Starting this tonight for my irl book club.
Starting this tonight for my irl book club.
Patchett never disappoints, and this is no exception. I finished it outside, with a bowl of cherries by my side. Knowing Our Town and The Cherry Orchard add depth, but are not necessary for the enjoyment of this warm novel. Highly recommended.
If you like contemplative memoir and love nature, this is for you. I finished it yesterday and switching to a new “treadmill book” was hard. I looked forward to this one every morning.
Rereading this in preparation for Tom Lake. I haven‘t read it since high school - 44 years ago!
Funny and insightful as always with Lamott. While the political references are dated the strategies she used to get through Bush frère will work in today‘s worse divisions. And the cats on the pillow agree. #doublespin #24in2024
There were some memorable lines, but it was too much work for too little reward for my taste. Very “I‘m being avant garde now” feel to it. None of the characters were particularly likable and particularly not the protagonist. Very different from Ragtime, which I loved. At least I got it off my shelf to make room for other books. #doublespin & 15 for #24in2024
My pacifist heart loved this book and cried over it in equal measure. Featuring Gertrude Bell, whom I first met years ago in Wallace‘s Desert Queen, T E Lawrence, and Winston Churchill as minor characters, the protagonist is witness to the Cairo Conference and its fallout that we are still experiencing. The story is engaging, and the final chapter provides much to think about. And Rosie the dachshund steals the show. #bookspin #24in2024
Mary Stewart is a go-to when I need a comfort read, and this did not disappoint.
Some preliminary thoughts. Rose is of the Old New York - staying in her unhappy marriage and arranging things, always calm and dignified. The elder Wheaters are the worst of the nouveau riche - marrying and divorcing on a whim and chasing the latest pleasure. Martin was born into Rose‘s world, but he doesn‘t live there. He runs off to make his fortune, loving an image of her (and an image of Joyce). Judith acts as a catalyst to reveal all this.
Y‘all, I can‘t believe it‘s been 8 years! This community has brought me so much joy. Thank you all for being here. ❤️
A good compilation of solid advice, most of which I knew, but also a look inside the pressures put on us by Big Food. I was a little surprised that she didn‘t suggest buying directly from farmers, which is how I deal with it. But it‘s aimed at a larger audience I suppose that may not have access to farmers markets and CSAs.
Sorry for the late post - it‘s been a morning. 🙄
We seem to be following Martin to a place we were all hoping he wouldn‘t go, and he‘s deluding himself about. What role does Mrs. Sellarshave in this - is she pushing him that way even as she dreads it? And how does Mr. Dobree‘s visit impact Roseand Martin‘s relationship with? #WhartonBuddyRead
Soaked in symbolism and the most beautiful prose you can imagine, this lovely book is the opposite of a page-turner. It‘s a slow-down-and-savor, experience in all your senses kind of book. I loved it and wanted to highlight every other sentence. Highly recommend! Number13 for#24in2024 and my irl book club pick.
We get a little more of the Wharton bite in this Book. She‘s kinder to the children than to their parents. I was reminded of Pauline and her schedule (from Twilight Sleep) in the last section. Still, I don‘t know what to make of Martin. I don‘t think he‘s exactly being honest with himself regarding Judith. Thoughts? #whartonbuddyread
My #bookspin and #doublespin for May. Although the way this spring is going I may be lucky to finish just one. @TheAromaofBooks
It took four chapters before the “nursery tangle” gets untangled, but at last, the cast of the title characters is revealed. What do you make of Judith? Martin? And the parents (when we finally meet them.) Wharton has addressed the neglect of the children of the rich as an aside in previous books, but I don‘t think she‘s going to let the adults off the hook in this one. #whartonbuddyread
Quick reminder that discussions start next Saturday! #Whartonbuddyread
This was so popular when it came out (when my kids were in Catholic school.) But I‘m one to be wary of hype, and I put it off. But I shouldn‘t have. It‘s tragic, and funny, and very well written. Number 12 of #24in2024, and #bookspin for April. @TheAromaofBooks @Jas16
Lisa See returns again and again to brutal stories of female friendships destroyed by misunderstanding. Every bit as difficult to read as Snow Flower, and as meticulously researched. I learned a lot about haenyeo and the fate of Korea before and after WWII. A pick for my irl book club, and number 11 for #24in2024.
Good morning #whartonbuddyread! Are we ready for the Children? (Is anyone ever really ready for children? 😂) This one‘s just under 300 pages and divided into 3 books. I‘m proposing starting April 27 for Book 1, May 4 and 11 for books 2 & 3. Does that work for everyone?
Like @Centique said, this is not my favorite of the Love Medicine novels. Many characters are difficult to love, and there is less humor and more relentless depression. But I did love Fleur‘s final act. And I think I know what happened with Lipsha, but would love to discuss with anyone else who has read this. Number 10 for #24in2024 @Jas16
Sharing my April #bookspin now because Holy Week is about to get crazy-busy. I can‘t believe it‘s almost April! @TheAromaofBooks
I finished this on the treadmill this morning and it was a fascinating look at the gilded age and beyond. Told with love but not with blinders on, Cooper explores the faults and foibles, the triumphs and traumas, as he explores the rise and fall of the Vanderbilt dynasty. A nice companion to the #WhartonBuddyRead as it covers some of the same ground. A nice touch was the epilogue where he tells what stands now where the mansions once were.
I devoured this book. Part genealogical mystery, part loving mémoire, part philosophy of war and empire, it was shot through with Palin‘s intelligence and humor. Thanks to my cousin @barbwire for a lovely birthday present.
This book has more similes than a 9th grade English assignment on descriptive writing, and if I had to read one more “I think I‘m southern if I can‘t say a sentence without some goofy expression” page I would have exploded like a too-ripe watermelon dropped from the back of the truck on a bumpy road heading to market. Sheesh!
Read Flannery O‘Connor - skip this one. #24in2024 number 9 also #doublespin
My birthday was full of books (and grandson. And Six!) The little book on the bottom is the tagged book.
N J (Newton Julian) Paschall was my great-great grandfather and it was fun to read about his contributions to the town of Fulton. The Images of America series isn‘t particularly careful in its research, but they always have good pictures.
(Enlarge if necessary.)
Home sick today, so I‘ve already gotten in the first chapter (and the preface and dedication) of this #randomclassics @TheAromaofBooks
Full of quirky Houston characters, two (or three) dogs, and one sardonic cat, this novel celebrates love, human and canine, without being sappy or emotionally manipulative. Prose that brings the west to life, & a surprise cameo of someone I once knew who is neither fictional nor famous. (Houston once went to the same church as me and knew this man there which makes me wonder if he asked her to write him into one of her stories.) No. 8 #24in2024
This is a very soft pick for me. I think I‘d have preferred a nonfiction account. I finished it because it‘s for my irl book club, and it sent me to the internet to find out more. But the writing itself was at best bland, at worst anachronistic. And the name dropping got tiresome. We know Bernard was a cad - no need to drag Edith Wharton into it.
Wharton messed with us in this book. Kate is both highly frustrating and yet to be pitied. Chris is the worst villain since Lovelace of Clarissa infamy, and Anne strikes me as fairly selfish herself, or at least spoiled and immature. Fred, well Fred just made me sad. He deserved so much better. Yet through it all Wharton‘s wit and humor and sparkling prose make this a pick. If you like moral dilemmas and no easy answers, this one‘s for you.
“His manly chest seemed outspread to receive the pectoral cross, and all his gestures were round and full, like the sleeves for which they were preparing.” I know that the Rev. Dr. Arklow is a minor character, but this quote was too good not to illustrate. (Above is an actual bishop of the era.) As CarolynM points out, this is a book of moral dilemmas. But was Arklow‘s advice moral? Or conventional ? Did Kate do the right thing toward Anne? Frank?
My latest #treadmillBook. Read by Anderson Cooper, it‘s off to a great start.
Number 6 for#24in2024, this is another set of short stories full of Atwood‘s mischievous humor and prescient insights. Loved it!
Like any short story collection, some were stronger than others, but this was a pleasant listen each morning. #treadmillbook
Post WWI and a couple of affairs, Kate is “allowed” to return home to the US and her daughter. I don‘t think she likes what the US has become, especially the younger generation. They seem to get the most pointed (and witty) comments from Wharton‘s pen. Impressions of Kate? Anne? Chris? I‘ll post some favorite quotes below. #whartonbuddyread
“Roughing it builds a boy‘s character, but only certain kinds of roughing it.”
I loved this quiet, deep, loving look at friendship, love, and age. And I‘ve never been so angry at a character as I was/am with Gene! Five stars! #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks
Fourth in my #24in2024, and for my irl book club, which I had to miss for a work trip. It‘s a tear-jerker and I usually don‘t like having my emotions manipulated. But the stories were so engaging and I was rooting for them both to make it to their 100th, so I didn‘t feel manipulated. I‘m just sorry I missed out on the discussion.
Just a reminder that the #whartonbuddyread of Books I and II is next Saturday the 17th
One of Dickens‘ earlier novels, NN gives me Pickwick vibes, especially with some of the over-the-top humor, and the pathos of The Old Curiosity Shop. Nicholas is a young man‘s hero - brash and hot headed and protective of his and his sister‘s honor. But also likable. And he sticks to his version of honorable behavior even when it goes against his feelings for Madeline. A typical Dickensian ending wraps it all up with a bow for an enjoyable read.