What I'm Reading - Nov/Dec 2023

[Book Concierge]

Say When – Elizabeth Berg – 3***
I love how Berg writes about relationships. There are a lot of ups and downs here as the characters navigate the aftermath of one partner’s stated wish for a divorce. Griffin is the narrator, so we get less of Ellen’s thinking than of his. There are some heartbreaking scenes, and some very humorous ones (Griffin deciding to get a part-time job as a mall Santa leads to many of these).
LINK to my full review

[Book Concierge]

The Ship of Brides – Jojo Moyes – 3***
In 1946 some 650 women embarked on a six-weeks long journey to Great Britain, leaving Sydney harbor aboard the HMS Victorious, a royal navy aircraft carrier. The women were married to British service men whom they’d met when those men were briefly stationed in Australia during WW2. This is fact. Moyes own grandmother was one of those women and her story inspired this novel. I enjoyed this story, though I thought it was a bit too long.
LINK to my full review

[Sheila]

Sue wrote: "Sheila, odd thing, when I clicked on your My Review link it took me to my review of the book not your review. I tried it more than once in case I did something wrong then just looked up your review..."
Hopefully I've now corrected the problem in my post

[Tamara]

I read the 2023 Booker Prize winner, Prophet Song by Paul Lynch.
It is a powerful and harrowing description of life under a totalitarian government. The narrative is made all the more harrowing with the knowledge people in different parts of the world are currently living through the same nightmare.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Gina]

Tamara, I'm patiently waiting my turn at the library for this book. It sounds very interesting.

[Tamara]

Gina, it was very powerful and immersive. He is a gifted writer. But it isn't light reading.

[Rachel]

Tamara wrote: "I read the 2023 Booker Prize winner, Prophet Song by Paul Lynch.
It is a powerful and harrowing description of life under a totalitarian government. The narrative i..."

Tamara, I've put that on my list--thanks!

[Rachel]

Hello dear Constant Readers, I've been away from this group for a couple of months, as I've been reading articles about how bad Goodreads is for writers in terms of not moderating posts that aim to writers' books before they are published. I have decided not to post reviews or support Goodreads, but I'm going to stay in this group, because I find out about so many great books that would never be on my radar otherwise. So I've just finished physicist Max Tegmark's book, Life 3.0, about how AI could transform our world.
There were a lot of big ideas that I found really got to the heart of what it means to be human. I loved how physicists and scientists relied on the imaginations of sci-fi writers, and discussed their hypotheses seriously--because first creatives must imagine it, and then creative scientists must implement it. That's exciting, that loop. At the end, Tegmark asks us to consider how we want the future of life to be. Can we let go of the idea of human exceptionalism, which has caused so many problems?

I also just finished The Covenant of Water.

[Barbara]

Rachel, I’m really glad you’ve decided to stay with us. Constant Reader was around long before goodreads. It is just a convenient platform for us.

[Rachel]

Thanks so much, Barbara. I know Constant Reader has a long history as a community, and I really appreciate being here among such thoughtful readers.

[Gina]

Rachel, what did you think about The Covenant of Water?

I also liked your comments about the book you read, and letting go of human exceptionalism. I'm glad you're back.

[Ann D]

Rachel, I also would like to know what you thought of Covenant of Water (if you can do so without violating your no review pledge).

Barb, said it well. CR has been around since the mid-90's and we are very glad to have your participation here!

[Book Concierge]

You Sound Like a White Girl – Julissa Arce – 3.5***
Arce came to the USA from Mexico as an eleven-year-old. She learned English, excelled at school, finished college, and was hired by Goldman Sachs. But she never felt that she fit in. Her take on this is that the white people in power will never allow brown and black people to actually assimilate in the USA culture. Arce gives many examples of ways in which white people have harmed indigenous populations, but the tone of her arguments was so angry and uncompromising that it turned me off. She has some valid points to make in this book, but in the end, I think “she doth protest too much.”
LINK to my full review

[Sue]

Tamara, I just started Prophet Song so I won’t read your review right now. I have had an ARC for a while but have been going through a particularly rough reading patch for a while now. I’m hoping it’s coming to an end but didn’t want to spoil my experience of this book by beginning it too soon. I found the first chapter stunning.

[Tamara]

No worries about reading my review, Sue.
The book is stunning and immersive. I couldn't put it down. But it isn't light reading. It packs a very powerful punch and will stay with me for a very long time. Let us know your thoughts on it when you've finished it.

[Book Concierge]

Before the Coffee Gets Cold – Toshikazu Kawaguchi – 4****
A particular coffee shop in a Tokyo back-alley has been serving customers for more than one hundred years. More than the coffee, the shop offers a unique experience – the chance to travel back in time to a particular moment. This was just a delightful surprise. I quickly became invested in each character’s life and his or her reasons for traveling.
LINK to my full review

[Sheila]

BC loved these books

[Theresa]

Book Concierge wrote: "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous – Ocean Vuong – 3.5***
A young Vietnamese man, now living in America, writes a letter to his mother who cannot read. Vuong uses a nonlinear storyline..."

I read this book a few years ago, because because I had run across a couple of Vuong's poems and liked them a lot. In the end I loved it but while reading it felt a bit disconcerting. Vuong writes about very intimate matters and in a way that draws the reader toward his character, but at the same time the language felt like it was attempting to keep the reader at a distance, a pull/push feeling - like here, look at me, all of me, but stay back! Given Vuong's skill as a writer I'm sure this was intentional, and in the end I kind of enjoyed the disequilibrium.

[Tamara]

I read The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See.
I liked the immersion into the Akha culture of China and the strong mother/daughter bond. But I think she went a bit overboard with the description of tea--its taste, production, etc. Also the coincidences were improbable.
Maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea :)
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Ruth]

Tamara wrote: "I read The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See.
I liked the immersion into the Akha culture of China and the strong mother/daughter bond. But I think she went a bi..."

I read this several years ago, and I agree with you. Wow, did I get tired of tea!

[Tamara]

Ruth wrote: "I read this several years ago, and I agree with you. Wow, did I get tired of tea!.."

Me, too! I got tired of reading about it. But I still love to drink it. Nothing quite like a cup of Earl Grey with a smidgen of milk to get my day started.

[Book Concierge]

The Last Ride of the Pony Express – Will Grant – 4****
Subtitle: My 2,000-mile Horseback Journey into the Old West. The Pony Express was a fast-paced horseback ride to carry the mail in the era before railroads had been completed linking the East and the West coasts of the USA. Grant decided to ride the same trail from St Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California to better understand the challenges and joys encountered by the pony express riders. I was completely fascinated by his account. And I learned a few things about the history … and myth … of the Pony Express.
LINK to my full review

[Lynn]

I just opened a new thread for discussions in January and February, so this thread is closed to new posts. Please continue your discussions in the new thread.

Happy New Year!