I've just added Unsettled Ground to my Sofa "books to read' shelf. It sounds perfect, and a few of the author's other books sound right in my wheelhouse too. I'm about 2/3 of the way through Fellowship Point and can feel myself purposely slowing my pace because it's one of those books I don't want to end. I had first heard about it on one of the reading podcasts I listen to, and had to wait a few months for it to be released. Well worth the wait.

On faftris' recommendation I'm reading The Fortnight in September and absolutely loving it. It's like a delightful vacation for my brain in the midst of all the craziness of our current lives. Thanks so much for bringing this book to my attention!

My book club, with the exception of one, loved Cloud Cuckoo Land. So many wonderful characters.

Next up is The Signature Of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert. Im only 43 pages in, but I like it so far.

I finished The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World and enjoyed it. The author travels the world trying to figure out what makes people happy. It's done with humor and some interesting insights. It'll be fine for our nonfiction book club and was a good summer read. 3+ stars.

I'm about to start Night After the Wedding by The Gordons. They were husband and wife team (Gordon Gordon and Mildred Nixon Gordon) of crime fiction writers some of which were turned into movies. I came across them on one of the film noir I was watching..Down Three Dark Streets. Perhaps they were better known though for That Darn Cat which they also wrote. I really enjoy film noir and so far have enjoyed the books I've managed to dig up by the writers of those movies. Many of them were popular authors at the time, but have since fallen off the plate. I'll let you know how I do with this one.

At the risk of sounding like a paid shill, I had to come back here to recommend Fellowship Point again. It is an epic novel, one of the very best I have read in years. I am 63 and I think it is particularly poignant for older women. More deftly than any novel I've read, Fellowship Point weaves together women's roles, loss, aging, regrets, etc. I'd love to hear from any of you who read it. This NYT Review describes this powerful novel better than I can, so I'll leave it at that.

I tried The Boys Club by Erica Katz. After just reading a couple of outstandingly written books, I only got through about 10 pages of this. It sounded interesting. Having worked in a law office for many years, I thought I'd probably enjoy it. But it seemed amateurishly written, formulaic and trite to me. Maybe I didn't give it a chance, lol? Should I? Did anyone read it and love it? Moving on to The Brood tonight, while I wait for my copy of The Dictionary of Lost Words to arrive. It's my book club pick for August and I'm looking forward to reading it.

Oly, it is not a work of great literature, that is for sure. I enjoyed the send up of Big Law and absolutely recognized one of my bosses in there, so did nutsaboutplants. I would not waste time on it if it is not your flavor of literary junk food.

Literary junk food! Love that. No, I guess it's not my flavor. Maybe in 1970 I would have found it interesting enough to continue, but didn't seem like there was going to be much new about women in corporate law revealed.

Yes, "literary junk food" is a definite keeper! Love it!

I finished Unsettled Ground. 4 stars. I thought at times I loved it, but I think overall I really liked it.

I don't read actual reviews at Goodreads until I'm done with a book (or abandon it and don't plan on going back). Lots of people found it depressing, but I always felt a glimmer of light was just around the corner. I don't like downer books, and this one was not a downer for me. I thought the writing was very good, actually exceptional at times. The song Polly Vaughn sent me down a rabbit hole on YouTube so I could hear it sung.

Parts of the backstory revealed didn't surprise me too much, but I felt the ending was out of left field.

ETA: I had a hard time visualizing Jeanie in my head.

It never fails. I start something long, and then a library hold comes in. I will have to bail on Martin Chuzzlewit and start Fellowship Point, since someone is surely waiting for me to return it on time. Luckily, Martin was a borrow from my DD's collection. She has VERY liberal lending policies.

Looking forward to reading Unsettled Ground and Fellowship Point. I am in the middle of The Ape House and have read several of Sara Gruen's books. I would say I rate The Ape House as a 4 so far. If I like an author, I tend to read all the books available on Kindle by that author.

The Ghost Writer by Alessandria Torre. Started it a week or so ago, okay so far. A romance novelist is dying and hires a ghost writer to write a final book about her life and make a confession. It is dragging a little bit and wish they would just get to the point of the story.

dedtired, I read The Signature of All Things about 9 years ago and simply loved it at the time. Recommended it to all my friends. A few months ago I didn't have anything else to read so I decided to reread Signature (I'd bought the Kindle version). I didn't feel the same way about it and didn't finish it. I don't know what has changed, me or the times, because the book is the same as it was before. I hope you like it as I did the first time around.

I also loved The Signature of All Things. I remember there was one weird and extraneous (to me) aspect that I won't go into, that bothered me a lot and made me wonder about the author's history and why she included it. BUT I think often of what I learned about moss from that book; it fascinated me and I'd like to reread it someday just to refresh that knowledge.

I'm finishing up Mash Gessen's "Man Without a Face: the Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin." (I have an interest in Russia as I traveled there years ago, even in Ukraine). I had wondered what could make a monster like Putin. He had an unpleasant boyhood and was bullied. He learned to cope by being aggressive and fighting, early on.

Masha Gessen is a fine author, in my opinion. She was born in Russia but now lives in the US for understandable reasons. As a prominent journalist years ago she questioned the tactics of Putin, the KGB, and powerful Russian oligarchs.

I finished Night After the Wedding by The Gordons from the late 1960s. I really enjoyed it...perfect light summer reading crime story. I especially enjoyed it as, the way it's written, I could just picture a film noir in the making. While it was good on the tension, it was not bloody or gory at all as so many books are these days. I was vacillating between one guy and the other for the whodunnit so I guess I can say I was half right. 3+ stars, but not a book group book.

I didn't read anything for a few days after Unsettled Ground. Someone mentioned Miss Eliza's English Kitchen on another forum so I thought I would try that. It took me a little bit to get into it at first, but then it was really good. It's historical fiction based on the actual Eliza Acton (I had never heard any of this) who put together a "modern" cook book with her helper in the 1800's. It was a very interesting story based on lots of facts. Before this, it seems cook books were more prose than direction and one of her innovations was listing the ingredients and portions.

Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management then moved the ingredients to the beginning of the recipe as we now have it.

Also according to the book and a lot of other sources, Mrs Beeton plagiarized from Miss Eliza's cookbook.

Anyway a very entertaining and interesting, different, book.

editing to add, I gave it 4 stars (but really if I could do halves would be 3.5).

I think it would be fine for a book club, but just a nice diversion either way.

I guess I forgot to click "Submit", as I don't see my review of lauded recent mystery release The Omega Factor, Steve Berry. 2 Stars is as far as I'll go on this, so spare yourself, or skim -- unless you'll enjoy picking apart one major and one minor established religion. (Not that I don't agree with his facts, but it's tiresome and it argues against the whole premise of the story.) The plot is interesting, and the denouement quite clever.

After reading Looking For Leroy I am now reading the The Happy Camper by Melody Carlson and enjoying it.

Update, book group discussed The Personal Librarian last night and it was liked by all, some said best book of the year.

Next up The Midnight Library.

After reading The Personal Librarian, I followed up with Passing, by Nella Larsen. Recommend.

I just finished The Personal Librarian. Passing was haunting. I'm now reading Three Girls from Bronzeville (a memoir) by Dawn Turner. The Lincoln Highway is next up.

I tried to read Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, hoping it would be along the lines of The Song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller, which I loved. Alas, it felt like a wannabe and didn't grab me at all. Greek mythology needs to grab me. So I bailed.

I just finished three excellent books by Susie Steiner: Missing, Presumed; Persons Unknown, and Remain Silent. I read her obituary in the NYT about a week ago and was intrigued by the descriptions of her main character and reviews of her writing. Amazon had all three on sale as a bundle for kindle readers.

After Passing, go with The Vanishing Half.

I have been in a reading rut for some reason. Despite having numerous books waiting to be read, I have been streaming a few British series instead of reading in my free time. I started Trust by Hernan Diaz two weeks ago and was maybe 1/3 of the way thru before taking a break. I finally picked it up today and made some progress but still have nearly half the book to read.

I did listen to an audiobook called The Return of Faraz Ali, a debut novel by a very talented author Aamina Ahmad. The novel takes mostly place in the red light district of Lahore, Pakistan. Faraz is a young police officer who was abducted from his mother (a courtesan) and sister by his powerful father who wanted to give his son the chance to lead a more respectable life outside the red light district. Faraz is sent back to where he was born to cover up the murder of a young girl, where he is faced with difficult choices. Ahmad is an excellent storyteller, and her writing provides an interesting look into the politics and culture of Lahore. 4 stars.

I'm currently reading Alice McDermott's The Ninth Hour which, like all her novels, is beautifully written and, like most of them, about an Irish family in early 20th c. NYC. She writes women especially well, and her depictions of the hardships of working-class and impoverished lives are heart-wrenching, along with many moments of grace.

Annie, my book club read both Midnight Libray and Personal Librarian. I was awy for PL and didn't get to read it but after hearing how much people loved it, I will definitely read it. I know I read other books by the author and really liked them. Midnight Library was very good, different, but I did not love it. Most others did.

I just started The Reading List. It's taking me a bit to get into it but now at about 15% I think I am into it.

I liked The Fortnight in September very much -- a quiet look into lower middle class England, with the met and unmet hopes and dreams of a small family on their 20th visit to a faded seaside boarding house at Bognor. An antidote to excitement! 4 Stars. (Do read the author's notes.)

How surprised I was to see September's author, playwright R. C. Sherriff, quoted in my next novel, the first of Jeffrey Archer's 'Clifton Chronicles', Only Time Will Tell. I've nearly finished that and will go on to #2 in the serial, The Sins of the Father. Archer reminds me of Dickens. 3 Stars.

chisue, I really loved Only Time Will Tell. The Sins of the Father wasn't quite as good for me, so I decided to stop with just the two.

I wrote a few days ago that I was reading Brood by Jackie Polzin. I wasn't sure where it was going but I was loving it so far. I deleted my comments because it made it sound like a book about raising chickens - it kind of is, but it is about so much more. It is a wonderful novel about loss and love and friends and motherhood and a little bit about chickens! The writing is exquisite...it's unusual in a wonderful way. It's short; many chapters are only a few pages long and I love the arrangement of the book and how it flows.

If you appreciate beautiful writing, I think anyone would love this book. You don't have to have an interest in chickens! Highly recommend!

Olychick, I loved Roost too -found it to be a novel that read like a memoir. If you haven't read Abigail Thomas, I think you might enjoy her writing. I love writers who can bring the everyday mundane to life, and elevate it in a way that makes us feel happy to ride along. I put both of these writers in that category..

Thanks, Bestyears. Perhaps it was you who originally posted about Brood? I’ll check out Abigail Thomas books.

Just finished reading Edgar Sawtelle. I plodded through. Did not care for the book at all. Maybe it was too cerebral for me. To me, the book had no point.

Well I finished The Reading List and while I actually enjoyed reading it for the most part, I was kind of let down overall. I would give it 3 or maybe 3.5 stars. It would probably be a good book club discussion. I can't really rave about it though. Another one though that gets really good ratings on goodreads and I had high hopes....

oh and I did have book club this week for Dear Edward. I think half the people liked it a lot, and then half found it sort of lacking. ( I was in the 2nd group). A decent read, but could have been so much more.

Not sure what will be next.

I'm halfway through Brood.

Fellowship Point was a five-plus for me. Up there with The Offing. Thank you to the people who recommended it. The book is due back at the library, and someone else is waiting for it. Little do they know... I am going to put a hold on it at some future time and go through it again.

faftris, thanks for the recommendation of Fellowship Point. I just put a hold on it. I'm a big fan of The Offing and its ilk.

faftris, Fellowship Point was a five-plus for me too. I'd love to have a discussion about it after others have had a chance to read it.

A friend is bringing me her copy of Fellowship Point when she visits in a few weeks. She loved it and said she cannot wait for me to read it, so I'm glad to see others are excited about it, too. Esp readers here who seem to have similar taste in books much of the time.

I finished Brood, a solid 4 stars. Thanks to Olychick(en) for recommending it. I thought it was more about chickens than she did, but that's not really important. I learned a lot about chickens! I'm one of those people to tend to care more about animals than people, so there's that.

It's actually hard for me to describe this book. The writing is wonderful.

ETA: This past week I began and abandoned four other books, some of which have good reviews. I either wasn't in the mood or didn't care for the writing or was bored by it. I thought it was me being difficult to please, but I was just needing the right book. Brood was it and performed a much-needed reading reset.

I’m glad you enjoyed Brood, too, Bunny. I tried to downplay the ”about chickens” in my post because I thought some would skip reading this wonderful book because they have no interest in chickens. I tend to be quite literal about things, but after finishing the book I read a great review of it, which opened my eyes to some things about the book that I think I didn’t ”get” in a metaphorical way.

While camping for a couple of weeks, I finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I loved the first 3/4, it got strange toward the end so I would give it 3 stars. Next I read The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay. (She also wrote Sarah's Key.) I would rate it 4 stars. Now reading Anna Quindlan's Every Last One.

I have been reading local authors including Small World by Jonathon Evison and The Final Case by David Guterson. Small World was very good 4+ in my opinion. I haven't finished Final Case but it is hard to put down. I was surprised to see so many negative reviews on Goodreads. The book is based on a true story of the abuse and death (in 2011) of an adopted Ethiopian girl placed in the WA home of extreme fundamentalists. Guterson (in real life) had also adopted from Ethiopia, and he said it struck him that his daughter could have been in the same situation. He attended the trial (not as a writer but as a parent and person involved with the Ethiopian community). This book is a novel, not nonfiction. It is not a pleasant topic and his descriptions of abuse are searing. Unless the book falls apart in the last third, I don't understand the poor reviews.

OT, I have not read it, but DD alerted me to another book about the Morgan Library librarian. It's called Belle Greene, by Alexandra Lapierre. It may be worth a look by those who enjoyed The Personal Librarian. The To-Read list grows ever longer!

I just started The Personal Librarian. We got something going on here.

Thanks, Olychick and Bunny, for telling us about Brood. After reading your comments I ordered the book for my daughter-in-law, who has chickens. She has 18 of them, not 4, but she loves to read and I think she'll enjoy this book. And then I'll read it. :-)

For all the book lovers here who've tried to find a book when you cannot remember the title!

I didn't care for The Personal Librarian, so bailed after five or so chapters. I thought it was boring and I didn't care that much for Belle anyway.