August

[John, Moderator]

Finishing up a Golden Age mystery The Piccadilly Murder, which isn't bad, but ready to move on.
Started Cotton Comes to Harlem, solid writing with outstanding narration!

[Doug]

I am in the middle of Cory Doctorow's enlightening non-fiction horror book Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It. It is about tech giant companies and the nightmare we have all gotten into inside their walled prisons that we can't leave (Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) Now that the author has presented the problem I wonder if he has any solutions to propose other than a mass exodus from the grid? The book sort of makes me want to go join the Amish community...

[Kristie]

Doug, I hate leaving a nonfiction book with that feeling of - yes, it's awful, I see how we got here, but what can we do about it? I hope the author has at least some suggestions.

I am wrapping up The Writer and starting a re-read of These Silent Woods. I read the Kindle last time and am listening to the audio this time.

[Sonali]

I finished reading Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. I enjoyed it, it was quite thought provoking. I've too many thoughts about it and am actually unable to summarize them in a few words.

[Jan Mc]

Kathleen wrote: "Last night I finished listening to The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, the author of The Help..."

I just purchased this one and can't wait!

Doug wrote: "I am in the middle of Cory Doctorow's enlightening non-fiction horror book Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It...."

I, too, hope to read this and that there are some actual solutions given (other than joining the Amish). Please update us when you are finished, Doug, and thanks.

Kathleen wrote: "A few days ago the NYT wrote an article on the author [Beth Brower] and how her series is a family project."

There's also an article about author Beth Brower in Woman's World that I think is free to read (https://www.womansworld.com/entertain...).

One more note about Emma M. Lion - the ebooks are free to read on Kindle Unlimited. However, I can't imagine getting the same amount of enjoyment as I get from the audiobooks, narrated so well by Genevieve Gaunt.

[Doug]

Jan Mc wrote: "Doug wrote: "I am in the middle of Cory Doctorow's enlightening non-fiction horror book Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It...."

I, too, hope to read this and that there are some actual solutions given (other than joining the Amish). Please update us when you are finished, Doug, and thanks."

I appreciated the author's wit, and he is very obviously a Gen X'er (like myself) who grew up in a time when the internet didn't suck. He offers some solutions to these problems in the second half of the book, and some of them are very good: a social media platform framework where you can choose to leave without losing your "people", joining a different board and importing the data from the one you just left for instance (such a service does exist). Many of his solutions would require a major change in the status quo though, which I don't see happening in my lifetime... and a lot more regulation/monopoly busting. I am interested in Cory Doctorow's other fictional works (even though I think they must be dystopian) and I will be reading more by this author.

For a change to something completely different I am now reading Harry Bosch book 6, Angels Flight by Michael Connelly. I have enjoyed this dated series so far, the storylines are good even if I have to excuse the dial-up internet references as part of the aging of the novels.

[Dee]

how is it august already? today is first day of new student cohort where I teach - it feels like the last group just graduated (early June)...and its hotter than satan's (insert explitive) here

i'm working through 4 books (in true fashion) - 2 from pre-August and 2 I started this weekend

Woodworking - queer fiction - set in south dakota - its intriguing but as I approach the end has maybe started going off the rails a bit
The Sorority Murder - thriller/murder mystery - I'm loving this - I picked it up because I needed a book with a podcast element for a reading challenge and I just don't want to stop listening
The Paradox Hotel - time travel sci-fi - just started this but I'm intrigued - the main character is hotel security at a hotel where time travelers stay
Bonded in Death - in death - what more can I say?

[John, Moderator]

Jan Mc wrote: "Kathleen wrote: "Last night I finished listening to The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, the author of The Help..."

I just purchased this one and can't wait!

Doug wrote: "I am in the middle of ..."

Bought the rest of Emma Lion audios cheap with current sale prices.

[Darya Silman]

I'm listening to Eclipsed by Dominic Holland, a father of Tom Holland, the beloved Spider-Man. The main body of the book was written in 2013 after Tom's role in The Impossible, but there are updates from 2016 and 2021. Dialogues between Tom and Dom are at the end of almost all chapters

[Robin P]

John wrote: "ought the rest of Emma Lion audios cheap with current sale prices. "

Thanks for the reminder, so many people have raved about this series, especially on audio, so I am getting them all.

[Jan Mc]

I bought the entire set of Stephen Fry's Mythos series this week on sale at Chirp (for under $20!), and have been listening to the first volume, Mythos: The Greek Myths Reimagined.

I'm also listening to the eighth book in the Below Stairs historical mystery series by Jennifer Ashley, A Silence in Belgrave Square: Below Stairs Mysteries, Book 8.

[Pamela]

This week started three different titles:

Fictional book, liked his vampire-type series books, but this one is just regular fiction: The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin

A book of short stories: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

And a very long non-fiction book that will take me a while. Own on audible so this will be my daily listen: The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Familyby Annette Gordon-Reed

[MissSusie]

Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by, Jesse Q. Sutanto narrated by Eunice Wong It's cute so far

[Robin P]

Pamela wrote: "This week started three different titles:

Fictional book, liked his vampire-type series books, but this one is just regular fiction: The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin

A book of short..."

I went through The Hemmingses with a class where we read it over about 10 weeks. It's not as readable as I would have liked. The main thing is that this author wrote it before there was DNA proof that she was right about the relationship, but all her other info was very convincing.

[John, Moderator]

Finished Cotton Comes to Harlem, second one these detective stories I've read. The Crazy Kill was a bit ... sillier, though a good introduction to the series for me. Got a couple more cheap in the sale - Dion Graham's narration truly outstanding!

[Fran]

John wrote: "Finished Cotton Comes to Harlem, second one these detective stories I've read. The Crazy Kill was a bit ... sillier, though a good introduction to the series for me. Got..."

I love Dion Graham as a narrator. He narrated a biography of Miles Davis that was wonderful.

[Doug]

I read the Bosch Universe book #9, Void Moon by Michael Connelly. I don't know how these books weave together so I am reading them in publication order according to the list here at Goodreads. I think the character from book #7 occurs in the Harry Bosch series book #7, so I am trying to keep the order of the "universe" straight. Void Moon was pretty good.

I chose for my next read a rather random one, Daikon by Samuel Hawley. It's a World War II novel with a sort of alt. universe plot, so I guess it's speculative sci-fi? I am half finished and it is okay, not spectacular. Narrated by Brian Nishii.

[Robin P]

Summer of the Monkeys is a charming upper grade book by the author of Where the Red Fern Grows. The narrator does a good job with the 14-year-old main character as well as many others.

[Carol]

John wrote: "Finished Cotton Comes to Harlem, second one these detective stories I've read. The Crazy Kill was a bit ... sillier, though a good introduction to the series for me. Got..."

Himes + Graham? i’ll buy all of them then.

[Fran]

I'm considering either listening, reading or whispersyncing Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. It's 1088 pages or 64+ hours. So I'm looking for a little help from friends.

1. Is it worth giving this a try?

2. How did you like it?

3. Sean Pratt is the narrator - anyone familiar with him?

[Kathleen]

Fran wrote: "I'm considering either listening, reading or whispersyncing Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. It's 1088 pages or 64+ hours. So I'm looking for a little help from friends.."

Google’s AI lists multiple reasons why the physical copy is important, such as the formatting and the footnotes, so I would suggest whisper sync. It’s on my someday list.

[Fran]

Kathleen wrote: "Fran wrote: "I'm considering either listening, reading or whispersyncing Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. It's 1088 pages or 64+ hours. So I'm looking for a little help from frien..."

Thank you! I think it's rising to the top of my someday list. I'd love to know if anyone has read it.