Retired: What are you reading? Showing 3,701-3,750 of 5,490

[Jane]

Is Lucy Barton better than Olive ? I hope so because Olive didn't give me any wow factor

[LA]

Jane wrote: "I have already read January and February choices and I seem to at a loss of what to read except for the Bahr trilogy"

What are you in the mood for? I've got a shelf called Fixin to Read with a list of titles I will (intend to) get to in the next month. Maybe check everybody's 2016 Look Back and see what their faves were. I put up 11 titles that really pleased me out of the 80 something I read last year. Not sure if you like my quirky stuff, but if not, other folks 2016 summaries should help.

[Brina]

Jane I'm not sure. Maybe Leanne can answer. I didn't read Olive but it won the Pulitzer so maybe the voters know something that we don't know.

[Jane]

Yes I think they do know more than any way ;)

[LA]

Brina wrote: "Might have to make an exception for My Name is Lucy Barton- it is not on my tbr but if it's long listed for the man Booker and a probable long list for the Pulitzer as well, it sounds like a book I..."

Jane and Brina - Lucy Barton is VERY good, but I'd say that some people skimmed along the surface reading it, going....ooookaaay. This is good.... But if you consider all the things Lucy does not say, if you analyze her family, her childhood memories - essentially play armchair shrink - the book is great. But a little short.

Here are my eleven goodies...two are not precisely five star, but I put them in because they were surprisingly good and totally not what I expected. I've got reviews on all of them if that helps. Here's that 2016 overview thingie of mine...

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

[Jane]

Oops me lol

[Kim]

Lucy Barton was in my top ten for last year, a book I will definitely re-read. I thought a lot was going on beneath the surface as well, LeAnne.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

I loved Olive Kittridge, but I know a lot of people who didn't get it. The author has a book coming out in 2017 that follows some of the peripheral characters in Lucy Barton, so that should be interesting. I'm sorry I can't remember the title. Also read that Cormac McCarthy has a new book, but release date is very iffy.

[Connie]

Diane wrote: "I loved Olive Kittridge, but I know a lot of people who didn't get it. The author has a book coming out in 2017 that follows some of the peripheral characters in Lucy Barton, so that should be inte..."

I just read about Elizabeth Strout's new book earlier today. It's called Anything Is Possible: A Novel. It's a collection of interlocking short stories about people who live in Lucy Barton's hometown. It sounds similar to the way the stories in Olive Kitteridge 's town were interlinked. I also loved that book, Diane.

[Brina]

I will get to Strout's novels eventually. I think I once read an early book of hers Amy Isabelle. Does that ring a bell for anyone??? Anyone, I read One Hundred Years of Solitude in a day. Was amazing as advertised. It does include a train ride through the south in one paragraph ;). Today I am reading The Big Sleep and hope to read this week A Thousand Acres.

[Book Concierge]

Dawn wrote: "Book Concierge ~ so happy you read A Christmas Memory ! It was always a favorite of mine. When I taught school , I would take time right before lunch each day to read this aloud to my 6th grade cla..."

I re-read it every year ... usually on my birthday, though this year it was just after Christmas by the time I got to it.

[Book Concierge]

LeAnne wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "
If you're interested in an older work by our beloved Ron Rash, I highly recommend his debut novel called One Foot in Eden. ..."

Thanks, LeAnne ... adding it to my TBR mountain....

[Book Concierge]

Not Southern, and Not Fiction .... but a great microhistory for book-lovers ...


When Books Went to War - Molly Guptil Manning - 4****
While Nazis were burning books in Europe, Americans were trying to get more books distributed to the men fighting in the war. Manning does a wonderful job of including the history of the times and the challenges faced by the Council, including efforts to censor the books that would be included. I was completely fascinated and engaged from beginning to end.
LINK to my review

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

I liked that one too....I actually received a Steinbeck for Christmas that was one of the books distributed during the war. The book was more of a meaningful gift after reading how the books influenced soldiers. My MIL is a good listener and never disappoints with books as gifts. If only she could find a signed McCarthy for the hubs. Money, money, money!

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Wow, Laura, that was a great gift. I wonder how she found it? When Books Went to War is a really good history of that particular service for the armed forces.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

It has the jacket cover with address of where to ship to other soldiers etc. I'm not even sure she knew the history of the book.

[Kim]

I have friends from college who are doing this for current troops.

[Book Concierge]

Constellation of Vital Phenomena – Anthony Marra – 4****
I had considerable difficulty getting into this novel. Perhaps it was because I was listening rather than reading, but Marra’s moving back and forth in time, and changing points of view, just confused me. I did not connect to the characters at first and didn’t understand their relationships and connections. But that, I suppose, is Marra’s intention. We do not often know why someone crosses our path, what connections she or he brings, what influence he or she will have on our future. We do not know when hope and grace, courage and dignity may find their way into our lives. We can only pray that they do.
LINK to my review

[LA]

Book Concierge wrote: "

Constellation of Vital Phenomena
– Anthony Marra – 4****
I had considerable difficulty getting into this novel. Perhaps it was because I ..."

I think your guess is good. Some books translate into audio better than others and vice versa. I listened to a thriller called The Boy in the Suitcase which was narrated by one of its to co-authors. It was outstanding with a lot of psychological depth to all of the various characters.

Because the author used different accents and voice tones while reading it, despite the unusual-to-me Scandinavian names, I was able to follow it closely. Friends that love psychological depth in books told me they had trouble figuring out who was who while they were reading it in print.

Have you read his newer booked yet?

[LA]

So, I know this is a southern literary group, but is anybody else reading through the runner ups to UK's Man Booker Prize? Ive loved two so far (His Bloody Project and Eileen, but have got to say that I have finally run into the rare "guy book" that I did not like.

All That Man Is was one of the five runners up to the win, so I was expecting to be impressed. But - this is seriously a man's book in my opinion - or maybe a Europeans book. Lots of unwanted sexual advances by women, total focus on career, mild grief and yet ennui at fortunes or opportunities ost.

I am looking forward to see how American men react to this.
PS. The audio is available through your library card with the Hoopla app

[Jane]

Morning LeAnne

Yes I always read these and His Bloody project is about to be opened - very excited

[Book Concierge]

LeAnne wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: ""

Have you read his newer booked yet? ..."

I have not, but it's on my (much-too-large) TBR

[Book Concierge]

So far "South" it's practically in Antarctica ...


Portrait in Sepia - Isabel Allende – 4****
This is the third book Allende has written about the Del Valle family, after The House of the Spirits and Daughter of Fortune. I love Allende’s writing. There is a decidedly Latin beat to the flow of her sentences. And her descriptions are full of sensory highlights. The characters are larger than life and run the gamut from a wealthy Chilean grand dame to a Chinese herbalist to an English butler and a Serbian physician. I think I need to go back to THotS and read it again.
LINK to my review

[Jane]

Getting into His Bloody Project so far very very good

[LA]

Jane wrote: "Getting into His Bloody Project so far very very good"

I peeked at your progress earlier today! So glad you're loving it! Pay attention to the little oddities that are mentioned once but then never addressed. I'm having my bookclub do this in March and am going to reread!

[Jane]

LeAnne you have made it even more exciting with that advice

[Brina]

Finished Jackie Robinson autobiography-- excellent. Read Anna in the Tropics- Pulitzer winning play, takes place in Florida, that is the south, right ;). Still waiting on Crimes of the Heart-- library taking forever. Currently reading The Scarlet Pimpernel and staying true to my word that I'm not doing group reads in any of my groups if book wasn't on my tbr. Next month I already read the book so I can participate in discussions.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

I just finished my first ever reading of Psycho. Here is my review, such as it is.

[Faith]

I finished Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue. My review:

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

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

I haven't read it yet but I just received a copy of The River of Kings, the next book by Fallen Land author Taylor Brown. It's due out March 21st so I'm really excited to check it out.

[Jane]

I will definitely be reading this one

[Connie]

The River of Kings sounds good, Tom. I'll be looking for the reviews.

[Brina]

I just read The Warmth of Other Suns. It was wow! Starting A Gentleman in Moscow. I know Diane has said she loved it and I hope it's worth the hype. Unfortunately I only have 2 1/2 days to read and savor it because it's due to the library on Monday and I try to avoid overdue notices.

[Connie]

Brina wrote: "I just read The Warmth of Other Suns. It was wow! Starting A Gentleman in Moscow. I know Diane has said she loved it and I hope it's worth the hype. Unfortunately I only have 2 1/2 days to read and..."

I thought both were wonderful books. A Gentleman in Moscow is hard to put down, and worth paying an overdue fine to finish. Enjoy!

[Jane]

Finally started Elena Ferrante s My Brilliant Friend and loving every word next up will be Golden Hill

[Brina]

My review of The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration byIsabel Wilkerson

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

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Jane, I just finished the 4th book of Elena Ferrante's Neopolitan novels. All of them together are an incredible journey through two women's lives. They are very intense though, so I couldn't read them one after the other. Had to take a break of several months between each book.

[Jane]

I think I will have a break between them as well , Diane .

Looking forward to number two of Bahr s trilogy and Golden Hill

[LA]

Jane wrote: "Finally started Elena Ferrante s My Brilliant Friend and loving every word next up will be Golden Hill"

I keep meaning to get to these Ferrante books. Diane, is it Perry that is the big fan of them? Are they too stark to do back to back?

I'm on yet another of the Man Booker nominees. I've done Eileen (5 star), His Bloody Project (5 star), and All That Man Is (3 star) so far and am currently working on Hot Milk>

This Hot Milk book is quirky in a quiet way with a ton of symbolism tied to the nurturing (or manipulative) aspects of motherhood, the protagonist's Greek heritage, and the free-floating that some millennials experience after finishing college and before genuinely launching their lives/careers. There are flourishes of androgyny, touches on big pharma vs talk-therapy, and more. If a 25 year old protagonist is not too old to "star" in a coming-of-age story, then that's how I'd label this. It is odd but beautiful!

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

LeAnne, the Ferrante novels are about 2 girls, Lena and Lila, growing up in Naples just after WWII. Their neighborhood is poverty stricken and violent. They have a very close friendship that is very intense, sharing love, hate, and sometimes men. One of them escapes the neighborhood by means of education, one does not. The series ends in present day, after a lifetime of ups and downs for both of them.
The language, the setting, and the friendship all get very intense and emotional. It's one of the most incredible things I've ever read. I know you like audio, and I'm not sure how this would be orally, there are a lot of people to keep track of.

[Book Concierge]

The small-town North Dakota setting is as vivid as many Southern locales....


The Wedding Dress: Stories From the Dakota Plains - Carrie Young – 4****
This is a collection of short stories set primarily during the early part of the 20th century to shortly after World War II. Young explores the lives of the people of Little Butte, North Dakota, who are mostly Norwegian immigrants (or descended from them). All of the stories feature characters that fairly leap off the page, they are so real. The landscape is cold and bleak, especially during the Dust Bowl years, but the kitchens are warm and inviting. This is the first work by Young that I’ve read; it will not be the last.
LINK to my review

[Faith]

I finished Darktown by Thomas Mullen. It was very good.

[Faith]

I finished Darktown by Thomas Mullen and The March by E.L. Doctorow.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Faith wrote: "I finished Darktown by Thomas Mullen and The March by E.L. Doctorow."

Both really good books. I would really like to reread Ragtime

[Faith]

I also plan on reading Ragtime. I saw the musical twice when it was revived a few years ago. The second time, Doctorow was sitting in my row.

[John]

Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich
✮✮✮✮✮ and ❤

Bull Mountain is the Burroughs family. The Burroughs family is Bull Mountain. Even if you leave Bull Mountain, such as the novel's protagonist, Sheriff Clayton Burroughs, Bull Mountain is still in your blood. For generations, the Burroughs, have lived on Bull Mountain engaging in a variety of criminal activity trafficking in moonshine, pot, and meth. Clayton is the only one of the family to abandon the criminal activity by moving off Bull Mountain; however, Bull Mountain is not through with him. Recently, an ATF agent has approached Clayton with a proposal. If he can convince Halforth, his older brother to give up a business partner in Jacksonville, Harforth will not be prosecuted. Clayton will now need to re-enter the world of Bull Mountain and, somehow, try to convince his brother, a task which will, more than likely, fail.

Unfortunately, I can't give you additional detail without spoiling the book for new readers. The author described the characters and setting well. In fact, these literary elements were so well developed that I knew this was one place I wanted to avoid. Several chapters were back stories but read easily, especially since each chapter began with the date and the character on deck. The violence can be very descriptive; however, what would you expect from a book described as the "Hillbilly Godfather." Brain Panowich is a new favorite author which is more meaningful since he is from my home town--for now.

[Brina]

My review of A Gentleman in Moscow. Best part: finished before it was due to the library.

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

[Book Concierge]

Mrs Lincoln’s Dressmaker – Jennifer Chiaverini – 3***
This was an interesting look at an era in history that we already know much about. I enjoyed the historical references and Elizabeth’s point of view of many of the events. It was an engaging story that held my interest. But … I wish Chiaverini had given us more of Elizabeth in the novel and less of Mrs Lincoln.
LINK to my review

[Book Concierge]

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – John Berendt – 4****
Berendt was a free-lance journalist when curiosity took him to Savannah and he began to write about the particularly insular culture of that Southern city. Then a murder happened, and his story really took off. I first read this sometime in the mid to late 1990s, and on re-reading it I’m not so keen about it. The murder doesn’t happen until half-way through the book, and that was really the most interesting part. I’m still giving it 4 stars because I believe that was closer to my original reaction to the book.
LINK to my review

[Faith]

I finished My Name is Leon by Kit de Waal. My review:

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