A quick read, it raises questions to think about but is an easy read in terms of the writing. Still fighting this cold and needing easy today. A light pick.

I enjoyed this novelization of Hildegard von Bingen‘s life. I‘ve admired her music for years but didn‘t know much else about her. And this was a relaxing read for a sick day at home.

Staying home from church with a cold, I‘m listening to Hildegard von Bingen‘s music and starting this novel based on her life.

Morais gives us a rather unlikable character, who he then makes us love in this contemplative look at the end of life. There are lot of money thrown around and a LOT of fly fishing; we cross multiple borders, and speak many languages; but mostly is the plain truth that we all go through our final journey alone, even when surrounded by those we love.

I enjoyed this compilation of short works by Irving. The nonfiction bits were my favorites, oddly, especially the title piece and the Dickens pieces. The “author‘s notes” to the last selection, where he talks about meeting Thomas Mann‘s daughter on an airplane is also great. #doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

The book the musical Come From Away is based on, read by a strong narrator. It is full of hope and goodness, although the Newfie‘s were both better and worse than in the musical, the passengers and crew also. Some changes made sense - you can‘t have a cast of 10k spread over multiple towns - and others less so. But a story that needs to be told in as many formats as it takes to get the message out there. Be kind. Help each other. Love.

Irving, writing about Vienna in the 1960s. But it could be the US in the present day.

My #doublespin for November started with a mini memoir of how Irving decided to become a writer. A good start. @TheAromaofBooks

I finished in two nights. Now I have to wait until 2025 for the next one! Spending time in Three Pines is calming, which I needed. More under spoiler tag to protect the innocent. 😀

I need Gamache tonight. And yes, I‘m eating my feelings.

Doig‘s language is rich and poetic and usually calming. But there‘s a lot of death in this slim novel, so while it occupied my mind, it didn‘t distract me enough on this fraught night. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

While it was a bit repetitive, and the dragging out of Alice‘s story felt gimmicky, this is an interesting look at the consumer DNA market. I have not taken a test due to some of the ethical dilemmas she discusses. But I have at least one 1st cousin who has, so it may be a moot point. There‘s much to think about here for sure.

Searching for analysis of our novel, this poem popped up. If you can‘t read it here it‘s available online here https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50464/give-all-to-love
Wow. Once again Wharton expects us to be well read, as well as well travelled, and it all makes so much more sense. I still don‘t like V and think Halo deserves better, but we all make stupid choices sometimes. 😂 #whartonbuddyread

I always feel odd reviewing memoirs - like I‘m judging their life, not their writing. But this one is excellent living and writing. Like The Last Lecture it is full of positive but real sentiments/ philosophy, not trite, pat answers. I respect an author who respects his readers.

Like many collections of short stories this one was uneven. The first was the best, and I wished he had developed it into a novel, or at least a novella. Lots of men/boys struggling with feelings of inferiority and trying to hide them in bravado, which got tiring by the end. Soft pick.

An enjoyable, character driven look at a small neighborhood and two small girls trying to make sense of the grownups nonsensical behavior. Lots of humor and a little mystery. Just what I needed.

November #bookspin is an odd-lot assortment of books on my shelves I‘ve been meaning to get to. @TheAromaofBooks

Wow. This was a brutal section for me. Vance has sacrificed any sympathy I ever had for him. He‘s not young and impulsive anymore. He‘s selfish and cruel. I wish Halo had better options, but she needs to be shed of V.! Thoughts about either V or H‘s behavior? #whartonbuddyread

I loved this memoire of growing and raising your own food. I never had any delusions of it being easy (enforced child labor in my mother‘s garden) and I‘m happy for someone to slaughter and butcher the meat I eat, I want to know where my food comes from. I love how generous she was with her food, even after someone stole her one and only watermelon. And the way the neighbors came together, all different cultures and backgrounds bonding over food.

I felt like this was a better portrait of Dr. Thomas than Miss Jane, partly because Watson seems better at writing men than women, partly because there was so much focus on his inner life. The peacocks are his (and the cover makes you think Jane Austen will figure into it, while it‘s Jane Eyre. There are beautiful descriptions and contemplative language.

Vance goes off on a wild goose chase sure to get him in trouble. The Delaney‘s, Alders, Mrs. G, and Chris all collide in the south of France. And Wharton is hammering it home that, putting people in different clothes, houses, hotels, etc doesn‘t change who they are. Do you think Halo, back in Forgotten-by-the-Sea (rough translation of Oubli-sur-mer ) knew what she was doing? And if V can‘t write without hurting others, is he a genius or a monster?

Scholarly but very readable. I enjoyed this look at Tudor women, focusing on the wives, yes, but also others of the era. There are a lot of characters to keep straight in Henry VIII‘s court, but it gets easier with each book I read.

Vance goes to extremes, although all his extremes are selfish, even when he thinks he‘s being noble. And the double standard is spotlighted clearly. It‘s ok to “know” a man who‘s living nonmarried, but the woman of the couple must be cut dead. Is there any hope for this pair? Especially with Lewis being so poutily stubborn? (Picture is a detail of a painting by Corot of the forest at Fontainebleau.) #whartonbuddyread

This is a difficult book ton review (and to read.) TW for incest and child abuse, I almost gave up on it early on. But Price‘s prose is strong and he manages to make the protagonist, if not lovable, at least pitiable. You have to get all the way to the end to understand why Price is so relentless with details, yet it still leaves a darkness and ick factor that I didn‘t expect from him. Pick for the prose & voice; pan for the protagonist.

Not a good picture, but since it wasn‘t a good book, I don‘t care. Full of sayings that could be embroidered on pillows or painted on old barn wood. The “poetry” doesn‘t scan, the “twist” is a total eye roll and no one behaves in character. It may be an #unpopularopinion but I didn‘t like it. Now there‘s room for another book on my shelf. 😀#bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

To quote from the website The Mount “In a rare interview, Wharton listed The Gods Arrive as one of her five favorites. The other four were Hudson River Bracketed, The Custom of the Country, Summer, and The Children.” Are we going to see E. W. more intimately in this? It‘s also the only sequel she ever wrote so she must have loved these characters. But she doesn‘t let us think for long that this will be a rare happy relationship! #whartonbuddyread

I recognize this as an important book, but I can‘t call it an enjoyable one. Very grim with few if any likable characters, and plenty of grisly deaths. The narrator was good, but not the best early-morning exercise listening.

Not ready to stop reading about the Tudors after The Mirror and the Light, so I‘m hoping these 3, plus the tagged book not pictured, will scratch that itch. #bookhaul

I enjoyed this take on local eating that shows how, even in a small apartment in a northern climate, one can eat locally. I loved the personal insights and farmer portraits. And it made me hungry, which is the best thing I can say about a food book. 😂 Picture is part of our haul from this week‘s farmers market. It‘s winter squash season!

Reminder to grab your Complete Wharton (or a copy of the novel if you can find it) because discussion starts next week. #whartonbuddyread @Graywacke @LitsyEvents

Narnia for adults, in a way. I love Lewis‘ ability to articulate difficult mysteries in an understandable way yet without robbing them of their ineffable-ness.

I found this disjointed and unsatisfying. It felt more like an immature collegiate diary than a novel. So many statements put forth as “profound” that were merely trite. Not a fan.

My October #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

The title remains elusive until the last essay (but the bear comes sooner, so 🤷🏻‍♀️) and as many say it‘s not as funny as I Was Told There‘d Be Cake, but I still laughed out loud in some places and generally enjoyed myself. And it‘s number 24 for #24in2024, so I feel like a middle schooler who finished her homework early. 😂 @Jas16

A quick read, but a dark, dark one. Erdrich is a talented writer, but the tape and abuse (physical and emotional) is hard to take. Numerous 23 of #24in2024 @Jas16

Neither of these has a comment on Litsy, but if you‘ve read either, or other biographies by either author, I‘d love to know what you think. My library doesn‘t have either (big surprise 🙄) so I‘ll need to buy it ordo inter-library Loan, so I‘d love an idea of which is more readable and more about the man than just his accomplishments. Thanks in advance.

I put off reading this final book because Mantel made me love Cromwell and we all know how it ends. So I put it off as if my not reading it could change history. As sad as the end was, it was also redemptive in a way. Cromwell was a fascinating character who lived through incredibly dangerous times. And Mantel makes it all so relatable. Now I want equally well-written books about the other people surrounding him!

I wasn‘t a fan of Blue Nights, but when this showed up on The NY Times “Best books of the 21st Century so far” I thought I should give her another chance. I don‘t like to be negative about a memoir, especially not a memoir about grief. But Didion is not for me. #unpopularOpinion

Enjoying a quiet evening with Thomas Cromwell.

“Once the queen‘s head is severed, he walks away.”

#firstLineFridays. @ShyBookOwl

I liked the matter of fact tone, both about war & immigration, and the doors. It made the magical realism work and kept this from being dark fantasy. In the end I found it hopeful. And the narration was excellent.

#irony with a capital I. 😂

The #whartonbuddyread has spoken, and we‘ll continue with Halo and Vance starting October 5th. I‘m looking forward to seeing how it ends!

A quick, charming read, whose pint-sized protagonist reminded me of my granddaughter when she‘s cranky. Lovely descriptive writing. A good farewell to summer and my #doublespin for this month.

Do you want to dive right in to the sequel, or wait until October? Full disclosure, it‘s 5 books, about 440 pages. Vote in the comments below with your preferred start date: September 21 or October 5. #whartonbuddyread

I nearly bailed early on, and if the early behavior of Toby is bothersome, I understand but recommend pushing through. What the author does with the relative length of the three sections is brilliant. I‘ll be thinking about this for a long time. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

My #BetterWorldBooks order arrived! #bookhaul

My first by this author, inspired by The NY Times list. But it won‘t be the last one I read of his. I need to explore his back list! While I understand why he included the entire “ghetto novel” (and repeated bits of it!) I wished I could have skimmed it. But the narration was strong and the writing superb. Highly recommended.

My irl book club pick for September, the cover did not give me hope. And it was light - I started and finished it over the long weekend while also cataloging my library. But it was entertaining and will (maybe) give us something to talk about. So a soft pick.

Though the title refers to this style of architecture, the book is about much bigger themes - creation, continuity of culture, rampant capitalism, sham spirituality, and, of course, unhappy marriages. (It is Wharton after all.) I thought the ending abrupt, but then learned that there‘s a sequel, so I‘m withholding final judgement until I‘ve read it. Thanks @Graywacke and all the #whartonbuddyread crew. We‘re almost through her novels!