Agent99 - I'm with you about nothing dark or gloomy.
Have you read "Lost in the Amazon" by Stephen Kirkpatrick? I enjoy reading about adventure travel and this was a very good non-fiction book. If you are a photographer, you can also relate to his issues (or share in his extreme frustration).
I occasionally read historical novels and one that I enjoyed a few years ago is "A Land Remembered" by Patrick D. Smith. Its about Florida history from 1858 to 1968. If you are familiar with Florida at all, it was quite interesting and incorporated real history and places.
Bumping this thread up as summer reading is in full swing. Recent reads are: Love Water Memory-entertaining Defending Jacob-very good Goldfinch-gag (I know, I know, we are all supposed to love this book...bleuch) Flight Behavior-interesting and engaging Euphoria-pissed off that my ipad download is messed up...will buy it in hard copy because I know I'll love it but reading a book when full pages seem to be missing is a little annoying. Orphan Train-very good Sweet Water (by Christina Kline, author of Orphan Train), not as good as Orphan Train but entertaining enough The Book Thief-a good read We Are Called To Rise-loving it so far, just started yesterday
Anyone else have suggestions??? I gobble books up like crazy in the summer. Okay, I gobble them up in the winter, too, by the roaring fire. I need more books!
Here are some of my recent reads: Euphoria, Lily King: really liked it The Orphans of Race point, Patry Francis: meh. I got suckered into this one because it's set on the Cape and I saw it on display in a bookstore while vacationing out there. The End of the Point, Elizabeth Graves: another Cape Cod-set book, but I liked this one much more Fallen Beauty, Erika Robuck: good Dare Me, Megan Abbott: creepy Together Tea, Marjan Kamali: very sweet, a fun light read Island Apart, Steven Raichlen: Mr. Raichlen needs to stick to cookbooks, which he is very good at. Novels not so much The Collector of Dying Breaths: M.J. Rose: very entertaining Mind of Winter, Laura Kasischke: really, really creepy
A lot of these were recommends from Maryanne O'Hara's facebook page (not the ones I did not like).
Marcia, I will admit that I really loved the Goldfinch.
I will be watching for more recommendations with interest since I am leaving for St. John in two weeks and I go through a ton of books on vacation (well, I go through a ton of books in general, I guess!)
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
sherban wrote:Hello forum friends, Has anyone read "Land of Love and Drowning: A Novel" and could comment on how you liked it? Thanks!!
Hi sherban, I read this book and enjoyed it. As I said in the book thread on the STJ forum, there are some disturbing themes (incest, racism), but the book is very well written.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
What's everyone reading now? I'm running out of books. Loved this thread back in the day. I'll offer up one that I recently read and enjoyed greatly: A Man Called Ove.
I loved this thread too, and am also looking for new suggestions. It's summer time and so I am "reading light." Some recent reads that I enjoyed:
The Girls, Emma Cline Soul of an Octopus, Sy Montgomery Barefoot, Elin Hilderbrand Blue Bistro, Elin Hilderbrand The Nest, Cynthia Sweeney My Name is Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout The Good Goodbye, Carla Buckley The Muralist, BA Shapiro Circling the Sun, Paula McLain
Up next: The Assistants, Camille Perri The Girls in the Garden, Lisa Jewell
And one that I read that got good reviews that I was shocked to find I did not like: Sweetbitter. It sounds like a story that would be right up my alley, but I disliked it enough that I left it at the villa on St. John. I usually bring my used books to Ruth but was not going to torture her with this one!
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
Recently read (light reading, recommend all): The Good Byline (Jill Orr) A Dog's Way Home (W. Bruce Cameron) The Widow of Wall Street (Randy Susan Meyers)
Just started: The Hillbilly Elegy (J.D. Vance) ~a little outside of my wheelhouse..non-fiction The Good Good-bye(Carla Buckley)
Have waiting to be read: Together Tea (Marjan Kamali) The Rosie Project (Graeme Simsion)
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