I recently finished John Boyne’s The Heart’s Invisible Furies and liked it so much I went on to read another of his books, The Absolutist, and I’m not sure I didn’t like that one even better. So, now I’ve started The House of Special Purpose. This is really odd for me as I almost never read fiction anymore and never serial-read any author. This is a first.
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I’m a fan of Celeste Ng (read her earlier novels) which was the only reason I read Our Missing Hearts. Dystopian novels aren’t what I would normally read. That being said, I liked this book—great writing with a believable plot. I could see this book being turned into a motion picture.
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Loved The Goldfinch as did my English teacher and picky reader son. Sometimes the struggle is worth it! I also liked My Brilliant Friend series - I loved and hated it at the same time and couldn’t wait to read the next. I have read a lot of negative things about both here, but surely I have some company here?
I finished Lessons in Chemistry. My, oh my, oh my. What a great book. I loved it. That said it had a LOT in it, a lot to digest, a lot to think about. But extremely readable and a darned good story.
Then, I just plowed through a super book called The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett. Just what I needed.
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In my free time I mostly read mysteries/genre fiction, although I teach Shakespeare by day. I loved Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen. It won the Tony Hillerman Prize for best first novel set in the American Southwest. It’s set in Garnett, TX. The narrator is a young woman who has tried to “get out” but keeps on getting sucked back by her family history and her desire to get to the bottom of the death of her friend/co-worker. It’s also environmental parable acknowledging the complex economic tradeoffs in poor rural areas. Very atmospheric and redolent of the social hierarchies and conflicts of a small Texas town. The landscape descriptions (like those of Hand, Hokuloa Road) are very evocative.
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@ChoatieMom John Boyne is one of my favorite authors. The Heart’s Invisible Furies is one of my all time favorite reads and favorite of all of his that I’ve read so far (6-7 now, I think). I did like The Absolutist but it was pretty dark and depressing. A Ladder to the Sky is another of my favorites of his. I have not yet read The House of Special Purpose though it looks interesting. I did, however, recently read his most recent novel, All the Broken Places, but that one was a disappointment for me.
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The only John Boyne book that is in my 7 library system is The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I saw the movie, and I just couldn’t read it. There is nothing by Celeste NG. They do have The Goldfinch though, so I will put it on my list to check out. None of them have Lessons in Chemistry. Be thankful if you have a good library. 7 small libraries are in our system. It is just sad.
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So after reading your post I had to see if our local library system has it (Lessons in Chemistry).
Indeed they do so I am thankful. They have 17 copies (but over 100 people on the waitlist).
And, now I am one of them!
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I’m #896 on 58 copies of Lessons in Chemistry at my e-library. It’s going to be a while.
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Both Lessons in Chemistry and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow keep showing up in the first few places on the book list in each Sunday’s paper for weeks now. Loved them both.
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I like that the Libby app in addition to saying your place in line also gives an approximate guess of wait time - of course it is a guess! I have found many times the wait comes up sooner than predicted. Of course this is for downloaded books, not hard copy.
I also love that you have the choice to NOT take a book right away if you aren’t ready for it (Libby, downloaded books)- you can choose how many days you think you’ll be ready for it and not lose your place in line.
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Has anyone read any Laurie Colwin? I was listening to the NYT Book podcast a while back and one of the editors was reading one of her books and the other editors started gushing about how much they love her so I’ve had her books on my TBR list for a while. Just saw Happy All the Time was re-released when I found it on a bookstore table so thought I’d give it a try.
The story is almost devoid of plot but so insightful. Reminded me of Stegner or Elizabeth Strout. Her books are short but this one packs a punch. It’s the story of two best male friends and their wives in NY in the 70s. I had such a feeling of contentment when I finished it. If anyone wants to give it a shot, let me know what you think!
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Put it on my “want to read” list! I don’t think I’ve read any of this late author’s books…
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Laurie Colwin is one of my very favorite authors. It was tragic that she died relatively young, and suddenly. Her books are a treasure.
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I’ve been a Laurie Colwin evangelist since the 90s. I reread her work when I feel blue. Once you’ve read all of her books, I highly recommend you read a new novel that’s sort of an homage to her, “Vintage Contemporaries” by Dan Kois.
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I usually can get books from my local library through the Libby app before the hard copy. I got an early jump on requesting Lessons in Chemistry by reading about it here last Fall. Currently reading Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver on Libby and stayed up way too late last night because I couldn’t stop. One weird thing about reading in the Libby app, which I do on my Ipad (set to the dark setting so I can read in bed and not disturb my husband), is I can’t see how much I have left to read unless I specifically look at the page numbers. Sometimes I’m totally surprised when I swipe to the next page and it’s the Acknowledgements.
My SIL has been pushing me to read Laurie Colwin forever. I’m pretty sure I started Happy All the Time, though maybe it just spent an inordinate amount of time unread on my bedside table.
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I am currently 81st in line for the audiobook of lessons in chemistry. Apparently I started at #565 and there are now 791 waiting!! I placed my hold January 1, so it’s been two months already and Libby is estimating another 5 weeks.
Can you change the settings to see like % of book done or left? That’s what I prefer on the Kindle app
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If you like food writing, give “Home Cooking,” a collection of essays with recipes Colwin wrote for Gourmet magazine, a try. “Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant” and “Repulsive Dinners: A Memoir” are particular favorites of mine. @homerdog
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