Hosted by The Book Date.
I’ve been immersed in Nonfiction November over the past few weeks and it’s been fantastic…not a single disappointing book in the bunch! That’s the good news. The bad news is we had a large flood in our house two weeks ago, so have been dealing and living with the clean-up and repair work since then. This will go on for at least a few more weeks, maybe more and it’s definitely eating into my reading time. But, I’m trying to stay the course and fit in at least one or two more 2016 releases before I settle on my Best Books of 2016 List!
I finished reading…
A Lowcountry Heart by Pat Conroy (October 25, 2016)
This final collection of Conroy’s essays and most popular speeches and interviews is a fitting farewell to a legend and would make a fantastic holiday gift for Pat Conroy fans. Review to come.
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I’m currently reading…
Darling Days by iO Tillett Wright (September 10, 2013)
I’ve almost finished this memoir of a tough upbringing on New York City’s Lower East Side in the late 80’s/early 90’s. Her story is a brutal one and the writing, though a bit uneven, shows glimmers of brilliance.
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Upcoming reading plans…
I think it’s time to switch back to fiction, which means I’ll be fitting in a last few 2016 releases before I put together my Best Books of 2016 list. Here are some I’m thinking about. Which would you recommend? What were some of your favorite books of 2016 that I should try to fit in?
Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss (April 5, 2016)
A debut novel about the 1980’s NYC art scene.
Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett (May 3, 2016)
A novel about depression.
The Guineveres by Sarah Domet (October 4, 2016)
A debut novel about four girls named Guinevere raised in Catholic school.
The Ramblers by Aidan Donnelley Rowley (February 9, 2016)
A coming of age friendship novel set in NYC.
The Story of a Brief Marriage by Anuk Arudpragasam (September 6, 2016)
A novel about a marriage set in Civil War-torn Sri Lanka.
How was your reading week?
I read a lot this week. For some reason, I’ve been on a thriller bender, culminating with The Woman in Cabin 10. I also read Behind Closed Doors. Both terrifying, and I’m done with that genre for a while. Now I’m reading Only Love Can Break Your Heart. I grew up in the 70s, so this one should be comfy for me.
I’m finding that I can’t handle many thrillers these days…they start to feel formulaic to me if I read too many of them.
And hope you love Only Love – I did!
Glad to hear you had such a successful Nonfiction November! I read three of your fiction options and, sadly, none of them were favorites, but I know people seemed to like Tuesday Nights in 1980 more than I did. Hope you find a few more gems before the end of the year!
I sampled all these books and none of them stuck. But then Catherine sent me one I’d never heard of, Before the Wind by Jim Lynch, and I’m loving it!
Sounds like you had a great nonfiction month. And, yes, nice to finish out the year with some fiction. You have a few on your list that are also on mine.
I haven’t read much non-fiction lately, so a whole month of focusing on that would be a challenge. Sorry to hear about the flooding problems – we had some major water damage a couple years ago and it sure took a long time to get it all cleaned up and the necessary repairs made. Hope you can read some good books along the way!
I can usually get in around 4-5 nonfictions for the month before I switch back to fiction, but it’s good enough for me.
I have almost no overlap with your reading lists…but it’s always interesting to see them anyway. I liked all the 2016 books that I read, so it’s hard to choose between them. Some you might consider are The Children by Ann Leary and The Summer Guest by Alison Anderson (fiction), The House by the Lake by Thomas Harding and New England Bound by Wendy Warren (nonfiction), Unearthed by Alexandra Risen and Carry On by Lisa Fenn (memoir), and The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge and The Evil Wizard Smallbone by Delia Sherman (fantasy/children’s/YA).
Right now I’m reading Mayflower for the Reading New England readalong, and The Makioka Sisters for my Classics Club list. Both good, but dense.
That’s why reading is so fun to talk about…everyone’s different tastes!
I know I need to read Pat Conroy’s last book, just a question of when. And I’m already planning my return to fiction next month, too… beginning with Commonwealth. Of your possibilities, I started Tuesday Nights in 1980 but it didn’t grab me right away. Most of the others are on my list.
I love, loved Commonwealth – one of my faves of the year! I read sample of Tuesday Nights and ended up going with something else, but may come back to it.
I’m sorry to hear you’re dealing with the flood issue. That happened to us 4 years ago and the time it took to get all the workers in and out to do the repairs, replace flooring, etc. was crazy. Hope it’s done soon.
I couldn’t get into Imagine Me Gone, but know lots of others liked it. I really liked Tuesday Nights in 1980. It will probably make my Best of 2016 list. I liked The Guiveveres, too, but it was a little slow at times.
Glad you’ve had such a successful Nonfiction November. I’m taking a small stab at it tomorrow.
I read sample of Tuesday Nights and ended up going with something else, but may come back to it. And yes, the flood repairs are just dragging on and on.
I haven’t even started to think about my favorites of the year because I’m in complete denial that the end of the year is so close. The Story of a Brief Marriage looks really good.
Haha! The sample of Brief Marriage was gut wrenching. Wasn’t sure it was the book I’m in the mood for at the moment.
Even though I didn’t sign up for the Nonfiction November event, it turns out that I’ve read four nonfiction books so far. Most recently, I read Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter and Hillbilly Elegy.
I have a few more on my stacks, but I don’t know if I’ll get to them this month.
I’m curious about Darling Days. Thanks for sharing, and have a great week.
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That’s awesome! I liked Darling Days…some absolutely gorgeous writing, but also some unevenness to the writing. I gave it 3.5 stars and wrote a very short blurb on GR.
I’d never heard of “Darling Days,” but it does sound interesting. As for your possible upcoming books, the only one I’ve read is “The Ramblers.” I thought it was good, but not great.
I sampled Rmablers and got that exact feeling. I’m looking for great right now, so I moved onto something else.
I like the cover of The Ramblers. Happy Reading! Girl Who Reads
I’m planning on reading Imagine Me Gone over the holidays.
So sorry to hear about your flood! I’m sure you’re more than ready for that stress to be behind you.
I haven’t read any of your potential upcoming books, but interestingly the two covers that catch my eye are the two I haven’t even heard of before: Tuesday Nights in 1980 and The Ramblers. Hope you like whatever you choose next! I can’t believe how many 2016 releases I read this year… too many, really. I feel like I hardly read any older books, and I want to try to have more of an even mix next year. (How can it almost be time for “next year” already?!)
That’s awful news about your floods, so sorry.
A great mix of books here this week. I love the title of Tuesday Nights in 1980, very catchy!
Enjoy your books.
I’m a little late but I just finished up Settle for More by Megyn Kelly!