Just finished a beach read–Ann Leary’s The Children. It’s a story about a pedigreed New England family who live in a lake house because of the provisions in a trust fund. As you might guess–it is a very dysfunctional family with lots of secrets. I liked her earlier novel, The Big House better. She’s married to the actor Denis Leary.
I really enjoyed The Big House and I’ve got to say, I was a little disappointed in The Children.
^^^Agree.
I recently read “There’s Something I Want You to Do” (short stories) and “The Feast of Love” (novel), both by Charles Baxter. I thought both were excellent.
I just read a not-new collection of stories by Alice Munro, entitled Runaway. Absolutely superb as always. Three of the stories are about the same person, over a period of many years. In the last one, her daughter, her only child, chooses to separate herself from her mother for reasons that she never explains. It is quite haunting.
Totally dragged self through 1st Ferrante book. Started second, let library rental expire. Very slow moving. Dropped “The Nest” for a few weeks and finished as it was due at library. Don’t spend money on it.
I give you permission to stop reading the Ferrante books, @Karencat. They don’t get better. I dragged myself through all of them because my mother liked them. I wish I hadn’t.
I think its a lit bit of the Emperor’s New Clothes. 
^I’m feeling less guilty about not having even tried likin them yet!
I wouldn’t recommend reading all of the Ferrante books in a row. You need a bit of a break in between. I had a love/hate relationship with these books. I started the first one, gave up on it, tried again and became engrossed. I was slightly bored but utterly fascinated at the same time. The point of view is just so unlike anything I’ve ever read and the immersion into certain segments of Italian society was almost like traveling to the moon. The first novel leaves you hanging and it’s hard not to read on, after investing so much time, to learn about what happens after. I think they are flawed but ultimately unique and successful. Certainly not to everyone’s tastes! I’d say if you read the first one and have no curiosity about what happens next, don’t go on.
On the other hand, I thought that A Little Life was awful. The author just did not know how to pull back nor how to make a character complete and believable. I did not believe in the possible existence of any of the people in this book for one minute. Same with A Man Called Ove- meh. I don’t regret having read them at all, but would not recommend.
What I have enjoyed - most coming from recommendations in the thread so thanks to EVERYONE -
Rediscovering Wallace Stegner - wonderful
Rediscovering Kate Atchinson after reading The Goldfinch
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake
The Tsar of Love and Techno
The Last Painting of Sara de Vos
The Descendants
Fates and Furies
Old Filth
The Orphan Master’s Son
Olive Kitteridge
Peace Like a River
Unbroken
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand
and many more
Thanks again to everyone who’s taken the time to post. I’ve read such an interesting variety of things over the time this thread has been active. It’s been an invaluable source of recommendations!
I read the Ferrante books back to back and enjoyed them all. I actually listened to them. Maybe the listening experience is better?
You all are entitled to your opinions about Ferrante – but I won’t stop raving about these books. They’ve been among the most riveting reading experiences of my life
Just read and really enjoyed – The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman - great family story set in NY/Brooklyn post WWII
Did you mean Donna Tartt?
The short tragic life of Robert Peace. The outcome is known from the very beginning but it is still a compelling book.
Robert Peace overcame so many difficulties to attend and graduate from Yale. He couldn’t or wouldn’t distance himself from his neighborhood and original way of life.
A non fiction book that was written by one of his roommates from Yale.
It was a heart wrenching read.
Midwives - my first Chris bohjalian and not my last. Impressed with how skilfully he kept the reader dangling,wondering if the defendant would be convicted. Nuanced and a page turner. Bravo.
I’ll sign on to disliking the first Ferrante book and having no interest in reading further. One of the problems I had was the feeling that the translation was not terribly well done. I’m actually quite leery of translations altogether. To me, a translator necessarily substitutes his or her own vocabulary and syntax for the author’s, so it ceases to be the author’s work, and then I wonder exactly what I’m reading. And some just have an awkwardness to them. I think if I were a successful novelist I would forbid any translations!
I also found A Little Life to be very flawed–so overwrought and melodramatic and plotted with such a lack of credibility. I felt very manipulated as a reader. I can’t imagine what the planned movie will be like.
But I did like A Man Called Ove–I think it has to be taken as light whimsy, a quick beach-style read, and as such works fine. The author’s next novel, My Grandmother Told Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, was a big hit with my book club, if anyone’s looking for a selection, though personally I found it excessively twee–Ove on steroids.
The Robert Peace book is my book group’s September choice. I recall reading an exhaustive review that made me feel like I’d already read the whole book–I hate it when reviewers do that.
I’m just plunging into City on Fire. Very long, very dense. Will report back.
I got about one-third of the way through “City on Fire” and then gave up. It was okay but not worth my time. I learned about it because my daughter was in a group that was asked to read it before it was officially released. She did read the whole thing but only because she had to; I think her response was similar to mine otherwise.
I read City on Fire earlier this year. It did turn into a bit of a slog. Interesting, but I wouldn’t whole-heartedly recommend it.
I am late to this post but I have been too busy to read for pleasure for so long. This year, my gift to myself was permission to stay an extra half hour at the office and just read.
@cartera45 - I haven’t read “What Alice Forgot” yet, but I am currently reading “The Hypnotist’s Love Story” by Liane Moriarty. It’s dragging a bit but I am going to finish it because I absolutely loved and flew through “The Husband’s Secret” and “Big LIttle Lies.” I’m a little skittish about tackling Alice because I recently lost my beloved to vascular dementia and watching her mind fade away was horrific.
I also enjoyed the Ove book more than I thought I would.
I recently read “Circling the Sun” by Paula McLain. It’s about Beryl Markham, a contemporary of the “Out of Africa” gang. I found her story fascinating and googled her to find out what became of her after the story ended. OTOH, I found “Out of Africa” ponderous and the only redeeming feature of the movie was Robert Redford. It WAS interesting to learn that the character he portrayed was really stout and bald.
I’m now also reading “The Paris WIfe” about Hemingway’s first wife. It’s also by Paula McLain but I am just not finding it as interesting as “Circling the Sun.” I think that it’s because Beryl Markham was so strong and unique, while Hadley Hemingway is pretty dull. I am plodding through it, though, because my mom was Maxwell Perkins’ last secretary before he retired and I was raised on stories of Hemingway. My mother never met Papa but his stories were legend.
^^^ techmom99: Here’s the CC Book Club discussion of Circling the Sun combined with Markham’s memoir West with the Night. Of the two books, my personal favorite is West with the Night. However, I needed Circling the Sun to introduce me Beryl Markham; I knew nothing of her.