Just bought Zeitoun, based on posts here. I’m a little annoyed that it’s not available in a Kindle version (since I just got one a few weeks ago) but I did have a 40% off coupon for Borders, so got it at a decent price.
I absolutely loved Olive Kitteridge. I love Elizabeth Strout’s other two books, as well.
Whoever on here recommended Moloka’i and Honolulu, thanks to you – really liked Moloka’i and will start Honolulu soon (historical fiction by Alan Brennert.)
Well, don’t be too annoyed – author Dave Eggers appears to be about as close to a saint as can be found in the book business today.
Consider:
–“All author proceeds from this book go to the Zeitoun Foundation, founded in 2009 by the Zeitoun family, the author, and McSweeney’s,” the “purpose” of which is to “aid in the rebuilding of New Orleans and to promote respect for human rights in the United States and around the world” by providing grants to various nonprofit organizations. (From a note at the back of the book.)
–Another organization that Eggers helped found, 826 Valencia, has provided a variety of free educational services – in-school support, out-of-school workshops and tutoring, etc. – to thousands of students, ages 8-18, in cities across the country.
[826</a> Valencia: The Writing Center](<a href=“http://www.826valencia.org/]826”>http://www.826valencia.org/)
[826</a> Valencia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/826_Valencia]826”>826 Valencia - Wikipedia)
P.S.
[The</a> Zeitoun Foundation](<a href=“http://www.zeitounfoundation.org/]The”>http://www.zeitounfoundation.org/)
I should clarify – I’m not so much annoyed by the lack of a Kindle version because of the price but because I was hoping to stop accumulating so many books! 
Thanks for the info, though – Eggers does sound pretty saintly.
The finest short story writer alive?
[TOO</a> MUCH HAPPINESS by Alice Munro reviewed by Michael Gorra TLS](<a href=“TLS - Times Literary Supplement”>TLS - Times Literary Supplement)
(With this thread having passed 50,000 views, I’m reminded of Mark Twain: “reports” of the book’s “death are greatly exaggerated.”)
[Loving</a> This Book ‘Warps The Mind A Little’ : NPR](<a href=“http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111839957]Loving”>Loving This Book 'Warps The Mind A Little' : NPR)
Another good one–recently finished Richard Russo’s That Old Cape Magic–really, really liked it!
OTOH, I’m having trouble getting through Michael Malone’s* Four Corners of the Sky*, though I’ve absolutely loved some of his earlier books. It’s getting better as it goes along, but still kind of cardboard-y.
Just read the review you quoted, epistrophy. I am a huge Dufresne fan, and I’m glad that the reviewer, Julia Glass, ended up liking it. I actually prefer Dufresne to Glass, but I’m probably in the minority there.
I recently finished Penelope Lively’s Consequences. I’ve always liked her spare style and understated but quirky characters - sort of more buttoned up version of Anne Tyler. This one follows three generations of women in postwar England.
The Hour I first Believed by Wally Lamb.
Just finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Absolutely excellent! One of the best books I’ve read in quite a while.
More re Dave-Eggers-as-saint:
Director Jonathan Demme has acquired the movie rights to Zeitoun – he intends to make an animated(!) film – and the option money went not to Eggers himself but to the Zeitoun Foundation.
[Zeitoun</a> as Cartoon: Demme Plans Animated Film of Eggers Book - ArtsBeat Blog - NYTimes.com](<a href=“'Zeitoun' as Cartoon: Demme Plans Animated Film of Eggers Book - The New York Times”>'Zeitoun' as Cartoon: Demme Plans Animated Film of Eggers Book - The New York Times)
[The</a> Zeitoun Foundation](<a href=“http://www.zeitounfoundation.org/]The”>http://www.zeitounfoundation.org/)
How can you not love the guy?
I just got Zeitoun from the library (finally) and need to finish the Colum McCann I am in the middle of ASAP to get to it.
The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt. It’s long and fascinating, particularly if you’re interested in Victorian/Edwardian English culture. It was shortlisted for the Booker prize, but lost out to Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.
I just finished Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky this afternoon. It was very good. The author wrote this book before she was killed in a German camp during WW2. Her daughter had saved the novel, thinking that it was just some notes her mother had left but when she realized it was her mother’s last novel, she had it published. It felt like a genuine glimpse into life in France during the German occupation. I highly recommend it.
i just finished “the hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet” i’ve finished a few other books in between, but none worth noting here. i enjoyed the writing and an the insight into japanese/chinese/american relations during ww2.
Jeanette Wall’s (Glass Castle) Half-Broke Horses. A novel about her grandmother’s life.
It’s Not That I’m Bitter: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Pany Lines and Conquered the World by Gina Barreca, a professor of English (at the University of Connecticut, I think.) The book is a series of essays I found laugh-out-loud funny and spot on for most of us females in the 40-60 year old demographic.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. “In a dystopian future, a girl fights for survival on live TV.”
Three things. 1) It was somewhat terrifying to me 2) It left me thinking 3) It is written for a young adult audience.