What Books Are You Reading In 2021? Part 1
Surprisingly (or not), in spite of the pandemic and associated lockdown of 2020, our reading log of last year did not fill 2 threads. Chalk it up to a US election year, lack of access to in-person libraries and bookstores and people preferring to stream rather than to read. Speaking for myself, in the opening post of 2020 I announced my plan to read Moby Dick - it remains unread as I stuck mostly to comfort reading mysteries and thrillers.
To kick things off - here is a photo of the young Joseph Heller.
So, DLers, what will be your first read of 2021?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 602 | September 28, 2021 7:31 PM
|
I’m almost finished with Normal People, so that will be my first book for 2021. Next in the queue are The Mirror and the Light, The Corrections, and The Portrait of a Lady.
Also, as with every year since 2016, I’m hoping The Winds of Winter is released.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | January 1, 2021 12:44 PM
|
And did you like it?
People seem to love Normal people but i really disliked it
by Anonymous | reply 2 | January 1, 2021 1:39 PM
|
I thought I would hate Normal People, as with Moby Dick it remains unfinished, but I liked the 40 pages I did finish. I'm not touching the TV show, though.
by Anonymous | reply 3 | January 1, 2021 2:16 PM
|
Because I'm that far behind the times, I'm starting The Line Of Beauty Alan Hollinghurst. I remember watching the TV adaptation 16 years ago and getting my first glimpses of Dan Stevens and Hayley Atwell and loathing them on sight.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | January 1, 2021 2:24 PM
|
Finishing Hamnet and Buried Fianr before starting something new. May well be The Prophets.
by Anonymous | reply 5 | January 1, 2021 2:29 PM
|
Ooh, I received an ARC of The Prophets. Didn't read it, though.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | January 1, 2021 3:02 PM
|
Murakami's What I Think About When I Think About Running
by Anonymous | reply 7 | January 1, 2021 3:04 PM
|
I just finished reading Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann. I quite liked it, especially the long chapter about Hanno, which was clearly autobiographical.
by Anonymous | reply 9 | January 1, 2021 3:07 PM
|
I just started Weather hoping i will enjoy it more than Dept of specualations
by Anonymous | reply 10 | January 1, 2021 3:09 PM
|
Hogarth's Shakespeare series is continuing with Gillian Flynn's Hamlet this year. Amazing Ophelia, perhaps?
by Anonymous | reply 11 | January 1, 2021 3:24 PM
|
I've had difficulty being able to concentrate on reading this past year, which is strange because if you had told me pre-Covid that soon there would be an excuse to stay home all day, not see anyone, or go to work, I would have said 'Great! I'll just stay home and read.'
by Anonymous | reply 12 | January 1, 2021 3:28 PM
|
I hear you, r12. I (secretly) enjoyed lockdown due to the family time and the slower pace of life but the majority of my reading was Agatha Christie and David Baldacci.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | January 1, 2021 3:42 PM
|
Stacey Abrams has apparently written a legal thriller!
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 14 | January 1, 2021 6:55 PM
|
I think she's written a series of books, mostly romances.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | January 1, 2021 7:51 PM
|
Normal People (hating it so far and keep putting it down), French Exit (LOVED!), Where the Crawdad Sings (loved), The Midnight Libray (enjoyed), and reread Beautiful Ruins because it makes me happy.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | January 1, 2021 8:03 PM
|
Hilary Mantel's "Mantel Pieces"
by Anonymous | reply 17 | January 1, 2021 8:20 PM
|
I'm starting 2021 with SHUGGIE BAIN because of recommendations on DL.
That's not even a great photo of Joseph Heller who in his youth could be quite hot.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | January 1, 2021 8:28 PM
|
Are we now abandoning the last thread?
by Anonymous | reply 19 | January 1, 2021 8:28 PM
|
[quote]Are we now abandoning the last thread?
Well, it is 2021.
by Anonymous | reply 20 | January 1, 2021 8:29 PM
|
James McBride's "Deacon King Kong." It came out in March 2020 and won the National Book Award. So far, I'm on page 50. Interesting. I've read McBride's "The Color of Water," a memoir about McBride's white mother (McBride is black). That was excellent!
by Anonymous | reply 21 | January 1, 2021 8:32 PM
|
R21, Deacon King Kong may have been longlisted for the National Book Award but it didn’t win. That was Interior Chinatown.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | January 1, 2021 8:35 PM
|
Normal People was good - though I’m also familiar with the area so it had special resonance. Line of Beauty is much better book than the movie - unfortunately now you are stuck with the faces of those actors for the character which ruins it a little. French Exit is a decent, humorous book - not a stunner but worthwhile distraction.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | January 1, 2021 9:06 PM
|
My last read of 2020 was "Alright, Alright, Alright" by Melissa Maerz, an oral history of the movie "Dazed and Confused." Definitely read it if you're a fan of the film, and who isn't? Nearly everyone participated, including McConaughey and Affleck. Lots of tea spilled.
Yesterday started "Station Eleven," which I know has a lot of fans in these Reading threads. Why not a pandemic novel?
by Anonymous | reply 25 | January 2, 2021 4:55 PM
|
I loved Station Eleven, read it about a year before the pandemic went into full swing. Not sure I could handle it now as it was all too believable and tragic.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | January 2, 2021 6:45 PM
|
I'm enjoying Normal People more than I thought I would. I'm a little bit biased though--I've always enjoyed books that show characters' evolution over a long period of time. I also appreciate that it shifts perspectives, so the reader gets to view events through the eyes of both the main characters.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a John le Cerré book to read? Or perhaps Patricia Highsmith? Agatha Christie is the standard suggestion whenever I express interest in mysteries. But while I enjoy her books, the most exciting parts are the last few chapters.
by Anonymous | reply 27 | January 2, 2021 6:53 PM
|
R27, if you're looking for good mysteries have you tried any of Ruth Rendell's? Or if you prefer something more contemporary, have you read any of Kate Atkinson's Jason Brodie mysteries? Both writers don't really write classic whodunnits, but I think they're more interesting for it.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | January 2, 2021 7:21 PM
|
Thank you for the recommendations, R28!
by Anonymous | reply 29 | January 2, 2021 7:23 PM
|
Why do people only read - or at least talk about - fiction?
I seldom if ever see non-fiction titles in these threads. Just two, in fact, in the prior posts on this thread.
by Anonymous | reply 30 | January 2, 2021 7:31 PM
|
R30, nonfiction is for dreary heterosexuals.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | January 2, 2021 7:33 PM
|
[quote]Does anyone have a recommendation for a John le Cerré book to read?
Start with The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or Little Drummer Girl.
[quote]Or perhaps Patricia Highsmith?
I found the Ripley books so sadistic (and HATED the Anthony Minghella movie) but I love all her non-Ripley work. Dark Water (an upcoming Adrian Lyne movie with Ben Affleck and Ana De Armas) is excellent and so funny. The stuffy older husband is more tired of his slutty young wife's lovers hanging rather obviously about their home so he casually says that he killed one of his wife's dead exes. Havoc ensues.
[quote]Agatha Christie is the standard suggestion whenever I express interest in mysteries.
Do you like more hardboiled stuff than domestic/cosy? I like the Eddie Flynn books by Steve Cavanagh, an Irish lawyer writing (actually pretty well) about a New York lawyer. His book Thirteen was blurbed: "The serial killer isn't on trial. He's on the jury." It's so fun.
by Anonymous | reply 32 | January 2, 2021 7:37 PM
|
R30 I read about three or four nonfiction books to every one fiction book, mostly history. Up next on my list is "Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present."
by Anonymous | reply 33 | January 2, 2021 8:20 PM
|
[quote]Do you like more hardboiled stuff than domestic/cosy? I like the Eddie Flynn books by Steve Cavanagh, an Irish lawyer writing (actually pretty well) about a New York lawyer.
You might enjoy Lawrence Block's Matt Scudder series. Alcoholic ex-cop who works as a private detective in Manhattan. Lives in the West 50s, and you get a lot of the sense of the area. He struggles to get sober over the course of the series, and eventually makes it.
I figure most people who read detective novels already know Jonathan Kellerman and Michael Connolly. Some other writers I've enjoyed are J.A. Jance, Philip Margolin, and a new series by Jonathan Kellerman and his son Jesse, the Clay Edison books.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 34 | January 2, 2021 8:29 PM
|
Love Rendell's books, both as herself and as Barbara Vine. A Judgement in Stone is a masterpiece.
by Anonymous | reply 35 | January 2, 2021 8:55 PM
|
Some of Rendell's best books were written under her pseudonym Barbara Vine, especially A Dark-Adapted Eye and A Fatal Inversion.
Her books became a bit formulaic in her elder years but I did enjoy one of her final books The Girl Next Door (it actually may have been her last). Other titles I enjoyed were A Sleeping Life, A Guilty Thing Surprised, Some Lie and Some Die, Shake Hands Forever, Murder Being Once Done....I could go on and on...
by Anonymous | reply 36 | January 2, 2021 9:55 PM
|
I get PD James and Ruth Rendell mixed up.
by Anonymous | reply 37 | January 3, 2021 7:37 PM
|
Though James and Rendell were British contemporaries, they're writing couldn't have been different. James' books seemed to be more popular when they were both at the height of their careers in the 1980s, but you can count me in the Rendell camp.
by Anonymous | reply 38 | January 3, 2021 8:33 PM
|
So I'm reading SHUGGIE BAIN now, partially because of the good reviews on DL and, while it's gorgeous descriptive writing, OMG could the story be any more depressing? If there are any fans here, can you please give me some encouragement to keep going? I'm about 70 pages in.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | January 3, 2021 8:36 PM
|
R39, suck it up, Mary. It’s a great book.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | January 3, 2021 8:57 PM
|
I'm halfway finished "Ross Poldark" by Winston Graham. It takes place in the Cornwall of my ancestors, and I'm enjoying it immensely.
by Anonymous | reply 41 | January 3, 2021 9:14 PM
|
r39, would it help if I were to call the ending "redemptive"? If not, I agree with r40. Suck it up.
by Anonymous | reply 42 | January 3, 2021 9:31 PM
|
finished Dirty South. another great story. but Lewis and Angel don't get a mention until 300 pages in. that's a great disappointment. i need Lewis and Angel in any Charlie Parker story
by Anonymous | reply 43 | January 4, 2021 3:21 AM
|
16 more days.....what more can we possibly expect?
by Anonymous | reply 44 | January 4, 2021 3:32 AM
|
A lot can happen in 16 days. And it will.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | January 4, 2021 2:10 PM
|
Prophets is sitting in my Kindle!
by Anonymous | reply 46 | January 6, 2021 5:32 PM
|
I ended Weather and i definetively don't get Jenny Offill, it's not that i didn't like it (the novel is fine) but i don't get the hype and i can't connect with her sense of humour. I like the original structure of her novels and i liked Weather more than Dept of speculations but with all the praise i expected something better.
Now i have a book club with Half of a yellow sun
by Anonymous | reply 48 | January 8, 2021 5:47 PM
|
I'm reading Ducks, Newburyport. It's great when I get time to settle into the rhythm of how it all flows. I'm considering reading another book alongside it though, given there isn't a plot to lose track of.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | January 9, 2021 9:10 PM
|
Many thanks to the posters here who encouraged or shamed me into finishing SHUGGIE BAIN. As harrowing and heartbreaking as the story is, the novel was an incredibly rewarding read. I really loved it.
by Anonymous | reply 52 | January 10, 2021 2:03 AM
|
You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it.
by Anonymous | reply 53 | January 10, 2021 1:53 PM
|
Reading Andrew Siedels book "The Founding Myth" He's the attorney for the Freedom from Religion Foundation.
by Anonymous | reply 54 | January 10, 2021 2:33 PM
|
Has anyone read any of Louis Auchincloss' novels? He doesn't seem to be on anyone's radar any more, though critics once called him the successor to Henry James and Edith Wharton in his portrayals of the American rich.
I've just started The Rector of Justin (1964) about a young teacher's relationship with the Headmaster of a private boys school in Massachusetts during WWII. I like it so far, 50 pages in.
by Anonymous | reply 55 | January 10, 2021 8:53 PM
|
Read several back in the day. He was quite prolific and I remember his prose as being elegant, refined, polished. Related by marriage to Gore Vidal and Jackie O. His style and themes way out of style today. Like John P. Marquand and James Gould Cozzens and John O'Hara. Probably will be known in the future as an expert chronicler of his age and class. Let us know how you feel after you've read RECTOR.
by Anonymous | reply 56 | January 10, 2021 10:17 PM
|
I just finished Peter Cameron's new novel "What Happens at Night." I thought it was pretty amazing -- dark and weird and beautiful and thrilling. Kind of a perfect book to read this weird winter.
by Anonymous | reply 57 | January 10, 2021 10:52 PM
|
R57, I’ve been telling everybody about that one. Best new book I’ve read all year.
by Anonymous | reply 58 | January 10, 2021 11:34 PM
|
Has anyone read THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett? Hearing great things about it.
by Anonymous | reply 60 | January 19, 2021 10:05 PM
|
At the moment, I'm re-reading "Started Early, Took My Dog," by Kate Atkinson. I'm especially fond of Atkinson's books, and this is one of my favorites.
by Anonymous | reply 61 | January 19, 2021 10:11 PM
|
I love the Kate Atkinson Jackson Brodie series but the last one BIG SKY was not up to her standards. Sadly her last non-Brodie book TRANSCRIPTION was even worse.
What's happened to her? She's written some of my favorite books of the last 20 years.
by Anonymous | reply 62 | January 19, 2021 10:15 PM
|
To each his own, r62. It all seemed unbelievable to me.
Have you read her early books like Human Croquet and Behind the Scenes at the Museum? They're truly sublime.
by Anonymous | reply 64 | January 19, 2021 10:22 PM
|
I read excerpts some months ago but I'm now well into Barack Obama's Promised Land. He is a brilliant writer.
by Anonymous | reply 65 | January 19, 2021 10:26 PM
|
I'm still slogging my way through Mary Renault's "Fire From Heaven." I've finished two and a half other books in the meantime because I'm down to only reading a few pages of FRH right before bed. It picked up a bit when Aristotle came onto the scene, but now I'm very near the end and am back to being bored and LOATHING Alexander. What an insufferable, psycho little prig.
I do want to hate-watch Oliver Stone's 'Alexander' now, though.
by Anonymous | reply 66 | January 20, 2021 1:29 AM
|
Tried reading a few of Renault's books but could never get into them. I know she's had lots of fans but her writing hasn't aged well.
by Anonymous | reply 67 | January 20, 2021 3:05 AM
|
OT: saw John Grisham in person years ago in DC. Very handsome.
by Anonymous | reply 68 | January 20, 2021 7:03 AM
|
I'm reading Ripley under ground right now (it's been more than twenty years since i read The talented mr Ripley).
I ended Half of a yellow sun, not the best read for my current mood
by Anonymous | reply 69 | January 20, 2021 6:08 PM
|
To celebrate Patricia Highsmith's 100th birthday, reading "Carol" and "Ripley's Game" (and watching the movie versions).
by Anonymous | reply 70 | January 20, 2021 6:34 PM
|
I'm loving Brit Bennett's THE VANISHING HALF. I'm about 1/2 through and I don't want it to end.
by Anonymous | reply 71 | January 25, 2021 7:20 PM
|
THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS by Micah Nemerever. Romance-ish novel involving two gay college students. They're really more addicted to/codependent with each other than anything approaching true romance. I'm not sure what their psychiatric diagnosis is, but it can't be a good one. Each is a pretty awful person. I'm 55-60% through, and they're only getting more whatever-pathic. Not sure I'll finish.
It takes place in Pittsburgh, in 1973, but I'm not sure the author has spent more than a weekend here. He keeps referring to "the interstate," which is something no Pittsburgher ever says. We have "the parkway," which is the interstate that goes through the city, or the turnpike, which crosses the state from east to west, but we don't call anything "the interstate."
And did anyone ever say "it is what it is" in 1973? That's just one of the anachronisms the book is peppered with.
by Anonymous | reply 72 | January 25, 2021 7:27 PM
|
R72 What a pity. I read lot of good things about that novel and it was in several "most anticipated" lists.
I want The redshirt will be published in my country, the intersection between gayness and sports world always catch my attention.
This year the gay authors are gettin a lot of recognition on literary awards.
Bryan Washington was nominated to the National Book Critics Circle Award for Memorial, and Douglas Stuart (Shuggie Bain) and Brandon Taylor (Real life) are nominated to the John Leonard Prize
by Anonymous | reply 73 | January 25, 2021 7:33 PM
|
Amazon just delivered a definitive biography of James Baldwin. It's gotten rave reviews. Critics love it. I am looking forward to starting it this week.
by Anonymous | reply 74 | January 25, 2021 9:49 PM
|
I'm reading a book called Wild Robot, about a robot who has to fend for herself on an island uninhabited by humans.
JEALOUS BITCHES?!!!!!!!
by Anonymous | reply 75 | January 25, 2021 10:17 PM
|
R72. I though that was a dreadful book. The author is an FTM, which may be part of the explanation of why the relationship between the two young gay men never feels real. (Don’t get me wrong—there are great writers who can imagine the inner lives of characters not in their own identity categories—Henry James, Flaubert created believable women; Jane Hamilton and Rebekah Makkah have written deeply and well in the experiences of gay men—this author just did not demonstrate the ability to do that). I also don’t think the book added to the story of Leopoldo and Loeb, which the author acknowledges as the inspiration: Compulsion, while filled with the homophobia of its time feels like it gets deeper (Meyer Levin was a cub reporter during the case) and John Logan’s early play Never the Sinner, which he wrote in an undergraduate playwriting class at Northwestern, was quite good ;and Denis O’Hare, also an undergrad at the time, made an excellent “Babe” Lieb).
I also agree the language has jarring anachronisms—the “It is what it is” leapt our at me too.
I grew up in the suburbs and had a teacher whose best childhood friend’s mother was an ex-con who had been a cellmate if either Leopoldo or Lieb, so the story has always fascinated me. This novel was thin beer.
by Anonymous | reply 76 | January 25, 2021 10:40 PM
|
Speaking of COMPULSION, is Levin's book still worth a look? I've always meant to read it and don't really know the Leopold/Loeb story that well.
by Anonymous | reply 77 | January 25, 2021 10:44 PM
|
Sorry, Leopold not Leopoldo.
Btw, thanks to whoever recommended “A Judgement in Stone.” I got it from the library and finished it last night. Excellent thriller with more moral/psychological weight than standard genre might have predicted. I’d read a “Barbara Vine” I really liked, but nothing under the Rendell name. Apparently there was a poorly received film with Rita Tushinghsm as Eunice and then a better French adaptation some years later.
by Anonymous | reply 78 | January 25, 2021 10:44 PM
|
I love Ruth Rendell. My favorite of hers is A Dark Adapted Eye.
by Anonymous | reply 79 | January 25, 2021 10:45 PM
|
A Dark Adapted Eye and A Fatal Inversion were the first 2 Rendells written as her alias Barbara Vine and IMHO the 2 best. There's a wonderful British TV film of the latter with a young sexy Jeremy Northam.
by Anonymous | reply 80 | January 25, 2021 10:54 PM
|
R78, you're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. The Rita Tushingham adaptation is The Housekeeper. The French version is La Ceremonie. Both worth checking out.
The opening sentence of the novel is among my favorite of all time. Hard not to move forward with the book after you've read it.
by Anonymous | reply 81 | January 26, 2021 1:13 PM
|
R43 Curiously my Charlie Parker book of this year will be The Reappers which is focused on Louis and Angel
by Anonymous | reply 83 | January 26, 2021 2:44 PM
|
I love A Dark Adapted Eye. The TV series, anyway, with a career best performance from Celia Imrie.
by Anonymous | reply 84 | January 27, 2021 10:59 AM
|
I just finished Red, White & Royal Blue, the romance between the President’s half-Mexican son (a top) and the Prince of England (a bottom). It was fun, even if the young male characters felt like they were written for a female audience,
by Anonymous | reply 85 | January 29, 2021 2:14 AM
|
Was the bottom Prince of England inspired by Prince Edward?
by Anonymous | reply 86 | January 29, 2021 3:31 AM
|
Well, r85, it was written by a woman, so . . .
by Anonymous | reply 87 | January 29, 2021 1:38 PM
|
whoever recommended Memorial up stream..... thank you. such a fun book.
by Anonymous | reply 88 | January 31, 2021 6:13 PM
|
Just finished up Susanna Clarke's "Piranesi." I wasn't sure what to expect, but I found it deeply engrossing and oddly moving.
I'm struggling with "Dawn" by Octavia Butler, but I hate it.
by Anonymous | reply 89 | January 31, 2021 6:25 PM
|
I ended Little women, cheese as hell. I think i had more sugar on blood than never before.
I started Vernon Subutext 1 (next in the line are Steven Hall's Raw shark texts and John Connolly's The Reapers)
by Anonymous | reply 90 | January 31, 2021 6:49 PM
|
Sugar on blood? Please explain.
by Anonymous | reply 91 | January 31, 2021 7:53 PM
|
That novel causes diabetes. The story is ok (and translates well to film) but it's too sugary
by Anonymous | reply 92 | January 31, 2021 8:22 PM
|
People (OP) who alphabetize by first names are idiots.
by Anonymous | reply 93 | January 31, 2021 8:40 PM
|
I recall a DLer mentioning Homeland by Fernando Aramburu some years ago, I can't remember if they were Spanish (or Basque). Has anyone read it?
by Anonymous | reply 94 | February 3, 2021 8:18 AM
|
"So Dark the Waves on Biscayne Bay" by Barbara Thorndyke
by Anonymous | reply 95 | February 3, 2021 10:01 AM
|
I'm now almost done with the 4th book (of 5) in the Cazalet Chronicles series by Elizabeth Jane Howard. Thanks again to the posters here who mentioned and recommended these books, they are getting me through the pandemic. Have to say they get better with each one, especially liking that the younger children are far more interesting as grownups.
by Anonymous | reply 96 | February 7, 2021 1:46 PM
|
Just finished The Prophets. Wonderful.
by Anonymous | reply 97 | February 7, 2021 5:01 PM
|
I finished Vernon Subutex 1 (i will read the other two all over the year or next year) and i'm going to start The reapers, my usual John Connolly winter read
by Anonymous | reply 98 | February 7, 2021 6:43 PM
|
I want to read Uncle Tom's Cabin but I am afraid I'll be judged for buying it. I'm barely literate compared to the rest of you.
by Anonymous | reply 99 | February 7, 2021 7:36 PM
|
I'm about 1/3 through Mark Harris' brilliant bio MIKE NICHOLS; A LIFE.
Un-put-downable. Crammed with details and great analysis. Is there anyone in 1950s-60s-70s and onward show biz Nichols didn't know?
by Anonymous | reply 100 | February 13, 2021 1:35 PM
|
Thanks to the poster who recommended Mrs. Bridge. I loved it.
by Anonymous | reply 101 | February 13, 2021 2:26 PM
|
R101, Mr. Bridge is a good follow-up. I read them both last year and really liked them.
by Anonymous | reply 102 | February 13, 2021 2:31 PM
|
r100, a bit further along in the book, and it is totally absorbing. Harris has a great knack for chronicling the behind-the-scenes of Nichols's projects and it's astonishing how many there were, both stage and screen. I do think there's a great gap in that the Widow Sawyer gave her approval, but declined to be interviewed, as did his three children. Also, wonder why Whoopi Goldberg wouldn't participate. Finally, there's the issue of his bisexuality, given the assertion in a recent Richard Avedon bio that he and Nichols were lovers for a decade. Harris deals with this in a footnote, declaring that he discounts that book's claims. That he doesn't explore this more fully is a flaw for me. Still, I am gobbling the book with great enjoyment.
by Anonymous | reply 103 | February 13, 2021 9:12 PM
|
But r103, I interpreted what Harris said in that footnote re: Mike's bisexuality as he DID explore it. Meaning, I assume, he asked several of Nichols' friends/colleagues to comment and none did. Now, of course, that's not to say it didn't exist but Harris couldn't write about it if there's no reference for it. What is their to say without corroboration? And then what would a reader like to know about his bisexuality? A list of partners? A list of positions?
While I suppose it might be fascinating to hear someone like Elaine May or Meryl Streep talk about Mike's sexuality in regard to his directing but perhaps there was no correlation. Most interviewed (and there seem to be hundreds) certainly did talk about him in intimate terms.
by Anonymous | reply 104 | February 13, 2021 10:41 PM
|
Currently reading THE RIVER OF DOUBT about Teddy Roosevelt's 1913 misguided trip down an uncharted tributary of the Amazon River accompanied by his son Kermit and an inept team of explorers. Fascinating stuff.
by Anonymous | reply 105 | February 21, 2021 5:11 PM
|
Vincent Chu, "Like a Champion" collection of stories. These are good!
by Anonymous | reply 106 | February 21, 2021 5:19 PM
|
I just finished Ian Toll’s final book on the Pacific War, “Twilight of the Gods.”
An amazing trilogy. If you’ve ever wanted to make sense of how the Empire of Japan was confronted and defeated in WWII, this is the trilogy, and so superbly written as well.
by Anonymous | reply 107 | February 21, 2021 5:36 PM
|
I really enjoyed The Cold Millions, much more so than Beautiful Ruins. It will make a good movie, if they can cast Rye well.
by Anonymous | reply 108 | February 21, 2021 5:42 PM
|
I'm finally reading Andrew Sean Greer's[italic] Less[/italic]. Late to the party, I know.
Next up, The Vanishing Half
Adding my vote for Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie series
by Anonymous | reply 109 | February 21, 2021 6:52 PM
|
Enjoyed Leave the World Behind. Could be a dynamite movie.
by Anonymous | reply 110 | February 21, 2021 6:55 PM
|
[quote]Just finished up Susanna Clarke's "Piranesi." I wasn't sure what to expect, but I found it deeply engrossing and oddly moving.
Ah, I've been wanting to read this book! I loved Jonathan Strange & Dr. Norrell & have been looking for another book like that to become fully engrossed in.
by Anonymous | reply 111 | February 21, 2021 7:08 PM
|
I've been working my way through "Washington: A Life" by Ron Chernow. The peak periods of Washington's life are interesting: the Revolutionary War, the Presidency, - but the periods in between are bit of a slog. Who knew George was such a striver and how much of his legend was so self-crafted?
In the current context, however, it gives some insight into our modern day conflicts: how inept & corrupt Congress is, the conflicting priorities and attitudes of the states, Abolitionists as the original Black Lives Matter and of course the ever-present conflict between what Great Men say, particularly in regards to slavery, versus what they actually do. It also makes you realize how far as a society we've fallen. Corrupt creeps like Trump & Cruz have always existed, by Washington would be horrified by men with no integrity or honor holding lofty positions.
by Anonymous | reply 112 | February 21, 2021 7:16 PM
|
Just finished Between The World And Me by Ta'Nehisi Coates. Mostly absorbing, especially his description of being at Howard University. But it does get a little repetitive after a while.
About to start Memorial.
by Anonymous | reply 113 | February 21, 2021 7:41 PM
|
Loved The Cold Millions and agree it will make a fabulous film, or better yet, a mini-series.
Loved The Vanishing Half. Supposedly already in development for a film or mini-series (not sure which) but I don't see how they'll ever cast the twins convincingly (even with one actress and CGI).
And loved all of the Jackson Brodie mysteries (except for the most recent). I wish they'd continued filming them with Jason Isaacs....I think they've only done the first two.
by Anonymous | reply 114 | February 21, 2021 8:32 PM
|
Any opinions on HOMELAND ELEGIES by Ayad Akhtar? Hearing good things but no specifics.
by Anonymous | reply 115 | February 21, 2021 8:36 PM
|
Mark Merlis's last novel J.D. (2015). The Grim Reaper came for him in 2017, sadly. He was a fantastic writer.
by Anonymous | reply 116 | February 21, 2021 8:58 PM
|
'A Little Life' by Hanya Yanagihara. Was recommended to me by a friend. It's a big, fat, juicy, well-written and erudite novel with a plot. I'm 200 pp in and impressed by the range and quality of the allusions. Enjoying it so far; a good winter read.
by Anonymous | reply 117 | February 21, 2021 9:11 PM
|
First unalloyed enthusiastic response I’ve read about “A Little Life”. Curious what you think when it’s over.
by Anonymous | reply 118 | February 21, 2021 9:18 PM
|
I'll be happy to tell you my thoughts R118. I have one criticism only, now -- but I'm only 200 pp in.
by Anonymous | reply 119 | February 21, 2021 9:27 PM
|
A Little Life was borderline offensive to me as a gay man...I’ll leave it at that.
So far this year, I finished Normal People by Sally Rooney, but I made the mistake of digging deep in the vault to read unread books I own. I’m now in the middle of The Corrections, and it isn’t doing a good job of maintaining my interest. Meanwhile, I have The Mirror and the Light, Conversation with Friends, and A Single Man sitting on the nightstand....begging to be read.
by Anonymous | reply 120 | February 21, 2021 9:32 PM
|
Curious, R120 -- why, because of the Jude shit with the brothers? It's gross, tbh. I'm not sure why so many modern writers seem to want to dwell on the freaky and ugly. But as I say I'm early in it.
by Anonymous | reply 121 | February 21, 2021 9:36 PM
|
Sorry, it’s been years since I’ve read it at this point, but I seem to recall the only outright gay character was a bitchy...no, cruel...drug addict. Then Jude was essentially asexual, but somehow gay because he was sexually abused as a child? And then he ends up in a relationship with a man who identified as straight for most of the book (and is treated as the only unquestionably decent and pure character).
by Anonymous | reply 122 | February 21, 2021 9:50 PM
|
I appreciate your comments. I hope to come back and respond if/when I get all the way through it.
by Anonymous | reply 123 | February 21, 2021 9:53 PM
|
Please do read it and form your own opinions (also seek out the DL thread...which contradicted and affirmed some of my own thoughts at the time).
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 124 | February 21, 2021 9:56 PM
|
Damm, R120. The DL amazes me sometimes!
by Anonymous | reply 125 | February 21, 2021 9:58 PM
|
Just remembered I bought a used copy of the Mark Merlis book American Studies based on a rec here but put it away because I had so many other books lined up to read. I've got to look for it and read it.
FWIW I read about half of A Little Life and gave up in disgust. It was far too melodramatic for my tastes....too intent on shocking the reader.
by Anonymous | reply 126 | February 21, 2021 11:45 PM
|
R115, a friend of mine read Homeland Elegies and liked it a lot. He kept having to remind himself it was fiction, though thinly disguised at times. I plan to read it as well.
by Anonymous | reply 127 | February 21, 2021 11:46 PM
|
I loved American Studies. I didn’t realize Merlis had died. He was a terrific writer.
I also loved A Little Life.
by Anonymous | reply 128 | February 21, 2021 11:46 PM
|
I’m halfway through “Mediocre” by Ijeoma Oluo and “Inventing The Enemy” by my Umberto Eco, but both send me woolgathering after a page of reading.
I’m also rehashing “Everville” by Clive Barker as he normalizes life during plague and cataclysm.
by Anonymous | reply 129 | February 22, 2021 12:13 AM
|
R126, I stopped reading "On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong for that reason after the macaque digression. Reveling in sadism and grotesquery. Life is too short for that.
by Anonymous | reply 130 | February 22, 2021 10:29 AM
|
Just finished "Homeland" Fernando Aramburu. Excellent non-linear narrative of two families torn apart by ETA violence in the Basque Country. Very enjoyable read. And you get to learn a few words in Basque.
by Anonymous | reply 131 | February 22, 2021 10:31 AM
|
I’m up on The Magic Mountain. I suppose it’s too much to ask that the cousins do it.
by Anonymous | reply 132 | February 22, 2021 11:37 AM
|
I just finished Purity by Jonathan Franzen. It sat on my shelf for almost five years, with the jacket remaining in place just after the first section. It was entertaining, smart, and relevant but also uncomfortably long and borderline misogynistic.
Franzen is tough, especially in this one. He writes thoughtfully with great attention to detail, but the book took almost 200 pages before the seemingly unconnected stories began to merge and 400 before it was really clear. And now he’s coming out with a trilogy of 600 page books.
by Anonymous | reply 133 | February 22, 2021 12:05 PM
|
There seem to be very few on-the-fence responses to A LITTLE LIFE. I'm on the side of those who think it's a great novel.
by Anonymous | reply 134 | February 22, 2021 2:16 PM
|
I loved both The Corrections and Purity. Some brilliantly insightful commentary scattered throughout. Maybe not poetry from beginning to end but an engaging story with something meaningful to say about life. Very different than a David Foster Wallace or Cormac McCarthy - I find it much more accessible but intelligent, engaging and entertaining.
by Anonymous | reply 135 | February 22, 2021 2:43 PM
|
A little life is one of those books some love and some hate. Generally generates strong reactions.
I still didn't read Purity. I bought it when it was published here because i liked Freedom and The corrections but i need to be on the right mood to read Franzen
by Anonymous | reply 136 | February 22, 2021 3:02 PM
|
I loved Freedom, and still think about it over ten years later. The Corrections seemed to be held in higher regard by most critics and readers, so I’m not sure why I’m having such a hard time getting through it.
Regarding A Little Life: I prefer stories that explore the range of human emotions. I don’t need a happy ending or thoroughly lovable characters; however, I cannot stand grief porn. The trials and tribulations of a sexually abused child who grows up to be a physically abused cutter was just too much to handle.
by Anonymous | reply 137 | February 22, 2021 3:29 PM
|
I am a huge Jonathan Franzen fan and Purity is my favorite of his three big novels. It perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the moment that it was written.
I also loved The Corrections.
I’m not sure why none of his novels have been turned into a miniseries yet but any of them could be amazing in the right hands.
I keep wondering when his next novel is going to come out. Imagine what he could write about the last year.
by Anonymous | reply 138 | February 22, 2021 3:47 PM
|
Purity is the weakest of the Franzen triad IMO. Too focused on a very of-the-moment issue and less on the universal lessons of life.
I also saw Little Life as pain/sex porn. At points, I laughed out loud at how over the top it became - which ruins the generally serious tone it intends. And right or wrong, the fact that it was written by a a trendy female Vogue writer chafes me a little. The sexual ambiguity/flexibility of a male character is exactly something one expects in chick-lit. It’s not realistic to me as a gay man.
by Anonymous | reply 139 | February 22, 2021 3:50 PM
|
Supposedly, Franzen novels make it out the gate, but never across the finish line.
There’s actually a pilot of The Corrections that never saw the light of day (starring Ewan MacGregor, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dianne Wiest, and Chris Cooper). A few years ago, an adaptation of Purity was in the works, with Daniel Craig attached, but the project died when he had to back out. Mega-producer Scott Rubin bought the film rights to Freedom around the time it was released...which clearly means nothing 11 years later.
by Anonymous | reply 140 | February 22, 2021 4:09 PM
|
There were a bunch of very popular (and critically praised novels) whose adaptations ended on the pilot (or even before).
There are some cases difficult to explain because The art of fielding seemed written to be adapted
by Anonymous | reply 141 | February 22, 2021 6:06 PM
|
enjoyed Red White and Royal Blue, so i tried Boyfriend Material. not gonna lie: did not expect to love this as much as i did. very funny, but with a lot of heart too.
by Anonymous | reply 142 | February 24, 2021 5:37 PM
|
Halfway through "A Little Life" and I'm losing patience. Jude lacks verisimilitude to me; never has an unkind word and everybody loves him despite the fact that he reveals nothing of his private life and is an emotional train wreck. He's a fabulous, high-performing corporate litigator who had the most abysmal childhood imaginable and goes home to cut himself at night. Adopted by a professor and his wife who are completely oblivious to his background, emotional problems and cutting. Andy has been his doctor for years and takes calls at all hours for no payment. Jude supposedly has a body polluted with scars, never wears short sleeve shirts, yet swims for exercise in a public pool.
Doesn't hang together for me. It's like Yanagihara is trying to conjure Prince Myshkin out of a self-abusing corporate lawyer.
by Anonymous | reply 143 | February 25, 2021 4:58 PM
|
he Underground Airlines by Ben H Winters. alt US history. what if the Civil War never happened. and slavery was still a part of our daily life. lots of mirror images of today. grand story tell, is Mr. Ben.
by Anonymous | reply 144 | February 25, 2021 6:40 PM
|
Finishing Gitta Sereny's Into That Darkness, interviews with the man who was in charge of the Treblinka death camp.
by Anonymous | reply 145 | February 25, 2021 9:16 PM
|
I'm going to start Walter Tevis' Queen's gambit
by Anonymous | reply 146 | February 26, 2021 6:41 PM
|
I made it half-way through "A Little Life" until I gave up in frustration. I'm a very patient reader but my patience ran out.
I enjoyed "Detransition, Baby" though I probably wouldn't recommend it as a Must Read. "Caste" was good as was "Transcendent Kingdom." This thread inspired me to read some Patricia Highsmith.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a well-written, believable, compelling thriller? I'm looking for something like Raiders of the Lost Arc or Silence of the Lambs, a real page-turner. But not a dumb one like DaVinci Code. Horror is fine but not interested in Fantasy or Sci-Fi. Any recommendations are appreciated.
Will look into "Memorial" based on this thread.
by Anonymous | reply 147 | February 26, 2021 6:50 PM
|
Rumaan Alam must be a curious case. He is openly gay but all his novels main characters are women
by Anonymous | reply 149 | February 27, 2021 10:39 AM
|
Interested to hear what you think of his earlier books.
by Anonymous | reply 150 | February 27, 2021 12:35 PM
|
Chromophobia by David Batchelor
The central argument of Chromophobia is that a chromophobic impulse - a fear of corruption or contamination through color - lurks within much Western cultural and intellectual thought. This is apparent in the many and varied attempts to purge color, either by making it the property of some foreign body - the oriental, the feminine, the infantile, the vulgar, or the pathological - or by relegating it to the realm of the superficial, the supplementary, the inessential, or the cosmetic.
by Anonymous | reply 151 | February 27, 2021 12:46 PM
|
The President and the Assassin about Czolgosz and McKinley. It's kind of odd because he cuts between the 1880s and 1890s as though they were contemporary, but it is interesting. I'm afraid he doesn't really understand either of them.
by Anonymous | reply 152 | February 27, 2021 7:00 PM
|
'A Really Big Lunch' by Jim Harrison, short essays. Novelist, poet, gourmand, oenophile and bon vivant. He's fun to read.
by Anonymous | reply 154 | February 27, 2021 9:43 PM
|
R149, when I read Rich and Pretty by Alam, I absolutely thought a woman wrote it. It wasn't until his next novel came out that I realized the author was a man. The only other time I was shocked a man wrote so convincingly from a woman's perspective was reading She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb, some twenty years ago.
by Anonymous | reply 155 | February 27, 2021 10:30 PM
|
I really loved She’s Come Undone!
by Anonymous | reply 156 | February 27, 2021 11:04 PM
|
Why would anyone want to waste their time reading when you have tv and the internet to watch.
by Anonymous | reply 157 | February 28, 2021 1:11 AM
|
R157, I enjoyed Game of Thrones, but was thoroughly convinced the books were beneath me. I also knew the basic plot, so what would be the point?
When the show ended, I reluctantly started reading the books and they were so much better. They included more details, more intricate plots, more characters, more insight into the characters' motivations...
by Anonymous | reply 158 | February 28, 2021 1:40 AM
|
R157 You know sometimes the book and the tv/film adaptation barely have things in common.
And there are tons of mediocre tv shows and films from great novels.
And of course, there are people (maybe that's a surprise to you) that really like to read
by Anonymous | reply 159 | February 28, 2021 10:26 AM
|
Franzen's next novel "Crossroads" comes out in October. As a previous poster mentioned, it's the first in a planned trilogy about a Midwestern family that reaches from the early 20th to early 21st Century. The title of the trilogy, "The Key to All Mythologies," is amusingly pretentious in a very Franzen way. I have to admit I'm pretty excited for this, though.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 160 | February 28, 2021 8:34 PM
|
October seems a million years away.
by Anonymous | reply 161 | February 28, 2021 8:45 PM
|
R160 -- Middlemarch allusion, yes?
by Anonymous | reply 162 | February 28, 2021 9:45 PM
|
I finished The Prophets, which lives up to its reviews.
by Anonymous | reply 163 | February 28, 2021 10:27 PM
|
Has anyone read The Hunting Party or The Guest List? The author Lucy Foley seems annoyingly breezy and Oxbridge in interviews but they seem a bit Agatha Christie-ish, from the descriptions.
by Anonymous | reply 164 | March 1, 2021 11:47 PM
|
Just finished The Little Friend. It was on a friend's bookshelf, and I asked to borrow it. Now I'm reading Hopscotch by Julio Cortazar. Found that in A Little Library that I drive past everyday.
At some point, I'll get back to reading books that I intended to read. But I'm enjoying reading randomly for the time being.
by Anonymous | reply 165 | March 2, 2021 12:14 AM
|
I'm reading books off of Amazonby Suzanne Valenti & Ruby Vincent, you?
by Anonymous | reply 166 | March 2, 2021 1:46 AM
|
Loved “Ducks, Newburyport” but it’s quite a commitment. Also enjoyed “The Lying Life of Adults”
by Anonymous | reply 167 | March 2, 2021 2:57 AM
|
Halfway through Trust Exercise and barely tolerating it. I'm past the teen section and in the adult stage of the story and honestly, I don't know what the fuck is going on. The writer repeatedly having one of the characters refer to her "author friend" drove me nuts.
by Anonymous | reply 168 | March 2, 2021 12:36 PM
|
R168 I loved Trust exercise but it's the kind of novel some love and some hate, just like Eleanor Catton's The rehearsal
by Anonymous | reply 169 | March 2, 2021 6:01 PM
|
[quote]Franzen's next novel "Crossroads" comes out in October.
[quote]The title of the trilogy, "The Key to All Mythologies," is amusingly pretentious in a very Franzen way.
Amusing juxtaposition there for Brits: "Crossroads" was the title of the worst TV daytime soap ever, set in a Midlands motel. Terrible low camp it was, so naturally it ran for years.
By contrast "The Key To All Mythologies" must indeed be a reference to the most famous and revered highbrow novel in English, "Middlemarch." A wry reference though, given the fate of TKTAM's putative author Casaubon.
by Anonymous | reply 170 | March 2, 2021 6:44 PM
|
Don't think Casaubon's work was a novel, but a dreary pedantic theological tome.
by Anonymous | reply 171 | March 2, 2021 9:50 PM
|
Mr Casaubon was a withered, humorless, cold-handed cunt in a pilly old cardigan.
by Anonymous | reply 172 | March 3, 2021 10:36 AM
|
I've been trying to finish reading My Pet Goat since the morning of 9/11/2011 but I found it difficult.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 173 | March 3, 2021 11:04 AM
|
[R164] I’ve read The Guest List by Lucy Foley. Very predictable. I figured out who the killer was after two chapters. It was fine for a quick read. I’ve heard The Hunting Party is the same story in a different locale.
by Anonymous | reply 174 | March 3, 2021 4:21 PM
|
I'm about to start Djinn patrol on the purple line
by Anonymous | reply 175 | March 5, 2021 7:55 PM
|
Rebecca Hardiman's book...Good Eggs...hysterical
by Anonymous | reply 177 | March 6, 2021 9:43 PM
|
I am reading Ducks, Newburyport because of this thread. A little way in. Interesting. Random and yet somehow keeps your attention. It's like there's a plot that's revealed scattershot through the novel, non-chronologically. Weird but cool. I'm fascinated to see if if works.
by Anonymous | reply 178 | March 6, 2021 10:22 PM
|
R177, I looked up the title in my library Overdrive and there was a blurb that the book was great for those who loved "Where did you go, Bernadette" and I closed the browser tab pronto.
by Anonymous | reply 179 | March 6, 2021 11:22 PM
|
Well, this months Such a fun age and The vanishing half are going to be published here and i'm quite curious about them.
Anyway, when i'll end the one i'm reading i think i'm going to read The calculating stars
by Anonymous | reply 180 | March 7, 2021 6:28 PM
|
A friend loaned me a recent British novel he enjoyed called WARLOW, about a wealthy 18th century aristocrat/scientist who hires a poor man, and as an experiment, puts him in isolation in basement rooms in his castle with no human contact but otherwise very well taken care of for 7 years to test a man's endurance in solitude. Interesting premise. I'm just about 20 pages in.
Any DL Brits heard of it? Or anyone? Author is Alix Nathan.
by Anonymous | reply 181 | March 10, 2021 3:23 AM
|
I just bought American Kompromat
by Anonymous | reply 182 | March 10, 2021 3:30 AM
|
I just finished Catriona Ward's Little Eve about a pagan snake cult on a Scottish isle in the 1920's. A highly entertaining, Gothic suspense novel.
Halfway through The Only Good Indians which is pretty creepy and very violent.
Next up is Blindsight by Peter Watts. Sci-fi, which isn't my regular choice but it was highly recommended.
by Anonymous | reply 183 | March 10, 2021 3:48 AM
|
R181 I read that one last year because Hilary Mantel liked it. It was good, but I was frustrated with it/the characters by the end. Possibly because I felt no sympathy for Mr. Warlow at all.
by Anonymous | reply 184 | March 10, 2021 10:13 AM
|
Found a book called THE SCOTTISH BOY set in the 14th c. Seems to be YA, but a lot of explicit fucking and sucking. Would have appreciated such a book when I was 16.
by Anonymous | reply 185 | March 10, 2021 12:26 PM
|
The prophets will be published in my country next month.
Generally debuts (even hyped debuts) get more time to get published here. I don't remember one that was published that fast since The gilrs
by Anonymous | reply 186 | March 12, 2021 7:40 PM
|
r186: What is The Prophets? What is The Girls (gilrs??)?
Author, plot, link? What is your country?
by Anonymous | reply 187 | March 12, 2021 9:06 PM
|
R187 It's obvious that google is not your friend and that you don't usually read this thread, because i discover The prophets here.
The prophets is a novel written by Rober Jones Jr, one of the most hyped debut novels this year. The gilrs is a novel written by Emma Cline and was one of the most hyped novels of 2016
by Anonymous | reply 188 | March 13, 2021 9:47 AM
|
The Secret History. Donna Tartt. Loved it Author has only written 5 books or so like William Styron. 80's murder at a private college. Historical Greek influences. Complex and disturbing. Also had a few words in it that I had never seen or heard before and had to look them up. You need some time on your hands.
by Anonymous | reply 189 | March 14, 2021 1:34 PM
|
R189 Five? There are three, The secret history, The little friend and The goldfinch.
She said she wanted to write faster after he published The goldfinch but i think her natural rhythm is one for decade
by Anonymous | reply 190 | March 14, 2021 1:46 PM
|
There’s a sequel to At Danceteria and Other Stories coming out this summer called Better Davis. A friend of mine is blurbing it.
by Anonymous | reply 191 | March 15, 2021 2:35 AM
|
R189 I said "or so" and I was including her short story's and an essay also. So sue me.
by Anonymous | reply 192 | March 16, 2021 1:34 PM
|
R169, what is your take on the ending of Trust Exercise? I finished it last night and SPOILER ALERT...IF YOU WANT TO READ THE BOOK, DO NOT READ FURTHER...
and I think the only "real" characters are the predator teacher and girl/woman. Sarah and Karen are the same person who was groomed and abused by the teacher. The teacher is Mr Kingsley, Liam and Martin. The first two parts are just different ways the victim remembered and processed her high school experience. It makes sense that it wasn't entirely real because I thought it was so out of the blue that two teens could have traveled to England to meet up and live with the English characters. How did they afford it? How did they travel internationally as minors? And that's when I started to think this was teens wish they could do but not an actual experience.
My middle school friend was in a relationship with the English teacher. We would tease her about her obviously close relationship with him, though I was so naive, I thought they had a strong teacher's pet relationship but not fucking. We went off to different high schools but still kept in touch. She told me they were fucking though she wouldn't answer directly when I asked her if it started when she was in middle school. She didn't think it was abuse. She ended the relationship after HS but said they really did love each other. Then she told me she was a lesbian. Said she loved him beyond gender and sex. Like Trust Exercise, this was in the 1980's. I checked a couple of years ago and he was still teaching in public school.
by Anonymous | reply 193 | March 16, 2021 2:45 PM
|
Just got and started Anne Lamott’s latest book, “Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage.” I needed this.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 194 | March 17, 2021 3:09 AM
|
I'm reading Such a fun age and it's been a big dissapointment
by Anonymous | reply 195 | March 17, 2021 11:15 AM
|
Someone upthread mentioned "Little Evie" by Catriona Ward. Sounded intriguing but isn't available in the USA, so while I wait for my order from ABE Books to arrive, I'm reading her first novel "Rawblood." Another Gothic potboiler, and quite good so far.
by Anonymous | reply 196 | March 17, 2021 11:54 AM
|
For no special reason, I'm going with oldies: Play It As It Lays and The Subterraneans.
by Anonymous | reply 197 | March 18, 2021 10:53 AM
|
I'm finishing Such a fun age and i think it's pretty bad.
Critics are becoming less and less reliable for me, specially when they review young female writers, because i thought Sally Roony was bad but Kiley Reid is way worse.
All the reviews talk about a funny satire of white tokenism but what i found is a poorly written (i'm reading Ali Smith's Winter at the same time and the difference in the quality of writting is inmense) ridiculous story with two stupid and one dimensional white characters and a not very interesting black one.
Now i understand why some people thought this novel didn't deserve the Booker nomination (and the booker has some dubious nominees over the years) this is like a chic lit novel with the focus on race instead on relationships.
by Anonymous | reply 198 | March 19, 2021 1:30 PM
|
Is it race themes so prominent right now that even a crappy novel like Such a fun age received great reviews? because it's difficult to believe that such pedestrian writting and one dimensional characters get that stellar treatment by critics.
The lambda literary awards are quite interesting on the fact that there are a good bunch of novels that received mainstream attention on the awards season, specially in the gay cathegory (Cleaness, Shuggie Bain, Real Life) and on the bisexual (How much of these hills is gold)
by Anonymous | reply 199 | March 20, 2021 8:33 PM
|
R199 doesn't understand that people have different tastes, so he has to lash out at non-white people. Just because you don't like a book, doesn't mean everyone else hates it.
by Anonymous | reply 200 | March 20, 2021 8:36 PM
|
R200 I was not talking about people different tastes, i was talking about being critically acclaimed when the novel is poorly written, the characters are one dimensional and the dialogues are pretty bad, basically what defines a bad novel. In fact some reviews point exactly that, the pedestrian writting and the bad dialogues, but hey, it's a good novel because it has an important theme. But no, an important theme it's not what makes a novel good
I know there are people who liked the novel, is a bestseller after all, but that was not the point.
And the writer being black doesn't make her inmune to criticism.
A lot of people had a bad reaction to Such fun age being nominated to the booker and she was very far from being the only black nominee
by Anonymous | reply 201 | March 21, 2021 11:01 AM
|
R201, what's "poorly written" to you might not be to other people. There are plenty of books written by white people that I felt were overrated....but I wouldn't say those books only scored acclaim because the author was white. People always try to take accomplishments away from black people that way.
by Anonymous | reply 202 | March 21, 2021 5:03 PM
|
[quote] People always try to take accomplishments away from black people that way.
This pernicious little habit, especially in the Oscars threads, is really starting to get to me. It’s not only covertly racist, it’s blatantly retarded.
by Anonymous | reply 203 | March 21, 2021 5:16 PM
|
R202 And who said otherwise?.
The novel is bad, and if you want i can name you at least ten novels written by afroamerican writers that are a thousand times better than Such a fun age.
It's a little tiresome tu put a race card on everything. There are amazing afroamerican writers and there are afroamerican writers who are far from amazing.
And i was not even talking about her as writer i was talking about the novel.
And i'm starting to get that you don't even read it or you were making points to show how great it is instead of making ridiculous asumptions about why i didn't like the novel.
by Anonymous | reply 204 | March 21, 2021 8:30 PM
|
R204, you're the one who played the race card and brought race into the discussion.
I'm not making assumptions - you're the one doing that. "Every time a black person is praised or wins something, it must be affirmative action!" That's an assumption.
by Anonymous | reply 205 | March 21, 2021 8:34 PM
|
R205 No dear, i never said that
by Anonymous | reply 206 | March 21, 2021 8:35 PM
|
R207 No, i didn't. I worte the comments at 199, 201 and 204. I didn't say that
by Anonymous | reply 208 | March 21, 2021 8:53 PM
|
I've just started WRITERS & LOVERS by Lily King. It's apparently gotten amazing reviews (blurbs all over the cover and first pages) but little buzz that I've heard. A bit chick-lit so far but I'm engaged.
by Anonymous | reply 209 | March 22, 2021 4:27 AM
|
Returning to Dorothy Sayers after a long respite. GAUDY NIGHT. Great fun, and a fascinating look at pre-WW2 Britain. She writes wonderfully.
by Anonymous | reply 210 | March 22, 2021 12:16 PM
|
Thank you for recommending Less, it is excellent
by Anonymous | reply 211 | March 23, 2021 1:34 AM
|
I'm enjoying Elizabeth Jane Howard's FALLING, a novel of a seduction/romance between two middle aged people, told in alternate chapters from the man and woman's perspective. Witty and slightly sinister. Perfect rainy day reading.
Howard wrote the beloved CAZALET CHRONICLES which I discovered on one these great threads. I still have the final volume of that ALL CHANGE to read.
by Anonymous | reply 212 | March 28, 2021 3:16 PM
|
Reading Howard's short story volume, MR. WRONG. One story, Whip Hand, is about a child actress from hell—and a stage mother even worse. Hilarious and brutal.
by Anonymous | reply 213 | March 28, 2021 7:22 PM
|
I'm reading The calculating stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
by Anonymous | reply 214 | March 28, 2021 7:45 PM
|
I just borrowed The Charioteer by Mary Renault form the local library.
by Anonymous | reply 215 | April 3, 2021 2:47 PM
|
"A Most Remarkable Creature" a far-ranging study of a particular South American bird that also manages to encompass bits of travelogue and evolutionary theory, really quite well done. The author is one of my favorite musicians, but a scientist on the side.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 216 | April 3, 2021 6:08 PM
|
R203. So you disparage those with a developmental disorder to prove your point? Thanks Donald.
by Anonymous | reply 217 | April 4, 2021 8:54 PM
|
R217 attacks someone who is calling out racism. Probably because he's one of the racists who scream about diversity every time a black person wins an award
by Anonymous | reply 218 | April 4, 2021 8:58 PM
|
Reading BRIDESHEAD REVISITED for a second time after decades. So gorgeously written.
by Anonymous | reply 219 | April 4, 2021 10:43 PM
|
R218 He is not calling out someone who is calling out racism he is callilng out someone who called racism on what it was only a criticism of a bad novel written by a black woman
by Anonymous | reply 220 | April 5, 2021 5:41 PM
|
just finished Men Who Love Men by Mann. and then discovered that it is a 3rd in series, so 2 more books coming from Amazon....
thought provoking, and infuriating, and touching.
by Anonymous | reply 221 | April 6, 2021 2:46 PM
|
I’m reading Edward St. Aubyn’s five Patrick Melrose novels. If any straight guy deserves to be an honorary Datalounger, it’s ESA.
by Anonymous | reply 222 | April 6, 2021 3:48 PM
|
I'm not much of a reader but have been trying to force myself. (I come from a family of serious readers, but I'm probably slightly dyslexic or just simple.) Now reading Great Expectations but it's not an "easy read" for me. Forcing my fifteen year old son to read because he really is smart (I know everyone thinks their kid is smart). He says he doesn't want to read old stuff. Got him The Partner by John Grisham at a thrift store. Is that a good choice? He's reading it.
by Anonymous | reply 223 | April 6, 2021 4:15 PM
|
R223, anything that interests teens is a good choice for them. You might want to take him to your local library and have him take a look at the teen books. There are some very appealing titles for that age group now.
by Anonymous | reply 224 | April 6, 2021 4:26 PM
|
GREAT EXPECTATIONS is a rip-roaring masterpiece of plotting but if you're having trouble keeping up with it, r223, I'd recommend you investigate one of the online summary websites like Shmoop.com that give you chapter by chapter summaries. It can be helpful to consult a summary after you've read a chapter just to confirm that you've understood all that happened and was said. And , hopefully, it will only enhance your reading enjoyment.
by Anonymous | reply 225 | April 6, 2021 10:32 PM
|
Has anyone read HOMELAND ELEGIES by Ayad Akhtar? Just finished chapter 1 and I'm intrigued.
by Anonymous | reply 226 | April 6, 2021 10:37 PM
|
The new book on Henry Scott Tuke
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 227 | April 6, 2021 10:45 PM
|
For teens, The Hunger Games are a good start. Adventure, intrigue, suspense, romance and a good message.
by Anonymous | reply 228 | April 7, 2021 5:54 PM
|
John Grisham could work for a teenager. I read The Firm and loved it at that age. Most mainstream thrillers should work, though the female domestic ones like Big Little Lies won’t be of much interest. Gone Girl would, though. I really like the Steve Cavanagh legal thrillers. The best one is Thirteen.
For YA specific books try The Book Thief, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, Eleanor And Park, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.
by Anonymous | reply 229 | April 7, 2021 6:11 PM
|
I’ve been caught up in eras I never lived in. Non-fiction: The Man in the Red Coat and Vienna’s Golden Autumn led me back to re-reading adventure tales by pulp writer Talbot Mundy: The Nine Unknown, The Devil’s Guard, and now Jimgrim, from the 1920’s, when Tibet was a mysterious, forbidden land, filled with occult intrigue.
I love Mary Renault, but Fire From Heaven seemed her slowest read, and The Charioteer seemed to take so long to make its point. Far better is The Persian Boy, with someone else as a protagonist. But The Mask of Apollo remains my favorite of hers. I still find it astounding that a lesbian writer created one bestseller after another, many with gay characters and plots, in an era when gay people were consistently suppressed. No fool she.
Like most of you, I also have piles of books I have yet to read. And I thank you for your varied recommendations, some of which I’ve actually read.
by Anonymous | reply 230 | April 8, 2021 9:23 PM
|
I just finished "Ducks, Newburyport" which I picked up cause of a rec here.
I finished it, all 988 pages or whatever it was. I've never read anything quite like it, part plot, part stream of consciousness, part really amazing word-play. And humor. And humanity. It's a fucking good novel.
by Anonymous | reply 231 | April 8, 2021 9:33 PM
|
Curious if anyone here has read and enjoyed Dorothy Sayers' mysteries?
Years ago, I might have tried reading one of her Sir Peter Wimsey books but couldn't get past a few pages of what seemed like archaic and baroque language. But now that I've read a lot of Victorian, Edwardian and early 20th century Brit lit, she doesn't seem so daunting. So I've just begun GAUDY NIGHT, which I'm finding kind of fun in its quaintness. Not expecting much in the way of a true whodunnit but I'm enjoying the characterizations and descriptions of Oxford in the 1930s.
by Anonymous | reply 232 | April 8, 2021 9:40 PM
|
Just finished Gaudy Night, the first Sayers I've read in years. Enjoyed it, not particularly for the mystery but for the period detail. It really immerses you into the world of Oxford in the mid-30s with all of its attendant snobbery, love of learning, pedantry, and misogyny. Hitler's threat is waiting in the wings, but not so dire that they can't joke about him. She's a wonderful writer, but a prolix one. The book does not need. to be 500 pages.
by Anonymous | reply 233 | April 9, 2021 12:26 AM
|
am in love with Joel Dicker's writing. 1st one i read: The Truth About Harry Quebert Affair. and the 2nd, Baltimore Boys. almost a sequel to the Affair, but not. same protagonist, but much different story. highly recommended.
by Anonymous | reply 234 | April 9, 2021 9:18 PM
|
The truth about Harry Quebert Affair is one of those books i love to rant at least a couple of time per year.
I read it back in 2013 and i'm still feel cheated. The guy gives a lot of useful advises to write a novel but he is unable to use any of them, the Navokov references are ridiculous. It's basically a swimmingpool bestseller but it was sold like some kind of masterpiece.
The fact that guy is handsome and knows how to promote himself made the rest.
And the worst part is that it was on the verge of winning the Goncourt (that would be a low point for the award)
by Anonymous | reply 235 | April 10, 2021 9:33 AM
|
tell us how you REALLY feel, r235
by Anonymous | reply 236 | April 10, 2021 3:18 PM
|
R236 Oh, i would, but my engllish is not good enough for a rant that makes justice to that garbage.
On a positive note, it's easy to read and probably my reaction wouldn't be that extreme if they didn't try to sold me that novel like a mix between Phillip Roth, Nabokov and Stieg Larsson.
By the way, Enter the Aardwark is going to be published in my country, it's a political satire about a closeted republican. Did anybody read it?
by Anonymous | reply 237 | April 10, 2021 5:40 PM
|
"A swimming pool bestseller"? Is that the same as a beach read?
by Anonymous | reply 238 | April 10, 2021 5:40 PM
|
R238 Thank you.
It was a loose translation of bestseller piscinero (not a fortunate one)
by Anonymous | reply 239 | April 10, 2021 5:44 PM
|
[quote]The fact that guy is handsome and knows how to promote himself made the rest.
Show, don't tell, r235.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 240 | April 10, 2021 6:29 PM
|
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. It is a mix of fiction and non-fiction about the future and climate change.
I've ordered THE HOSPITAL: Life, Death, and Dollars in a Small American Town by Brian Alexander about the mess of a health care system we have. What a time to read it!
by Anonymous | reply 241 | April 10, 2021 6:39 PM
|
No need to be sorry, r238. I like your term just as well!
by Anonymous | reply 242 | April 10, 2021 9:30 PM
|
"Fellow Passengers" by Louis Auchincloss.
Utterly un-PC, but wonderful vignettes of people of 'privilege' in the first half of the 20th century, by a man with psychological insight and a delightful facility with words.
by Anonymous | reply 244 | April 11, 2021 10:37 PM
|
I'm reading Terry Pratchett's The colour of magic
by Anonymous | reply 245 | April 12, 2021 6:46 PM
|
Just passed page 400 of "Moby-Dick, about 200 pages more to go. Figured I better read it sooner or later. It's full of beautiful writing, startling imagery, some great action set-pieces and some interesting homoeroticism. Per its reputation, Melville does go on at perhaps excessive length about whale anatomy and whaling lore. Still, a grand reading experience overall.
by Anonymous | reply 246 | April 12, 2021 6:58 PM
|
Has anybody been inspired by the Ken Burns' PBS documentary on Hemingway to read one of Hemingway's books? As much as I enjoyed the doc, I still don't have much interest.
by Anonymous | reply 247 | April 12, 2021 8:21 PM
|
R247, The Sun Also Rises is well worth reading.
by Anonymous | reply 248 | April 12, 2021 8:25 PM
|
A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls are both masterpieces, IMO.
by Anonymous | reply 249 | April 12, 2021 8:42 PM
|
Jan Morris' essay collection "In My Mind's Eye" which I find interesting as I know of her through her travel writing.
by Anonymous | reply 250 | April 13, 2021 8:46 PM
|
I remember liking Hemingway's The Nick Adams Stories, which I had to read in college. (I don't believe the stories -- his early, largely Michigan Upper Peninsula works -- were published under that title initially but were collected under that title in the '70s.) Other than The Old Man and the Sea, which I was forced to read in high school, I don't think I've read anything else of his.
by Anonymous | reply 251 | April 14, 2021 5:46 PM
|
I am reading volume 1 of the Collected Stories of W. Somerset Maugham from Penguin. I went through a "middlebrow" modern phase about 15 years ago and devoured him, Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth Bowen, Barbara Pym, Patrick Hamilton. But I only read his novels and now his short stories, so this is a big treat. .
by Anonymous | reply 252 | April 17, 2021 5:38 PM
|
I LOVE Maugham's short stories. I think they're better than his novels
by Anonymous | reply 253 | April 17, 2021 6:05 PM
|
For those who listen to audiobooks, Kate Reading's narration of The Painted Veil rates as truly outstanding!
by Anonymous | reply 254 | April 17, 2021 6:40 PM
|
I've tried to read a few of Elizabeth Taylor's novels but the only one I genuinely like was Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont. Any other recs from those that have read her?
by Anonymous | reply 255 | April 17, 2021 7:11 PM
|
I've almost finished [italic]Agency[/italic] by William Gibson. It's been my company at doctor & dentist visits this year, so it's been slow going. Also, my attention span isn't what it used to be (I blame the internet). Next up: [italic]A Small Town[/italic] by Thomas Perry. He's one of my favorite crime/mystery writers.
by Anonymous | reply 256 | April 17, 2021 7:36 PM
|
Why are all those old dead farts on the list? I've already read everything by Steinbeck etc. Not reading them again.
I read Living and Loving in the Time of AIDS by Derek Frost, whose partner was the founder of Heaven nightclub in London. An excellent read.
by Anonymous | reply 257 | April 17, 2021 7:45 PM
|
I enjoyed Taylor's ANGEL. Something of a departure from her usual style.
by Anonymous | reply 258 | April 17, 2021 9:17 PM
|
I bought my mom This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger as a recent birthday gift. Probably too grim for me, but she mentioned just now how much she loves it.
We both loved The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty, which has a gay subplot.
by Anonymous | reply 259 | April 17, 2021 9:58 PM
|
Rereading THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY and remembering how well the movie captured it.
by Anonymous | reply 260 | April 17, 2021 10:27 PM
|
THE CHAPERONE is a great read, and not the simplistic chick-lit it might seem. The film was awful with a hopelessly miscast Louise Brooks.
by Anonymous | reply 261 | April 18, 2021 3:48 AM
|
Currently re-reading Octavia Butler’s Parable books. It is spooky how prescient her writing is.
by Anonymous | reply 262 | April 18, 2021 10:32 AM
|
A friend has been nagging me to try Octavia Butler. I started both "Dawn" and "Parable of the Talents", and just could not get into them. I found her prose underwhelming, her dialog flat, and the voices of her narrators all too interchangeable.
And "Parable" was too much like reality; who needs that?
by Anonymous | reply 263 | April 18, 2021 12:21 PM
|
How many people confuse Olivia Butler and Olivia Spencer?
by Anonymous | reply 264 | April 18, 2021 1:58 PM
|
only the reading impaired, dear.
by Anonymous | reply 265 | April 18, 2021 3:20 PM
|
R263 I am on a reality kick right now and enjoying the re-read. However, I’m sure once done with Parable of the Talents, I’ll go for a frothy book.
by Anonymous | reply 266 | April 18, 2021 4:01 PM
|
Haven't been around much lately, but thought I'd put out a few recommendations for folks looking for ideas. I do read a lot of nonfiction, but that's for another post.
COURTING MR. LINCOLN by Louis Bayard was kind of slow going, but worth it. The line between bromance and... more is well-balanced, although the epilogue seemed to resolve the matter as best as one can. Mary Todd came across as someone not getting any younger, and Lincoln needed a wife politically: hot for each other? Didn't seem so to me.
THE OBSERVATIONS by Jane Harris was a hoot! Jaded, not-so-self-aware Bessie made for an engaging point-of-view, with her employers observations providing balance.
A GRACIOUS PLENTY by Sheri Reynolds focuses on the theme of being an outcast, not fitting in... and learning not to care. There's a gay subplot later in the story. Probably not on most DL readers' radar, but it should be.
by Anonymous | reply 267 | April 18, 2021 4:02 PM
|
I read Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go. It’s not unreadably terrible or anything, but it’s supremely overrated and undeserving of its overhyped accolades.
by Anonymous | reply 268 | April 18, 2021 4:16 PM
|
r267, Loved COURTING MR. LINCOLN and have flogged it on this site.often Was surprised it didn't get much attention here or anywhere else. And r268, couldn't disagree with you more.
by Anonymous | reply 269 | April 18, 2021 6:02 PM
|
Another vote for COURTING MR. LINCOLN. I absolutely agree with what r267 and r269 said. I've read a few of Bayard's earlier books and never cared for them as much as this one, his latest.
His THE PALE BLUE EYE about young Edgar Alan Poe involved in a murder mystery at West Point has just been sold to the movies with Christian Bale cast in the lead role of the ex-lawman who attempts to solve the mystery. Don't think Poe's been cast yet.
Ishiguro's THE REMAINS OF THE DAY is a masterpiece.
by Anonymous | reply 270 | April 18, 2021 6:42 PM
|
I'm going to start The vanishing half
R270 I remember when i read The remains of the day. I was looking for Never let me go but they didn't have a copy on the book shop at that moment.
I started to read and i thought, what the fuck is this because he was talking constantly about his obligations as butler, but then i fell for the characters, all those deeply buried feelings and i loved the ending. Amazing novel for sure
by Anonymous | reply 271 | April 18, 2021 6:46 PM
|
Previously, I had tried Bayard's book featuring an adult Tiny Tim Cratchett, but gave up early on.
by Anonymous | reply 272 | April 18, 2021 6:52 PM
|
THE VANISHING HALF is a great read. Not perfect but I found some of the questionable narrative made the book even more provocative and interesting. I felt that maybe it was intended as some form of "magic realism" and not to be taken completely literally. Supposedly, also being made into a film or series but I think that will be hard to pull off.
by Anonymous | reply 273 | April 18, 2021 10:10 PM
|
Well, I finished IN MY MIND'S EYE by Jan Morris - - disappointing! I guess they figured she covered the trans and travel discussions thoroughly already, so it's really rants from an elderly well-educated British woman with little to differentiate her from similar others.
Working on HIGH AS THE WATERS RISE by Anja Kampmann for a "male main character written by a woman" reading challenge category. I'd say she does okay with that; however, (kind of like COURTING MR. LINCOLN) the sexuality is Rorschach-y ambiguous.
by Anonymous | reply 274 | April 24, 2021 4:26 PM
|
Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead , a Two-Spirit Oji-Cree from the Peguis Reservation in Manitoba. It won the Canada Reads competition this year.
by Anonymous | reply 275 | April 24, 2021 4:51 PM
|
just finished Courting Mr Lincoln. was not prepared for the emotional trip it took me on.
by Anonymous | reply 276 | April 24, 2021 8:27 PM
|
The Epilogue of the Lincoln book was a payoff, indeed!
by Anonymous | reply 277 | April 24, 2021 8:31 PM
|
Has anyone read any of Peter Ackroyd's fiction? I never had but I picked up THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON (19820, his first novel at a used book store today and 30 pages in, it's quite delightful and quirky.
by Anonymous | reply 278 | April 25, 2021 3:02 AM
|
He's amazingly prolific (and gay). His bio of Dickens is said to be wonderful.
by Anonymous | reply 279 | April 25, 2021 12:30 PM
|
Yes, r279, I'll want to read more of Ackroyd after this one, which has a great gay character in it, who is a Dickens scholar. The book is about a film director in the early 1980s wanting to make a contemporary adaptation of Little Dorrit. Only 169 pages.
by Anonymous | reply 280 | April 25, 2021 1:40 PM
|
R267, if you liked The Observations, try Gillespie & I from the same writer, has another great first per-on narrator (though very different).
Elizabeth Taylor’s last novel, Blaming, is one of my favorite of hers and her short stories are very good as well.
Though I enjoyed parts of it, Leave The Wordd Behind’s first pages are almost unreadable.
by Anonymous | reply 281 | April 25, 2021 2:18 PM
|
I read "Gillespie & I" first, which is why I looked forward to more of Jane Harris.
by Anonymous | reply 282 | April 25, 2021 4:25 PM
|
Me too, r267, but unfortunately she doesn’t write much (there is a third book I didn’t read).
by Anonymous | reply 283 | April 25, 2021 5:13 PM
|
I am curious about Watership down, it's a children's book or for adults?
by Anonymous | reply 284 | April 28, 2021 6:43 PM
|
R284 Watership Down is by no means a children's book. It will traumatize children. Teens and up.
by Anonymous | reply 285 | April 28, 2021 7:02 PM
|
R284, the characters are rabbits but that's about the only thing children about the book. The rabbits have adult human characteristics and behave accordingly. I think younger kids reading the book may have some things go over their heads. For example, sexual aggression amongst the male rabbits--why there is a dominant leader and why others want to leave and form their own warren (so they can have female partners). The rabbits are not cutesy smurfs.
I wasn't aware of the book when I was a kid and only read it a few years ago. I read Charlotte's Web as a kid and even though it has serious life themes, the tone is much more a children's book than Watership Down. WD is likely better for middle school kids and up. Hope that helps.
by Anonymous | reply 286 | April 28, 2021 7:04 PM
|
I am about to start Mrs Arris Goes To Paris by Paul Gallico. I read and liked The Snow Goose as a teen but otherwise know nothing about him.
I hope that it’s like Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day or Mrs Palfrey At The Claremont.
by Anonymous | reply 287 | April 28, 2021 7:06 PM
|
Reading the Mike Nichols bio. I’d give it 7 out of 10. Tends to drone on about “then another show, then another show”. A productive guy - but not fascinating. Unless you’re really into theater I guess. Expected more gayness - absolutely zero so far.
by Anonymous | reply 288 | April 28, 2021 7:22 PM
|
[italic]Fall[/italic] by Neal Stephenson - I liked [italic]Reamde[/italic] okay, was disappointed by [italic]Seveneves[/italic], so we'll see whether I finish this one.
by Anonymous | reply 289 | April 28, 2021 8:52 PM
|
Just finished a book on the Mossad; now reading one on stand-up comics (going back to before they changed their names, in the 50s).
by Anonymous | reply 290 | April 28, 2021 9:34 PM
|
I'm really loving a newish book called ALL THE BIRDS, SINGING by Evie Wyld, about a young woman living alone on a secluded sheep farm on an English island. Chapters alternate with her growing fear of an unknown menace in the present and chapters about how she got there (but those chapters are in reverse order as they flash back further and further). Great writing! Highly recommended page turner.
by Anonymous | reply 291 | April 28, 2021 10:27 PM
|
r288, no gayness because Harris says he couldn't find any, Total contradiction from a recent Richard Avedon bio that says they were lovers. On the topic of "another show," that's exactly why I read the book. Fascinating to me.
by Anonymous | reply 292 | April 29, 2021 2:50 AM
|
As much as I loved the Nichols biography I do get the complaint that by the final 1/4 of the book it becomes a little tiresome to read about the mostly mediocre plays and films Nichols was directing by then.
Though Diane Sawyer and his grown children from earlier marriages did give Mark Harris complete support over whatever needed to be written about him, it's too bad they declined to be interviewed themselves. I would have liked their respective on Mike as a husband and father and it would have given more variety to the book.
I did become interested in re-watching some of Nichols' films which Harris said were "dismissed" by the critics and public, perhaps unfairly. So I began with HEARTBURN. Though the stories in the book about the making of the film and the firing of Mandy Patinkin and hiring of Jack Nicholson were fascinating, re-watching the film only confirmed to me how mediocre it is.
by Anonymous | reply 293 | April 29, 2021 1:24 PM
|
perspective ^^^^^^^ not respective
by Anonymous | reply 294 | April 29, 2021 1:25 PM
|
Agree, r293. I even re-watched WOLF, which is silly, but not a complete failure.
by Anonymous | reply 295 | April 29, 2021 5:56 PM
|
I loved The vanishing half. Now i'm trying Otessa Moshfegh's Death in her hands
by Anonymous | reply 296 | May 1, 2021 1:03 PM
|
The comments have been consistently negative on that one, R296 - good luck! I liked My Year of Rest and Relaxation.
by Anonymous | reply 297 | May 1, 2021 1:28 PM
|
R297 I like My year of rest and relaxation too, but i didn't liked Eileen.
Anyway, for some reason i like Moshfegh more than i like her books, it's one of those cases you expect something great sooner or later
by Anonymous | reply 298 | May 1, 2021 1:32 PM
|
Anyway, it's a short novel.
The next will be Herve Le Tellier's L'Anomalie or C Pam Zhang's How much of these hills is gold
by Anonymous | reply 299 | May 1, 2021 1:33 PM
|
I have Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created "Sunday in the Park with George" by James Lapine in my hot little hands!
I have not seen the show. I wish I could before I read it.
by Anonymous | reply 300 | May 2, 2021 1:31 PM
|
I’m absolutely loving Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro’s new novel.
by Anonymous | reply 301 | May 2, 2021 1:40 PM
|
R300 Bootleg, but it’s not like you could time travel anyways.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 302 | May 2, 2021 1:44 PM
|
I bought my mom a copy of THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Kruger as a recent birthday gift. She loves it, although it isn't for me.
by Anonymous | reply 303 | May 2, 2021 1:48 PM
|
I read "Luster" by Raven Leilani over the weekend, gulped it down actually. Debut novel that came out last year. Her prose feels hot to the touch, it's hard to believe she was not yet 30 when she wrote it. Made me think of Morrison, Updike - truly that level of skill at the sentence level. It's about a 23-year Black woman who gets involved with a 46-year-old white man who has just convinced his wife to let him have an open marriage. I really loved it and hope she has a long, prolific career.
by Anonymous | reply 304 | May 3, 2021 8:49 PM
|
Luster seems to be very divisive. I’ve heard terrible things about it and then reviews like the one above.
by Anonymous | reply 305 | May 3, 2021 9:41 PM
|
The output of Jerkov Ivankavankov.
by Anonymous | reply 306 | May 3, 2021 9:57 PM
|
WATERSHIP DOWN was first published as a children’s book in the UK and subsequently as an adult book in the US.
by Anonymous | reply 307 | May 3, 2021 10:05 PM
|
[QUOTE] There’s a sequel to “At Danceteria and Other Stories” coming out this summer called “Better Davis.” A friend of mine is blurbing it.
Looks like it actually comes out this September. At Danceteria was a fun read so I will probably check this out.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 308 | May 4, 2021 12:55 AM
|
I started East of Eden last night. When I finish this i plan on reading 'Notes on Grief' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Has anyone read it?
by Anonymous | reply 309 | May 4, 2021 11:45 AM
|
'Fall', by John Preston, about Robert Maxwell. Virtually every page has some eye-popping new story about this monster - who nonetheless (unlike Trump) can just sometimes evoke sympathy.
The book is basically good journalism, which avoids deeper insights, and allows the rattling pace of insane events to hold the reader. Recommended.
by Anonymous | reply 310 | May 4, 2021 12:04 PM
|
East of Eden is fantastic - one of the few novels all 10 members of my book group loved.
by Anonymous | reply 311 | May 4, 2021 2:15 PM
|
R311 East of Eden was my favorite books when I was in High School, I was inspired to read it because of the Jane Seymour miniseries.
by Anonymous | reply 312 | May 4, 2021 2:19 PM
|
I’m not sure I would advertise the Jane Seymour connection, R312. :)
The James Dean movie only covers a tiny part of the book. Jo Van Fleet won an Oscar as Cathy, one of the greatest villains in literature.
by Anonymous | reply 313 | May 4, 2021 2:27 PM
|
R312, we must be of the same age group. I watched the Jane Seymour TV series in the early to mid 80s as a kid. Recollections may vary. Then probably read the book in the late 80s or early 90s. I should reread it as an adult, I loved it as a teen. The Dean movie is a sliver of the novel.
by Anonymous | reply 314 | May 4, 2021 2:45 PM
|
I loved east of eden and was perplexed why I couldn't finish the grapes of wrath, which was the Steinbeck book taught in school.
by Anonymous | reply 315 | May 4, 2021 2:47 PM
|
R313 In her defense, Jane Seymour tended to elevate most miniseries she was in, and the Bottom boys were at the height of their beauty and being real life brothers added to the meta of the performance. But I would love to see someone take it on and do a limited series. Angelina Jolie would make a wonderful Cathy.
by Anonymous | reply 316 | May 4, 2021 2:59 PM
|
R305 I was going to say the same, it seems to be one of those novels that some people love while other's hate it.
After reading The vanishing half i'm very curious about The mothers (which will be published here by the end of the year) because i remember a very divisive reaction too
by Anonymous | reply 317 | May 4, 2021 6:38 PM
|
I read The Mothers not long before I read Luster and they have some story similarities. I liked both but thought that "Luster" really takes off in a way that the much more conventional The Mothers never quite does. The latter has a straightforward-to-bland prose style while Luster feels alive on the page.
Also, count me as another Steinbeck reader who much prefers East of Eden over Grapes of Wrath. Grapes seems most interested in its own sense of social consciousness while Eden is a great story with memorable characters.
by Anonymous | reply 318 | May 4, 2021 9:31 PM
|
r307 great book. Great character study re: group dynamics--there's a place for everyone in a larger group. Dated re: sexism but otherwise it should be studied more today.
by Anonymous | reply 319 | May 4, 2021 9:44 PM
|
I didn't like Death in her hands. I always have the feeling that Moshfegh's novels are going to be better than they finally are. She has the potential to be great but i think this one is the worst of her novels.
I don't know what to read now, so probably i will try a page turner
by Anonymous | reply 320 | May 5, 2021 5:13 PM
|
Jane Seymour was fantastic in the miniseries.
by Anonymous | reply 321 | May 5, 2021 10:29 PM
|
R320
Have you tried "The Good House" by Ann Leary? One I especially liked that I think would appeal to posters here. I listened to the audio read by Mary Beth Hurt.
by Anonymous | reply 322 | May 5, 2021 10:33 PM
|
I read The Good House years ago and enjoyed it very much. About the trials, tribulations and love affairs of a suburban real estate agent, as I remember. Ann Leary is actor Denis Leary's wife.
by Anonymous | reply 323 | May 6, 2021 2:45 AM
|
Finally reading THE GROUP by Mary McCarthy. So readable and funny. The ponderous film is so humorless, what was Sidney Lumet thinking? Or as Pokey would say: "Who'da thunk it?"
But it does help to have the film's actresses in mind, as those 8 girls are all introduced in the first chapter and I'm finding I have no problem sorting out who's who, even if some of the characters were wildly miscast from those described by McCarthy.
by Anonymous | reply 324 | May 6, 2021 2:51 AM
|
I'll jump on the East of Eden Jane Seymour bandwagon, tho it looks to be getting crowded. As a child I thought she was so beautiful yet also terrifying. East of Eden has long been one of my favorite books and Steinbeck one of my favorite authors. I should reread it sometime soon. It's been too long.
by Anonymous | reply 325 | May 8, 2021 3:46 AM
|
I'm reading this and finding it jaw-dropping. What was up with this family? And with the psychiatrists who seem to have no idea how to heal anyone, or even manage them. It's like four Datelines in one story!
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 326 | May 8, 2021 4:03 AM
|
John Irving had a rep as a ladies man when he taught at Iowa’s Writer’s Workshop.
by Anonymous | reply 327 | May 11, 2021 12:57 PM
|
Are you saying he fucked students, r327? What does a "ladies man" mean these days?
by Anonymous | reply 328 | May 11, 2021 1:05 PM
|
Irving cannot write sex scenes. he tried in one of his books, and his wife laughed so hard at how trivial the attempt was that she made him remove it.
by Anonymous | reply 329 | May 12, 2021 12:32 AM
|
I'm reading Frankenstein's mother by Almudena Grandes.
It's the fifth book on a series of six (Episodes of an endless war) about the long years after the end of spanish civil war. This one is settled on a women's phyquiatric in the 50's.
It's based on a famous case of a mother who killed her daugther in the late 30's. Aurora Rodríguez Carballeira believed in eugenics so she decided to create the woman of the future. She seduced a priest (she know he won't reclaimed the kid) and ater getting pregnant she traveled from Galicia to Madrid. The daughter, Hildegart was a child prodigy, she read and wrote before three, at 18 she had several books about politics, sexuality (even if she was a virgin till her death) and had a well known friendship with H G Wells.
The problem is her mother was paranoid and the daughter was a teenager (a very inteligent one but teenager anyway) so Hildegart wanted independence (not so rare for a women in Spain at the time of the second republic, Spain wen backwards decades after the war) so her mother killed her, three shoots on the head, one in the heart.
She never regrets because her creation was imperfect and she did what every sculptor does when he finds a flaw in his work, destroy it
by Anonymous | reply 330 | May 12, 2021 6:19 PM
|
"the pale blue eye" by Bayard (author of "courting mr lincoln". this one has E A Poe as a main character. am working my way thru all of Bayard's books
by Anonymous | reply 331 | May 12, 2021 11:26 PM
|
Anyone tried Bayard's "The Black Tower" which sounds a bit more approachable to me?
by Anonymous | reply 332 | May 13, 2021 8:01 AM
|
I’m on my third week, and second library eBook checkout of reading the 1,000+ Sylvia Plath biography Red Comet. It is dense, wonderful and comprehensive, but I’m barely halfway and she hasn’t even graduated from Smith yet. Yesterday, I took a little breather and read the entirety of Andrew McCarthy’s memoir in two sittings. What a difference a life makes, lol.
by Anonymous | reply 333 | May 13, 2021 9:47 AM
|
I loved Louis Bayard's COURTING MR LINCOLN, one of my favorite books of a couple of years ago, but I found THE BLACK TOWER pretty awful. Very turgid and melodramatic. And THE PALE BLUE EYE started off really well but also devolved into overwrought melodrama.
by Anonymous | reply 334 | May 13, 2021 1:27 PM
|
Bayard's early novels, FOOL'S ERRAND and ENDANGERED SPECIES are romantic comedies and rather charming. So is MR. TIMOTHY, his sequel to A CHRISTMAS CAROL.
by Anonymous | reply 335 | May 13, 2021 3:46 PM
|
r334 of course it was a melodrama. it needed to reflect Poe and his world. NEVERMORE!
by Anonymous | reply 336 | May 14, 2021 11:24 AM
|
Reading Tana French's "In The Woods." Meh... so far. Was the TV version better? It's not a good sign when I'm reading a book and editing out descriptors, sentences and paragraphs as I go. That said, I want to see how it ends -- the curse of detective murder mysteries.
by Anonymous | reply 337 | May 14, 2021 7:04 PM
|
I think I've tried reading that Tana French book 3 times and just never could get into it. It's like a treatment for a mediocre miniseries.
by Anonymous | reply 338 | May 15, 2021 3:16 AM
|
Just read A HANDFUL OF DUST (in 2 days!), my very first Evelyn Waugh. While I was initially put off by the depravity of the upper class Brit 1930s characters it really took hold of me about 1/2 way through when the plot really twists and turns.
by Anonymous | reply 339 | May 15, 2021 3:19 AM
|
I’ve read all of Tana French’s books. I don’t read a lot of mysteries but I do like her. Also Louise Penny.
by Anonymous | reply 340 | May 15, 2021 3:21 AM
|
R290 here. I'm going on my 3rd Rehoboth Beach, DE, trip in September, and have just discovered a series of books called "Rehoboth Beach Reads," comprising short stories by local writers, all set in the Rehoboth-Lewes-Dewey Beach area.
The stories vary in topic and tone, but all offer the fun of place recognition.
by Anonymous | reply 341 | May 15, 2021 11:47 AM
|
R340, I was totally into Louise Penny through four or five books but then hit a wall. What had been charming now seemed twee; what had seemed quirky now seemed mannered. And every so often she drops a crude gay joke that is supposed to be edgy but just sounds like faghaggery.
by Anonymous | reply 342 | May 15, 2021 9:27 PM
|
Finally reading Pat Barker's REGENERATION, the first book in a WWI trilogy. This books has all kinds of raves and award citations on the paperback cover but I'm finding it rather dry after the first 35 pages....does it become more engaging?
by Anonymous | reply 343 | May 16, 2021 12:22 AM
|
R343, I'd stick with it. It's been years since I read it but I remember liking it a lot.
by Anonymous | reply 344 | May 16, 2021 12:24 AM
|
[quote]Reading Tana French's "In The Woods." Meh... so far. Was the TV version better?
No. It's grey-filtered featuring smelly-looking pallid people. Sarah Phelps peaked with And Then There Were None.
by Anonymous | reply 345 | May 16, 2021 12:38 PM
|
I'd stick with Regeneration as well, R343. I've read the entire trilogy twice and am often tempted to read it again. Whatever you do, do not watch the film version of the first book (called Regeneration and/or Behind the Lines). It's... not good, despite a good cast.
by Anonymous | reply 346 | May 17, 2021 6:06 PM
|
Just popping in to tell you all I am listening to an audiobook narrated by DL Fave Rula Lenska.
That is all.
by Anonymous | reply 347 | May 17, 2021 7:39 PM
|
I'm sticking with REGENERATION; I'm a little more than 1/2 way through now, but still find the writing to be so dispassionate and colorless, in spite of the historical circumstances and the ultra-fascinating character of Siegfried Sassoon (his wiki entry is even more interesting than Barker's portrayal so far). But I will finish it.
by Anonymous | reply 348 | May 17, 2021 10:21 PM
|
Just finished William Boyd's latest TRIO about the diverging relationship of 3 characters all working on a film in 1968 Brighton, England. Really loved it, one of his best books in years.
by Anonymous | reply 349 | May 21, 2021 1:16 PM
|
I'm reading Yaa Gyasi's Transcendent Kingdom and i'm liking it way more than Homegoing
by Anonymous | reply 350 | May 21, 2021 7:45 PM
|
I'm reading The Dig, and as an armchair medievalist, I cannot believe the author managed to make the Sutton Hoo excavation boring. The Netflix film was also pretty tedious. so I assumed the book would be better.
by Anonymous | reply 351 | May 21, 2021 9:34 PM
|
I didn’t like the movie either, r351.
Most of the good reviews came from conservatives (in the sense of people who love traditional British values/the spirit of the Blitz, etc) so maybe it’s not surprise that it wasn’t my cup of tea.
by Anonymous | reply 352 | May 21, 2021 10:35 PM
|
The love triangle plot in The Dig felt tacked on
by Anonymous | reply 353 | May 21, 2021 10:38 PM
|
R352 I'm certain I'd get more excitement from a history textbook.
by Anonymous | reply 354 | May 21, 2021 10:52 PM
|
Listening to Agatha Christie's DEATH ON THE NILE, read by Kenneth Brannaugh; to use an American idiom, he's totally knocked the narration way out of the ballpark!
by Anonymous | reply 355 | May 21, 2021 10:56 PM
|
I just got Steven Gaines’s book about Halston, after loving his memoir I found out about here.
by Anonymous | reply 356 | May 21, 2021 11:20 PM
|
I just finished the best gay novel I've read in years, Let's Get Back to the Party, by Zak Saleh. It takes place in 2015-16, contemporaneous with the Obergefell v. Hodges decision and the Pulse nightclub shootout.
The two main characters, two gay men who live in and near Washington, DC, were affected by what happened at Pulse more than I was, perhaps because I'm so old, and haven't been to a bar in such a long time (I don't drink anymore, either). To me, it was yet another mass shooting, something I have perhaps become inured to since these events became common in 1999 in Littleton, CO.
In any case, it's a good story.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 357 | May 21, 2021 11:36 PM
|
Because of the Agatha Christie thread, I just bought the Kindle version of the Mr. Parker Pyne stories.
Mind you, I own and have read them all in paperback, but these days I prefer a Kindle to read at night!
by Anonymous | reply 358 | May 22, 2021 10:49 PM
|
This one. It's quite good so far
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 359 | May 24, 2021 4:15 AM
|
I was late to the party and just finished reading Andrew Sean Greer's book, "Less" , which I think was discussed on DL when it got the Pulitzer prize in 2018 . I hated it at first, because the protagonist, a gay author, was so inept and so lacking in self-confidence, but my opinion changed midway through the novel, as the fact that so many of the other characters fond Less charming, that it suddenly became apparent that the disparagement the reader feels at the beginning of the novel was coming from him alone. The unexpected ending made me cry.
by Anonymous | reply 361 | May 24, 2021 4:28 AM
|
I've tried to read LESS about 4 times but never got past about 30 pages. You make me want to try again, r361.
I wonder if you or anyone here has read any of Greer's other books that might ease me into LESS?
I just finished WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD EM Forster's first novel. I saw the film years ago and remember loving it but I'd forgotten completely where the story goes and much of the tragic twists and turns. It's a short book and might have benefited by some further development of the sister character (played by Judy Davis in the film), who seems to be there for comic relief....until she's not.
by Anonymous | reply 362 | May 24, 2021 12:31 PM
|
R18, I too am reading SHUGGIE BAIN as part of my congregation's LGBTQ book club discussion group.
Also, I just finished reading Taylor Jenkins Reid's THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO, and KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON. I read MEMORIAL, ugh. WHEN BROOKLYN WAS QUEER by Hugh Ryan.
by Anonymous | reply 363 | May 24, 2021 1:01 PM
|
r362, I loved Greer's CONFESSIONS OF MAX TIVOLI and STORY OF A MARRIAGE, which I read when they were first published. So I was delighted when LESS won the Pulitzer and agree with r361 that it's also terrific.
by Anonymous | reply 364 | May 24, 2021 3:07 PM
|
Can anyone recommend a contemporary crime book?
If it's domestic crime I would rather more Gone Girl than The Girl On The Train.
Something like the TV show Mare Of Easttown?
by Anonymous | reply 365 | May 24, 2021 3:16 PM
|
R365 one I liked was A Double Life by Flynn Berry. It is loosely based on the Lord Lucan case
by Anonymous | reply 366 | May 24, 2021 4:47 PM
|
Thanks r366, it's going on the list.
by Anonymous | reply 367 | May 24, 2021 7:00 PM
|
After all these years I'm reading THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY. Can't remember if I ever read it years ago but I'm fond of the Minghella film and thought it would be fun to go back to the source. It's highly engaging but totally without emotion. The two murders are done with so little premeditation that I find the tension isn't what it might be, as I remember so well in the film.
The Gwyneth Paltrow character Marge is quite a lumpy fag hag, likened by Tom Ripley to a "Girl Scout" unlike the fashionable blonde princess of the film. But I'm enjoying the book and reading it quickly. It sure is a page-turner.
Has anyone read any of the other Ripley novels? Are they worth a look?
by Anonymous | reply 368 | May 25, 2021 12:55 PM
|
They all have their rewards. But none bests the first one. As for the movie, Philip Seymour Hoffmann!!
by Anonymous | reply 369 | May 25, 2021 5:07 PM
|
Anyone read Molly Keane? Her great 1981 novel GOOD BEHAVIOUR has just been rereleased by NYRB. Wonderful book.
by Anonymous | reply 370 | May 25, 2021 6:18 PM
|
About 2/3 through THE GREAT GATSBY. What a tedious story!
by Anonymous | reply 372 | May 25, 2021 6:42 PM
|
I have to confess, I keep up with the Books threads and always adding suggestions to my To Read queues for two library systems. But I hardly do any reading at all! I am lost to the internet.
by Anonymous | reply 373 | May 25, 2021 6:50 PM
|
I'm reading the last Goncourt, Hervé Le Tellier's L'anomalie and it's fantastic
by Anonymous | reply 374 | May 25, 2021 7:29 PM
|
r170, I first read Molly Keane back in the early 1980s and still have those paperbacks, GOOD BEHAVIOR and TIME AFTER TIME. I must re-read them. Highly recommended!
by Anonymous | reply 375 | May 25, 2021 9:58 PM
|
You and Your Retarded Child: A Manual for Parents of Retarded Children by S.A. Kirk.
Foreword by Her Majesty The Queen
by Anonymous | reply 376 | May 25, 2021 11:10 PM
|
Ha! a "wit" has arrived! ^
by Anonymous | reply 377 | May 25, 2021 11:44 PM
|
A SON OF THE CIRCUS is the only John Irving book I've read; interestingly, his fans seem to hate it. The story does have a gay angle.
Finished Gatsby - ugh!
by Anonymous | reply 378 | June 2, 2021 10:11 PM
|
circus wasn't his best. try any of his earlier works.
by Anonymous | reply 379 | June 4, 2021 12:29 AM
|
SON OF THE CIRCUS is the only John Irving book I've genuinely loved except for CIDER HOUSE RULES.
by Anonymous | reply 381 | June 4, 2021 10:04 PM
|
As I posted upthread (r368) I loved THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY so I wanted to explore more Highsmith but I'm now struggling to finish THE TREMOR OF FORGERY. What a ponderous bore! I keep waiting for something urgent to happen but even the "killing" at the 1/2 way mark doesn't bring any tension. How can this book be so revered and well-reviewed? No less than Graham Greene called the book her finest novel.
I'll move on to STRANGERS ON A TRAIN and another Ripley, hoping for better.
by Anonymous | reply 382 | June 4, 2021 10:13 PM
|
I'm reading Ready player two, it's entertainning but everything seems forzed
by Anonymous | reply 383 | June 5, 2021 5:56 PM
|
I've started THE MAN WHO LOVED CHILDREN, having heard for years that it's a neglected masterpiece. Anyone here a fan?
by Anonymous | reply 384 | June 6, 2021 4:36 PM
|
I'm curious about it as well, r384.
Anyone read it?
by Anonymous | reply 385 | June 6, 2021 8:56 PM
|
I think someone mentioned her upthread but I'm re-reading Molly Keane's GOOD BEHAVIOR which I first read when it appeared in the early 80s.
About an eccentric wealthy Irish family on a crumbling country estate from 1912 onwards, not unlike a black humored version of Barbara Pym. Just delightful!
by Anonymous | reply 386 | June 6, 2021 9:58 PM
|
I did, r386. Just reread it for the third time (for a review) and liked it more each time. The main character is a sizable, tall woman who falls hopelessly in love with her brother's lover. It's a terrific book.
by Anonymous | reply 387 | June 7, 2021 2:54 AM
|
Now reading "Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties" by Tom O'Neill with Dan Piepenbring. O'Neill is a magazine journalist who accepted an assignment for Premiere Magazine in 1999 to write a piece about the 30th anniversary of the Tate/LaBianca murders, which basically upended his life for the next 20 years. He uncovered a bunch of new information and the book is a fascinating, juicy read. I think a lot of DLers would really dig it! I started it last night and already read about 150 pages. Good stuff!
by Anonymous | reply 388 | June 7, 2021 4:03 AM
|
I skimmed The Warhol Diaries for the Halston parts. Andy comes across as mildly sociopathic or highly autistic or something.
by Anonymous | reply 389 | June 7, 2021 11:52 AM
|
The audio edition of GOOD BEHAVIOR is coming out soon, so added it to my Audible wishlist - looking forward to it!
I'm working on an interesting nonfiction title PERIODIC TALES by Hugh Aldersey-Williams. A library book that sat on my TBR pile for a while, glad I finally got to it as I'm finding it interesting. Every do often I'll exclaim to myself "Wow! I never knew that!"
by Anonymous | reply 390 | June 7, 2021 12:02 PM
|
Masterpiece Theatre really needs to do a mini series of Good Behaviour with Miranda Hart as the older Aroon.
by Anonymous | reply 391 | June 7, 2021 1:50 PM
|
I'm reading Camille by Pierre Lemaitre (well, that's the spanish title, i think the french one is different). The last of the four novels of the inspector Camille Verhoeven
by Anonymous | reply 392 | June 9, 2021 6:59 PM
|
Those are actually three novels (trilogy) and a short story.
The third one is titled "Sacrifices" in English, rather than Camille.
by Anonymous | reply 393 | June 9, 2021 7:08 PM
|
I said that Camille is the spanish title, i know in french it has a differnt title too.
Alex is an amazing novel, full of surprises
by Anonymous | reply 394 | June 9, 2021 7:14 PM
|
Reading Bowlaway by Elizabeth McCracken and really liking it. It's one of those "whimsical" New England novels but I love her writing style.
by Anonymous | reply 395 | June 9, 2021 7:17 PM
|
There's a listing on IMDB of a Good Behaviour mini-series from 1983, but I can't find any version of it that's available.
by Anonymous | reply 396 | June 9, 2021 8:02 PM
|
I've just started reading 2018 British thriller called SNAP by Belinda Bauer about a mother who disappears and the young son who tries to find out what happened. Really great reader reviews on Amazon encouraged me to give it a try. So far, it's excellent!
by Anonymous | reply 397 | June 10, 2021 11:55 PM
|
This novel about a most likely gay gilded age NYC mover and shaker who was mistakenly murdered at the age of 83 outside his home sounds fascinating. Has anyone read it yet, or is familiar with the author?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 398 | June 11, 2021 8:18 AM
|
Thanks for bringing it to my attention! His Japanese story sounds interesting as well.
by Anonymous | reply 399 | June 11, 2021 11:05 AM
|
R392 have you read Trois Jours et Une Vie?
by Anonymous | reply 400 | June 11, 2021 4:44 PM
|
Louis Erdrich won the Pulitzer. I read Plague of doves and The round house and i think she is a great writer.
Percival Everett was a finalist (i read one of his novels last year and i loved it) and Daniel Mason was the other one
by Anonymous | reply 401 | June 11, 2021 5:36 PM
|
I read Jonathan Dee's "The Privileges" a few years back, r398. He's an incisive writer and skilled plotter, very much in the vein of his fellow Jonathan, i.e. Franzen, who I know is both loved and hated on the DL.
by Anonymous | reply 402 | June 11, 2021 6:51 PM
|
That hottie Eric Cervini got a nomination to the Pulitzer too
by Anonymous | reply 403 | June 11, 2021 8:19 PM
|
Except, r402, this book THE GREAT MISTAKE is by Jonathan Lee, not Jonathan Lee.
Speaking of Jonathans I also love some of Jonathan Coe's novels, particularly THE WINSHAW LEGACY.
by Anonymous | reply 404 | June 11, 2021 10:03 PM
|
The Last Days of the Incas by Kim MacQuarrie -- fascinating stuff!
by Anonymous | reply 407 | June 12, 2021 1:40 AM
|
I'm halfway through INTERIOR CHINATOWN by Charles Yu, but it's proving a slog for such a short book. Heavy-handed in making his point that "race" is more than just black and white.
by Anonymous | reply 408 | June 14, 2021 12:33 PM
|
r408, I bought that book based on a DL recommendation a while ago....still haven't gotten into it in spite of a couple of attempts.
by Anonymous | reply 409 | June 14, 2021 12:38 PM
|
I'm just starting Empire of Pain, the biography of the Sackler family, who brought the world Oxycontin, and are (or were) being sued by various individuals and organizations on behalf of those who became addicted. Majordomo Arthur Sackler also happens to be the person who brought Librium and Valium to market.
It's a fascinating book, its narrative reading like good fiction.
by Anonymous | reply 410 | June 14, 2021 1:28 PM
|
My bad! Jonathan Lee, Jonathan Dee ... I have not read the former although I have a copy of "High Dive" sitting in a bag of book-sale acquisitions somewhere.
I have to admit I also did not much like "Interior Chinatown" and don't quite get the hype. It felt only sketched out, not fully formed, better in concept than in actual execution. I wouldn't recommend it.
Very excited to pick up "The Night Watchman" and read that soon.
by Anonymous | reply 411 | June 14, 2021 3:38 PM
|
Anyone else a fan of French writer Pascal Garnier? I've read a couple of his twisted novellas, with another to be read on an upcoming trip (The Front Seat Passenger).
by Anonymous | reply 412 | June 18, 2021 10:13 PM
|
I'm been reading up on Philip Roth. Such an incredible writer, definitely among my top five.
by Anonymous | reply 413 | June 18, 2021 10:21 PM
|
If you're enjoying Roth, r413, please check out his first full length novel LETTING GO, it's one of my favorite books yet seems almost forgotten these days. It's more conventional fiction than much of what he wrote after PORTNOY'S COMPLAINT but highly readable with unforgettable female characters.
by Anonymous | reply 414 | June 18, 2021 11:03 PM
|
If you're enjoying Roth, r413, please check out his first full length novel LETTING GO, it's one of my favorite books yet seems almost forgotten these days. It's more conventional fiction than much of what he wrote after PORTNOY'S COMPLAINT but highly readable with unforgettable female characters.
by Anonymous | reply 415 | June 18, 2021 11:04 PM
|
I have been reading biographies on Bunny Mellon, Hugette Clark and Hidden Valley Road...the Bunny Mellon bio was excellent
by Anonymous | reply 416 | June 19, 2021 2:10 PM
|
Reading The Devil's Gentleman by Harold Schechter. Only about 60 pages in but it's really good so far!
by Anonymous | reply 417 | June 19, 2021 6:30 PM
|
Reading Colum McCann's "Apeirogon." It's like reading a mosaic (a compliment).
by Anonymous | reply 418 | June 19, 2021 8:15 PM
|
R414 Thanks, I was considering getting Letting Go as well.
by Anonymous | reply 419 | June 19, 2021 8:47 PM
|
So I'm reading THE GREAT MISTAKE by Jonathan Lee, recommended upthread, and not quite enjoying it as much as I'd hoped. There's something about Lee's prose that is getting in the way of telling a genuinely interesting story. Is it too poetic? Not sure that's the way to describe it.....sort of reminds me of RAGTIME but the language is not as artfully expressed. I find that I have to keep reading sentences over and over again.
But I'm 100 pages in and it's becoming a bit more engaging as the gay angle kicks in. I hope I'm wrong and wind up loving it. I'm sure others will.
by Anonymous | reply 420 | June 19, 2021 11:40 PM
|
to whomever recommended THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA up-thread. THANK YOU! what a beautiful read.
by Anonymous | reply 421 | June 20, 2021 4:54 AM
|
This is about Matt Boomer doing the audiobook for a memoir by a gay man. Anyone check out this title yet?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 422 | June 21, 2021 2:46 PM
|
Here’s a follow up to the above with a longer interview with just the author. This really reminds me a bit of H is for Hawk, which is one of my favorite non famous person memoirs. Anyone read it yet?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 423 | June 23, 2021 9:35 AM
|
After so many recommendations over the years, I'm finally reading THE LEOPARD. I'm 120 pages in (out of 280) and finding it a bit tough going, mainly because I know very little about Italian history of the 1800s.
But then when I read reader reviews on Amazon, many people who loved the book say it takes awhile for the story to kick in and they ultimately loved it. So I'll keep going. Any fans here?
by Anonymous | reply 424 | June 27, 2021 4:28 PM
|
working my way thru Louis Bayard's books. currently in 17th century England. i was so happy to read his first 2 books. so decidedly gay and gay friendly. the rest, so far have been barely gay at all (until i got to Lincoln). i guess he found mainstream works more financially beneficial than gay ones. more the pity. because he is a great story teller.
by Anonymous | reply 425 | June 27, 2021 7:03 PM
|
Maybe he's just telling the stories he want to tell.
by Anonymous | reply 426 | June 27, 2021 8:42 PM
|
Louis Bayard is a very handsome man. He looks like one of those Warner Bros TV stars from the early 1960s, or did when he was younger.
by Anonymous | reply 427 | June 28, 2021 1:34 AM
|
^ Wow, he really is handsome. I'd never seen a picture of him before
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 428 | June 28, 2021 1:57 AM
|
Anyone read Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyassi?
by Anonymous | reply 429 | June 30, 2021 3:56 PM
|
R429. Yes, i read it and i liked it (in fact way more than Homegoing) but i don't know if it'll be a book that i will remember in a future
by Anonymous | reply 430 | June 30, 2021 5:27 PM
|
I just finished Hidden Valley Road about the family of twelve children where six of them had schizophrenia. I highly recommend it to those who enjoyed the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, as sort of a medical mystery and a family’s complicated participation in the scientific pursuit of treatment that will inform and help future sufferers, but is too late for them. The author did a phenomenal job, especially by listing the names of the parents and then the children in birth order at the start of each chapter and bolding who the would be talking about. Since there are ten boys, it made a difference keeping who was who straight and organized. I wish when they died he just did the name in grey scale instead of removing them though. I guess it somehow became an reinstituted Oprah Book Club title, but don’t let that put you off from reading it your a lover of nonfiction.
by Anonymous | reply 431 | July 3, 2021 12:34 AM
|
I just finished French Exit and I loved it. Looking forward to seeing the movie this weekend,
by Anonymous | reply 432 | July 3, 2021 12:43 AM
|
I read a lot of good reviews about The sweetness of water by Nathan Harris and some compare it to The prophets (even the storyline seems very different)
by Anonymous | reply 433 | July 4, 2021 2:06 PM
|
The Times gave it a mixed review today, but good enough to make me interested.
by Anonymous | reply 434 | July 4, 2021 6:44 PM
|
Waltz Into Darkness by Cornell Woolrich
by Anonymous | reply 435 | July 4, 2021 7:27 PM
|
Any other fans of gay British writer Peter Ackroyd?
I recently read THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON and I'm now enjoying THE TRIAL OF ELIZABETH CREE about the infamous Victorian Limehouse murders. Both highly recommended novels of suspense with a literary bend.
by Anonymous | reply 436 | July 4, 2021 9:09 PM
|
I plan on reading his Dickens bio, but it's massive!
by Anonymous | reply 437 | July 5, 2021 2:00 PM
|
Just picked up John Boyne's THE HEART'S INVISIBLE FURIES, after loving his A LADDER TO THE SKY. I'm a hundred pages in and it is gripping. Really wonderfully evocative use of language, and every 30 pages there's some incident that hits the reader like a body blow. One of my favorite reads since Towles' THE RULES OF CIVILITY.
by Anonymous | reply 438 | July 5, 2021 5:59 PM
|
I have never trusted Boyne since the execrable The Boy With The Striped Pajamas.
by Anonymous | reply 439 | July 5, 2021 6:03 PM
|
I just finished the first book in gay author Michael Nava's Henry Rios mystery series, Lay Your Sleeping Head.
It takes place in San Francisco in 1981. People are starting to talk about the "gay cancer" just as attorney Henry Rios decides he has fallen in love for the first time. Sexually explicit and plot-based, the way mysteries are, so I'll just say I liked it a lot and shall continue with the series.
by Anonymous | reply 440 | July 5, 2021 6:24 PM
|
i just ordered the 8th book in the Henry Rios series. love me more Nava.
by Anonymous | reply 441 | July 5, 2021 8:35 PM
|
working my way thru John Rechy's "city of night". 50 years on, so much has changed, and stayed the same....
by Anonymous | reply 442 | July 6, 2021 2:10 PM
|
City of Night scared the crap out of me when I read it in high school. Its portrait of an impossibly bleak world facing homos convinced me that I was in for a very sad life.
by Anonymous | reply 443 | July 6, 2021 4:51 PM
|
were you forced to trick for $5 a bj?
by Anonymous | reply 444 | July 6, 2021 5:52 PM
|
Over the past few years, I've read some of the more famous entries in Emile Zola's Rougon-Macquart novels -- L'Assommoir, Nana, Germinal, The Earth, and The Debacle -- and better late than never, I've decided to read them in Zola's recommended reading order. So I'm midway through the first novel, The Fortunes of the Rougons; it's very good, though not quite up to the magnificence of, say, Germinal and The Debacle; cool to get background for all the major characters, however.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 446 | July 7, 2021 3:43 PM
|
Where do you all get your book reviews and recommendations? The New York Times?
by Anonymous | reply 447 | July 7, 2021 3:46 PM
|
I just finished Alex Michaelides' novel "The Maidens". I enjoyed the book until the plot took an unexpected turn and pissed me off. I didn't like the way it ended either.
by Anonymous | reply 448 | July 7, 2021 3:49 PM
|
IndieBound is a great source from the people who hand sell the books to customers, Book Riot and Good Reads are also good places to check out.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 449 | July 7, 2021 4:02 PM
|
Thanks, r449. I will try that. I find GoodReads' recommendation system hard to navigate.
by Anonymous | reply 450 | July 7, 2021 4:06 PM
|
i'm reading the 12th book by Christchurch, NZ mystery author Paul Cleave. called "The Quiet People". so good i cannot put it down, and at the same time don't want it to end. his first 8 books are a loosely related series of murder and laugh-out-loud humor novels that should be mandatory reading for all mystery lovers. one scene involves an ejaculation, a pliers, and a badly damaged testicle that had me laughing so hard i cried and at the same time cringing so much at the action....
by Anonymous | reply 451 | July 9, 2021 12:53 AM
|
R451, my library Overdrive has some of his books. Do they need to be read in order?
by Anonymous | reply 452 | July 9, 2021 1:00 AM
|
yes. begin with "the Cleaner" loved that one. i found it at a used book store, and immediately ordered the rest of the first 8. the last 4 are stand alones....
by Anonymous | reply 453 | July 9, 2021 2:06 AM
|
Thanks R453, I found the titles in order. I downloaded a standalone book so I think it'll be okay to read it out sequence.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 454 | July 9, 2021 2:18 AM
|
R140 It was a pretty bad idea but i have serious doubts that it was his idea
by Anonymous | reply 455 | July 10, 2021 1:20 PM
|
says our local MAGA fan! ^
by Anonymous | reply 458 | July 10, 2021 4:04 PM
|
i totally disagree on the list in order given above for the Cleave books. read them in the order written, not according to that weird list
by Anonymous | reply 459 | July 11, 2021 12:42 AM
|
Reading the book Indecent Advances, which is about the history of "gay panic" murders. A good read if you are interested in gay history
by Anonymous | reply 460 | July 13, 2021 6:47 PM
|
I'm reading Malibu rising. I really liked Daisy Jones and the six and i needed a page turner right now.
And i'm happy because Shuggie Bain is going to be published here, but even better the same publisher will release The great believers in octuber (just when i was losing hope on being translated)
by Anonymous | reply 461 | July 13, 2021 7:11 PM
|
Loved Shuggie, but was bored by Great Believer.
by Anonymous | reply 462 | July 14, 2021 12:57 AM
|
Finally reading STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. Fascinating, the changes Hitchcock made for his film.
by Anonymous | reply 463 | July 14, 2021 1:28 PM
|
Has anybody read the new book on the Sacred Band of Thebes by James Romm?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 464 | July 14, 2021 1:31 PM
|
I tried the Bible but is was chock full of sex and violence. Had to put it down. Absolutely disgusting!
by Anonymous | reply 465 | July 14, 2021 11:36 PM
|
I'm trying to read Hollinghurst's "Line of Beauty," but I kind of hate it.
by Anonymous | reply 466 | July 15, 2021 4:55 PM
|
For you Molly Keane fans, where would you recommend a guy start with her?
by Anonymous | reply 467 | July 15, 2021 9:12 PM
|
Hollinghurst is a great story teller. i've read most of his books.
by Anonymous | reply 468 | July 15, 2021 11:48 PM
|
Keane's most well-received book is GOOD BEHAVIOUR, shortlisted for the Booker. And was just reissued by NYRB. Have read it twice. Her last was QUEEN LEAR (LOVING AND GIVING in the UK), which most people place behind GB. Her earlier books are softer and cheerier, but very pleasant, but I haven't read all of them. So in short, I'd suggest GB. Don't think you'll be sorry.
by Anonymous | reply 469 | July 16, 2021 12:41 PM
|
R468 That's just it; so far I've yet to discern a story in this book.
by Anonymous | reply 470 | July 16, 2021 12:54 PM
|
Robertson Davies' The Rebel Angels! He never disappoints and he makes me laugh . . . a LOT! Oh-hhhh, Canada!!!!
by Anonymous | reply 471 | July 16, 2021 12:55 PM
|
Loved the Deptford and Salterton trilogies of Davies, but don't think many read him these days. Seem to recall a controversy about his politics, but can't find any reference to it.
by Anonymous | reply 472 | July 16, 2021 1:05 PM
|
Thanks, R469 - Good Behavior it'll be!
Regarding the Anglo-Irish experience, I have recently purchased a copy of "Walled Gardens" by Anabel Davis-Goff.
by Anonymous | reply 473 | July 16, 2021 1:31 PM
|
R470 I disliked his debut and haven’t explored him further
by Anonymous | reply 474 | July 16, 2021 1:44 PM
|
Agree with r469. Begin with GOOD BEHAVIOUR! Brilliant book, I've also read it twice. LOVING AND GIVING is on my TBR list.
by Anonymous | reply 475 | July 16, 2021 2:19 PM
|
The other Keane audios available are LOVING AND GIVING and TIME AFTER TIME.
If you haven't read it yet, you Keane fans might like Jane Harris' THE OBSERVATIONS.
by Anonymous | reply 476 | July 16, 2021 2:31 PM
|
Time After Time is a bit of a drag. No plot, more of a good if not great character study of 4 aged characters.
by Anonymous | reply 477 | July 16, 2021 5:20 PM
|
I must read Robertson Davies' The Deptford Trilogy again; it's been decades. As I remember, there was a moment involving a... projectile (so I don't spoil anything for anyone) that made my hair stand on end. I gasped out loud -- real loud.
by Anonymous | reply 478 | July 16, 2021 6:07 PM
|
i'm reading Walter Mosley books. talk about critical race theory! LA in the4 70s. not all that pretty a place.
by Anonymous | reply 479 | July 16, 2021 8:41 PM
|
Were you aware that Ms. Davis-Goff was once married to Mike Nichols?
by Anonymous | reply 480 | July 16, 2021 9:03 PM
|
No, I did not know that. I bought D-G's memoir based on a reference to it in another book.
by Anonymous | reply 481 | July 16, 2021 9:28 PM
|
I ended Malibu rising. I liked Daisy Jones and the six more (i loved the documentary style) but Malibu rising is a pageturner and that's exactly what i needed. The last part of the novel is very entertaining and i suppose (giving that is selling very well) there'll be a film or a tv show sooner or later.
I'm reading the last book of the Elena Ferrante's quartet
by Anonymous | reply 482 | July 21, 2021 6:34 PM
|
I have my hands on an ARC of James Ivory’s memoir, Solid Ivory.
by Anonymous | reply 483 | July 21, 2021 7:21 PM
|
Just finished THE NORTH WATER. Terrific. Looking forward to the mini-series.
by Anonymous | reply 484 | July 21, 2021 8:11 PM
|
R484 I have that novel at home since it was published here and never made an attempt of reading it even if i only heard a lot of positive things about it. Maybe i should give it a try
by Anonymous | reply 485 | July 21, 2021 8:46 PM
|
I raced through it in two days. Hard to put down.
by Anonymous | reply 486 | July 21, 2021 9:19 PM
|
Have a good still drink at your side, some of The North Water is hair-raising. (I was surprised to see that Andrew Haigh, director of Weekend and creator of Looking, directed the TNW miniseries, only because it doesn't seem like his cup of tea. Kudos to him, though!)
by Anonymous | reply 487 | July 22, 2021 9:01 PM
|
The North Water was GRIM going, and I love "The Terror" and the collected works of Cormac McCarthy!
Currently reading "A Place of Greater Safety," Hilary Mantel's novel about the French Revolution.
by Anonymous | reply 488 | July 22, 2021 9:21 PM
|
100 Boyfriends by Brontez Purnell. wow, just, WOW!
by Anonymous | reply 489 | July 23, 2021 12:20 AM
|
Please report back, r488.
by Anonymous | reply 490 | July 23, 2021 2:28 AM
|
Based on the recommendation of R453, I am currently reading "The Cleaner" by Paul Cleave.
It's certainly well-written, and I was really enjoying it -- until I got to the protagonist's encounter with Melissa. Pliers and testicles DO NOT make for an enjoyable reading experience.
I am continuing on, but my enthusiasm has been, shall we say, somewhat squashed....
by Anonymous | reply 491 | July 23, 2021 6:01 AM
|
I’m a third of the way through “Malibu Rising,” I was anticipating something more literary, but it’s really a beach read.
by Anonymous | reply 492 | July 23, 2021 6:03 AM
|
r491 that scene was what sold me on Cleave. i wrote and told him how much i laughed. he thanked me, and said that not everyone gets his sense of humor. humor plus cringe equals fun!
by Anonymous | reply 493 | July 23, 2021 1:25 PM
|
I too am interested in your book report on the Mantel, Sylvia. I absolutely love the Cromwell trilogy and keep thinking I should probably pick that up but I do worry that it was just her warming up for her masterpiece and won't be as good.
by Anonymous | reply 494 | July 23, 2021 4:10 PM
|
R491, you and I are reading The Cleaner in parallel. I'm at the part where Joe is now One Nuts and is paying a prostitute for info about a kinky cop. I read Trust No One and I found that narrator much more sympathetic--for obvious reasons. The Cleaner is definitely a page turner but I don't think I can read another Paul Cleave book for awhile. I have to take a break from being in a serial killer's head.
I'm actually listening to The Cleaner and it bugs me that they didn't bother to hire a Kiwi to read rather than an Englishman. It takes me out of the story because the characters don't sound like Kiwis to me. Maybe I'm wrong as I'm only familiar with the north island maybe people from Christchurch sound like east end Londoners? Also another bug is using Fahrenheit instead of Celsius temperatures--seems like they changed it for the US.
by Anonymous | reply 495 | July 23, 2021 6:53 PM
|
R494 So far that's exactly how it is, but it's still better than most other books I've read this year. I may develop an unhealthy Robespierre obsession.
by Anonymous | reply 496 | July 23, 2021 9:41 PM
|
I’m reading Brandon Taylor’s short story collection Filthy Animals. His novel Real Life was one of my favorite books last year. His short stories are well written and I’m enjoying the collection but they lack focus. They read like opening chapters for a novel. He doesn’t have that concision that the best short story writers gave.
by Anonymous | reply 497 | July 23, 2021 9:49 PM
|
Has anyone read Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead? It’s about 40 pages too long but it’s thrilling. I lived in it.
by Anonymous | reply 498 | July 23, 2021 9:59 PM
|
I'd like to tackle Edith Wharton's THE HOUSE OF MIRTH this summer, though I'm concerned it'll be rather a downer. I did read a modern novel, with a similar theme, EVERYBODY RISE by Stephanie Clifford, tragedy indeed though ended on a somewhat upbeat note.
by Anonymous | reply 499 | July 26, 2021 3:10 PM
|
I’m now halfway through Malibu Rising, but after watching The Towering Inferno this weekend and participating in the thread, I’m going to be really disappointed if the books doesn’t end with burnt strewn bodies all over the beach.
by Anonymous | reply 500 | July 26, 2021 3:29 PM
|
Reading Wharton is never a downer.
by Anonymous | reply 501 | July 26, 2021 4:49 PM
|
I hit a wall with Louise Penny’s BURY YOUR DEAD, which is a terrible and interminable book but was rewarded for digging through it with the next book in the series, A TRICK OF THE LIGHT, which was good.
by Anonymous | reply 502 | July 26, 2021 9:30 PM
|
Has anyone here read Phil Rucker and Carol Leonnig's I ALONE CAN FIX IT about Trump's final disastrous year? I'm so intrigued but wonder if there's anything new to uncover.
by Anonymous | reply 504 | July 26, 2021 9:54 PM
|
R504, I express interests in books about Trump's administration but I find I can't will myself to read them. Just spending any time on Trump and his POS administration and cast of bozos is wretched. I don't know if I will get around to reading anything Trump.
by Anonymous | reply 505 | July 26, 2021 10:06 PM
|
[quote]I don't know if I will get around to reading anything Trump.
Same here. I will, however, make an exception for his obituary.
by Anonymous | reply 506 | July 27, 2021 12:43 AM
|
Surely there are Laurie Colwin fans here other than myself. I re-read one of her novels every year. They are never less than delightful (and insightful).
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 507 | July 27, 2021 5:40 PM
|
It is more correct to ask "Which books are you reading"
by Anonymous | reply 508 | July 27, 2021 5:51 PM
|
What's your fave Laurie Colwin novel, 507? Where might I begin?
by Anonymous | reply 509 | July 27, 2021 7:25 PM
|
I'm reading Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake
by Anonymous | reply 510 | July 27, 2021 7:28 PM
|
My favorite Colwin novels are Happy All the Time, Goodbye Without Leaving and Family Happiness, R509. I'd start with Happy All the Time, just for the snappy dialog.
by Anonymous | reply 511 | July 27, 2021 7:32 PM
|
Thanks, r511. I'll check out those books. Coincidentally, Amazon has been recommending her to me.
by Anonymous | reply 512 | July 27, 2021 7:34 PM
|
LOt less debuts in the booker nomination. More established names but some unknowns too.
Less gay than last year. I think The sweetnees of water has a gay storylines (it's compared with The prophets a lot so i suppose it shares certain themes)
by Anonymous | reply 513 | July 27, 2021 7:59 PM
|
Bath Haus, by P. J. Vernon. A gay suspense thriller. That's all I'm going to say except it's the best book I've read all year. I am someone who loves mysteries, suspense, and thrillers; if you're not, it may not appeal to you as much as it does me. These books are almost never done by gay authors, which makes this particularly appealing to me.
by Anonymous | reply 514 | July 31, 2021 2:48 AM
|
Any Kingsley Amis fans here?
I read Lucky Jim decades ago and loved it but haven't read him again until now....just started The Old Devils. Great fun so far.
by Anonymous | reply 515 | July 31, 2021 3:00 AM
|
Love you, R506. Same here.
I can't read anything about the Trump admin., because as a NYer, I already knew what a scumbag he was, but it was the usual NY real estate scumbag things he did that we just accepted.
That he was/is desperate to literally destroy this country due to his psychotic ego and to stay in power not because he wanted to actually do the work of the president, but to simply have the title and just abuse power, sickens me to no end. I don't want to read about the shitheads who enabled that fucking, stupid, orange clown, because nothing would surprise me, it would only anger me.
by Anonymous | reply 516 | July 31, 2021 3:21 AM
|
Sometimes, specially if you follow literary news the importance of the cover gets minimized but i was surprised (someone commented on a forum) that The vanishing half is a complete faliure in Spain (at leasts in one of the biggest book shops franchises) and they blame the cover.
Racial themes are a hot theme in the USA but that's not really a hot topic in other countries, so something really failed in the promotion because The vanishing half is not a niche book and can be enjoyed by a lot of people. I was waiting for the publication of the book because i have curiosity for reading something written by Bennet since i read some oppinions about The mothers (which will be published here in november) but the truth is the cover (which is the same than the american cover) doesn't say a thing for someone who is not aware of the novel. In the USA the novel was hyped so that cover is not a problem but it seems doesn't attract potential readers here.
Maybe the good reviews of readers can change that but i wonder how many books fail because their cover doesn't attract the right readers
by Anonymous | reply 517 | July 31, 2021 10:31 AM
|
I've been an avid reader for 60 years and I always judge a book by its cover. I couldn't read a book with a cover that I didn't like.
by Anonymous | reply 518 | July 31, 2021 12:59 PM
|
Here in the UK 'Private Eye' magazine runs a little pictorial feature about how successful book cover memes are closely followed by other publishers. If you liked that, you'll like this, being the hopeful subliminal pull.
Not sure I've ever been put off a book I really want to read by a bad cover. Equally a book with a great cover can't force me to go where I don't want to go.
To answer OP's question: I've been reading 'Fabulosa!' - The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language, by Paul Baker. Very enjoyable informative light read, by a passionate wry academic. Excellent glossary at the back, containing not a few phrases common here on DL.
by Anonymous | reply 519 | July 31, 2021 2:49 PM
|
I don't think the cover of The vanishing half is bad, but it doesn't give you a clue about what the book is about so probably it won't attract readers that weren't interested in the first place
by Anonymous | reply 520 | July 31, 2021 6:40 PM
|
I agree, r520. It's an appealing (and inoffensive) cover in terms of its graphic quality but has nothing to do with the content of the book. But I think that's ultimately a smart move on the publishers' part.
by Anonymous | reply 521 | July 31, 2021 11:08 PM
|
And it is, the strategy works perfectly in the USA and UK where the topic is hot and the novel was heavily promoted, the problem are the countries that don't fit in both cathegories
by Anonymous | reply 522 | August 1, 2021 12:00 PM
|
Malibu Rising in the end was disappointing, neither the literary work I thought I was starting, nor the fun summer beach read it started to emulate. I will say that the writer did capture the style of a book written in the 80s, which is an interesting feat in and of itself, but ultimately not enough to justify the reading for me.
by Anonymous | reply 523 | August 1, 2021 12:09 PM
|
i'm into Tal Bauer's Executive office series. (4 book series) a rollicking thriller, sort of like as Clancy novel, if clancy could write decent character situations. and a great what if situation. gay prez? first gentleman? politics, treason, FUN.
by Anonymous | reply 524 | August 1, 2021 9:37 PM
|
I read Marilynne Robinson's Gilead last year, i want to read another of her novels which will be a better choice, her first novel or another of the Gilead series?
by Anonymous | reply 525 | August 4, 2021 7:46 PM
|
Housekeeping, her first, is terrific. I'd start there because the next Gilead book is variations on a theme. But still worth reading. You won't go wrong either way.
by Anonymous | reply 526 | August 4, 2021 9:31 PM
|
I've started THE HOUSE OF MIRTH; from the get-go, Lily seems manipulative to me.
by Anonymous | reply 527 | August 4, 2021 10:22 PM
|
A lady had to be manipulative back then, r527. We had very few options.
by Anonymous | reply 528 | August 5, 2021 1:23 AM
|
R526 Thank you, i will follow your advice
by Anonymous | reply 529 | August 5, 2021 1:59 PM
|
After watching The Pursuit of Love on Amazon Prime and remembering the 1980s version on Masterpiece Theatre was a treat, I'm rereading the Nancy Mitford novels. The Amazon version was a solid B (not all the performers get the period right, and there were some directorial choices I would not have made, but then no one asked me); the novels remain a delight.
by Anonymous | reply 530 | August 5, 2021 7:34 PM
|
i'm waiting for this one to arrive!
the title alone sold it to me.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 531 | August 6, 2021 12:08 AM
|
I'm reading the final and 5th volume of The Cazalet Chronicles, ALL CHANGE, which I started about a year ago. These books by Elizabeth Jane Howard, about the many members and generations of a well-to-do family, were written in the early 2000s but take place in England in the years just preceding WWII and end in 1958. I think I may have first heard about them on this thread or an earlier installment of it.
Maybe a bit soap opera-ish but they were the perfect reading material for the pandemic as the family's isolation and many tribulations and sacrifices during WWII were easily relatable.
by Anonymous | reply 532 | August 8, 2021 2:01 PM
|
Has anyone read The Passenger, this resurrected German novel taking place and written right after Kristallnacht? Suite Francaise was such a stunning find and read and this is giving me similar vibes?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 533 | August 9, 2021 6:52 PM
|
I just started "Hidden Valley Road."
by Anonymous | reply 534 | August 14, 2021 6:41 PM
|
I'm not sure whether this deserves its own Tasteful Friends thread so I'll leave it here.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 535 | August 14, 2021 6:56 PM
|
I´m reading The heart's invisible furies and i'm liking it a lot till now
by Anonymous | reply 536 | August 15, 2021 11:32 AM
|
I loved the opening chapters of The Heart's Invisible Furies but it took a very disappointing turn less than 100 pages in. I couldn't even finish the book. Very manipulative writing of the worst kind.
by Anonymous | reply 537 | August 15, 2021 12:28 PM
|
I'm rereading Carolyn Spurgeon's book on Shakespearean imagery and Eric Sam's unpublished manuscripts on Shakespearean subjects, crawling through "Paradise Lost" and looking at Wallace Stevens' mid-career work.
by Anonymous | reply 538 | August 15, 2021 1:23 PM
|
Any fans of gay British novelist Patrick Gale?
I'm rereading one of his earliest books KANSAS IN AUGUST (1987). It's simply delightful. I feel like somewhere in the 1990s his writing lost some of the fresh mischief and poignancy he brought to gay fiction and became somewhat maudlin and ordinary, perhaps in trying to write more conventional stories.
by Anonymous | reply 539 | August 15, 2021 10:38 PM
|
Currently A Night to Remember by Walter Lord, a depiction of the sinking of Titanic, first published in 1955.
by Anonymous | reply 540 | August 15, 2021 10:43 PM
|
Death on the Cheap: The Lost B Movies of Film Noir
by Anonymous | reply 541 | August 15, 2021 10:44 PM
|
i've now ordered 9 of Tal Bauer books. great story telling. well developed characters. and the characters are mostly laste30 or 40 YO men, some even have hairy chests!
by Anonymous | reply 542 | August 16, 2021 1:56 PM
|
Patrick Gale's early novels are tart delights! But then he seemed to want to write chunkster sagas to appeal to a larger readership. Can't remember reading any of those.
by Anonymous | reply 543 | August 16, 2021 4:22 PM
|
I'm ending The heart's invisible furies and now the options are The spy who came from the cold, Richard Power's Orfeo or Sarah Waters' The nightwatch (i'm going to read the three, i don't know the order)
by Anonymous | reply 544 | August 21, 2021 6:38 PM
|
I loved The Night Watch though it is a bit slow-going. And IIRC it's really 3 or 4 short stories with characters only connected because they're all living through the London blitz.
by Anonymous | reply 545 | August 21, 2021 7:19 PM
|
In the middle of The Promise by Damon Galgut. Booker longlisted. He's superb. I highly recommend his Arctic Summer, about E M Forster.
by Anonymous | reply 546 | August 21, 2021 7:33 PM
|
I heard a lot of positive things about The promise
by Anonymous | reply 547 | August 21, 2021 8:11 PM
|
I'm starting to read Richard Powers' Orfeo
by Anonymous | reply 548 | August 28, 2021 12:46 PM
|
"As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning" by Laurie Lee.
Typical sentences include: The patio wore an air of low-lit ennui.
by Anonymous | reply 549 | August 29, 2021 8:00 PM
|
I'm reading Evelyn Waugh's Decline and Fall, his first novel. I had previously only read A Handful of Dust which I loved, but this one seems very slight and jokey. And much of the humor seems very based in 1920s Britain, of course, so I'm not sure I can really appreciate it.
Any encouragement here from those who've read it?
by Anonymous | reply 550 | August 31, 2021 1:34 AM
|
I'm back to Richard Power's Orfeo after a break to read one of Amélie Nothomb's novels
by Anonymous | reply 551 | September 4, 2021 10:02 AM
|
I'm reading John Banville's THE UNTOUCHABLE. I've always been fascinated by the Cambridge spy ring and this novel is a "memoir" (of sorts) of Anthony Blunt, who was Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures until he was unmasked as a KGB agent. One of the reasons I'm loving it is I have to keep using my phone to look up words I've never encountered before..."dottle" (the tobacco left in a pipe bowl at the end of smoking) and "bedizened" (dressed in an showy or gaudy manner). It's a little slow moving, but rich with language.
by Anonymous | reply 552 | September 4, 2021 1:39 PM
|
R552 Is this the story shown in the movie Another Country?
by Anonymous | reply 553 | September 4, 2021 1:45 PM
|
[553] Yes, it is...though it's been a few years and if I'm right, the Rupert Everett character is more closely based on Guy Burgess than on Anthony Blunt. If you're interested in this period and group of people, Tom Driberg's RULING PASSIONS (sadly, long out of print) is an interesting read, and Alan Bennett has written two one act plays, performed together as SINGLE SPIES, which deals with Guy Burgess' time in Moscow after he defected and Anthony Blunt's interrogation by MI5. The first of these two plays, "An Englishman Abroad" was televised by the BBC with Alan Bates as Guy Burgess and Coral Brown as herself. It has one of my favorite lines in it...Brown has been asked to go round to Burgess' tailor and haberdasher and have some things shipped to him in Moscow. The requests keep coming from Burgess and Brown finally has had enough and says..."Well, this will have to be the end of it, or Little Dolly Dropdrawers wil be shop, shop, shopping til the cows come home."
by Anonymous | reply 554 | September 4, 2021 2:02 PM
|
Bennett's play on Anthony Blunt and QEII, A QUESTION OF ATTRIBUTION, is also great. Made a terrific film with Prunella Scales and James Fox is well worth watching.
by Anonymous | reply 555 | September 4, 2021 5:59 PM
|
[555] There was also a four part BBC series called The Cambridge Spies. Parenthetic of nothing, but aren't we DLers a learned lot?
by Anonymous | reply 556 | September 4, 2021 6:10 PM
|
Alan Bennett's A Question of Attribution is fantastic, especially for the one long scene with Prunella Scales as HRH. It is in no way a caricature, and yet she lands all the laughs. I so wish I could have seen it on stage but am thankful we have the filmed version (available on DVD in The Alan Bennett Collection, if you prefer eldermedia).
On topic: Speaking of novelist and diarist Alan Bennett, please read The Uncommon Reader if you haven't. I haven't seen or heard anything about Bennett lately. I know he's well into his 80s -- how's he doing?
by Anonymous | reply 557 | September 4, 2021 6:39 PM
|
Nonfiction alert!
The essay collection "Nocturne: Journeys in Search of Moonlight" by James Attlee is exceeding my expectations.
by Anonymous | reply 558 | September 4, 2021 6:59 PM
|
[557] Yes, he's 86 or 87 now and still alive. He had work produced (ALLELUJA!) as recently aS 2018.
by Anonymous | reply 559 | September 4, 2021 7:47 PM
|
Bennett had the Covid renaissance of his brilliant 'Talking Heads' on TV last year, most of them at least the equals of their original interpretations. I gather he donated much if not all his payment for this work to the NHS. Excerpts from his '20 diaries were (as is traditional) published in the LRB.
by Anonymous | reply 560 | September 5, 2021 7:23 AM
|
I'm reading How much of these hills is gold. It was so much hyped that i feel a little dissapointed even if it's a good debut and an interesting novel
by Anonymous | reply 561 | September 10, 2021 8:29 PM
|
"The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party In the Age of Manifest Destiny" - it starts out kind of slow & provides what seems like superfluous details - but this info becomes important later - documenting the Donner/Reed wagon train, the first round of Making America Great. Even though everyone knows it ends very badly for the Donners, you still find yourself rooting for them & gasping at disastrous setbacks.
I'd highly recommend this book and as a kid that always enjoyed the Oregon Wagon Trail exercise in elementary school, I have this crazy idea of driving out west & following the Oregon Trail (minus the cannibalism)
by Anonymous | reply 562 | September 10, 2021 9:34 PM
|
Based on a Goodreads friend's review I ordered a copy of "The Planetarium" by Nathalie Serrault. Roughly 200 pages of stream-of-consciousness, so a good thing I'm a fan of that style!
Listening to Deborah Levy's "Swimming Home" which works better as it unfolds. Still, I'm glad it's only a novella.
by Anonymous | reply 563 | September 10, 2021 9:35 PM
|
Taking a break from some Victorian lit and dipping into the Lucia novels by E.F. Benson. Delightful as ever.
by Anonymous | reply 564 | September 10, 2021 11:11 PM
|
Just saw the most wonderful trailer for the new film MOTHERING SUNDAY, which is based on a Graham Swift novel. It stars Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, Josh O'Connor and Glenda Jackson. I immediately ordered the book on Amazon where there were many raves. Has anyone read it?
by Anonymous | reply 565 | September 11, 2021 1:00 AM
|
I wonder if anyone has read or heard of a true crime book called LAST CALL by Elon Green? It's about the serial murders of 4 gay men (2 of whom were married and closeted) in the 1990s in NJ and Philadelphia. But the author, who happens to be straight, focuses more on the victims' lives and their predilections for particular gay bars rather than the murderer. Only about 50 pages in but finding it very interesting.
by Anonymous | reply 566 | September 13, 2021 3:40 AM
|
R566 There’s a thread on it below. It was very well done, especially the emphasis on the victims instead of the killer.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 567 | September 13, 2021 4:53 AM
|
Sorry if this book has been discussed but has anyone read A HOUSE FOR MR. BISWAS by V.S. NAIPAUL? It's on many prominent lists of favorite novels but I'm having a little trouble getting into it.
Anyone?
by Anonymous | reply 569 | September 16, 2021 7:28 PM
|
I read a nonfiction Naipaul recently, but haven't tried his novels, R569.
I'm working on "Pushkin Hills" by Sergei Dovlatov, a novella that is exceeding my expectations.
by Anonymous | reply 570 | September 20, 2021 12:30 AM
|
Just finished The Great Circle, which I also found out is short listed for the Booker Prize. It’s an epic sweeping novel with two story lines, one about a rough and tumble girl from Montana who becomes an early aviatrix and tries to fly the great circle around the globe over both poles and the contemporary Hollywood indie biopic being made about her starring a young disgraced actress. It was very well done with some beautiful passages of writing and does include some gay, lesbian and non-binary content, especially as being hidden from history. It was a very satisfying read with a great scope of history and sense of location with a understated humor and mesmerizing female leads and great supporting characters.
by Anonymous | reply 571 | September 20, 2021 4:15 PM
|
Just starting the Magician by Colm Toibin, which seems to be The Master, but with Thomas Mann. He is such a masterful writer, yet very accessible and he creates great sense of time and place.
by Anonymous | reply 572 | September 20, 2021 4:18 PM
|
Highly recommend The Promise, on the Booker shortlist. Hope it wins. Anyone read Bewilderment, also nominated for the Booker? The book was torn to shreds in The Times. But Powers seems to be a god to many critics.
by Anonymous | reply 574 | September 20, 2021 7:17 PM
|
r571, thanks for the rec! My husband recently bought the book and, just like him, hasn't opened it but I will get onto it next.
by Anonymous | reply 575 | September 20, 2021 7:17 PM
|
R574 I read some youtubers reviews and they loved it.
Powers is a very good writer and he made a lot of new fans with The overstory.
I am having trouble with Orfeo and had to quit (but i think it was simply not the right moment and not the book).
Bewilderment was the only novel that made the Booker shortlist and the National Book Award longlist.
DL fave The prophets made the NBA longlist instead of The sweetness of water (which made the booker longlist), i don't know but those two are compared constantly (the plot seems quite different)
by Anonymous | reply 576 | September 20, 2021 7:27 PM
|
Gay content, black writers. ^^^
by Anonymous | reply 577 | September 21, 2021 1:24 AM
|
R577 But the novels seem very different and on Jones Jr the gay content is the main content (and he is gay himself)
by Anonymous | reply 578 | September 21, 2021 6:44 PM
|
And they're both debut novels set in the American South in the 19th century. Shouldn't be had to grasp why they're lumped together.
by Anonymous | reply 579 | September 21, 2021 8:12 PM
|
I'm r565 who posted upthread about Graham Swift's MOTHERING SUNDAY. Well, I finished the book, absolutely loved it and immediately bought WATERLAND which was an earlier book and nominated for the Booker. Well, I absolutely hated it and gave up on it after about 100 pages. Very frustrating as some of it was so engaging yet other parts incredibly boring.
But I'd also bought his most recent book HERE WE ARE which I'm loving. It's a short book, only about 200 pages so I doubt it will disappoint (I'm about 1/3 through it).
by Anonymous | reply 580 | September 24, 2021 3:01 AM
|
Don't know if others here do this but I often find good suggestions on Amazon for new books to read. One such book was Jon McGregor's RESERVOIR 13, a novel about a missing girl in an English village. Didn't quite trust the reader reviews and thought I'd just look for it in my library. But they don't have it yet, it's fairly new I think. But they had an earlier book of his called SO MANY WAYS TO BEGIN which I took out and I'm enjoying it a lot.
Anyone happen to know this British author?
by Anonymous | reply 581 | September 26, 2021 3:36 AM
|
So, with my week off from posting here, I fell down the Booktube rabbit hole, which even though I’m a children's librarian, I didn’t really know much about. Since the pandemic I’ve been reading almost exclusively adult materials and I’ve been looking for great sources and reviews in choosing books. Surprisingly, there are many gay male ones, throughout my life I’ve met very few gay male readers. They are definitely some of the better ones, are nicely articulate and skewer towards the bearish. This first one is from Missoula and is very down to earth and warm and welcoming.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 582 | September 28, 2021 9:58 AM
|
This guy is an American residing in London. He is much more playful and humorous and has great enthusiasm for books and YouTubing.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 583 | September 28, 2021 10:01 AM
|
The last one is British, and he’s a bit more on the academic side, but was the first one I found as I was exploring this video as I am reading The Magician from up thread. I’m really impressed with them all and I wish I would of had them around as a young gay reader who didn’t see many reading role models in the gay community. Does anyone have recommendations for other Booktubers, gay or not?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 584 | September 28, 2021 10:11 AM
|
The Booktube world is indeed a rabbit hole. So many eccentrics and weirdos. Some seem to be very closeted (see Mayberry Book Club). Savidge Reads is a true queen, as is Shawn the Book Maniac, a Canadian reporting from Japan. Ruling over all is Steve Donoghue, an eldergay who expounds on every subject under the sun. He's uber smart, incredibly well-read, and chatty as hell. When asked what his favorite scent is, he replied, "Teenage weightlifter." These and others were my boon companions during the pandemic.
by Anonymous | reply 585 | September 28, 2021 11:17 AM
|
R585 Yeah, Steve seems to be a god among them and so many reference him, but for me his were too long and I find the opening mail segments weird and uninspired. As primarily a library user I had no idea what was all the talk about books hauls. Thanks for the recommendations, I’ll peek in on some.
by Anonymous | reply 586 | September 28, 2021 11:22 AM
|
I also find some of Steve's claims (the number of languages he speaks, his skill as a dog whisperer) hard to believe, but there is a Pied Piper appeal to his act for me, even to the opening of his mail. Not proud of it, though! Somechannels I hatewatch, but I learn about a lot of books I might otherwise miss.
by Anonymous | reply 587 | September 28, 2021 11:45 AM
|
R581 I really liked Reservoir 13 but to enjoy it it's needed to know that it's a novel about the pass of time and not a novel about the search of a lost girl, if you expect the second you are bound to be dissapointed
by Anonymous | reply 588 | September 28, 2021 7:24 PM
|
R583 Eric is adorable and very entussiastic.
To be honest, most male booktubers seem to be gay for some reason, at least the ones reviewing literary books (i suppose that change on the ones who speak about genres)
by Anonymous | reply 589 | September 28, 2021 7:25 PM
|
Create a new one before close this one
by Anonymous | reply 602 | September 28, 2021 7:31 PM
|