Someone on this thread (sorry, I don’t know who, I’m about 2000 posts behind) recommended Off Season, by Anne Rivers Siddons. In case anyone is interested, the Kindle-version is on sale today for $2.99.
Just finished reading “Boring Asian Female” by Canwen Xu. Interesting story and perspective on school admissions as well as race.
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I finished Yesteryear last night. A page-turner, yes, but I did not like it. YMMV.
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@VeryHappy -what did you not like about it? Just curious. Also, if I don’t like a book in the first few chapters, I’m out of there.
If I respond fully, @FallGirl , there will be spoilers. I enjoyed it as I read it – is was a page-turner – but I thought the ending was a copout. There was no logic to it; it was purely a fantasy ending offered just to tie things up with a bow. Also, to me, nothing that happened in the olden days was realistic.
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@VeryHappy I enjoyed reading the book, but agree about the ending. It sort of fell flat to me.
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It was definitely a page turner and kept me interested as I read it in a couple of days. The ending wasn’t my favorite, but overall I thought the book was interesting and it seems to have sparked a lot of debate.
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It felt like a high concept plot that was written and published without enough time to gel. A lot of internal inconsistency. I think I can say without spoiling that the satire of tradwife “influencers” (I hate that word!) felt facile and under researched. I’m not a fan at all, but the depiction just felt unrealized. Definitely a page turner because of the high concept but disappointing by the end.
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I just finished (late last night) The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline. Historical fiction based on the true story of sisters who married famous conjoined twins originally from Siam in pre-Civil War North Carolina. The author is distantly related and based the novel on a lot of research. It’s as much the story of women’s lives in that place and time as it is their unique lives. But their unique situation is fascinating too.
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Just finished North Woods and really, really enjoyed it, especially the light touch of the supernatural. Highly recommend.
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Here’s the CC Book Club discussion of North Woods in case you’re interested.
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Unfortunately that was a DNF for me (well I read the last chapter but after skipping much of the book). And I don’t have a lot of DNFs …I had high hopes for the book but it just wasn’t for me.
I’m with you; read several chapters and quit. It was just too dark. I thought it would be like The Source, which was dark enough itself in parts, but it wasn’t.
I didn’t mind the dark bits, but the writing began to annoy me.
I finished North Woods, but I didn’t love it. I grew up on upstate NY (Hudson Valley), thought I’d enjoy it more.
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I finally finished The Elements. I felt compelled to finish it, and I enjoyed the writing, but it was just too dark for me.
Needed something lighter after that one, so just started Meet the Newmans last night. So far, it is an easy read.
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I just finished Whistler, the new Ann Patchett title, before lunch. I have loved some of her previous books, but I think this is my favorite among her works that I have read. It is tender and honest and it will require tissues at the end for most readers, which for me is a mark of quality.
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I just finished This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum. Told by the main characters in alternating chapters, twisty, funny,serious. Definitely a good read.
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Yes, I felt like Yesteryear had a good initial concept but she did not execute at all. I do not understand the viral sensation it has become. It was a page turner but is not a great work of literary fiction by any means (IMHO)
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Not sure how well-known Vanessa Hua is here - she’s a Bay Area author. I and my friends and I all enjoyed her Forbidden City, and I’ve just come off the library waitlist for Coyoteland. The description of the fictional suburb it’s set in sounds very much like the area we live in (including attacks by a rogue coyote!) so interested to see how that goes!
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