I am half way through Klara and the Sun and enjoying it very much. I do like the unusual narration of the “robot”
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Oprah has a great interview with Elizabeth Strout, in Maine, at a seaside town, the setting for Olive Again.
I watched on Apple TV, and it added so much to my enjoyment of the book.
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I started reading “The Lost Apothecary” last night. I can already tell that this will be a 5 star book for me!
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I read Shuggie Bain a couple of months ago and agree, it is definitely a depressing and difficult novel to read. However, I think think the writing was fantastic and seemed to be an authentic look at what life was like for many 1980s public housing in Glasgow. The story was inspired by the author’s personal experience growing up in similar conditions. I had to read it in small spurts due to the subject matter, but I just loved Shuggie’s character and the love he felt for his mother despite the circumstances.
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Have you seen this video? It knocked me out. Actor Stuart Campbell performs a reading from #2020BookerPrize shortlisted author Douglas Stuart’s book, Shuggie Bain, streamed during The Booker Prize 2020 winner ceremony. Stuart Campbell Reads 'Shuggie Bain' by Douglas Stuart | The Booker Prize - YouTube
Don’t want to sidetrack the Suggie Bain discussion, but I finished The Daughters Of Erietown by Connie Schultz today. I would have sat up late to finish it last night but wanted to save some for today. One I’ll be recommending to family and friends.
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Thanks for the link - off to watch it!
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Just finished Klara and the Sun, I really enjoyed it and recommend it. One of those hard to describe books, where it isn’t really about what it is about. The story may be about a robot friend and a family, but it is really about love, what makes individuals unique, coming of age, family, reaching your full potential, and so much more.
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Thanks kiddie (and others) for Feb 16 recommendation of East of Eden. I very much enjoyed it!
I included it last month in a list of titles for a local Zoom book club (6 gals), and it got picked. It’s my turn to run the discussion. It’s on Wednesday, and I just finished today … didn’t want to forget too much. It’s easy reading, but at 600 pages I got fearful I’d waited too long. Had a nice time finishing it today. (For anybody also on the fitness thread, my step count as of 6pm is only 262. Oops).
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I’ve just finished Amoralman by Derek DelGaudio a fast and, I found, compelling read. Recently watched his film In and Of Itself ( also a theater show) - which I thought was extraordinary and would highly recommend. I knew nothing about the film before I saw it and was glad of that and would recommend the same to others.
@Colorado_mom the CC book club read East of Eden and had a great discussion. Maybe some will help you lead discussion. Parent Cafe - College Confidential Forums
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Thanks for mentioning the CC East of Eden discussion - one of the best.
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Here’s a link to the CC East of Eden discussion. It was a good one!
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I just started reading Chris Whitaker’s We Begin at the End. It’s one of those books that’s so engrossing, you just have to keep reading. It’s a mystery thriller featuring two characters (a sheriff and a 13-year-old girl in an impossible family situation) who would seem to have little in common.
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@Bromfield2: I recently finished We Begin at the End. I have recommended it to just about everyone I know (who likes to read).
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Started “The Kindest Lie” by Nancy Johnson last night. About 60 pages in and already loving it.
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My wife runs her own company and was on a successful women’s in business zoom call yesterday. Their guest speaker is the legend in her industry. Afterwards she was beaming with joy that a woman asked the guest speaker what favorite books he would recommend. He said he got the most out of biographies and then named his favorite two. My wife told me, “He recommended your two favorite biographies!”
I highly, highly, highly recommend Edward O. Thorp’s “A Man for All Markets”. Perfect for parents trying to encourage their kids to follow their interests and excel. The audiobook is even better, because Mr. Thorp is the narrator and he has a very distinct way of reading that is infectious.
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@FallGirl, I am reading this right now!!! We are probably around the same spot!
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The Hired Girl, by Laura Amy Schlitz. It could be a YA novel, I’m not certain, but it’s delightful for adults all the same. The narrator is an 1911 unsophisticated farm girl who hungers for knowledge, adventure, love, and beauty, none of which can be found on a farm with a brute of a father and several brothers. Her teacher, upon learning she won’t be allowed to continue with school, gives her a book to write a diary in, so we learn about her life on the farm, her escape to Baltimore, and her rescue by would-be scholar Solomon Rosenbach.
It’s a very funny historical novel 
because Joan/Janet is a sheltered 14 pretending to be 18, and either tries to be a book character (Jane Eyre, in particular) with “refined thoughts” and fails, or misunderstands things, although she does understand lots of things because she’s smart so we get to see life in a big city in early 20th century America. There’s a lot of period detail. Details on the paintings and art mentioned are presented at the end.
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I loved this book! Nancy is a friend of my husbands and we are so excited for her success!
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