What are you reading lately? - YouLookFab Forum

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What are you reading lately?

Indigoprint

Veteran

Always love a good book. What are you reading or what can you recommend? I like all sorts but right now am reading for pleasure/ escape so am re- reading a trilogy by Nancy Turner.
What are you Fabbers reading?

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Latest reply was from doggeh lover

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I’m reading the first book of James A. Corey’s series that the show The Expanse is based on. It’s very good so far!

Ive also been reading the first two of the Rampart Trilogy/Koli series by M.R. Carey, which I’ve also really been enjoying; Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, which I liked too; and Fairy Tale by Stephen King, also a great read.

I’ve been listening to The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, which is long but an outstanding audio pick for the narrator’s ability to perform the character voices so brilliantly. Right now I’m at a point where it feels like there are a lot of battle scenes, which are not my favorite, but the plot shifts enough to keep my attention.

Other recent reads: Little Eve by Catriona Ward was a good gothic tale if you like that sort of thing (I do!). And Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker is a really good piece of punk rock speculative fiction.

pil

Veteran

Just finished and really enjoyed The Old Woman With The Knife. About a 65 year old female assassin (disease control specialist) in South Korea who is nearing retirement.

https://www.goodreads.com/book.....-the-knife

cjh

(website)

Veteran

I read about 75% non fiction, and slowly. I’m currently reading The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson; and The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedlund.

Both are heartbreaking and in their way fascinating. This is the kind of book that everyone of us should read more often.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

CJH, that Isabel Wilkerson book is on my list! I’ve been in fiction mode for a while now because I am into the escape/story at the moment. But typically I alternate fiction and nonfiction.

My Amazon cart has two books by Keith Heyer Meldahl because I’ve been to the desert recently and always get an urge to learn more about geology with every trip I make out west.

LJP

Veteran

I started and didn’t finish Fairy Tale . Got only part-way into the first book in the new Cormac McCarthy set , but quickly realized it’s not for me . I was really disappointed in both this and the SKing book as they are two of my favourite writers . I’m blowing my way through Pineapple Street which is a fun read .

Bonnie

Veteran

Right now, I'm reading I CAN SEE IN THE DARK by Karin Fossum. It's a Norwegian psychological thriller that is is one of her best so far. I just finished FAMILY HAPPINESS by Laurie Colwin, I've been rereading her novels this year.

Indigoprint

Veteran

All new titles for me except the Cormac M. book, which I got for my husband for Christmas, in which he only got part way and stopped too. He also was disappointed as he had been looking forward to it.

Thank you for your replies I always like to have something to look forward to as I get to the end of a book.

April

Veteran

I recently finished Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver) which I cannot recommend highly enough, and am now about 5 pages from the end of Mona Simpson's Commitment.

My son left his copy of the first in the Cormac McCarthy pair (Stella Maris) but I have not started it yet. Also in my "can't wait" pile is Candy House by Jennifer Egan (connected to her A Visit from the Goon Squad).

On my Kindle (in bed at night only), I just finished my 10th or so re-reading of a childhood favorite, Anne of Green Gables.

Also, in case I haven't mentioned this one before, I adored Katherine Heiny's Standard Deviation. Both heartbreaking and completely hilarious. I had to stop reading it in bed because I was laughing too hard - not very soporific.

Don't have this one yet but really want to read Mary Gaitskill's The Mare.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Oh yes, I liked the Jennifer Egan, and need to add the new Kingsolver to my list.

CarolS

Veteran

I just finished reading (and started re-reading) New York, by Edward Rutherfurd.

The story follows one family from the 1600s to the 2000s, and weaves in other families whose lives intersect at various points in history.

His characters may be fictional, but they interact with key historical figures and are witness to the evolution of the city - from the days of Tammany Hall to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire (which I learned happened on my birthday in 1911) to the building of the Empire State Building, and right through to modern times.

Rutherfurd is an engaging storyteller and of course, reading the book while I was actually in NYC gave me a heightened feeling of connection to much that we saw and did.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Carol, that sounds interesting! I have a soft spot for any book with NYC history presented in a compelling way. Island at the Center of the World was a good readable historical account of early NY. My family roots in this country date to the early Dutch families (and even one of the earliest mayors of the city!), so I always find it fascinating. Maybe this is part of why I feel so connected to the city even though I’ve only visited and never lived there.

Indigoprint

Veteran

Gotta love Anne with an "E".
So many books so little time!
Thanks for the inspiration....

CarolS

Veteran

It really is, Janet!! How cool to have such a personal connection to the city's history. The Rutherford book spends quite a bit of time on the early Dutch settlers.

I'm going to keep an eye out for the book you mentioned!

Aquamarine

Veteran

I loved “Lessons in Chemistry!” Now I am indulging in some Elin Hilderbrand as I dream of warmer weather.

cat2

Veteran

I like mysteries, and am currently slowly making my way through the Jean Luc Bannalec series set in Brittany. It’s been fun to learn a bit about their unique culture, and I am ready to sign up for a visit to a pink sand beach.

kkards

Veteran

Currently too stressed to read anything more than romance novels but taking notes.
Re the Jennifer Egan book- I meet her a thousand years ago, and so have always thought I should/ would like her books. But the only 1 I really liked was the one that is least like her others, “Manhattan Beach”.

cjh

(website)

Veteran

Carol, I have a Rutherfurd bookon my coffee table. My daughter loaned it to me. It’s called China: The Novel. I have not opened it yet, so I’m not sure if I’m being inappropriate, but every time I walk by, the title cracks me up. I think I should read it soon. Has anyone read it? Did you like it?

I also recommend the author Lisa See. I might have mentioned her before in book topics. Actually she’s coming to my daughter’s local library this week, but I can’t go because that is the night we’re going to dinner theater for hubby’s actual 70th birthday, if nothing about hospitalized MIL interferes. She’s doing as expected on recovery, should be there a few more days.

CarolS

Veteran

I haven't read that one, CJH. I read his novel about Paris many years ago -- not that I remember much about it now! And I've started another one of his called The Forest. Will be interested to hear your thoughts on China if you decide to dive in!

MsMary

Veteran

Lisa, I read and loved Fairy Tale last summer, and somehow that got me down a Stephen King rabbit hole that led to me reading all seven volumes his The Dark Tower series starting while I was on vacation in February. Just finished book 7 a week or two ago. It was quite a journey!!

Currently I'm reading a quirky mystery called The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett, and enjoying it very much.

I recently finished Open Book by Jessica Simpson and enjoyed it a lot, too -- especially the parts about how she established her billion-dollar fashion business.

I have Demon Copperhead cued up next in line.

Laurie

Veteran

Been listening to a few audiobooks lately -
- How to Change Your Mind - Michael Pollan. For the curious.

- Unthinkable - Jamie Raskin. I put this one off for a really long time because my older son went to school with Tommy Raskin. (For our friends outside the US, Jamie Raskin is a US Congressman from my district in Maryland who sat on the January 6 Committee. A week before the Jan 6 insurrection on the Capital, his brilliant, talented, beloved son, Tommy, committed suicide.)

Lighter fare - Voyager by Diana Gabaldon, in the Outlander series. Her books are good and long - this one got me through a 8.5 hour flight this week!

Ginger

Veteran

- Christian Encounters: Jane Austen, by Peter Leithart - a birthday gift from a friend. A small book but I found it fun and insightful, very enjoyable.

- Revenge, by Tom Bower. I'm still pretty early in still but although I've heard a lot about it, I'm still learning quite a bit. It's the first time I've really used the highlight ability on my Kindle.

AviaMariah

Veteran

I'll come out of lurkdom to comment on this post. I've read some pretty good books so far this year....
11/22/63 Steven King
The book of Longing Sue Monk Kidd
It Ends With Us Colleen Hoover
Beartown and Winners by Fredrik Backman
This is How it Always is Laurie Frankel
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone Lori Gottleib
Signal Fires Dani Shapiro
Hour of the Witch Chris Bohjalian
The Place of Wonder Barbara O'Neal
Happy Reading!!

Runcarla

Veteran

@ kkards - I’m down for romance! I have a collection of Georgette Heyer that I acquired over the early 2000’s when Sourcebooks re-released a few quarterly I think(?) in trade paperback, until they were all out. I’ve collected 30 of them.

I thought I had read them all, but discovered a new-to-me one ‘Bath Tangle’ in our local second hand bookstore and I’m so happy! I’m about 3/4’s through.

Wikipedia lists 26 regencies and 8 historical! Need to check my stash to see what I’m missing!

Anonymous

Right now I'm reading "Instant Karma" (David Michie). Unfortunately it's fiction!
Just finished "Nobody Wants Your S***" and "Tidy the F***" up (Messie Kondo) and "You Should Smile More" (Anastasia Ryan).

Laurie

Veteran

I just finished the latest David Sedaris collection on audiobook - Happy Go Lucky.
It's excellent. I've been a Sedaris fan since his first appearance on NPR so long ago, but have not cared for quite a bit of his work over the last 5 or 7 years. He wrote some very bizarre stuff. He's back to his old voice - all about his family (a lot about his father's final decline and death, and their very difficult relationship), the pandemic, and general quirky life observation. I laughed out loud many times!

And, I am thrilled to introduce you all to the debut YA novel, Shadow of the West, A Story of Divided Berlin by my best friend from college! Sarah Chapman wrote this based on her experience living in Berlin in the late seventies, during her high school years. Berlin was divided, but she could enter the East at will with her diplomatic passport. She befriended East German teenagers, one in particular, but he could never come to visit her, of course. Many years later, he and his family visited Sarah when she was living in Istanbul. As they sat at the table with their children, now the age Sarah had been when she lived in Germany, Sarah realized that the Berlin Wall was ancient history for these kids! She was inspired to write the book. I think it's terrific, and would love to hear if any of you are inspired to read it!

@AviaMariah, I really loved "MaybeYou Should Talk to Someone".

Indigoprint

Veteran

Thank you all who offered titles. Have already received some of the recommended titles from our library.

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton. This book is “about” a lot of contemporary topics but the characters and the plot will keep you on tenterhooks till the end

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

And oh I’ve been a fan of Georgette Heyer, but I abandoned my collection in the Great Downsize of 2021

doggeh lover

I have so much heavy, stressful things going on for the next month or so, I went with a old favorite fiction writer, Rona Jaffrie, in a couple books I hadn't tried yet. Currently reading 'The Best of Everything' and 'The Roommating Season'