Yeah.. I found one resolution made sense and the other ..not really believable. I enjoyed most of the book but the ending was definitely meh for me.
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I havenāt read God of the Woods, but I really liked Heartwood.
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The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters was also a recent read. It was fine ā you see the plot unfolding miles before you get there ā but itās decently written and not demanding.
Itās the story of a young Indigenous child who is kidnapped and raised by a childless white family. Her dreams are in fact memories, and her birth family never stops grieving her. Itās a step up from a beach read, but easy to charge through.
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I recently finished Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. Super fast readāit might actually be a novellaābut beautiful. Itās part of the life of a coal merchant in Ireland who faces a moral dilemma of how to respond when he sees abuse at the hands of the powerful (in this case, the Catholic church). It feels timely, and Iām still thinking about it. Am I really willing to sacrifice for the values I claim? Strongly recommended.
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I finished Small Thinks Like These this week and agree that itās a thought-provoking quick read. Highly recommend. Itās based on a case of abuse at the Irish Magdalene laundries. There are a few heart-wrenching movies and documentaries about this institution that are worth watching. This novella, however, makes the moral decision to intervene more personal and, I agree, itās one that will stick with you.
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FWIW this book was made into a fine movie starring and produced by Cillian Murphy.
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I recently read The Last Stand : Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn / by Nathaniel Philbrick.
itās my third book Iād read about the battle. My Dad recommended Son of the Morning Star to me many years ago, and then I later had the chance to visit the National Monument on a work field trip. It was an interesting read and gets credited for including both sides of the story, where the other two were more focused on the U.S. Armyās perspective. I, finally, on my third reading, realized how recent the genocide of Native Americans actually was (my grandfather was born in eighteen ninety something). It was an embarrassing multi decade. mental lapse 
. I have been doing some genealogy and discovered the Chickasaw names of my ggggrandparents (Fum me tubby - whip and kill, and Ha us ok teh - something? Snow).
So I had a much different emotional reaction reading this account even though my ancestors were eastern Indians with different experiences.
The field trip to the battle site was an eye opener also. The small little patch of land on the hilltop where Custer and his men died was sad and underwhelming considering the sensationalist nature of the battle and the knowledge that possibly 10,000 Native Americans were waiting down in the valley below. There was a fire that occurred not long before I visited that uncovered lots of artifacts that helped reconstruct the events better which was interesting. The interpretive park ranger was a great storyteller and gave our group, which included many Native Americans of various Tribes, a special custom presentation.
Would definitely recommend to history buffs.
My current book is an account of the Dan Markel murder. Today, the fifth conspirator, the victimās 75 year old former mother in law, was convicted of first degree murder. Motive: Granny wanted daughter and grandsons to be able to move near her so she hired hitmen to kill the childrenās father. Granny, her son, her sonās ex girlfriend, and ex girlfriendās husband and friend have been convicted so far over an 11 year period. The wife is next. The family was very wealthy and the victim was a Harvard undergrad and also law school grad. 10 children have lost one or both parents. Crazy.
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Just finished āCareless Peopleā by Sarah Wynn-Williams which is about the 7 years she worked at Facebook. Itās very readable and I highly recommend it. Iāve never been a fan of Facebook but nevertheless it was quite eye opening.
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This is my local book club read this month. About to start it.
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I recently finished Edward Dolnickās The Forgerās Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century:
ā¦the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived.
I enjoyed it so much, Iām now reading another of his books, The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece:
In the predawn hours of a gloomy February day in 1994, two thieves entered the National Gallery in Oslo and made off with one of the worldās most famous paintings, Edvard Munchās Scream. It was a brazen crime committed while the whole world was watching the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. Baffled and humiliated, the Norwegian police turned to the one man they believed could help: a half English, half American undercover cop named Charley Hill, the worldās greatest art detective.
And, Iām on hold for All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me:
An āexquisiteā (The Washington Post) āhauntingly beautiful" (Associated Press) portrait of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and its treasures by a former New Yorker staffer who spent a decade as a museum guard.
From all of my art-adjacent years with my artist/art professor FIL, these books are educating me about the art world from the perspective of fraud, theft, and protection.
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I have another book to add to your list: All that Glitters: A Tale of Friendship, Fraud, and Fine Art by Orlando Whitfield. I havenāt read it yet, but an art world friend raved about it.
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I think you and I are sharing a brain. Wasnāt it you that recently read Small Things Like These (like I did)? Ironically, I just finished The Art Forger: A Novel fiction using info about the art heist from the Gardner Museum, which, given your penchant for art fraud, you might enjoy. (Granted, yours look like non-fiction, and I think thatās what you prefer. But if youād like to indulge in a fictional book re: art fraudā¦.)
And, to all, I also finished Careless People recently, and it makes me want to delete my FB account. I havenāt done so bc I really do enjoy some friendships across the internet, and there are a couple of parent groups that I canāt find elsewhere. But Iāve started deleting posts and hesitate to put any more info out there.
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Also The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr (author of A Civil Action)
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All the Beauty in the World was wonderful. The author put on a one-man show in NYC that was based on the book. He was charming in the show. I highly recommend the book.
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B.A. Shapiro (author of The Art Forger) has written several other novels that focus on the art worldāThe Muralist and The Collectorās Apprentice. I enjoyed all of them. She also has a new book (I havenāt read it) that came out this year (The Lost Masterpiece).
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All the Beauty in the World is amazing. I predict you will love it. Have you read One Woman Show? Super quick read and art adjacent too. I really enjoyed it!
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Another good book on the subject The Art Thief. Fascinating non-fiction profile of a prolific art thief.
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Iāve got that one on hold. I prefer non-fiction narratives like that.
This new narrative nonfiction book has gotten excellent reviews: The Art Spy. The waitlist at the NYPL is months long.
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Ann Patchett was promoting Kathy Wangās book, Satisfaction Cafe, on FB, and I bit. So glad I did! She writes so well, and the book is a combination of funny, exquisite, heart-breaking, wise, and real. Itās the story of a grad student from Taiwan who ends up married to a much older, wealthy Caucasian man, and the book follows her through her life. It makes good use of the outsider perspective to observe American culture, especially of a certain socio-economic groups. Itās a good family saga and an excellent commentary on the challenges of being human in our society today ā all without being heavy. Guessing this one would be a hit in this group.
While itās relatively new - so not a great book club choice for CC ā I would imagine itād be a great book club choice for any of you who do that.
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