Book Club

[insomniac2]

My favorite fiction book I read this year was Ponder Heart (by Eudora Welty). It is wildly exciting, and should be read quickly. It is a perfect sequence of crowd scenes.

My favorite non-fiction book was Old Books/Rare Friends (by Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern). The information about Louisa May Alcott is extremely valuable.

[Bookplate]

Welty not Walty.

[insomniac2]

Bookplate, thank you! I just fixed it.

[Lilysmom1]

@insomniac2 Thanks for starting this.  For the first time, I kept a list of books read this year and rated them.  Anything I rated 4*/5* or higher is below...

This is why we lied, Karin Slaughter, 4.2*

The Frozen River 4*

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin, 4*

The Senators Wife, Liv Constantine.  4.25

*The River we remember, William Kent Kruger, 4.25/5.

*The Women, Kristen Hannah, *4.3/5*

Jar of Hearts 4*/5, Jennifer Hillier,

A town called Solace, Mary Lawson 4/5*.

The Beach Trees, Karen White, 4/5*,

Camino Ghosts, John Grisham, 4*/5,

Look closer, David Ellis, 4.5/5*

Fatal intrusion, Jeffery, 4/5*

17 years later, 4/5, J.P. Pomare

Ask not, Maureen Callahan, 4/5

Shadowheart, Meg Gardener, 4/5*

Bright young women, Jessica knoll, 4/5*

Husbands and Lovers, Beatriz Williams, 4/5*

[SWEET]

Mostly 4 stars.  I'm very picky with 5 stars!  A lot of new authors for me except the ones with the astericks who I've read before. 

Dear Edward - Ann Napolitano

Who Loves You Best - Marilyn Simon Rothstein*

Still Point - Tammy Greenwood

Rain Breaks No Bones - Barbara J. Taylor

Twilight's Hidden Truth - Rachel Valencourt

The Women - Kristin Hannah*

Mad Honey - Jodi Picoult*

The Maid - Nita Prose

Shark Heart - Emily Habeck

Scandalous Women - Gill Paul

Hope to add more by the end of the month so I might be editing this post.

Adding another one to my list:  Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews.  I'm not a big Christmas book reader. 

Looking forward to seeing everyones too.

[pateacher]

James *****

The Briar Club ****

These are my top two.

I may add more once the bustle of Christmas is over.

[nwbabs]

Thanks for starting this thread in the Book Club Forum. I've found several books/authors through this group and appreciate your posts. Here's my favorites for 2024, so far...

Table for Two by Amor Towles

Ghosted: An American Story by Nancy French

Lulu Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron

An Event in Autumn by Henning Mankell

Long Island by Colm Toibin

Den of Iniquity by J A Jance

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith

On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service by Anthony Fauci

Days Without End by Sebastian Barry

The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama

Honorable Mention Authors in 2024

Carys Davies - Clear, West, and Mission House

Ann Cleeves - The Heron's Cry and The Raging Storm

Claire Keegan's books - any your can get your hands on

Happy Reading All!

[Lilysmom1]

@nwbabs @pateacher @SWEET @Bookplate @insomniac2 

Thanks for sharing your list.  I love to have new books to read especially in winter.  I am quilting now.  When I get tired of quilting I read.  I love early mornings in the den, woodstove on, quilt by my side and a great selection of books to choose from.  That and a good cup of coffee and I am in heaven.

@SWEET , I read Mad Honey a couple of years ago and it blew me away.

[Alter Ego]

Going in the order I read (according to Goodreads!)

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo. I really love her writing; kind of a quiet story that may move too slowly for some.  Quiet humor. 

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Eilkerson. Not sure when it was released, but should be required reading in schools.

The Women by Kristin Hannah. I didn't like as much as some - a little soapy.  I was angry along with Frankie everytime she was told the women weren't in Vietnam. (side note - nurse's statue at the Vietnam Memorial is a must visit when in DC).

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez. I think I'm being generous adding to the list as I seem to recall I had some issues with the book.  But, I think the Anita parts were so well done (or, at least, well narrated!) that it left an impression.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle. Love/hate relationship with the author.  Her books are all a little similar - not sure if mystical is the right word? The men in this one were both a little too perfect.  But, she pulled me in with the story.  And I almost didn't "read" it, but needed something short and it fit my time frame. 

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. Didn't like the ending, but loved the overall tone of the book.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach. Others here have read and called it predicable (which I don't disagree - it is).  But there was somehting about this one that spoke to me - and I'm not alone as it won Goodread's Favorite Fiction. 

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty. Maybe not one of her best, but I always love how she weaves her stories together.

I'm sure I liked many more that I read this year, but these are the ones that left a good impression and came to mind as going down my list.

[teganslaw]

Two very good books I read:

"Remarkably Bright Creatures." by Shelby Van Pelt. This debut novel blew me away. It involved an octopus and told various points of view from the characters. Sounds strange, but it was brilliantly written. 

"Tall Oaks." by Chris Whitaker. A mystery, but was so much more. Was a character study of a small town's inhabitants and their reaction to a kidnapping. Had a Twin Peaks" vibe.