pickThis read was so immersive that I was cold reading about snow and Alaska while in reality it was 95 degrees here. 😀 Beautiful prose and lots to think about. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 14h
pickThis read was so immersive that I was cold reading about snow and Alaska while in reality it was 95 degrees here. 😀 Beautiful prose and lots to think about. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks
pickI loved the sympathetic treatment, and the surprise at the end. There are laugh out loud moments, pathos aplenty, and social commentary that doesn‘t get preachy. I don‘t have any basis for judging hoe historically/biographically accurate it is. But I hope it is. Oh how I hope it is.
pickYou think you know this story, but there are still surprises along the way. If you accept the time in which it was written it‘s a fun adventure story, and Defoe carries the reader along for the ride. Thanks to @TheAromaofBooks and #randomclassics for getting me to read this. I‘m going on an outing with my mother and my granddaughter tomorrow, but I‘ll chime in to the discussion when I can.
pickFinished this on the treadmill this morning, and like others by Egan that I‘ve read, it almost worked for me, but not quite. Maybe it would have been better in print, or maybe I‘m just not rock‘n‘roll enough for it. Low pick for me. #unpopularOpinion
“Starting” (because I actually started it in the store) one of the books I bought on vacation.
pickReading this at the same time as Robinson Crusoe really pointed out how introspective Gil is. (And how much more I like him than Robinson 😀) This also feels like a book that will reward multiple readings. It touches on so many topics that could be depressing, but is actually hope-filled. I look forward to my book club‘s discussion on Thursday.
At breakfast in the hotel this morning my husband gets a pop-up ad for a special event at this bookstore. OMG! The prices were amazing and we now have two boxes of books to cart home and catalog. I‘ll post a picture of the books from our whole trip when I get home. 📚📖📚
Written by a man born 3 years before my g-g-grandfather who grew up in the same valley, this memoir gives a flavor of what his life might have been like. Over the top flowery language, as you would expect, but with some sly humor.
pickThis picture has nothing to do with the book - it‘s the log cabin we‘re vacationing in. I enjoyed this funny, angsty, memoir of how the author “found” love with the guy she‘d loved for 32 years, stayed friends with, but never made it work until they were in their 50‘s. Nice vacation read. I liked reading about them, but I think they‘d both drive me crazy in real life.
pickLucy hits it out of the park, as always. She shows the true Jane we all know was there, despite the Victorian family-rewrite of her life. I learned so much and thought about all her books in different ways (and I have a 50-year history of reading Austen) and entertained me along the way. I highly recommend!
pickReading this, hearing Judi Dench‘s voice in my head, makes me want to reread every Shakespeare play, and watch the RSC productions online. I wish I‘d had it nearby as we read them in the #shakespearereadalong days!
pickI loved this novel, and learned so much about India that I hadn‘t known. Subhash was my favorite character (so glad he got his happy ending!) but Lahiri made me love all of them a bit. Well, maybe I just pitied his mother. So happy to finally get to this one. #doublespin #24in2024
We had time to kill between church and a graduation party, so of course we went to a bookstore. @Graywacke I blame you for the tagged book. 😀
My #bookspin and #doublespin for June. But it‘s not really June already, is it? Y‘all are just pranking me, right?
pickThis was a mixed experience for me. His writing is so good, but there were parts that I felt like the conflicts resolved unrealistically easily. And the ending sucked. I‘d have preferred he save the unrealistic resolution for that part of the plot. 😀 I look forward to my book club discussion next week.
pickPatchett never disappoints, and this is no exception. I finished it outside, with a bowl of cherries by my side. Knowing Our Town and The Cherry Orchard add depth, but are not necessary for the enjoyment of this warm novel. Highly recommended.
pickIf you like contemplative memoir and love nature, this is for you. I finished it yesterday and switching to a new “treadmill book” was hard. I looked forward to this one every morning.
Rereading this in preparation for Tom Lake. I haven‘t read it since high school - 44 years ago!
pickFunny and insightful as always with Lamott. While the political references are dated the strategies she used to get through Bush frère will work in today‘s worse divisions. And the cats on the pillow agree. #doublespin #24in2024
so-soThere were some memorable lines, but it was too much work for too little reward for my taste. Very “I‘m being avant garde now” feel to it. None of the characters were particularly likable and particularly not the protagonist. Very different from Ragtime, which I loved. At least I got it off my shelf to make room for other books. #doublespin & 15 for #24in2024
pickMy pacifist heart loved this book and cried over it in equal measure. Featuring Gertrude Bell, whom I first met years ago in Wallace‘s Desert Queen, T E Lawrence, and Winston Churchill as minor characters, the protagonist is witness to the Cairo Conference and its fallout that we are still experiencing. The story is engaging, and the final chapter provides much to think about. And Rosie the dachshund steals the show. #bookspin #24in2024
pickMary Stewart is a go-to when I need a comfort read, and this did not disappoint.
Some preliminary thoughts. Rose is of the Old New York - staying in her unhappy marriage and arranging things, always calm and dignified. The elder Wheaters are the worst of the nouveau riche - marrying and divorcing on a whim and chasing the latest pleasure. Martin was born into Rose‘s world, but he doesn‘t live there. He runs off to make his fortune, loving an image of her (and an image of Joyce). Judith acts as a catalyst to reveal all this.
Y‘all, I can‘t believe it‘s been 8 years! This community has brought me so much joy. Thank you all for being here. ❤️
pickA good compilation of solid advice, most of which I knew, but also a look inside the pressures put on us by Big Food. I was a little surprised that she didn‘t suggest buying directly from farmers, which is how I deal with it. But it‘s aimed at a larger audience I suppose that may not have access to farmers markets and CSAs.
Sorry for the late post - it‘s been a morning. 🙄
We seem to be following Martin to a place we were all hoping he wouldn‘t go, and he‘s deluding himself about. What role does Mrs. Sellarshave in this - is she pushing him that way even as she dreads it? And how does Mr. Dobree‘s visit impact Roseand Martin‘s relationship with? #WhartonBuddyRead
pickSoaked in symbolism and the most beautiful prose you can imagine, this lovely book is the opposite of a page-turner. It‘s a slow-down-and-savor, experience in all your senses kind of book. I loved it and wanted to highlight every other sentence. Highly recommend! Number13 for#24in2024 and my irl book club pick.
We get a little more of the Wharton bite in this Book. She‘s kinder to the children than to their parents. I was reminded of Pauline and her schedule (from Twilight Sleep) in the last section. Still, I don‘t know what to make of Martin. I don‘t think he‘s exactly being honest with himself regarding Judith. Thoughts? #whartonbuddyread
My #bookspin and #doublespin for May. Although the way this spring is going I may be lucky to finish just one. @TheAromaofBooks
It took four chapters before the “nursery tangle” gets untangled, but at last, the cast of the title characters is revealed. What do you make of Judith? Martin? And the parents (when we finally meet them.) Wharton has addressed the neglect of the children of the rich as an aside in previous books, but I don‘t think she‘s going to let the adults off the hook in this one. #whartonbuddyread
Quick reminder that discussions start next Saturday! #Whartonbuddyread
pickThis was so popular when it came out (when my kids were in Catholic school.) But I‘m one to be wary of hype, and I put it off. But I shouldn‘t have. It‘s tragic, and funny, and very well written. Number 12 of #24in2024, and #bookspin for April. @TheAromaofBooks @Jas16
pickLisa See returns again and again to brutal stories of female friendships destroyed by misunderstanding. Every bit as difficult to read as Snow Flower, and as meticulously researched. I learned a lot about haenyeo and the fate of Korea before and after WWII. A pick for my irl book club, and number 11 for #24in2024.
Good morning #whartonbuddyread! Are we ready for the Children? (Is anyone ever really ready for children? 😂) This one‘s just under 300 pages and divided into 3 books. I‘m proposing starting April 27 for Book 1, May 4 and 11 for books 2 & 3. Does that work for everyone?
pickLike @Centique said, this is not my favorite of the Love Medicine novels. Many characters are difficult to love, and there is less humor and more relentless depression. But I did love Fleur‘s final act. And I think I know what happened with Lipsha, but would love to discuss with anyone else who has read this. Number 10 for #24in2024 @Jas16
Sharing my April #bookspin now because Holy Week is about to get crazy-busy. I can‘t believe it‘s almost April! @TheAromaofBooks
pickI finished this on the treadmill this morning and it was a fascinating look at the gilded age and beyond. Told with love but not with blinders on, Cooper explores the faults and foibles, the triumphs and traumas, as he explores the rise and fall of the Vanderbilt dynasty. A nice companion to the #WhartonBuddyRead as it covers some of the same ground. A nice touch was the epilogue where he tells what stands now where the mansions once were.
pickI devoured this book. Part genealogical mystery, part loving mémoire, part philosophy of war and empire, it was shot through with Palin‘s intelligence and humor. Thanks to my cousin @barbwire for a lovely birthday present.
panThis book has more similes than a 9th grade English assignment on descriptive writing, and if I had to read one more “I think I‘m southern if I can‘t say a sentence without some goofy expression” page I would have exploded like a too-ripe watermelon dropped from the back of the truck on a bumpy road heading to market. Sheesh!
Read Flannery O‘Connor - skip this one. #24in2024 number 9 also #doublespin
![[tagged book]](https://image.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_taggedBook@3x.png){kind=icon}
