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This the thread for general book discussions for November 2022

Tell us what you just read, are currently reading or plan to read. Tell us about your favorite author. Have you read some book news? Share it with the group. Anything related to books and reading, we want to hear all about it !
:)

I'm starting November reading:
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere-Z.Z. Packer It's a short story collection. I'm about 50% done and I'm enjoying it.

Next I will start
When We Fell Apart-Soon Wiley

What books are you reading to start November ?

I am starting November with Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney. Just started it, so I'm only like 2 chapters in.

~*Kim*~ wrote: "I am starting November with Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney. Just started it, so I'm only like 2 chapters in."

I listened to the audio of this book back in April 2020 when I would go on my exercise walks at the start of the pandemic. The book was a great way for me to forget my troubles. Also living in NY where the book takes place also added to my enjoyment.

Here was my review.

Rate: 5/5
Audio book: Narrator: Xe Sands

The narrator was very good and added a lot to my enjoyment of the book. I actually had a paper copy but preferred the audio so skipped the hard copy.

The novel is inspired by the life of Margaret Fishback, the highest paid advertising copywriter for R H Macy’s during the 1930s.

The book takes place in a single day in 1984 on New Years Eve. Lillian is 85 years old and reflects back on her life as she takes what ends up to be a ten mile walk around Manhattan. This was a perfect book to accompany me on my daily exercise walk. Thank you, Lillian, for letting me tag along. :)

I remember your comments, Alias. Kim, i hope you continue to enjoy the book as much as Alias did.

Meanwhile, i’mawaiting A Philosophy of Walking�Frédéric Gros for my next book.

madrano wrote: "
Meanwhile, i’mawaiting A Philosophy of Walking—Frédéric Gros for my next book.."

That sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to your review.

November 1 is National Author's Day !



Let's celebrate the people who entertain us, educate us, and document our histories.

https://nationaltoday.com/national-au...

Book Nookers should be particularly celebratory today! Enjoy!

Back to back reads to start the month, with very different Dorothies:

-- a look back and Maud and L. Frank Baum's life that turns on Maud's being present during the filming of The Wizard of Oz and her relationship with Judy Garland. Really enjoyable read if you like historical novels based on fact, which I do, and

- the second of a two-book series featuring the ghost of Dorothy Parker interacting with modern day humans. I would have loved to see this series continue but it's been seven years since this came out so I suspect it's finished.

This is sad. I enjoyed the blog and the movie. She was only 49.

Jennifer wrote: "Back to back reads to start the month, with very different Dorothies:

-- a look back and Maud and L. Frank Baum's life that turns on Maud's being present durin..."

I love the movie. The book sounds interesting.

Jennifer wrote: "Back to back reads to start the month, with very different Dorothies:

-- a look back and Maud and L. Frank Baum's life that turns on Maud's being present durin..."

Fun, Jennifer! I read & liked the Letts book.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "

This is sad. I enjoyed the blog and the movie. She was only 49."

We mentioned it a bit further here, JoAnn. /topic/show/...

~*Kim*~ wrote: "I am starting November with Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney. Just started it, so I'm only like 2 chapters in."

Couldn't get into this one, so I've started by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. It looks promising so far. I'm about 10% into it.

Jenna Bush Hager says her November 2022 Read With Jenna pick is 'the perfect mystery'



The Cloisters----Katy Hays
When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, she expects to spend her summer working as a curatorial associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she finds herself assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval art collection and its group of enigmatic researchers studying the history of divination.

Desperate to escape her painful past, Ann is happy to indulge the researchers� more outlandish theories about the history of fortune telling. But what begins as academic curiosity quickly turns into obsession when Ann discovers a hidden 15th-century deck of tarot cards that might hold the key to predicting the future. When the dangerous game of power, seduction, and ambition at The Cloisters turns deadly, Ann becomes locked in a race for answers as the line between the arcane and the modern blurs.

A haunting and magical blend of genres, The Cloisters is a gripping debut that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Someday, Maybe' by Onyi Nwabineli is our 'GMA' Book Club pick for November



Someday, Maybe-----Onyi Nwabineli



Here are three things you should know about my husband:
1- He was the great love of my life despite his penchant for going incommunicado.

2- He was, as far as I and everyone else could tell, perfectly happy. Which is significant because�

3- On New Year’s Eve, he killed himself.

And here is one thing you should know about me:
1- I found him.

Bonus fact: No. I am not okay.

Someday, Maybe is a stunning, witty debut novel about a young woman’s emotional journey through unimaginable loss, pulled along by her tight-knit Nigerian family, a posse of friends, and the love and laughter she shared with her husband.

Marie Claire
'Daughters of the New Year' Is Our November Book Club Pick



Daughters of the New Year: A Novel ----E.M. Tran



What does the future hold for those born in the years of the Dragon, Tiger, and Goat?

In present day New Orleans, Xuan Trung, former beauty queen turned refugee after the Fall of Saigon, is obsessed with divining her daughters' fates through their Vietnamese zodiac signs. But Trac, Nhi and Trieu diverge completely from their immigrant parents' expectations. Successful lawyer Trac hides her sexuality from her family; Nhi competes as the only woman of color on a Bachelor-esque reality TV show; and Trieu, a budding writer, is determined to learn more about her familial and cultural past.

As the three sisters begin to encounter strange glimpses of long-buried secrets from the ancestors they never knew, the story of the Trung women unfurls to reveal the dramatic events that brought them to America. Moving backwards in time, E.M. Tran takes us into the high school classrooms of New Orleans, to Saigon beauty pageants, to twentieth century rubber plantations, traversing a century as the Trungs are both estranged and united by the ghosts of their tumultuous history.

A “haunted story of resilience and survival� (Meng Jin, Little Gods), Daughters of the New Year is an addictive, high-wire act of storytelling that illuminates an entire lineage of extraordinary women fighting to reclaim the power they’ve been stripped of for centuries.

OPRAH'S NEW BOOK CLUB PICK IS "DEMON COPPERHEAD" BY BARBARA KINGSOLVER



Demon Copperhead----Barbara Kingsolver

“Anyone will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose.�

Demon Copperhead is set in the mountains of southern Appalachia. It’s the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens� anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can’t imagine leaving behind.

Only the Hays museum novel calls to me. The Cloisters was different than i expected, so reading about it in a novel is tempting. Thanks for the list, Alias. Are you, or anyone else here, planning on reading any of these?

madrano wrote: "Only the Hays museum novel calls to me. The Cloisters was different than i expected, so reading about it in a novel is tempting. Thanks for the list, Alias. Are you, or anyone else here, planning o..."

The only one I may not read at some point is the Oprah book as it is close to 500 pages.

Demon Copperhead is tempting me. As Alias says, it is long, but my library has it in audio format, so that makes it better.

I enjoy Barbara Kingsolver's writing and enjoyed David Copperfield. The two together would be interesting, fresh and updated.

This is true, Petra, it’s an interesting notion.

Alias, i understand what you mean about the length, however.

I am a Kingsolver fan. Her books have not let me down yet. I have to get over this big book phobia.

Again, i blame poor editing for making us more cautious. If i hadn’t been disappointed by the time spent on a lengthy book due to its repetition and repeats, i would be less leery. This year I’ve read a couple of contemporary novels with near-500 pages and they’ve failed me, hence only two.

madrano wrote: "Again, i blame poor editing for making us more cautious. If i hadn’t been disappointed by the time spent on a lengthy book due to its repetition and repeats, i would be less leery. This year I’ve r..."

Totally agree. I find this especially an issue with big name authors. Many is the time I would have cut 100+ pages.

I'm a fan of Aussie author Michael Robotham and his Parkinson-bedeviled psychology professor Joseph O'Loughlin. In Shatter (book 3), Joe's work-life balance is as out of kilter as his stumbling walk.

5� My review of Shatter

I recently read a most unusual, longish Amazon short story set in rural Germany in 1945, near the end of WW2. The Wehrwolf by Alma Katsu is as creepy as it sounds. It is a fable of sorts - what lengths would you go to in desperation? It was an appropriate read for spooky October.
4� My review of The Wehrwolf

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "I'm a fan of Aussie author Michael Robotham and his Parkinson-bedeviled psychology professor Joseph O'Loughlin. In Shatter (book 3), Joe's work-life balance is as out..."

Very nice review, Patty.

I find it odd that his publisher told him that stories set in Australia weren’t going to sell, so he set these in London. I would find books set in either location interesting.

THE REESE'S BOOK CLUB NOVEMBER PICK

� An anniversary edition of the bestselling collection of "Dear Sugar" advice columns written by the author of #1 New York Times bestseller Wild—featuring a new preface and six additional columns. Soon to be a Hulu Original series.


Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed

For more than a decade, thousands of people have sought advice from Dear Sugar—the pseudonym of bestselling author Cheryl Strayed—first through her online column at The Rumpus, later through her hit podcast, Dear Sugars, and now through her popular Substack newsletter. Tiny Beautiful Things collects the best of Dear Sugar in one volume, bringing her wisdom to many more readers. This tenth-anniversary edition features six new columns and a new preface by Strayed. Rich with humor, insight, compassion—and absolute honesty—this book is a balm for everything life throws our way.

On BookTube they sometimes tag other tubers with questions.

I thought this was interesting. How would you answer these questions?

Will I Ever Ditch Physical Books?

Here are the prompts:

1. What was the first eReader you ever owned? What was your reason for getting one? Where you a reluctant convert, or an eager one?

2. What eReader do you use now/what eReaders do you own?

3. Do you read digitally on multiple devices, or always on the same device? If you use multiple, how do you decide which one to use?

4. Do you still read physical books? If so, how do you decide which format to read a certain book in?

5. What is something you dislike about reading ebooks?

6. Would you ever ditch physical books completely and become a sole ebook reader? If yes, why? If no, why not?

7. Where do you get your ebooks? Kindle store, library loans, third-party websites?

Here are my answers

Here are the prompts:

1. What was the first eReader you ever owned? What was your reason for getting one? Where you a reluctant convert, or an eager one?

I got my first Kindle as a gift in 2012 . It was a Kindle Touch
Yes, I was eager to try one.


2. What eReader do you use now/what eReaders do you own?

I have 3. The old Kindle Touch that I got in 2012. I don't use it anymore.

My first Kindle Fire was an Kindle Fire 8. I got it according to Amazon back in 2016. Unlike my old Kindle Touch this one had color and I can surf the web.

I currently own a Kindle Fire 10 and I love it. I got this one 2020. I got it half price on Amazon Prime day.


3. Do you read digitally on multiple devices, or always on the same device? If you use multiple, how do you decide which one to use?

I currently only read on the Kindle. Pre pandemic, I sometimes would read on my iPod on the subway.


4. Do you still read physical books? If so, how do you decide which format to read a certain book in?

Seldom. If I already own a paper book, I will read that format. Otherwise I've switched to eBooks.


5. What is something you dislike about reading ebooks?

It's not always easy to flip back and forth on a Kindle. I also like knowing how many pages a book has left. This isn't always clear on an eReader. Of course page # depends on font size. So I usually look at the pages on Amazon for the paperback to get an idea of the size of the book. I do miss writing marginalia in my books. I think it helped me to retain info.


6. Would you ever ditch physical books completely and become a sole ebook reader? If yes, why? If no, why not?

I've pretty much done that. It's so convenient to get a eBook from the library.

Since the pandemic I've read probably 99% eBooks. I didn't think I would ever say this, but I actually prefer reading on the Kindle.

I like that I can adjust font size.
eBooks are clean- no germy/dirty library books.
I can download a book in seconds
I can surf the web for further info & watch YouTube to enhance and expand my reading experience. This has been a game changer for me. Since I like non fiction, being able to google info instantly on the Kindle or watch a YouTube video on the topic has greatly increased my enjoyment and understanding of the topics and people I'm reading about.


7. Where do you get your ebooks? Kindle store, library loans, third-party websites?

Library 95% Amazon 5%

I finished Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry

My Review: www.Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ.com/review/show/5069977259

Dem wrote: "I finished Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry

My Review: www.Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ.com/review/show/5069977259"
The story is told largely in a stream of consciousness, which I found a little difficult to connect with. I wasn’t entirely sure of what was real or imagined in the story and finished the book wondering if I had completely understood the story or believed what I was being told by Joe.


I generally do not care for stream of consciousness or an unreliable narrator.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for the titles of his other books that you read and enjoyed. I'll check them out.

Patty, thanks for these two reviews. This Robotham series sound fresh.

Will I Ever Ditch Physical Books?

Here are the prompts:

1. What was the first eReader you ever owned? What was your reason for getting one? Where you a reluctant convert, or an eager one?

All I’ve ever used is my iPad & i am quite satisfied with it. I think that i got it (the app.?) via Overdrive, reluctantly.

2. What eReader do you use now/what eReaders do you own?

I continue to use this.

3. Do you read digitally on multiple devices, or always on the same device? If you use multiple, how do you decide which one to use?

Same device.

4. Do you still read physical books? If so, how do you decide which format to read a certain book in?

Yes. I only resort to print when i cannot find an e-edition of a book i want to read. Even when i have purchased a printed version, if i find an e-version, i will read that, usually due to print size.

5. What is something you dislike about reading ebooks?

If I am reading two books from Overdrive, the font changes. That is, if i use a larger size print in one book, the other switches, too. This means i usually need to reset the size when i return to the other book.

6. Would you ever ditch physical books completely and become a sole ebook reader? If yes, why? If no, why not?

No. I like seeing books on my shelf. Looking up something with my physical copy is easy, presuming i’ve marked it, than searching through my notes. Also, i like turning real pages, actually seeing my progress by the dwindling pages remaining.

7. Where do you get your ebooks? Kindle store, library loans, third-party websites?

Library loans, exclusively, at this point. The change to Libby by US libraries may change my approach, both by their heavier reliance on Kindle versions.

Alias, i liked reading your replies to the e-reader questions. I haven’t broken down by percentage how few printed books i’ve read. This year i purchased several printed books, primarily because they were history and from university print shops. I’m on the last one presently. Altogether I know i’ve read only six printed books this year, but i may have forgotten one or two.

I prefer to own print copies for my bios of Presidents, for note purposes and to see my progress. Otherwise i find ebooks easier for travel, even when we stay in one place for a month or so. It’s my own private, traveling library!

Dem, i liked reading your review. I’m still torn over reading it. The setting, memories and poetic style sound wonderful but stream of C can be daunting. At least i have the title. Thank you.

madrano wrote:I prefer to own print copies for my bios of Presidents, for note purposes and to see my progress"

Yes. I like to see my Presidential bios. Though many I have read from the library, so I don't have all of them.

I should add many bios tend to be big tomes. Holding them can be an issue. So another plus for eBooks.

Like you, I am not happy about the switch from Overdrive to Libby.

I should note my library also has Hoopla to get eBooks. I do not like the format at all. I prefer the Kindle format. But If that is all they have a make do with it.

Santa's Little Yelpers by David Rosenfelt

In this 26th book in the 'Andy Carpenter' series, set during the Christmas season, the defense attorney represents an ex-convict accused of murder.

Fun humorous mystery. 3.5 stars

My review: /review/show...

1. What was the first eReader you ever owned? What was your reason for getting one? Where you a reluctant convert, or an eager one?

Kindle. I got it and my first purchased cellphone both in 2008, and both for the same reason: my mother was dying of cancer, and lived several states away, and I needed convenience and reachability while traveling a lot.

2. What eReader do you use now/what eReaders do you own?
Kindle, but I use the app on my iPad. I don't have a separate kindle device and haven't for more than a decade since I got my first iPad.

3. Do you read digitally on multiple devices, or always on the same device? If you use multiple, how do you decide which one to use?
If it's available in audio, I usually read it that way. Otherwise iPad, although I read a lot of Stephen Kings 11/22/63 on my phone standing in lines at Walt Disney World. That was before I had an audible account!

4. Do you still read physical books? If so, how do you decide which format to read a certain book in?
If I want to read it and it's not available on kindle, I'll buy a print version.

5. What is something you dislike about reading ebooks?
Sometimes poor OCR translation of classic books to electronic format.

6. Would you ever ditch physical books completely and become a sole ebook reader? If yes, why? If no, why not?
Yes, because I'm at a stage of life where it's nice to be able to set type size and of course, taking my --literally -- 11,000-volume kindle library with me wherever I go for less than a pound in weight is convenient. No because I read a lot of old "niche" books that are not on kindle.

7. Where do you get your ebooks? Kindle store, library loans, third-party websites?
A and C. :)

So sorry about your mom, Jennifer. These devices can be a big help in many situations. For that I am grateful.

How do you like Audible, Jennifer ? I keep toying with getting it. Right now money is an issue for me, so I've held off. So right now, if I do get an audio book, it's from the library.

What 3rd party websites do you use ?

Barbara wrote: "Santa's Little Yelpers by David Rosenfelt

In this 26th book in the 'Andy Carpenter' series, set during the Christmas sea..."

Delightful review, Barbara. I like reading about this series from you. Thanks for sharing with us.

Jennifer wrote: "1. What was the first eReader you ever owned? What was your reason for getting one? Where you a reluctant convert, or an eager one?

Kindle. I got it and my first purchased cellphone both in 2008,..."

Sorry to hear about your mother, Jennifer. I know another person who invested in a Kindle when a family member had cancer. She lived out of town and the convenience was a blessing.

You mentioned the OCR issue. Those have been most daunting! My husband had the worst case�600 pages with repeating chapters and missing the final 3 chapters! At least it was nonfiction, so he could Google the outcome.

eBooks

I should have mentioned another negative. The price of eBooks I think is out of line. A paper book I can loan or give away. I can buy used books for $1 or less.

My other issue, I can see the books I own and organize them to suit my needs. For some reason eBooks end up in a black hole on my Kindle. I wish it was easier to organize them on the Kindle. I use to be able to easily have 4 categories, Fiction Read, Fiction Unread, non fiction Read and Non fiction unread.

I finished reading a wonderful short story collection titled,
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by Z.Z. Packer

The collection has eight short stories. It's very well written and each story immediately drew me in. The stories are sort of brief poignant snapshots into the lives of disadvantaged individuals. So you don't get things tied up neatly as one would in a novel. Each story in the collection is unique and stands alone.

I gave the book 4/5 stars. Better than expected. I'd recommend it.

I read this book to fit the prompt for our 2022 Book Nook Cafe 100 Book Challenge.

I only needed #5 for my challenge as I already ticked off the other ones.

� #5 Short Story Collection.

#11 A genre you don't often read
I seldom read short story collections, though when I do, I usually enjoy them.

#45 Book by a debut author

#51- book you've been meaning to read but never got around to it
I owned the paperback of this book for ages. It's in storage so I read the eBook.

madrano wrote: "Barbara wrote: "Santa's Little Yelpers by David Rosenfelt

Delightful review, Barbara. I like reading about this series from you. Thanks for sharing with us...."

Thank you madrano.🙂

Alias, those are two good points about the negatives of eBooks. The pricing is unfortunate, leading me to wonder if this is to keep printed books in the mix, although i’m not sure why/how.

Great review, Alias. I added it to my TBR when you first mentioned it but now I’m requesting it from my library. I’m glad you shared with us.

You're welcome, deb. I think at least one of the stories appeared in The New Yorker magazine.

I got the book when people were giving it good reviews back when we were AOL.

My next read is a novel that takes place in Korea. I've read about 30 pages and I like the writing and the plot has drawn me in.

When We Fell Apart by Soon Wiley

This book has been on my library hold list awhile. For the life of me, I can't recall where I picked the title up from. I know it's been a bestseller.