What I’ve Been Reading
The biggest problem with loving to read is the sheer number of books in the world and knowing I’ll never read them all.
I may not even be able to read all the books on my e-reader, never mind the ones that are stacked on my desk and in baskets beside my desk.
It’s like watching people drive by and knowing I’ll never get a chance to know that person or the life they lead.
Maybe that’s why writers write—to fill in those holes.
Even though I have enough books to last me a lifetime, I can always add more to my TBR.
Someone said that a TBR list is like a wine cellar where all the wine (and the books) just get better with age.
I suppose that’s true.
In case you want to add to your TBR cellar, here are some books I can recommend.
1. The Night War by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Middle Grade. A young girl is tasked with saving herself and her neighbor’s baby from the Nazis in France. WWII always captivates me. I don’t see many Middle Grade fiction books on that subject matter.
2. Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva. Adult Fiction. A fictionalized account about how Charles Dickens felt forced and coerced into writing A Christmas Carol, perhaps his most famous, most well-loved story. I do love Dickens.
3. All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews. Adult Fiction. Two sisters who grow up in a Mennonite village in Canada age into adulthood differently: one yearns to get control of her life by living it; the other yearns to get control of her life by trying to get out of it. Since I’m writing a sisters book (and one of them is dead) I—correctly—assumed this
story might give me some insight. CAUTION: This book deals with suicide.
4. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Adult Fiction. This has been sitting patiently in my TBR wine cellar for years. I finally dived in. It’s the story of profound grief and the oddities of fate, when a boy in New York who survives an accident that kills his mother reaches back to her in his thoughts as he moves forward in his life, using a painting as his touchstone.
5. Who Needs a Road? by Harold Stephens and Albert Podell. Adult Nonfiction. This book was loaned to me by a neighborhood friend who knew Harold Stephens. The book is out of print but you may find copies running upwards of $50. There is a Kindle version available. Who Needs a Road? is about the last ever around-the-world road trip (1965) by car through jungles, deserts, teeming cities, and places that are probably still not on any map. What they planned as an 8-month trip took about a year and a half. Their vehicles were always breaking down. It reminded me of my parents’ RV road trip across the United States. Their vehicles were always breaking down, too. It made me think that the real adventure isn’t the one you plan for, it’s the one you get between emergencies and accidents. (Stephens and Podell survived. My parents ended up divorced.)
6. Writing Compelling Fiction by Shirley Jump. This sounded compelling. Haha. Did I need another how-to-write book? I guess so. I have never read anything by this author, but this book was chosen as a book club read by a woman I trust. So far, I’m learning valuable writing tips—such as the Highlighter Method of Learning to Plot. And who doesn’t love using highlighters?
What are you reading?
Post in the comments.
Enjoy your week!
~ Gail
Onward!
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Very interesting! I’m glad to hear you read and liked the Goldfinch; I read her Secret History and I don’t believe I was the audience for it. I’m interested in your sisters book! Happy wording, Gail!!
Hey Nancy. I’ve just started Goldfinch. To be honest, it was a long slog to get to where I am now where things are interesting. I’m reading it at night and keep nodding off, but I have great faith that it will become a page turner. It was recommended to me about 6 years ago by my cousin’s wife in Canada. I’m going to get Hamnet this week!
I am reading Darkfall by Dean Koontz, my favorite adult author. I just finished The House at the End of the World. I finished the last of the twelve-book young adult Claus Universe series by Tony Bertauski, and I loved every one. In my TBR cellar, middle-grade The Imaginary Friend by Kelly Hashway is waiting for attention. I also started rereading the Harry Potter series.
Rose
Hi Rose Ann. My sister loved Dean Koontz–and so I do too. I appreciate the creepiness more so because all his stories sound like they could actually happen. I looked up The Imaginary Friend, too. It’s a loooooong book, but the sample I read was definitely intriguing. (I have yet to read Harry Potter!)
I’m in the middle of The Hunter by Tana French. I also just finished rereading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine because my husband was reading it and then my daughter reread it. 🙂 I love that book.
Hi Elana. I’ve never read anything by Tana French, but I LOVED Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. I should give Tana French a try. She’s certainly prolific.
Some of my favs I read last year: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, The Will of the Many by James Islington, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, and Bewilderment by Richard Powers.
Non Fiction: The Coddling of the American Mind and the Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt; The Creative Act by Rick Rubin;
Hi Kurt, I have a friend who is reading Project Hail Mary. I’ve not heard of it until now. I think I might want to try The Coddling of the American Mind. I also like the sound of The Dutch House. TBR list growing like I’m going to live forever. Thanks for weighing in!
Some middle grade reads I’ve loved this year: The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman (And it just won a Newbery Honor!), Busted by Dan Gemeinhart, A Marriage at Sea (adult) by Sophie Elmhirst.
Hi Emily. Just added THe Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest. The cover looks inviting. I really liked A Marriage at Sea, too. I think I should have read Busted before I started on my latest story. I won’t read it now because it’ll make me want to change EVERYTHING in my own story. Talk about high stakes.