I loved the measure.
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An article about Kelly Barnhillās TBI experience
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Oh wow. I had a similar, though less severe, experience thirty years ago when I was hit by a car. Similarly, I couldnāt track words to read for months. I had other weird brain effects (though they took backseat to my other injuries). Iām also a writer (not at her level!), and I have never had the same concentration since, plus permanent word retrieval issues. I hope she continues to improve!
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Late to get to it, but I am almost done with Wright Thompsonās The Barn. If you arenāt familiar, the titular barn is where Emmett Till was tortured and murdered. The book is an examination of southern society, corruption, erasure, castes and bravery as a way to answer āhow do things like this even happenā. It also seeks to make Till a person, not some icon who doesnāt have family and friends still remembering him. The author was raised and lives not far from the barn itselfand is better known as a sportswriter.
In a weird way, it is comforting. Despite the immense effort to retain society as they knew it prior to the 1870s , helped by governments and bankers and foreign countries, change came anyway. It came anyway.
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Every man, woman, and child should read Liz Cheneyās Oath and Honor. I didnāt want to relive that horrible time, but some days I feel I need an affirmation that I was not alone in what I saw and how I interpreted that day. The work Liz and the committee did to shine contextual clarity on that atrocity confirmed to me just how fragile and precious our Constitution and democracy are. The book wraps truth around one of the ugliest events in our history. We must not lose sight of it. Really, a must read.
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I need to bump this title up in my Goodreads. I saw Liz Cheney interviewed by Jon Meacham in February, 2024 on the Vanderbilt campus as she was promoting the book and I just havenāt gotten around to reading this one yet. She was so impressive to me both in person and also a few years earlier with her 60 Minutes interview. While I donāt agree with all of her views, I very much admire her dedication to our country and her willingness to pay whatever political price was necessary to urge us all to a common loyalty to the Constitution.
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Looking for help from posters on this thread. My hair stylist, who I really like and has been working on my hair for the last 5 years, shocked me the other day when she said she hasnāt read a novel or any other book since high school. (Sheās probably in her late 20s). When I asked why, she said she can never find anything that interests her. When I asked what interests her, she said, āI love a good story, but not romance stuff.ā My mission is to find a book that she might like. Any suggestions for a book that would catch the interest of non-readers who like a good story???
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I think she might like āDaisy Jones & the Sixā by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Fiction based on the band Fleetwood Mac. Maybe she would like to listen on Audible or Libby (free through the Library)?
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Perhaps a funny novel like How to age disgracefully ?
(Many of the main characters are old but I donāt think you need to be older to enjoy the antics and adventures around the community center.)
My S likes plot driven novels. Some books that started him off reading for pleasure were John Grisham (The Firm) Dan Brown (Angels and Demons), Robin Cook (Coma).
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I recently finished The Ten Thousand Doors of January and enjoyed it (I see it was mentioned on this thread five years ago!). It built slowly, but the further I got, the more I liked it. Thereās a book within the book and everything is connected. It eventually has a strong fantasy element but itās really about the importance of stories, especially mythological ones.
As a side note, it reminded me of a fairly recent Doctor Who episode called The Story and the Engine. That was about āthe power of narrative to shape reality.ā
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Daisy jones is a great idea. Taylor Jenkins Reid has a bunch of other books if she likes that one, though some are better than others. She might like Malibu Rising. Another suggestion is young adult - no did Utica suggestion but it might be easier to start with.
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Since sheās a hair stylist, she might like Patty Janeās House of curls? I remember reading it about 30 years ago as a heartwarming story in Minnesota where the center is a beauty salon. 
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Thanks to those who recommended The Correspondent (a novel). I got the audiobook from library websiteā¦. very well done. There are some very sad aspects to the plotlines, told via letters to/from the retired main character. But there were some uplifting aspects to her as she evolved, processed tragedies of the past and challenges of aging. And some of it did make me smile.
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Anything by Barbara Kingsolver, Ann Patchett or Anne Tyler.
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My daughter-in-law, who just turned 30, seldom picked up a book for pleasure. Until ā¦ she read Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. She is completely hooked on that series and exploring others in the romantasy genre. Iād call it a good choice for your hair stylist age-wise.
Avoid if cursing or sex might offend.
Fourth Wing:
A #1 New York Times bestseller ā¢ TV series in development at MGM Amazon Studios with Michael B. Jordanās Outlier Society ā¢ Amazon Best Books of the Year, #4 ā¢ Apple Best Books of the Year 2023 ā¢ Barnes & Noble Best Fantasy Book of 2023 ā¢ NPR āBooks We Loveā 2023 ā¢ Audible Best Books of 2023 ā¢ Hudson Book of the Year ā¢ Google Play Best Books of 2023 ā¢ Indigo Best Books of 2023 ā¢ Waterstones Book of the Year finalist ā¢ Goodreads Choice Award Winner ā¢ Newsweek Staffersā Favorite Books of 2023 ā¢ Paste Magazineās Best Books of 2023
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I love those authors but something a bit lighter might be better for a non reader.
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I agree. Something like Erin Hillebrand! So easy to tear through.
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Random. Crazy rich Asians. A Man Called Ove. Anything Frieda McFadden. Girl on the Train. The Maid.
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I recently finished The People We Keep. It really grabbed me - it is about a women starting in her teens and then early 20ās and escaping her small town family that has basically abandoned her and using her music skills to keep afloat town after town.
I recommend it to ANY age -obviously Iām not a young adult! - but I do think a young adult would enjoy it.
The People We Keep https://a.co/d/dnwPUkv
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