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Post by scrubb on Jan 4, 2024 18:14:52 GMT -5
I've been waiting and waiting for someone to start the January thread. Now it's already the 4th and I can't wait any longer!!
I've finished 2 books:
1. Devil in a Blue Dress,by Walter Mosley I've heard of this as a bit of a classic in detective noir, and it meets that description. I think it's the first in a series about Easy Rawlins, a private detective in LA.
He's black and it's the '50s. He fought in WW2, then came back to segregation and racism. This context and setting make it an interesting twist on the usual noir detective stories. It was good.
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Post by Liiisa on Jan 4, 2024 18:20:51 GMT -5
Thank you scrubb!
I've still got 140 pages to go on "Our Share of Night," which yikes.
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Post by scrubb on Jan 4, 2024 18:21:56 GMT -5
2. The Cranes Dance by Megan Howry
This was on my goodreads "to read" list, but I can't remember where I saw it recommended, or by who. It's narrated by Kate Crane, a professional ballet dancer in NYC. It provides an interesting look into the life of a ballerina, and the dance community, but it's about mental health and family relationships, IMO, and not only in relation to being a ballerina.
Anyway, I found it very readable and I liked it.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Jan 4, 2024 22:42:17 GMT -5
Thank you Scrubb. I have 3 nearly finished.
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Post by Liiisa on Jan 5, 2024 6:25:52 GMT -5
1) Mariana Enriquez, Our Share of Night Just plowed on through the rest of it last night because I needed to find out the ending. The story of a couple and their child, the father of which is a powerful shaman for a murderous cult in tropical Argentina; he wants to protect the child from being manipulated by them the way he has been. The wealth and power of the cult members and their relationship with the Argentinian dictatorship makes it feel a bit like a metaphor for how wealthy people impose themselves on society in general. Very good and original, hard to put down. lillielangtry - you can forward that critique of the novel to me now! Next I'm going to read a history book about a medieval French village.
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Post by lillielangtry on Jan 5, 2024 9:03:48 GMT -5
1) Mariana Enriquez, Our Share of Night Just plowed on through the rest of it last night because I needed to find out the ending. The story of a couple and their child, the father of which is a powerful shaman for a murderous cult in tropical Argentina; he wants to protect the child from being manipulated by them the way he has been. The wealth and power of the cult members and their relationship with the Argentinian dictatorship makes it feel a bit like a metaphor for how wealthy people impose themselves on society in general. Very good and original, hard to put down. lillielangtry - you can forward that critique of the novel to me now! Next I'm going to read a history book about a medieval French village. www.theguardian.com/books/2022/oct/27/our-share-of-night-by-mariana-enriquez-review-political-horrorAnyone enthusiastic about reading this book may perhaps like to hold off on this review... I loved it and I very much admire the work of translator Megan McDowell, but I did have to laugh at this, especially the paragraph about what things are called.
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Post by Liiisa on Jan 5, 2024 12:39:22 GMT -5
Thank you! That’s funny — I found that the vagueness that she talks about added to the sense of otherworldly menace. (Plus this writer said “obviates the need for,” which is redundant.)
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Jan 5, 2024 18:19:50 GMT -5
1. A Book Signing to Die For, Judy Moore. Quite a good cozy mystery, set in a beach town in Florida.
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Post by sophie on Jan 5, 2024 19:41:37 GMT -5
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Second time around on this book.. first time I didn’t care much for it and probably raced through it. This time my book club chose it for this month’s read and I read it much slower. I liked it better but I still found it full of cliches.. don’t think there were many the author missed for the topic of poor kid from Appalachia.. add the opioid addiction caused by OxyContin and there’s the book. There is a glimmer of hope throughout because the main character is that kind of hopeful and the ending gives thought to positive possibilities. It’s been a long time since I read David Copperfield which this book apparently emulates so I didn’t see the commonalities. Considering the author and the acclaim the book has received, it’s probably recommended but be prepared for an over abundance of cliches.
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Post by Liiisa on Jan 5, 2024 19:53:59 GMT -5
sophie, thank you - another friend recommended it, but I was hesitant for some reason, and now I probably won't because there are SO MANY BOOKS
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Post by scrubb on Jan 5, 2024 22:49:41 GMT -5
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Second time around on this book.. first time I didn’t care much for it and probably raced through it. This time my book club chose it for this month’s read and I read it much slower. I liked it better but I still found it full of cliches.. don’t think there were many the author missed for the topic of poor kid from Appalachia.. add the opioid addiction caused by OxyContin and there’s the book. There is a glimmer of hope throughout because the main character is that kind of hopeful and the ending gives thought to positive possibilities. It’s been a long time since I read David Copperfield which this book apparently emulates so I didn’t see the commonalities. Considering the author and the acclaim the book has received, it’s probably recommended but be prepared for an over abundance of cliches. I thought it was definitely a flawed book, but I liked it more than you did. It really kept me reading and even though I agree that the main character had a very predicable storyline, and it felt like it was very contrived so that the author could make the points she wanted to make, I still appreciated the writing and the heart. And I got very attached to Demon.
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Post by whothingie on Jan 5, 2024 23:22:22 GMT -5
^ It's among my unfinished, couldn't really get into it books.
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Post by scrubb on Jan 5, 2024 23:56:17 GMT -5
Just finished #3) The Jungle South of the Mountain, by Andrew Westoll. Stanley is a capuchin monkey researcher in South America - Suriname, although the country isn't named. He and his wife started there together, but she left 7 years ago. He follows "his" troup of capuchins through the jungle, and occasionally meets up with the local men who look after tourists, smoke hash, and play a nutty version of football now and then. At first I disliked Stanley which put me off a bit, but the story was amusing and funny then, and as it became more serious he became more sympathetic.
It's clear that there was a tragedy when his wife left, that he doesn't let himself think about. And he's kind of going a bit mad. And then a harpy eagle comes to his neck of the woods and starts killing "his" monkeys.
After that, reality blurs a little. Mythology blends with politics and history. It's not completely clear what's real and what's not. Or at least, impossible things blend with reality.
I liked it quite a lot. It's another book that was on my "want to read" list on Goodreads that I have no idea where I heard about it, or from who.
ETA: Oh yeah, and the author is a primatologist who did his research in Suriname, so the science and the setting felt very authentic.
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Post by sprite on Jan 6, 2024 4:30:05 GMT -5
Western Lane, Chetna Maroo
From the Bookor list. finally, a novel that doesn't need six months to read--only 125 pages. After their mother dies, 3 sisters are taught squash by their father. One shows a gift, but the wider family doesn't think this is a suitable activity for a good Indian girl living in Britain.
It's told from the viewpoint of the youngest daughter, who has the ability. She seems to be about 13 or 14, and there's a lot of ellipsis; she describes events and conversations, and we have to read between the lines as adult observers. For example, there are comments about various squash champions, and whether they are from India or Pakistan.
I was a little surprised that although it's clear all the adults are immigrants (while the children are not), there's no hints of racism or culture clash. Or I just missed it.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Jan 6, 2024 6:45:28 GMT -5
2. The Teacher’s Secret, Suzanne Leal. Australian story set in a small town, about staff, students and parents of a local primary school. It touches on themes like child safety, friendship and leadership, as well as asylum seekers. The author is a lawyer, and I suspect the legal bits are slightly more authentic than some of the depictions of the school, which didn’t seem to have enough ancillary staff for a modern school.
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Post by lillielangtry on Jan 6, 2024 10:50:10 GMT -5
I had 2 books half-finished from last year.
Robert Galbraith (aka J. K. Rowling) The Cuckoo's Calling This was a Christmas present and is the first in a series. I wouldn't have chosen to read it but it's quite a good detective story. I would read the next one if I came across it, although I know the more recent ones are enormously long. Rowling's writing benefits from tough editing but she's too successful to get it, apparently.
Antoinette Tidjani Alou, Tina shot me between the eyes This collection of short stories by a Jamaican-born woman author is literally the only publication I could find in English from the West African country of Niger. The title made me think it was going to be really dramatic, but actually it's not. The best stories were quite subtle and dealt with religion, women's lives, etc. And not all with extreme poverty or domestic violence. I didn't like all of them but it's not a bad book.
The first real read of 2024 was Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker. It's about a young woman going to her childhood home to attend - or sabotage?! - her twin sister's wedding. This really ramps up the tension in the middle of the book and then it drops off again, which was a relief. The relationship between the twins is really interesting, though as Baker and I were/are both only children, I don't know how realistic it is - hopefully not! It's beautifully written but I had to keep skimming to get over the really tense parts.
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Post by sophie on Jan 7, 2024 10:53:35 GMT -5
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. Fantastic book!! Highly recommended. Both a family saga and a medical mystery, it’s set in Kerela (and a bit in Madras) starting at the turn of the last century. The writing is beautiful, the changing of the time and places is very gentle and measured.. no rough jumps screaming at the reader!! It was a book I didn’t want to end.
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Post by sprite on Jan 7, 2024 12:40:38 GMT -5
The Cut, Chris Brookmyre (audio)
Millicent is in her early 70s, and is planning to take her own life. She lives with her dead brother's dead husband's sister, who is kind and well-meaning but not at all like Millicent--who has just been released after serving 25 years in prison for the brutal murder of her boyfriend. She has no memory of doing this, and has spent 25 years assuming that she had done it while off her face on drugs. On what is to be her final night on earth, she sees a photo of her ex, taken two days after he died. Change of plans!
It's a sort of caper novel--she goes off on a tour of Europe, looking up old connections from the cult horror movie she had been working on just before she died. She's accompanied by Jerome, the film student who'd just moved into their house. Along the way, people try to kill them, and Jerome has to make up excuses for late assignments.
I enjoyed it, but it was far too long. 14 hours!
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Post by scrubb on Jan 7, 2024 14:54:49 GMT -5
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. Fantastic book!! Highly recommended. Both a family saga and a medical mystery, it’s set in Kerela (and a bit in Madras) starting at the turn of the last century. The writing is beautiful, the changing of the time and places is very gentle and measured.. no rough jumps screaming at the reader!! It was a book I didn’t want to end. That one is high up on my list - I really liked his earlier book (Cutting for Stone).
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Post by sophie on Jan 8, 2024 12:28:22 GMT -5
The Edge by David Baldacci. A good thriller in the author’s well paced style.. easy read involving good guys versus bad guys and a few bodies left in the wake of solving the issues.
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Post by scrubb on Jan 8, 2024 15:25:38 GMT -5
Revolutionary Road, by Richard Yates.
Written in 1961, set in the '50s, and the style reminded me of other American writers from that time - Mary McCarthy, maybe Saul Bellow, etc. It's about 2 damaged people who are married to each other. Most of the book is written from the husband's point of view, though it switches to a neighbour/friend's now and then, and to April's near the end for a bit.
They disdain American suburban culture, scoffing at it and despising those who want it - while they live it. But for Frank, his whole life is an act. Trying to be cool, basically. Being a rebel against ordinary life is how he became interesting as a young man so he has to keep it up. He's desperately insecure, I think. April is taken in by his act and thinks he really does want more/a different life, and blames herself for the fact that she got pregnant and "trapped" him.
One of the challenging aspects of the book is that no one is very likeable.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Jan 8, 2024 19:54:53 GMT -5
Interesting Scrubb. One of the reasons I hated Gone Girl is that none of the characters were likeable. For that reason, from your review, I wouldn’t choose to read Revolutionary Road.
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Post by Liiisa on Jan 8, 2024 21:31:41 GMT -5
Yeah, even if a protagonist is evil (like several of the books I've read lately, hmmm), I need a reason to hope they'll turn out ok.
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Post by lillielangtry on Jan 9, 2024 14:12:41 GMT -5
Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi, The Centre A young Pakistani woman, Anisa, lives in the UK and dreams of translating "real" literature rather than subtitling Bollywood films. She becomes involved with a man called Adam who seems to be an incredibly talented linguist - but when he learns perfect Urdu in a fortnight to meet her parents, she knows something is up. He lets her in on the secret of The Centre, an exclusive retreat where you can apparently absorb a new language to absolute fluency in 10 days. Anisa sees her ambition of translating serious German literature in her grasp. But how does it really work, and does she want to know?
The premise might sound like a thriller, and it is captivating, but it is also something of a slow burn and doesn't race along. I really, really liked it. For me personally (I know many people love R. F. Kuang and of course I'm happy for you!), this is the book I was looking for when I was disappointed by Babel and Yellowface - smart, contemporary, dealing with issues of language, colonialism, racism and class but without being too heavyhanded about it.
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Post by Liiisa on Jan 9, 2024 16:23:03 GMT -5
"I know many people love R. F. Kuang and of course I'm happy for you!)" - lol
Thank you lillie, that sounds really interesting!
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Post by sophie on Jan 9, 2024 19:40:14 GMT -5
I just ordered that book!
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Post by scrubb on Jan 9, 2024 21:47:53 GMT -5
5. Case Study, by Graeme Macrae Burnett. It was ok, but it's the 3rd of his that I've read and his style now feels formulaic/gimmicky. His schtick here is to introduce his story as a fictional author/narrator who has found a manuscript which he is presenting here, along with some research he has done into the subject of the manuscript. The first of his books that I read, "His Bloody Project", had a similar sort of style (documents from various sources being presented to weave a fuller picture) and it felt creative then. Now, 3rd book, not so much.
It had some good stuff, though - it's apparently a young woman's journals as she visits an infamous therapist in the 1960s, along with some background research into the therapist's life. In the journal she writes that she's seeing the therapist only because she believes he had something to do with her sister's death- her sister having been his patient. But she reveals herself to be psychologically "interesting", to put it mildly.
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Post by Liiisa on Jan 9, 2024 21:51:19 GMT -5
Just read my notes on "Case Study" from 2022 and it says "I found it quite absorbing" (but not that I loved it). I guess I'd find his earlier book more absorbing, then.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Jan 9, 2024 22:53:45 GMT -5
3. Winner Cake All, Denise Swanson, one of my favourite cozy mystery authors.
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Post by scrubb on Jan 9, 2024 22:57:54 GMT -5
Just read my notes on "Case Study" from 2022 and it says "I found it quite absorbing" (but not that I loved it). I guess I'd find his earlier book more absorbing, then. I just found my notes on his first one (Bloody Project) and I noted that the background was fascinating - set in a tiny village in Scotland (9 houses) during the time when crofting was common - the look at daily life then was a really good added component. Case Study showed the life of a well off young lady in London, but that wasn't particularly new or interesting and didn't add much.
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