 | The Weekend by Charlotte Wood 260 pages What’s it about? Four women have been friends for decades. Now in their seventies, Sylvie has died. The three remaining friends (and one very ancient dog) meet up one last time at Sylvie's seaside cottage to help clear out her things. They spend the weekend trying to sort through mementos and feelings as they look back on their lives. What did it make me think about? The shared history of friends. Should I read it? Well, this book may not be for everyone. For one thing it talks a lot about aging and what young person finds that interesting? I, however, found it very interesting. It seemed to me that all three women were trying to find their way as their lives change. Are they relevant anymore? Do they matter? What is happening to their bodies? How does our friend group survive death? "This was something no one talked about: How death could make you petty. And how you had to find a new arrangement among your friends, shuffling around the gap of the lost one, all of you suddenly mystified by how to be with one another." I would highly recommend this book. Just be aware this story is more about the characters than the action. Quote- "She wrapped herself around him, trying to warm him with her body, trying to save him with her old, damaged, incapable love." If you liked this try- Less by Andrew Sean Greer Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland 8 stars |
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 #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
343 pages What’s it about? Identical twins Desiree and Stella grow up in the small Louisiana town of Mallard, which was founded by their great-great-great grandfather Alphonse Decuir. Alphonse was the son of a white land owner and a slave. His dream was to create a community for light skinned negroes who would not be accepted as white, but saw themselves as set apart. "Lightness, like anything inherited at great cost, was a lonely gift. He'd married a mulatto even lighter than himself. She was pregnant with their first child, and he imagined his children's children, lighter still, like a cup of coffee steadily diluted with cream. A more perfect negroe. Each generation lighter than the one before." When Desiree and Stella turn 16 they run away from this small town to New Orleans. Years later, Desiree will return to Mallard with her daughter in tow, but not much has changed. “In Mallard, nobody married dark....Marrying a dark man and dragging his blueblack child all over town was one step too far.” Desiree and Stella make different life choices- as we will soon see. The choices these women make will reverberate in the lives of their respective daughters. What did it make me think about? Identity- racial identity, gender identity, and what influence do others have on how we see ourselves and what we become? This novel also made me think about racism, loneliness, consequences, acting versus lying, and so much more. My one wish is that Stella's daughter would have been written as less of a caricature. Should I read it? Yes! For some reason I have put this book off and I am so glad book club chose this one. Brit Bennett has written a very thought provoking book that is easy to read. Not to mention her writing, "Her death hit in waves. Not a flood, but water lapping steadily at her ankles. You could drown in two inches of water. Maybe grief was the same.". I will look forward to a good discussion- as there are many ideas to explore in this story. Quote- "People thought that being one of a kind made you special. No, it just made you lonely. What was special was belonging with someone else." If you liked this try- Dominicana by Angie Cruz Ruby by Cynthia Bond Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward Washington Black by Esi Edugyan 9 stars  Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller A People Book of the Week, Book of the Month Club selection, #1 Indie Next Pick, and Best of Fall in Good Housekeeping, PopSugar, The Washington Post, New York Post, Shondaland, CNN, and more! Anxious People by Frederik Backman
336 pages What’s it about? A group of strangers are all looking for an apartment. They happen to be at the same open house when someone runs into the apartment waving a gun. There has been an attempted bank robbery on the same block and the robber is trying to evade the police. What was once a robbery is now a hostage situation. What did it make me think about? My mom always said to me, "Everyone is doing the best they can." It seems to be a common theme in Frederik Backman novels. I think this is what draws me to them. My mom would love Frederik Backman! Should I read it? Full disclosure- I hated the first half of this book. I actually deeply considered giving up on it altogether. Before quitting I decided to look at some of the reviews- everyone loved this book! So I decided to keep reading. The second half of the book was much stronger for me that the first. I am not sure if it was my mood or what- but I hated the beginning of this book. It was SO wordy and actually quite boring. The big question is whether the second half of the novel makes the first half worth it... I love Frederick Backman's messages of hope, but I have enjoyed some of his books more than others. A Man Called Ove and Beartown are two favorites thus far. I am in the lone minority of not LOVING this latest novel. The end did almost make the pain of the first half worth bearing. Quote- "Everyone in the apartment was wrestling with their own story." If you liked this try- Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman 7 1/2 stars  What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez
210 pages What’s it about? This slim novel chronicles the ordinary events of one woman's life as she narrates them to the reader. Along the way she visits a friend who is dying, goes to a lecture that leaves little hope for future generations, thinks about what makes a great writer, and enjoys the solitude of nature. Her observations are thoughtful and quiet. What did it make me think about? Friendship, love, connection, death, and climate change. Along with another theme I have read before- can writing do justice to the human experience? "Understood: language would end up falsifying everything, as language always does. Writers know this only too well, they know it better than anyone else, and that is why the good ones sweat and bleed over their sentences, the best ones break themselves into pieces over their sentences, because if there is any truth to be found they believe it will be found there. Those writers who feel that the way they write is more important than whatever they may write about- these are the only writers I want to read anymore, the only ones who can lift me up." Should I read it? This was a short, beautiful novel. It is written in such a quiet way, and yet has so much to say about the human experience. I just finished Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar and while his novel seemed written in bold type- this book was quite the opposite. Each writer seems to have matched their writing style to the message they were trying to impart. It was interesting to read these books back to back. I would definitely recommend both books. I plan to go back and read previous works from Sigrid Nunez. Quote- "I think it's largely true, what I once heard a famous playwright say, that there are no truly stupid human beings, no uninteresting human lives, and that you'd discover this if you were willing to sit and listen to people. But sometimes you had to be willing to sit for a very long time." If you liked this try- Driftless by David Rhodes Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet Levels of Life by Julian Barnes 9 stars  Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar
343 pages What’s it about? Ayad Akhtar is a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright and novelist. His newest book is written as a novel, but at times seemed more like a memoir or a collection of short stories. Much like Akhtar, the narrator is a American born man of Pakistani descent. This novel gives us vignettes of the Muslim-American experience and insights into how America got to the place it is now. What did it make me think about? Family, belonging, the economics of America, and hard work. Should I read it? This was an interesting and thoughtful look at what it is like to be a Muslim artist post 9-11. The narrator tells many different stories that shed light on his life experience. His relationship with his father was the ballast of the book for me. I was also fascinated by the hard work he has put in to pursue his craft. I tend to think of writing as a gift you are innately born with, but Akhtar details the work he put into becoming a prize winning writer. This is a thoughtful, intellectual look at many facets of the American experience. If you are open to listening then I highly recommend this book. Quote- In the mark of a great book their are so many quotes to choose from..... "We are more obsessed with what they think of us than what we think of ourselves. We spend way too much time trying to correct the impression the West has of who we are. We've turned defensiveness into a way of life. Edward Said writes a book about how wrong they've been about us, and it becomes our bible, a high road to self-knowledge. But that's not what it is. Not remotely. Constantly defining yourself in opposition to what others say about you is not self-knowledge. It's confusion. That much I'd figured but the time I was in high school." "Increasingly, the benefit to the consumer become the dominant metric of common good, and that benefit would be solely defined by the lowest price." If you liked this try- A Terrible Country by Keith Gessen Deacon King Kong by James McBride Exit West by Moshin Hamid Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie 9 stars
Longlisted for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction |
 | A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet 224 pages What’s it about? This story centers around a dozen or so children who are all vacationing for the summer with their parents. The parents spend most of their time talking, drinking, and basically ignoring all their parental duties. When a large storm hits the compound the children decide to leave. What did it make me think about? Climate change and what we are leaving for our kids..... “And the proof is, there’s lots the same with Jesus and science,” Jack says. “Like, for science to save us we have to believe in it. And same with Jesus. If you believe in Jesus he can save you.” Should I read it? This is a beautiful book. So very different- I could not begin to do it justice. Just read it! Quote- "Politicians claimed everything would be fine. Adjustments were being made. Much as our human ingenuity had got us into this fine mess, so would it neatly get us out. Maybe more cars would switch to electric. That was how we could tell it was serious. Because they were obviously lying. We knew who was responsible, of course: it had been a done deal before we were born." If you liked this try- Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill Levels of Life by Julian Barnes Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang 9 1/2 stars |
OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
 | Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker 377 pages What’s it about? Don and Mimi Galvin are a typical American family raising their children in Colorado in the 1960's and 70's. What is not typical is that they choose to have 12 children, and subsequently 6 of the 12 children are diagnosed with schizophrenia. How does one family cope? Was it nature, nurture, or a combination of both that accounts for this cluster of mental illness? Robert Kolker weaves a story of science, research, and family in this book about the Galvin's. What did it make me think about? This book shines a light on how much we don't know about mental illness. Should I read it? This was a look at one family's journey thought the mental health system. Robert Kolker does a magnificent job of melding the story of one family dealing with schizophrenia with the study of schizophrenia itself. At the same time I learned a lot about medical research and it's relationship to the pharmaceutical industry. So much to learn from this book. If you are interested in science, research, or mental illness this book (by highlighting one family) tells a fascinating story. Quote- "Our relationships can destroy us, but they can change us, too, and restore us, and without us ever seeing it happen, they define us. We are human because the people around us make us human." If you liked this try- The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert The Splendid Things We Planned by Blake Bailey An American Summer by Alex Kotlowitz Ghettoside A True Story of Murder in America by Jill Leovy 8 stars |
 | Dark August by Katie Tallo 433 pages What’s it about? Gus is twenty-years-old and living with her grifter boyfriend when she gets the news her great-grandmother is dead. Both of Gus's parents were cops and they both died when she was a child. Her great-grandmother was left the task of looking after Gus. When Gus returns home she finds a trunk with a bunch of old papers. She quickly becomes consumed in a cold case that her mother was working when she died. How did her mother die? Was it an accident or murder? What did it make me think about? Who did it? Should I read it? This book started out a little slow. Gus was not immediately likable and I just wasn't sure how much I was going to care about these people. I stuck it out and I really enjoyed this book. It is more plot than character driven- but the plot keeps you reading and Gus turned out to be a pretty great character. I would recommend this one to all the mystery readers out there. Quote- "He says he remembers her. Gus can tell he doesn't. Memories have a way of dancing in your eyes. Like embers in a campfire pit. His eyes don't dance." If you liked this try- Long Bright River by Liz Moore My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney 8 stars |
 | Untamed by Glennon Doyle 328 pages What’s it about? "Untamed" is the third memoir from Glennon Doyle- all recounting different phases of her life. I have only read the last two memoirs but they seem to follow this trajectory. 1. Struggling young Christian mother overcoming addictions and relying on herself and her faith to create a strong family unit. 2. Struggling wife and mother learning to trust herself as she tries to put her marriage back together. 3. Strong, confident woman who is now in control of her own life and narrative after divorcing and having found true love with another woman. What did it make me think about? Can I like and dislike a book at the same time? What happened to Glennon's sense of humor? Her ability to look at life seriously- and not take herself too seriously.... Should I read it? Glennon Doyle's main message is that women need to be empowered. I enjoyed "Love Warrior" and found Glennon's journey and her message of empowering women to be inspirational. Her candid feelings about her family and her faith journey were really interesting in the last book. I am sure many women will also find "Untamed" inspirational. I found many parts of "Untamed" thought provoking, and for that I am glad I read it. None of Glennon's life choices offended me in any way. I am really happy that Glennon and her family have found such life balance. However, I often found Glennon to be SO sure of herself and her choices that I was put off. The older I get the more I find my truths are not applicable to everyone. The book was choppy to me- better in some parts that others. So this wasn't my favorite book- but I am still waiting for the next incarnation of Glennon, as she keeps me thinking! Quote- "I look hard at my faith, may friendships, my work, my sexuality, my entire life and asked: How much of this was my idea? Do I truly want any of this, or is this what I was conditioned to want? Which of my beliefs are of my own creation and which were programmed into me? How much of who I've become is inherent and how much was just inherited? How much of the way I look and speak and behave is just how other people have trained me to look and speak and behave? How many of the things I've spent my life chasing are just dirty pink bunnies? Who was I before I became who the world told me to be?" If you liked this try- Everything Happens for a Reason and other Lies I have Loved by Kate Bower I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott And Now We Have Everything by Meaghan O'Connell 7 stars |
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A sad, poignant, mystical read. I won't give too much away. Quick and well worth it!
9 1/2 stars!
A coming of age story set in Mexico. It certainly gives you a whole new view of all the people coming over the border.
9 stars
Quirky characters and the story told through letters to Richard Gere. Who could ask for more? 9 stars
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“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
― Charles William Eliot
― Charles William Eliot
ratings
1 to 2- I did not enjoy this book.
3 to 4- I found some aspect of this book redeeming but would not recommend it.
5 to 6- I really enjoyed something about this book (characters, plot, meaning etc.) but it was uneven. Some aspects were stronger than others.
7 to 8- It was a good book. I liked lots of aspects of this book. I would recommend it.
9 to 10- I was sorry to turn the last page. I highly recommend this book!
3 to 4- I found some aspect of this book redeeming but would not recommend it.
5 to 6- I really enjoyed something about this book (characters, plot, meaning etc.) but it was uneven. Some aspects were stronger than others.
7 to 8- It was a good book. I liked lots of aspects of this book. I would recommend it.
9 to 10- I was sorry to turn the last page. I highly recommend this book!
