I’m not entirely sure I feel like reading two books for June; mentioned Hamilton more as a joke. But I am always up for a romance/time travelish book, so would be interested in The Bookmark. Sadly it is not available in any of my three library systems, but is only $3.99 via Amazon Kindle (or free if you have Kindleunlimited).
A Girl Called Samson is not available in the libraries either. Daddy Long Legs is, but doesn’t really seem to pair with The Correspondent. Can we not read The Correspondent on its own?
Upon reflection, the more appropriate pairing with The Correspondent would be 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. It’s referenced in The Correspondent and it’s epistolary non-fiction.
If chosen, The Correspondent could be the primary selection, with 84, Charing Cross Road as an optional add-on.
Several book-loving friends have urged me to read The Correspondent. I put a hold on the ebook in February, and I’m now 195th in line (!!), down from 353rd.
I had considered some of these, but only the first part of The Women of Chateau Lafayette is set during the Revolutionary War. Part 2 is in 1914 and Part 3 in 1940. The Bookmark also jumps back and forth in time, and My Dear Hamilton is 672 pages!
Even Johnny Tremain is 320 pages (longer than I expected for YA – I just looked it up). Nothing feels quite right as a pair, so I’ll just list Vowell’s book as a standalone.
I’m going to switch up the selections a bit. Since This is Happiness was mentioned twice and recommended, I’ll put it in place of The Three Lives of Cate Kay, which doesn’t seem to be a big crowd pleaser on either Amazon or Goodreads.
Peeking at our results so far … we have a tie at the top. Just wanted to say that if you haven’t voted, this would be a great time to cast your ballot. Of course @Mary13 can be our tiebreaker if need be! (I’m so excited, it’s like watching the polls on election night – difference being, I like all these candidates )
And the winner is … Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell!
As @jollymama said, it’s fun to watch those bars move back and forth. For a while, I thought for sure we were going to have My Friends as a dark horse winner, but then the totals swung the other way.
I’m looking forward to Lafayette, but also keeping my fingers crossed, discussion-wise, since we so rarely select non-fiction. We may be discussing our favorite songs in Hamilton by day 2. Hopefully not!
As we wait …What are you reading in the interim? I just finished The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue, which started out fine, like an episode of Call the Midwife, circa 1916 (“fine,” that is, if you’re into outdated medical procedures, which I am ). However, it took a major misstep in terms of plot and historical accuracy in the last couple chapters, so I had to drop a star and cannot recommend.
Now I’m reading Hello Beautiful, since I doubt it will come up again as a CC contender.
As part of my read a book a month in Spanish I just finished Isabel Allende’s The Wind Knows my Name/El viento conoce mi nombre. It’s missing the lyricism of The House of the Spirits which I loved and Eva Luna which I started, but switched out for this one because of a book club. Overly didactic and much telling instead of showing. It interweaves several immigrant stories, one from Nazi Germany and three from Latin America. I learned a lot, but I can’t really recommend it.
My current Spanish book (Little Eyes/Kentukis) is quite weird. The premise is that there is a world wide fad for stuffed animals with cameras inside them. The animals can be propelled by people somewhere else in the world who see through the animal’s eyes. There is no communication, except that which people are able to create. It’s rather creepy. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to own one!
In English I am currently reading an older book by Barbara Hambly (Sisters of the Raven). It’s a fantasy that takes place in a world where the men had been the magic users and the women didn’t even have real names. However the men are losing their magical abilities and the women are discovering they can now use magic. There’s also a race of what appear to be sub-humans, that basically are slaves. There’s also a king who seems a bit helpless, but is basically seems to be a good guy in a bad situation. I am really hoping that by the end of the book there is more equality and that they dispense with slavery! (I just noticed it has a sequel, so I may have to wait for my preferred ending!)
Just got 2 books, “Chasing Life” and “It Doesn’t Have to Hurt,” by Sanjay Gupta, MD, neurologist and medical consultant. I’m 1st on waiting list for our June book.
Right now I’m in the process of finishing series that I’ve neglected for one reason or another. I’ve marked a few as complete, others - ongoing. So my reading is currently all over the place. Kinda fun though, since it’s like visiting friends you haven’t seen in a while.
@Mary13: I’m thinking of picking up Hello Beautiful also. You’ll have to let me know what you think of it.
In addition to what I listed above for ‘Books on the Beach,” here are a few books I’ve read/will be reading: “Hostage,” “Theo of Golden,” ”The Lion Women of Tehran,” “The Measure,” “Broken Country,” “Eligible,” and “Writers and Lovers.”
Not reading much for some reason.
But, did read THIS IS HAPPINESS - the writing, the story, the characters …..Ireland. Five star on goodreads
Started and will get back to these in my kindle library
Broken Country
My Friends
Thanks to @Mary13 for the $1.99 Sarah Vowell sale - scooped it up, great deal, and as always many Thanks to @Mary13 for always making this the best book club ever
I’m starting Chaos Terminal, second in The Midsolar Murders series. After that, I’ll pick up Infinite Archive, third in the series. I’ll be caught up at that point. (Series or trilogy? If trilogy, then I’ll be completely caught up.)
For anyone interested: The Midsolar Murders books are science fiction mysteries. Station Eternity is the first in the series (or trilogy). In the novel, Station Eternity - the setting - is a sentient space station. Multiple alien races live on it - only three of the inhabitants are human.
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but rank, I will. Later.
– difference being, I like all these candidates )
). However, it took a major misstep in terms of plot and historical accuracy in the last couple chapters, so I had to drop a star and cannot recommend.