Good morning, fellow readers! This post connects to the "It's Monday" meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. I hope you've been enjoying a season of wonderful reads--I certainly have! As usual, the TBR pile threatens to topple over, but I've been reading along at a good, steady pace lately. Hooray--reading slumps, please stay away!
Last week on the blog, I posted reviews of these books:
Lila is Marilynne Robinson's latest novel, which has been longlisted for the National Book Award. It is a beautifully written, character-driven novel about a woman's journey from suffering and abandonment to love and redemption (the link to my review is in the title).
Ghost Horse by Thomas McNeely is a powerful novel, set in Houston in the 1970s, about a boy coming to terms with his parents' awful divorce. It's a coming-of-age story as well as a novel about adults behaving badly in the midst of a family crisis, and it is a moving book that will certainly stay with me. I read Ghost Horse as part of a blog tour for TLC Book Tours.
I also re-posted my review of this book:
Lily King was the recipient of the very first Kirkus Prize for Fiction, which was announced last week, for her novel Euphoria. I read and loved this book, about a love triangle of anthropologists in Papua New Guinea in the 1930s, when it was released over the summer. I didn't think Euphoria received the attention it deserved earlier this year, so I was very glad to see King win the Kirkus Prize. You can read my review of Euphoria here.
In the past week, I read these books:
Another Margaret Atwood! I don't tend to read a lot of short stories, but Stone Mattress is truly Atwood at her best, so if you are a fan, I recommend it. Review to come soon. I read Certainty by Victor Bevine for TLC Book Tours; I will host the tour on November 5th.
And currently, I am reading . . .
Reunion by Hannah Pittard looks to be a good, juicy story of family dysfunction; I'm always fond of those! It's starting off well--that's always a good sign.
This week I hope to get some reading done and even a few reviews posted, but I'll also be spending a few days in NYC with the family. We'll be seeing a Broadway show that the kids have been desperate to see, and spending some time at MoMA and in Central Park, if the weather cooperates. I love New York in the fall!
I wish everyone a great week in reading!
Those all sound like books you could get seriously wrapped up in!
ReplyDeleteYes, they were all-consuming books, you could say! Reunion is a little lighter in tone, so that is a relief. :)
DeleteHave fun in NYC - fall is my favorite season there! And - I just posted my review of Certainty today for the TLC tour and I loved Reunion...a fun short one that hit home for me on some of the issues she tackles.
ReplyDeleteAh, ok, I'll check out your Certainty post on TLC. I need to process that book a bit until I write my post! I'm glad I was able to get a copy of Reunion from Netgalley.
DeleteI hope you're enjoying Reunion. I love reading about dysfunctional families, probably because they make me feel better about my own. Ha! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteHa, yes--a good dysfunctional family story is always helpful, so you can think, "at least we're not THAT bad!"
DeleteThese are all "my kind" of reads, Leila...and I got Lila a couple of weeks ago. Ghost Horse also sounds wonderful, and so do the others. I am a sucker for a good family drama, the more issues the better! Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteFamily dramas are often make for such satisfying reading, don't they? It seems to be such a universal experience, so everyone can relate.
DeleteAutumn in NYC is wonderful, and the folks milling around have that anticipatory light-heartedness for the coming holiday season and window-shopping, Central Park leaf-peeping strolls, Rock Center decorations, etc etc.
ReplyDeleteI would probably like Euphoria as someone who loves anthropology and sociology!
Yes, you certainly might, so maybe give it a try!
DeleteHave a great time in NYC... fall is such a good time to be there! I have high hopes for Reunion. Will be curious to hear if it finishes strong, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, JoAnn! Yes, it will be my reading for the train--unless the kids are in a very chatty mood. :)
DeleteI'm so excited to hear that you loved Stone Mattress. I hope to read it next week!
ReplyDeleteOh good, hope you enjoy it! I'm posting a review tomorrow. I really enjoyed all of the stories, and I absolutely loved experiencing vintage Atwood again.
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