So agree. I loved Eleanor and liked the prose of Crawdads. However, when I got to the issue of the death and trial I skimmed the rest. Still, a more enjoyable book than, say,
Boringly. (sic) What was that awful book? Bowlinger?
@EconPop & @makemesmart- thank you SO MUCH for listing Warmth of Other Suns. Obviously the content is never exactly easy, and sometimes searing- but it was a joy to read b/c the quality of the writing was so great and the scholarship was so deftly woven into the narrative. I couldnât figure out how I had missed it, but looked at the publication date and we did a transatlantic move that year, and I often miss books that come out in moving years. Mega-thanks 
@doschicos did it take you time to get into Eleanor, or did you like it from the get-go? I tried it / didnât get that far, and now itâs coming up in our local book club, so Iâm trying to get up the will to start it againâŠ
@collegemom3717 I found it odd for the first 25-30 pages but once I got beyond page 50 or so, I loved it and thought it got better and better. It is a bit quirky.
^Same!
@collegemom3717
So glad you got to read the book and enjoyed it?. I told my DS20, who also read it, that it should be a required book for their apush course.
Thanks, @doschicos will go make sure that I get at least that far!
@makemesmart, I agreeâŠ
Agree on Eleanor book. It started out like a romance genre but turned into something else darker. I thought it was an interesting read.
Got through the end of quintland sisters. Awful drivel. It was an audiobook, I would never had finished it if I had had to waste my eyes on the process.
I thought Eleanor Oliphant was GREAT as an audiobook. The narrator is so good, she really breathes life into Eleanor. It may be one of the few books that is even better as an audio book.
I also enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant which I read after seeing it mentioned here. And this is one of the few threads where one can go back to the beginning and itâs still relevant even if itâs a few years later. So thatâs exactly what Iâm doing in my search for good reading material. Thanks all whoâve posted!
Anyone read Sally Rooney? I read both Normal People and Conversations With Friends. I thought the writing was fascinating, and characters were interesting enough to read both, but sometimes found them slow going as they sort of ambled a lot. Wasnât sure of ending of CWF, also.
I read The Warmth of Other Suns years ago, and am so pleased that folks here are enjoying it. One of the more powerful books I have read, and history we all are better off knowing. Another memorable book that I read around the same time period is Empire of the Summer Moon, which deals with the battles between the Comanche and white settlers in the settling of the mid section of the country.
Iâm reading Eleanor Oliphant right now. Iâm wondering if Reece Witherspoon and I have read the same book because I donât find it âincredibly funnyâ (as she dubbed it on the cover) at all. Dark? Sad? Traumatic? Heartbreaking? Emotional? YesâŠbut âincredibly funnyâ would not be how I would describe this book. I am enjoying her story, thoughâŠjust not laughing my way through.
@kjs1992,
^^^^^I found a good amount of humor in Eleanor Oliphant -as well as all of those other things you described.
This article describes the kind of humor (âdeadpan humor and unconscious witâ) found in the novel. These are only a few examples of it.
https://www.readitforward.com/essay/article/why-we-love-eleanor-oliphant-is-completely-fine/
Here is what the author says about the humor in the book (but DONâT read the rest of this article as there are MAJOR SPOILERS that could well ruin the experience of reading it):
Need to get a book or books for someone who likes Jo Nesbo, Dragon Tattoo type series. Like In the next hour, lol. Any quick recommendations? TIA
@garland In keeping with the Nordic connection, thereâs a great series featuring Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson, a police detective in Reykjavik. I learned a great deal about Iceland reading the books. Also, the inspector is a great characterâa very tortured man with lots of demons. The first book in English is Jar City. Iâd start there. The author of the series is Arnaldur Indridason. That book sold well and Indridason starting doing one book a yearâthere are 10-12 books in the series.
Thanks, @Bromfield2 !
Thank you both, @Bromfield2 & @garland ⊠have a husband needing something for a long flight. Sending it to his Kindle now!
Just finished âThe Orphans of Raspayâ a novella by Lois McMasters Bujold set in the world of the Five Gods. Enjoyable romp, didnât care for the Perils of Pauline aspects - in particular the finale - though the coda is nice. Penricâs relationship with his particular God is always interesting - the orphans were charming.
Also finished another novella called âForest of Memoryâ by Mary Robinette Kowal. Itâs an interesting exploration of ideas about memory and authenticity and our dependence on technology. If thereâs no official record of an event, did it happen? If you have to rely on your faulty memories, are you telling the truth? Itâs one of those books that leaves you with more questions than answers. Kowal writes beautifully and Iâd loved to see a longer work set in this world.