@surfcity that’s very cool. I finished the book and and is one of the best books I have read in a long time (and I read a lot). I already recommended it to D.
Just finished The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. It isn’t for everybody (it is built an alternative world of story and fable), but it is wondrous. Definitely one to read when you can really soak into it. I was warned that it can take a little while to get into- it didn’t for me, but if it does for you give it a chance. It’s a story of stories, with overlapping stories that mostly- but not entirely- map onto each other. The narrative switches between several protagonists, some of whom exist in multiple forms. The writing is often sublime.
4 Likes
The Starless Sea was my favorite read in 2020 - and my daughter thought it was her favorite read last year also.
1 Like
(also @tim13251 & @PANJ616): scanning through the thread to load up the Kindle for a first post-Covid/post-Vax outing & Midnight Library looked like a good rec! except…94 people are waiting for 33 copies! maybe when we get back…
3 Likes
Finished Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry a few weeks ago and still thinking about it. I’m a little ashamed that it has taken me so long to read him since I am a Kentuckian.
2 Likes
Wendell Berry is awesome. For years I had a copy of his “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” hanging in my office.
3 Likes
Thanks for the hat tip to that Wendell Berry piece, @scout59. I enjoyed it.
1 Like
(HS kid here)
The Kite Runner
Amazing book about post-Russian afghanistan and a young boy who flees to America. In the process, he leaves behind his childhood best friend. Seriously, it made me cry 
10 Likes
I just finished Kristin Hannah’s The Four Winds. I really, really enjoyed it.
2 Likes
I read The Kite Runner years ago, but still remember it as one of the most beautifully written books I have read. It amazes me that he didn’t even learn to speak English until he was fifteen.
4 Likes
Yes, it is such a well-crafted, well written book. It is just full of raw emotion. His desire to pay back his friend…gosh…gotta go get the tissues…
2 Likes
I did as well. It was great.
2 Likes
I also loved “The Kite Runner”. Am waiting on “The Four Winds” at the library.
I am 1st on hold list at our public library for “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson and “18 tiny deaths,” by Bruce Goldfarb, about the woman who started forensic medicine.
Am also trying to read Americanah and Obama’s most recent book.
3 Likes
This is sort of niche, but I am finishing up Brandi Carlile’s memoir “Broken Horses” and it is a great read. Really thoughtful, smart writing – I love her music and she is such a great role model. Definitely recommend.
4 Likes
I really enjoyed “A Most Beautiful Thing” by Arshay Cooper. The story of America’s first all Black high school rowing team. Mr Cooper was a member of the team.
4 Likes
I have The Four Winds with my six other books next in line.
I just finished Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I read The Glass House last month. Funny as soon as I started Station Eleven I read that a miniseries is in production. I don’t normally read post apocalyptic books or watch shows with this subject. The book was very good, as soon as I got adjusted to the time jumps and the large cast, I found this a thrilling read.
2 Likes
I’m enjoying “The Secret Rooms” by Catherine Bailey. This non-fiction book by a historian takes the reader through her search to unravel mysteries in the life of the Duke of Rutland. It’s a real life Downtown Abbey sort of tale.
2 Likes
Currently enjoying Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano, story about a young boy who is the sole survivor of a plane crash. It alternates between what was happening on the plane and what his life is like afterwards. A real study on the psychology of a survivor and one around them.
2 Likes
Currently reading For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. Pretty famous book but I will still give a brief synopsis:
An anti-fascist American assigned to a guerilla task force in the mountains of Spain during the Spanish Civil war is divided between his job and a girl he loves.
I would suggest reading about the Spanish Civil War before reading. It helped me understand a lot deeper. But, it really goes to show how devastating the war was. In many ways, I would say that the Spanish Civil War was worse than many as you had the emergences of atrocities like the bombing of Guernica. If you like Picasso, search up Guernica. It is his one of his most famous paintings visualizing the terror/civilian bombing of Guernica.
3 Likes