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DNF - maybe the audio format was wrong? The book has large chunks of non-fiction, which may be better read…?
Or perhaps I just didn‘t resonate with the way the book is written and narrated…

I‘m increasingly finding many of the “celebrated” , “on winning lists” books to be not worth the hype.
Happy with the less-renowned works in my library 😅😉

I might give it a try again some day…but not in the near future.

Okay. Well. This didn't jive with me at all. I have read the reviews by others and I guess I am missing something but honestly this was such a chore I don't care
This was so incredibly disjointed (meant to be) and the main character was completely unlikable and uninteresting - how do you make a sky uninteresting? Ask Kushner here. I don't mind an unlikable MC but dang it they have to be interesting.
Not for me 2/5

Wow. This might be the absolute worst audiobook I have ever encountered. I am trying to sneak in a couple of chapters on my drive to work today and I just cannot listen to this narrator!
Normally I listen at 1.5 but tried speeding this up to 2 and her pauses between words is still excruciating. Her monotone might be a reflection of the main character, but I honestly don't know how anyone could get through this while paying attention.

This was somewhat entertaining. I don't think it holds up against the other booker shortlist books but I didn't correctly pick the winner so what do I know?

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Where are we with this? Update please...

🤣

100 pages of this book was enough for me. Long rambling passages about Neanderthal life, interspersed with witty dialogue from Sadie who seems to be in the midst of a long term spy operation. I didn‘t stick around to find out as I have too many other books calling me.

A lot can be said about Creation Lake, mostly good, some meh. But what I would like to point out that I‘m not sure I‘ve seen yet, is how prudently Kushner portrays a person spiraling out of control. Not once is there mention of Sadie feeling this way, but it‘s obvious in her drinking, sexual impulsivity, the ghost of her previous job, etc. Kushner plays with a lot of tropes here, successfully I might add, which might be one factor to her success.

Ick.

I guess this is a spy novel but really I‘m just enjoying being on Sadie‘s snarky head and the lengthy emails from Bruno about pre history.

I‘m not sure I understand this one. Still thinking about it.

Yes, I loved Creation Lake.

The most compelling part of this book is its first personal POV from a cocky and flawed private-sector spy. The writing is skilled and it obscures everything interesting behind false erudition. It takes something that could be action packed and seemingly, falsely, believes that this action would make it less literary. Instead, we are left with philosophical ponderings that don‘t add anything.

##HauntedShelf @PuddleJumper #HexesandCrows @Catsandbooks

This one was a low pick for me. While I really love Kushner's writing, there were parts of this plot that felt out of place to me. In the end, it mostly came together for me, and there are sections in this book that I just absolutely loved.

This author is definitely not for everyone, but I am a fan and will continue to read her books.

I get that Kushner isn‘t for everyone, but she‘s definitely for me. I loved this book about a former US covert operator who‘s now free lance and on a gentle downward spiral. In her assignment to infiltrate a group of environmentalists in France, she falls under the influence of one the commune‘s mentors who is obsessed with Neanderthals. A thought provoking and entertaining blend of facts and fiction.

A Negroni, a book, a bar? Yes, please!

#WhereAreYouMonday

This week finds me somewhere in the south of France 🇫🇷 trailing a possible ecoterrorist group whose leader is obsessed with Neanderthals.

I started off loving this and then got lost in all the asides. I enjoyed the l musings about Neanderthals and connections to our present world. The “thriller” part didn‘t feel thrilling but I did feel immersed in the characters lives and setting. A tough one to rate because parts of it worked for me but plot wise, I didn‘t love it like I thought I would. Did I miss something? Maybe! My boy has been sick with pneumonia and I‘ve been distracted.

This one just didn‘t work for me. It felt like 2 books glommed together, one a tepid thriller and the other a philosophical exploration of our connection to ancient hominids. Neither felt complete. I don‘t really get it.

NBA longlist, fiction

#Booker an odd one ,but I liked it?A bit of a thriller w/ a woman for hire infiltrating a eco-terrorist group. Kushner adds so many ideas, philosophy, anthropology, w/ the main character having a hey, I‘m just doing my job kind of attitude.The scene that recalls a character finding a dead German soldier, taking his helmet, inherited his lice was intense. I can see why people bail, many layers in this one. I thought Flamethrowers was overrated.

Maybe this one is tedious because the audiobook is narrated by the author (something I don't usually prefer), or just because it feels so much like Flamethrowers in tone, and I'm not in the mood. Or maybe I'm just poised for spooky season and have no patience for anything else right now. Either way, I'm comfortable setting this one aside.

Charisma does not originate inside the person called “charismatic.” It comes from the need of others to believe that special people exist.

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Discuss...

I‘ve sat on writing a review on this book for a while, because while I really I liked it, I am finding it hard to explain why. Kushner is a sharp writer who knows how to mix big ideas, pointed social critique, and plot. This is quite a slippery story, nothing and no one is quite as it seems. A really enjoyable read for me, commanding of my attentive and propulsive although I can‘t really say why.

#BookerShortList has been announced. The good news is I have read 4.25 of the 6 and have Stone Yard Devotional on its way. The bad news is I have to finish Creation Lake and My Friends did not make the list. Glad to see James and The Safekeep on the list.

This hasn‘t often happened: I read 5 out of the 6 shortlisted #Booker books! And I am quite happy with it. So many strong contenders that I think I can skip the tagged book, which is the one I haven‘t read and that doesn‘t appeal to me!

The book that isn't a thriller. But what is it? A spy for big agriculture in France infiltrates a radical commune, and breaks into the emails account of a radical who lives in a cave and tries imagine Neanderthal life instead the destructive contemporary world. The spy narrates, has some nice wine and decent sex. But i thought it just didn‘t really go anywhere or do anything. So, so-so.

#booker #booker2024 #longlist

My 6th book from the TOB long list and my first by Kushner. There is no denying that she is very smart; I just couldn‘t bring myself to care about anything in this book. Not for me but getting rave reviews elsewhere.

I finished this #nbalonglist choice today, and it‘s definitely a “wtf did I just read, but I like it” book. A woman is sent to infiltrate a group of eco-extremists in Southern France. Honestly, that main plot was just okay, but when the MC gets into emails by the anthropologist who inspires the group — that was fascinating! Stuff about Neanderthals, the Cugot Rebellion, and Polynesian seafaring. Enthralling, but really out there!

This one is a mix of environmentalism, spy thriller, and satire, but it also delves into anthropology and philosophy, which I found extremely interesting. The political intrigue also kept the plot moving nicely. This is a creative novel, and I can see why it landed on many award lists.

Arrived yesterday, started today. This will be my sixth on the #booker #booker2024 #longlist

#ReadYourKindle

While I‘d like to get to them all I definitely will get the tagged read first and go from there.

@CBee

As someone who dislikes terrine, this makes me laugh. #booker2024 10/13

I‘m not very far in but I do love her writing style and humor

#booker #longlist 12/13

An odd book, but I rather liked it. ‘Sadie Smith‘ is a spy sent in to infiltrate a group of French provocateurs. Their shady leader, Bruno, sends emails to the group which Sadie becomes fascinated by. These emails are rather an excuse for the author to expound on topics such as pre-history, anthropology and philosophy but weirdly I didn‘t feel talked down to, unlike The Alternatives. It kept me hooked all the way ⬇️

Hooray! The penultimate book that I needed from the Booker Longlist. 🎉

Only the Richard Powers to get now, but I requested that from NG back in May so I doubt I‘ll get it st this late stage. 🤷‍♀️

#booker #longlist #bookerlonglist

Perfect Monday book mail Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner one of my favorite authors.Thanks @ScribnerBooks for my copy.📚📚📚

Thank you, Goodreads, for this ARC. The best part about this book is that I learned a lot about the stars, the sea and early prehistoric life. I found the story very hard to follow. I‘m not sure who the American “spy” was out to get. I‘m also not sure why she was perusing them. Things just got very complicated at times, for me anyhow.