Hindsight this Week
I finally managed to knock out Lilac Girls, just in time for it to be due back to the library today. I probably should have abandoned this book–it’s not particularly well written (it’s not bad, it’s just not great) and it’s hard not to compare it to books like All the Light We Cannot See or The Nightingale–standout books in recent WWII fiction. The writing turned it into a bit of a slog. Flipping to the end and reading the author’s note to see that two of the characters and the situation were based in real life helped and the second half picked up. But I did invest an entire week in a book I didn’t love.
I mentioned before, but I’m on the Launch Team for Anne Bogel‘s Reading People (out in September) and just passed the halfway point last night. I need to step it up and finish it here soon so I can post a review. I’m enjoying it so far (leaning towards a four star review). There are some pretty exciting pre-order bonuses detailed here.
I still have all of my library books on hold but am finally coming to a place where I can breathe again. I’ve got Fraulein M. and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine en route to my library and three books still in my possession to finish before they are due. I’m almost done with We Are Never Meeting in Real Life on audio which is hilarious but 100% NSFW, really at any moment. Swinging from rage-listening to Hillbilly Elegy to laughing so hard I was crying at We Are Never Meeting in Real Life was a bit of audiobook whiplash but was probably what I needed to pull me out of my funk.
The reading snob in me was pretty thrilled with the Man Booker Long List announcement this week. I adored Exit West (still my favorite book of 2017) and, while it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, was not at all surprised to see Lincoln in the Bardo. I already had 4321, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, Swing Time, and The Underground Railroad on my TBR list with the Roy and Whitehead in my actual house, ready to be read. History of Wolves looks like something I need to add to my list. The long list had decent minority representation which was pleasant to see. I cannot imagine Roy, Whitehead, and Hamid not making the short list.
Finally, just this morning, I heard that I won a book Madeleine at Top Shelf Text that isn’t out until September–Girls Made of Snow and Glass–that looks excellent. I’ve really liked the books I’ve read this year published by Flatiron Books and am really looking forward to this one.
Foresight for the coming week
I’ll be finishing Reading People so that I can get that on the blog in the next few weeks. The MMD book club is discussing Almost Sisters towards the end of the week so I’ll be getting on that pretty quickly so that I can participate in the author chat with Joshilyn Jackson this week. (Speaking of–the MMD book club is open again to new members and the fall picks were just announced. You can check it out here.)
After that I’ve got both The Alice Network and Priestdaddy waiting (expired) on my Kindle that cannot be connected to wifi until I finish, so those are on deck. I’m have some trepidation about Priestdaddy but wanted to at least give it a try.
Have suggestions for what I should read next? I’d love to hear them in the comments!