Olga Dies Dreaming, by Xochitl Gonzalez. Pub 2021 Another from the Christmas bounty from my sister, I chose this book based on a recommendation from a friend. While the setting and story elements are different, the tone and style (and even the cover art) are reminiscent of Lessons in Chemistry, and like that book, this... Continue Reading →
This Tender Land, by William Kent Krueger. Book report #13
This Tender Land, by William Kent Krueger. Pub 2019 This is not a book I would have picked for myself, but came as part of a bounty that I won in a prize draw at my local bookstore. There are a few from that set that are on my to-read list, and some others that... Continue Reading →
Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff. Book report #12 (2023)
Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff. Pub 2015 The impetus for this book was twofold - my fellow book-clubber's excellent review of Groff's Matrix last year, and the title's suggestion of a linkage to Greek mythology. I'm a fan of the retellings of mythology (see Circe and The Children of Jocasta), so I was anticipating some element of that in... Continue Reading →
Assembly, by Natasha Brown. Book report #11 (2023)
Assembly, by Natasha Brown. Pub 2021 This little book was a Christmas gift from a fellow book-clubber, and also a recommendation from them. It is a quick (one day) but demanding read, as the material gets a bit intense in places and the writing style is curious blend of lyrical/poetry and stream of consciousness/interior. The... Continue Reading →
With All Due Respect, by Nikki R. Haley. Book report #9 (2023)
With All Due Respect, by Nikki R. Haley. Pub 2019 I had previously listened to the audiobook version of this a few years ago, and liked some of what Haley has to say on leadership. Since I didn't have any notes from that listen, I decided to read it again, partially for the leadership elements... Continue Reading →
Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Book report #8 (2023)
Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Pub 2015. Translated by Geoffrey Trousselot, Pub 2019. Another Christmas gift, I read about one of the later books in this series as being an interesting and light read, so decided to start at the beginning. In this novel in four parts, we visit the Funiculi Funicula... Continue Reading →
On Animals, by Susan Orlean. Book report #7
On Animals, by Susan Orlean. Pub 2021 I really enjoyed Orlean's previous book The Library Book, so was looking forward to her writing on animals. I didn't appreciate until I started reading it that this is a) a collection of essays rather than a focused book and b) said essays range from 1995 to 2021, with... Continue Reading →
The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles. Book report #6 (2023)
The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles. Pub 2021. Another from the Christmas gift bounty, this is the third novel by Amor Towles, and he is three-for-three in delivering fantastic novels. His novels are getting longer, but unlike how I feel about John Irving (ahem), I do not begrudge Towles a single page. Spanning just 10 days (not... Continue Reading →
Can’t and Won’t, by Lydia Davis. Book report #5 (2023)
Can’t and Won’t, by Lydia Davis. Pub 2014. This was another gift in my Christmas bounty. I don't recall where I heard about Lydia Davis - likely on some other blog or podcast. This book includes many very short stories - some only a few lines or paragraphs. It reminded me of a book I... Continue Reading →
The It Girl, by Ruth Ware. Book report #4 (2023)
The It Girl, by Ruth Ware. Pub 2022 This was part of my Christmas book bounty, chosen as it kept coming up on reading suggestions from the book shop and elsewhere, and I liked the idea of a modern Agatha Christie-type book, which indeed this was. Hannah and April are fresher roommates at a (fictional)... Continue Reading →
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