After reading Team of Rivals, I decided to try another Doris Kearns Goodwin and read No Ordinary Time. This book covers the activities of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and what was happening here in the US from 1940 until Franklin’s death. Exhaustively researched yet so very readable. Another triumph for DKG.
After watching a Nature episode about a woman who rehabs hummingbirds in LA, I decided to read her book The Fastest Things on Wings by Terry Masear. A fascinating look at hummingbirds and how they come to be in her care. The dedication to keep these creatures alive and to help them fly again is extraordinary as is the woman who makes it possible.
I agree with you! I read Sea of Tranquility earlier this year and it's my current #1 book of the year. Anthony Doerr's Cloud Cuckoo Land is another one I'd put in the same category, and I think it's the best of the three!
The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are by Libby Copeland. We all saw the tv ads for ancestry DNA testing. So simple, so fun. Not really. What happens when you find out the man you know/knew as your father isn’t? What happens when you find out you are the result of incest? The book was published in 2020 so there was a lot in the about 23andMe as well as Ancestry and other ones. What happens to the vial with your saliva after it’s been tested? What would happened if health insurance companies gain access? Law enforcement? A totalitarian government? With the recent bankruptcy and sale of 23andMe to a company called Regeneron who knows. Will privacy policies continue? This book led me into the a world of genealogy that’s really complex. After I read this I read two other books the author mentioned. Inheritance by Dani Shapiro and The Stranger in My Genes by William Griffith. Both authors did DNA testing and found out their fathers weren’t their biological fathers. While the stories of how they found out who their biological fathers are/were are very different, the underlying thread that ties these books together as well as any other unpublished stories is the emotional trauma. The owner of 23and Me told Libby Copeland not to ask the question if you don’t want to know the answer. Hmmmm. I thought about doing the DNA testing out of curiosity but now I’m probably not. Three really good books.
Just finished The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize 1983. It was hard to put down. Two sisters enduring unbearable hardships and communicating mostly by letter.
My favorite fiction for May was a reread of Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. Perfect for looking forward to summer and a delightful break from all the heaviness of the world. Which leads me to my favorite nonfiction for May, The Half has Never Been Told by Edward E. Baptist. This subtitle summarizes the book perfectly: Slavery and the making of American Capitalism.
An oldie but the Dark is rising by Susan Cooper. There is a whole tribe who read it every winter. Definitely will be doing that this year as technical a Christmas book!
Lots of reading: but the most unusual was William Blake and the Sea Monsters of Love. Which starts not with Blake but the author swimming in the sea. Lyrical but also well researched and absorbing
Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder
Daemon Voices by Philip Pullman
The former was one of the most upsetting books I've ever read. The inhumanity of the events described were genuinely difficult to keep listening to at times. All the same, it is important that it be chronicled and remembered, especially in light of current day violence being perpetuated against Ukraine and its people.
The latter is a collection of essays/seminars from Philip Pullman, author of the His Dark Materials series (Golden Compass, etc). He wrote and spoke on a variety of topics such as storytelling in general, the importance of "children's literature" and the use of that term itself, his thoughts on genre writing (fantasy vs realism) and much more. He narrated it himself. It was insightful, amusing, and got me very excited to read his upcoming book.
I am a 4th grade teacher and my students just finished New Kid! I think it is a great examination of students of color in primarily white independent schools and allowed for great discussions. I finished my reread of The Hours by Michael Cunningham, which paired with my reread of Mrs. Dalloway.m
The Book Thief by Zusak. I’ve been wanting to read this for a long time. But the timing worked out.
Great great great book.
Fiction: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Science Fiction: The Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett
Fantasy: Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
Nonfiction: Henry James, The Middle Years, 1882-1895 (3rd volume) by Leon Edel
Quite a lineup! Always love seeing your reading list, John.
After reading Team of Rivals, I decided to try another Doris Kearns Goodwin and read No Ordinary Time. This book covers the activities of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and what was happening here in the US from 1940 until Franklin’s death. Exhaustively researched yet so very readable. Another triumph for DKG.
After watching a Nature episode about a woman who rehabs hummingbirds in LA, I decided to read her book The Fastest Things on Wings by Terry Masear. A fascinating look at hummingbirds and how they come to be in her care. The dedication to keep these creatures alive and to help them fly again is extraordinary as is the woman who makes it possible.
I'll absolutely add Fastest Things to my list. Sounds delightful!
The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier. It's about a group of passengers whose lives are changed forever after a turbulent Paris to New York flight.
Great one! Really makes your head spin. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel is similar and perhaps better.
I agree with you! I read Sea of Tranquility earlier this year and it's my current #1 book of the year. Anthony Doerr's Cloud Cuckoo Land is another one I'd put in the same category, and I think it's the best of the three!
I really enjoyed “The Anomaly.”
The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are by Libby Copeland. We all saw the tv ads for ancestry DNA testing. So simple, so fun. Not really. What happens when you find out the man you know/knew as your father isn’t? What happens when you find out you are the result of incest? The book was published in 2020 so there was a lot in the about 23andMe as well as Ancestry and other ones. What happens to the vial with your saliva after it’s been tested? What would happened if health insurance companies gain access? Law enforcement? A totalitarian government? With the recent bankruptcy and sale of 23andMe to a company called Regeneron who knows. Will privacy policies continue? This book led me into the a world of genealogy that’s really complex. After I read this I read two other books the author mentioned. Inheritance by Dani Shapiro and The Stranger in My Genes by William Griffith. Both authors did DNA testing and found out their fathers weren’t their biological fathers. While the stories of how they found out who their biological fathers are/were are very different, the underlying thread that ties these books together as well as any other unpublished stories is the emotional trauma. The owner of 23and Me told Libby Copeland not to ask the question if you don’t want to know the answer. Hmmmm. I thought about doing the DNA testing out of curiosity but now I’m probably not. Three really good books.
Interesting mix - thanks for sharing, Shirleen.
My favorite was a new epistolary novel The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I can't imagine anyone not liking it!
Haven't heard of it! Thanks Lauren.
Finished my re-read of Invisible Man in May. Still just as good as the first time I read it 20+ years ago.
Great one. Just read it for the first time this year. Weirder and wilder than I expected.
I really liked Talking to Strangers; Interesting social theories written in an easy style for anyone to read.
The only book of his that I haven't read.
Just finished The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize 1983. It was hard to put down. Two sisters enduring unbearable hardships and communicating mostly by letter.
An all-time classic for sure. It will stay with me forever.
My favorite fiction for May was a reread of Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. Perfect for looking forward to summer and a delightful break from all the heaviness of the world. Which leads me to my favorite nonfiction for May, The Half has Never Been Told by Edward E. Baptist. This subtitle summarizes the book perfectly: Slavery and the making of American Capitalism.
Those sound great - thanks Dana!
An oldie but the Dark is rising by Susan Cooper. There is a whole tribe who read it every winter. Definitely will be doing that this year as technical a Christmas book!
Huck Finn was definitely my favorite of the month. I also enjoyed reading The Wild Robot aloud to my two boys (they liked it, too).
Great picks! Wild Robot is fantastic.
My top May read was The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz. Hope it's okay to link to my two book reviews here: https://honeymoonatsea.substack.com/p/time-for-1000wordsofsummer
Lots of reading: but the most unusual was William Blake and the Sea Monsters of Love. Which starts not with Blake but the author swimming in the sea. Lyrical but also well researched and absorbing
Two non-fiction reads topped by month of May.
Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder
Daemon Voices by Philip Pullman
The former was one of the most upsetting books I've ever read. The inhumanity of the events described were genuinely difficult to keep listening to at times. All the same, it is important that it be chronicled and remembered, especially in light of current day violence being perpetuated against Ukraine and its people.
The latter is a collection of essays/seminars from Philip Pullman, author of the His Dark Materials series (Golden Compass, etc). He wrote and spoke on a variety of topics such as storytelling in general, the importance of "children's literature" and the use of that term itself, his thoughts on genre writing (fantasy vs realism) and much more. He narrated it himself. It was insightful, amusing, and got me very excited to read his upcoming book.
I am a 4th grade teacher and my students just finished New Kid! I think it is a great examination of students of color in primarily white independent schools and allowed for great discussions. I finished my reread of The Hours by Michael Cunningham, which paired with my reread of Mrs. Dalloway.m
Marvelous, great picks!