Play Book Tag discussion

Obama’s Summer Reading List came out this week.

https://bookriot.com/barack-obamas-20...

I noticed that he provided a glimpse of his interest with this list and at the same time was quite eclectic. It would be fun to challenge the PBT members to develop their own list which provides a diverse glimpse at their reading interests. Let’s see yours.

Fun! Here is my Summer list of 4 and 5 star read,

Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842-by Nathaniel Philbrick

City of Dragons-by Robin Hobb

A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II by Lynne Olson

The Race for Paris byMeg Waite Clayton

The Monster's Bones: The Discovery of T. Rex and How It Shook Our World by David K. Randall

The Picnic: Recipes and Inspiration from Basket to Blanket by Marnie Hanel

The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay

The Convert by Stefan Hertmans

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl

Joanne wrote: "Fun! Here is my Summer list of 4 and 5 star read,

Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842-by Nathaniel Philbrick

[book:Ci..."

Wow! That was quick and really shows a diversity of reading .

My 4 & 5 star reads since around Memorial Day, starting with just finished:

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - Stephen King

Small Wonder - Barbara Kingsolver*

Murder for Christmas - Francis Duncan

The Narrowboat Summer - Anne Youngson*

Murder on St. Nicholas Avenue - Victoria Thompson

Suburban Dicks - Fabian Nicieza*

Oh William! - Elizabeth Strout

On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family - Lisa See*

A Master of Djinn - P. Djèlí Clark

The Red Garden - Alice Hoffman

Christmas on Mistletoe Lane Annie Rains

At Risk - Alice Hoffman

Murder at Melrose Court - Karen Baugh Menuhin

Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See

The Island of Dr. Moreau - H.G. Wells

Off the Leash - M.L. Buchman

Razorblade Tears - S.A. Cosby*

The Album of Dr. Moreau - Daryl Gregory*

The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne - Brian Moore

The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 - Rick Atkinson*

Clark and Division - Naomi Hirahara*

Foes, Friends and Lovers - Stephanie Laurens

Love, Death & Rare Books - Robert Hellenga*

While heavy on WPF authors, all books were already in my TBR Towers. I have had an unusually strong ratings run.

* = the 5 star reads.

Here are books that I have liked during the past few months.

Chilean Poet by Alejandro Zambra

When We Were the Kennedys: A Memoir from Mexico, Maine by Monica Wood

Love Marriage by Monica Ali

"Search" by Michelle Huneven

Such Big Dreams by Reema Patel

On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist by Clarissa Ward

My reading has slowed down so much this year. But these are the standouts for a variety of different reasons.

The Sentence - Erdrich

All the Seas of the World - Kay

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz - Larson

The Thirty Names of Night -Joukhadar

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep - Parry

The Summer Book Jansson

Jgrace wrote: "My reading has slowed down so much this year. But these are the standouts for a variety of different reasons.

The Sentence - Erdrich

All the Seas of the World - Ka..."

I loved The Splendid and the Vile and The Thirty Names of Night.

The Sentence is on my TBR and both the Uriah Heep one and The Summer Book sound good.

Holly R W wrote: "Here are books that I have liked during the past few months.

Chilean Poet by Alejandro Zambra

When We Were the Kennedys: A Memoir from Mexico, Maine by Monica Wood..."

I loved On All Fronts and read it last year after seeing her in Afghanistan.

The Chilean Poet and Love Marriage have been on my radar.

I am by no means in a reading slump. I am reading an awful lot. It's just been a long while since I have had a decent 4 or 5. I'm growing desperate for one. I don't have a prediction for one anytime soon, given my upcoming list.

In the past couple of months I've had three exceptional books
News of a Kidnapping
To Paradise
Three Daughters of Eve

Amy wrote: "I am by no means in a reading slump. I am reading an awful lot. It's just been a long while since I have had a decent 4 or 5. I'm growing desperate for one. I don't have a prediction for one anytim..."

Amy, it doesn't necessarily have to be a list of what you are reading now, but a list of strong books which you feel is representative of your reading that you could recommend. It can even be upcoming books. For Obama, I wonder since the Summer isn't over, if he has read them all or if he plans to read them.

I've read all of these this year and most in the Summer, except one which I switched out the 12th of the series for the 1st. I think they are representative of my reading, but a bit more nonfiction to fiction ratio than I usually read to get in all my interests (after checking this year I5% of the books I've read have been nonfiction and in this list it is 20%:

Animals - American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West

Families (seems to be a trend for me this year - Flamingo

Medieval mystery - The Wayward Apprentice


Literati choice, suspense/ diversity - Portrait of a Thief

Historical Fiction - The Giver of Stars

Literary Fiction - longlist of Women's Prize for Fiction - Creatures of Passage

Cozy Historical MysteryA Quiet Life in the Country

Travelogue/feminism/historyWindswept: Walking the Paths of Trailblazing
Women

Literary fiction books about books/family - After Story

History - On Juneteenth

historical fiction journalism & photojournalism - The Race for Paris

Travelogue - slow travel/ nature/ envioronment - Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201-Mile Journey
Following the Monarch Migration

dystopia -The Displacements

Contemporary fiction - friendship/ slow travel - The Narrowboat Summer

literary fiction/historical fiction Animals - <Horse

I'll be back to edit.

For any of you as old as me, there was a cigarette commercial, saying, "Have you been smoking more lately and enjoying it less?" Sometimes I feel like that about reading. I have read a LOT these last few years (150-200 books compared to 75-100) because of being retired, pandemic canceling trips, and joining more groups and challenges. But not a lot more really excellent books. Those I recommend from this year are surprisingly varied:

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
Search
Migrations
Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition
Call Us What We Carry
Sea of Tranquility
Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: The Story of Schitt's Creek

Books I feel are representative of my reading and that I highly recommend. I limited the list to those I've read this year.

Fiction:

The Immortal King Rao by Vauhini Vara

The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason

The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman

A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne

The Master by Colm Tóibín

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

Sepharad by Antonio Muñoz Molina

Possession by A.S. Byatt

Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières

Non-Fiction:

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard

Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane

Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night by Julian Sancton

Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World by Simon Callow

There are a few more non-fiction I could recommend but I tried to stay away from the tomes.

Possession is one of my favorite reads. I recommend it all the time.

I really enjoyed Project Hail Mary and keep pushing it on my Feminerdy Book Club to read and discuss, as I think it is an interesting contrast to a book we read a few months ago, Dragonflight. Both have red spore threats from outerspace.

Theresa wrote: "Possession is one of my favorite reads. I recommend it all the time.

I really enjoyed Project Hail Mary and keep pushing it on my Feminerdy Book Club to read and discu..."

I would never have thought to compare those two books, Theresa. But you're right!

I have not read Dragonflight. Fantasy is not really my "thing."

Theresa wrote: "Possession is one of my favorite reads. I recommend it all the time.

I really enjoyed Project Hail Mary and keep pushing it on my Feminerdy Book Club to read and discu..."

Ooh ,mine too. But it can be daunting for those who weren’t lit majors.

Robin P wrote: "Ooh ,mine too. But it can be daunting for those who weren’t lit majors..."

I agree it is a dense and complex read but the payoff is worth it! I am not a lit major though, so it can be rewarding for others, too. (Just to encourage those who are not lit majors to read it). :-)