Just finished Bear Town by Fredrik Backman. It was so different from his other books but still good. Rather intense.
I liked Zukeikha by Guzel Yakhina. Itâs translated from Russian and itâs about a Tatar Muslim woman who is âdekulakizedâ and transported to Siberia in the early 1930s. The conditions she and the others endure are horrific but she makes it and even forges a strange connection with the commandant of the settlement (the Communists basically dumped all these people along the banks of the Angara right before winter and left them with no supplies). Itâs a twist on the pioneering novel, humankind vs. nature in a way, and it describes how a community comes together.
âLess than eyebrowâ LOL!!! Wow
I decided to read the follow up to a book I read forever ago. Itâs definitely not as good as the first so far, hopefully it gets better. But American Gods is next!
I teach American Gods in a gen ed course on epic literature. It works really well after we have read the Greeks and Romans, and the students are always interested in the different mythologies the novel involves. It is a very good read.
@NJSue Do you think itâs appropriate for a 12 yr old? I donât know his current exact reading level, but itâs probably fairly high. He easily ripped through Song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller, and Mary Beardâs SPQR.
I have "The road to Little Dribbling (B Bryson) which is totally my cup of tea, but shame it is not self narrated as his other audio books were (IME). He really should be working for the UK advertising people. Even in the more modern context he still makes it sound lovely.
@ChaosParent23 , Iâm sure an avid 12-year-old reader would have no problem with the level of reading difficulty of American Gods, but it does have some explicit descriptions of sex acts. Since my students are all 18+ itâs not a concern for me, although I do alert them to the material and tell them itâs not what weâll be discussing in class.
You might want to read it yourself first and decide if you think your kid will not be fazed by it.
There is a sequel, Us Against You, which I also liked.
oh, I didnât know that. Thanks, @calla1
Speaking of bears, another book I read within the last 6 months was Bearskin by James McLaughlin. The main character is a trained naturalist who is on the run from a drug cartel (long story) who takes refuge as a caretaker/warden at a private reserve in the Appalachians. Someone is hunting the local bears and he has to find out whatâs going on. I really enjoyed the descriptions of nature and the evocation of flawed yet compelling human characters. Ultimately itâs about the compromises we make with the world in order to be able to live with ourselves.
@ChaosParent23 I started reading Mary Renault in 8th grade. Her books about Ancient Greece, starting with the more mythologically-oriented The King Must Die, are all excellent.
For a slightly younger reader in terms of subject matter, Rosemary Sutcliff is great. Her books are mostly to do with Roman Britain.
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Hello, everyone. I havenât been around since late January, so Iâm skipping forward through a lot of posts. A few weeks ago I read a review of The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel that mentioned an earlier book of hers, Station Eleven, that sounded very interesting. I found it at the library, and it is indeed excellent. Itâs not a spoiler to say that the big transformative event at the beginning of the book is a pandemic. Not perhaps the best possible time to read it, but it is riveting.
ETA: I see that it was discussed back in 2015. 
@Consolation funny I was thinking today that it might be time to reread âthe Roadâ by Cormac McCarthy?
âStation elevenâ would be a good choice too.
The mantra of The Road is âcarry the fire.â I am teaching Virgilâs Aeneid in a gen ed lit class this semester, and âcarry the fireâ is basically the message of the epic. No matter what happens, âcarry the fire.â Itâs something Iâm trying to convey to my students.
I have GoT 1 on audio (the narrator needs some editing, canât you at least be consistent with your pronunciation). IMO It is Harry Potter with incest and gore. I am surprised to enjoy it, I assumed it was faux historical tosh, it is that but with a lot of sex and violence (I donât have HBO etc). It should live in the bodice ripper section of the library.
Did anyone post about Sally Rooneyâs Normal People? Just finished it after waiting a couple of months for the ebook from the library. I thought it was interesting and different, but didnât it was brilliant or the number of top reviews.
Educated is up next for my local book group that will be postponed.
Donât postpone the book group - go virtual. I have already had two different book groups meet using Zoom. Both went great!
@mom2and , I read Normal People also and had similar thoughts. I liked it well enough but didnât think it warranted such praise or be nominated for several awards. I felt like the plot meandered a bit too much and there wasnât enough character development. For example there were hints of abuse in Marianneâs upbringing as well as some references to allowing herself to be abused in some of her relationships, but the vague references were not given enough mention for me to fully understand her.
Yeah, I like Rooneyâs writing but it is a bit astringent.
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Anybody read Oona out of Order? Itâs about a 19year old who wakes up one day and sheâs 51. And then every year she lives her life out of order. Itâs been described as a combo of What Alice Forgot and Groundhog Day. Trying to decide if itâs worth a read.<<<<<<<<<
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I have it on audio and I would hazard a hard no. I love Lianne Moriarty and this is no where close. I ma giving it about 15 more minutes and then deciding to return itâŠ