Isn’t it great? I found the following seven volumes to be equally good (and I hear she’s working on the ninth)!
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Add me to the list of people who loved Elizabeth Strout’s newest book.
I’m currently reading “Football “ by Chuck Klosterman. It’s not my usual topic and it’s an unusual book discussing the cultural aspects of football and how it is ( according to the author) perfect for television. I’m enjoying it.
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I’ll have to put Emma Lion back on hold on Libby. I didn’t love the first few chapters which is all I made it through before it returned itself but sounds like I should try again.
I feel like I’m on a roll with great books -
Whistler, My Friends, Yesteryear, and now Project Hail Mary, which I’m enjoying much more than I expected.
I have Strout’s new book on hold but it will be a wait.
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Just finished “When the Cranes Fly South”. I enjoyed it quite a bit. (Note: grief and death themes- which I gravitate towards bc of my own losses in recent months. It is not a fun read, or a summer read, but a heavy, solid, meaningful read.)
(Was a Swedish book of the year.)
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Did you listen to it?
I read it as an adult, but when my kids were younger. I remember thinking it was pretty good, but there were other authors who are her contemporary that I like even better.
Yes.
I didn’t listen, I read them, but I’m going to say that the tone of them stays pretty consistent. So if you want, try again, but if you didn’t like them, it may not change too much? YMMV.
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If you liked The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion you might also try the Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Rayburn. It’s an historical mystery series with a slow burn romance set in Victorian England. Veronica, the main character, is smart and tough as nails. The first book is “A Curious Beginning” and you should read them in order.
I also read When a Crane Flies South a few months ago. Given the themes, saying I enjoyed sounds wrong, but it has been one of my favorite reads this year. As someone with aging parents and an aging MIL, it certainly gave me perspective! Really great writing.
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Almost through The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Enjoying it very much.
In my queue:
The Dream Hotel - Laila Lalami
How to Say Babylon - Safiya Sinclair
A Guardian and a Thief - Megha Majumdar
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Oh, she’s an instant buy for me; I have all of them.
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Ursula Hegi has died. Her novel Stones From the River is one I reread frequently. Such a powerful work, and one well worth reading (again) during these particular times. I also really love the work that came before, Floating in My Mother’s Palm. A gorgeous writer.
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I just finished Disposition to be Rich by Geoffrey Ward, the account of the breathtaking fraud perpetrated by the swindler Ferdinand Ward that brought down the Marine Bank of New York and bankrupted Ulysses S. Grant and his sons, among other prominent investors. Per the WSJ:
Before Bernard Madoff, there was Ferdinand Ward. A beguiling reminder that human nature doesn’t change much from one Gilded Age to another.
The son of missionary parents, Ward fit the definition of sociopath long before the term was coined. It was a fascinating read.
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Wasn’t sure if I should link this here (so as not to derail the “best book” conversation) or on the random articles of interest thread but decided a conversation about DNF probably belongs here among readers.
As an English major, I always “had” to finish my books for class and couldn’t imagine not finishing something I started, a form of reader OCD I guess. I stayed firmly in that camp for years until I was able to give myself permission to DNF as there are just too many books still ahead of me to waste time with writing I don’t find enjoyable. Plus, the interwebs can quickly tell me how a story ends if I’m just curious about the resolution. So now, I don’t think twice about moving on from any book I don’t like regardless of how many pages it takes me to reach that conclusion.
The last sentence of the article sums it up for me:
“Lauren reads books through and then she’ll say, ‘I hated it,’” she said, laughing. “I’m like, why did you do that to yourself?”
(If DNF is too off-topic for this thread, I’ll ask the mods to move.)
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It’s fine as a response like, “I’m glad you liked it, but I DNF.”
If you want a general conversation about books you DNF, that’s a new thread.
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I DNF frequently. With 1000 plus books on my want to read list ( and I add more almost every day), there is plenty more to read. I want to enjoy reading.
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I agree. It’s fine to just let it die here.
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How DNF Became A-OK
Is it shameful, or sensible, to put down a book you don’t enjoy? Three little letters, and social media, have turbocharged a longstanding debate.
gift link https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/09/books/review/dnf-goodreads-finish-books.html?unlocked_article_code=1.4FA.0m3t.C5L-SMTXu5_X&smid=url-share