What Are We Reading, Page 20

What's everyone reading for Spooky Season?

I finished The Book Eaters and recommend it as a Halloween read, although it is definitely fantasy and may not appeal to some members. It is not a graphic, gory type of horror, but there are some violent scenes. I really enjoyed the characterizations and the way that the author dealt with somewhat familiar tropes in a different way.

That out of the way, I've moved on to The Frozen River. I was unsure that this was the book on my wishlist when I found it because there seem to have been so many books entitled "The _____ River" recently. Also because it is historical fiction which I don't read very much of for some reason. But I'm well into this one and enjoying women's issues in the 18th century Massachusetts, District of Maine.

@LynnB I gave Isola 5 stars. I hope you like it.
>1 vwinsloe: I gave Gideon the Ninth 3.5 stars and felt no desire to continue the series. The Book Eaters is a much better read.
Last month, I read a biography of Octavia Butler, Positive Obsession by Susana M. Morris and was so impressed I decided to reread most of her work. Butler, like Proulx is so depressing that I almost cringe when I start reading one of her books, knowing what's coming. However, I thought knowing more about Butler would make me better able to withstand her view of the world. First of all, knowing she was 6 feet tall made her characters more understandable, and Morris casually refers to her neurodivergence as if it were common knowledge. She did have a strong need for solitude, living and traveling alone, and she seemed to have difficulty with romantic relationships. Morris mentions a few attempts at sexual relationships with men and also states that when a science fiction buddy of hers asked if she was gay she said, "I guess so." To me, that meant she didn't feel a need to label her sexuality and also had little need to pursue sex. I think most of what I gained from the book was an appreciation of Butler's genius and her devotion to her craft. She worked temp jobs, manual labor, to support her writing, which she devoted hours of every day to. Having little money, sometimes she had to pawn everything she had including her typewriter just to get by. She traveled to the south (alone) to do research for Kindred. I thought she just sat down and wrote it out of her head, but she worked and worked and worked until she finally became the first science fiction writer to win a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship grant. Then life became easier. She worked just as hard, but she was able to devote all that work to writing rather than subsistence. trump has also helped me appreciate her genius because at last I can see what she knew all along - that people who let their destructive urges off the leash could tear down a whole society.
My first foray back into the Butler universe was Parable of the Sower, which, I think, was the book that turned me off her work before. The society she describes is so bleak. I was like a couple of the characters in the book, Corazone and Harry, who kept trying to convince her to trust people, to call the police or fire department when things go wrong, and to believe that the government still worked. I just finished Kindred, next up will be Fledgling then much of the Paternmaster series. The only series I won't revisit is Xenogenesis because it was the one series I loved unreservedly, and I reread it last year. Oh, I'm also watching the Hulu series of Kindred. I don't know why the Butler estate allowed this to be made since it diverges so widely from the novel she worked so hard to complete.

>2 Citizenjoyce: Thanks for posting about Positive Obsession. For some reason, I had not become aware of it before, but it's on my list now. You also reminded me that I have never read Wild Seed and the rest of the Patternist series either. Perhaps after the biography, since I find Octavia Butler's writing to be more enigmatic than depressing.

I'm reading Quarry by Catherine Graham

>2 Citizenjoyce: Adding Positive obsession to my wishlist. I need to read more of Butler's work, and would like to know more about her life.

I finished The City in the Middle of the Night which I enjoyed much more than I did Charlie Jane Anders's fantasy novel The Birds in the Sky. Still, her characters are hard to like and her prose Just doesn't flow for me.

Now I'm fairly deep into reading Tell Me Everything. It's interesting how Elizabeth Strout is reintroducing the characters from her other books and reminding the reader who they are in such a concise way while moving the plot forward at the same time.

I'm reading The Language of Sisters by Cathy Lamb

>7 LynnB: I have never heard of that author, but the subject matter of that book sounds interesting. I'm putting it on my wishlist. Thanks.

My goodness it's been quiet in here.

I finished Tell Me Everything which I was slightly disappointed in. I got the sense that the characters were forced together to perhaps be a grand finale for the Crosby, Maine books.

I really enjoyed Julia: A Retelling. If enjoy is the right word. Having also read Prophet Song a few months ago, I have been doing a lot of thinking about surviving a totalitarian regime. The lack of individual choice (as opposed to freedom) seemed to be a theme in both, although in different ways. Both were emotionally difficult reads.

Now I've started Orbital, which promises to be quieter and more meditative.

What's everyone else been reading?

I've finished the first 3 books of the Tails from the Alpha Art Gallery series - Love Bites, Love Sucks, and Love Lies by Cynthia St. Aubin. They're really too cutsey for me with lots of hot, slippery romance and sexual stereotypes, but I was addicted. There are famous old writers, painters, and actors who are werewolves or vampires. It's the season that I can't resist that stuff, and they're fun.

>10 Citizenjoyce: Now that's the kind of thing that I SHOULD be reading right now.

I'm starting The Wedding People by Alison Espach

I'm reading The Lighthouse by PD James, an Inspector Dalgliesh mystery. James writes beautifully and despite there not being a lot of action, I'm pulled into into the little world of Combe Island where a mysterious death is being investigated. The atmosphere and half-truths create a great suspens.

>12 LynnB: I've seen some good reviews of that one.

>13 Cecilturtle: I've only ever read her Children of Men, but I'm not a big fan of mystery or police procedurals.

I am having such difficulty concentrating lately! I haven't even attempted to read the nonfiction books on my TBR for that reason.

I've finished Orbital, the standout feature of which for me was the rhythm. While reading it, I got the feeling of slowly revolving around and around which must have been the author's intention. In any event, I wish that I had had the focus to read more of it all at once.

Given my current state of distraction, I searched my TBR shelves for something that might capture my attention more fully, and I settled on The Gate to Women's Country which has been on my shelf so long that the cover came unglued when I took it off.

>15 vwinsloe: The Gate to Women's Country was my introduction to Sheri Tepper. That was back when most of my reading was by eye, and I read several of her novels. Now Gate is the only one on audio, which is how I do most of my reading, so I probably won't catch up on the ones I missed. You're starting with a good one.
I'm not a big fan of short stories since most collections are hit or miss, but I found Bloodchild to be an incisive distillation of Octavia Butler's work. She says that when writing a story about a virus that destroys humanity's ability to communicate verbally, she was feeling particularly disturbed by the human condition. That feeling comes through in all her work, but for some reason, I thought I was the only one affected by it. Then, in a story about a woman whom God has commanded to change the world in a way that improves humanity, the character finds there are so many interwoven variables that she can't do it. That's Blutler's position. As a writer, she is the god of her novels, but she still can't create anything like a utopia.
I read the first of Val McDermid's Inspector Karen Pirie novels, The Distant Echo, and am now listening to the second, A Darker Domain. I find I love police procedurals set in Ireland and Scotland. I watched the first two seasons of the British production of her novels and am so disappointed. Her writing is good, but why do they need to mess it all up to produce it on TV?

>13 Cecilturtle: I read A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings after your post last month. Omigosh, >15 vwinsloe:, you were right to think it would be too disturbing. This girl-woman had every opportunity to avoid marriage to an abuser, at least to this particular abuser, yet she thought she could be such a good christian, she could make it work. It's a very difficult read.

>16 Citizenjoyce: The Gate to Women's Country is not my first Sheri Tepper. I read The Margarets within the last couple of years. I liked it and someone here recommended The Gate to Women's Country and several others of her books. You are right that this is a good one!

>17 Citizenjoyce:, >18 vwinsloe: Tepper is one of my favourite authors, I've read most of her books over the years. Grass is a classic.

Yesterday I went to see this exhibition about Ursula Le Guin and her work. As well as the maps, which formed the main exhibit, there were also some of her original landscape paintings and sketches. I've ordered the accompanying book for the library where I work, so I will borrow that when it arrives. Now I want to reread all of Le Guin's books.

>17 Citizenjoyce: So disheartening to think this still happens today

>18 vwinsloe: I really enjoyed The Gate to Women's Country. The entire Arbai trilogy is also excellent. Sideshow was my favorite of the three but Grass is a great start to the trilogy. A stand-alone Tepper that I really liked is Six Moon Dance. Loved the premise of that one. I read The Margarets last year and liked it. The only one I've read that I didn't really enjoy was The Fresco, (thought it was too heavy-handed and preachy).

>19 Sakerfalcon: I think that Grass will be my next one. Thanks. Every year during holiday sales, I get myself a few used books that I can't find in stores. The LeGuin exhibition sounds fascinating. What is the title of the accompanying book?

>21 ScoLgo: I will add those to my Tepper wishlist. Thanks.

Once again, I have to thank our glorious leader, especially during his second term, for my enjoyment of a book. I love Denise Mina and have read all her Alex Morrow novels, but The Good Liar is different. I'm usually not fond of novels that are long, unsatisfying lead-ups to a good ending, and I would have put Liar in that category. The lead is long and complicated, involving both upper-class Brits with their OBEs and titles that mean nothing to this American and a druggie who skillfully condemns her loved ones for their faults while forgiving her own. But the very successful use of sticks and carrots to achieve the goals of the rich while plodding to a will she or won't she end is ultimately successful. The reader is gradually led to understand just how successful that tactic is. This is a book meant for this time in history.

>22 vwinsloe: The catalogue is titled The word for world: The maps of Ursula K. Le Guin

I'm reading Snow Road Station by Elizabeth Hay

>24 Sakerfalcon: Thank you.

I'm reading Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

>27 LynnB: I read Big Little Lies many years ago and enjoyed it. I don't know why I haven't gotten back to any other of Liane Moriarty's novels. I hope that one's good.

I've read and enjoyed Severance. I assumed it was the basis for the TV show (which I haven't watched but it sounded interesting). This is not the case. This book is set during and after a disease epidemic that has shut down the US and most of the world. Candace left NYC and was found by a group of survivors and now these former office workers are doing their best to survive. We see flashbacks to Candace's life as a corporate drone, in charge of project managing the publication of special edition Bibles, her relationship with her freelancer boyfriend, and her childhood with her Chinese parents after they immigrated to Utah. Considering the book was published in 2019 it is eerily prescient, mirroring the spread of Covid and the world's response to it. The book is an ironic look at corporate and consumer culture, middle class values, the immigrant experience, and how people react when the world falls apart. Candace isn't always sympathetic - she definitely has a sense of entitlement and carelessness - but this makes her journey all the more interesting. There's an pertinent scene where she and her boyfriend are talking, and he is criticising her for her commitment to a corporate job, instead of being footloose and independent like him. Candace makes the very good point that he's far from independent when he relies on mooching off other people's internet to get online, and similar such workarounds. This scene boosted my liking for Candace considerably.

I'm reading A City on Mars: Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through? by Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith

>30 LynnB: This is on my TBR pile. Looking forward to your thoughts on it.

The Gate to Women's Country was spectacular, and I'm sorry that I waited so long to read it. I particularly liked the way that she honestly dealt with the manipulative tactics by men and the hormonal vulnerability of the young women. Published in 1988, I am surprised that this book is not as well known and widely read as The Handmaid's Tale.

I also read Clear which was wonderful, but I thought suffered a bit from lack of development of two of the three main characters. As fond as I am of the shorter, novella length, this is the obvious trade off.

Now I've begun She Who Became the Sun which is billed as historical fantasy, but 100 pages in, aside from the many silent hungry ghosts, I haven't found the fantasy yet.

>32 vwinsloe: Clear is a gut-punch of a novel. Just when you think you've heard about most of the cruelty humans can inflict on each other, something new presents itself. Who needs people when sheep can just take care of themselves? This is pre-AIing AI.

>33 Citizenjoyce: I worked with a woman who had a photo behind her desk taken of an eviction during the clearances in Ireland. It always provoked comment.

It was interesting to me that Clear used a form of photograph (tintype) as a plot point.

I've finished One by One by Ruth Ware. This is the second I've read by this author and she definitely has a knack for suspense. I found this one more plausible than The Woman in Cabin 10 but of course, it's a book for thrills not for realism (I would hope!)

I'm reading What is a Girl Worth? by Rachael Denhollander, which is about the abuse she suffered by the USA Gymnastics team doctor.

>36 LynnB: That's an amazing book. I know doctors can have big egos, but that guy's was blazing. What a shame so much talent was wasted on such a sadist.

>4 LynnB: I just finished The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott which you recommended back in April. What a great historical novel. Who knew the CIA actually got some things right by using literature to combat Soviet expansion and smuggling the original Russian language version of Doctor Zhivago back into the USSR (which had refused to publish it)? I loved the look at the "girls" in the CIA typing pool, the exposure of the "lavender scare", the depiction of life for women in the "great" phase of the USA, and the characterization of everyone. This will go down as one of my favorites. Now I have to read Doctor Zhivago. I loved the movie, back in the day, but it's time to go to the source.

She Who Became the Sun did not match my expectations. It was more magical realism than fantasy, and the protagonist had no redeeming motivation. This is one case in which I am glad that I didn't wait to read until I owned the sequel.

Wild Dark Shore, on the other hand, was pretty spectacular. It was a more popular mystery/thriller sort of read than her previous book Migrations which was slow and bleak and gradually led to its unforgettable conclusion. Wild Dark Shore was also about climate change, but it addressed the personal issues of whether or not to have children in these times, complicated grief, trauma, love and death. That's a lot right? Some reviewers called it melodramatic, but if it is, it is melodramatic in the same way as classical tragedy. The setting of the novel is unique, as is Charlotte McConaghy's powerful descriptions of it. Highly recommended.

I'm reading Daydreams of Angels, short stories by Heather O'Neill

>40 LynnB: I liked Lullibies For Little Criminals so I bet this one would be good. I hope it comes out in audio.

>41 Citizenjoyce: It was published in 2015. So far, I'm enjoying it. And, so far, my favourite Heather O'Neill book is When We Lost our Heads

I'm reading The Difference by Marina Endicott

>43 LynnB: That one looks interesting.

I just finished Everfair which has been on my TBR for a very long time. It was a really interesting alternate history of the Belgian Congo, written as steampunk fantasy. There were so many ideas crammed into this book, and so many characters, that as intensely interesting as it was, I could only appreciate it, and not truly enjoy reading it.

So now I have started Little Monsters which I know very little about other than it is a contemporary family drama set on Cape Cod.

Little Monsters was surprisingly good, for a book that I hadn't heard of. It was unquestionably feminist, but explored difficult themes with compassion. The dysfunctional family that is centered consists of a father with bipolar disorder who was the caregiver for his children after the death of their mother. The father is now 70 years old, and his son is a successful real estate developer and his daughter is an artist. The novel is set entirely in 2016, and it ends shortly before the election, which adds a dimension to the story.

I'm re-reading Chocolat by Joanne Harris for a book club.

>46 vwinsloe: Little Monsters looks weird but interesting.

>48 Citizenjoyce: It's really not weird at all. It has contemporary themes, and probably even more topical now than when it was published in 2023 because of Trump's reelection and the recent Epstein revelations. The novel deals with casual sexism and baked-in patriarchy very well, without ever being preachy. Never at all graphic, but it probably should have a content warning. If you can get it, I think that you would like it.

>49 vwinsloe: Fortunately, Libby has it in audiobook, so I can get it.

>50 Citizenjoyce: Great! Let me know what you think once you get to it.

I'm reading Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall

I'm reading Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. I'm enjoying the themes but I don't like when personality quirks are mistaken for character development. I'm halfway through the book and I'm still waiting for Elizabeth to evolve in some way.

>53 Cecilturtle: I liked the book. It was made into a series streaming on Apple TV. Elizabeth is perfect in every way and angry. I don't think she was supposed to develop but to show the misogyny and racism that existed at that time, and maybe give a little bit of a wake-up call to people who think that time is over.

>53 Cecilturtle: >54 Citizenjoyce: I read Lessons in Chemistry, reluctantly, for a book club and ended up liking it.

Why didn't I hate this book? It has a lot of things I usually come down quite hard on: two dimensional characters, lots of coincidences, a humanized animal. I think that these things bug me when an author does them unintentionally. In this case, Ms. Garmus has chosen to deal with the issue of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace in an unusual style. She writes at a fast pace, with lots of wit and some laugh-out-loud humour. She knows what she's doing, and her plot, characters and style align in a way that works.

I think SixThirty functions as a Green chorus. For some reason, I empathized with his inability to become what others wanted him to be (a bomb detector). Like I said, the author made all the "quirks" in this novel work.

So, go ahead and read this as a light read about a single mom struggling with her career and strange child. There's a lot of humour which makes the book an enjoyable read. But the serious issues are there for those who want to, or can't help but, see them. A "beach read" doesn't leave me with much to think about. This book did.

>53 Cecilturtle: I liked it enough to write a review, which I rarely do.

>54 Citizenjoyce: >55 LynnB: >56 vwinsloe: thanks for your perspectives!

I'm like you, Lynn - I don't like all the things you don't either. I can definitely appreciate the themes, and I'm sure none of it is exaggerated which is terrifying (I remember attending a conference of women in science in the 1970s and it was frightening what they had to contend with). I just don't relate to Elizabeth, I guess: she feels robotic, too Quixotic, too relentless.
Anyway, I'm 3\4 done. I'm enjoying the story. I just don't love the book as much as I hoped I would.

>56 vwinsloe: Your point about the Barbie movie is a good one, Valda. As men glorify the perfect 1950s through an artificial lens of nostalgia (MAGA movement and others), women are quick to point out it wasn't necessarily the case for women under the polished veneer.

I just found this group and joined. I finished reading Bridget Jone's Diary. I also posted this in my book review with a quite from the novel but it didn't work. This is one of the moments made me laugh.

I've been on a mostly fantasy and romance kick this year, and I'm trying to push myself to write reviews right after I've finished so I can get all of those fresh opinions out. I do love to nitpick, but it's all in good fun. I hope to look back on every book fondly.

Partner and I thought it'd be fun to listen to something smutty on airpods while we raked the leaves... maybe it was fate that Ice Planet Barbarians was available. We made it halfway through, and I think I'll finish it! Perfectly serviceable and fun smutventure.

>60 yolklor: I hadn't heard of Ava Reid before. I'll check her out.
I've descended into complete escapism, reading mostly fantasy or police procedurals lately. I've started another series Twisted Luck by Mel Todd who has her own publishing company, Bad Ash Publishing. The novels I've read so far: My Luck, Hired Luck, and Educated Luck are about the typical poor put-upon underdog with a sad self-image who finds out she has almost unlimited power. Gosh, I wonder why any woman in trump's America would want to read that. The style is pretty YA, very simple to read, except when she delves into the specifics of how magic works; then she loses me. When a person is found to have strong magical powers, she is vigorously encouraged by the government to get a college degree, at least a bachelor's, and the stronger the magic, the higher degree suggested. The government pays for her education, but then she must enter a draft in which she owes the government years of work to repay the cost. Even when I go on to other books (Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey by Lillian Schlissel, which is excellent), I can't get Cori, her friends, and their world out of my mind. There are 8 books in the series, and I imagine I'll finish them all.

>61 Citizenjoyce: I've definitely been reading more fiction (SFF and literary) and less nonfiction lately. Now I'm reading books from my TBR that are paperback or small enough to read with one hand. My dog broke his foot, and I like to sit with him while I read.

>62 vwinsloe: Oh, I'm so sorry about your dog. I took my dog in for a pedicure and ended up with a $1000 growth removal. They do steal our hearts and pocketbooks.

>63 Citizenjoyce: Thanks. It's been a log haul. He had surgery on Oct 22, and it's now over 5 weeks in a splint. He doesn't go back again for x-rays until the third week of December, and then we are hoping that he won't need so much confinement. It's been hard on everyone.

In the meantime, I finished The Memory Collectors which I don't recommend. I found the premise interesting, but the novel turned out to be more like a B movie thriller.

I am reading Disappearing Earth now. It's pretty bleak- about the clash of native indigenous culture and Russians, on the far east coast of Russia, about the time that the Soviet Union is breaking up. It's also about the uneasy miscegenation of men and women in these groups. This is one of those books that keeps my interest mostly because of the geography. I recently read The Fox Wife which took place where Japan, Korea and Russia meet. It's an area of the world that I never though much about.

>64 vwinsloe: My heart goes out to your poor baby. They don't realize that all this pain, discomfort, and confinement we inflict on them is for their well-being. I feed feral cats in my front yard and just had 3 of them trapped, neutered, and released. One of them, a big gray, is probably the mother of most of the rest of my feeders. If she understood, she would be happy not to keep pumping out those kitties, but she hasn't been back since she was released. I'm sure she'll get over it in time, but right now she just knows that she came to my house and got hurt.

>65 Citizenjoyce: That's wonderful that you are doing that. Feral cats are survivors, and the very instincts that led her to leave after her trapping and spaying are undoubtedly keeping her alive.

I'm reading The Last Sane Woman by Hannah Regel

>64 vwinsloe: Disappearing Earth has been on my TBR pile for ages. Maybe your comments will push it nearer the top.

I'm currently reading The princess of 72nd Street, which is a short novel that takes us into the head of a woman experiencing extreme manic depression. During frequent hallucinatory "radiances" she experiences joy and liberation from unsatisfactory, demanding men and the mundanity of everyday life. In her mind she is the titular princess, bestowing her presence on her adoring subjects. But returning to reality when she comes down shows matters in a very different light. So far the book is sharp, funny, disturbing and strongly feminist.

>68 Sakerfalcon: That looks good. I worked with a woman who was bipolar. When she was manic, she was great: energetic, charismatic, and fun. When she was down, she just seemed like a regular person, from the outside, but probably not from her perspective. She finally, after years of trying, got her meds adjusted correctly and was very happy about it, but her husband divorced her. He liked the "up" girl.

>69 Citizenjoyce: Finished last night and it was a very good read. Ellen the protagonist is basically like your acquaintance, and the book is like being in her head. It's also a critique of who is viewed as "mad" - spoiler, women not men. Sadly, in her "up" periods, she is abused by men who take advantage of her lack of inhibitions I think you'd find it an interesting read and I'd love to know what you think about it if you read it.

Now I've started There's something about a convent girl, which is a collection of short reminiscences from women about their education at convent schools, mostly in the mid-C20th.

>68 Sakerfalcon: Disappearing Earth is not an easy read for a variety of reasons. The content is full of abuse and vileness by men against women. The story is told through several vignettes with different characters, all of whom have complicated Russian and/or indigenous names. The author did provide a list of characters in the front of the book, but I still mixed them up. The characters slightly overlap and the vignettes lead to a satisfying conclusion. I gave it 4 stars but it is well worth reading, both to learn a bit about that part of the world, but also because of the themes of mothers and daughters and the value of community.

I've put The Princess of 72nd Street on my wishlist. Thanks.

I'm deep into murder mysteries with Mort à la Fenice by Donna Leone and Grey Wolf by Louise Penny. Also, I wish women would write more about women sleuths.

Finished a retell of Meadea and Jason, No friend to this House by Natalie Haynes.

>2 Citizenjoyce: I didn't even know a bio of Butler existed. Just placed a library request!

In my reading with one hand adventure, I read A Deadly Education. I don't usually like YA, and although this employs well worn plot lines, the trappings are creative enough that I enjoyed it.

Then I got an Early Reviewer book that I loved. I hadn't done Early Reviewers for a couple of years, but Cecile Pin's first book has been on my wish list forever, so I figured that I'd put in to Early Reviewers for her second. I'm glad that I did because it is only about 250 pages, could be read with one hand, and is really, really good. I'll just attach the review rather than repeat myself here. I don't think that it is out until March, 2026.

>75 vwinsloe: I read Wandering Souls earlier this year (purely on a whim because the author and I share a first name!) and found it very moving. I suspect that it is inspired by her own experience/community.

>76 Cecilturtle: I should definitely read it. Thanks.

>75 vwinsloe:, >76 Cecilturtle: I too read Wandering Souls and loved it. I hope I remember to look for Celestial Lights when it comes out.
>73 AnishaInkspill: Natalie Haynes is a literary treasure. I'll have to get No friend to this House when it's in my library.
I've read some books that had me pretty riled up lately. Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice by Virginia Roberts Giuffre is about Giuffre's exploitation by Epstein. As she repeatedly spoke out against him, she received messages from men who said she was being paid, so she had nothing to complain about. Epstein and Maxwell were very good at what they did; they found teenage girls who were so psychologically broken and/or so poor that they found it hard to resist their advances. Giuffre had been sexually abused by her father from a young age (with her mother's determined ignorance of the fact). He also "shared" her with a friend of his. She was perfect for Epstein's use. I think the people who emphasize that she, and the other abused girls, were paid are the same kind of people who defended Weinstein by stating that the actresses he abused got great careers because of him. The idea is that women and girls have lovely bodies and various holes that are not being properly utilized. Let the men who know how to make proper use of them have at it. (The idea behind colonizers everywhere.)
Then I read Liberating Abortion: Claiming Our History, Sharing Our Stories, and Building the Reproductive Future We Deserve by Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone. They examine the difficulties of "pregnancy capable people" (a term that always rankles me) in obtaining the reproductive care they need. Their examples and arguments are cogent, but are diminished by their insistence that women cannot achieve reproductive justice until the abolishment of the police force, prisons, and capitalism. Since that's never going to happen, and alienates people who would empathize with and be active in the cause, I think such an argument is harmful. If we're going to go for the ideal, then can't we work for an ideal in which police act to protect all people, prisons rehabilitate, and capitalism doesn't equal unfettered greed? What saved the book for me was the ending which gives step-by-step instructions for obtaining an abortion. This information is invaluable and would save many women from the despair of not knowing what to do next.
On a brighter note, I read and loved Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures by Katherine Rundell. Yes, these creatures are endangered, sometimes intentionally by people who want to monetize the ones who remain, but they are wo extraordinarily beautiful that it was uplifting to read of their existence.

I'm about halfway through with Rodham which I think was mentioned here by @citizenjoyce several years back. I wasn't ready to read it when it came out, but it is well done. I'm sure that's the way the author set it up but I was really rooting for Hillary to dump Bill Clinton pretty early in the book.

I will read Nobody's Girl eventually.

I've recently finished a few books that were pretty good: Starry, Starry Night by Shani Mootoo, The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier and The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

>80 LynnB: I gave The Immortalists an excellent review but only 3.5 stars. I don't know why. Let us know what you think.

>80 LynnB: & >81 Citizenjoyce: I gave The Immortalists 4 stars, so I must have enjoyed it, but I cannot now remember anything about it, even after reading the descriptive blurb. Weird.

I am now reading Woman on the Edge of Time, considered a classic of feminist SFF. It's a 1976 mass market paperback with tiny print, but I am finding it very interesting so far.

>82 vwinsloe: Woman on the edge of time is a great, albeit harrowing, read. The portrayal of mental health perception and treatment in women of colour is so powerful and disturbing.

>83 Sakerfalcon: Thanks. I read The Woman They Could Not Silence this year, and it was startling to me how easily women could be institutionalized and held against their will. It could only be much worse for a poor woman of color. Woman on the Edge of Time also includes the involuntary sterilization of the protagonist, a Chicana in NYC. That sort of thing was not uncommon in the US, particularly among indigenous women, up until the 1970s, so I'm sure it was top of mind for Marge Piercy.

I'm reading A History of Burning by Janika Oza which has been on the TBR shelves for a while.

>85 LynnB: That one looks interesting. I don't believe that I've read anything about Ugandan people, and it is timely, what with the recent election of Zohran Mamdani as Mayor of NYC.

>86 vwinsloe: The story centers around the Asian (mostly Indian) minority in Uganda and what happened to them when Idi Amin took power.

>87 LynnB: That sounds good. The new Mayor of NYC is also a Ugandan of Indian descent. I wonder whether his family's immigration story is similar. Do you recommend A History of Burning?

>88 vwinsloe: I'm half-way through and enjoying it so far.

>89 LynnB: On my list. Thanks.

I just finished the delightful The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett and had a good laugh.

I'm currently struggling with Long Island Compromise. It's amusing, and, in some places, laugh out loud funny, but I'm having trouble with the vicious portrayal of American Jews using the worst possible stereotypes. I'll probably soldier on a bit, since this book seems to have achieved some popular and critical acclaim. I hope that it redeems itself somehow.

I'm starting the year with a true crime story: I Got a Name: The Murder of Krystal Senyk by Eliza Robertson

>92 vwinsloe: I have that one on my "wish list". I had mixed feelings about her earlier book, Fleishman is in Trouble. I really liked aspects of it, but had problems with other aspects. Have you read it?

I’ve just started the new year with Snake-eater by T Kingfisher. If there’s such a genre as cosy horror, this would fit perfectly. It’s the story of a young woman and her dog who are fleeing a bad relationship and find themselves in a tiny desert town. Selena is horrifically insecure having been gaslighted for years by her partner, so she can hardly believe it when things seem to be working out for her. But the desert is full of spirits, one of whom takes a sinister interest in Selena. I loved this so much. It included so many of my favourite things - heroine finding her confidence, found family, weird desert town, humour. Even the snake didn’t trigger my phobia. A great read.

>94 LynnB: I have Fleishman is in Trouble on my TBR, but I have not read it. I think that I picked it up because @citizenjoyce liked it. It may be better than Long Island Compromise which I thought was bloated and kind of mean in the first two thirds. The final third moved more quickly as the plot came together and made more sense. But there isn't a likeable character in the book, so it is hard to say that it was worth it.

>95 Sakerfalcon: I've been thinking of you since I just started The Book of Love, which, if I recall correctly, you said was worth the 640 pages. I've only really just begun, but I am intrigued.

I haven't read any T. Kingfisher, but I definitely should. Thanks for mentioning this book.

Starting I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. I've never heard of her but I received it for my xmas book exchange and I'm looking forward to it based on the glowing reviews I've seen. Happy reading and new year, all!

>97 amdial7: I liked I'm Glad My Mom Died more than I expected, and I knew nothing of the author or her tv series. I hope that you will like it, too!

Yesterday I did some deep dives of Black women who have written picture books to start off the year. Libby is such a great resource!

Loved Stephanie Seales' debut, My Daddy is a Cowboy. Also really loved the illustrations in Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons, which is a Caldecott Honor medal book. I'd previously read some of Lyons' young reader chapter books and plan to read more, but her picture books are also enjoyable.

>97 amdial7: My sister loves that book and keeps telling me I need to listen to the audiobook. I've never really seen the show she was on, but I've read about some of her story and the little bit I know was INTENSE.

>97 amdial7: >98 vwinsloe: >100 royallyreading: I read I'm Glad My Mom Died in 2024.

I'd never heard of Jennette McCurdy nor seen any of her shows. I read this book because it was a book club pick. On balance, I found the book very disturbing, largely because I think it presents the author as being further along her healing journey than she is.

When writing about the abuse she suffered, Ms. McCurdy framed her mom as an angel, willing to make sacrifices for her daughter, rather than as the narcissistic abuser she was. Perhaps because children feel a strong need to be loved and protected by their parents? While this made me feel that the author was remaining willfully blind, the style also served to bring me into her reality as a child, for whom this kind of life was "normal".

I can't help but wonder if this book was the result of a therapist telling Ms. McCurdy to write about her life as a therapeutic device, which she then realized could be monetized? I definitely feel she was not ready to tell her story completely and honestly. However, what was lost from the author being unable to bring a deeper perspective to her life was made up for in the immediacy of her voice and understanding.

She has a long way to go. I wish her well.

On a related note, we need to call out and rein in parents who force children into acting. We need to sanction studios who keep child abusers around because of their money-generating potential, as well as punish the abusers themselves. Can we make good films and tv shows while not destroying the children involved? If not, we need to find alternatives....fast!

I'm reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt

>101 LynnB: California has a law known as the Coogan law that prevents parents from financially abusing their children in the entertainment industry. That law (which has also been adopted and expanded in California and other states) has some hours of work limits, as well as requiring that a portion of the earnings be put in a trust that the child can access at 18. Theoretically, this would reduce the financial incentive for a parent to abuse their child for their earnings, but I don't think that it goes far enough.

>103 vwinsloe: Interesting...thanks for telling me about the Coogan law. It's a start for sure.

>92 vwinsloe: I heard a podcast about the best TV shows of 2025. Both podcasters agreed on Long Story Short about a Jewish family and The Lowdown with Ethan Hawk as a truthteller. I haven't liked Hawk since his split with Uma Thurman, and the idea of an egoistic man acting as truthteller for all is a little nauseating. I started Long Story Short, and the characters were so off-putting that I had to stop before finishing the first episode. They're hypercritical all the while telling the new "girl" how much they like her. They reminded me of the Jewish family in the movie Uncut Gems. I think these movies are made by Jews for Jews, but yikes, they're too much for me.

>105 Citizenjoyce:, You are probably right that I am not the intended audience for things like Taffy Brodesser-Akner's books. It makes me very uncomfortable. I think that I will put Fleishman is in Trouble in my Little Free Library.

I'm reading The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Just started Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez and I’m hooked.

A collection of shorts Antarctica by Claire Keegan

>96 vwinsloe: I hope you're enjoying The book of love. When I started it I thought so much about the characters seemed pretentious that I wasn't sure I'd get into the story, but I did and ended up loving it.

I've just started Lessons in magic and disaster by Charlie Jane Anders, about a daughter who tries to teach her mother magic, but it ends up backfiring.

I'm reading Pick a Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa. It's an interesting exercise in contrast where an ex-boxer opens a nail salon. The protagonists are both mean, critical and sarcastic while loving their jobs and caring for each other. I'm curious to see how it will end.

>111 Cecilturtle: this looks very interesting, what a cool concept! thank you for putting this on my radar. : )

>112 yolklor: I hope you enjoy it. It's a short read but dense in emotion.

>110 Sakerfalcon: I guess I am enjoying The Book of Love. Good characters. Nice world building. I'm a little more than halfway through, and, unfortunately, it seems now to be relying on a shopworn macguffin plot device. I'll certainly carry on because there is a lot to like here, but I hope that there is a significant payoff in the end.

>106 vwinsloe: Here's another book that fits into that category but it's about Indians rather than Jews: The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny: A Novel
by Kiran Desai shows Indian parents as racist, classist, and cannibalistic of their children. The kids are "normal," but I can't imagine many people would find these intolerant parents to be at all sympathetic. One of the characters, Sunny, says he tries to counter his parents' racism against dark skinned people by saying terrible things about white people, thinking that makes him seem more sympathetic. Maybe some authors writing about their own ethnicity are compelled to write about all its flaws when presenting their people to the world.

>115 Citizenjoyce: It does seem fairly common. I was a first reader for a small publisher for a while, and I read a book about the Philippines that really seemed racist. When I mentioned this, the publisher told me that the author was Filipino so it couldn't be anti-Filipino. I still felt queasy about it. There is such a thing as self-loathing, and I don't know where the line is drawn. Thanks for the heads up about The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, which seems to be garnering critical acclaim.

I'm reading Valentine in Montreal by Heather O'Neill

I'm reading Who is Alex Trebek? by Lisa Rogak

I finished The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

I'm reading In Winter I Get Up at Night by Jane Urquhart

>120 LynnB: In Winter I get Up at Night looks really interesting. I added it to my wishlist.

I finished Careless People, and it was enlightening even for someone who has followed some of what has gone on in social media. The author starts out highly enthusiastic about the possibilities for Facebook, pitches herself a job there, and as she watches Facebook grow, she sees the corruption seep in before her eyes. There were many things that I didn't know, for example, the influence of Facebook which quashed the burgeoning democracy in Myanmar, as well as its intentional advertising to teenagers based on what they posted about their emotional states. It provided an interesting insight that a former Republican political operative was brought in as a director of global affairs, and he supported the lack of moderation regarding far right propaganda on Facebook. So there is no surprise that Facebook capitulated and cozied up to Trump.

Now I've just started reading Wandering Souls. I read Cecile Pin's Celestial Lights for Early Reviewers, and liked it enough to finally acquire Wandering Souls which was on my wishlist.

>120 LynnB: That looks fascinating.

>123 Sakerfalcon: Jane Urquhart is one of my favourite writers.

>122 vwinsloe: I watched some of the Senate hearings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbuBdHqYENM
They're impressive. Josh Hawley asked such pertinent questions that I was briefly misled into thinking he was interested in governing until he started veering off into Josh Hawley alternate reality.

>122 vwinsloe: I hope you like Wandering Souls - it was an unexpected hit with me last year.

>125 Citizenjoyce: Thanks for the link. I think that Sarah Wynn-Williams is very credible. It is astonishing to me that the US would go through the machinations that it did concerning TikTok when it has its own homegrown platform giving China all the data it wants.

>126 Cecilturtle: I am very impressed with Cecile Pin, and am awed by her artistry in weaving the various threads of Wandering Souls. I really admire authors who can expertly draw characters and create arcs for them as well as make an emotional impact in short books.

I'm starting Dancing with the Octopus: A Memoir of a Crime by Debora Harding

I've just finished reading Julia which is Sandra Newman's take on 1984 from the pov of the titular character. It's been several years since I read 1984 so I can't comment on how well it fits with the original, but I found Julia a dark and fascinating read. I appreciated the exploration of life as a woman in a totalitarian regime with almost total surveillance, and the limited ways in which a woman can find agency only to find that even those actions have been controlled and manipulated by the authorities. Julia herself is almost an anti-heroine, able to suppress her conscience and betray others to try to protect and advance herself. Yet she's sympathetic enough that you want her to survive and find freedom. This was an impulse read after I found a like-new copy in a charity shop, and I'm glad I succumbed.

Now I've started Death of the author by Nnedi Okorafor which I'm very much enjoying so far.

>129 Sakerfalcon: You seem to be following in my reading footsteps. I read Julia: A retelling last year and really enjoyed a woman's perspective in that dystopia. As time has gone on, I have appreciated it even more when I think back on it.

I've also started Death of the Author and it's extremely meta. Okorafor's use of simple language always disguises her serious themes.

Just finished Arthur Plantagenet: Henry VIII's Illegitimate Uncle by Sarah-Beth Watkins. Would recommend for some to the side British royal history.

I was trying to get through Katabasis because a lovely edition was gifted to me and I loved the concept, but it's incredibly wordy and exposition-heavy. I already understand that the characters are supposed to be insufferably smart and self-assured.. now make them do something!!

What I'm enjoying much more is Gogmagog , a wild little fantasy adventure following a ragtag team traveling by boat through a river infused with ghost dragon magic. I'm really enjoying the characters (curmudgeonly plant-woman pirate, a robotic butler, a child faerie, etc.) and imaginative setting.

Consumed in one day Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. What a fantastic read.

Started last night and finished this morning Weight by Jeanette Winterson. Great read from her per usual.

I'm reading Motorcycles I've Loved: A Memoir. Lily Brooks-Dalton's novel The Light Pirate was one of my top books last year, so I decided to read her memoir, which appears to be her first published work. The memoir is a bit rough in places, but you can really see the formation of her sparkling descriptive prose shine through. It was a good fit for me since I'm from New England and drove motorcycles. I don't know whether it would resonate with a wider audience.

I'm reading The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

>136 LynnB: The Correspondent was ranked very high on the LT Top Five list, and I've got it on my wishlist.

I just started The Names which was also up on the list. I knew little about it, and holy cow, I really needed a content warning for domestic violence. It is tagged that way on the book page, but I didn't look at that before I added it.

I finished and loved Death of the author. It didn't take me where I expected to go, which is always a good thing. Loved the focus on Igbo/Yoruba culture (clashes), the large quarrelsome family, food, and Zelu's outspokenness. Now I need to read some of the other books I own by Okorafor.

>138 Sakerfalcon: I was waiting for you to finish Death of the Author. I loved it, too. I've read a few of Nnedi Okorafor's books and liked them all, Death of the Author was the best so far, but Akata Witch was very good, and I don't usually care for YA.

I'm enjoying The Mad Wife by Meagan Church. "They called it hysteria. She called it survival."

I read I who have never known men recently and thought it was excellent. Very bleak yet also life-affirming. How do we carry on when we know that the world has ended? A short novel, beautifully written (and translated).

Every January I list a challenge to read from the "best of" lists for the past year. This year, I read 11 of them alongside my regular reading. Here's the list:

Amazon
https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/books-and-authors/best-books-amazon-2025
The Atlantic
https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/12/best-books-2025-ian-mcewan-han-kang/68....
Audible
https://www.audible.com/ep/best-of-the-year
Bookriot
https://bookriot.com/best-books-of-2025/
Booksmith
https://brooklinebooksmith.com/list/booksmith-top-100-2025
Chicago Review of Books https://chireviewofbooks.com/2025/12/17/the-best-books-we-read-in-2025/
Esquire
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/g63434730/best-books-2025/?utm_sourc....
Gizmodo Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror
https://gizmodo.com/sci-fi-horror-fantasy-authors-best-books-of-2025-2000694713
Google
https://blog.google/products/google-play/best-apps-games-2025/
The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/ng-interactive/2025/dec/06/the-best-books-of....
Indigo
https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/best-books-of-2025/
Libra.fm
https://blog.libro.fm/audiobooks-bookseller-favorites-2025/
LibraryThing
https://www.librarything.com/list/47206/Top-Five-Books-of-2025
Lit Hub https://lithub.com/the-best-reviewed-fiction-of-2025/
Men's Health Best Horror
https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/g63691038/best-horror-books-2025/
NPR
https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2025
New York Public Library
https://www.nypl.org/spotlight/best-books-2025
NYT 10 Best
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/books/review/best-books-2025.html
NYT 100 Notable Books
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/books/notable-books.html
The New Yorker
https://www.newyorker.com/best-books-2025
Pen America
https://pen.org/best-books-of-2025/
Powell's
https://www.powells.com/staff-picks/books-of-the-year
PBS
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/14-best-book-of-2025-according-to-these-expert....
Publisher's Weekly
https://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2025/top-10#book/book-1
Simon and Schuster
https://www.simonandschuster.com/p/best-books
Smithsonian
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-best-books-of-2025-180987789/
Time 10 Best
https://time.com/7333809/best-books-2025/
Time 100 Best
https://time.com/collections/the-100-must-read-books-of-2025/
Vulture
https://www.vulture.com/article/best-books-2025.html

Some of my reading for the month:
Death of the Author - another controlling ethnic family, by I enjoyed almost everything about it. (I also watched Marty Supreme, a movie that goes along with cringey depictions of ethnicity, this time Judaism. You won't fall in love with anyone here).
If you feel so over the top optimistic about the way life is going right now, two books will bring you right down. We Do Not Part by Kang Hang, who won the Nobel Prize and any other prize you could think of for this book, will bruise your soul, bones, and psyche in its depiction of human depravity and human attempts to overcome it. In Girls Play Dead, Jen Percy describes how it is physiologically normal for some women to freeze when attacked. (I have no doubt I'd be a freezer, which is why I have so much respect for heroines who don't, like Lisbeth Salander.) But then she describes women who stay in horrible relationships for years, and it's just too much.
To help recover from the above, I read Sky Daddy by Kate Folk about a woman who isn't a homosexual or a heterosexual, she an objectum sexual - she has romantic and sexual feelings for air planes, and she is willing to suffer any economic depravations in order to save evough money to afford a flight every month hoping to find the plan that will choose her as evidenced by its willingness to crash to the ground and kill them both. That might sound gruesome, but it's captivating. To emphasize her relationship with the inorganic, she works as an apprentice to AI for a firm that decides the appropriateness of social media posts. If she and the AI disagree on a particular post, the AI's judgment stands.

>142 Citizenjoyce: Thank you! I wait for your compilation every year, and refer back to it frequently.

>143 Citizenjoyce: I've got We Do Not Part on my TBR. I will gird my loins before reading it.

Like many Canadians, I'm intrigued by Heated Rivalry; unlike most, I'm reading the book by Rachel Reid rather than watching the series.

>145 LynnB: I've never understood why a woman would write about gay men, but she obviously knows what she's doing. On Amazon, this is #23 in all books sold, and #1 in sports romance. The tv series couldn't be more popular and is the topic of conversation over at least 2 countries. This is an author's dream.
>144 vwinsloe: Gird them well. If I had known what it was about and in what detail, I don't think I would have read it. There are three things I don't want to read about: torture and animal or child abuse. I've long thought that authors should write about them in general terms but leave out the details because I find them psychologically damaging. However, without the details, we don't feel the full effect of human depravity (which is what wins Nobel Prizes). Let us know what you think.

>146 Citizenjoyce: I had the opposite reaction to the end of The Names which I just finished.

I went to see Hamnet on a whim since I have a horde of movie giftcards. Cried my eyes out and felt like digging more into the accuracy afterwards, while the story is still fresh in my mind. Picked up Bryson's Shakespeare: The World as Stage and have been highlighting some fun facts to share. Didn't know about the statute cap law. Interesting bit of textile history!

>147 vwinsloe: Oh, happy endings. Don't we all wish they existed? My sister married very young, age 15, and was abused by her husband for years. Eventually, she had a happy ending, but it took years and a religious conversion. This was a 700 Club Show kind of story, one I would have sneered at if it hadn't happened to her. I think the traumatized women in We Do Not Part are more - well, not realistic because my sister is real, but more likely.
>148 yolklor: Hamnet was at my local theater for about 15 minutes. I hope it comes to streaming because I liked the book and would love to see it.

>149 Citizenjoyce: Sounds like your sister should write a memoir!

As for me, after @Sakerfalcon mentioned reading T. Kingfisher's latest, I have finally gotten my hands on Nettle & Bone and am giving it a read.

>149 Citizenjoyce: No, that won't happen. She never graduated from high school and has no faith in her writing ability. She spends her energy doing good deeds rather than writing or thinking about them.
I love T Kingfisher and have read four of her fairy tale-related books. Unfortunately, I keep forgetting this and confusing her with TJ Klune, who is just OK.

>151 Citizenjoyce: Really? You confused T Kingfisher with TJ Klune? I thought that I was the only one who did that! I didn't read Kingfisher until now for that reason. I know that many people loved The House in the Cerulean Sea which I thought was okay, but just too Disney for me.

I'm reading Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah.

>152 vwinsloe: How funny, we both had the same reaction. If there are two of us, there must be more. Think of all the T Kingfisher readers who have been disuaded by this mistake. People swoon over TJ Klune. I wish they would make the same mistake in reverse. Their worlds would open up.

Just finished Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. I'd seen the original and the newer movies but never read the book. It of course was better than both movies.

Current reading Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival Christopher Marlowe by Stephen Greenblatt which is really good. Well written and a bit of a page turner. It's not only about Marlowe but also that era. It turns out he was gay, I had no idea, curious to learn more.

>151 Citizenjoyce:, >152 vwinsloe: Apropos of this, I just finished reading The Briar book of the dead which strongly reminded me of T. Kingfisher's fairy tale/fantasy books. Ellie is the only one of her family not to have magic - her grandmother, great aunt, and three cousins are all witches. But her great aunt and grandmother nevertheless train her to take over as the family Steward, essentially an administrator who manages the affairs of the family and their dealings with and responsibilities to the town where they live. The Briar women have always controlled Silverton, keeping the hostile church at bay through cunning and deception. But when the older generation pass on, leaving the four young cousins to take over, they and the townsfolk alike doubt their ability to live up to their family's standard. Worrying things start to occur - the ghost of a stillborn babe haunts the town, elderly folk disappear, outlying farms are found deserted, and Ellie uncovers an age-old secret about the town and their family's history. I was completely captivated by this book, feeling for Ellie as she tries to prove herself as worthy as the rest of her family, trying to keep them united and retain the town's trust in them to manage these difficult situations. I disagree with the review which says "nothing happens" until the final chapters of the book; lots of small things are happening, which all add up to the big climax at the end. Even little things like the witches reading to the schoolchildren end up being significant. This does get pretty dark, with a high body count, but it's also a stirring portrayal of resilience, hope and family ties. I found it hard to put down.

>156 Sakerfalcon: Sounds good. I'm putting The Briar Book of the Dead on my wishlist. Thanks.

>156 Sakerfalcon: That looks good. I put it on hold.

I loved the nature descriptions. What a beautiful ode to the marsh - Owens did a great job of integrating her scientific background in a riveting intrigue.

>159 Cecilturtle: Yes, I liked it for the same reason.

>160 vwinsloe: I've challenged myself to spend more time outside this year and this was definitely extra motivation!

I'm reading The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani

I'm about halfway through with No One is Coming to Save Us. This book has been on my TBR pile for a very long time, and I finally decided to read it. I'm enjoying it quite a bit. It's the story of a couple of families in North Carolina, and I remember that I picked it up because it was supposed to be loosely based on The Great Gatsby. It has captured my attention so far through its good dialog.

I'm reading The Woman She Was by Rosa Jordan

I've finished The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

It's a lovely story but also a reminder of the limited opportunities for women not that long ago

>155 amdial7: I LOVE Murder on the Orient Express! It was my first Christie novel and I'm so glad I read it before I saw the movie. It's still one of the best twists I've ever read in a mystery.

The other day I finished reading Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. I'm waiting for book 2 to come in as a hold at my library. So in the meantime, I'm starting Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo!

>165 Cecilturtle: I liked the book Anne of Green Gables, but Anne herself drove me crazy. People who won't stop talking make me nervous, so I was surprised that I liked The Blue Castle so much. Valancy is more my type of character.
I put Legandborn on my wishlist after hearing about it on "Our Opinions Are Correct." Then I forgot about it. Thanks for posting. I've put it on hold.
I just finished a book for my RL book club, The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. I liked their last book, The Personal Librarian. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and I liked their last book, The Personal Librarian, but the writing on The First Ladies made it seem almost YA. I liked the history, I can't resist anything about Eleanor Roosevelt, and I loved learning about Mary McLeod Bethune. I know I'd heard about her before, and her name stuck with me; it's so melodious, but I knew nothing of her accomplishments. These were definitely first ladies; they were so ambitious and morally committed. So kudos to the authors for presenting them to us, but their stories were almost presented in a Hallmark movie style. A little more adherence to reality and a little less feel good vibe would have made for a better book.

>165 Cecilturtle: >167 Citizenjoyce: I haven't read anything by Montgomery except Anne of Green Gables. Perhaps I should. I'll put The Blue Castle on my wishlist.

I'm reading nonfiction right now. All That She Carried is an exploration of African-American history from before the end of slavery until the early 20th Century by reconstructing the lives of three women who were connected to a cloth sack that is now in the Smithsonian Museum.

>167 Citizenjoyce: >168 vwinsloe: I enjoyed it more than Anne too, but Montgomery was also aiming for a more mature audience. Apparently The Blue Castle is one of a handful of books that she wrote for adults and it is the only one set in Ontario where she moved after she got married. I think it's worth a read just for the chapters in Algonquin Park.

>168 vwinsloe: All That She Carried looks interesting.

The blue castle is my favourite book by Montgomery. It's so satisfying.

I'm reading How to build a haunted house, which is a cultural, social and architectural history of the haunted house trope. The author takes specific houses in the UK and US (where the tradition is strongest) and examines them and the larger contexts around them. I had hoped for more analysis of the architecture but it's still a good and entertaining read.

>170 Citizenjoyce: It is. Very woman centric and really an in depth look at cultural meaning of objects. I am learning more than I expected.

>171 Sakerfalcon: Hmmmmm, sounds like I am missing out on not reading The Blue Castle. Thanks.

I'm reading Snap by Susin Nielsen

>173 LynnB: It looks like Snap might be good, but I often find books that are tagged humor are just stupid. Let us know.

>174 Citizenjoyce: I'm 3/4 through Snap and loving it. It's a quick read...funny and touching at the same time.

>175 LynnB: I could use a laugh. I put Snap: A Novel on my wishlist. Thanks.

>175 LynnB: Hoopla has it. I'll give it a try.

I'm reading French Braid during our blizzard here. I knew that it had been mentioned in this group before, so I looked back, and it was about a year ago that it was mentioned. It's an enjoyable read.

>178 vwinsloe: I was going to read a different Anne Tyler book in March, Dinner At The Homesick Restaurant. I'll read French Braid instead, or in addition to. Reading Anne Tyler is like eating sugary porridge or slipping into a warm bath, very comforting.
We warm folk in the American southwest are gloating over our sensible choice of climate. We'll be singing a different tune in July and August.

>179 Citizenjoyce: I stopped reading Anne Tyler a long time ago when nothing really lived up to The Accidental Tourist for me. I probably should have tried others. A cursory look at her works here seems to rank Three Days in June with the most stars. I'm going to wishlist that one.

We were lucky to get only 15 inches of snow where I am on top of the 24 inches that we got in January and 5 inches in between. And I'm happy that we didn't lose power as so many of our neighbors did. This has really been an old time winter after several really easy ones.

I've started A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas and it's just ok which is disappointing. I'm only half way through so if it changes I will report back!

Today I heard an interview with an executive at Anthropic, the AI agency. They were discussing self-led AIs, and he said that sometimes the AI is instructed to do a project, which it does, but it might take a little break to look at pictures of beautiful sites like national parks or funny pictures of dogs. It sounds like we're on our way to Murderbot, all we need is a distracting series.
I just finished a re-read of 84 Charing Cross Road. How delightful to read something where intelligent humans talk to each other intelligently and humanely.

I couldn't wait until March, so I read French Braid. Anne Tyler's characters are always quirky, and many are cold, but I haven't read one where that coldness extends to animals. Wow, that was an unpleasant shock, but I'm still going to carry through with reading Dinner At the Homesick Restaurant. I hope it will not be similarly disappointing.
By the way, as I write this the temperature here is 84 degrees. I hope we don't skip spring and blast right into summer. The Redwing Blackbirds are still in my backyard. How do they know that winter is still raging where they came from?

>183 Citizenjoyce: Huh, I just read French Braid and I don't remember anything about coldness to animals. I guess that I was more focused on the central mystery of why the son, David, had cut off his family. My take away was that some children can be very sensitive and that they can perceive when a parent fundamentally dislikes who they are. I appreciated the way that Anne Tyler went out of her way to make the dislike not be about a child being LGBTQ, while showing that another child was closeted because of fear about that.

Wow, 84 degrees! We got up to 50 degrees yesterday for the first time since last fall, but we are getting a little snow today, and tomorrow morning the temperature will be in the single digits. Our red-winged blackbirds always arrive in the 2nd or 3rd week of February no matter how cold and snowy it is outside. I read somewhere that the males come ahead of the females to find a good nesting spot, and that when they do, they get up high over the spot and sing so that the females can find them when they arrive.

I read Tender is the Flesh and it was brutal, but very well done.

Now on somewhat the same theme, I am reading My Year of Meats which is quite amusing in contrast. I regret not reading it sooner.

I enjoyed The Taste of Hunger by Barbara Joan Scott and The Husbands by Holly Gramazio.

>184 vwinsloe: I guess my Redwings aren't related to yours. Every year the females get here first and leave last. I thought it was because the males are so pretty, they're more vulnerable to predators.

>186 LynnB: I got a kick out of The Husbands. I hope that you enjoy it as well. Taste of Hunger, The looks good. Strange that there is so little information about it on LT.

>187 Citizenjoyce: Must be climate related.

I've started Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America by Joy-Ann Reid who I adore. I haven't read any of her books yet so I'm looking forward to this as I'm a huge fan of hers. Damn MSNBC for firing her.

I finished a young adult book by Canadian Dominique Demers, well-known for her children's fiction.

I also finished The Little French Bistro by Nina George. Its popularity is a little baffling to me. It's cute but it's full of plot holes and overall lack coherence.

Finally, I reading Death of a Codebreaker by Max Folsom which is set in my town of Ottawa and looks at the history of lesser-known Canadian efforts during WWII. I'm loving it!

>188 vwinsloe: The Husbands was a fun read indeed. The Taste of Hunger started ok but got better, so go for it.

I'm reading Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy.

>191 LynnB: Thanks. Wild Dark Shore is a bit more suspense/thriller than I expected, but still very good.

I'm about 1/4 of the way through This Book Made Me Think Of You by Libby Page - a grieving widow's dead husband has gifted her with a book a year to help her overcome her grief and reader's block. Wasn't there another book with the same premise recently? It's ok. I'll finish it because I'm sharing the read with someone else, but if I weren't, I'd move on.

>193 Citizenjoyce: I read a novel with a similar premise, The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams. It was okay, but not great. Too many "made-for-TV" moments.

>193 Citizenjoyce: I started The Reading List and abandoned it. I finished This Book Made Me Think Of You, and it did get better as the main character got her life back from grief. It would have been a much better book without the romance. That will he, won't he, should I, shouldn't I stuff is so annoying, and the men love interests are too perfect, rarer than unicorns.
Now I'm re-reading Lessons in Chemistry for my RL book club. I liked it the first time and found the situations believable, though infuriating. I also saw the series and liked it . So far, I'm liking it again.

Also reading In a Glass Darkly by Sheridan Le Fanu which is good. It's my book at work (I hate to be without a book at lunch or down times.) and it's been neglected due to my reading Medgar and Myrlie mentioned above.

I think that we are past the point by which we usually start a new page. See you all on page 21.