Book Lovers Club
Comments
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Been reading a lot lately, but most were just mediocre. The plot would be interesting - the writing would be weak. The characters would show promise - then loose the thread. Finally! A book worthy of recommendation. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. A young black high school student is arrested for a ‘crime’ and sent to reform school in Florida in the early 60’s. The student is a follower of Martin Luther King, jr. and tries to apply his teachings to life in the reform school. It is an interesting writing trick to read MLK’s words with the backdrop of the conditions the boy has to endure. How he wants to hold his head up and be dignified as that is the way to a better life. The book has a twist at the end, but you will think about it once you are finished. Definitely worth the read.
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JCS... I thoroughly enjoy your review of books and those you choose to read. You do not avoid emotionally difficult reads and you are a s/hero of worth. Thank you for reading literature that says something important about American culture, that does not avoid the shameful aspects. Colson Whitehead does not look away yet admits he simply could not visit the cite where these horrific crimes against American citizens, that American citizens devalued because they were neither white nor rich, took place. This is too close to books that will be written in 2050 about the cages in which we imprisoned and abused children. Yes, we did this as clearly as we housed, abused and killed the children in Florida. I'm using 'we' purposely.
This book is definitely in my too read list.
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I'm about 1/3 the way through Ocean Voc's book On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. It is a difficult read because there is no stylized narrative, no formulaic pattern. It requires time to sit and ponder about the life of a youngish Vietnamese American child.
Here is a section I could relate to having had this experience in every American nail salon I visited.
"The nail salon, sorry is a tool one uses to pander until the word itself becomes currency. It no longer merely apologizes, but insists reminds: I'm here, right here, beneath you. It is the lowering of self so that the client feels superior and charitable...being sorry is worth every self deprecating syllable the mouth allows. Because the mouth must eat"
I love this book and I deeply appreciate the poet Voc is as he ventures away from his award winning poetry into his first work of fiction. I love it, yet struggle with the in-betweens where the narrative feels disconnected while I eagerly await the next text rich descriptions that wrench my heart with his sharp arrows.
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Thanks for the kind words Magiclight. Have you read, Red Notice by Bill Browder? A very interesting true story about the Magnitsky Act, the Putin tie-in to the Trump administration and the Russian ‘meeting’ with Don, jr. Another interesting read is The Line Becomes the River by Francisco Cantu. It is about a border patrol agent and how difficult emotionally it is to track humans.
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I just put a library hold on both books. In my area the Cantu book is not popular with 0 holds and 11 copies, so must be right up my alley.
Having just put a hold on my Netflix account in order to unglue me from my TV in hopes of reading more.
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I’ve been reading a lot of fiction this summer and just finished The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain. You can’t overthink things as you read it but if you can manage that, it is a magical book. And, if any of you are Jeffrey Deaver fans, he has created a new protagonist for his latest book The Never Game. I really liked this book and I think I will enjoy this new series even more than the Lincoln Rhyme one.
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JKL2017, I loved The Dream Daughter. It was rather amazing how everything fit together. I just finished City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert and highly recommend it, too.
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Just finished Bequest of Wings - A Family's Pleasures with Books by Annis Duff (1944). What a charming book about how this this author & her husband taught their children to LOVE books & treat them with respect & wonder. How they picked the books, how they combined them with music from phonograph records and pictures of art from magazines or reprints. Of course lasting bequests to children - give them roots & wings. Emily Dickinson "...and this bequest of wings was but a book." Great recommendations for children's books. Many are the same from my Children's Literature class in the 1960s. As she points out, GOOD books never get old.
Waiting in the wings is a new book I ordered Wild Things - The Joy of Reading Children's Literature as an Adult by Bruce Handy (2017). I had to take a peek at the appendix and sure enough, here again are many of the same old friends from Bequest. and from my shelves.
My son is not having children but I've been unable to part with these treasurers - some from my parent's childhood, some from mine & some from my son's. I finally started this week to pick out a few at a time to send to nieces & nephews. Books need to be read & shared.
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Where'd You Go, Bernadette' just one of 9 books coming to the big screen this summer and fall
I hope they do a good job... Bernadette was such a sweet book!
Also, not mentioned, but worth mentioning...I Hear You Paint Houses...Loved the book. One of the few recommendations from one of my sons and really enjoyed. Shortly after Hoffa disappeared, I went to the restaurant that he was last seen in...always wondered if his body would ever be recovered... been looking forward to the film version from the day I finished reading the book....
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Hi VR - are you still taking care of the lions? I think of you often.
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i haven’t recently checked in at library, but I am hoping the lions are hibernating indoors! Perhaps down at the lower stacks...it must be a few degrees cooler down there! On Monday evening I was downtown at the Joyce Theater. i saw Freddie’s in Love. It was so charming. Worth the schlep in the oppressive heat. Stepped downstairs on to the subway platform and thought an oven door opened! Whoa! Was it hot! On Tuesday, lovely daughter wanted me to accompany her and granddaughter to the city and VR said, “You go! I will babysit!” Would do whatever necessary NOT to have set foot on the island! Babysitting the entire day was the lesser punishment!
Reading Chips: Diary of Sir Henry Channon.
https://www.amazon.com/Chips-Diaries-Channon-Phoenix-Giants/dp/1857994930
The book was recommended by my eye doctor. We often meet up at the non-fiction section at the library. Often, we will be elbowing one another as we reach for the same books! He just finished reading Victory City and loved it. DH’s best friend just finished reading it an loved it too. DH just started reading it. He just finished John Lescroat’s latest book.
DH knows about VR’s relationship with eye doctor. Recently, both of us had our check ups and I brought a book with me to the office. DH asked why I hadn’t offered the book, Bad Blood, to him first. I had. He forgot that he passed on the book...had a change of heart in the car. Not to disappoint either of them, got a second library copy for the DH......Men!
VR told eye doctor to go back and read Travelers in the Third Reich. Seems some overlap with the Chips book. When writing Travellers...author looked at primary resources....Chips, a diary breathes life into the happenings and brings home the points made in Travelers..
Nowadays seems so aloof, but tragic, to read a diary and know how things turned out...
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JLK2017 - I just sent you a private message about The Dream Daughter. I’m enjoying it!
MJ
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I love to read and am always looking for some recommendations, so I'm hoping to jump into this discussion. I see a lot of recommendations for Where the Crawdads Sing, and I have that sitting on my nightstand ready to begin when I finish my current read.
I'm sure someone has already suggested this book, but A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles was the best book I have read in a very long time. The plot centers around the main character, Count Rostov, who is put on trial by the Bolsheviks and forced to live under house arrest in Moscow's Metropol Hotel. The plot, which spans several decades, focuses on the relationships he develops with the employees of the hotel and guests of the hotel, as well as the relationships with those from his past.
Another book I highly recommend is The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton. One of the reasons I liked it so much is because I could see many parallels between it and To Kill a Mockingbird, one of my favorite books of all. The Secret Wisdom of the Earth is a coming-of-age story set in Appalachia where a young boy spends a summer with his grandfather following a tragic event in his family. During his stay with his veterinarian grandfather, he learns what life is like for many in the town, meets some eccentric characters, learns about the destruction caused by strip mining, and witnesses the harm that is brought about by prejudice.
I am currently reading Saints for All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan. I am only about half of the way through it, but so far I am enjoying it. It is about two sisters who leave their home in Ireland to move to America and the very different paths their lives take.
I also recently read Winter Garden, The Nightingale, and The Great Alone all by Kristin Hannah. I loved Winter Garden, which is a story within a story. I had heard such good reviews of The Nightingale, but I found I had a hard time getting started with it. However, once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. I have read many books set during World War II, but this one was different in that it focused on two sisters and the very different types of sacrifices they each made during the German invasion of France. The Great Alone was good also, but it is also very dark. While I found myself rooting for the main character, I did not like the story as much as I did the other two.
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Hi ladies, I've been reading, and have three books I will recommend with some reservations:
1. Mrs. Sherlock Holmes by Brad Ricca tells the true story of Grace Humiston, who was one of the few female lawyers in the early part of the 20th century. She was also a highly success detective; thus, earning the title of Mrs. Sherlock Holmes. (Grace also went on to become the first female US District Attorney in New York) The book is written as a narrative biography. It skips back and forth in time while discussing Grace's early career and then her work on a sensational missing girl case in New York (which is rather confusing). I liked the book but disjointedness of the story detracted from the flow. I was also disappointed because it really doesn't tell much about Grace's personal life.
2.Grant by Ron Chernow- I LOVED this book. It is a wonderful, wonderful in- depth look at the life of Ulysses S. Grant. I am a crazy presidential history buff, and learned so much that I now feel like I really 'know' him. My reservation is that the book is 900 pages long, You have to be willing to take a deep dive if you're going to tackle it.
3. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. I'm still processing this one. A young couple's life is torn apart when he is sentenced to prison for a crime he didn't commit. We see the story unfold through the eyes of the three main characters (the husband, the wife, the best friend). Very good writing, my problem is that I didn't like any of the main characters very much. I felt they were all very selfish and that each one of them behaved badly.......the book was the pick for my Book Club, and I think it will make an interesting discussion.0 -
Reading "Winter Garden". Thanks to whomever recommended it. It's been good from the start and it's hard for me to keep going if it isn't! I think most of us can relate to the frictions in our family dynamics at times. I'm looking forward to getting back to it and seeing how it ends!
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i second A Gentleman in Moscow. Not sure if it will help entice anyone or not, but Barack Obama alsorecommended it.
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JCSlibrarian...I'm almost finished with your recommended A line becomes a river. A candid and empathic account of the lives of those hunting human beings and those being hunted on the US/Mexico border. Thanks for the recommendation.
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magic light — Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it. I joined the PBS/New York Times reading group, Now Read This on Facebook. They select a book each month, have online discussion questions, and an interview with the author on the PBS Newshour at the end of the month.Most of the title are timely and certainly though provoking. Last month it was a fiction title, House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea. It is about a Hispanic man that is dying and how his family celebrates his birthday early with him. They talk about going back and forth across the border and have family on both sides. The themes of death, family and religion are explored with unique twists. I find this book group a great way to find interesting books to read.
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KCS...maybe I'll get back on Facebook - have very mixed feelings about the cite. Even if I don't rejoin I'll keep coming here for great ideas.
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Just started what promises to be a lovely book. And it's non-fiction, something in honor of VR and libraries in general. "Wild Things - The Joy of Reading Children's Literature as an Adult" by Bruce Handy (2017). I'm not getting very far very fast because I keep having to put the book down and go to my shelves to find the books he's talking about - or try to remember why I no longer have them and who I gave them to. More later but here's one interesting review: "...The author demonstrates a deep love of children's literature and a keen understanding of the ways in which re-approaching beloved texts can highlight the connections and differences between a child's perception and adult reality..." (Kirkus Review.
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Speaking of children and books, I just came across this gem of a quote:
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Yes Ruth!!! Thanks for posting
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ruth! Great quote!
Minus! Wow! That book looks awesome! Thanks for the shout out for non-fiction...
Just finished reading Luxury and Modernism: Architecture and the Object in Germany 1900-1933. I won’t bore everyone with the details. But architecture lovers should enjoy this book. I did.
https://www.amazon.com/Luxury-Modernism-Architecture-Germany-1900-1933/dp/0691175128
Now, the DH and I are both reading the same copy of Talk to Me by James Vlahos. It gives a great understanding to computer voice command. It also gives us a glimpse of what the future holds. Discussing the history of voice command, it has been only a few years since Siri entered our universe and how the earth has shook since its introduction. Anyone interested in AI must read this book. And for everyone else who loves how the brain understands language, it really drives home the point how difficult it is to harness language....while some may argue that space is the final frontier, I would disagree and say that it is the brain! We have been to outer space, but getting a computer to understand our thoughts and make it think is still a dream....
https://www.amazon.com/Talk-Me-Voice-Computing-Transform/dp/1328799301
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I am reading a very well-written book by Robert Crais titled L.A. Requiem. It's an Elvis Cole/Joe Pike story. I'm preparing myself for an ending I may not like.
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Just finished a fun book. Unmarrigeable by Soniah Kamal. It is a Pakistani take on Pride and Prejudice. Several funny spots and fun looking for the similarities between the two titles. About to start Nine Pints by Rose George. A book about the history of blood. Sounds like an interesting topic.
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This isn't about a book or breast cancer but the piece spoke to me so I wanted to share the link somewhere:
Waiting for the Monsoon, Discovering a Brain Tumor Instead
New York Times reporter Rod Nordland shares his personal experience discovering and navigating a brain tumor diagnosis while on assignment in New Delhi, India. It relays expereinces some of us will relate to.{This piece is from the NYT which allows access to a limited number of articles each month without subscription.}
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I Shed My White Coat to Find the Healthcare Bloat
A lot has gone wrong and more money won't fix it
Healthcare stakeholders are playing a game, marking up the price of medical care, then secretly discounting it depending on who's paying.
We learned that one-third of hospitals in one state had sued patients, some very aggressively.One Virginia hospital ... had sued over 25,000 people in a town of 28,000...
I was also encouraged to see outrage among doctors when I had explained to them that, unbeknownst to them, their patients had been sued for services they provided.
One-third of women in the U.S. with stage 4 breast cancer report being harassed by medical debt collectors. In some places, price gouging and predatory billing has become part of a new business model.
So how is it that healthcare costs have been skyrocketing each year? It's the money games of medicine, loaded with middlemen, kickbacks, and pricing failures. These money games today threaten the great public trust in the medical profession.
how is it that academic medical centers are the bastion of scientific genius, yet no one can give you a simple price?
https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/ge...
Martin Makary, MD, MPH, is a professor at Johns Hopkins University and author of the new book The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care and How to Fix it0 -
Just finished a well written historical fiction title. Salt to the Sea by Rita Sepetys. Takes place during WWII and concerns a group of refugees attempting to escape Germany by boat. While the characters are fiction, the actual event depicted did happen.
Am about halfway through On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Huang. Beautifully written and moving. A young Vietnamese man is writing a letter to his mother about their immigration experience.
Would highly recommend both of these titles.
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