Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. Both so good I didn’t want them to end and had to make myself slow down.
I just finished Still Life by Louise Penny last night. It is definitely worth the praise seen from so many people here on Read More Books. While I wouldn't call it a perfect crime procedural (some of the archery explanations/descriptions fell short), the characters are all very believable and well written. And despite not being action packed, it was still a page turner.
Finally finished Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - it’s about the Nigerian-Biafra civil war in the late 1960’s, but really it’s about family, love, betrayal, loss etc. She makes you care so much about the characters in the first third of the book, that you have to find out what happens to them during the four-year war. A masterpiece.
"The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain" - Maria Rosa Menocal
I've also read "Telling Stories Wrong" (by Gianni Rodari) several times to a 5-year old I'm fond of - I grew up with Rodari's delightful stories in Italian and I'm happy they're being translated and illustrated for English-speaking children https://enchantedlion.com/all-books/telling-stories-wrong
I am definitely in a bit of a reading slump, but I started "Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect" a few days ago, and I'm really enjoying it. It's so meta and funny, and I love the way its written.
Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut. It's super short, but I feel like it really captured his black humor and his ability to ask hard questions in creative ways. He's the master of zany descriptions that fit just right...like the sound a cat makes when it meows being, "Ralph?"
I finished Laura Dassow Walls' biography of Henry David Thoreau. I LOVED it. She did a great job of connecting the various things he was thinking about in his life. It completely altered my understanding of Walden - in the best way. I have started to re-read Walden as a result and will be re-visiting some of Thoreau's other works. If you have read Walden and think "what's the big deal?" or you get stuck on the fact that he wasn't really "in the woods" - Walls will help you sort through all of it.
I only started reading Kazuo Ishiguro’s ‘Remains of the Day’ a few days ago in between packing up and moving house, and really enjoying it. It feels almost meditative, being so thoroughly immersed in the mind of the protagonist.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. Both so good I didn’t want them to end and had to make myself slow down.
I just finished Still Life by Louise Penny last night. It is definitely worth the praise seen from so many people here on Read More Books. While I wouldn't call it a perfect crime procedural (some of the archery explanations/descriptions fell short), the characters are all very believable and well written. And despite not being action packed, it was still a page turner.
Finally finished Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - it’s about the Nigerian-Biafra civil war in the late 1960’s, but really it’s about family, love, betrayal, loss etc. She makes you care so much about the characters in the first third of the book, that you have to find out what happens to them during the four-year war. A masterpiece.
The Giver! My first time reading it.
"The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain" - Maria Rosa Menocal
I've also read "Telling Stories Wrong" (by Gianni Rodari) several times to a 5-year old I'm fond of - I grew up with Rodari's delightful stories in Italian and I'm happy they're being translated and illustrated for English-speaking children https://enchantedlion.com/all-books/telling-stories-wrong
Probably Dinner at the Homesick restaurant by Anne Tyler - https://latentbookclub.substack.com/p/dinner-at-the-homesick-restaurant
How lovely! The author of the Aru Shah series (Roshani Chokshi) is a dear friend of mine. I’ll have to let her know
I have been seeing James EVERYWHERE! Must check out soon!
Death's End by Cixin Liu. This third book in the trilogy makes you wonder if you understand any science at all! But it is a great read.
I re-read Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search For Meaning." I should read it every year.
I am definitely in a bit of a reading slump, but I started "Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect" a few days ago, and I'm really enjoying it. It's so meta and funny, and I love the way its written.
Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut. It's super short, but I feel like it really captured his black humor and his ability to ask hard questions in creative ways. He's the master of zany descriptions that fit just right...like the sound a cat makes when it meows being, "Ralph?"
I finished Laura Dassow Walls' biography of Henry David Thoreau. I LOVED it. She did a great job of connecting the various things he was thinking about in his life. It completely altered my understanding of Walden - in the best way. I have started to re-read Walden as a result and will be re-visiting some of Thoreau's other works. If you have read Walden and think "what's the big deal?" or you get stuck on the fact that he wasn't really "in the woods" - Walls will help you sort through all of it.
The dirty life (on farming, food, and love) by Kristin Kimball
I only started reading Kazuo Ishiguro’s ‘Remains of the Day’ a few days ago in between packing up and moving house, and really enjoying it. It feels almost meditative, being so thoroughly immersed in the mind of the protagonist.
Aurora by David Koepp and Misery by Stephen King. Both very different but both so good.