did some Googling and see what you mean, Shirley. I'm not too surprised - it had the ring of someone who was very familiar with that work.

[Lynn]

Ruth wrote: "A few years ago, I spent a lot of time watching a guy called Country House Gent navigate his narrowboat around, so the idea of this appeals to me."

Thanks for mentioning that, Ruth. I just found the series on Amazon Prime and will check it out. It's interesting that the summary of the first season says that his short-term goal was the city of Chester. That's where the two women who take over piloting the narrowboat in the book are taking it to get serviced.