Favorite Reads:
Tom Lake is Ann Patchett’s latest novel. It’s a quiet novel that is very much character driven. It is set during the pandemic but it’s not a prominent part of the storyline - it’s the reason the couple’s adult children are all home. The story is told in 2 time lines - 2020 and the summer the mom was an actor at a summer theater production of Our Town. The book made me want to read Our Town which is really saying something because I am NOT drawn to read plays. French Braid by Anne Tyler is also a quiet, character driven novel. It’s about the interconnected lives of siblings who live very different lives. I’ll save the best for last: Finding Me is an incredible memoir about everything Viola endured. It’s a brutal story of abuse and poverty so trigger warnings abound.
The other 5 books were good to pretty good. Decent People is a mystery set in the 1960s in the south. 3 siblings have been killed. Racism and homophobia feature prominently in the story line. The ending of this book felt very sudden and abrupt. Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a coming of age story set in the Bay Area during the ‘red scare.’ I haven't read much about that time period so it was interesting. Central Places is also a coming of age story although the protagonist is in her late 20s. She has a messy relationship with her mom in particular and had a pretty rough high school experience. I could relate to her intense dislike of her home town/high school experience. Stiff is a non-fiction book I’ve been meaning to read for 10+ years. It examines how we use cadavers, from their use in med school to crash test dummies to ‘beating heart cadaver’ during the organ harvest progress. I have a pretty strong stomach and a pretty high threshold for being grossed out, but this book was tough to read at times. Let’s just say it’s not a book to read while eating lunch as I tried to do on a plane ride - especially the body decomposition chapter! Lastly, The Long Game was the book club book for the best of both worlds Patreon community. There were some good takeaways but I felt like it was more directed at entrepreneurs.
Good to pretty good:
Paul’s reads:
We had some great luck in August! Frog and Toad Together is such a childhood classic that can’t be missed. ‘The List’ is my favorite story in the collection. Toad losing his list, but he can't go look for his list because that wasn't on his list of things to do. How to Get Your Octopus to School was a cute ‘back to school’ kind of book that was silly and fun. The Rooster of Notre Dame is about the terrible Notre Dame fire and the rooster that was on top of the spire. The Cat Man of Aleppo is a heavier read that is based on a true story. It’s about a man who stays behind and takes care of abandoned cats during the Syrian Civil War.
Did you read anything great in August?
Life has been crazy but I also just generally don't read much in the summer. All I've been reading is ATGIB and the Bible.
ReplyDeleteTom Lake was a DNF for me. I couldn't stay invested in the story. Sigh. I read finding me in a single flight this spring. It is GRIPPING. Also, bonkers. The trauma Davis (and others in her family) endured is staggering.
I have Tom Lake on hold and am looking forward to reading it as I have liked all of Patchett's novels that I have read so far. I just finished Patron Saint of Liars, which I enjoyed! I still think one of my favorites of hers was This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. The first book I read was Bel Canto (back in the day!) and I liked that but the Happy Marriage felt real and I was surprised (and delighted) that she wrote non-fiction (or whatever that style is called) and it was also good!
ReplyDeleteI just put Finding Me on hold, although I must admit to not knowing who Viola Davis is (you know how I like to live under a rock at times), and I just borrowed French Braid!
My favorite books in August were I Have Some Questions for You (which surprised me since I DNFed Great Believers) and Good For a Girl. I am also liking William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Connor series and have read the first two books. I really liked This Tender Land and these are not as good as that, but they are set in MN and are entertaining! Also he writes a lot about native Americans and I find that interesting.
I have Tom Lake on hold and I think it's like 47 weeks until I get it! So it will be a nice surprise when it comes in because I will have forgotten all about it. It sounds like it is right up my alley, I love a good character book.
ReplyDeleteI have reread two Sedaris collections this week, one did NOT stand the test of time and one did.
I don't think I've read anything by Ann Patchett! I need to remedy that. I heard that Sarah of Sarah's Book Shelves DNF-ed Tom Lake!
ReplyDeleteI read some really good books in August and I think my favorite was Falling by TJ Newman. I was so invested!
If one of our book club people doesn't want to keep Tom Lake, I'm getting it from her, otherwise order it. I love Patchett and really want to read that one. THe Viola Davis interests me as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm really intrigued by Tom Lake. I haven't read anything from the author although she's very famous. I'll maybe try a sample before buying.
ReplyDeleteI love mémoires, will check finding me.
Tom Lake seems so polarizing. Interesting. I'll probably never read it. LOL. I'm adding the Cat Man of Aleppo to my library hold list. I love getting kid books recommendations from you!
ReplyDeleteCat Man in Aleppo!!! I remember that book!!! Read it with L, way back when. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteMe..."Women Rowing North" by Mary Pipher=okay. "The Power of Regret" by Daniel Pink= amazing. "Life Inside my Mind" anthology= validating. "My New American Life" by Francine Prose= wonderful. "Th Secrets We Kept" by Krystal Sital= likable. "You Can Heal Your Life" by Louise Hay= ummmm, the jury is still out.
Oh yes, now I remember Central Places! I did enjoy that book, but I guess it wasn't super memorable.
ReplyDeleteI read Lisa Jewell's The Night She Disappeared and really enjoyed that! Other than that August was a slow reading month for me.
Those favorite reads all sound really good! Will have to add to list.... haha. I also generally liked The Long Game. I also read a book called Unwired which SHU gifted me when I met her in June! It's about society and the issues with too much tech use, but it deep dives into the side of responsibility from the tech companies, government, etc. It runs lots of parallels to the obesity epidemic and also smoking in the 80s-90s, and how it eventually took a mindset shift away from just thinking that people need to "eat better" or "stop smoking" (putting all the responsibility on the individual) and to real action like not allowing smoking in TV commercials, banning trans fats in foods, labeling foods with calories, etc. She explores how society as a whole needs to understand that tech is a bigger issue than just telling people to put their phones away. I enjoyed it! Currently am reading a travel memoir called Incognito Street, and Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan and liking both a lot! I've been reading more than usual lately (for my standards ;) and am happy about it!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed We Hope for Better Things by Erin Bartels. It's backdrop is Michigan throughout the civil war, Detroit riots and present day where the main character learns about her families past with racism and hiding many secrets. I also really liked The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.
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