Constant Reader discussion

Lynn wrote: "I just finished My Friends by Fredrik Backman, which ended up being a real life-interrupter for me. It’s about art, artists, love, loss, grief, healing, friendship, coming of age, ..."

Oh Tamara - I envy that you are just embarking into My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry - I loved being in the world and emotions of that book!

Molly, I'm looking forward to it. I'll probably start it tomorrow.

Tamara - you'll have to report back on what your super power is when you've finished!

Molly wrote: "Tamara - you'll have to report back on what your super power is when you've finished!"

I'll try. I'm sure I have a super power somewhere. I must have misplaced it because I can't for the life of me remember where I put it.

I read Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan about the civil war in Sri Lanka in the 1980s. The novel won the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction. The novel is well-researched and documents actual events, many of which are horrific. I thought the novel was done well and worth reading, although I found the narrator's voice a little long-winded at times.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I learned so much about the Sri Lankan civil war from 1983 to 2009, and the terrorist group Tigers, that I'm glad I read this. As usual, the Tigers started for the good of the oppressed people but ended up being just as corrupt and brutal in torturing and killing the citizens. I also recommend this book.

I finished two books that have been getting some attention as possible nominees for the Booker Prize, and enjoyed both:

This is a "slice of life" story of a small group of people living at the fringes of poverty. It one is not a cheery book but if you enjoy stories of "found family" and unlikely friendships, it definitely fits:
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong - 4* - My Review

This one involves a quasi-time travel to a region "made of time" where people from different eras can meet. The protagonist encounters three (real) philosophers from the past. It is creative and thought-provoking, especially regarding “othering,” migration issues, and history repeating itself:
The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien - 4* - My Review

Joy D wrote: “This is a ‘slice of life’ story of a small group of people living at the fringes of poverty. It one is not a cheery book but if you enjoy stories of ‘found family’ and unlikely friendships, it definitely fits:
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong—4*—My Review”

The way I loved On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, this one went right onto my TBR as soon as I heard of it.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did, spoko.

Since we're now into July, I've set up a new thread for this discussion during July and August. This thread will be closing soon, so please continue your discussion of current reading in the new thread. Happy summer reading!