A hands down A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW BY AMOR TOWLS. I know I know I am 9 years late to this party but it was my second attempt to read this book and i almost gave up before i hit the second half of the book. Now it is one of my favorite books EVER!!!!
I recently finished Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. It took a while to get into it, but I ended up enjoying it and slammed the last 150 pages in a day because I just wanted to know more of the story. Can’t say it’s my favorite or that I’d highly recommend it, but the writing style was different and part of what kept me in it once I got hold of it.
I think I read that a long time ago. But I need to go back and check. If I did read it, I do agree that it was as you said with the braiding and taking a while to get into it.
'The Good Earth' by Pearl S. Buck- won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1932. I enjoyed Buck's depiction of family life in rural China (early 20th century). This book is the first in her 'House of Earth' trilogy.
‘There Are Rivers in the Sky’ by Elif Shafak. In fact, borderline, my favourite book ever. The richness of the ideas and the language, the brilliance of the plot, history made fascinating … loved it.
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. Impressive how much she can say in so few pages. She's a very talented writer. I will be thinking about this book for a long time. Now I can go see the movie! No way it's as good as the book but I love Cillian Murphy.
I'm very late to Ursula Le Guin, and read The Dispossessed, from 1974. It captures many hot button issues from the mid 70s that are still with us. Science ficition has never been one of my fave literary genres, but now I'm checking the books that, like The Dispossessed, also won both the Nebula and the Hugo to determine if I'll read some more SciFi in 2025--other than what's in the news headlines.
No surprise that my top book for the month was a collection of short stories that take place on Halloween in the South, The Halloween Store by Ronald Kelly.
If you like the TV series Creepshow, you'd probably like this author's style.
Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives by Thomas French. This book, about the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida, is a chance to get to know about the workings of a zoo. It’s a world I knew nothing about. This is an older book and it also deals with the rise and fall of the zoo director at the time. Really interesting read.
A hands down A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW BY AMOR TOWLS. I know I know I am 9 years late to this party but it was my second attempt to read this book and i almost gave up before i hit the second half of the book. Now it is one of my favorite books EVER!!!!
Ah what a great one! Rules of Civility is even better, in my opinion.
I recently finished Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. It took a while to get into it, but I ended up enjoying it and slammed the last 150 pages in a day because I just wanted to know more of the story. Can’t say it’s my favorite or that I’d highly recommend it, but the writing style was different and part of what kept me in it once I got hold of it.
I think I read that a long time ago. But I need to go back and check. If I did read it, I do agree that it was as you said with the braiding and taking a while to get into it.
'The Good Earth' by Pearl S. Buck- won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1932. I enjoyed Buck's depiction of family life in rural China (early 20th century). This book is the first in her 'House of Earth' trilogy.
Great one! I read it last month myself.
One of my favorite books!!!
"Three Men in a Boat" by Jerome K. Jerome a Monty Python style British humor from 1889. If you like Python you might enjoy this book.
The Things They Carried about the Vietnam War and The Worst Hard Times which was a recommendation from Jeremy. Excellent book about the Dust Bowl.
I read Things They Carried in high school, definitely a great one. And I'm glad you enjoyed Worst Hard Time!
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
I enjoy it more each time I read it! Great one.
‘There Are Rivers in the Sky’ by Elif Shafak. In fact, borderline, my favourite book ever. The richness of the ideas and the language, the brilliance of the plot, history made fascinating … loved it.
I've heard really good things about that one.
An amazing writer!
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. Impressive how much she can say in so few pages. She's a very talented writer. I will be thinking about this book for a long time. Now I can go see the movie! No way it's as good as the book but I love Cillian Murphy.
She's been on my list a long time.
I'm very late to Ursula Le Guin, and read The Dispossessed, from 1974. It captures many hot button issues from the mid 70s that are still with us. Science ficition has never been one of my fave literary genres, but now I'm checking the books that, like The Dispossessed, also won both the Nebula and the Hugo to determine if I'll read some more SciFi in 2025--other than what's in the news headlines.
High on my list for this year!
I'm late on this one, but finally read SEA OF TRANQUILITY by Emily St. John Mandel. I loved it, especially the ending which was perfect!
Ah yes, great book!
It’s a toss up between James by Perceval Everett and Us by David Nicholls.
James is fantastic. :) I've not read any Nicholls.
Rubicon by Tom Holland capturing the fall of the Roman Republic.
My mom loves his books. She is extremely picky about what she reads so this is high praise. I can't decide which one I want to read first!
Nice, he's always good!
Nonfiction - Look Homeward: A Life of Thomas Wolfe by David Herbert Donald.
I see Wolfe referenced in many places and needed to read about this novelist. Same reason I’ve started Leon Edel’s 5 volume bio on Henry James.
Fiction: The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. Always like my Civil War accounts to have happy endings. No Fredericksburg for me, thank you.
No surprise that my top book for the month was a collection of short stories that take place on Halloween in the South, The Halloween Store by Ronald Kelly.
If you like the TV series Creepshow, you'd probably like this author's style.
I'm afraid I'm turning into "the boy who cried 'Vonnegut'" in this group, but I really enjoyed Jailbird.
I really need to read more Vonnegut — I've only read Player Piano and quite liked it.
Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives by Thomas French. This book, about the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida, is a chance to get to know about the workings of a zoo. It’s a world I knew nothing about. This is an older book and it also deals with the rise and fall of the zoo director at the time. Really interesting read.
That does sound really interesting, thanks for the rec!
Z Vassilis Vassilikos. It's like Greek Norman Mailer x 1984. Fifty years old and yet applicable to our time.
Interesting, haven't heard of it! Thanks Jason.