Earlier this week I finished listening to A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier. Set in between the two world wars, it’s about a single “surplus woman” attempting to live independently, rather than relegated to being a caretaker/companion for her miserable, judgmental mother. I enjoyed Chevalier’s historical detail as well as the subject matter, but there wasn’t much of a plot. It’s fairly slow so it’s not a book I’d widely recommend; only to certain friends I know who might appreciate it.

I’m about 1/4 way through The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys. I won an advanced copy from the publisher. The book is set in Madrid in the 1950s during Franco’s dictatorship. My oldest is currently studying in Madrid so I thought it would be timely to learn some of Spain’s political history, especially given the current Catalonian protests. I’ve read Sepetys’ previous novels and enjoyed them. So far, this one is good.

It took but a moment when seeing a list that seemed to be disproportionally female, to confirm that it is. Most likely a result of selection bias since female authors don't necessarily predominate in the book world. I shared the observation and that was the end. If you want to do a regression analysis on the situation or develop possible psychological insights concerning the bias or the observation of same, go ahead. If the likely obvious reason for the possible bias perplexes you, I'm sorry.

Of your list, Bear Town was excellent. Not a super pleasant read but well written and I think that it would make a great book club book.. I read it on my own fwiw.

The Girl With Seven Names I thought was a great read, extremely interesting for sure. I did read that for book club, and honestly it didn't really lend itself to great discussion in my opinion. (definitely a worthwhile read though).

Elmer, a binomial test or a chi-square would be appropriate, but not regression analysis. And I'm not at all perplexed about the reason for possible bias...are you?

Pfft. Annie doesn't need to justify to any of us why her book group chose those books. Actually, none of us need to justify what we read.

My last couple of books:

The Birthday of the World and Other Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin: Excellent.

Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires: A collection of short stories largely about middle-class black American women in contemporary society. Quite interesting. Definitely recommend.

I read Inheritance, by Dani Shapiro, which is on Annie's list. It was wonderful, and it inspired me to read some of her other books. She is a terrific writer.

While traveling I finished 2 wonderful books--one upside to long airport waits and plane rides is uninterrupted Kindle time LOL.

I finally read The Weight of Ink which has been recommended many times on this monthly topic and it did not disappoint. Wow! One of the best books I've read in years. Oakley, you should check this one out, it's one of the best written historical novels I've experienced. And the framing story set in modern times is just as gripping. Wonderful book, why did I wait so long?!

I also read another great book that will haunt me for awhile. Whiskey When We're Drywas a recommendation from my daughter, about a young woman living in the American West in the 1880s.

Already motherless, her father dies and she goes in search of her last living relative, an older brother who has left the farm to become a gunfighter. Ida Claire, if you want some great literature about REAL life in historical times, this one fits the bill. It's also a deep dive into gender roles in that era, as well as a bildungsroman and a meditation on leadership, love and the bonds that both form us and torment us. Amazing read.

I never consider the gender of an author when choosing a book.

I didn't finish "Dandelion Wine". I tried to read more last night before going to sleep last night but it put me to sleep. ( : I guess I'm not one for all that flowery language in a book. I took it and my audio tape back to the library and picked up the audio book "Bird Box" as it was sitting close to Charles Martin books on audio, which there were none on Cd so I had to look for something else. I know there is a movie or tv show with the same title but haven't seen it.

I read Bird Box and didn't especially enjoy it...it was for a reading challenge.

Kathsgrdn, I couldn’t get into Dandelion Wine either.

That's not good, Annie. I was hoping it would be good. I have a Stephen King book on the way from Amazon, hopefully it will be good. Still haven't heard about the other 3 or 4 books I have put on order at the library. One they said they couldn't get but haven't heard about the others, they were ordering them from other libraries.

The Goldfinch here as well ! I really like it. My hold expired and I had to wait to renew but it’s been worth the wait!!

I wish all I had to worry about was if Annie's bookclub is only choosing female aithors. Dear God are you kidding me???

My first comment was my personal observation concerning something someone had written and was not critical. Your comment just now is the same thing but it's also nasty, that's the only difference between the two that I can see. Don't you have something better to worry about?

Sigh.

I'm reading and enjoying The Library Book by Susan Orlean about the horrible fire at Los Angeles Central Library in the 80's. Very interesting.

Next up is a graphic novel by George Takai, They Called Us Enemy, about his experience as a Japanese intern during WWII. I haven't read a graphic novel as an adult but read a lot of comic books as a kid!

Socks, my daughter read George Takai's book on the way to Japan. She was supposed to let me borrow it but I totally forgot about it.

Annie, I just finished The Grammarians and loved it. If you enjoy wordplay and appreciate copy editors, then it will be up your alley.

Elmer isn't the only person here to note that many books for Annie's book club have female authors -- or are about women, per the titles. I immediately made the assumption (!) that the club members are mostly female.

IME, it's the rare author who renders both genders equally well.

I've just finished Akin, Emma Donoghue. Both main characters are male, and I think she's done a good job with them. A Senior man is landed with his 11-year-old great-nephew -- just as the man is departing for Nice to trace his mother's part in the Resistance, having been sent to America as a toddler. The man's nephew is dead of a drug overdose, and the boy's mother is in prison. You can imagine the culture crash...between the characters...between these Americans and the French...and between a remembered time and the present. 3 Stars.

I highly recommend my book club’s choice for this month A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza. It is the story of a Muslim family. The parents were born in India but raised their family in California. The parents struggle with the choices their children make while trying to raise them within the values and rules of their Muslim faith. The children struggle with becoming a part of the modern American life. Their son especially presents challenges.

I learned a lot about the Muslim faith. I also was reminded that the challenges of parenthood cross over all faiths and races.

Just finished Carolyn Forche's memoir, What You Have Heard Is True: A Memoir of Witness and Resistance Insightful,harrowing, precise. Sometimes I don't like poets who write prose, but not this time. Book club this month is Patti Smith's Year of the Monkey. (another poet gone prose!) Layered,wondrous, moving but not for those who want lots of narrative bio in a memoir. Thanks for the many recs!

Elmer I am sorry if I was rude to you. I took your comment as picking a fight. I came here to find ideas on good books. I visited a good friend and coworker yesterday who has been battling cancer less than a year to find they are calling in hospice as she is dying so this is probably the reason behind my post. I hope you will accept my apology.

Dedtired, I loved A Place For Us -I can't believe the author is so young!!!

Thanks newengland. I don't pick fights, I do sometimes try to encourage more thinking or another perspective. I'm sorry about your friend.

best years, I know! Only 27 now so even younger when she wrote this book. Amazing.

Just finished the non-fiction One Summer: America 1927 by Bill Bryson. It was a pretty interesting opinionated history. I don't think I learned anything new about the major events of the summer he chronicles but his delivery was good. The less well known events that are mixed into the narrative were fun to read.

Next up is Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk. This novel by the 2018 Nobel Prize laureate (awarded this year) was mentioned upthread.

Languishing in the background is The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford. Started out well (I really like early twentieth century snarky) but about a quarter of the way in... a "better" book came along. I may get back to it or I may not.

early twentieth century snarky

Roses, can you give an example? Generally I try to avoid snarky, but am interested in the context of the time period.

I just finished This Tender Land and loved it.

Next up Sea of Memories by Fiona Valpy. I really enjoy historical fiction so hope it’s as good as the great reviews.

I always read a lot, but perhaps a bit more this month than usual. Because I always appreciate when others post a bit about the books they’ve read, I’ve tried to include some description here. I’ve italicized the sections I’ve taken from online sources.

The Secret Hour by Luanne Rice. When Kate Harris shows up at his door right after someone throws a brick through his window, defense lawyer and single father John O'Rourke can't decide whether she brings help or more trouble. In fact, she brings both. John's client Greg Merrill, "The Breakwater Killer," on death row for a series of brutal seaside murders, is responsible for both Kate's arrival and the brick. John's neighbors resent his efforts to save the confessed criminal's life, while Kate wants the lawyer's help. Luanne Rice is one of my favorite authors, and this book did not disappoint.

The Glass Kitchen by Linda Francis Lee. A novel about the courage it takes to follow your heart and be yourself. A true recipe for life. I enjoyed this book a lot, and recommend it.

Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald. Set on stormy Cape Breton Island off Nova Scotia, Fall on Your Knees is an internationally acclaimed multi generational saga that chronicles the lives of four unforgettable sisters. Theirs is a world filled with driving ambition, inescapable family bonds, and forbidden love. I put this book aside after the first twenty or so pages, every paragraph tended to put me to sleep.

Took it up to try again after reading the next two books. ‘Finished’ it by skipping through quite a lot of it. To me, it read like it had been written and assembled by a committee. There were a couple of gripping scenes, and I’ve found that parts of it have sort of stayed with me after I’ve finished the book, but not in a particularly good way. Guess I just haven’t been in the mood to read about dysfunctional families.

Dance With Me by Luanne Rice. The story of a man and woman forced to choose between the past that haunts them and the love that won’t let them go.

Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult. Paige has only a few vivid memories of her mother, who abandoned her at five years old. Now, having left her father behind in Chicago for dreams of art school and marriage to an ambitious young doctor, she finds herself with a child of her own. But her mother's absence and shameful memories of her past force her to doubt whether she could ever be capable of bringing joy and meaning into the life of her child, gifts her own mother never gave. Jodi Picoult is another of my favorite authors, another book I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend.

One Good Dog by Susan Wilson. A moving, tender, novel about two fighters, one a man, one a dog, hoping to leave the fight behind, who ultimately find their salvation in each other. An enjoyable light, quick read.

Picked up Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury (after seeing it mentioned here) from the library yesterday, started it last night. I think I’m going to like it. And one of the first things I did this morning was to Google how to make dandelion wine.

Rusty

I needed a break from dark books and am reading Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. Very entertaining and a departure from my typical reading.

I read Lab Girl (from Annie's list) about 3 yr ago. I loved it on so many levels.. I would think it would be great for a book club-- BUT with caution. Because I loved it to much, I was eager to share it with my bff. She didn't love it.. in fact, she just never got into it. Here's my review of it back in 2016.

I also read Women in Window by AJ Finn a few months ago. While it did draw me back to read it each night, I would rate it a pretty mediocre thriller... and it's not one I'd recommend for a book club. Here's my review of it in August:

Speaking of light.. I finished Woman in the Window by A.J Finn earlier this week. It's a mediocre thriller-- but the pace was quick and always drew me back to it. One reader said she was about done with books that center on women with substance/alcohol issues as the unreliable witness. I cannot disagree.. but it didn't stop me from going back to it each night. I saw 1.5 of the plot twists coming.. I didn't see the final one until it was in front of my face.

Not really a book I'd recommend.. unless you are looking for a quick read and a distraction-- which is exactly what I needed this week.

I am currently reading Drive your Plough Over The Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk -- it's been a slow read mostly due to my own schedule. I am enjoying the beautiful writing/translation and am somewhat intrigued/amused by the eccentricities of the narrator. I am wishing it would pick up-- not sure how far I am but guessing dead middle or a bit past.

Never having participated in a live book club, I'm not sure just what a group looks for in a book to make it a good candidate for discussion. Of Annie's list, I've read "Beartown" by Fredrik Backman a couple of years ago, and thought it was pretty good. It made me want to read "Us against You", also by Backman, but it was never available at our library when I checked for it, and I forgot about it. So now it's on my list to check for next visit.

I read Jennifer Weiner's "Mrs. Everything" a few months ago, thoroughly enjoyed it and I don't hesitate at all to recommend it.

Rusty

Funkyart, Drive Your Plow does pick up towards the end...which is fascinating.

A book club has just been formed at our Senior Citizen Center. The first book chosen is The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown. It's OK, but I really didn't care that much for it. Anyone else have any opinion on this book?

Phyllis, I just checked Goodreads because I recognized that title. Apparently I read that book seven years ago for my own book club and I gave it only one star! I don’t remember anything about it but my review says I had to force myself to finish, that I didn’t care anything for the characters and there wasn’t much of a plot. I don’t remember anything about it unfortunately.

@4kids4us-- I 've been there with checking goodreads to see if I read something before I add it to my to be read list! :)

@PKponder TX Z7B I tried Crazy Rich Asians when I felt I needed some sort of fluff but it didn't grab me. I may give it another whirl.

I do want to read Lab Girls and Lilac Girls which I keep confusing but it doesn't matter as I want to read them both.

I might have been one to suggest Dandelion Wine which I read last month. I have never read any of Ray Bradbury and thought at points it was hard to stick with it, but I did enjoy it and his writing.

So I have been not reading too much lately but I just started Little Fires Everywhere and I am about 1/3 through and it's a very good read, thankful to say.

@Salvona, it's not as light and fluffy as expected. I wouldn't read it again. I did like Little Fires Everywhere.

Just finished The Giver a YA selection from the great American read. Went down easy enough, but definitely young adult.

Next up Gentleman in Moscow. I know a lot have recommended it so I look forward to reading it.

Best years, dedtired, thanks a million for the A Place for Us recommendation. Just finished it. It was just astoundingly beautiful. Yes, the author’s youth so belies the wisdom and universality of the story and its telling. I’m simply stunned by the Profundity of the message and the simplicity of its delivery.

Annie, A Gentleman is such a treat. Hope you enjoy it as much as others have.

A Gentleman in Moscow is my favorite.

Lucky Annie, you get to immerse yourself in Moscow for a transcendent reading experience! It was definitely one of those books that left me so sad to come to the last page.

I"m in the midst of reading one of the JA Jance Joanna Brady/JP Beaumont series of mysteries. This one is Fire and Ice, and although it's listed as a Beaumont mystery (I've not read that series from its start) it is actually a dual storyline book; each character alternates chapters. They are working separate cases but eventually they will dovetail and the protagonists will connect.

I want to thank the person, apologies for not recalling exactly who, that recommended the Joanna Brady books. Love them, and reading one is definitely literary comfort food. I know I'll get solid characters, an intriguing mystery and a sense I've checked in with some virtual friends.

I finished "Summer of '69" by Elin Hilderbrand this morning. I thoroughly enjoyed it, as I have other books by her that I've read.

"A pleasing beach-ready read" (Booklist) in which four siblings experience the drama, intrigue, and upheaval of a summer when everything changed.' (From the book jacket.) The VietNam war, Mary Jo Kopecke (sp?), the moon landing, Woodstock, 1969 was an eventful year when everything DID change and Hildebrand manages to make you feel almost like you are living it all, all over again.

"Dandelion Wine", which I thought I was going to enjoy at the start, ended up boring me before I got to the middle of it. So it's back to the library tomorrow to look for something new (to me) to read.

Rusty

Rusty, same with me with Dandelion Wine, except I bailed earlier on.

@ Annie, I just read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. A really good book about the hardships suffered by the very poor mountain people of Kentucky. It was so short that I finished it in a day.

Just finished volume 1 of Robert A. Caro's biography of Lyndon Johnson "The Path To Power" and "Working" by the same author. Found them both outstanding.

PKponder - I'm listening to that audiobook now, as I go on my walks. I purchased it on Audible.com because the idea of books reaching a largely uneducated, very poor and sometimes suspicious population really appealed to me. My own childhood and love of reading echoed some of these circumstances, although not as severe, thankfully. As you know, the Book Woman having the unusual genetic mutation of blue skin added to the difficulty she had in her work of travelling librarian.

I've been listening to Where the Crawdads Sing and after a couple CDs it is sounding very familiar and wondering I have read it before. Good thing I don't remember how it ends. I also started reading Stephen King's The Institute. Stayed up till almost 7 am yesterday morning reading it.

Kathsgrdn...that's where I find goodreads so helpful...I keep track of the books I've read there so if I'm not sure, I can look it up.