What Are We Currently Reading?

[nodorothyparker]

It took me awhile but I finally finished Kent Wascom's The Blood of Heaven, which was unrepentantly violent and profane right up through the last page as yet another entry in the always ongoing "this writer clearly aspires to be the next Cormac McCarthy" sweepstakes.  Lots and lots of gloriously archaic word choices and I feel like I learned a little something along the way too even if some of it felt like a bit of a slog to get through, so I'm calling it a win.   I always cut a writer a little extra slack if they can give me a truly great opening line.

As is often the case after something challenging, I needed one or more other somethings that were shorter and easier to get through.  Paulette Jiles's News of the World was surprisingly delicate and quietly elegant in the story of an elderly news reader trying to return a child stolen by the Kiowa to her white family in frontier Texas.  An impromptu visit to the bookstore yielded up the best kind of surprise in a relatively new Ernest Gaines book I had completely forgotten was out in The Tragedy of Brady Sims.  At 84 and still writing as an authentic voice of life under Jim Crow, the man is a national treasure.

I'm trying very hard to talk myself into continuing to forge ahead in George Saunders's Lincoln in the Bardo because I know it's gotten great reviews and it's a subject I'm interested in but I admit the format is giving me serious fits.  I'm really not a fan of whole chapters that are one paragraph excerpts from other sources pasted together to tell a story.  I find it really distracting.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

So. Unraveling Oliver.

For a debut novel, Liz Nugent already has a very sure voice as a writer, and the first line - 'I expected more of a reaction the I first time hit her' is a harbinger for the rest of the book. Oliver Ryan is charming, intelligent and successful. He's also a cold-blooded sociopath who would give Amy Dunne pause, and he starts the book explaining

that he's just beaten his wife Alice nearly to death.

The rest of the story spools out from there, going backwards to explain why and how Oliver is what he is, and I strongly suggest that folks pick it up.

[bubbls]

I'm now reading Ravensbruk: Life and Death in Hitler's Concentration Camp For Women by Sarah Helm. It's meticulously researched and fascinating, although it's a slow read for me due to the subject matter being so disturbing. I'm surprised by some of the information such as the Jehovah's Witnesses continually refusing to work on anything promoting the war and driving the commandant mad. 

[alias1]

Loved News of the World.  Hated Lincoln in the Bardo.

[Qoass]

I've just started Caroline which is the Little House saga as seen through the eyes of Ma. It was published "with the full approval of Little House Heritage Trust". 

[starri]

I'm still following the saga of Handbook for Mortals, and seeing how ludicrous the whole thing is ALMOST makes me want to find a pirated copy somewhere (I'm not going to give that woman a dime), looking at the snippets of prose Jenny is posting prevents me from actually doing so.  It's not just that it's inept, it's INFURIATING.  Like, here is a grown woman trying to settle grudges against the girls who were mean to her in high school and the boys who didn't realize what a rare and beautiful snowflake she was.

Lani Sarem has to be in her 30s.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher is technically a Young Adult book, since the protagonist is a high school student, but its a YA book written for adults.  A bittersweet story of mistakes that can't be undone, but with the possibility of learning something from it and carrying it forward.

[SmithW6079]

When I was visiting my brother last weekend, I happened onto a series of books my niece had read. It's called the "I Survived..." series by Scholastic Books. In each book, a kid (usually 11- to 13-years-old) survives some natural or man-made disaster, such as Pearl Harbor, 9/11, the earthquake in Japan, Katrina, the Titanic, etc. I kind of got hooked, so I borrowed the books  from my niece so I could finish the series.

[OtterMommy]

49 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

When I was visiting my brother last weekend, I happened onto a series of books my niece had read. It's called the "I Survived..." series by Scholastic Books. In each book, a kid (usually 11- to 13-years-old) survives some natural or man-made disaster, such as Pearl Harbor, 9/11, the earthquake in Japan, Katrina, the Titanic, etc. I kind of got hooked, so I borrowed the books  from my niece so I could finish the series.

My daughter is in the 3rd grade and just discovered these as well.  She just read one about something that "happened a long time ago"...I Survived Hurricane Katrina.

[nodorothyparker]

My 11-year-old generally isn't a huge reader because his hyperlexia means he's a sight reading wiz but his ADHD/autism makes his comprehension and retention sometimes rather spotty.  He really liked those books too though and the Katrina book in particular was a great way to give him some kind of context for his being a Katrina baby and what that meant for our own family.

[Qoass]

I'm 100+ pages into My Absolute Darling as it is getting such rave reviews and I'm just not feeling it. It's a super quick read though so I'll keep at it.

 

ETA: Finished it. If you like grim books of unrelenting pain and abuse wrapped up with a metaphor the size of a Buick, this one's for you.

Edited October 19, 2017 by Qoass

[Anela]

I couldn't get into Fates and Furies. 

I'm having trouble getting into much of anything again, lately. I have a number of books borrowed from my library, on the kindle, and a few more in the form of actual books. I've bought a few more, like The Four Tendencies, but have yet to read much of it. 

[luna1122]

Finished Ann Patchett's Run. Which, as noted above, I wound up mostly loving, but it's a problematic love. While I found the characters very well fleshed out and lovely, there's definitely the 'white folks save the poor blacks' thing that was probably not the intended theme, but it all winds up feeling condescending. I'm torn.

Next, finally read Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping, which had been on my 'to read' list forever. It's gorgeous and troubling, tho those who find lavishly descriptive pagesful of paragraphs and stream of consciousness dull or irritating will throw the book out of the window. I love that shit, so I was fairly riveted. I found the ending very disquieting and haunting.

The next book in my to read pile was another Ann Patchett, and I almost skipped to something else cuz I'd just finished Run, but it intrigued me more than the others in the stack, so I went with it. The Magician's Assistant is, like all Patchett, gorgeously written and exquisitely detailed and imagined. I'm in awe of Patchett's skills and her usage of the English language and her expansive imagination and her empathy for her characters.  That said, I remained at a distance for most of this one, for various reasons, and, after three novels in a row of gorgeous, langourous prose, which IS truly my fave sort of novel, I'm ready for something a little less meandering and dreamy and languid. Not sure the book I'm about to begin is that or not yet. It's Local Girls by Caroline Zancan.

[OtterMommy]

8 hours ago, Anela said:

I couldn't get into Fates and Furies. 

I'm having trouble getting into much of anything again, lately. I have a number of books borrowed from my library, on the kindle, and a few more in the form of actual books. I've bought a few more, like The Four Tendencies, but have yet to read much of it. 

I abhored Fates and Furies, so I totally understand not being able to get into it.  

[cherrypj]

On 10/18/2017 at 10:39 AM, luna1122 said:

That said, I remained at a distance for most of this one, for various reasons, and, after three novels in a row of gorgeous, langourous prose, which IS truly my fave sort of novel, I'm ready for something a little less meandering and dreamy and languid.

Try This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. It's Patchett, but in small bites.

[aradia22]

I'm about a third of the way through Hunger by Roxane Gay. I've got to give it back to the library so I'm probably not going to get to finish it for at least another few months (long waiting list). What I've read so far is good though. At times harrowing, though at the same thing she still keeps a lot to herself. (It's not the most revealing of memoirs so far.) Because it's a memoir and not a collection of random essays, it feels more focused than Bad Feminist and in that sense it feels like a more successful project. 

The dating book/behavioral science book limped its way to the end. I don't know what it is with books being poorly organized or authors losing steam at the end for nonfiction books. Problematic bits throughout, especially when the author herself jumped in with her opinion. But on the whole, interesting enough that I'd recommend picking it up just to leaf through it and read about the studies that sound interesting to you. 

[helenamonster]

Just finished: Exposed by Lisa Scottoline. I'm a huge fan of Scottoline's Rosato and & Associates/Rosato and DiNunzio series and this was an excellent entry. Scottoline's been writing these characters for over twenty years and she knows them so well. This series is sort of like my book version of comfort food, there's just something so nice and familiar about it (and as always, as a Delaware Valley native, it's nice to read a book and recognize so many locations, especially since I've moved to another city). This book is told from two perspectives, Mary--my favorite of Scottoline's recurring characters--and Bennie, who is usually my least favorite but she didn't bug me in this book. When Scottoline lets Bennie be totally and completely herself, she's much more entertaining, not like that pod person that took over for her in Corrupted.

Next up: What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton, because I'm a masochist. Well, not completely. I was dithering on whether or not to read this book, but I work in local government and one of my colleagues picked me up a copy, "from one woman in politics to another" which I thought was very thoughtful, and the decision was kind of made for me. Who knows, it might be cathartic and give a little closure on this fuck fog (TM Veep) that we're currently living in.

[OtterMommy]

2 hours ago, helenamonster said:

Next up: What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton, because I'm a masochist. Well, not completely. I was dithering on whether or not to read this book, but I work in local government and one of my colleagues picked me up a copy, "from one woman in politics to another" which I thought was very thoughtful, and the decision was kind of made for me. Who knows, it might be cathartic and give a little closure on this fuck fog (TM Veep) that we're currently living in.

I'll be interested to hear what you think of it.  I had planned to listen to it, as that is the sort of audiobook that I like, but the snippets I've heard so far led me to decide otherwise--nothing about the book, but I'm not a fan of HRC's narration.  I mean, it would be strange to have anyone else read it, so I wouldn't want that.  But, that doesn't change the fact that she sounded very monotone to me.

[AuntiePam]

A Test of Wills, the first in the Inspector Rutledge series, by Charles Todd.  I don't read mysteries to solve the crime*, so I look for characterization and writing that's better than it needs to be -- this fits the bill.

*I think in this one, the title is a clue, as well as a description of the relationship between Rutledge and the ghost in his head.

[Qoass]

I just started Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King. Too soon to judge. So far, I can see Stephen's structure but his voice isn't as dominant.

[luna1122]

On ‎10‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 5:50 PM, cherrypj said:

Try This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. It's Patchett, but in small bites.

I did read this one and enjoyed it. I love her writing, I just sort of OD'd on her for a bit.

I finished Local Girls. The prose is gorgeous, and I'd like to read more from the author, but the story, despite the beauty and evocativeness of the writing,  ultimately felt sort like much ado about not much. Plus, the character who is supposed to be so charismatic, that everyone loves and is drawn to--I hated her. Plus, an animal dies. So...good writer, not as great a book.

Then read Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen. Very fast read, a real page turner, but ultmately disappointing, with an unlikable, unreliable narrator (yeah, another one of those).

Next was The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf. Not a bad book, I was interested in the outcome, but not so much all the exposition it took to get there, and I figured out the bad guy long before we DID get there. I found myself skimming a lot, never a good sign.

Just began David Bell's The Forgotten Girl.

[Hanahope]

On 10/29/2017 at 1:05 PM, helenamonster said:

Next up: What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton, because I'm a masochist. Well, not completely. I was dithering on whether or not to read this book, but I work in local government and one of my colleagues picked me up a copy, "from one woman in politics to another" which I thought was very thoughtful, and the decision was kind of made for me. Who knows, it might be cathartic and give a little closure on this fuck fog (TM Veep) that we're currently living in.

I want to read this too.  In light of current events, it is probably very informative.  But there's a long wait list at my library too.

[Danny Franks]

Finisterre by Graham Hurley. The blurb says that it's "a cracking thriller" and "so well-written you can smell the sweat and taste the fear." So far? Those things are not true. It's a very workmanlike thriller, from a writer who seems to have little flair for either character or description.

[Sandman87]

It's almost Halloween, which means it's time for my traditional annual re-reading of Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October. It's a half-comic/half-serious novel about various traditional Halloween-ish characters (vampires, serial killers, mad scientists, witches, etc) struggling to determine the fate of the world during the month of October. With illustrations by Gahan Wilson!

[Qoass]

That sounds great: I just put it on hold!

[peacheslatour]

In honor of Halloween I'd like to recommend The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. I'm sure many of you have read Fingersmith before. But The Little Stranger is one of the most unsettling books I've ever read. The kind of book you think about for days or even weeks after you read it.

[luna1122]

Just read the description of that makes me think of The Haunting of Hill House and the best first paragraph ever: "No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone."

Edited October 31, 2017 by luna1122

[peacheslatour]

I've always loved that on too, luna! Here's another good one from We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson:

 

“My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all, I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in our family is dead.”

[hendersonrocks]

I'm real early into Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, but it is GREAT so far. Well written and totally drawing me in.

Since I'm on vacation I am trending towards lighter reads and just finished (in one day!) one of Lucinda Riley's massive fiction paperbacks. I actually quite like her stuff, and this one (The Midnight Rose) was quite perfect for me at the moment. She's like Kate Morton but better, in my opinion.

Edited November 2, 2017 by hendersonrocks

[Lovecat]

On 6/20/2017 at 1:36 PM, partofme said:

I was given Thirteen Reasons Why by a coworker, I wasn't planning on reading it and now I'm forced to and it's kind of torture.

I bought that in the Columbia, SC airport at the beginning of a VERY long travel delay.  I finished it hours later in another airport (DC, maybe?) and because I bought it at a place that had the "Read and Return" program), returned it to get 50% of my money back.  Since my reaction at the end was essentially "Well.  That happened." I'm glad I was able to recoup some of my money.  That time, though?  I'll never get it back.

[arielpna]

I'm into poetry right now that's why I'm reading You Get So Alone and Pleasures of the Damned by Charles Bukowski. 

[Zola]

Isaac Asimov's "Forward the Foundation" (1992)

There has always been a lot of debate regarding exactly what order one should read his Robot/Empire/Foundation novels. Some say they should be read in chronological order, while others prefer by published date.

I don't think there's any hard and fast rule either way, but I have always opted for chronological, as it seems to make a little more logic sense in terms of time-lines.

[Black Knight]

9 hours ago, Zola said:

There has always been a lot of debate regarding exactly what order one should read his Robot/Empire/Foundation novels. Some say they should be read in chronological order, while others prefer by published date.

I don't think there's any hard and fast rule either way, but I have always opted for chronological, as it seems to make a little more logic sense in terms of time-lines.

An interesting question, indeed! I'm not rigid about it, but I incline to publishing order myself, for several reasons:

1) It's reading the series the way the author usually intended. It can matter for things like plot twists and world-building. Although (as I and GaT were discussing on another thread) the pendulum may have actually swung too far in the other direction these days, with older series especially you can't count on the author giving the necessary background in later published books.

2) Since if there's a change in quality as a published series continues, it's usually for the worse, this way I'll have read all the good books before getting to the crap and quitting the series, whereas if in chronological order the earlier books were the lousy ones, I might drop the series and never get to the good ones!

3) Avoids the problem of books that have two timelines

Edited November 3, 2017 by Black Knight

[Zola]

4 hours ago, Black Knight said:

An interesting question, indeed! I'm not rigid about it, but I incline to publishing order myself, for several reasons:

1) It's reading the series the way the author usually intended. It can matter for things like plot twists and world-building. Although (as I and GaT were discussing on another thread) the pendulum may have actually swung too far in the other direction these days, with older series especially you can't count on the author giving the necessary background in later published books.

2) Since if there's a change in quality as a published series continues, it's usually for the worse, this way I'll have read all the good books before getting to the crap and quitting the series, whereas if in chronological order the earlier books were the lousy ones, I might drop the series and never get to the good ones!

3) Avoids the problem of books that have two timelines

I will try reading by published date at some point in the not too distant future. It will make for interesting reading how the two time-lines compare in terms of logical sequence of events, and story-telling.

[Haleth]

I joined a group on FB called The Silent Book Club to get book recommendations.  It's great but overwhelming.  With 13k members posting what they are reading my newsfeed gets filled up pretty quickly.  And even more so if I comment on something.  Just thought I'd mention it in case anyone was interested in talking to serious book enthusiasts.

(Edited to add that I don't mean to imply that we here aren't serious book enthusiasts.)

Edited November 3, 2017 by Haleth

[DearEvette]

On 11/2/2017 at 11:26 AM, Zola said:

Isaac Asimov's "Forward the Foundation" (1992)

There has always been a lot of debate regarding exactly what order one should read his Robot/Empire/Foundation novels. Some say they should be read in chronological order, while others prefer by published date.

I don't think there's any hard and fast rule either way, but I have always opted for chronological, as it seems to make a little more logic sense in terms of time-lines.

This is the same discussion had about Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series.  The author recommends reading them in internal chronology, I read them that way by default because that is how I am.  But I almost kinda wish I had read Barrayar where it fell in publication order because I kind a would have liked to meet older Miles first, get all the cryptic references and then go back and read that pivotal book about his childhood and how he became the manic genius he is.

[Black Knight]

7 hours ago, DearEvette said:

This is the same discussion had about Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series.  The author recommends reading them in internal chronology, I read them that way by default because that is how I am.  But I almost kinda wish I had read Barrayar where it fell in publication order because I kind a would have liked to meet older Miles first, get all the cryptic references and then go back and read that pivotal book about his childhood and how he became the manic genius he is.

I mentioned above that one of the reasons I normally incline to publishing order is that it's usually how the author intended, and as you point out here, Bujold is one of the exceptions. I happen to have read the books in published order because I got into that series early, rather than when a bunch of books had already been published. I haven't tried re-reading by internal chronology (in large part because I sadly don't really have time to re-read anything these days), but I am curious as to how that actually works out for readers of this series, because Bujold has always asserted her right to overthrow established canon if she happens to Have a Better Idea.

I guess it works out roughly the same as far as the big picture goes, it's just the details that differ. If you read one way you'll eventually have Canon A later overwritten by Canon B, and if you read the other way you'll eventually have Canon B overwritten by Canon A.

And now, because I feel like I have yanked this thread somewhat off track and should at least throw in an on-topic comment: I'm finishing up Alan Weisman's The World Without Us. It's an interesting study of what would happen on this earth if humans simply vanished tomorrow (to the rapture or whatever).

[Joe]

1 hour ago, Black Knight said:

And now, because I feel like I have yanked this thread somewhat off track and should at least throw in an on-topic comment: I'm finishing up Alan Weisman's The World Without Us. It's an interesting study of what would happen on this earth if humans simply vanished tomorrow (to the rapture or whatever).

I'm reading that too! The section on nuclear power is a hell of a downer. Some things we've created will still be glowing in the dark for billions of years. Without proper management, the fallout will devastate large sections of the planet.

[Black Knight]

17 minutes ago, Joe said:

I'm reading that too! The section on nuclear power is a hell of a downer. Some things we've created will still be glowing in the dark for billions of years. Without proper management, the fallout will devastate large sections of the planet.

Wow! First, I can't believe anyone else is reading this book at the same time, and second, you have mentioned the section that I found the most upsetting (so far) as well. And, with Harvey having just torn through the Houston area, all that about the petrochemical plants all around the area really had special resonance.

I'm finding the discussions about evolution fascinating; yes, we've created a lot of things that will last for a really long time, but some organisms will evolve accordingly. It's not the meek that will inherit the earth, it's something that can eat plastic. Also interesting is the dichotomy of how we've created so many problems by importing invasive non-native species, but with us gone, many of the native species would lose the battle for good since we at least have eradication programs attempting to ameliorate the damage we've done.

[starri]

22 hours ago, Black Knight said:

And now, because I feel like I have yanked this thread somewhat off track and should at least throw in an on-topic comment: I'm finishing up Alan Weisman's The World Without Us. It's an interesting study of what would happen on this earth if humans simply vanished tomorrow (to the rapture or whatever).

That book is mostly just a thought experiment, but it's got some beautiful writing in it.  

"Nothing, however, will remain to suggest that its original form once stood tall over a place called Texas, and breathed fire into the sky"

[AuntiePam]

When I'm between books, I read The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, on the Kindle.  At some point you could get a year's subscription for $1 -- maybe it was a Prime benefit.  Checking now, it seems the cost is $30.  A good value for six issues with a lot of reading, but not as good a value as $1.

This latest issue has a really good ghost story from Kate Wilhelm.

Will be starting The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  I like her books (especially Alias Grace) but ever since a fan told me how much of a bitch Atwood was at a signing, I have to hold my nose.  "I love your books.  I'd like to be a writer too."  "Of course you do, dear", accompanied by an eyeroll.

[Rio]

I tried something new. I normally love fictional or romantic story lines but i decided to try out something new- I'm reading The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.

[Mindthinkr]

On 11/4/2017 at 8:45 PM, AuntiePam said:

Will be starting The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  I like her books (especially Alias Grace) but ever since a fan told me how much of a bitch Atwood was at a signing, I have to hold my nose.  "I love your books.  I'd like to be a writer too."  "Of course you do, dear", accompanied by an eyeroll.

I strongly dislike it when people forget where they came from and the disrespect those who helped propel them there. 

[Qoass]

I finished Sleeping Beauties over the weekend, started Tom Hanks' Uncommon Type yesterday and have Little Fires Everywhere on deck. I feel like I've won my library's trifecta.

[starri]

Apparently, PD James has a posthumous short story collection being published next week.  I know what my Thanksgiving Day is going to be spent doing.

I was hoping she had a final Dalgliesh novel in a safe deposit box somewhere, but I guess The Private Patient was a pretty good ending for him.

[Danny Franks]

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. I've been meaning to read this for a long while, but got the final push with his Nobel Prize win last month. So far, it definitely fits my stereotype of award winning literature: wandering, overly lyrical prose; odd, stilted speech mannerisms and a plot that is vague to the point of not existing. But it is fun to read. The world Ishiguro builds is evocative and I'm eager to find out what's going on with the memories of the characters.

[luna1122]

Just read David Bell's The Forgotten Girl, and found it just incredibly pedestrian. No characterization at all, not a single interesting thing or truly felt emotion and not an even particularly compelling 'mystery'. I am not even sure why I finished it. It's got good reviews on Goodreads but I have no comprehension as to why. There were two chapters of a diff Bell novel--Somebody I Used to Know-- at the end, and I realized I'd read it, and liked it well enough, so maybe this one was as anomaly.

Just finished up A.S.A Harrison's The Silent Wife today, and loved it. It's gorgeously written and dark....it's not a thriller along the 'can't wait to turn the page' lines of Gone Girl or whatever Bell was going for...it's a quiet, contemplative, twisted, subtle noir, and the prose is rich and dense and beautiful. There are no truly likable characters, and nobody to root for, and yet, I found I wanted the main character to get away with her actions.

I was very sad to read that Harrison had passed away, as I would have loved to have read more from her.

 

That said, one of the reviews of it on Goodreads is really funny, and not incorrect, and might somewhat inform whether you'll like it or not:

"At the moment, I am wearing my book reviewing outfit of jeans and a t-shirt, but soon I will change into some sweatpants to take a nap on the couch under the window that looks out onto the sprawling landscape of my driveway. Then I will put on a smart pair of yoga pants and a crisp k-way jacket to get some groceries. When I get back, having bought only food that I enjoy because that's who the world revolves around, I will change into my coffee-making outfit consisting of whatever little dress still fits after a couple of kids and a sedentary winter, with some cute uggs because my feet are so darn cold, but will change again before we eat some adorably twee appetizer of something creamy on a cracker, and then will change just one more time before dinner into something that I know my husband will love. If anybody in my house does anything to disrespect or displease me, I will say not a thing because, control, but will be plotting some half-assed passive-agressive revenge whilst smiling, making lunches and making my entire generation seem petty, privileged, and downright insufferable.

If you could get through this review, I suppose you could get through the book"

Edited November 8, 2017 by luna1122

[cherrypj]

Some of the Goodreads reviews are gold.

I just finished The Mothers by Brit Bennett and Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye. Jane wins, hands down: that book was so much fun to read. It's got me stupendously interested in reading The Sikhs by Patwant Singh (but not Jane Eyre).

[alias1]

I absolutely loved Jane Steele.  Then I read every other book that Lyndsay Faye wrote.  They were all good, but nowhere near as enjoyable as Jane Steele.

[OtterMommy]

I'm just starting a number of new books now:

• A Hundred Small Lessons by Ashley Hay.  This has been a bestseller in Australia, but is just now coming stateside.  I'm reading this for a review that I will post in December.
• Christmas Day at the Office by Matt Dunn.  I won this last year in a Goodreads giveaway, but am just getting around to reading it now.
• Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life by Shelley Tougas.  This is a middle grade book that one of my fellow book bloggers raved about.  It sounded interesting, so I thought I'd give it a try!