 | Hannah Coulter by Wendell Barry 186 pages What’s it about? Hannah Coulter is a twice widowed woman in her later years. She tells the story of her life through the lens of her age. She ruminates on loss, raising a family, and how her rural Kentucky community has changed over the years. What did it make me think about? This was a book about being of a particular time and place. How rooted people used to be in the actual land that supported them. It was a story of a time when people lived and died in one community. It also describes some of the reasons we moved away from that way of life, and some of the costs of that move. Should I read it? This was such an old fashioned book and quite different than anything I have picked up in awhile. It is a part of a series of books that Wendell Berry wrote about the town of Port William, Kentucky. Hannah Coulter's remembrances of rural Kentucky were insightful, if at times slightly moralistic. When looking for a quote I had lots of pages earmarked with interesting thoughts. I enjoyed this book- but can't say I loved it. Quote- "I have this love for Mattie. It was formed in me as he himself was formed. It has his shape, you might say. He fits it. He fits into it as he fits into his clothes. He will always fit into it. When he gets out of the car and I meet him and hug him, there he is, him himself, something of my own forever, and my love for him goes all around him just sit did when he was a baby and a little boy and a young man grown. He fits my love, but he no longer fits the place or our life or the knowledge of anything here. Since a long time ago, when he comes back he has come as a stranger." If you liked this try- Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson Driftless by David Rhodes 7 1/2 stars |
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 Memorial by Bryan Washington
303 pages What’s it about? Mike and Benson are a couple living together in Houston and trying to make their relationship work. Mike is a Japanese American working as a chef- and Benson is a Black, daycare teacher. Mike discovers that his estranged father is dying in Osaka, just as his mother arrives to visit from Japan. No one is happy when Mike decides to leave his mother with Benson (whom she has never met) and go care for his father. Mike's decision to go leaves both men wondering what is happening to their relationship. What did it make me think about? This story is a slice of America. It is also about love, about family, and about redemption. Should I read it? This book has gotten so much hype that I hate to pile on- but this book was really good- so I am piling on! What a love story. Bryan Washington has a gift for dialogue. What isn't said, is just as illuminating as the conversation itself. Be prepared for a gay love story and all the sex that comes with it. In the end you will be rooting for both Mike and Benson- no matter what the outcome. Quote- "That loving a person means letting them change when they need to. And letting them go when they need to. And that doesn't make them any less of a home. Just maybe not one for you. Or only for a season or two. But that doesn't diminish the love. It just changes forms." If you liked this try- Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones On Earth We're Breifly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong 9 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!
