It really is a fantastic book. I would read it!!
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Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in 40 Questions ā Valeria Luiselli. A short (128pp) set of essays based on the authorās work as a translator for immigrants seeking asylum through the official channels of US .
The Undocumented Americans == Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. Shortlisted National Book Award, NYT best book of 2020. About 170 pages, stories of immigrants across the country as they try to navigate their new lives, new normal, and the 2016 climate of anti-immigrant laws.
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Two lovely novellas by Claire KeeganāāFosterā and āSmall Things Like These.ā Totally recommend. Beautiful, quiet writing that stays with you.
Also, āThe Librarianistā by Patrick DeWitt. Didnāt go where I expected as it jumped through the past and present events, and charming all the way through.
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Just finished Hellspark which Iād put on my to read list years ago, but I canāt remember why and then a review popped up on Goodreads from someone with whom I share a big overlap in reading taste. On the surface itās a murder mystery, but that really isnāt the focus of the novel. Instead itās about how we recognize and define sapience and at the same time how we can so easily misunderstand other people when we donāt understand their culture, including non-verbal cues. One of the most charming AIs Iāve met in fiction.
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This thread is always a good resource, but Iāve gotten several good tips yesterday from Parnassus Books videos (Instagram, Facebook, You Tube, email are all sources). On Tuesdays, Ann Patchett and her team do The Letdown Diaries which focuses on new releases, but on Fridays Ann does ānew to youā books you may have missed. A few weeks ago she recommended Abigail Thomas titles - Three Dog Life and What Comes Next & How to Like It. I try to buy a few titles from Parnassus each year for grandchildren, etc., but have gotten into downloading from the library. Finished Three Dog Life in 2 days and now 2/3 through the other and, while quirky, both have been quite enjoyable. Sharing because others may be looking for reads that are quick and easy at this time.
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Read 'All the Sinners Bleed" after seeing it on Obamaās list. Suspense isnāt a go-to genre for me, but @2VU0609 reminded me that a page-turner can be a welcome change, especially when itās grey and cold outside. This was good enough that Iāll be looking for other books of his. And thereās a little more to it than just solving the crimeā¦
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Iāve read all S.A. Cosbyās books with my favorite being Razorblade Tears. Iām at the point Iād read his grocery list should it be published. 
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I finished Bright Young Women and really loved it. I did not live in the PNW during Ted Bundyās reign of terror, but 1/2 the book took place in the area I am very familiar with. The Florida part of the book was also very good. Not so much focused on Ted or the crimes, but the after effects on the people who loved those that were victimized. 
I liked it so much I googled the Rolling Stone article the book was based on.
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@pnw - I thought Bright Young Women was well written and I thought it was interesting how the focus was on the women who lived with the victems and how their lives were altered. I clearly remember when the killings in Florida happened, as I was living in a sorority house (in the midwest) at the time. It terrified and hit home to me and my friends.
My only complaint about the book was that it seemed as if there were so few adults at the college who were concerned about the girls. If this had happened at my school, all of our sororities had an adult house mom/director living in (none mentioned in the book), our alumnae would have been all over it as well as our school administration. So that element rang āfalseā to me.
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I recently finished The Covenant of Water which I found absolutely riveting and lovely. Itās the first time in quite a while Iāve picked up a 700+ page book, and it was totally worth it.
ETA: itās a sweeping multi-generational saga set in India mostly pre-independence with a matriarch we meet at age thirteen and following her throughout her life and beyond. Thereās an unknown āconditionā that affects her family, a sense of grounding for this family in Kerala, and people not from India who end up there for various reasons. The writing is fluid, the imagery beautiful, and thereās this intersection of medicine and provincial life I found appealing.
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Can you say a bit more about it?
Yep. Edited my post!
Thank you!
A book lover friend just finished Covenant of Water (longer than the books we usually read), and she liked it too.
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Just finished and really liked The Measure. Highly recommend.
I just finished āOlive, Againā which is a follow up book to āOlive Kitteridgeā. I really liked them both.
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Iām 3/4 of the way through Wellness by Nathan Hill. I canāt say itās one of the best books Iāve read, but it is provocative and makes me look at myself and our culture through sad, clear eyes. A cynical and wry look at art, psychology, marriage, growing up, friendship, child rearing ā¦ If you liked The Nix a few years back, youāll dig this as well. Itās over 600 pages but doesnāt drag.
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I saw The Covenant of Water in my library today - but itās still a new book with a two week limit. I just didnāt want to be pressured like that! (Though since they got rid of fines, itās only a problem if you keep a book so long they charge you for having lost it.)
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@mathmom , itās a big book but an easy read. My money is on you to finish in 2 weeks! (My mom and I both got sucked in and read it quickly.)
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Our library has eliminated fines, I think due to the burden/deterrent on low income families. And maybe it cost a lot to administer it. Not sure what the penalty is now - I strive for timely returns (on printed booksā¦. ebooks get automatically handled). I assume that chronic non-return voids the library card.
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