I am just starting A People's History of the United States. It will take me a while-688 pages. So far, I lke his writing and think it will be fascinating reading. It is a non-fiction book.

Started to leave a comment on the Aug thread then realized - oops!

Generally I read non-fiction but have been trying to 1) get back into fiction and 2) give myself (and my stress levels) a bit of a break.

Currently about 3/4 of the way through the 592 pages of All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. Really liked it to this point, even though there are continuity issues with the location which I have some familiarity with. But it has now jumped the shark with the portrayal of a 6 year old girl who writes a script for a home produced version of Grease and when asked what she wants to be comes up with "Maybe a writer. I'll tell stories and dazzle people with my words. I want to go to Harvard." Tell me you're not a parent of a 6 yr old without telling me you're not a parent of a 6 yr old 🙄

We finished Comfort Me with Apples, by Ruth Reichel, and then moved on to her book Not Being My Mother, which is not book club worthy but is the bridge to the next book we're reading, Save Me the Plums. I hope it is just as good as all of her other books.

I'm still reading the Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides. And my wish has come true. He doesn't just write about the person, in this instance James Cook, he writes about what's going on in the world in which they live, at the time. He does this through specific people; there are a bunch of side stories that interconnect. I love this style!

I am reading The Lady of the Camellias, by Alexandre Dumas (the son). It's wonderful! His father's The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite books, and I was curious about him. It's the inspiration for La Traviata.

@nutsaboutplants

A long time ago, a question was posted as to what author would you love to spend a day with. I would certainly pick Bill Bryson. He must be an incredibly interesting person to write as fascinating as he does. Often laugh out loud hilarious too.

Just finished a book by Kinberly McCreight, Someone Else's Husband, and now reading Like Mother Like Daughter. Both are suspenseful and thought provoking. Too fast of a read to drag out with a book club.

Being desperate to find an available book at the library, I randomly picked a thriller off the NYT 50 Best Thrillers list. The book had three rapes, one attempted rape, murder, dismemberment, and child murder. I know you have to suspend belief in many books to make them work, but there were huge plot holes. I won’t be returning to that list for reading suggestions. I wholeheartedly advise that you don’t read Jar of Hearts,

I also picked up The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, but haven’t started it yet. The book size and thickness didn’t look much different than the above book, but it was significantly heavier. Even the library clerk commented on that. I weighed them on my kitchen scale and LoS&S weighed a pound more! I will not be taking that one on my flight, that’s too much weight to lug around the airport.

I tried Sonia and Sunny three times before I gave up. It was just not for me.

Interesting, now I’m sure I’m not packing it. I’ll wait until I’m home to read it in case I quit quickly.

I have to thank Annie and all the posters who contribute to this thread. I check here several times a week but seldom post and I now have a notebook full of titles that have been discussed here over the years. After years of involvement in books clubs I've dropped out and I find some freedom in reading what I want whenever I want.

So here's a big Thanks!

Bill Bryson is one of my go-to authors. If I'm stuck waiting for a Libby loan I know I can find one of his 20 or so of his titles available. My son has most of the print editions and every now and then I'll bring one home with me. He is one of the few writers where I feel comfortable reading in spurts knowing that I won't miss a key plot detail. I recently read A Walk in the Woods again and still found myself just as entertained as the first time. It probably annoys my husband but I'll often tell him about some esoteric tidbit from Bryson's book that I find so fascinating that I have to share.

A few months ago I read or I should say tried to read the updated edition of The Emperor of all Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee - the author Nuts mentions in this thread. The man is brilliant and I found the first half of the book compelling especially the historical features and developments of cancer. I found myself admiring the tenacity and adaptability of the cell even though I know the heart breaking reality of the disease. I couldn't keep up as the book delved more into the medical aspect of the disease. I'm not scientific by nature and even with DH's patient explanations (also a Hem/Onc physician) it was more than I could comprehend. I was amazed that he personally knew many of the physicians named in the book until he reminded me that hematology/oncology only became a formal subspecialty of Internal Medicine in 1972 - the year he started med sch.

Finished Mad Mabel by Saly Hepworth this week and enjoyed it. There were a few plot twists that I anticipated and a few ones that I didn't but that didn't diminish my enjoyment. It was funny and sad at the same time but I liked how the characters and friendships developed.

Also finished The Midnight Train by Matt Haig. I had read his previous The Midnight Library which was published about 5 years ago and liked it so I thought I'd try his newer one. The premise is similar - the main character has the opportunity to re-live moments from life and perhaps change things. In the earlier book the character finds herself in a mystical library in this latest book it is now a mystical train. They were both quick reads and while I found The Midnight Library to have an interesting time concept it became more gimmicky the second time around.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, because I liked A Gentleman in Moscow so much. So far, I love it.

Am working through Night Soldiers by Alan Hurst an eastern European oriented spy story, pre- and during WWII. Not my usual genre but it’s a book club book. There’s a murder at the opening which caused one member to put the book down but it’s not an especially gruesome book (way less than Cormac McCarthy). It does feel like a big book— I’ve still got a chunk of reading ahead but I do feel this is a quality read and do recommend it.

Within the last few months on here, someone (maybe plural?) mentiond All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me, and it sounded like a nice change of pace. It was exactly that, a very nice and readable memoir. I'm not sure how to rate it, but I would recommend it.

Another book that kept being mentioned (not on these forums) is This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman.. I had never read anything by her, but she has written several books that others seemed to be familiar with. Anyway, this was a kind of unusual one in that it was a very relatable story, very well done with lots of characters pretty well drawn. I don't know that it would appeal to everyone but I thought it was quite well done. I think it would be a very good book club book, offering lots to discuss. I give it 4.5 .

@salonva I really do agree with you that ”This Is Not About Us” is a very relatable story. I am one who enjoyed that book. The theme seemed to be about family dynamics & that’s what made it so relatable.

I am beyond excited that my hold on Marlon James' The Disappearers came through. The review in the NYT made it sound like the Booker, National Book and Pulitzer committes should just give it to James right now. I am picking it up tomorrow.

Yesteryear. It started with really high reviews on Goodreads, but they have been bombarded by women who hate the book, so I will see what it's all about. I love the premise.

My hold on The Disappearers is long, probably at least another 6-7 weeks before I’ll getitget it.

Finished Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. It was more light entertainment than edification on scientific theories. Nice little tidbits of science and scientists strung together. To be fair, it is hard for it to be anything more given the breadth of its scope, i.e., "nearly everything." I'm glad I read it, and feel a little better informed if not enlightened.

Three Apples Fell From the Sky by Narine Abgaryan ; translated by Lisa C. Hayden. Originally published in Russian, this is the loveliest novel I've read in a long while. I read it almost in one sitting and hated to leave its world when I had finished. The story takes place in a remote Armenian mountain village where both good and bad events occur, as in any society. But the main characters are very endearing and have an optimism despite their many trials. Winner of an English Pen Award and the Leo Tolstoy Vasnaya Polyana Award. It is ironic that the book received this last award considering the opinion of one of the characters. 5 out of 5 stars.

Born to be wilder (book #4) of The Wilder Widows it's fantastic! By Katherine Hastings.

@stacey_mb that book sounds right up my alley - thanks for mentioning it as I'd never heard of it.

The Disappearers is not an easy read, both for language and plot. But it is compelling and monumental. Some of it is in Jamaican dialect; some in stream of consciousness. I have it for 2 weeks, but this might be the first time one of my books goes overdue. Even though my library doesn't charge fines, I feel sad, because I know that people are waiting for it.

I just now checked out Three Apples Fell From the Sky, based on Stacey's glowing review!

I was in-between Libby books and both the books Salonva mentioned were immediately available so I added them. I started All the Beauty in the World but stopped after two chapters. Not because I didn't like it - I really did - but because I wanted to look up all the paintings that were mentioned. I'll start it again when I know I have the time to devote to it.

Now I'm partly through This is Not About Us and thoroughly enjoying it. It's an accurate account of how families are made up of complicated individuals trying to mesh together - sometimes they do not play nicely. The format is interesting too and it took me a few chapters to catch on. The novel is made up of short stories, each with their own chapter and form a cohesive book - not unlike families. Plus it has made me hungry for apple cake.

We finished Save Me the Plums, and it was really good, I'd give it 5 stars. There is plenty for discussion, but for bookclub, I'd say more like 4 stars. The discussion is predicated on her life, and not a lot of it translated for me.

We're going to read Fannie Flagg's Welcome to the World Baby Girl, next.

I finished reading The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt for book group...he also wrote Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I felt mezzo mezzo about both. Some parts I found interesting, like how difficult it is to age in Venice as you have to walk everywhere. Some parts were dull...lots of stories about people that were meh... some stuff he just touched on which I'd've found far more interesting if he went in depth. We did have some discussion, but not enough to recommend for book group. I'd give it 3 stars.

A Pair of Aces by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray Another great Marie Benedict book. Could be a book club read - lots to discuss. Marie writes historical fiction about strong and accomplished women that history doesn’t tell us much about. I’ve really enjoyed all of her books. Most are not coauthored with another writer.

I have to say I am somewhat surprised ( but pleased) that This is Not About Us was so relatable. For me, parts were so relatable that when sharing it with my daughter, I said it feels like someone was listening in on conversations in my home.

And yes, Maire, I had meant to take my time and look up the artwork but I gave up on that plan. That is the one disadvantage of reading on kindle.

Back to the current- I just finished The Calamity Club. I know it's been very popular and well liked. ( it has rating of 4.6 on Goodreads). Well, it was mostly a pretty good read, but I definitely felt it went on too long and it really pushed the credibility factor for following aong the story lline. I felt itreally stretched too thin with so many topics. Honestly after about 400 pages I had to push mysel to continue. I was curious how things would wrap up, and they did so all too neatly, but I almost threw in towel. Because it had such igh ratings, I pushed on and finished it. Overall, I guess a nice story and yes, tons to discuss, but it really tested my patience. I gave it 3 stars. I suspect ymmv greatly as I am clearly in the minority opinion here.

Stoner, by John Williams, published in the 60’s. Quietly, beautifully devastating.

Stoner was excellent in a most unusual way. Spartan, pared writing but powerful. And yes, devastatingly beautiful. The politics of university administration and the bickering among scholars was spot on and funny.

I read Stoner a few months ago and was also impressed by it. It's one of the many really good books from more than just a few years ago that just doesn't get looked at as much as it deserves

So funny, Annie. I do volunteer shelving at my library, and I shelved The City of Falling Angels this morning. I was equally unimpressed with it when I read it.

After my full month of living in Dickens' world, I briefly came back to the 20th century, but the pull of the old masters was still lingering. So, I went back to another one of my favorite writers from the 19th century, George Eliot. Re-read Middlemarch after 30+ years and re-read parts of her other books.

The psychological depth, the clarity of a moral center that still retains a nuanced understanding of the human condition, and the gorgeous writing! Eliot is brilliant.

Classics are so wasted on college students IMHO, but then, most people don't read them on their own voluntarily beyond college. So, I don't know if there is any alternative to college syllabi to a captive audience to introduce people to such works. As for me, I can and do re-read them endlessly. I want to revisit my favorite Russian authors next.

Love Midldlemarch. I read it years ago, but listened to the audiobook last year and it was wonderful. I have been reading/listening to so many classics. Some for the first time, others so many times I lost count.

The thing about many of the classics is that you can read them in college and it resonates in one way, but rereading in different phases of your life you get something really different each time. I recently reread Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, and they were almost totally different books from what I'd remembered.

Once and Again - Rebecca Serle This was an interesting story - a fast read too & a smallish sized book. I think it would be a great book club read because of the premise of the story. The women of the family have the gift of getting one ’do-over’ during their liftetimes. The story winds around how the grandmother/mother/daughter use their gifts. The story ends with a nice surprise.

So many good suggestions in this thread - just added Stoner to my TBR list :) also love Bill Bryson - his charming book At Home is my go to when I wake up at 3am and need something nice to read

I needed something right now as I wait for Count of Monte Cristo to become available again (I’m about 60% through) so I grabbed The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. After the reserved spareness of Stoner this many-chatty-words style is a bit of an annoying shock.

Lisaam, I would love to hear about Count of Monte Cristo when you are done. It's one of my favorites. Just a great story. We went to pay our respects to Dumas in the Pantheon last spring, and we went to the Count's address on the Champs Elysees. Sadly, it's a laser tattoo removal business. now. C'est la vie.

I was really enjoying it until it was due for return. I don’t mind big books but reading Dumas is a sharp reminder of how different our reading level is anymore. It took awhile for me to become engrossed and readers now probably lack the patience for this book and we aren’t really interested in such long thoughts on human nature.

While you are waiting, I believe there was a British mini-series last year, and I remember that when I was in college ( in the middle ages), there was another mini-series with Richard Chamberlain as the Count. Recently, I went to an off- Broadway musical that was unbelievably bad. They had Disney-fied it. Clearly, the writers had not read the book.

The Count is one of my all-time favorites. One of those books that can rekindle the childhood pleasure of being told a great story in a jaded adult mind.

Something else that I had never read, but enjoyed immensely when I got around to it was The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Faftris, I read The Scarlet Pimpernel based on your recommendation here and found it very enjoyable.

The House of Hidden Letters - Izzy Broom Loved this novel! Follows a young woman’s adventures as she escapes from an abusive marriage to hide on a Greek Island. She begins to make a new home in a lottery won WW II house with secrets from its past hidden behind the house’s walls. Those secrets reveal the experiences of the people of Greece during its WW II take over by Mussolini and Hilter’s invading forces. Those secrets are a background thread through the story so not the primary story. But there’s enough telling of that story to learn a bit of what happened to Greece during WW II which I think is not well documented in the general stories told about WW II. The story has a happy ending for all the characters except the abusive husband who gets what he deserves. Great book for book club.

Looking for October’s WAYR thread. Too soon? I don’t think anyone but Annie can start this monthly thread - no one would find it otherwise!

Here's genius idea. A bar in the town next to ours has Silent Book Club. You go there, buy a beer or soda, sit at a table and read what you have brought with you. No pesky discussions.

Link to October 2026 Edition