My book group agreed @makemesmart.
Just finished “That Churchill Woman” which is a novel about Winston Churchill’s mother. Lots of historical settings and people. The book mostly takes places when he is a boy, well before he became prime minister. Read the whole thing in about a day and a half.
Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cumming (the actor) and Educated.
I really enjoyed reading Not My Father’s Son and would recommend it.
Just read ‘The Woman in the Window’ by AJ Finn. --Quite the page-turner! My heart pounded. Lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed it!
Just finished The Storyteller’s Secret…great read!
I just finished the new Lisa See, Island of the Sea Women. Really fascinating look at an entire culture of deep sea diving women in a matriarchal society that I never knew existed but also the time in which the novel is set through pre WWII and on, along with Pachinko strongly depicts how horrible life in Korea was under Japanese occupation and how it didn’t get any better but actually much worse in the post-war years and ultimately the Korean War and partition, especially if you were a woman. In the end, it is of course as with all Lisa See novels, a tale about the relationship between two women over the course of their lives
“The Library Book” by Susan Orlean. Non-fiction. I just loved it though it would not appeal to some and customer reviews back that up. Centered on the devastating fire at Central Library in Los Angeles, the author explores the world of books and libraries and those who tend them. I really enjoyed it.
https://www.amazon.com/Library-Book-Susan-Orlean-ebook/dp/B07CL5ZLHX/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Library+Book&qid=1558543492&s=gateway&sr=8-1
The Library Book was my favorite non-fiction book in 2018. I am a huge library fan so it was just perfect for me!
The Great Believers, Rebecca Makkai… in part set during the AIDS epidemic in mid-80’s Chicago. I lived in the Bay Area in the early/mid 80s, and her portrayal of the fear and devastation of AIDS rings oh, so true. When “sick” too often didn’t mean the flu but a death sentence. Interwoven into it is a story about an art collection and a woman searching for her daughter in Paris. Wonderfully paced and written, and very hard to put down.
^Loved that book!
Agree about The Library Book by Susan Orlean. I read it a few months ago. I grew up going to the library, my mother volunteered at our local library and I still get nearly all of my books from my local library. I really enjoyed the historical aspect of the book; I completely agree how vital libraries are to communities - they are so much more than just places to check out books! My local library has fishing rods for check out, among other things. A wonderful way for local kids to be able to enjoy our area’s waterfront.
We read The Library Book in bookclub. We had the head of our city libraries come as guest speaker. It was fascinating to hear about the issues each library faces.
I just finished Sarah Smarsh’s “Heartland”–really well written, thoughtful, generous, honest, and smart. I haven’t read Hillbilly Elegies, but from all reports, this is much more authentic and multi-layered. Very much recommend!
I also loved The Library Book! I just started Midnight in Chernobyl, after watching the HBO miniseries Chernobyl (which is excellent so far). I also finished Watership Down recently for a book club–I loved it just as much as I did when I read it as a teenager.
@garland
I read both “heartland” and “hillbilly” and I totally agree with your assessment. Even though both books are from personal perspectives, Heartland offers so much more history and background of rural working poor families who struggled. If Hillbilly celebrated one person’s lucky draw in life, Heartland cherished the lives of the many who are equally talented yet not as fortunate.
For years I’ve been recommending the same 4 non-fiction books, and finally found another one to add to the list. The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote by Elaine Weiss is about the final battle in Tennessee to ratify the 19th Amendment. It’s history, of course, meticulously researched and documented, but it reads like a political thriller, which is quite a feat given that we all know the ending. I discovered that I knew almost nothing about this 70-year fight, much less the people on both the “Suff” and “Anti” sides. This book is both gripping and inspiring.
@LasMa so what are the other 4?
I have a really hard time with non-fiction - just too easy to put down.
The other 4 are: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (especially timely after this week’s Everest disaster), The Demon Under the Microscope by Thomas Hager (fascinating story of the development of antibiotics), The Great Influenza by John Barry (about the 1918 pandemic, causes and effects), and Krakatoa by Simon Winchester (the explosion was heard at least 3000 miles away!). The first is focused entirely on the events of May 1996, but the others go beyond their title topics and set them into cultural, geopolitical and scientific context, and bring it all to life in a page-turning way.
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson stays with me long after I’ve read it. The author is a Harvard graduate who went to Monroeville AL, Harper Lee hometown, to free a man on death row. Along the way, it exposes our criminal justice system unflinchingly. Thought provoking and beautifully written. They are making a movie based on the book.