I just finished Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine on audio. Cathleen McCarron was a wonderful reader, doing the British and Scottish accents.
I was completely surprised by the book, and charmed. I found the story very touching. I laughed quite a bit, and also cried. Perfect road trip audiobook. I was hooked very early on.
Iām halfway through Lethal White on Audible. Glad to read that she plans another one. I really like this series. Very much a fan of Strike and Robyn. The voice actor is excellent. (Edited. Misread post above.)
Just finished Ninefox Gambit. I liked it a lot, although it is a book that required the reader to trust the author and cope with confusion throughout. If anyone read Ann Leckieās Ancillary series and liked it, Iād recommend this.
I liked Eleanor Oliphant too. So did my daughter. I donāt know what to say about it without inadvertently spoiling. But it was good.
I just finished āTo Obamaā by Jennifer Laskas. It is about the mailroom in the Obama White House. You might have seen an article on this, which is included in the book. It includes stories of some of the people who wrote the letters, and the mailroom and WH staff who helped ID the 10 letters a day the president read when he was in residence at the WH. It is very compelling. Highly recommended.
Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson. It puts historical perspective on todayās politics and was first published in 1983. Well documented research on our tribal roots.
I just read The Girl in the Letter, a mystery/suspense novel about the evils perpetuated upon unmarried pregnant women by nuns/priest/doctors in the UK in the 50ās. A lot of the reviews said it was hard to follow, but I didnāt have any trouble, and at $1.99 Kindle price, was a great read.
My only gripe. One of the main characters is Nana, the grandmother of a main character. She is described as āelderly,ā āwhite haired,ā using a walker, having hip and heart problems. And then come to find out, she is only 60! REALLY, author?!?!?
I mentioned Rebecca Makkaiās āThe Great Believersā above as being Long Listed for the National Book Award. Itās now announced to be on the Short Listāreally rooting for it to win!
@garland, your enthusiastic post about The Great Believers inspired me to buy it on audio book, and Iām knee deep into it after a long bike ride and errands in the car. Enjoying it immensely so far.
Great writing and characters! Glad you are enjoying it!
Maggie Nelson, The Argonautsāa brilliant book. Wow.
I read āThe Argonautsā a few years ago, on my older daughterās recommendation. I often zip through books but for this one, the writing itself was so exquisite that I would often read just a few sentences at a time so I could savor them more.
I read Dr. Seussās āGreen Eggs and Hamā today. Iād forgotten what a wonderful, imaginative book it is! Iāve smiled all day.
āRed Noticeā by Bill Browder. A great introduction into what happened after the fall of the USSR and the rise of the oligarchs in Russia. Also a great explanation of the Magnitsky Act.
Green Eggs and Ham is the first book I remember owning. Iām not a big fan of Seussās illustrations, but that book is just about perfect.
Finished The Great Believers. I really enjoyed it. I would have finished it far sooner if not for the fact that listening to a book takes a lot longer than reading one.
Itās long, too. Without giving anything away to anyway, that one thing was heartbreaking!
Because of the Harvard trial going on right now regarding the charge of discrimination against Asian-American students in its admissions practices, I started reading Jerome Karabelās āThe Chosen: the Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.ā What a timely reading! Just reading its āIntroductionā placed the current trial in historical perspectives with such clarity. Very impressive book.
Iām reading Thinking in Bets- how to make decisions when you donāt have all the information by Annie Duke. Itās really good!
I zipped through Lethal White and I loved it and that each book is more complex than the next. I actually think that I read she plans 5 more books in this series, canāt wait. Almost still deeply into the Maisie Dobbs series of books by Jacqueline Winspear and similar in that each book in the series gets more complex and like J.K she drops clues along the way and re-introduces characters as needed.