I just finished this book which I read on a whim (it was listed as “available now” on Libby for my library.). It was so lyrical and well-written. Loved it.
I loved Year of Wonders but yeah… the ending was….not consistent with the rest of the book. Although just slightly within the realm of possible, so i decided I was okay with it.
I really enjoyed Tom Lake. No one else in my book club finished it (I think they thought it was slow)!
I enjoyed the depiction of a positive, healthy marriage and positive, loving relationships between mother and daughters. Seems like that is kind of rare in books lately…?
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I agree completely with your assessment.
We’ll be discussing Tom Lake at our zoom book club this month. (Our prior meeting last month had to be cancelled with many of us travellin, so it will be a double-header with David Sedaris book of essays Me Talk Pretty One Day). I did hear that some found the early chapters to move slowly, with theater storyline that did not interest them.
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I’m a quarter into it, and so far I really like it. I’m from Michigan and enjoying the descriptions of the cherry farm.
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I loved it. I was a little worried that some other shoe would drop, but it never did. Strong, real characters written beautifully.
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I just finished Me Talk Pretty One Day last week. There were parts I didn’t care for, but some parts had me laughing out loud. I felt the same way about his Christmas book that I read last year. I always enjoy him on CBS Sunday Mornings.
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I read mostly non-fiction. But here is a true story by David Grann author of “Killers of the Flower Moon” that I know I’ll remember forever.
It’s called “The Wager”. It is the story of a British ship that wrecks off of the coast of Patagonia trying to round Cape Horn. What happens to the shipwrecked crew is an amazing adventure story. They go through the most horrific travails and just when you think the worst is over, something else happens to them. I highly recommend it. It is better than “Killers of the Flower Moon”.
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I love David Sedaris, but I think he works better one story at a time. A whole book is just too much. I also like hearing it in his voice more than just reading. That said, as someone who has spent time in France learning French and Germany learning German, I thought the chapter about holiday customs was absolutely hilarious.
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@mathmom , don’t you find that after having heard him read his stories, it’s hard to read anything of his and NOT hear it in his voice?
I’ve gone to hear him live a couple of times, have of course heard him on NPR, and read every book. He really makes me laugh. I also love how he’s evolved from pure hilarity to poignant humor.
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Thanks! I put it on hold.
Yes! Definitely. He has such a distinctive voice, but also apparently a distinctive way of putting words together.
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Yes, it is hard to read Sedaris stories straight through. This is the second time I’ve read Me Talk Pretty One Day, this time for a book club. I made an effort to intersperse with other reading.
Coincidentally I had a podcast downloaded where Sedaris did the intro. His voice is distinctive. I started listening to other podcasts / youtube’s too - it makes for interesting prep for the book club discussion.
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I also enjoy David Sedaris - but in small doses and also prefer his dry, sardonic delivery via audio - really adds to the stories.
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I just finished all of the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. I don’t think there will be any more because the basic conflicts are resolved (and the last book is titled “The Last Remains.”) It was a very satisfying series with a wry sense of humor and a wonderful sense of place. Ruth Galloway is an archeologist at an undistinguished university in Norfolk UK. She is a bone expert who consults with the local police. She has an unconventional relationship with DCI Harry Nelson who calls her in for consultation, and the series feature a rich catalogue of interesting and humane characters. I normally dislike books written in the narrative present tense (which this is) but I was able to disregard it. The books illustrate that “there are more things in heaven and earth…than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” As an academic at a regional mid-ranked university myself, I thought everything rang true in terms of the books’ depiction of departmental politics and the teaching life.
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I love William Kent Krueger and I was looking forward to The River We Remember. I liked it but did not love it. I still think his superior stand-alone book is Ordinary Grace. But there is no one better right now to evoke the sense of upper Midwest small-town Americana.
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I’m currently reading The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party by Daniel James Brown (The Boys in the Boat), so this comment from @gosmom on the Gratitude thread alarmed me:
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I love the Ruth Galloway novels! I need to re read the last remains because it is indeed the logical end to the series. One summer a few years ago I went and visited the area. It was a weird experience, a bit surreal, like walking in the novels, but it wascool and even pleasant once more novels got published and I could envision the places… in fact it started me on checking “novel” places out whenever I could.
I also love the Postscript murders and looking forward to volume 4 in a couple weeks!
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I agree 100%! Of all his novels, I loved Ordinary Grace the most. I have read all/most of his more recent stand alones as well as several of his Cork O’Connor series, but Ordinary Grace remains my favorite.
I have only read the first two but enjoyed them both. I have a long way to go to finish the series. I’ve read a couple of books from another of her series, but preferred the Ruth Galloway series. Thanks for reminding me I need to add the next to my library holds list.
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Do finish the Ruth Galloway books. It’s worth it! She lets the characters breathe like a good bottle of wine and does not judge them. Family is complicated!
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