Sometimes it can be tedious but I truly have loved some of his books. My favorites that stand out are 11/22/63 and hearts in Atlantis.
I think 11/22/63 is a perfect example of what I described. It was sooo good and intricate for about the first 2/3 - I really got a feeling for the time and place it was set - but then it's like he was rushed into finishing it and just completely crapped the bed with the ending. Entirely unsatisfying ending, and no explanations for anything.
Hating on Stephen King is one of my hills to die on, and I fully appreciate I will not win this war. 😂
I'll die on this hill with you, lol. Every now and then I pick up one of his books thinking, "Maybe this one..." they all read more like pitches for movies to me. I do not get sucked in at all because it all feels so forced. I've never actually finished any of his novels that I've tried and I just don't get the hype 🤷♀️
I recently finished Zorrie, Great Circle, Klara and the Sun, and The Guncle, I loved loved loved Zorrie which was about a woman growing old in Indiana. Great Circle was a really good book. I had a hard time getting through Klara and the Sun and The Guncle, totally different books, but both didn’t really capture my attention.
Jalapeñomel, Did you like Daisy Jones? I have wanted to read that one.
I am reading The Personal Librarian about J.P. Morgan and his personal librarian, Belle De Costa Green, who was a black woman passing as white. She was the most prominent librarian in the country, helped manage and really, build, Morgan's personal library for 43 years and oversaw the Pierpont Library. A really fascinating woman.
I also did not realize that Morgan has rosacea which led to growths on his nose (if you have seen Dr. Pimple Popper, you have seen these cases) and thus was very rarely really seen in public and paid papers to touch up his pictures.
I think 11/22/63 is a perfect example of what I described. It was sooo good and intricate for about the first 2/3 - I really got a feeling for the time and place it was set - but then it's like he was rushed into finishing it and just completely crapped the bed with the ending. Entirely unsatisfying ending, and no explanations for anything.
Hating on Stephen King is one of my hills to die on, and I fully appreciate I will not win this war. 😂
I'll die on this hill with you, lol. Every now and then I pick up one of his books thinking, "Maybe this one..." they all read more like pitches for movies to me. I do not get sucked in at all because it all feels so forced. I've never actually finished any of his novels that I've tried and I just don't get the hype 🤷♀️
OMG yes! It's like an abusive relationship. Every few years I'm like, "Just one more chance" only to repeat the cycle all over again. Gahhh!
I read The Only Plane in The Sky: An Oral History of 9/11. I was 18 at the time and there was a lot I didn't realize happened that day. It's not an easy ready, but very well done.
I am re-reading Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis (Oxford time traveler series) which is about historians who travel back in time to WWII era London. I love the shifting perspectives and questions it brings up.
I loved those.
I also love her book, Doomsday Book, which time travels to the Black Death.
Liked: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (VE Schwab) What Happens in Paradise (Elin Hiderbrand) Winter in Paradise (Elin Hiderbrand) Somebody's Daughter (Ashley C Ford)
Could have skipped: Malibu Rising (Taylor Jenkins Reid) Dear Edward (Ann Napolitano) The Cuckoo's Calling (Robert Galbraith)
I read The Only Plane in The Sky: An Oral History of 9/11. I was 18 at the time and there was a lot I didn't realize happened that day. It's not an easy ready, but very well done.
I am re-reading Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis (Oxford time traveler series) which is about historians who travel back in time to WWII era London. I love the shifting perspectives and questions it brings up.
I loved those.
I also love her book, Doomsday Book, which time travels to the Black Death.
I liked Doomsday Book as well!
Due to the time travel plot, the sequence is so messy that they really improve on re-read. I feel so much more critical of Dunworthy the second time around.
Jalapeñomel, Did you like Daisy Jones? I have wanted to read that one.
I am reading The Personal Librarian about J.P. Morgan and his personal librarian, Belle De Costa Green, who was a black woman passing as white. She was the most prominent librarian in the country, helped manage and really, build, Morgan's personal library for 43 years and oversaw the Pierpont Library. A really fascinating woman.
I also did not realize that Morgan has rosacea which led to growths on his nose (if you have seen Dr. Pimple Popper, you have seen these cases) and thus was very rarely really seen in public and paid papers to touch up his pictures.
“With sorrow—for this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection—we dissent,”
Jalapeñomel , Did you like Daisy Jones? I have wanted to read that one.
I am reading The Personal Librarian about J.P. Morgan and his personal librarian, Belle De Costa Green, who was a black woman passing as white. She was the most prominent librarian in the country, helped manage and really, build, Morgan's personal library for 43 years and oversaw the Pierpont Library. A really fascinating woman.
I also did not realize that Morgan has rosacea which led to growths on his nose (if you have seen Dr. Pimple Popper, you have seen these cases) and thus was very rarely really seen in public and paid papers to touch up his pictures.
I LOVED Daisy Jones!
Good! I really enjoyed Evelyn Hugo, but I am a sucker for good historical fiction.
I’m about to start When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain and I also have Beautiful Country: A Memoir of An Undocumented Childhood by Qian Julie Wang with me on our trip to read.
Updating to say When the Stars Go Dark was very good! Clearly very well researched. The writing was a tad over-dramatic/flowery at times. And besides the usual crime/true crime TW, there’s also a young child loss TW that isn’t mentioned in the blurb, so heads up on that.
Post by gerberdaisy on Oct 25, 2021 9:44:32 GMT -5
Wanted to add, I just finished Mary Jane and really enjoyed it. Coming of age story of a summer nanny in the 70's. Nice change from all the mystery books I've been reading.
I'm listening to The Storyteller - Dave Grohl's new autobiography. I highly suggest listening to it, as he narrates it. It's really good and he's a great narrator.
Post by goldengirlz on Oct 25, 2021 14:37:10 GMT -5
I just finished Americanah because I’m way behind the times, ha. But I loved it.
I’m now reading a book called What Happened to You? written by Oprah and a psychiatrist. It’s about how childhood trauma affects the brain. It’s really fascinating!
Post by redheadbaker on Oct 25, 2021 19:36:24 GMT -5
I just finished Octavia Butler's "Kindred." I read it for a PopSugar reading challenge prompt (afrofuturism). I'm not really into the sci-fi genre, but I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would, as it's not heavy on sci-fi.
Currently reading The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle for my book club. I really like it so far. It’s part murder mystery, part body travel and set at a country mansion around the 1920s. It’s different than most books I read but I can’t put it down.
I am supposed to be reading Fates and Furies for book club, but based on what I'm hearing from people who have started it, I might skip this month.
I have been trying to read "The funny thing about Norman Foreman" for weeks and just can't get excited about it. It's not great literature or anything, it was supposed to be some light, easy reading, so I don't feel like I'll miss much if I just give up on it.
I am supposed to be reading Fates and Furies for book club, but based on what I'm hearing from people who have started it, I might skip this month.
I have been trying to read "The funny thing about Norman Foreman" for weeks and just can't get excited about it. It's not great literature or anything, it was supposed to be some light, easy reading, so I don't feel like I'll miss much if I just give up on it.
I absolutely loved Fates & Furies - but telling you why would spoil a major feature of the book!
I am supposed to be reading Fates and Furies for book club, but based on what I'm hearing from people who have started it, I might skip this month.
I have been trying to read "The funny thing about Norman Foreman" for weeks and just can't get excited about it. It's not great literature or anything, it was supposed to be some light, easy reading, so I don't feel like I'll miss much if I just give up on it.
I absolutely loved Fates & Furies - but telling you why would spoil a major feature of the book!
jinkies I agree with toepick. I remember being very WTF in the early part of the book but the payoff was so good.
I actually just started Matrix, Lauren Groff's new book. So far so good.
toepick, rupertpenny, OK I will give it a chance! I know two people who gave up fairly early because they couldn't get into the writing style. It is good to know that it is worth sticking with it!
The Flatshare--loved it. Super cute light romance. The Lost Apothecary--started slow and kind of dark (I don't like super depressing), and some of the writing seemed overly wordy. Almost put it down, but I ended up liking it in the end. Good for Halloween, with poisons and mystery.