I just finished Beautyland- it was wonderful. I can’t stop thinking about it.
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I’m slogging through “One Hundred Years of Solitude” (audio version 14 hrs- listened to during exercise, walks/runs, gardening, bedtime). I’m 73% done, mainly due to the nice weather. I saw somewhere it has a 90% approval rating. So not sure if the audio version is the problem or whether this genre is just not my cup of tea. Argh…. so many reused name, it’s confusing even with online character ref info.
Great book, although I will admit I wasn’t enthralled when I had it as required reading for Spanish
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I’ve tried to read One Hundred Years of Solitude gazillion times. It’s hideously boring. I’m going to die without having read it.
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Same! It is one of my H’s favorites, so every few years he encourages me to try again. It is just too wordy for me.
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I just finished Mona Acts Out - not entirely sure if I liked the plot but am very happy to have read it. The protagonist is a Shakespearean actress who is having a difficult day in her very complex life. I know no more about Shakespeare than the average. But this book describes the relationship between actors and Shakespeare, and between Shakespeare and life. It really helped me understand why people connect to the plays.
And there was a lot of humor, so entertaining as well as educational.
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I just finished We Begin at the End (Chris Whitaker- same author that wrote All the Colors of the Dark). I thought his Tall Oaks was so-so so didn’t have high hopes for this one but I LOVED it.
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I just finished “In The Woods” by Tana French. It was intense but very good. My D3 introduced me to her. I look forward to reading the rest of her books.
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I’ve read all her books. I enjoyed most of the Dublin Murder Squad books, and I think most of the others were actually better than In the Woods. I haven’t enjoyed the two she’s done since (The Hunter and the Searcher series) as much as the Dublin series.
Edit: I forgot she did a standalone, The Witch Elm, which I did enjoy.
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I agree that The Hunter and The Searcher weren’t as good as her others.
I have tried to read it many times after one of my best friends gushed about it. I always got stuck 50 pages in. I did watch the Netflix series so I am hoping that it will be easier this time. I checked it out, but haven’t started because I have too many other books out that are more appealing. It’s beautifully written. I actually would really like to tackle it in Spanish.
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Finished The Ministry of Time last week, interesting idea, not sure it was well-thought-out, though I see the BBC is making it into a series. I was intrigued by references to a book, Rogue Male, that one of the time-travelers reads twelve times in the story, so I downloaded it and can’t put it down. Definitely better than Ministry and adds some insight to how the time traveler was able to do what he did in the end. I wish I had read Rogue Male first. If you plan to read Ministry, at least read a book review of Rogue to add some important depth to Commander Gore’s character.
ETA: Perhaps other (British?) readers are familiar with Rogue Male and would bring this background to the novel. Because I didn’t have it, I definitely missed a significant nuance.
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I really liked The Change by Kristen Miller. It definitely suits my current state of mind. lol
I’m about to start All the Colors of the Dark and The Wedding People.
Thank you to all who recommended God of the Woods. I was looking for sometime consuming to eat up time on a flight, and it was PERFECT for that. For those of you building your stack of beach reads, this will be a good addition. A real page turner.
I also read Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. There is a lot about this book to recommend it, and I’ve thought about it since I finished it (usually a good sign!), but for much of the book – maybe the first two thirds, I had to force myself to stick with it in spite of a breath-taking sentece or idea. The writing is excellent – he’s a poet, and that flows into this book, and there are some fascinating ideas, so definitely worth the slog when it was sloggy. If you want to work a little, you’ll be rewarded.
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I’ve read God of the Woods but I’m also looking for a long flight read. I use Libby so it needs to be something older that I can borrow immediately. Looking for an easy read that will keep my interest on a long flight but not so complicated that I need to focus.
How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley, as long as laughing out loud on a plane will not embarrass you!
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Garden of the Evening Mists? It puts you in a different place, and there’s a puzzle to be solved. I found that one pretty engrossing.
I Have Some Questions for You is a pretty easy read.
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My neighbor recommended this book and it is not my usual read but it’s an easy read that is hard to put down! Entertaining! Nice short chapters because it moves quickly.
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This is a great suggestion - his books are excellent - this one is newer so you could do his first one if you can’t get this one on Libby The Thursday Murder Club
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I was able to get the book above on Libby without waiting - I was surprised! You never know.