Just finished "The Shoemaker's daughter". My sister is reading it now, she's in love with it too.

I read The Bright Hour earlier this summer. I thought it was really good. I followed up with another book (fiction) about a mother with cancer: The Mother's Promise. Also good. Then I had to take a break from cancer books.

I also liked The Stars Are Fire. I think I have read every one of Anita Shreve's books. She is definitely one of my favorites.

Anyway, I just finished Before We Were Yours. I basically sat on the porch for 3 days and read the whole thing. I really liked it.

I'm going to start Saints For All Occasions tonight.

I finished News of the World by Paulette Jiles this morning. I wasn't sure I was going to like it when I started it, because I'm not much interested in that period in American history (early 1800's) and there was too much for me about military, wars, and raids, but I stuck with it and am glad I did. It's a charming, well written story about an old former soldier who travels around Texas reading, for the paying public, news from around the country and world. He goes to places where newspapers from other places are hard, if not impossible, to come by and brings the news with him. He's tasked with returning an orphaned girl, who was captured and kept for several years by an Indian tribe, to her extended family. I ended up really liking where the author took the story.

This is a little OT, but probably not worthy of it's own thread, but has anyone else noticed the abundance (over-abundance imo) of books which purport to be about a woman, but the book is titled in a manner so that she's identified as her relationship to a man? The so and so's wife (granted, with gay marriage, it could now be a woman she's married to), the so and so's daughter. It kinda makes me crazy there are SO many of them...and why?? Even if her relationship to him is pertinent to the story, why does it have to be the title? To me, it really diminishes her importance if she's only identified in that way.

Rant over!

I'm halfway through Unbroken and I find it a wonderful, amazing story, but a very difficult read. I can only read so much at one time before I need to come up for air.

Olychick - If you like police thrillers, you might try J.A. Jance's series about Sheriff Joanna Brady, set in Bisbee, Arizona, where Jance grew up. Sheriff Joanna runs the Cochise County police dept. with efficiency and imagination, and solves all manner of crimes as well! Additionally, Jance writes with real descriptive power of southern Arizona; the landscape and people come alive in her books.

There is also Kate Wilhelm and her series about Attorney Barbara Holloway, in Eugene, Oregon, who solves murders by mercilessly dissecting prosecution witnesses, in some pretty nice trial writing. Barbara has a strong relationship with her father, but she's neither controlled nor defined by him.

Roses - Finishing reading Blonde will take a while, as I am a rather slow reader, and this is a very densely written 730 pg. book, and I'm soaking up every word. Am really enjoying the book; it's so different from almost anything I've ever read - a roman a clef with fantasy, interior monologues, and a lot about the movie industry. I agree with Beagles that Joyce Carol Oates is verbose - maybe because of word processors that let us ramble on, e.g. as in writing these posts?

But, Beagles, I don't see her as pretentious, not yet anyway. I also have A Book of American Martyrs awaiting, so we'll see. Its theme in her hands has concerned me a bit!

Sable, thanks for the suggestions. I have some women close to me who are in law enforcement and I worked in a law office for years, so those are both interests of mine. I'll check them out.

sable - I don't think Joyce Carol Oates' verbosity has anything to do with word processors/computers. I think that's just her style. Perhaps why I enjoyed the book of short stories more than whatever it was that I read earlier?

Maybe fussy was a better word to describe her. It's hard to find an adjective to describe what annoyed me so much about her writing. It's not just that she was so wordy because I have some authors I like who are also overly wordy. It just seemed like she was trying too hard to make her sentences sound literary. That's what I meant by pretentious, I think. Like, she wanted to sound all fancy.

There was one particular phrase from American Martyrs... it's not a spoiler, the one guy kept referring to his "dear wife..." and good lord did that make me insane. No one, in a first person stream of consciousness, would repeatedly think dear wife, over and over and over again! Multiple times per page!!

"Like, she wanted to sound all fancy." LOL!

Beagles - I thought of you when I was continuing through Blonde last night while reading some sentences describing (unnecessarily, imo) the emotions of a character, and was struck that this was what you were talking about. Sometimes you can actually feel a writer typing the sentences and choosing a word; this is not a good thing.

Oly - If you try J.A.Jance, I'd recommend the first book of the Sheriff Brady series, Desert Heat, which sets up the rest of the stories. Also, Jance has another series which I love, about a Seattle homicide detective, Beau Beaumont. This series is so long that I've stopped reading it, because imo she has nothing more to say about him. But the first book, Until Proven Guilty, wowed me. In fact I was so struck by the plot that the first time we were in Seattle after I read it, we drove out to the Salish Lodge for lunch, as the final action in the story occurs there and I wanted to visualize it. Lovely place, very good food, and it was fun figuring out who did what, and where.

Sable, I've always avoided that genre, thinking it wasn't for me, but I'll give it a try. I'm all about the writing, even over the story, so I'll know immediately if the writing speaks to me. Thanks!

I finished The Stars Are Fire but have to say, I was really disappointed in the last third of the book. The epilogue was predictable and a bit far fetched. I often complain on books that drag on too long, but with this one, I felt like it was too short and there could have been so much more to the story. I think the book was only just over 200 pages-even another 50-75 could have better developed the plot.

I'm now about halfway through The Girl on Legare Street. Definitely a beach read. Takes place in Charleston. I've read a few of this author's novels and enjoy them as a quick, light escape. The writing in this one is a little overdone (i.e., way too many things like "a shiver coursed through me" or "I whirled around, stunned that...").

Beagles, I think I was the one who initially mentioned A Book of American Martyrs. The plot sounded interesting to me so I put it on hold, not realizing how long it was. It came in to the library just b/f I went on vacation and I realized I did not want to lug it with me so I returned it. Bummer that you had to force yourself to read even just a little of it....I may cross that one off my list.

I'm finally getting to The Boys in the Boat, and enjoying it very much. As a UW grad, the physical landmarks and historic local events described in the book are very interesting.

For those who've read the book and happen to be in Seattle, a walking tour is available of the original Shell House (including displays of the original Husky Clipper shell as well as other crew and Olympics memorabilia).

“THE BOYS OF 1936” BOATHOUSE TOUR

Finished Unbroken. A very emotionally tough read, but an excellent book. I would not recommend for a book club only because it is so intense, it may not be readable for some depending on temperment.

Next up: The Underground Girls of Kabul...

I have finished Life of Pi which I enjoyed, but definitely had large parts where I had to skim. I notice I do this a lot with books and I strongly suspect that I miss some key things, but I really am not interested in the details of how knots are tied and so son. I get the point that there is a reason and don't mind some explanation but when it goes on for pages I am lost. Anyway I did appreciate the book and the humor. What a story!

Debating on what to read next. I have been mostly reading on my kindle via the library so will have to search that out and or see what I have stored there for next. This works well for me between book club once a month and me searching out books I think I have missed along the years.

Just finished Year of Wonders. Enjoyed it. It was surprisingly not that depressing for a book about the black plague.

Before that, I read Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. I've read several of her books. They are fast reads and enjoyable.

I read 'Small Great Things' by Jodi Piccault at the beginning of the month. I highly recommend it, especially in light of current events. I really identified with the white female lawyer who considered herself not racist, but discovered much about her biases by the end of the book. It gave me a lot to think about.

I just ordered the book, Out of the Depths by Edgar Harrell. It's about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis which is the ship that delivered the components of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. I read two previous books on the topic...Left for Dead by Pete Nelson and in Harm's Way by Doug Stanton.Doug and Edgar are 2 survivors of the sinking. I know Edgar is still alive as I am on their facebook group. This is timely as they just found where the ship sank a few days ago and the remaining survivors (19 0f them) just had their reunion on July 30 th the anniversary of the sinking.

"My Brother Michael" by Mary Stewart. Copyright 1959. I found this book in my parents' library many years ago, and pretty much walked off with it. I have no idea how many times over the years I've reread this book, but it's a favorite of mine. It takes place in Greece, mainly in Delphi, several years after WWII ended. Rereading this book is like visiting a dear old friend.

I just finished Hillbilly Elegy. It was my pick for book club and I am so glad I read it. So insightful especially in light of our political climate. It is a quick read. I didn't want it to end.

I just read Hillbilly Elegy, also, and it does help explain a certain mindset. Very impressed with Vance as a writer and what he overcame to get where he is today.

A friend gave me "The Little Paris Bookshop" and I just started it...but it seems a little....twee? Like too sweet, something my mom would read (she loved those Mitford books about the Episcopalian priest, that kind of thing.) Is it good? Should I bother?

Finished The Heart Goes Last last week. Not Atwood's best but, despite finding the ending a bit much, I enjoyed it.

About 2/3 through My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. I'm liking it well enough but don't know if it's enough to want to read the rest of the Neapolitan Novels. Anyone else read this book?

I enjoyed Our Souls at Night. I keep thinking about it. I also enjoyed his other books. I just finished The Lilac Girls which was sad and fascinating about a Nazi abomination that I had not heard about.

I'm finishing up Stephen King's Bill Hodges Trilogy. I devoured Stephen King when I was young but had not read him for years until I picked up 1963. I enjoyed the first two books in the trilogy but the third one is dragging for me. Now I remember why I put him away for so long. Many of his books are variations of the same plot and End of Watch is no exception. I am about 70% through the book. Maybe King will surprise me but I'm not going to count on it.

D_gw, I read that trilogy recently. Many of SK's earlier books are too gruesome for me, but I flew through 11-22-63 so decided to give the trilogy a try. I enjoyed it.

Donna

Our book club really enjoyed our souls at night.

i'm just finishing Infinite Home by Kathleen Alcott, about a ragtag group of boarders in Brooklyn. I'm a little torn on it, I really enjoyed the characterization and the writing was at times lovely but at times I felt a little overwrought.

nini804, I read The Little Paris Bookshop and reacted the same as you did. However, I thought the writing was good and ended up liking it. I also agree about Hillbilly Elegy. I searched for info about Vance because I couldn't believe how much he has accomplished at his age! Loved the book!

I was a little disappointed in Hillbilly Elegy. We lived in the deep South for many years and I met people like those in the Vance's town every single day. I hoped that Vance would have new insights for me but when I finished the book I was just as frustrated about the mindset and the poverty cycle as when I started.

I do think it is an important and eye opening book for people who have little contact with that particular culture.

I'm reading When Breath Becomes Air. So far, it's good.

I read Hillbilly Elegy, or should I say, I listened to an audio version narrated by the author. For the most part, I enjoyed the insight, but they never should have let him narrate the book. His voice was monotone so it got boring at parts. I also disliked how he characterized the students in his study group at Yale - I can't remember the passage but had to do with cleaning up after themselves at a restaurant but however he worded it, I thought it was a terribly unfair stereotype. Like d_gw, I didn't find much new insight either.

I agree with the above remarks about Hillbilly Elegy. I hoped for a bit more sociological analysis, though I thought his anecdotes were pretty telling.

From my July and August reading:

I had been excited about "Hillbilly Elegy" for some time, since seeing the author interviewed, but I was disappointed in the book. I didn't feel it was particularly insightful or well-written. I read a somewhat similar book years ago, "All Over But the Shoutin'" by Rick Bragg, which I thought was excellent.

I just read Will Schwalbe's "Books for Living", which I think is just as excellent as his earlier work, "The End of Your Life Book Club." I cannot recommend either of these books highly enough -right at the top of my list of favorites.

I also just read "My Name is Lucy Barton" by Elizabeth Strout. Although I have previously not enjoyed the author's earlier books as much as many have, I loved Lucy Barton so much that I'm going to back and have another go at her earlier

"Happiness: A Memoir," by Heather Harpham was a quick read, and I just loved it.

I read "Sick Girl" by Amy Silverstein, and can't remember when I hated a book more. The author is a heart transplant recipient. She is unbelievably demanding and whiny in the book -which you might feel is justified, but she was that way BEFORE anything really happened.

"My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward," is unlike any memoir I've read, and I highly recommend it. It is the story of a young couple who seem to have it all until the wife has a sudden psychotic break.

"Mother Daughter Me" was a quick and enjoyable read about 3 generations having a go at cohabitating. "Buck: a Memoir" was highly recommended to me, but I really struggled with the language, which is unfortunate, since it is no doubt authentic, and says something unpleasant about me that I couldn't rise above it.

"The Stars are Fire," by Anita Shreve is another fun discovery by an author I haven't previously loved. Since I grew up close to the area, and this is based on a true historical event, I found it just mesmerizing.

"Only in Naples: Lessons in Food and Famiglia" was quick and fun to read by an American girl who works abroad after college and crosses paths with a wonderful Italian wife and mother.

"The Leavers" was OUTSTANDING. Complex, riveting and fast-paced.

"A Widow's Story," by Joyce Carol Oates is about the author's sudden fall into widowhood. I found it very absorbing.

bestyears, some good new recommendations for me. Thanks!

I just finished The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende. It was a wonderful book, lots to recommend about it: the story, the writing, the historical references, etc. Now on to The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry for my book club this month.

Oh, thanks for the Isabel Allende -her book, "Beneath the Sea," is a favorite of mine.

bestyears, I also wrote down a few books you recommended. Thanks!

I loved Hillbilly Elegy. It gave me insights into the lives of people who are so different from me. I started Lab Girl, which everyone seemed to love, and found it totally boring. It reads like a biology text book. I think I am alone in my opinion! I also had to put aside Great Small Things by Jodi Picoult. I don't know why I started it because I don't like her writing (think I got that title right). I am very much enjoying The Nest by Cynthia D'aprix Sweeney. It's a good read and a lesson about counting your chickens before they hatch.

Today I picked up Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. Fascinating story of his life. Reminds me of Hamilton, in a way. I also got Shakespeare Changed My Life but and saving that for a trip since its a paperback.

Thanks for all the recs here. I am adding them to my "To Read" shelf on Goodreads.

I really enjoyed Hillbilly Elegy when I read it- and yes bestyears- Rick Bragg and All Over But the Shoutin' was excellent. I read a few by him at the time and really enjoyed them.

I have started The Giver- which most of you probably have read but escaped me-------and although I am at the beginning , I can say it's excellent and I am really enjoying it. Trying to find the time to read it.

This popped up in my FB feed today. Thought it might be fun to add one of these books to our reading lists. Mine is "The Ship of Fools" by Katherine Porter.

Check out the best selling book from the year you were born

Thanks for this! I have 2 good friends turning 60 this year and I think it would be a fun gift idea.

That "books the year you were born" thing is fun. Thanks!

My Brilliant Friend has gone back to the library. Despite the hanging ending I don't see myself reading the other books in the series.

Picked up Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar from the new books display and Lost Horizon by James Hilton from the classics shelf.

I just finished The Glass Castle, which I read in two evenings, oh my. I had avoided it knowing it was about a dsfunctional family, not a favorite genre, but am so glad I tried a sample.

Begonia, we must be twins! Two friends have been begging me for years to read Outlander, so I finally bought it a month ago. Ugh. I put it down around page 60.

I finished The Storied Life of A J Fikry yesterday. I was kind of dreading it because I've kind of had my fill of books about curmudgeonly old men...Ove, Harold Fry, etc. and I thought this was another. I was wrong and it's a wonderful read. So glad it was our book club selection or I may have missed it.

Starting Sherman Alexie's new memoir, You Don't Have to Say You Love Me. I love his writing so am looking forward to it.

Gwendy's Button Box was really good. I always appreciate a novella that tells a complete story. No need for 400+ pages when a good writer can tell all in 164.

Lost Horizon is holding my attention so far. Having seen the movie, I know what it's about but reading the book is almost always better than the movie in my experience. Exceptions being some pretty awful books that had good plots for movies.

I'm about 3/4 the way through The Little Princesses, written by Marion Crawford. She was governess to Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. It's an old book. The writing is charming and her love for the girls shine through.

I'm also reading The Reason Your Alive by Matthew Quick. Absolutely on the opposite end of the spectrum compared to The Little Princesses. If you're offended by salty language don't bother but I'm loving it and the main character would absolutely talk that way. I will finish it and my other book this evening.

I started reading The Salt House this weekend. Really good. A little dark, but I enjoyed it while lazing on the porch all weekend.

I am still plowing slowly through The Billion Dollar Spy. I may switch over and read Y is for Yesterday which just became available.

Holly-Kay it's great to see you posting back on these forums again!

I finished When Breath Becomes Air. I had that on my list for a while and just picked it up recently. It probably was not a smart move. I knew what the story was about - the author, a neurosurgeon, is diagnosed with cancer and describes his journey. I knew that he died before I read it. What I didn't know was that the cancer he had was lung cancer. I found out a the beginning of the summer, that a good friend of mine, mother of my 12 y/o's best friend, has been diagnosed with lung cancer (not from smoking). So I had a hard time reading it knowing his treatments were similar to what my friend will be experiencing and that prognosis typically is not good for lung cancer. She is only 47.

After that I read a book called The Light We Lost. A friend had recommended it and loved it but I didn't remember exactly what it was about. It's more of a contemporary romance/love story, and while it was easy to read and fairly well written/plausible story, some things happen in the plot that left me unsettled and sad when finished. I don't regret reading it (it's not a flowery romance) but not the type of book I normally read.

I'm about to start Before We Were Yours. I think Sueb recommended it earlier this summer. We are flying to the west coast on Thursday to move our oldest into college and staying through the weekend, so I will have some leisure time to read. I need to go back through this thread and pick out a couple of other books to take along but they need to be uplifting or light b/c I know I will be sad after leaving my dd 3000 miles from home!

Reading The Girl With Seven Names (recommended here). It's excellent!

Just started The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women, by Kate Moore. A somber and fascinating part of our history. Many of these women suffered incredible pain and horrible afflictions as a result of their work in the radium factories.

The radium girls and the generation that brushed its teeth with radioactive toothpaste