Christine

This was impressive! I read it for my bookclub, and we deliberately read Great Expectations first. The symmetry is obvious, and I enjoyed this so much more because of that. Otherwise, I can imagine that I might have given up or skimmed some of it. Boone is a master with prose, descriptions, twists & turns, satisfying conclusions, and so. much. detail. Much like Dickens, of course. I am glad that I stuck with this long and sometimes challenging book. I won't soon forget it. I was especially grateful with the last two chapters, which are a nod to Dickens.
The blurbs focus a lot on this book as a gay coming of age story in the 1970s American South. It is that, but I would say that is a bit of a narrow description of Newt's evolution. It is a lot more than that. I will be encouraging my serious reading friends to jump in.

This was recommended to me by a young scholar in the field, and I see why. Dr. Lawrence's research is impressive. I appreciated the arc of the book. I gathered some useful material for my class lectures, but the bulk was too detailed for my needs as a generalist. Someone who is interested in 1960s US foreign policy beyond (& also connected to) Vietnam (India, Iran, etc) will find this enlightening.

Funny and real. I gifted this to another tunic wearer.
There were a couple of parts that dragged a bit for me, but mostly spot on, wise, and encouraging.

This is not my usual fare, but I'm a fan of the author as a person. Wow! This was so detailed and creative. Quite an impressive accomplishment, and an exciting read.

Wonderful story for kids and adults alike. I enjoyed the Irish legends and rich, scenic background.

This is comprehensive and interesting. It reads a bit like a compelling textbook, so it's a bit like drinking out of a fire hose. I recommend it, though. I plan to get the audio version so that I can listen in bits. And probably repeat. I appreciate that she has paid careful attention to issues around race and class.

I read this for work and school. Remarkable detail, which I probably cannot retain. It makes for a very compelling argument, however. I thought I knew about the crisis, but there was a lot I did not know. I appreciate the way the authors highlight the leadership roles of regular women.

Lots of practical advice and suggestions. Much of it is already know, but it's always good to see reminders. Read this as a library book, but I think it would be worthwhile to pick up a paperback to have around and glance at occasionally. I'm also eager to look up some podcast interviews with Arthur Brooks.

A sweet and moving story of a young Catholic girl in an abusive home, but with loving family and important friends nearby. I enjoyed the love story, and the way that faith sustained Jenny ... and the novel. The author has put such care into all the details.

Wallace Stegner has a special place in my heart as an author I read upon the recommendation of an adult I admired while I was in college, figuring out my own adult reading by choice. I'll always remember the summer I read Angle of Repose. When my book club chose this, I was excited. And it did not disappoint. This is not the sort of book that would be popular today, but the quiet insights, the (for me) nostalgic language and assumptions, all give me a comfortable and also compelling experience. He understood relationships. I'm looking forward to seeing how my book club of academic women discusses his understanding of gender and place.

Calming and wise, especially for those of us past middle age, accepting and embracing what's really important.

Excellent overview, compelling connections and argument, easy reading (at least in terms of the writing style, if not the content often). Classic Heather Cox Richardson, one of my favorites. It's a bit of a summary story of US History, with an eye to issues (& the vulnerabilities) of democracy. Who gets to rule? Can this nation really give equal voice to all? Most of the material here was review for me, but I always appreciate books like this.

I thought I already knew a lot about Jane Adams, but now I know more! I especially appreciated the story of her family, her close personal relationships, the hate she received later in life, and the network of inspiring women around her. This book gives you a sense of her universe. Highly recommend.

This was to be my summer of Georgia O'Keeffe, and now I feel that I'm pretty much finished with this one book – along with a few art books with her paintings. This was so comprehensive – sometimes too much so – but fascinating, well-written, easy to read, and helpful. I'm glad I read it! I deducted one star just because the detail, often about people around Georgia and her husband, was distracting at times. (But I did just skim.)

Readers on the Louise Penny Facebook group recommended the Maisie Dobbs series to keep us occupied while we wait for the next installment from Three Pines. I didn't love the first book in this series, but then I saw a few people suggest that the first one isn't the best. I'm glad I tried this second one, and plan to keep going now. I listened to the story, and found it a fun distraction, well written, and historically interesting. Now I want to look up the history of the feathers. I do recommend for anyone who wants a fairly light, but intelligent murder mystery to occupy your mind.

A lot going on in this one novel, but classic LP. I enjoyed it so much. Now I want to visit Quebec and learn more of the history. I should round this up to 4.5. The only negative is that I'm not sure how I feel about this being really the second part of the last book. And I also felt it was a lot of people and stories to keep track of here.

This book was a beast. Brilliant and complex, dense and bleak. I'm so glad that I had my smart and scholarly women's book club to help me unpack it. It's a masterpiece, and I'm glad I read it, but it demands a lot. This would be difficult for most readers to take on alone, but with the right group, it's revealing.

One reviewer here wrote that they usually read literary fiction, but this was too literary for them. I get that. Cole is a masterful writer – creative, modern, insightful – and I fell into the first couple of chapters. I felt as though I was at the antique store where he and his wife shopped for an African mask. The topics of imperialism and conquest, art and history was neither pedantic nor lengthy. He writes with a delicate hand. However, by mid-book, I was losing the thread(s) and started skimming. The chapters function more like separate stories, with many different and often unnamed protagonists, so the book requires more attention than I may have at the moment. It seems like a text that would serve well a high level English class. I'm glad that I read what I did, and that I'm now familiar with Teju Cole, but I would recommend it only to my more patient reading friends.

Another enjoyable Maisie Dobbs. This one (a listen for me) included the author talking about her process and her deep historical research into clothing, “current” events, and turns of phrase. The mystery had me guessing, and I appreciated that this book explored Maisie's complicated feelings about her singlehood. I love having a Maisie book to distract me while I walk the dog, navigate traffic, or unload the dishwasher. I'm grateful to have found the series from my Louise Penny FB fan page.

Another little gem. These are a good lesson when I need a pleasant and interesting distraction. I appreciate the strong female main character, and the writing takes me back to England and France between the wars. I'm looking forward to number four.

This was a fun and thought-provoking read. As a historian, I especially appreciate the way the stories ask you to consider history all around us and the difficulty of reclaiming it. I was not expecting the the spectral characters, but I liked them. Since I listened to this book, and there were so many interconnected story lines, I am tempted to get the hard copy (or e-book) to read again. I'm looking forward to a discussion with my book club.

A number of little character stories along the way to solving a bigger ones. This was a good airplane book for me.

Ah, quite enjoyable. Starts a bit slow — like Olive K — but worth the wait. May be a bit tidy, but lovely escape with some serious theme too.

This is a sweeping, beautiful, charming, terrifying, heart-breaking, classic-McBride novel. I was listening, and found that I had to stop because I was getting too upset as I anticipated a distressing turn. It's a fabulous listen, though, and I highly recommend that for anyone who enjoys an audio book. It would be great for a car trip. I didn't find this novel as funny and fun as his last (Deacon King Kong), which I loved. This one has more sadness, but his ability to capture culture, place, time, and the mixing of all of that plus racial/ethnic diversity, is a gift to the reader (or listener).

Part history, part memoir, and part opinion, this is an interesting and compelling piece that I appreciated as a vegetarian and historian. I saw myself in much of this, and also I agree with some of the smart critiques in other longer reviews here.