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!


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dept. of speculation by jenny offill

5/1/2020

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2014

ONE OF THE 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR – THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

A Best Book of the Year: The New Yorker, The Boston Globe, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Vogue.com, Electric Literature, Buzzfeed
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Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill
177 pages

What’s it about?

 This is the story of a marriage at the breaking point.  The narrator is "the wife".  As we read she retraces the steps that got her to this point in her marriage.

What did it make me think about?
 LESS IS MORE!  How could an author manage to pack so much into 177 pages.  

Should I read it?
 This small book is a literary tour-de-force.  It is disjointed, moving, and beautifully written.  How did I miss it for so many years? 

Quote-
​"How has she become one of those people who wears yoga pants all day?  She used to make fun of those people.  With their happiness maps and their gratitude journals and their bags made out of recycled tire treads.  But now it seems possible that the truth about getting older is that there are fewer and fewer things to make fun of until finally there is nothing you are sure you will never be."

If you liked this try-
The Animals by Christian Kiefer
​
​Census by Jesse Ball​
​
​On Earth We're Breifly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon
​

9 1/2 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
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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.
    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!
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