I haven't read all ten on this list, but I would kick out The Testaments entirely and add the Penelopiad. Oryx and Crake should be MUCH higher and THE BLIND ASSASSIN would be number one with THE HANDMAID'S TALE at number two.
Our son is 26 and when he was younger we didn’t know about the rose and thorn convo starter. During children’s time at church last month they used rose, thorn, AND bud. Bud - what you are hopeful for. Enjoy these times - our kids grow up so fast!
PS it’s still fun to hear about Allbry’s best & worst parts of the job or in life, and also what he’s hopeful for. ❤️
I’ve also used rose/thorn/bud in elementary settings but didn’t think about it for toddlers! I have a 2 1/2 year-old and when she’s a little older I definitely want to try this!
The conversation around the decline in cis het white men in literary fiction is so frustrating! I listened to the Today Explained episode and was so irritated. The episode is well done, the conversation is just so tiring. The first person featured in the podcast who is an economist apparently did some digging and found out that while books published by women have increased exponentially in the last couple of decades, there has also been an increase in books published by men. It does not appear to be an either or. As an elder millennial who has been a life long reader I look on with envy at young people today who have such a diverse selection of books to read from. I grew up reading almost exclusively books by and about white characters because there was very little else available to young people. I realize that we are talking about adult literary fiction but as a black woman who has been fed the stories of white people my entire life I simply have no patience for the false narrative that white men can't make it in publishing. I say this while my current read is Dream State by Eric Puchner an Oprah Book Club book from this year! End rant. Thank you for listening.
Yes! I've loved some newer books by white men recently (North Woods and Wellness are two that come to mind) but I think the expectation that we should all be so interested in straight white men's interior lives when we're already soooo familiar with that from classics and film and history and online discourse reeks of entitlement.
Sara I'm so happy you added Slanting to your tbr! I just reread it last week in preparation for my interview with her and I loved it just as much the second time around. Your weekend away sounds fun, three is a great age to explore new places with toddlers. You've reminded me I must read Search asap, I have the audio of Bug Hollow. I can't wait to read Atmosphere on Tuesday!
I read that Guardian piece and Sarah Moss’s “They thought I’d like to know” had me laughing out loud. Pitch perfect! I also read the TJR this week and like you, have mixed feelings. It was, on the whole, WAY too cheesy for me and yet space/NASA is such a dramatic subject so I must admit the part of the book that dealt with that over the romance I found actually quite gripping. One of my biggest issues was the writing style - I don’t know if you noticed this but she barely uses contractions! So the writing sometimes felt stilted, particularly in the dialogue. Instead of saying “I don’t want this” for example she’d say “I do not want this.” So it felt unnatural and I noticed it CONSTANTLY, to the point where I was like, is this because I have an ARC and it’s not edited yet? Maybe this is just a pet peeve of mine. But look - it’s meant to be a fun book and I totally get that.
OMG yes! I did notice that! I wondered if she thought that made it sound more period appropriate? Or was something about Joan's character? But it wasn't just her and it was so strange. Now I want to go back and see if she does the same thing in other novels!
We very unimaginatively named our dinner routine “Good Thing, Bad Thing” and we still do it when we are together! There are so many benefits, not least of which is learning to have a real conversation around the table.
I read The Hunger Games the year my now-21-yo homeschooled second grade. I declared it “reading week” as an excuse to lay on the sofa and binge the trilogy! Not as a read-aloud. As a “go get a book or play outside so Mom can read” week. Good times. I’ll check out her new one.
When I can't decide what to read next, I ignore my bookclub choices (I belong to 5) and look at BBC History Extra recommendations, pick a book about something at least 2 hundred years ago. It is my stress release goto. LOL
I can’t wait to read Atmosphere! I find TJR to be such a captivating storyteller, even if imperfect. I’m really curious about this one after reading CHALLENGER by Adam Higgenbotham. How do you think it held up as a pairing to that book?
I actually think reading CHALLENGER made this reading experience a little worse because I kept wondering why I was reading about a fictional space disaster when there are such compelling histories to read!
Would love to hear your take on the M Atwood list!
I haven't read all ten on this list, but I would kick out The Testaments entirely and add the Penelopiad. Oryx and Crake should be MUCH higher and THE BLIND ASSASSIN would be number one with THE HANDMAID'S TALE at number two.
Yes! Imo Oryx and Crake should be higher.
Was coming to the comment section to say the exact same thing!
Fourthed! So curious what your ranking would be, Sara.
Our son is 26 and when he was younger we didn’t know about the rose and thorn convo starter. During children’s time at church last month they used rose, thorn, AND bud. Bud - what you are hopeful for. Enjoy these times - our kids grow up so fast!
PS it’s still fun to hear about Allbry’s best & worst parts of the job or in life, and also what he’s hopeful for. ❤️
I use rose, thorn and bud in my leadership courses - and another one is peaches and pits. I didn’t know it was a thing among the toddler set!
I’ve also used rose/thorn/bud in elementary settings but didn’t think about it for toddlers! I have a 2 1/2 year-old and when she’s a little older I definitely want to try this!
The conversation around the decline in cis het white men in literary fiction is so frustrating! I listened to the Today Explained episode and was so irritated. The episode is well done, the conversation is just so tiring. The first person featured in the podcast who is an economist apparently did some digging and found out that while books published by women have increased exponentially in the last couple of decades, there has also been an increase in books published by men. It does not appear to be an either or. As an elder millennial who has been a life long reader I look on with envy at young people today who have such a diverse selection of books to read from. I grew up reading almost exclusively books by and about white characters because there was very little else available to young people. I realize that we are talking about adult literary fiction but as a black woman who has been fed the stories of white people my entire life I simply have no patience for the false narrative that white men can't make it in publishing. I say this while my current read is Dream State by Eric Puchner an Oprah Book Club book from this year! End rant. Thank you for listening.
Yes! I've loved some newer books by white men recently (North Woods and Wellness are two that come to mind) but I think the expectation that we should all be so interested in straight white men's interior lives when we're already soooo familiar with that from classics and film and history and online discourse reeks of entitlement.
Sara I'm so happy you added Slanting to your tbr! I just reread it last week in preparation for my interview with her and I loved it just as much the second time around. Your weekend away sounds fun, three is a great age to explore new places with toddlers. You've reminded me I must read Search asap, I have the audio of Bug Hollow. I can't wait to read Atmosphere on Tuesday!
I read that Guardian piece and Sarah Moss’s “They thought I’d like to know” had me laughing out loud. Pitch perfect! I also read the TJR this week and like you, have mixed feelings. It was, on the whole, WAY too cheesy for me and yet space/NASA is such a dramatic subject so I must admit the part of the book that dealt with that over the romance I found actually quite gripping. One of my biggest issues was the writing style - I don’t know if you noticed this but she barely uses contractions! So the writing sometimes felt stilted, particularly in the dialogue. Instead of saying “I don’t want this” for example she’d say “I do not want this.” So it felt unnatural and I noticed it CONSTANTLY, to the point where I was like, is this because I have an ARC and it’s not edited yet? Maybe this is just a pet peeve of mine. But look - it’s meant to be a fun book and I totally get that.
OMG yes! I did notice that! I wondered if she thought that made it sound more period appropriate? Or was something about Joan's character? But it wasn't just her and it was so strange. Now I want to go back and see if she does the same thing in other novels!
We very unimaginatively named our dinner routine “Good Thing, Bad Thing” and we still do it when we are together! There are so many benefits, not least of which is learning to have a real conversation around the table.
I read The Hunger Games the year my now-21-yo homeschooled second grade. I declared it “reading week” as an excuse to lay on the sofa and binge the trilogy! Not as a read-aloud. As a “go get a book or play outside so Mom can read” week. Good times. I’ll check out her new one.
I want to reread the Hunger Games world before I dive into sunrise on the reaping! Also, I’ve been so excited for TJR’s novel. Space fascinates me
I don't think you'll regret a reread!
When I can't decide what to read next, I ignore my bookclub choices (I belong to 5) and look at BBC History Extra recommendations, pick a book about something at least 2 hundred years ago. It is my stress release goto. LOL
I love that strategy!
I can’t wait to read Atmosphere! I find TJR to be such a captivating storyteller, even if imperfect. I’m really curious about this one after reading CHALLENGER by Adam Higgenbotham. How do you think it held up as a pairing to that book?
I actually think reading CHALLENGER made this reading experience a little worse because I kept wondering why I was reading about a fictional space disaster when there are such compelling histories to read!
Oh no! Ok, well we'll see what I think...
It was still fun and worth reading! It was just a strange experience…I rarely think while reading a novel “why am I reading this not true story?” 😂
Oh I see, so it's not inspired by any particular event? It's more loosely inspired from that time in history?
When my son was in elementary school, we used to do best, worst and most surprising thing that happened that day.
I’m just about to finish “Search” and had already planned to pre-order her next book! Not surprised you liked it too.
Glad to see your review of Bug Hollow; I just re-read Search and enjoyed it again. I was afraid Bug Hollow would be a disappointment!
I didn't love it AS much, but it was a really lovely read!
Group text to my friends to see what they’re reading and make my list for next possible books.
You know I loved SEARCH— and I am very much looking forward to this new Michelle Huneven novel!!