Read some P.G. Wodehouse for the first time in March. The Inimitable Jeeves and The Code of the Woosters. Brilliantly funny.
My wife and I are also taking turns on our audible account going through the new full cast Potter books. She just finished up Book 5 and loved it. My turn now.
Oh he’s great. If you like a bit of dry British humor I would highly recommend. Code of the Woosters is often considered a great spot to jump into the Jeeves and Wooster story. Imagine a stiff and intelligent butler that is always right and a silly flippant wealthy man that always seems to get himself into a pickle.
They’re very similar in my mind to a Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot novel. Not for the subject matter but because they tend to follow a standard pattern and you could pick any of them up and enjoy in a short time.
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher. I had never read any of her books. It reminded me of Alexander McCall Smith’s writing. Sometimes you just need something nice.
Also, RIP Tracy Kidder author of two of the best nonfiction books I’ve ever read, Old Friends and Rough Sleepers.
After reading The Winds of War by Herman Wouk, I knew that I had to read the sequel, War and Remembrance. It’s a long one! I was constantly amazed by Wouk’s comprehensive knowledge of the war from the various fronts, politics, history, religion. A fabulous read. Highly recommend both books.
I read "The Full Moon Coffee Shop" by Mai Mochizuki .
Based on the Japanese myth of cats returning favours to humans who are kind to them, "The Full Moon Coffee Shop" is the name of a peculiar cake café that is run by talking cats, which has no fixed location and instead materialises unpredictably on the night of a full moon. The protagonists of this story - a successful female scriptwriter in crisis, a heartbroken tv director, and two male entrepreneurs - all end up there in the middle of the night, in a semi-dream-like state, and receive life-changing advice on love, work, and relationships from a charismatic tortoiseshell cat who interprets his guests' astrological chart
I finally jumped on the read John Williams bandwagon and he did not disappoint with Butcher's Crossing, a painful yet beautifully literary read.
While I am firm in my favorite March read, I could almost have said Brian Merchant's Blood in the Machine about the Luddites and the modern day concerns about AI. However, while I learned a lot, the writing was too inconsistent and at times, preachy that I would be hard pressed to say it was my favorite. Still, it is worth mentioning because the topic is timely and the overall work is engaging.
For me, it’s a toss up between Nicholas Nickleby and Jude the Obscure. The former is the more obvious and popular choice, but the latter really took me by surprise by just how excellent it was. It was my third Thomas Hardy novel, after Tess of the D’Urbervilles and The Mayor of Casterbridge, both of which are also very good.
Jeremy, regarding George Lucas, the Brian Jay Jones book is very good. I would also recommend Droidmaker. That takes a deeper look at the technological advancements spearheaded by Lucas, ILM, Pixar, THX, and his other related companies. It’s a fascinating read.
“The Lies They Told “ A novel on the misguided eugenics movement in the early 20th century. This pseudoscientific practice violated human rights of thousands including institutionalization of “undesirables” and involuntary sterilization in the name of ensuring the superiority of the “best” stock, i.e. anglo-europeans.
Finally got around to reading “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir and LOVED IT. The movie was a fairly good adaptation, too!
Saw the movie over the weekend and really enjoyed it!
Read some P.G. Wodehouse for the first time in March. The Inimitable Jeeves and The Code of the Woosters. Brilliantly funny.
My wife and I are also taking turns on our audible account going through the new full cast Potter books. She just finished up Book 5 and loved it. My turn now.
Nice, I’ve never read Wodehouse.
Everyone should, or at least see a show based on a story of his
Love me some Jeeves!
Oh he’s great. If you like a bit of dry British humor I would highly recommend. Code of the Woosters is often considered a great spot to jump into the Jeeves and Wooster story. Imagine a stiff and intelligent butler that is always right and a silly flippant wealthy man that always seems to get himself into a pickle.
They’re very similar in my mind to a Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot novel. Not for the subject matter but because they tend to follow a standard pattern and you could pick any of them up and enjoy in a short time.
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher. I had never read any of her books. It reminded me of Alexander McCall Smith’s writing. Sometimes you just need something nice.
Also, RIP Tracy Kidder author of two of the best nonfiction books I’ve ever read, Old Friends and Rough Sleepers.
Me too! Also first time I've read Pilcher. So nice to have something comforting and cozy to read .... also reread Wind in the Willows. Love it!
I especially loved Mountains Beyond Mountains — what a great writer and journalist.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. Yeah and wowzaa
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
After reading The Winds of War by Herman Wouk, I knew that I had to read the sequel, War and Remembrance. It’s a long one! I was constantly amazed by Wouk’s comprehensive knowledge of the war from the various fronts, politics, history, religion. A fabulous read. Highly recommend both books.
I finally read The Correspondent and loved it.
I’ve heard nothing but good things!
I read "The Full Moon Coffee Shop" by Mai Mochizuki .
Based on the Japanese myth of cats returning favours to humans who are kind to them, "The Full Moon Coffee Shop" is the name of a peculiar cake café that is run by talking cats, which has no fixed location and instead materialises unpredictably on the night of a full moon. The protagonists of this story - a successful female scriptwriter in crisis, a heartbroken tv director, and two male entrepreneurs - all end up there in the middle of the night, in a semi-dream-like state, and receive life-changing advice on love, work, and relationships from a charismatic tortoiseshell cat who interprets his guests' astrological chart
Sounds fun!
Hi! I’m new here and writing detailed book reviews from my window. If you interested in; My latest book review is now live!✨
A widely talked-about novel by a Turkish woman author, and a story that has stayed on bestseller lists for quite some time.
You can read it here:
https://freshoffmyshelf.substack.com/p/water-remembers-there-are-rivers?r=7t861m&utm_medium=ios
I’d love to hear what you think—if you like it, don’t forget to follow 🤍
Hope all is well. A couple best books for the month:
Nonfiction: Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution by Jack N. Rakove
Fiction: Mr Sammler’s Planet by Saul Bellow
I finally jumped on the read John Williams bandwagon and he did not disappoint with Butcher's Crossing, a painful yet beautifully literary read.
While I am firm in my favorite March read, I could almost have said Brian Merchant's Blood in the Machine about the Luddites and the modern day concerns about AI. However, while I learned a lot, the writing was too inconsistent and at times, preachy that I would be hard pressed to say it was my favorite. Still, it is worth mentioning because the topic is timely and the overall work is engaging.
For me, it’s a toss up between Nicholas Nickleby and Jude the Obscure. The former is the more obvious and popular choice, but the latter really took me by surprise by just how excellent it was. It was my third Thomas Hardy novel, after Tess of the D’Urbervilles and The Mayor of Casterbridge, both of which are also very good.
Jeremy, regarding George Lucas, the Brian Jay Jones book is very good. I would also recommend Droidmaker. That takes a deeper look at the technological advancements spearheaded by Lucas, ILM, Pixar, THX, and his other related companies. It’s a fascinating read.
I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Nicholas Nickleby. Delightful book. Old Curiosity Shop is next Dickens up for me.
The Body Scout by Lincoln Michel. It's a fun, action-packed mystery/thriller that reminded me of William Gibson and also featured baseball!
That’s a good one! Lincoln’s Substack is a must-read — and his latest novel is also really good.
I agree on Lincoln's Substack! And I'm looking forward to reading Metallic Realms.
PS to my last comment. Is not the attempt to revoke birthright citizenship of the same racist nature?
“The Lies They Told “ A novel on the misguided eugenics movement in the early 20th century. This pseudoscientific practice violated human rights of thousands including institutionalization of “undesirables” and involuntary sterilization in the name of ensuring the superiority of the “best” stock, i.e. anglo-europeans.
The Kingdom of Cain by Andrew Klavan. A surprisingly joyful book on murder.