I was talking (moaning?) to a neighbor that I needed a good book, one too-good-to-put-down. She asked if I'd read any Grisham. Well...no. At the library The Testament starred at me from the shelves so home it came. I'm about a quarter of the way through and it's fulfilling my friend's promise. It was published in early 1999 so it's only taken me a mere 26+ years to give him a try. Geez!

Juneroses- I have read all his books and they are great. Happy reading.

I'm reading a Grisham now...Sparring Partners. I enjoy reading him when I travel as he's engaging enough to keep your interest up, but not too taxing for the multiple interruptions during a flight. One time DH and I took a road trip with lots of driving so I got Runaway Jury on tape for us to listen to. We were actually anxious to get driving again so we could hear more of the story. It is very different from the movie.

Playing for Pizza is another good Grisham book. I liked A Painted House. It is different from Grisham’s usual story line.

Has anyone read The Land in Winter? If so, would you recommend it?

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth. As I read the beginning of this book where an elderly woman who lives alone is pestered by a young girl, I thought it was a repeat of A Man Called Ove. But it's far more intricate and complex than that novel. It's a book with lots of twists, turns and surprises and I liked it very much. For the enjoyment that I got from reading and the respectful treatment of women, 5 stars.

I just started Mad Mabel, Stacey ... I am not too far but enjoying it so far.

I just read March by Geraldine Brooks. It was a good read, and at parts I thought it was really great, but at many other parts I had to push myself to continue.

I see it won a Pulitzer Prize in 2006. It was well done, but I seem to have a thing with PP winners... where the majority of the ones I've read, have not been among my favorites or most memorable.

It's focused on the "other half" of Little Women, about the father and his experiences during the Civil War, loosely based on the Alcott family. That part was really interesting .

Overall I'd give it 3.5 stars.

I think that sometimes the Pulitzer goes to books or plays that are "of the moment". Usually, that's a good thing, but this year's Angel Down looks a little weird to me. Apparently, it's one long sentence. I saw Liberation, which won for Drama. It was really wonderful--about a women's consciousness raising group in the '70's.

I too stumbled upon Stoner but by a different path from kkay. I read a wonderful short story by John McGahern and started looking for his other works. When I searched McGahern on Libby, for some reason that still puzzles me, it brought up Stoner. Finished it last week.

Great writing and a very good book. I found it unusual for many reasons. First, the writing, which was stark, stoical, yet so nuanced as to catch the wispiest of moods and emotions. Second, the characters. The wife, for instance, is inexplicably and perversely cold and punitive, and her character forms the spine of the main character Stoner's life for the entirety of the book. With other books, I'd find myself viewing it as a weakness in the author that makes a character's actions so opaque. With Stoner, however, this obstinate yet mysterious tendency of the wife didn't feel like the author's failure, but just part of Stoner's life.

Having been an academic in my first professional life, I also loved the university setting, the characters, faculty squabbles, and the bumpy path of scholarship.

Overall, a lovely book. A quiet, stoical meditation on life.

Tender at the Bone, by Ruth Reichel. She doesn't seem to write two books in the same manner. Though, I find them all delightful. We aren't that far into it, so there are no in depth conversations. Nonetheless, it is a joy, as the other books have been.

I loved both Tender at the Bone and Comfort Me with Apples (the sequel)- by Ruth Reichel. They are both memoirs and easily my favorites of hers.

I also really really liked The Paris Novel .. but it is very different from her memoirs or other books (as rob333 points out, few of her books are alike). It was not as universally appreciated -- but I loved it. From my GR review: "This was an absolute delight ... for the senses and the soul. "

(trigger warnings for depiction of child s*xual assault early in the book).

DD1 was at a talk by Anna Quindlen yesterday. DD1 said that it was just delightful. Quindlen's favorite authors are Dickens, Austen, Wharton, Dreiser and George Eliot. My kind of person!

I finished Grisham's Sparring Partners and really enjoyed it. It's 3 novelettes in one. Not for book group but a solid 3+ read. Good for travel or summer reading.

Finished Kin by Tayari Jones. Loved the writing. Some books can be emotionally intense without veering toward the sentimental and soppy. This one could have been one such, but barely escaped the slide to the melodramatic. Overall, great book.

Also finished The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis. Light reading. Adequate to fair.

I read a non fiction book about Multi Level Marketing--- Little Bosses Everywhere,

It referenced another book I read last year on the topic, Ponzinomics , and it built on that.

They were both quite interesting. LBE went into more depth and parts of it were not enthralling so I did skip through some. The personal stories were really fascinating.

The other really interesting piece was just how intertwined both political parties have been and remain.

I couldn't really rate the book but it was worth reading and especially focusing on Amway and Mary Kay.

The Night In Question, Susan Fletcher, is the sort of cozy whodunnit that my mother reads and I usually disdain, but it is nicely written and completely charming. It’s may be too slowly paced for some readers but I don’t mind that.

I would call this strength training. Nice goals!

Im currently re-reading the Wolf Hall series by Hilary Mantel. I read them long ago enough that it seems (pretty much) new to me. Im not getting much sleep as I enjoy reading at night, and can't put the kindle down. I love this stuff.

That series is formidable to pick up, I don’t think I finished the third, but so good when you are actually reading.

It helps that the PBS series was sooo sooo good, I have excellent faces to envision for the cast of characters,

Just finished ”The Magnolia Palace” Fiona Davis. I give it a 4 it would work for a book club discussion. The Author’s Note at end of book is worth a read. The historical facts about the actual Frick Collection that inspired this work of fiction are interesting.

Our book group will be reading James by Percival Everett, so I wanted to read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain first. I vaguely recall reading Tom Sawyer in school so many decades ago, and not enjoying it. I was pleasantly surprised as I enjoyed this one a lot. While Tom Sawyer makes an appearance in this one, I found I really didn't like him anywhere near as much as Huck...which may be why I didn't enjoy Tom Sawyer and wonder even now if I would like it as much. I'm always happy to read a banned book. I found myself not being irked by the use of the 'n' word as it was simply part of the vernacular of the time, even if it is anathema today. It was eye-opening though to see the assumptions that were so rampant about African Americans at that time, what an uphill battle it has been to get any equality for them, and why that battle is still so virulent today.

IAC, I look forward to seeing how James works for me especially after just having read this one.

Just finished This is Where the Serpent Lives by Danial Mueenuddin and thought it was very good. Set in rural, feudal Pakistan in different (post-colonial) time periods. Exert handling of the subtleties of the class, rank, and wealth faultlines. Brisk, sharp writing. Reminded me of The White Tiger a little due to the subject matter, but not in any direct way such as the handling of it.

Back from my trip and unfroze all the holds at the library. We were unable to find A Room With a View in Dutch, and settled for a copy of Maurice instead. We got a copy of DD1's second favorite book (The House of Mirth) in French. I went an entire 9 days without opening a book, and I am really jonesing for one. I will hit the library tomorrow, once all the laundry is done. I was amazed at all of the independent bookstores in Amsterdam and Paris. I wish it was like that here.

For those of us that like lists, The Guardian published their list of the greatest novels of all time.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/the-100-best-novels-of-all-time

Challenge Accepted!

thanks for the Guardian list, faftris. Obviously, any such list, especially any "all time" list, is sure to have glaring omissions. Glad to see some lesser-known but brilliant books included (e.g. Half of a Yellow Sun, which I commented on a week or so ago). But the absence of authors like Steinbeck is dismaying. I can think of a few on the list that surprised me by their inclusion.

I’ve just finished reading, once again, the entire 5 book series of Jean Auel’s “Clan of the Cave Bear”! A longtime favorite series of mine. Very well researched, very informative, a great read . . . but at 500+plus pages each, and her rehashing a LOT of information over and over again, this will be the last time I read them. Still, I highly recommend them to anyone interested in life back then.

I couldn't believe the omission of Brideshead Revisited.

I guess the Brits couldn't get behind the Dust Bowl migration.

LynnNM, i can never think about Clan of the Cave Bear without thinking ” assuming the position”.

Picked this up at the library. I need it.

A nonfiction, not my usual. London Falling, by Patrick Radden Keefe.It's about the mysterious death of a young man who was caught up in the web of Russian oligarchs in London. Really compelling. I had read his earlier book, Say Nothing, about the Disappeared in Northern Ireland. It was wonderful. He's written a book about the opiod crisis, called Empire of Pain, which I plan to read at some point.

Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams...A super breathtaking novel.

Finished Pack Up the Moon by Kristan Higgins. I'd've given it 4 stars if it was shorter and with a whole lot less "moondog love". I mean we're talking dripping with syrup. I got it... you're deeply in love... enough already. It's about a young woman, married a few years in a *perfect* marriage to the *perfect* guy and they are *so in love* and she dies of an incurable disease. Before she passes, she writes him a letter for each month of his first year without her to be given to him by her friend. Each letter gives him something to do to help him through his grief. The structure was interesting as the chapters narrated by him after her death move forward in time, while the chapters narrated by her move backward in time, prior to her death. It was an easy read and kept my interest up, except for all gooey "adoration". But if you like that kind of thing, this one's for you!

Next up, There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

Because one of our friends here set a goal of reading Nobel prize winners, I randomly started Seibo Down Below. It is challenging and was making me feel rather dumb so I took a look at Goodreads and am slightly redeemed:

”The sense of dread, almost despair, was the most palpable when i would finish a two-page-long paragraph finally reaching a full stop like a climber reaches a dreamed mountain peak, and straightaway i would be hit with the realisation that there is another paragraph like that coming.”

Onward.

We finished Tender at the Bone. It was very good, and there was a lot to discuss. If you cannot come up with your own questions, there are some very good ones at the end of the electronic version. Some really good "meat to chew on". I can't think of anything I would improve, so 5 out of 5? But maybe I'm in a generous mood

I just read Poisoned Ivies (non fiction). Even though I feel like I am familiar, this was still quite distressing. It would resonate more without unneeded bias, but it was still incredibly informative and eye opening. I think it also needed to have more in the way of solutions which it did propose lightly, but I guess that's the hard part. I gave it 4 or 4.5 stars.

Absolutely going to look for something light or at least fiction.

The Known World, by Edward P. Jones. It was on that Guardian list. Just wonderful so far. It's about slaves owned by a black slaveowner in the years just before the Civil War began.

The Known World was brilliant.

The Known World was marvelous. Then I got The Things We Never Say. I am not an Elizabeth Strout fan, but I am a sucker for those "Books We Are Looking Forward To" lists. I My opinion has not changed. While the novel is about a man questioning his purpose in life (good), it includes very recent and real political events that are disturbing enough, without having to consider them in the guise of fiction (not good). I sympathize with her political views, but I didn't need to be reminded of it. No more Strout for me. I have John of John next, and I am very excited to start it. I loved Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo, sad though they were.

Our book club selection for this month is The Measure by Nikki Erlick. I really enjoyed it. The character development isn't great but the premise and interweaving is interesting and fun.

I'm looking forward to discussing it at our get-together.

Our group did The Measure but I missed the discussion. They said it was lively and the book was mostly liked.

I've just finished the most recent Alexander McCall Smith book in his 44 Scotland Street series. "Bertie's Theory of Ice Cream" a release from 2025. Smith is a philosopher and all of his books reflect that. I have several favorites of his many series - there are at least eight different series. For me, reading one of his books is like a palate cleanser between heavier topic books. Smith's books have lots of dry humor and subtle guidance on choosing the most ethical path through a typical life dilemma. The characters in all of his stories are very relatable and mostly likeable.

@Annie Deighnaugh - did you like The Measure?

just finished My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, based on its inclusion in the Guardian’s “all time” list. Not sure if it deserves to be included in even in a ”best books of the year” list. Interesting characters (children and young adukts mostly) growing up together in poverty with grit and ambition. Passable.

No Ferrante fan here. I think the popularity of the books might be the mystery of who the author really is. I read them all and was underwhelmed. DD1, whose opinion I respect, liked them.

I know I read My Brilliant Friend and didn't remember caring for it. I looked and saw I read it in October and found this thread-where I wrote pretty much that. https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/6511806/what-are-you-reading-october-2025-edition#n=63 Another one that is highly regarded and I did not understand or see the there, there.

Re The Measure, I read that a few years ago and although it was semi predictable and preachy, it absolutely led to a great discussion and just about every group that has read it , whether loving it or hating it, felt it was an interesting premise.

Thanks to Salonva’s suggestion I am reading Time Of The Child by Niall Williams. He is a magnificent writer. I’d previously read This Is Happiness and enjoyed it very much but I think this book is even better. We are reading it for book club. I see he has a new book coming out in November that continues the story of the people of the Irish town of Faha called O Now!

I will go back and read some of his earlier works. Highly recommend these books.

Suzieque, yes I did enjoy it. I recommended it to our book group as I thought it would lead to good discussion. It was an interesting premise and I thought it lead to some thoughtful insights: what would you do, who would you be if you knew how long you'd live...

Glad you're enjoying Time of the Child, ded. I think it was stacey who recommended it on an earlier month's thread. I felt the same, that I liked This is Happiness, but I loved Time of the Child. So many people raved about Happiness, that I have it on reserve to re-read it because I feel like I may have not given it a fair chance. :)

So now I am reading The Wedding People. I had heard lots of praise but for some reason I kept suspending the borrow each time it came up at the library. I don't know why but I thought it would be maybe too fluff.... it has that but it seems to be a really good read so far... about 1/4 into it.

Link to June 2026 Edition