What I'm Reading - March/Apr 2024

[Gina]

I agree. Vershese is a wonderful writer and I want to read everything he's written.

[Tamara]

I read Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange. It is both a prequel and a sequel to Orange's novel, There There.
It was powerful, but I think There, There is the stronger novel.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Barbara]

Thanks, Tamara. I really liked There, There. Will be reading Wandering Stars but I wondered how he could top the first one with a prequel/ sequel.

[Tamara]

I hope you like it, Barbara.
It meandered a bit in the first half of the novel, but it got stronger as it progressed. Let us know what you think of it.

[K]

I'm a longtime lurker, years and years, but only comment occasionally, although I read every single comment on this thread and numerous others.

I recently finished both Our Town and Tom Lake, so I'll love reading the discussions. I'm an outlier concerning my rating of Tom Lake, so I'm hoping the discussion might help me see things I may have missed.

I am currently reading, Prophet Song by Paul Lynch and I'm hooked so far!

Thank you all for your thoughtful comments. I think there are a lot of readers like me who read them without commenting that often.

[Mary Anne]

I finished The Fraud by Zadie Smith. In January, after reading more than 100 pages, I shelved it in frustration. I was having trouble concentrating, I was confused by the premise, and just couldn't get where the author was going. Sometime later, I heard a podcast interview with Ms. Smith, and thought I would give it another chance, but decided to listen to the audio book instead. It took a while on Libby but was worth the wait. A lot of good stories about the Brits colonizing Jamaica. Zadie Smith does the narration, and she is great at a variety of accents.
I ended up giving the book 4****, but this is one of those times when I wish we could give a .5 star, because I would really give a 3.5.

[Mary Anne]

K wrote: "I'm a longtime lurker, years and years, but only comment occasionally, although I read every single comment on this thread and numerous others.

I recently finished both Our Town and..."

K, it' nice to know that readers like you are following the discussion, and also it's good to know what you are reading.

[Gina]

I just finished the 800 page book, Saigon by Anthony Grey. Saigon is an older book written by an English man, which makes it more nuanced than if it was written by an American. I didn't know the entire history of Viet Nam from the 1920's through the 1970's, but this book tells through its fictional story the history of the United States causing so much death and destruction in ''fighting communism" and how Americans were lied to during this period by our presidents.

[Rachel]

Gina wrote: "I just finished the 800 page book, Saigon by Anthony Grey. Saigon is an older book written by an English man, which makes it more nuanced than if it was written by a..."

Hi Gina, Thanks for writing about this book. I think I might have read it when it was new. I'm going to see if my library offers it. They do and I added it to my list.

[Tamara]

I read Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa; translated from the Japanese by Eric Ozawa.
A quick, light-hearted read about the transformative power of reading.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Rachel]

Thanks for the suggestion. I just put Days on hold at the library.

[Rachel]

Mary Anne wrote: "I finished The Fraud by Zadie Smith. In January, after reading more than 100 pages, I shelved it in frustration. I was having trouble concentrating, I was confused by the premise, a..."

I think I listened to the audiobook as well and enjoyed her narration. Listening to Ms. Smith when being interviewed I find her quite charming and funny.

[Rachel]

Tamara wrote: "Sue, it is amazing. I think it is one of the best novels I've ever read. After reading Independent People, I read a couple of his other novels. They're all good, but this is by far the best.

I wa..."

Just requested Independent People from the library--I'm looking forward to reading it after these rave reviews. (I see there's another Rachel here--hello!)

[Tamara]

I read The Diary of a Good Neighbor in The Diaries of Jane Somers by Doris Lessing.
A powerful meditation on aging and on how we treat the elderly.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Rachel]

Tamara wrote: "I read The Diary of a Good Neighbor in The Diaries of Jane Somers by Doris Lessing.
A powerful meditation on aging and on how we treat the elderly.
My review: https://ww..."

I am sorry that my library does not offer that book.

[Rachel]

James

This is an excellent work.

[Barbara]

Rachel wrote: "James

This is an excellent work."

My oldest son is a reader and on my recent trip to spend time with him and his family, we talked a lot about books, as usual. The whole time I was there, he was trying to decide whether to buy that book. I showed him the review from the New York Times Book Review and I think that made up his mind. He started reading it after I left and I'm looking forward to hearing about it from him but it definitely went on my list.

[Book Concierge]

Kat wrote: "Has anyone read Girl, Woman, Other? I'm reading it now. Each chapter is about a different woman of African descent, mostly in England. I find the way the stories of the differing wo..."

I read it a year or so ago with my F2F book club. I gave it 4 stars.

You can find My review HERE

[Book Concierge]

The Letter Writer – Dan Fesperman – 4****
When a body is found floating in the Hudson, newly arrive detective sergeant Woodrow Cain accepts the help of an odd duck - Danzinger looks like a “crackpot” but he is clearly educated and has means. The question is whether he is helping Cain solve a murder, or ensnaring him in a clever espionage plot. A great historical thriller!
LINK to my full review

[Gina]

I finished Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time concerning the race to build a timekeeping device for ships in the 1800s.

[Ann D]

I am reading The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann. This is our discussion book for May 1 - the first time we have added a non-fiction book to the Constant Reader discussion schedule. This is an experiment. It does not replace a Classics Corner book, since we do not have a classic scheduled for that month.

This book was on many best non-fiction lists for 2023. It took me a little while to get into, but ever since the shipwreck happened, I have had a hard time putting it down. Gann is really a master of narrative non-fiction and has used many firsthand accounts of the wreck and its aftermath.

Gina, I read the LONGITUDE book a long time ago and have forgotten what I learned. But I can tell you that merely guessing at longitude caused the sailors in this book immense trouble in trying to figure out where they actually were.

I hope others are planning on reading this book (since I volunteered to lead the discussion). :-)

[Book Concierge]

The Garden of Evening Mists – Tan Twan Eng – 5*****
What a marvelous book! Poetic writing. Complex characters. Atmospheric descriptions. Eng brought right into this world. I felt the peace and serenity of the garden, and the terror of guerilla attacks. I could smell the jungle, feel the humid heat, hear the rain.
LINK to my full review

[Tamara]

Ann D wrote: "I am reading The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann. This is our discussion book for May 1 - the first time we have added a non-fiction bo..."

Ann, I read this a couple of months ago as soon as it became available in the library. I really enjoyed it. I thought Grann's graphic, relentless description of the physical and psychological horrors the men experience on land and sea was very effective.
I'll try to join the discussion as much as I can. I posted a review of it on Goodreads, so I'll re-read that to jog my memory.

[Tamara]

Book Concierge wrote: "The Garden of Evening Mists – Tan Twan Eng – 5*****
What a marvelous book! Poetic writing. Complex characters. Atmospheric descriptions. Eng brought right into this world. I felt th..."

I agree. It's a finely crafted, mesmerizing novel. I have read three of Eng's novels and have enjoyed them all.

[Rachel]

The Books of Jacob

Question: which one of our GR buddies recommended this book? I have read about 20% and think it is wonderful. I want to extend thanks to that person.

[Gina]

Book Concierge wrote: "The Garden of Evening Mists – Tan Twan Eng – 5*****
What a marvelous book! Poetic writing. Complex characters. Atmospheric descriptions. Eng brought right into this world. I felt th..."

I wish Eng would write faster so he had more books out. He's one of my favorite writers. Everything he does is a great read.

[Joy D]

Just finished:
Leviathan by Paul Auster - 4* - My Review

I really enjoyed this one. It's very "meta."

[Donna]

I just finished How to Say Babylon by the award winning poet Safiya Sinclair. I’m not usually a fan of memoirs but this one is brilliant.

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

[Sue]

Glad to hear about How to Say Babylon. I’m looking forward to reading it.

[K]

Rachel wrote: "James

This is an excellent work."

I am currently reading this one and I'm hooked! I do think readers should brush up on the events of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to experience the full impact of Percival Everett's novel.

[Rachel]

Donna wrote: "I just finished How to Say Babylon by the award winning poet Safiya Sinclair. I’m not usually a fan of memoirs but this one is brilliant.

My review: https://www.g..."

I thought so as well. She did not have it easy to say the least.

[Rachel]

Joy D wrote: "Just finished:
Leviathan by Paul Auster - 4* - My Review

I really enjoyed this one. It's very "meta.""

That sounds like an interesting book. I like Paul Auster. Sad to say my library does not offer that book. Drat.

[Tamara]

I read My Work by Olga Ravn; translated from the Danish by Sophi Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell.
An unusual book that mixes prose, poetry, diary entries, letters, etc. to interrogate the complexities of motherhood. Unflinchingly honest and very well done.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Rachel]

Tamara wrote: "I read My Work by Olga Ravn; translated from the Danish by Sophi Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell.
An unusual book that mixes prose, poetry, diary entries, letters..."

Sadly my library does not have that one. It sounds very unusual.

[Tamara]

Rachel wrote: "Sadly my library does not have that one. It sounds very unusual..."

You might check with your library. Perhaps they can get it for you through InterLibrary Loan. My library gets a lot of books for me that way. It may take a couple of weeks, but they can usually get it.

[Rachel]

Tamara wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Sadly my library does not have that one. It sounds very unusual..."

You might check with your library. Perhaps they can get it for you through InterLibrary Loan. My library gets a l..."

Libby did not offer it as a choice. Also, I should say I read only on Kindle or a tablet due to being able to adjust the font.

[Tamara]

I read The Last Pomegranate Tree by Bachtyar Ali; translated from the Kurdish by Kareem Abdulrahman.
The novel blends magical realism, myth, fables, and narrative threads that record the atrocities perpetrated by Saddam Hussein against the Kurdish people in northern Iraq. A challenging read but an important one.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sheila]

I read that one of my favourite movie directors is undertaking making a movie of Arthur C Clarke’s book Rendevous with Rama. A sci if classic I hade never read so I just had to read it during my holiday in Scotland and now I wait patiently to see how the master of bringing imagined worlds into life on the screen does with the world Clarke created inside the sphere of Rama. The book held my attention well throughout, Clarke certainly made me ‘see’ his world and did so with unexpected smoothness and touches of humour.

[Sheila]

Oops forgot to say who….Dennis Villeneuve

[Rachel]

Tamara wrote: "I read The Last Pomegranate Tree by Bachtyar Ali; translated from the Kurdish by Kareem Abdulrahman.
The novel blends magical realism, myth, fables, and narrative t..."

You wrote a great review but the subject matter makes me hesitate.

[Tamara]

Rachel wrote: "You wrote a great review but the subject matter makes me hesitate ..."

Thank you.
I understand your hesitation. The novel is a bit of a challenge and may not be for everyone.

[Lyn]

I read Tana French's latest, The Hunter. Absorbing as usual, but not as good as her earlier Dublin series.

I'm rereading Remarkably Bright Creatures just for fun and for a local book group. Octopus narrator!

[Gina]

I just finished West with Giraffes and thought it was a wonderful read. It makes me want to go to the zoo right now to see a giraffe and try to communicate with him.

[Georgia]

My favorite recent read is Impatience of the Heart by Stefan Zweig. A love story that is serious and makes you think. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sheila]

Georgia, you reminded me I should read another book by Stefan Zweig, I read Chess Story a while back and enjoyed it

[Rachel]

Tamara wrote: "Rachel wrote: "You wrote a great review but the subject matter makes me hesitate ..."

Thank you.
I understand your hesitation. The novel is a bit of a challenge and may not be for everyone."

You are so right about that. Choice is a wonderful thing.

[Rachel]

Georgia wrote: "My favorite recent read is Impatience of the Heart by Stefan Zweig. A love story that is serious and makes you think. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

He is a great writer. Thanks for the review.

[Rachel]

Rachel wrote: "Georgia wrote: "My favorite recent read is Impatience of the Heart by Stefan Zweig. A love story that is serious and makes you think. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..." I just put the book on hold at the library.

He..."

[Rachel]

Take What You Need

I am almost all the way through this one and I am enjoying it.

[Georgia]

Sheila wrote: "Georgia, you reminded me I should read another book by Stefan Zweig, I read Chess Story a while back and enjoyed it"

Skill and heart pull me in, Sheila. Zweig exhibits both from its opening words. If that's for you then you'll like it.