I just read The Fourth Wing series over the last 2 weeks. My husband saw an article in the NYT about the books and thought I might like them. I have never read a fantasy series with dragons etc. lol… not my usual thriller genre. And the books are pretty explicit, also not my usual pick, however I thought the author did a fantastic job weaving everything together and hooking you into the characters. Definitely a good choice if you want something completely absorbing that you cannot put down.
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Recently finished The Vegetarian by Han Kang. It’d won the Booker Prize several years ago. It is, not surprisingly, beautifully written (and/or exceptionally well translated), and as it takes place in a different place and culture, it wasn’t like anything else I’d read. And it wasn’t predictable. With that said, I usually pass on my books to friends and family, and I am coming up blank on who would enjoy this one. Curious as to whether anyone else read/liked this one.
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I’m about two-thirds through with “A Free Life” by Ha Jin, a novel about a mainland Chinese immigrant family living near Atlanta. I’m really enjoying it. I read “Waiting” by the same author many years ago.
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I really liked Fourth Wing despite some of the issues you mention. I am struggling through the third one and seems like the author is not sure of where she is going with the story. Adding characters that are confusing or don’t really move the plot along. The world and character building and dragon bonding in the first book was really well done but not so much in this one.
I finished “How to Age Disgracefully” last night. What fun! Thanks for the recommendations! I think I may have enjoyed “Iona Iverson..” slightly more but definitely recommend both.
Some of the discussions above made me think of a book I read last year called “Forbidden City”, by Vanessa Hua. I’m not sure how much notice it got nationally - the author is SF-based and did a reading at our local library which a friend took me to, otherwise I would have missed it -but i enjoyed it, even if some of the subject matter was difficult.
https://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-City-Novel-Vanessa-Hua/dp/0399178813
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I “thought” there were only 3 books in this series… so lol I read ahead on the last installment and saw that the story did not conclude. I read an article where the author Yarros said originally it was a 3 book series but she decided somewhere that the story arch needed 5 books. I think that is why book 3 seems a little meandering with some unnecessary bits. In the article she also seems tired like maybe the intensity of the story kind of wore her out? Just my thoughts.
I just finished Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng for book club next week. It was a thought provoking book and I think our book club will have a lot to discuss. The subject matter hit very close to home with things going on today.
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I’ve read The Vegetarian, and also Human Acts and We Do not Part, also by Kang. I find her work at once both ethereal and brutal, and it almost feels as if reading is somehow itself a violation or an intrusion. Her treatment of art, dreams, and the subconscious is particularly compelling.
As for recommending the any of the three I think I understand what you mean. It is hard to say I “enjoyed” any of the three in the way I might enjoy a good thriller, but I couldn’t put any of them down, and am extremely glad I read them and will read more of her work. Your results may vary.
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Yes, you’ve captured it exactly.
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I really liked a book called Cassandra in Reverse.
I have read that one and liked it. There is also Oona Out Of Order. Both books sort of time travel - how would you live your life differently.
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Just finished “James” by Percival Everett. It truly was very good, great descriptive writing.
I tried to read Huck Finn beforehand and just couldn’t get into it.
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I haven’t finished but am really enjoying “Five Presidents” by Clint Hill. He is a former Secret Service agent who served on the Presidential details of Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford. He is best known for being the agent who jumped on the Kennedy limousine on that fateful day in Dallas.
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For anyone looking for a book that is literally about a beach town - Rehoboth - but also about families, and always having hope, this was a book I quickly enjoyed and def want to try this authors other books. More than a beach read!!
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Thanks. I’ve been to Rehoboth … and we are headed on a vacation that includes beaches - marked the book on my local library list 
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I’ll have to look for this. We live part-time across the Delaware Bay from Delaware, and about once a year ride our bikes to the local ferry, cross to Lewes Del., and then ride a bike trail that takes us to Rehoboth and back to the ferry terminal–Rehoboth is our lunch stop. Very cute town. One year we biked by Joe Biden’s home there, very near the bike path (was sort of surprised the address was on the internet!) Joe wasn’t there, but we got the side-eye from the Secret Service guy parked in front.
Anyway, books sounds like a good read, thanks for the recommendation!
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Me too! I thought James was really intriguing but couldn’t make much headway with a re-reading of Huck Finn.
I have family on the Jersey shore and love taking the Lewes ferry from Cape May to Lewes!!
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