I usually read mostly fiction and a lot of fantasy and sci fi, but I’ve been on a project lately to read all the books about Chinese art I’ve collected over the years. I’m loving the one I’m currently reading The Artful Recluse which is a catalog from a show I saw years ago at the Asia Society in NYC. They’ve provided translation of every single word written on the paintings. Some of the poems and commentaries are really beautiful and/or interesting. I can only read about 200 characters and can’t speak Chinese at all because I have no ear for the tones. (Took one Mandarin class in the 1980s.) But I find the structure of the language fascinating.
I’m also reading Ordinary Grace, because I liked This Tender Land, but so far I dislike most of the characters, which is always a big minus when I am reading a book.
Just finished “Black Buck” by Mateo Askaripour. Possibly the best book I have read this year (and I read a LOT). This would be a great book for book club discussion.
Thanks for the endorsement! That’s the title our zoom book club selected. (Kite Runner, another contender, had already been read/liked by two of the six of us.) I was able to order a used hardcopy from Thriftbooks $6.69… and by adding another cheaper book get it over $10 for free shipping. (No more cheap hardcopies of the title at the moment - must have got the last one available, for now. Just adding my example to encourage folks to check Thriftbooks as well as Amazon when purchasing books.)
We just read Rebecca for our book group. I honestly don’t remember if I read it before. Everyone liked it and thought the writing was excellent. Was not expecting to like it as much as I did.
When I was in, I think, 9th grade, my mom thought I should read Rebecca. She read me the first chapter out loud and I was hooked. One of the memorable opening lines in fiction.
Indulge my rant about too many books. A lot of them written by women that have utterly wasted my time. There’s always a beach house or an island on the east coast. There’s family secrets usually involving a secret love child. The people are very wealthy. (And this really gets my goat) The women protagonists make a financial decision based on emotion rather than rationality or logic. And the ending leaves the reader hanging with just vague outcomes. Too much description. Too many vague, dreamy descriptions. Conversations that no one has ever heard any real people say ever.
That’s “The Guest Book” by Susan Blake. Cannot recommend. Is there some sort of formula that these writers plug follow?
Beach reads! Some are better than others, and they are often mind candy. If you dislike them, there is no shortage of literary fiction to read. Different strokes for different folks and all that.
Anyone read “The Guest List”? (Not to be confused with aforementioned “Guest Book” )-- pretty good read; some important plot points seemed a little suspect, but overall not bad.
Back in May 2020 this thread talked about The Year of Wonders which just happened to be $1.99 on the Kindle. I bought it back then, but then I just couldn’t face reading it. Finally took it up while on vacation last week. I did think it was very good, Anna was a very appealing character and I thought the Reverend and his wife were also really well done and thought the revelations about their past were interesting and believable. 5 stars up until the rich family returns to the village. Avoiding spoilers, but I am just not buying the ending.
I listened to A Thousand Splendid Suns and found it tough going. Just predictable injustice towards and suffering of women, over and over. Okay, I’m convinced: life for women under Islamic fundamentalism and/or with brutal misogynists sucks. I didn’t feel that I gained any particular insight. Did not inspire me to read The Kite Runner.
I love WKK’s mystery series. I’m currently reading The Tender Land (and have read Ordinary Grace), and although it has its virtues, I still prefer the Cork mysteries.
I’m in the middle of W and L right now. Definitely not chick lit (which I like so that’s not a cut.) Very good. Makes me want to work harder at my writing.
