For fun, here is Oprah's book club list of all 119 books. The first is The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard; #119 is A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar.

I liked Espach's The Wedding People enough to try Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance. Her characters meet some challenges I have not met. Notes peels back a picture-perfect family coping (and failing to cope) with a grief that is swamping them. There's some similarity to Wedding People in the examination of what plans and dreams are not, after all, set in stone.

I just finished I See You Called in Dead by John Kenney. An obituary writer, while drunk and depressed, wrote his own obit, filled with items that had no relationship with the truth. He was horrified the next day when he found out it had been published in his newspaper. The book was funny, sad, philosophic, and I loved it. BTW it seems one cannot be fired when one is dead. so he is in a sort of limbo concerning his job. 4.5 stars. I think it would be great for a book club.

I'm in the minority about The Correspondent. It wasn't a good as I hoped. In my mind it would be as good as the book -- whose title escapes my mind -- where the woman in the US corresponds with the book seller in London. It wasn't.

I finished the new Ian McEwan book, All We Can Know, and I liked it very much. A writer is looking for a lost set of poems that was written by a famous poet about his wife.. The second half is the diary of that wife. Very well done. Next up is John Boyne's Elements, and in between, for comic relief, are the Mapp and Lucia books.

Update on The Elements. well-written, but very disturbing subject matter.

We had a pretty good discussion of My Friends by Frederic Backman. Got us talking about the power of friendship and how lfelong friends since childhood are particularly special. Some liked the book more than others. I found it tedious.

Next we are reading How To Read A Book by Monica Wood.

In the meantime I’m reading The spoon Stealer as recommended here. Im enjoying it . I needed something lighter after our last three book club books.

Why can't my library find The Spoon Stealer? Is it from some exotic publishing house? We're part of a gigantic interlibrary group, and NObody has it?

ded -- Tedious is the perfect word for My Friends. It could apply to others by Backman, now that I think of it. There's slow development,and there's tedious.

I'm into one of the Lucia novels -- veddy funny, but I've had my fix and will be turning back the others I'd requested. Too bad Benson isn't alive to skewer today's foibles. Where is today's Hermione to tell us who's who?

Why can't my library find The Spoon Stealer? Is it from some exotic publishing house?

Not exactly exotic, but it is from a smaller Canadian publisher (Vagrant Press), not one of the big three American houses. Also, its books are distributed by Baker & Taylor, which is in the process of closing down, so Vagrant may be trying to find a new distributor.

I love the members of my book club and we are reading an older book this month (Brazilian Adventure written in the ’30’s by Peter Fleming—Ian’s bro) it is often hard to get people on board to read or reread a fat classic.

I found My Friends INCREDIBLY tedious. could not read more than a few pages at a time. made me feel like I have the proverbial gnat’s attention.

Just finished Malice Aforethought by Frances Iles, pen name for Anthony Berkeley Cox. I've never had a book that was so interrupted. Every time I sat down with it and got a few pages in, the phone would ring or DH would want me or I'd remember something I had to do and even often fell asleep on it. Part of that was due to the language. Though it was written in the 1930s, it felt victorian with the flowery language that slowed the pace of the plot down by quite a bit. As an example:

"Possessed apparently by some mechanical relic of himself, who performed the normal functions of opening the garage doors, starting up the Jowett, and avoiding the left-hand gatepost after the awkward corner from the stable-yard, Dr. Bickleigh succeeded in making his way without scathe to The Hall."

I did enjoy it and the plot gave me good twists and turns. I'll give it 3+ stars because of the language. It would've been much shorter if written today. I've not seen the movie and don't know how closely it followed the book but will have to look into it. Not for book group only because this genre doesn't lead to much discussion in general.

Next up The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young.

I just ordered this book ”I See You Called in Dead by John Kenney” from my library based on @norar_il comment about it. Sounds like a quirky read. Thanks!

Bookwoman -- Thank you for explaining about the snafu trying to get a book when it's distributor is folding. I hope truth will out and the book will have success -- and come available!

I got Spoon Stealer through Libby. I got it pretty quickly but not immediatly.

Chisue and Lisaam, thank you! I was beginning to think I was missing something or was just not as sophisticated as other readers ( well, that may be true). I read about half of My Friends, then skipped to the last three chapters. . It was painful.

All the Forgivenesses by Elizabeth Hardinger. The mother in a poor family dies, leaving the oldest child in charge of the younger ones. Written in the Appalachian vernacular. Easy to read. I recommend it.

I was the one who recommended The Spoon Stealer ( several times because I wanted to make sure someone would try it). I too got it in ebook form from the library ( overdrive).

I'm glad you're enjoying it ded, and I hope your library can get it chisue.

Very unlike me, but for about 2 weeks I have not been reading anything. I've actually gotten a few books I was waiting for , and just let them sit on my kindle and haven't read. I'm thinking in another few days I will be back reading.

I was very interested in reading The Spoon Stealer after seeing salonva's recommendation here a while back. Unfortunately, my county library, which has a very good collection does not have it, nor does any library in the consortium of libraries in my state (Maryland). I even searched the Dept of Defense online libraries which I also have access to but no luck there either. I do see that the paperback is available on Amazon for $20 and a Kindle version for $12 but I rarely buy books. I was able to use the "notify me" feature in Libby if my library ever gets a copy. Hopefully it will get picked up by another publishing house.

The last few books I read have only been average reads, nothing worthy of recommendation. I am currently reading The Mad Wife by Meaghan Church. It's pretty good so far, about 1/3 of the way through.

Waiting for Spitfires about women flying in Britian in WWII . My mah jong group is starting it, and it sounds good. Anyone here read it?

You will probably want to skip The Elements. I can't imagine how John Boyne would think that child rape would be an engaging subject.

Ewww. Thanks for letting us know, faftris.

I'm currently reading Niall Williams' Time of the Child, his latest novel which takes place in Faha, sort of a follow-up to This is Happiness, which I adored. So far I'm liking it, but his prose can get a bit overwrought at times. We'll see how much that impedes my enjoyment of the book.

I have been continuing in the Mapp/Lucia series. I think they are fun, but I have to admit that maybe reading them all is a bit tiresome. I am going to take a break. I am waiting on a bunch of library requests. The Palaver (Bryan Washington) is in transit. We shall see.

So funny that my library has many books by The Spoon Stealer author, but not that one.

So interesting about The Spoon Stealer. My county library is pretty good, but fairly often I do borrow from others ( ebooks) so I am glad they had this.

I am finally reading a book now after a few week hiatus. Nothing appealed but again I don't know where I heard this name, Heartwood Hotel ( a series!!!) and my library had it so I am thrilled to be reading again. It seems it's more of a children's book(?) but it's so sweet and I am loving it.

A True Home (Heartwood Hotel Series #1).

I'm thinking that maybe I've come across some random suggestions on FB feeds or something because nothing else makes sense. Whatever, I've enjoyed them.

I'm going to share a book I haven't read. I was fascinated by this book. I doubt I'll read it, doubt my library will get it, and I don't want to buy it.

I never knew that people put recipes on their grave markers, headstones. So here's the book:

To Die For--A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes by Rosie Grant

Has anyone ever heard of doing this, putting recipes on grave markers?

I had to look this up at my local library. They have it & there are 10 holds on what looks like 1 copy. Here’s the book summary

A USA Today Bestseller**

An inspiring collection of recipes preserved on gravestones, with fascinating interviews from the families, celebrating the beloved food legacies of their dearly departed.

For so many, food is a touching, nostalgic thing that brings us together. So much so that some families choose to remember their loved ones through the dishes they made and the food that brought comfort to those around them by immortalizing their recipes on their gravestones.
Rosie Grant, the creator behind @GhostlyArchive, has been searching out and documenting this interesting phenomenon. In To Die For , Rosie collects 40 recipes she's found across the globe, carved into headstones or associated with a grave that has a story to share. Each recipe is accompanied by an interview with the remaining family, plus photography of the food, the gravestone, and any memorabilia the family wanted to share.
Recipes include:

Spritz Cookies Homemade Fudge Chicken Soup French Silk Pie Guava Cobbler

...and more!
Thoughtfully and respectfully explored, Rosie has documented this connection between food, legacy, and family, remembering the deceased through the recipes they most loved, and giving their families a platform to share their loved one's story and cherished dish with the world.

I've heard of it as a joke...I'll reveal the family secret recipe over my dead body!!

Don't waste your valuable eyesight and time on Palaver. Boring!

I so appreciate when people post about lousy books so I can avoid them!

I finished The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young. It was an interesting read, but only for those who are willing to venture into a world of the supernatural. Not for book group, I'd give it 3 stars.

Next up, as recommended here, I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney. Looking forward to it!

Annie - I look forward to your comments on ”I See You’ve…” You’re such a speed reader you’ll probably be done late tomorrow. 😁 I’m #4 in queue at my library for that book.

Just coming back to share that the Spoon Stealer ebook is available at Harris County Public Library ( which does permit out of area people to borrow).

I just finished The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. It was an interesting read of two important and motivated women wanting the best for their country and people. The friendship that grew from their many years of service is inspiring. I would rate it a 4 and think it would be a good book for a book club as many topics could be discussed.

I finished A True Home (Heartwood Hotel Series #1). and yes, apparently it is a chldren's series. I don't care. It was sooooo sweet and enjoyable. I will definitely read at least the next in the series soon.

Since I took my several weeks break from reading, alas, I am behind in my goodreads challenge. So- the above book helped, and I am now about to read The Yellow Wallpaper .

I think if I read maybe one or two more of the "Great books under 200 pages" I'll be caught up.

@salonva thanks for the recommendation about the Harris County Library, but how were you able t9 access their books? I followed the directions on their website for a Visitor/Temporary digital Card, entered my phone number and name as requested and got a message back "we were unable to generate a library card with your mobile number."

hmmm. I signed up several years ago, and there were a few other large lbraries offering the digital memberships. The others have discontinued but so far, I am still able to access Harris. I recognize that my days there may be limited. I absolutely used my legit address and phone number. ( fwiw, my address is Pa but my phone is NJ)

I do know that Broward County, which was one of the ones I enjoyed, discontinued the access for free, but for $38 you can have access.

It is worth checking around because possibly your state or county has some available with another network.

For example, since I am in Pennsylvania, the Free Library of Philadelphia offers free access (I use the ebooks) to all state residents.

Finished Heart the Lover by Lily King and would recommend it highly. For a very short novel, it packs in a lot. Wonderful writing and characters, which elevates the book from a sappy romance novel. The theme of writers, writing and literature that forms the background was a bonus for a literature aficionado like me.

After Heart the Lover, I had to look up her other novels. Found and read Writers and Lovers, which was what, a prequel? Also liked it, though not as much as Heart ... It was like an expanded universe of the main character. What I enjoyed most about this book was the author's musings on the writing process.

My favorite of hers is Euphoria (although I haven't read Heart the Lover yet). It's about an anthropologist love triangle (!) and is based a bit on Margaret Mead.

On to Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin, a new author for me. About 100 pages into it. Very subtle exploration of race and identify, where the main character doesn't see himself as Black. The only clue to his race comes from his observations of other characters. Brisk and clever writing, a little too clever. But a very engaging and enjoyable book thus far.

Edited to add that Rob Franklin is a new author, not just to me, but to all readers. I see that this is his debut novel.

Just finished I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney. Really enjoyed it...laughter and tears and some thoughtful messaging. The characters were easy to "live" with. 4 star and good for book group. Thank you for recommending it here. I'm going to look up his Thurber Prize winner: Truth in Advertising.

Next up, I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman.

I finished I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. A dystopian sci fi novel, far from my usual, and yet I really liked it...not enjoyed it as it's not that kind of book. But I read it quickly, and it kept my interest up. I think it would lead to a lot of good discussion in a book group as, even though it's short at <170 pages, it provides lots of fodder for philosophical and moral discussions....what does it mean to be human? What is the purpose of our lives? It's set against a backdrop of incredible ambiguity, which is the point. I realize as I'm describing it, I probably wouldn't want to read it, but I hope you'll get past that and read it anyway as it's that good. I have a feeling it will stick with me for some time to come.

Next up: Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer This is a 2025 Oprah’s Book Club pick. I do recommend this book for a book club. The story is about a long married couple navigating the final months of the wife’s dying from breast cancer that had been diagnosed 8 years ago but has metastasized. Though the topic is sad the story is more about the journey of the two through the last six months of the wife’s life. When I completed this story I did wish that I had a book club to talk about it with. The dying wife’s choices during her journey are the central point for discussion and I really wanted to talk about that with others. Maybe for personal closure of the story.

ETA: I’ve just read a review of this book in my local Sunday paper. It put a different spin on my perspective of the book & also nicely provided the closure that I wanted. I can’t seem to post the review without a paywall but I’m sure it’s easily found online. It’s written by Chris Hewitt of ”The Minnesota Star Tribune” & title is Dying woman’s choices unusual.

Murder in Constantinople by A.E. Golden for book club.

Meh. Not my choice, but I’m a team player.

i just picked up Flesh, by David Szalay, this year's Booker winner. Details to follow.

Plus, I just read that Tom Stoppard died, so I took out some of his plays to reread. He was one of my favorites.

When my husband and I were dating, in the early '80s, we saw Stoppard's The Real Thing, with Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close. We loved it so much that we saw it twice, back when Broadway tickets were much more affordable. I've seen a lot of his plays, but it's still my favorite. Here's Henry's wonderful speech about love:

It’s to do with knowing and being known. I remember how it stopped seeming odd that in biblical Greek 'knowing' was used for making love. Whosit knew so-and-so. Carnal knowledge. It’s what lovers trust each other with. Knowledge of each other, not of the flesh but through the flesh, knowledge of self, the real him, the real her, in extremis, the mask slipped from the face. Every other version of oneself is on offer to the public. We share our vivacity, grief, sulks, anger, joy ... we hand it out to anybody who happens to be standing around, to friends and family with a momentary sense of indecency perhaps, to strangers without hesitation. Our lovers share us with the passing trade. But in pairs we insist that we give ourselves to each other. What selves? What’s left? What else is there that hasn’t been dealt out like a pack of cards? Carnal knowledge. Personal, final, uncompromised. Knowing, being known. I revere that. Having that is being rich, you can be generous about what’s shared – she walks, she talks, she laughs, she lends a sympathetic ear, she kicks off her shoes and dances on the tables, she’s everybody’s and it don’t mean a thing, let them eat cake; knowledge is something else, the undealt card, and while it’s held it makes you free-and-easy and nice to know, and when it’s gone everything is pain.

Finished Great Black Hope. It’s a pity that the editor appears to have called it in, as the novel plumbs some rare themes — the great weight of expectations among African American youth with affluent and successful parents. But Im not even sure if that‘s the theme the author even intended to explore because the plot and characters seem scattered. And the plodding prose suffocates the reader. No noun without an adjective, no verb without an adverb. And words like ”volitionally” and phrases like ”“the Cleopatraean beauty of her model-esque mother” strewn about everywhere.

I think I may have heard about this book on NPR and I stuck with it, but barely. I hope the author continues to write, but with more discipline. And hope he gets a better editor next time.

Bookwoman, you were so lucky. What a cast! I didn't see that production, and I understand that the Irons/Close chemistry was amazing. I saw the Maggie Gylenhaal/Ewen McGregor one a few years ago.

At the time, I bought the double-record set which was basically a recording of the whole play. I wonder if it's available in some form now?

Edited, because the recording I found online was not Irons and Close. I'll keep looking!

I finished Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green. It's a relatively short but interesting book on the history of TB. It is told in conjunction with a young man who is suffering with TB in Sierra Leone and his story of illness and treatments. Some very interesting history...some very surprising statistics...and the reality that we still have 1.25 million people dying each year of a curable disease. 3+ stars, but not for book group unless they have an interest in such a specific topic.

Next up, The Wish by Nicholas Sparks.

Link to December 2025 Edition