Nothing like a little back to school book chat, right? Even if this isn’t your back-to-school time of year, how is your reading changing as the seasons transition?
Because I can't just read one at a time my current reads are: The Wealth Money Can't Buy by Robin Sharma (one short chapter a day), Aleph by Paulo Coelho, Babel (audiobook) by R.F. Kuang, Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande, The Black Prism by Brent Weeks. In class I'm doing Shakespeare's The Tempest, 20 different Sonnets, and Much A Do About Nothing in the month of September which I am loving!
Thanks for great booktips, and some reminders about books I've read, such as Clare Chambers Small Pleasures. The most impactful book I read this summer is Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai about children fathered by US soldiers during the Vietnam war. It's based on the author's research turned into a rich and very emotional novel.
I swear, book lovers talking about books is my absolute happy place. Dust Child sounds really incredible. What a heartbreaking topic. Thank you for sharing it.
I'm reading Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers. Set in 1950s England, it's a brilliant read. It centres around a woman who claims she had a virgin birth. The author conjures up the era so well. Highly recommend
I just read my first Catherine Newman - We All Want Impossible Things - and it was so wonderful, I'm utterly hooked on her writing and can't wait to read Sandwich as well! But in the meanwhile, I'm fully immersed in Salman Rushdie's Knife (about the horrific attack on him in 2022) and will next read Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud. It's a great season for reading!
Ooh- that sounds so thrilling. I love nothing more than finding a new author I love and then doing a deep dive on all their books. I have Knife as well, and am looking forward to reading his thoughts on such a terrible experience.
About 100 pages into Elif Shafak's There Are Rivers in the Sky. Beautiful and moving, if a bit dense at times with some of the ancient history. (Though, of course, I LOVE history!) Interested to see how she weaves all the characters together across space and time.
I do love a book recc thread. Thank you, Caroline. Frank and Red by Matt Coyne stole me heart recently. I absolutely loved it. Real heart-warming intergenerational story. For fans of Ove, Harold Fry etc.
I'm almost finished with Kerri Ni Dochartaigh's Cacophony of Bone which I've been savouring very slowly. (Very unlike me). And I've started Radical Rest by Evie Muir for the Everyday Racism book club coming up soon.
I can’t get enough of book rec threads either — the best. 🥰 I’ve been really curious about Kerri Ní Dochartaigh’s book — a friend was at a writing retreat she led recently and really enjoyed her thoughts on writing, so now I want to read her… the Matt Coyne sounds lovely for cozy fall reading, which is definitely on this week!
Just started CREATION LAKE by Rachel Kushner. Haven’t read her other books yet. And just finished THE HYPOCRITE by Jo Hamya, which is the NYT book of the month. THE HYPOCRITE is tricky and elusive, maybe intentionally so. The opposite of THE SECRET GARDEN.
Yeah, I think it holds up to her first book. Tarah DeWitt is one of my faves and I keep telling everyone to read Savor It by her, so maybe start with that one
Noted on DeWitt - will start there. 🥰Great to know about the Mackie — it must have been stressful to write her second after the first one was such a hit.
I'm reading Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty and part love and am part irritated by all the hopping back and forth in time. I loved Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan and re-read The Secret Garden for my book group which I loved.
THE SECRET GARDEN may be the most formative book I’ve ever read. Maybe it was my age as a pre-teen or the theme, but holy cow! So powerful for a young girl to read about self-creation and transformation, the ability to make one’s own world beautiful and maybe even more importantly, the impact that has on others. It really imprinted on me. Now, I see the germ of that book in almost all of the books I love — FOSTER by Claire Keegan and GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amos Towle and I could probably list a dozen more if I thought about it. I would be afraid to re-read it!!
It really impacted me as well, Secret Garden. I can see how you’d love Foster as well based on that. What a delight that book was! I have had Gentleman in Moscow on the TBR for ages… will get there eventually. 🤪
Because I can't just read one at a time my current reads are: The Wealth Money Can't Buy by Robin Sharma (one short chapter a day), Aleph by Paulo Coelho, Babel (audiobook) by R.F. Kuang, Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande, The Black Prism by Brent Weeks. In class I'm doing Shakespeare's The Tempest, 20 different Sonnets, and Much A Do About Nothing in the month of September which I am loving!
Wow Lena! My hat is off to you.
I finished The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams and currently reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt.
Oh my god The Secret History is an all-time favorite. Enjoy!! How did you like Dictionary of Lost Words?
Thanks for great booktips, and some reminders about books I've read, such as Clare Chambers Small Pleasures. The most impactful book I read this summer is Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai about children fathered by US soldiers during the Vietnam war. It's based on the author's research turned into a rich and very emotional novel.
I swear, book lovers talking about books is my absolute happy place. Dust Child sounds really incredible. What a heartbreaking topic. Thank you for sharing it.
I'm reading Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers. Set in 1950s England, it's a brilliant read. It centres around a woman who claims she had a virgin birth. The author conjures up the era so well. Highly recommend
Ooh- great premise! Thanks for sharing.
I just read my first Catherine Newman - We All Want Impossible Things - and it was so wonderful, I'm utterly hooked on her writing and can't wait to read Sandwich as well! But in the meanwhile, I'm fully immersed in Salman Rushdie's Knife (about the horrific attack on him in 2022) and will next read Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud. It's a great season for reading!
Ooh- that sounds so thrilling. I love nothing more than finding a new author I love and then doing a deep dive on all their books. I have Knife as well, and am looking forward to reading his thoughts on such a terrible experience.
About 100 pages into Elif Shafak's There Are Rivers in the Sky. Beautiful and moving, if a bit dense at times with some of the ancient history. (Though, of course, I LOVE history!) Interested to see how she weaves all the characters together across space and time.
I’ve been so curious about that one… glad to hear you’re mostly enjoying it.
I do love a book recc thread. Thank you, Caroline. Frank and Red by Matt Coyne stole me heart recently. I absolutely loved it. Real heart-warming intergenerational story. For fans of Ove, Harold Fry etc.
I'm almost finished with Kerri Ni Dochartaigh's Cacophony of Bone which I've been savouring very slowly. (Very unlike me). And I've started Radical Rest by Evie Muir for the Everyday Racism book club coming up soon.
I can’t get enough of book rec threads either — the best. 🥰 I’ve been really curious about Kerri Ní Dochartaigh’s book — a friend was at a writing retreat she led recently and really enjoyed her thoughts on writing, so now I want to read her… the Matt Coyne sounds lovely for cozy fall reading, which is definitely on this week!
Just started CREATION LAKE by Rachel Kushner. Haven’t read her other books yet. And just finished THE HYPOCRITE by Jo Hamya, which is the NYT book of the month. THE HYPOCRITE is tricky and elusive, maybe intentionally so. The opposite of THE SECRET GARDEN.
Tricky and elusive is a very enticing description, indeed.
Ray Naylor's The Mountain in the Sea, and Der Donnertagsmordclub und die verirrte Kugel by Richard Osman. One scifi, one murder. Both excellent.
For those who don’t speak German, the second book is the third Thursday Murder Club 😉
I just finished What a Way to Go - Bella Mackie and it was such fun. Currently reading Funny Feelings - Tarah DeWitt which is fun in a different way
Oh great — I was curious about the Mackie as I read her first and enjoyed it as well. I don’t know Tarah DeWitt yet… having a look now. Thank you!
Yeah, I think it holds up to her first book. Tarah DeWitt is one of my faves and I keep telling everyone to read Savor It by her, so maybe start with that one
Noted on DeWitt - will start there. 🥰Great to know about the Mackie — it must have been stressful to write her second after the first one was such a hit.
I'm reading Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty and part love and am part irritated by all the hopping back and forth in time. I loved Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan and re-read The Secret Garden for my book group which I loved.
Love The Secret Garden… that’s a great candidate for a reread. I hope the time hopping settles a bit- I can find that jarring, too.
THE SECRET GARDEN may be the most formative book I’ve ever read. Maybe it was my age as a pre-teen or the theme, but holy cow! So powerful for a young girl to read about self-creation and transformation, the ability to make one’s own world beautiful and maybe even more importantly, the impact that has on others. It really imprinted on me. Now, I see the germ of that book in almost all of the books I love — FOSTER by Claire Keegan and GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amos Towle and I could probably list a dozen more if I thought about it. I would be afraid to re-read it!!
It really impacted me as well, Secret Garden. I can see how you’d love Foster as well based on that. What a delight that book was! I have had Gentleman in Moscow on the TBR for ages… will get there eventually. 🤪
You are in for a treat. Jealous!
I'm reading The West Passage by Jared Pechacek. I'm less than 100 pages in, but so far it's a really fun concept and I'm enjoying it a lot.
Excellent! Do let us know what you think when you finish… I hope it sticks the landing. 🤞🏻
Will do, and so do I!
Just finished The Women by Kristin Hannah and it was really a good read that made me cry.
Oooh. I always like to have a good cry book in the house just in case. Thanks for the suggestion!