Favorites:
You can’t go wrong with any of these! I’ll start with my favorites. All That is Mine I Carry With Me might have the worst title of all the books I’ve read this year but title aside, it’s amazing. It’s written by a former attorney which I have found make excellent authors. A wife goes missing and her husband is the suspected killer. This was a page turner for me. It will make my top books of 2023. Under the Skin is non-fiction that explores the marked difference in health outcomes for Black people in America. It’s also a contender for my best books if 2023 list. Go As a River is historical fiction set in Colorado. A tragic thing happens to the female protagonist and the books follows her life across the ensuing decades. This also may make my top books of 2023. I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn alongside a whole bunch of bloggers through a book club hosted by NGS. The book held up to my earlier reading although I don’t know how this is classified as middle grade/YA given the very hard and heavy subject matter. Lastly, Happiness Falls is about a father that goes missing while on a walk with his non-speaking autistic son. Overall I enjoyed this book although I felt it drug a bit and I could have done without one of the themes of the book. But it was still excellent.
Pretty good:
These were excellent pallet cleansers amidst some of my more heavy reads. Both fall in the romance/rom-com category.
I have no idea how this book ended up on my holds list. I think it must have been written up in Book Page which is the free monthly magazine I get at the library. The Guest Lecturer is about a female economist who is laying awake in her hotel room, thinking about the speech she will give the next day. She imagines John Maynard Keynes, a famous economist, is with her. I should have abandoned this book but it was short so I kept reading. Bad decision.
The boys’ reads:
The Clean-Up Crew is a book that Taco picked out at the library to bring home. He is obsessed with garbage trucks so this was a hit with him. He keeps asking for it so we need to check it out again.
Did you read anything great in September?
Trashy Town is a fun book about garbage trucks. My 4 yr old loves it.
ReplyDeleteAside from ATGIB, I have not read any of the ones in your favorites category, but I do have All That is Mine on my loan shelf right now! I was a little bummed as they do not have the audiobook, but, silver lining, I usually turn off my WiFi on my Kindle so I do not have to rush to read the book before my loan is due in four days! Yay.
ReplyDeleteI am currently reading Last Night at the Telegraph Club on audiobook and one called All Together Now on paperback, which my work husband recommended. He is a bit more into dry non-fiction than I am, so we shall see... It's about walking in England so it's a good start but I do think it has a political undercurrent, which I am not sure how I will feel about. I have only read about 4 pages so far!
Late Bloomers is on my list! I liked the Stand-In but it was so long! It felt like it really dragged for a long time, but in general, it was pretty good.
ReplyDeleteI remember the Charlotte and the Rock book.
ReplyDeleteI just finished A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney and it was tragic but beautifully written. I'm reading a book of essays by authors/other creative types about mental health challenges (it's good and I do looovve a book of essays), and I started Drowning (on your recommendation) last night. I think I'll put All That is Mine on my holds list!
i re-read the tree grows in brooklyn during my flight and realized I've read it before. the plot is very depressing to be honest so I've decided to DNF it this time.
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued by All That is Mine I Carry With Me, best book of the year so far? wooo.. need to check it out.
You had a lot of winners this month! Love it when that happens.
ReplyDeleteWith one exception, everything I read this month was by T Kingfisher, re-reads or for the first time reads. Sometimes I get in a groove, and I love her books, plus they were a good escape from real-life stress.
I have Happiness Falls on my pile and Go as a River on hold— glad to hear you like them!
ReplyDeleteI loved All That is Mine I Carry With Me. I read the ending multiple times - brilliant! My favorite September reads were Role Playing by Cathy Yardley and Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked All That is Mine I Carry with Me, although I think the title stinks. I have Happiness Falls from the library, so hopefully I have time to get to it this month!
ReplyDeleteI just started reading (listening to) 'All that is Mine I Carry With Me' today, and so far I am hooked.
ReplyDeleteI listened to Hello Beautiful and Romantic Comedy in September, I liked them both.
I re-read Dare to Lead for the second time for a work related book study. Otherwise I’ve been in a book slump and found myself re-reading Agatha Christie novels.
ReplyDeleteFor your boys, they are the perfect age for one of my favorite fall themed picture books, Sophie’s Squash. We also break out Such a Little Mouse for season changes still (my boy is in upper Elementary).
All That is Mine... (yes, what a terrible title) was one of the books I had from the library over the summer but ended up returning un-read because I ran out of time. But it's gotten so many good reviews- I"ll have to check it out again. Other than ATGIB I haven't read any of these! Several of them sounds really good though
ReplyDeleteIsn't it nice to have a group of books you can't go wrong with? I really do need t pick up A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I know it's a classic and obviously, for good reason.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte and the Rock sounds adorable! Gosh, sometimes I feel so nostalgic for the picture book days. I looooooove picture books. Not that there's any dearth of great middle grade/YA literature to read, though, but there's something so wonderful about a good picture book.
ReplyDeleteI am interested in your take on Happiness Falls. That's on my list (I liked her previous book okay), but I feel like I can already see HOW it could drag a bit. I felt a little like that with the earlier one, too.
And your review of The Guest Lecturer is so intriguing!! What was the problem with it? Spill the tea, Lisa! (I love a bad review as much as a good one.)
Just added the All that is mine book and the River one to my goodreads want to read list. I was doing SO good reading every morning but now that we got the puppy, well, everything has been rather upended!! I have just been chugging along at the same two books for a long time now- enjoying both very much but just not enough time to read really...
ReplyDelete