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Hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Happy Labor Day to all of you in the U.S., and to everyone else, happy Monday! The calendar doesn’t turn to fall for a couple more weeks, but in books I’m already well into fall reading. After three books from my Fall Preview 2018, I’m feeling good about my choices, having liked all of them to varying degrees. This week I’m straying off the list with a couple books didn’t include on the list, but still want to read. How’s your fall reading going? Have you started in on September books?
Last Week’s Reads
Not Our Kind by Kitty Zeldis examines clashes of class and culture in the 1950’s through the relationships between a young Jewish teacher and the very WASP-y family she works for. I found the first half a bit on the soap opera side, but the story improved in the second half. I’ll be doing a mini-review next week. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker was my second Iliad retelling in less than four months. I read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller in May, and it was hard not to mesh the two stories as I read. Still, I liked it very much and will be doing a very different sort of review on Thursday.
Currently Reading
I only have about an hour to go in the audiobook of One True Thing by Anna Quindlen. When I listened to Every Last One (my review) earlier this year many of you told me One True Thing was your favorite Quindlen book. I’ll reserve my final judgement until I finish, but I don’t think this will be my favorite Quindlen. Catherine at The Gilmore Guide to Books recently gave me an extra copy of Katerina by James Frey. It wasn’t really on my radar, but I picked it up yesterday and find myself in a very weird like it/don’t like it state. I’m already a quarter through the book and despite some flaws, I want to know where this semi-autobiographical story is going.
Likely to Read Next
Ordinary People by Diana Evans was released in the UK back in April and its star ratings on Goodreads have been all over the place. Still, a single line from the publisher’s description has me wanting to know more: “Ordinary People is an intimate, immersive study of identity and parenthood, sex and grief, friendship and aging, and the fragile architecture of love.” Since I never did get an ARC of The Wildlands by Abby Geni, I’m planning on listening to it instead. The timing will be perfect since it comes out tomorrow and I’m almost finished with One True Thing.
I hope you have a great week in books!
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I think Wildlands will be a good listen – it’s definitely fast-paced and I think will keep you interested!
Fingers crossed! Hope the narrator is good. It often comes down to that for me.
I didn’t realize James Frey kept writing after the Oprah fiasco, I’ll be interested in hearing what you think of that one!
He’s done a lot since A Million Little Pieces and I ended up really liking Katerina. The writing was very different and the story very gritty and raw, but the further I read the more I liked it.
Good to hear you’re enjoying your fall reading list already – I hope the positivity remains with the rest of your titles. Happy reading & a lovely week to you.
Thanks, Jade. You have a great week, too.
I am a HUGE fan of Quindlen’s nonfiction, but not so much of her fiction.
I’ve only tried Plenty of Cake and I wasn’t crazy about it.
I finished my September review books and have moved on to October releases. Again, I have quite a stack to devour for October. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
Your stack is HUGE!
Seeing that Kitty Zeldis book everywhere! Have a great week!
I’ll be reviewing it and a couple of others on the 13th. (I think!)
I haven’t come across any of these books before but I am certainly interested in some and want to follow up with a bit more exploring.
I really hope The Wildlands is good and I’m curious about the Pat Barker book. I read one of her war novels earlier this year but this is a totally new subject for her it seems.
I really, really liked the Pat Parker book. It’s the only one of hers I’ve ever read. My review is tomorrow, so stop by and see all my thoughts.