Sunday, September 25, 2022

What should I read next?



I have book stacks all over my house as many bookish people do. I use the library quite a bit but I also buy books; sometimes it's because I want to support an author or because multiple members of my family will enjoy the book as well. I am always able to grab a good book of my choice from random places around my house. I use ThriftBooks a lot because I don't care if some of my books are used and I subscribe to Book of the Month Club because I was craving a curated selection of new titles.  I am way behind in reading my book-of-the-month choices. because I have so many other books to keep up on. I read books for my elementary school library and I have a book club with friends that meets once a month. 

I thought this spring and summer I would read a ton of book from my TBR (to be read) stacks but I was caught up in reading a ton of elementary fiction for the Iowa Awards list.  And I read about 27 on their list for next year but that left little time for my own stacks. Right now I am reading Emma Straub's The Vacationeers because I read a review that said it was good - it is.  Next up I have Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley and A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham.  I bought Nightcrawling during the summer because I was interested in this author and I requested A Flicker...from the library because it was featured on the podcast The Readheads Book Club. It's almost (but not quite.) exhausting how many good authors and titles I can find.  What do your shelves look like? Any suggestions on what I should put on the top of my list?  Scan the stacks in the photos; is there a favorite I should read soon?  Advice? 


Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Book Talks and a road trip...

 I finished two fabulous books this week both with stand up female characters. One book is an adult fiction, the other an elementary fiction and both celebrate a life worth living!

Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin (The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry) is about a young woman, Aviva Grossman, who makes a mistake as a 20-year-old by flirting with the congressman she interns for one late night in the office. Even though he turns her down in the immediate he begins an affair with Aviva his intern and former neighbor. They are very private for a long time but one night after a car accident the affair comes out. This idea sounds so cliche like Bill Clinton and Ted Kennedy but it is how Zevin changes the trajectory of this young Aviva as she reinvents herself. There is a comment on the back that says this is the best slut-shaming  book around. While it's frustrating to read the mess her life becomes because of this affair (an how his life continues on as a congressman) it is also powerful to see how she transforms that makes this book soar. I really want to read Zevin's new book Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow but the holds are long so I thought I would try another one of her books. Highly recommend. From the public library. (2017)

The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan (I'll be There & Counting by 7's) is the story of young headstrong Sila as she impatiently awaits her mother's return from Turkey. Her mother has been sent back to her home country to retrieve some mis-filed paperwork or risk deportation. She misses her mother a great deal but one day she meets an interesting man, a lottery winner who now owns a vast farm property. Her father is summoned to fix this older gentleman's broken down truck and an unlikely friendship forms between the three. The story takes a surprising twist when an elephant is rescued from a disbanding circus. All the feels for this delicious story of hope, friendship, and a need to make things right for those you love. I love all of Sloan's books. Highly recommend. From my school library. (2021)

In other exciting news I finished the first season of The Lincoln Lawyer and have embarked on the amazing journey of Extraordinary Attorney Woo, both on Netflix. When my husband and I are together in the same room for more than a few minutes we continue to catch up Only Murders in the Building on Hulu. 

Speaking of husbands we celebrated our 21st anniversary this weekend with a trip to Iowa City even though we were married in Galena, IL. I had a library meeting there (always great to talk books for three hours!  Before my meeting we enjoyed a delicious brunch at Goose Town in the Northside neighborhood. Our Groovy daughter works there and we had to try the amazing farm-to-table menu. On Sunday night we ate at ReUnion Brewery also very good especially the hand breaded and hot onion rings. We stayed at a the classically remodeled Highlander Hotel which was a supper club years ago and is enjoying a funky new life. Peace, love, and harmony baby!