Constant Reader discussion

Time to start a new thread!

I am reading the fifth book in the Commissario Ricciardi mystery series, By My Hand by Maurizio de Giovanni, who proves that Elena Ferrante is not the only skillful Neapolitan author.

Geez - I seem to be in the wrong millennium entirely! TYPO, Mary Anne!

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Geez - I seem to be in the wrong millennium entirely! TYPO, Mary Anne!"

Good eye, Patty. It's fixed now. We are not time traveling any more. For those who missed it, the topic said "Sept/Oct 3027"!

Whoops! I must have left my brain at the beach! Thanks.

Isabel Allende's RIPPER. For a thriller, this book is adequate; although giving it 3 stars is an act of generosity. For an Allende book, it is a major disappointment. But perhaps it's one of those things she needed to do in her older years - a bucket list item. And since my goal is to read everything she has written/published how could I skip this one?

Mary wrote: "Isabel Allende's RIPPER. For a thriller, this book is adequate; although giving it 3 stars is an act of generosity. For an Allende book, it is a major disappointment. But perhaps it's one of those ..."

What a pity, Mary - but if you're committed . . . there's no escape! :)

I freely admit I'm a sucker for short stories, and I've found a new (to me) author! Jacob M. Appel's latest collection, The Liars' Asylum, is excellent.
4.5★ Link to my review

Just finished The Judgment of Richard Richter by Igor Štiks. Not a happy book. Full of despair and unhappiness, but it was a worthwhile read.

I finished The Awkward Age by Henry James last night. Though many critics didn't feel it was one of his best, F.R. Leavis disagreed. I found it fascinating and extremely relevant to our times.

I'm reading The Sympathizer. I'm ashamed to say that I haven't read it yet!

Melissa wrote: "I'm reading The Sympathizer. I'm ashamed to say that I haven't read it yet!"

Me neither, Melissa! Tsk, tsk. One day. Meanwhile . . .

5★ for Jesmyn Ward's new novel Sing, Unburied, Sing.
Mississipi, where the dead make themselves heard.
Link to my review

I'm on a cruise and today was at sea. I read The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston. This memoir tells stories that talk about women's place in China - not valued or celebrated in the family, and punished by others whenever they step out of line.

I am reading a few books just now but also re-reading An Unnecessary Woman for a Middle East group here that I belong to. It starts just as wonderfully as I remember it.

Among my other books are The Vietnam War: An Intimate History, companion piece to the upcoming PBS production, and The Book Thieves: The Nazi Looting of Europe's Libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance, a very interesting look at the plundering of libraries throughout Europe before and during WWII, its purpose and what libraries now are trying to do to rectify these old injuries. It turns out that this looting had a different purpose than plundering art in many if not most cases. This also provides some excellent background on the philosophical underpinnings of the Nazi State.

The Member of the Wedding – Carson McCullers – 4****
Twelve-year-old Frankie Adams is bored with life and longing for adventure, for a sense of belonging to something “bigger.” Carson McCullers has a way of writing her characters that draws the reader into their very souls. Frankie’s journey through this phase of adolescence is at once painfully distressing, funny and charming. I was, in turns, afraid for Frankie and amused by her.
LINK to my review

I recently finished THE CORFU TRILOGY by Gerald Durrell
It is a combination of beautiful writing about nature and funny stories about Durrell's family including his more famous brother, Lawrence. I decided to read the books after seeing the first season of the series THE DURRELLS IN CORFU. I highly recommend both.

Jane wrote: "I recently finished THE CORFU TRILOGY by Gerald Durrell
It is a combination of beautiful writing about nature and funny stories about Durrell's family including..."

I must read those, Jane! I've known about the Durrells forever, it seems, and I was enjoying the TV series greatly until something happened to my recording and I missed the last few episodes - ARGH! Technology - grrr. But you've reminded me to look for the books now. Thank you! :)

You know those people you enjoy except when they relate intimate details to you a little too loudly in public? CRINGE! That's Audra.
Katherine Heiny's new Standard Deviation is a lot of fun.
4★ Link to my review

I just finished Michael Chabon's Moonglow. I gave it 5 stars . It is the October CR discussion book. Highly recommended.

Unless - Carol Shields – 4****
When Reta Williams, a successful author and translator, discovers that her 19-year-old daughter has left college to panhandle on a Toronto street corner, she struggles to understand how and why Norah could have come to this. Sheilds’ novel explores what it means to be a woman, a mother, a writer, a feminist.
LINK to my review

Ann wrote: "I just finished Michael Chabon's Moonglow. I gave it 5 stars . It is the October CR discussion book. Highly recommended."

I'm just about ready to start this one. So glad it's good, since it's my nomination!

Michael Chabon's MOONGLOW. Ann, I also gave it 5 stars. I listened to it on my morning walks the last couple of weeks and found myself adding distance so I could keep listening to the story. It is just excellent! In my opinion Michael Chabon is one of the finest storytellers ever. In this tale, he reveals the history of a family. It weaves around and through time but I never felt more than fleetingly lost. At first I thought it was the narrator's memoir of and homage to his grandfather but it is a much bigger story than that. And oh, by the way, George Newbern was a very good narrator.

Mary, I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed this one too. It does go back and forth to different points in time, but I adjusted to that. The critics seemed to think that the non-linear approach was intended to show how fragmentary and jumbled memory can be. I can buy that. I think it also kept me reading to try to figure out what the heck was going on. In all good time it was revealed.

Chabon is a wonderful story teller and I really cared about his characters. I believe that it is a "pseudo" memoir, although parts were inspired by family stories. I just found the book had so much life, originality, and good writing. There are many sad parts in the story, but also lots of humor.

Ann and Mary, I'm excited to hear you liked Moonglow so much! I'd loved Kavalier and Clay, but didn't know if Chabon could repeat that success. You've convinced me to give it a try. I love novels that are done so convincingly, they come across as (the best kind of ) memoirs. I feel that way while reading Ferrante's Neapolitan novels: I'm already on the fourth one, The Story of the Lost Child. I've been on a bit of a book binge.

I've put myself on the hold list for the ebook copy of Moonglow after reading these comments.

Yulia and Sue, I hope you enjoy Moonglow as much as we did.

I have previously read his Wonder Boys and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, which I also enjoyed, but, for me, Moonglow topped them. I have yet to read The Yiddish Policemen's Union, but it is definitely on my list.

I just finished Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. It was fairly well done, and very funny in a few parts.

I'm reading that book now, Lyn. So far it mostly strikes me as sad, but we'll see.

Ann wrote: "I'm reading that book now, Lyn. So far it mostly strikes me as sad, but we'll see."

I was pretty skeptical going in, but it turned out to be a very satisfying and pleasing book. Eleanor really is fine. :-) In progress, but fine.

Yes, Eleanor Oliphant becomes far less sad as it progresses. I kind of enjoyed how the often illogical nature of social communications is brought up in Eleanor's thoughts.

Just finished Mozart's Starling today. It was well researched and written, and I enjoyed the parts about Mozart, but they were quite limited and I didn't want to read that much about starlings generally, which is most of the book.

Priya Parmar's VANESSA AND HER SISTER: A NOVEL. This is a lovely book. It is a fictional account of relationships within the Bloomsbury group told through Vanessa's diary entries - although she never actually kept a diary - and miscellaneous correspondence written by several of the characters.

I just finished listening to the audiobook version of The Trespasser by Tana French. It was so engaging that I'm having a hard time thinking about the next book to listen to. Tana French is a very different kind of writer than most crime writers. I have a question about the end of the book, if anyone has read it and remembers the end. Here is a really good New Yorker article about her: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...

Binti - Nnedi Okorafor – 4****
This is a coming-of-age story, an adventure, a buddy road-trip, and a space opera all in one small package. I loved Binti. She’s resourceful, mentally and physically strong, a loyal friend, a compassionate person, and a canny negotiator. Science fiction is not my favorite genre (understatement), but I might read more of this series.
LINK to my review

Sherry, you can PM me your question about The Trespasser and I'll see if I can answer it. I read the book when it was first published, but discussed it with a friend, so I remember it more than other works.

BC - Glad you liked Binti I certainly did. I think the author is a most interesting one unusual to find an African scifi writer. i also read and liked her short stories. I'm travelling so can't post the links

I enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and I'm looking forward to Moonglow.

But meanwhile, I decided I wasn't as interested as I'd hoped in Dan Mooney's demons in Me, Myself and Them. 2.5★
Link to my review

I finished Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and ended up really enjoying it.

Sherry wrote: "I just finished listening to the audiobook version of The Trespasser by Tana French. It was so engaging that I'm having a hard time thinking about the next book to listen to. Tana F..."

Good article--thanks for posting it. I've not gotten to the last two books in the series, although I know I will. I think they're great. Often depressing, but great.

I just finished Stone Song: A Novel of the Life of Crazy Horse by Win Blevins. Blevins wrote a lot of information about the spiritual side of Crazy Horse, but I found I could not connect to the character very much. I feel that the Indians have been treated horrifically, so this was at odds with how the character affected me in the story. I think Blevins made the book about 30% longer than it should have been repeating scenes many times to cover all the angles (spiritual, physical, emotionally, etc.). I did get a lot of information I didn't know about Crazy Horse and the Indians who were part of his story.

Gina wrote: "I just finished Stone Song: A Novel of the Life of Crazy Horse by Win Blevins. Blevins wrote a lot of information about the spiritual side of Crazy Horse, but I found..."

I don't know if you ever write reviews or not, Gina, but you should copy this to your review (if you haven't already) so other readers can get a sense of your reaction to the book. It helps when we're choosing what to read, and this would certainly be useful information!

Sadly, I'm obviously not the audience for The Girl from Munich by Aussie author Tania Blanchard.
Link to my brief notes

Under Fishbone Clouds - Sam Meekings – 3***
This is a love story and family saga set against the backdrop of 20th century Chinese history. We watch Jinyi and Yuying grow through their childhoods, courtship, early marriage, and mature years. Meekings also gives the reader insight into how the wars, Japanese invasion, and Mao’s Cultural Revolution impacted the people of China.
LINK to my review

Where the Trees Were ("were" being the operative word) by Aussie author Inga Simpson should embarrass all thinking Aussies.
4★ Link to my review

The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick – 5***** and a ❤
What a treasure! This inventive, unusual novel in words and pictures, won the Caldecott medal for illustration. The book is intended for children, but will delight adults as well. The story of Hugo, Isabelle and Papa Georges is enthralling, and kept me guessing. But the drawings … oh, the drawings! The reader really needs to spend some time pouring over these intricate illustrations.
LINK to my review

Loved Frank who saves people with music - vinyl only! - in The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce, who is well-known for another favourite of mine and others, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I'm happy to say Frank and his friends are equally wonderful characters.
4.5★ Link to my review of The Music Shop

If you're interested in Harold Fry, I gave him 5★
Link to my review of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Miss Jane by Brad Watson

I'd like to give this book a 3.5, but forced to choose I upped it to 4. Nicely written. Miss Jane herself a little too perfect (except for her disability) for me to wholeheartedly believe, and the enormous leap in time into the excessively feel good ending are what kept me from a 5.

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Loved Frank who saves people with music - vinyl only! - in The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce, who is well-known for another favourite of mine and others, [book:The Unl..."

Good to know about The Music Shop. I have it ahead of me and just moved it up on my kindle.

Sue wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Loved Frank who saves people with music - vinyl only! - in The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce, who is well-known for another favourite of mine ..."

Hope you like it as much as I do, Sue!

Had a couple of good reads recently, but this wasn't one of them. Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker. It did fill a challenge slot, though. :)
3★ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just finished No One Is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts. This book was listed by the Washington Post as one of their recommended Summer books, and is currently being discussed on Goodreads by the group Literary Fiction by People of Color. I gave it 4****. Here is my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Steve Berry's THE 14TH COLONY. Terrific! I thoroughly enjoy the Cotton Malone thrillers and this one did not disappoint. Another good audiobook for my morning walks. Scott Brick, the narrator, was easy to listen to.