southamerica

so-so

Poverty and classism suck.
Full marks to Mason for making an entire book that really never wanders far from those points.
There's a decent thread of: communities without arable land and infrastructure are hit hard when natural disasters occur, drought, flood, so might be a bit of cli fi?
1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? It's hard to nail down the time and place, but I think that might have been purposeful, speaks to the universal plight that is a group of people who cannot stay in their hometown because it offers no future, but have to try and make a life in a teeming city where the lines between the well-to-do and the rest have long since been drawn, and opportunities for improvement of circumstances are scarce. 1d

Robotswithpersonality 3/? Slow paced but that's not to say nothing happens, there are a number of significant events experienced by the protagonist, but it's interesting to realize that nevertheless her circumstances largely remain unchanged.
I wouldn't pick this up if you heard about the spiritual/mystical/magical thread running through it, it's more a rarely mentioned possibility than an actual plot point. 1d

Robotswithpersonality 4/4 I do continue to love Daniel Mason's writing, but I don't think I'd recommend this book to anyone who wasn't head over heels for North Woods and A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth, while I remember a certain sadness from his other writing, this particular book is inescapably bleak.

⚠️animal abuse, animal death, starvation, extreme poverty, landgrab/gentrification, violent conflict, child death 1d

12 likes3 comments

Lunakay

Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time | Mark Adams

#coverstories
#direction

@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Eggs Perfection 👏🏻 3w

27 likes1 stack add1 comment

Leftcoastzen

The Adventurers | Harold Robbins

Middle class smut from the sixties. I read them as a kid hiding them from my parents. I don‘t remember much only the feeling of being subversive!😂the Carpetbaggers 1961, tagged book , 1966. I probably would find culturally offensive things now , but look at those covers ! From the big book sale.

dabbe Harold Robbins reminds me of Sidney Sheldon, my smut author of choices in the 70s-early 80s. 🤩😂🤗 1mo

Leftcoastzen @dabbe oh yes ! Read some of those too! My friend was downsizing her collection, her mother had a signed Sheldon , I said , I‘ll take it ! 😂 1mo

dabbe @Leftcoastzen I bet it's worth some 💰! 🤩 1mo

44 likes3 comments

bekakins

State of Wonder | Ann Patchett

pick

Final #roll100 read for Feb and also scored a line in #bookspinbingo recovering from surgery and not being able to do anything has its advantages as gives me lots of reading time!

Really enjoyed this, loved the prose, and there were a couple of twists that I did not see coming. Really interesting subject too.

TheAromaofBooks, PuddleJumper

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! Hope you are on the mend!! 1mo

12 likes1 comment

Moss_Croft

Uttermost Part of the Earth: A History of Tierra Del Fuego and the Fuegians | E. Lucas Bridges

2 likes

Coleen

State of Wonder | Ann Patchett

pick

This one seems to have a lot of mixed reviews, but I loved it. It somehow sucked me in completely, despite some of the maybe farfetched events.

SqueakyChu I agree with you. I really liked this book when I read it (a long time ago!). 2mo

27 likes1 comment

OutAndAbout

State of Wonder | Ann Patchett

pick

Not my favorite Patchett. Interesting premise, great ending, but a lot of meandering in the middle. Became a slog. But the ending was a worthy payoff. Recommended if you love Patchett‘s writing style already.

31 likes

BkClubCare

Bel Canto | Ann Patchett

Just started a reread of this when 3 books came off hold at the same time. 😐 #sigh
Image is a cut out for some kind of snowflake?! I forget. Colors match the book cover 🤣

46 likes1 stack add

Aims42

Bel Canto | Ann Patchett

so-so

Themes: Literary Fiction, Good Storytelling, Opera/Music

I totally get why this book has such mixed reviews. Some parts were good and I enjoyed some of the characters very much, but after it ended, I just don‘t know how I really feel about it. This is a soft pick… I think? 🤔

AmyG Perhaps my least favorite of hers. 4mo

Tamra I think my husband bailed on this one recently. I was surprised he picked it up, to be honest. 4mo

Aims42 @AmyG I really enjoyed ‘Dutch House‘ and figured I‘d give this one a try. This one went in a different direction than I wanted it to and by the end I didn‘t even want to see how it ended 🫣 Oh well. Onto the next read 🤷🏼‍♀️ 4mo

See All 11 Comments

Aims42 @Tamra I‘m wishing I had bailed on it, but I was curious to see if maybe I‘d get the ending I wanted. At least it wasn‘t a long book so I didn‘t waste too much time on it 4mo

Amiable I loved “Dutch House.” This one, not so much. 4mo

Aims42 @Amiable Yep, same 👍 4mo

Amiable @Aims42 “Tom Lake” will likely be one of my top reads for the year, too. Her books are either a big hit or a massive swing-and-a-miss for me. 4mo

Aims42 @Amiable ooo I have “Tom Lake” on my TBR pile 🙌 Good to know that one could be a hit when I get to it 😅😮‍💨 4mo

Amiable @Aims42 I read “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder first, because it‘s mentioned frequently in “Tom Lake.” I‘m sure you don‘t HAVE to read it — I just thought it gave me a deeper understanding of the novel. If you‘re so inclined. 🙂 4mo

Aims42 @Amiable Thank you for that tip, I appreciate it ☺️😊 4mo

rwmg I could have done without the epilogue, but I loved the body of the book even if the inevitable ending was devastating. 4mo

33 likes11 comments

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