Just checking in - waiting for the list to be whittled down a bit.
Slight whittling: The Nix has been removed this round due to length, and I’ve also removed The Mothers, taking into consideration VeryHappy’s post #114.
Random thoughts:
- I'm wondering if quite a few people might have already read *My Name is Lucy Barton*?
- If we are looking for a better known work or author to draw in more participants, Celeste Ng's book probably comes closest, right? It's a NYT bestseller.
The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti
My Name Is Lucy Barton possibly combined with Anything Is Possible both by Elizabeth Strout
The Wanderers by Meg Howrey
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott
I have not read Lucy Barton yet. It’s in my wish list at Audible. I’m content to let others decide. I’ll join in if I can!
I think I’ve read Lucy Barton. Sadly, I have no memory of it!!!
I’ll list a top three (or four, I guess):
- *The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley*
- *The Strangler Vine* or *The Wanderers*. These two books have good reviews but are less well known. So ...
- *Little Fires*. More participants make for a better discussion (and I do want to read it.)
Disclaimer: I reserve the right to reorder my list at any time … maybe even in the next five minutes. I stick with my original “whatever” and have only attempted a list in order to help @Mary13. I’d happily read any of the books listed.
I am eliminating The Ninth Hour, as 45 Amazon reviews isn’t really much to go on. I’ll read it and report back.
That leaves us with a manageable five choices. Let me know what you think. Strong opinions welcome!
The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti
My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
The Wanderers by Meg Howrey
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Strong opinion: My Name Is Lucy Barton needs to be read in tandem with Anything Is Possible because the author more or less wrote them that way.
My only hesitation is that the books sound, well, angsty. Do we want that for a December discussion? (Though our other choices may be also, so that’s not a serious hesitation.)
My top 3 are (in no particular order):
The Strangler Vine (I recently went to see a movie called Viceroy House and was remarking how little I know about colonial India).
Little Fires Everywhere ( I’m intrigued by the conformity/chaos premise)
The Twelve Lives… (kind of mysterious - hope the main character is likable enough)
The book I am less inclined to read is My Name is Lucy Barton - sounds downright depressing. But I’ll go along with anything.
I read “Lucy Barton” and I’m not sure there would be much to discuss, and I think it would be a depressing subject.
I like Mary13’s comment about “Little fires everywhere” having broad appeal.
I’ll try to read whatever is selected.
^ And Anything is Possible sounds even more depressing than Lucy Barton, if the reviews are accurate.
So since @ignatius and @psychmom have the same top three, let’s make those our final choices:
The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Okay, go ahead and vote or veto or comment! Lurkers, too! If responses don’t yield a definitive #1, I’ll toss the three names in a hat and pull one at random.
- *The Strangler Vine* by M.J. Carter or *The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley* by Hannah Tinti
- *Little Fires Everywhere* by Celeste Ng
Wow. They all sound good to me, and they’re all going on my “to read” list! Thanks, Mary!
I can read anything.
The Strangler Vine and The Wanderers look most interesting to me.
Strangler Vine.
The Strangler Vine it is! Many thanks for the feedback. I’ll start a new thread.
And … what are you reading in the interim?
The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye - David Lagercrantz (A continuation - #5 - of the Millennium series)
and
News of the World: A Novel - Paulette Jiles (I’ve only read the first chapter but the first chapter is quite good. News of the World is the 2017 Gulf Coast Reads book - multiple libraries/school districts/college systems participate: discussions and events planned throughout October in the surrounding areas. http://www.gulfcoastreads.org)
My Absolute Darling by Tallent
So far, quite awesome.
At this point, I have a stack of books next to my bed that’s so high I could use it as a step ladder. But I think I’ll start with The Ninth Hour and then move on to Crow Lake by Mary Lawson, which I just picked up at a used book store. If I recall, @SouthJerseyChessMom read that book and liked it.
@ignatius, I am reading News of the World right now, too! I really like it.
I’m finally going to read the first Louise Penny book. There’s also a new Liaden Universe (space opera) book that I need to read. In my Kindle and still unread are all of Madeline L’Engle’s memoirs. I read and liked the first one very much. There was a great bundled deal on them, but now I have to read them! Also in there is the Kushiel’s Dart series, and another fantasy recommended by a college friend of mine in there as well.
Edited to add: Thanks @Mary13 for being such a great host!