The Next Good Book
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 so i like to read- 

friends often ask for book suggestions so i created this site in 2014 to help me think about what i read and pass it on.  

I hope you find many good books here!


e-mail-thenextgoodbook5@gmail.com

forever is the worst long time by camille pagan

3/29/2017

1 Comment

 
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Forever is the Worst Long Time by Camille Pagan
267 pages

What’s it about?
James narrates this story.  He is obviously looking back and telling this story to his child.  The story opens with James as a struggling young writer.   He goes to visit his best friend Rob and instantly falls in love with Rob's  fiancée- Lou.  Lou epitomizes perfection for James and over the years no one ever seems to measure up.  

What did it make me think about?
When will this be over?

Should I read it?
This book was just not for me.  It seemed melodramatic from the start.  Who writes a book to their child and and chooses to tell this story?  I even went so far as to look back at the reviews to see what made me pick it up.  Many people seem to love it so maybe I am too hard hearted...  I would describe this book as a romantic tearjerker.   So if you want to read a book that makes you root for a couple, then pull your hair out,  and then cry- this one is for you.  

Quote-
"I would appreciate my life more.  I would do more and love more in the years that followed.  I would finish the things I started."

If you like this try-
​Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler
Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe

​
3 stars

1 Comment

the circle by dave eggers

3/29/2017

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The Circle by Dave Eggers
497 pages


What’s it about?
Mae is a few years out of college and hates her boring job with a utility company.  She finally asks her best friend Annie to help her get on with the big tech firm that she had started with right after college.  With Annie's help and support Mae finds herself in a new fabulous world where all her needs are met and she is truly a part of a community.  But when does "community" go too far? 

What did it make me think about?
This book was so timely for me!  Like many of us I struggle with the role of social media in my life. Although this was a dystopian novel and takes many issues to an extreme, it certainly had a point to make.  Keep in mind I am saying this as I prepare to post this review online!  At what point do we lose our individuality to the opinions of the masses?  Do we really need to share everything?  What is the role of privacy in our actual relationships versus our online relationships?  How real are all our crafted online identities?  So much to think about here!

Should I read it?
I recommend this novel!  I had read about this book when it first came out but some of the reviews (and Dave Eggers reputation as a literary heavyweight) made me put it off.  At the advice of a friend I picked it up and started it on a plane flight (the easiest way for me to get into a difficult book).  What a surprise!  This book just flew by for me.  Although Mae could have been a stronger more vivid character (most people have a little more backbone-right?) her story still kept my interest.  I think that with a stronger main character and more editing this book would have been a masterpiece.  But as is- it is still a very good read.   As I mentioned before the book is a dystopian novel, but I must say  it was different in that the world had not been destroyed- yet....  I certainly can not think of a book that would create as much conversation as this novel would generate.  Book clubs take notice!

Quote-
"The flash opened up into something larger, an even more blasphemous notion that her brain contained too much.  That the volume of information, of data, of judgements, of measurements, was too much, and there were too many people, and too many desires of too many people, and too many opinions of too many people, and too much pain from too many people, and all of it constantly collated, collected, added and aggregated, and presented to her as if that all made it tidier and more manageable- it was too much."

If you like this try-
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Dog Stars by Peter Heller
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

8 stars
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madame president by helene cooper

3/21/2017

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Madame President by Helene Cooper
290 pages
 
What’s it about?
 Helene Cooper is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter and author of the previous best selling book, “The House at Sugar Beach”.   In this, her second book about Liberia, Cooper places her spotlight directly on Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.  Sirleaf is the first woman elected to head any African government.  Not only is Sirleaf the first female President of Liberia, but she also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her work in establishing peace in Liberia.
 
What did it make me think about?
 Africa is a continent full of complicated countries and Liberia is no exception.  For over a decade, while under the presidency of Charles Taylor, Liberia experienced a brutal civil war.   “Over the course of fourteen years, Taylor had laid waste to his country, turning the already limping West African backwater into a hell on earth.  He had launched a war.  His forces had kidnapped thousands of children, fed them alcohol and drugs, and turned them into psychopathic killers.  The forces he unleashed left an estimated 75 percent of Liberian women victimized by rape and other forms of sexual violence.”  This biography is not only about Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, it is a very interesting look at Liberian history.
 
Should I read it?
 I would recommend this book with just a few reservations.  It is a really interesting look at Liberia- especially what has been happening there in recent years.  Having said that, after reading this book I did not feel any emotional connection to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. I was impressed by her accomplishments, but do not feel as if I know her any better than I did before reading this book.  I do feel as if I got a snapshot of Liberia.  I am in awe of the problems any leader of Liberia faces: lack of infrastructure, sexual violence, sanitation, corruption, and so many more issues.  Let alone a female leader in a very patriarchal society.  This book may be slightly one-dimensional, but it is a fascinating dimension.  For that reason I recommend this one!
 
Quote-
“In 2003, Liberia was dubbed one of the world’s worst places, among a small handful of countries that combined ‘warfare, banditry, disease, land mines, and violence in a terminal adventure ride.’”

If you liked this try-
Ghettoside by Jill Leovy
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Good Spy by Robert Byrd

8 stars
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days without end by sebastian barry

3/13/2017

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Days Without End by Sebastian Barry
259 pages
 
What’s it about?
It is the 1850’s and Thomas McNulty is 17 years old.  He has fled the famine in Ireland and come to the United States.  He meets another orphan on the road (John Cole) and they don dresses for 50 cents a dance to keep from starving.  They then decide to head out West to fight in the Indian Wars.  We follow Thomas and John’s journey through the Indian Wars, into civilian life again, and back in uniform again for the Civil War. 
 
What did I think?
Sebastian Barry is one of my favorite writers so I ordered this book as soon as it came out.  This book’s subject matter was very different from the earlier books I had read- but the writing is equally as beautiful.  I was not disappointed!
 
Should you read it?
In the end this is a love story.  Not a romance novel- not even close!  The setting was in a time and place that was so harsh it seems as if a love like this would be impossible.  Thomas and John are soldiers a good portion of their lives and we see war as well as the violence of the antebellum South.  Somehow through all this- Sebastian Barry again shows us that love can transcend all boundaries. 
 
Quote-
“Thousands die everywhere always.  The world don’t care much, it just don’t mind much.  That’s what I notice about it.  There is that great wailing and distress and then the pacifying waters close over everything, old Father Time washes his hands.  On he plods to the next place.  It suits us well to know these things, that you may exert yourself to survive.  Just surviving is the victory.” 
 
If you like this try-
News of the World by Paulette Giles
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
Lila by Marilynne Robinson
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

​
9 stars

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pachinko by Min Jin Lee

3/3/2017

0 Comments

 
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 Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
485 pages

What’s it about?

 This novel follows four generations of one Korean family from the early 1900's in Korea to the late 1980's in Japan.  The novel begins auspiciously with, "History has failed us, but no matter." and continues barreling forward from there. Min Jin Lee previously wrote "Free Food for Millionaires".   In this, her second novel ,  she further distinguishes herself as a writer to watch.

What did it make me think about?
 Is racism literally everywhere?  I knew so little about Korean history.  This book shows us, through Min Jin Lee's wonderfully drawn  characters, some of the recent history of Korea.  Especially the complicated relationship between Korea and Japan.   Min Jin Lee writes a masterful novel about the lives of one Korean family.

Should I read it?
 This was a very good multi-generational sweeping saga.  I especially love a book that informs you at the same time it is entertaining you.  I recommend that you find some time and curl up on the couch with this one! 

Quote-
​"In Seoul, people like me get called Japanese bastard, and in Japan, I'm just another dirty Korean no matter how much money I make, or how nice I am."

If you liked this try-
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
Ruby by Cynthia Bond
The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman

8 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.”
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     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.
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