Book Club

[Lilysmom]

@GenXmuse , Tami Hoag is an author I like as well.  I can't answer your question but this author has quite a few books so you have many opportunities to read her again.  LM

[dawg lover]

@GenXmuse - I looked up Tami Hoag on the wonderful Fantastic Fiction website, and it says that "The Boy" is actually a sequel to an earlier book, "The Thin Dark Line," that she wrote in 1997!  I would recommend this website to you and everyone else; all you do is type in the author's name and it tells you about all of their books, in order.  Love it.

[Travone]

Just finished  Topics of Conversation by Miranda Popkey.

Here is the blurb:  Miranda Popkey's first novel is about desire, disgust, motherhood, loneliness, art, pain, feminism, anger, envy, guilt--written in language that sizzles with intelligence and eroticism. The novel is composed almost exclusively of conversations between women--the stories they tell each other, and the stories they tell themselves, about shame and love, infidelity and self-sabotage--and careens through twenty years in the life of an unnamed narrator hungry for experience and bent on upending her life. Edgy, wry, shot through with rage and despair, Topics of Conversation introduces an audacious and immensely gifted new novelist.

Can't believe I read the entire thing.  I kept thinking it had to get better.....it didn't.  Truly I'm not even sure how this book came on my radar.  Pass on this one.

Next up The extradoniary life of Sam Hell.

[dmod nj]

I just started Joanne DeMaio's, Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans. I'm loving it!  No surprise, I've loved all her books, so far. 

[smoky22]

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@maximillian wrote:

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk.  She is Polish and is the winner of the  Nobel Prize in Literature.  I can't say much of anything without giving away a "spoiler."  If you want a very different, enjoyable read,  look this up.  It is a bit of a slow read, but well worth the trouble, in my opinion. 

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@maximillian  with a title like that I had to look it up and, surprise, my library actually has it.  I put myself on waitlist for it.  Love your review!   

[BirkiLady]

The First Lady by James Patterson & Brendan DuBois (3.75 Stars)

Sally Grissom, leader of the Presidential Protection Division is summoned into a private meeting with President Tucker to discuss the disappearance of the First Lady, following the President's affair with another woman just two months before his re-election. Patterson's novels were much better when he wrote by himself; thus the rating. 

Blessing in Disquise by Danielle Steel (3.75 Stars)

Family dynamics within an all-female family; relationships; love; unique personalities; individual happiness; forgiveness; strong bonds; forgiveness and, ultimately, unconditional love. 

[CareBears]

I just finished Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult this was a very hard book to read due to the subject matter, but it was very good!  It made you look deep inside of yourself to question your own morals something Picoult is known for!  And right when you think the book has wrapped up SURPRISE an ending I never saw coming!

[GenXmuse]

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@dawg lover wrote:

@GenXmuse - I looked up Tami Hoag on the wonderful Fantastic Fiction website, and it says that "The Boy" is actually a sequel to an earlier book, "The Thin Dark Line," that she wrote in 1997!  I would recommend this website to you and everyone else; all you do is type in the author's name and it tells you about all of their books, in order.  Love it.

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thank you so much for looking that up! Wow that was a long time ago.-hopefully she won't wait 22 years to do another with this characters. She looks like a prolific writer so I'm sure I'll find plenty to read from her. 
@Lilysmom Thank you for replying. I'm definitely looking forward to more. I feel like I've found a treasure chest!

Any recommendations on her other books? 

[Alter Ego]

I finished listening to American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins.  I pre-ordered the Audible well before Oprah chose it for her book club and, therefore, before all of the negative press about the book became more mainstream.  Unfortunately, I didn't see the thread about this book until after it was closed, so I'm not sure I can say much about it.  Maybe I'll respond in a separate post in case Q wants/needs to delete it.

I'm leaving on vacation on Saturday, and don't think I'll be able to start another Audible in the short time I have to listen to it. I may start The Scent Keeper (from Reese's Book Club, as I DO follow her selections! )

[Alter Ego]

As I mentioned, will include some comments on American Dirt separately, in case Q hosts would like to delete.

Spoiler

I can't remember all of the exact critiques of the novel, but one is that a non-LatinX person wrote it.  I don't want to put down that critique, but I think we've all read books by people who researched a subject and wrote about it even though it wasn't "their" story.  Nevertheless, I think we've also all read books by foreign authors and can agree that sometimes there is a different tone to the writing which can be beautiful to read.  For me, this was a typical novel with perils to overcome in a little bit of a stereotypical way. It may have missed that extra bit to make it special (I read a book last year from someone who's family had to leave Columbia so I was able to compare - although their experiences were quite different.) However, I think, for me, it was a good introduction into this subject.

The following contains a spoiler about a plot point.

Spoiler

I guess I wanted more of what I see currently on the news.  I think this was another critique of the novel - that it doesn't go into the politics of the detention centers but rather the migrants cross illegally through the desert.  Of course, this author started (and completed?) the novel before that became a "story", but I still was expecting that part of the journey - especially since the main character had an extreme reason for leaving Acapulco.  That's probably just on me though