For ages I have been hearing that “Stoner” is an unappreciated American classic. So I’ve tried to read it for the last few weeks, and finally threw in the towel. It has smart, interesting writing, but first it moved slowly, then about halfway in it got grimmer and grimmer, with some attitudes I found disturbing (all the evil comes from others (without getting specific, it’s very stereotypy), and poor Stoner has to soldier on being nothing but good). Maybe it’s me–anyone else have more success with it?
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Two or Three Things I Know for Sure by Dorothy Allison. It’s a short, nonfiction read that perfectly complements her excellent fiction book, ■■■■■■■ Out of Carolina. She writes with emotion and depth about growing up poor in the south; both novels are tragically beautiful. Trigger warning: both novels discuss sexual assault.
I may have to read Caste next. I absolutely loved The Warmth of Other Suns by her.
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Giving very high marks to Shuggie Bain!
It would be great for a book club, I think.
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Good to know. I was hesitant to suggest it because I thought I might need a Scottish/English dictionary. 
@gotham_mom , you won’t! I worried a bit about that as well but in a way, it sort of animates the characters.
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I’m in a book club that has so far read The Women in the Castle and All the Pretty Horses. Last week was my turn give a list of new choices (with some inspirations from this thread). We selected East of Eden (Steinbeck).
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I just read Girl A by Abigail Dean. It is a fictional version of the Turpin family (no reviews mention this which I thought was odd, but it was apparent to me) with a setting in Northern England. I thought the writer was very talented. The subject matter was sad, but I couldn’t put it down.
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I have a taste for cheesy historical fiction and every so often I have to succumb. I just finished Ken Follett’s The Evening and the Morning, which is a prequel of sorts to the Pillars of the Earth trilogy about the fictional Kingsbridge Cathedral. It’s not great literature and in places it’s cringy. But it builds an interesting world, and I learned a lot about late Anglo-Saxon money, bridge-building, ale-making, the relationships among the clergy and the nobles, and how people generally lived in this “time before light.” The Vikings are raiding, Irish and Welsh slaves are traded and mistreated, and life is nasty, brutish, and short. The church is corrupt and people are superstitious but there are flashes of decency and courage. The novel helps you to understand why the Norman invasion of Anglo-Saxon England was such a success. The people hated their leaders. Everyone was at the mercy of some local psychopathic bully.
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Another entertaining book that will not win any awards: Kevin Kwan’s Sex and Vanity. A vacation book if there ever was one. It has nothing to do with the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy and has more to do with mixed-race Asian identity in the United States. Although it is an insubstantial macaroon of a book, it is funny and it’s a twist on Forster’s Room with A View (the young lovers are named Lucy and George).
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I really looked forward to Sex and Vanity but did not enjoy it at all as much as CRA trilogy. I just basically didn’t like any of the characters. It’s a macaroon for sure, but felt soggy in the middle to me. Was disappointed by it.
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Just wanted to say Hamnet is definitely one of the best books I’ve read in the last 6 months. It’s a fast read if you want to join us at the CC book club discussion in a little over a week.
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I started Hamnet last night. Definitely a fast read. I already have a strong feeling that I too will think it’s one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.
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I really enjoyed “The Rose Code” by Kate Quinn. Story largely takes place at Blechley Park during WW2. The book is 600 pages, but don’t let that scare you off, it reads fast.
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I just finished The Rose Code and loved it. I have liked her others, The Alice Network and The Huntress, but this one was even better. I agree, it was long, but definitely didn’t feel long. One of the reviews I read said she is a master storyteller and this book makes me agree.
I had a chance to meet her a few years ago at a book festival. She is lovely, started her career as a classical singer, good for us she switched to writing!
I also want to add that I am generally tired of historical fiction about WWII, but not this one!
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I would not have read Hamnet but requested it from the library due to the comments here. I am about 2/3 of the way through and loving it. Thanks!
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Our book club is reading Shuggie Bain this month. I think it’s rather depressing TBH.
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I’ve read Klara and The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. It’s about an artificial intelligent robot (AF=artificial friend) and her girl friend. Ishiguro often employs an unreliable narrator in his book, and Klara is a variant of such narrator so there’s an unsettling feeling during the read which is very intriguing.
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Highly recommend, “The Problem Solver.” It’s an engrossing book about ME/CFS, a hidden and poorly understood global condition.
It’s very inspiring to read how much adversity this professor has overcome and the progress he’s making.
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Loving “Olive, Again.” It actually won a Pulitzer. Elizabeth Strout.
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