Again, such a gap in posting these that I can't even remember some of them!
Eighteen books that I recall something about:
Groundskeeping by Lee Cole. I think it suffered from all the hype. Just a bit meh for me, but then again, I doubt I was the intended audience.
Left on Tenth, by Delia Ephron. Her year of magical thinking is exactly what you'd expect of a rom com writer. Her husband and sister die of cancer, she meets (again) a lovely man on the opposite coast, they fall in love, she's diagnosed with the same cancer that killed her sister. Her new husband sounds too good to be true, and she sounds like someone I'd love to be friends with. A quick and enjoyable book, even if about half of it is about her cancer treatment.
Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. I think I smiled through the entire book. This is the first in a new series by Chambers, and I hope they write fast. The description of the monk's tea wagon makes me wonder if Chambers sketched it before she wrote, as it was so completely perfect. And the nonbinary monk being addressed as Sibling, instead of Brother or Sister? Just a beautiful detail. The robot's tale of growing in the wild, and the monk's amazement (and consternation) about how the robots thrive and regenerate was deep and beautiful.
Pure Colour by Sheila Heti. Started out so promising, then just fell apart after the first third. Looking back, I highlighted so many beautiful lines that it was worth finishing, just to see if she came back to the promise of the first part. She didn't, but some very thoughtful writing nonetheless.
Ten Steps to Nanette, by Hannah Gadsby was as brilliant as her show. She's a philosopher comedian.
Mecca, by Susan Straight. She does such a great job capturing the melting pot of the Inland Empire. I really savored this book.
Sunlit Weapon, by Jacqueline Winspear. I love returning to this series and seeing where she takes Maisie Dobbs. This one did not disappoint.
Beauty of Dusk, by Frank Bruni. I liked when he wrote about his own adaptation to going blind, but the parts about other people overcoming their loss of sight or other disability seemed a bit trite. I mean, I'm glad he provides roadmaps for others dealing with this, but it just seemed I'd read this is so many other books on overcoming adversity.
Spring Cannot Be Cancelled, by Martin Gayford. Long interviews with David Hockney, with paintings he did at his home in Normandy during Covid lockdown. Just a beautiful book about art, creativity, aging with positivity. Very much enjoyed this one!
Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus. Another book that will become popular because of librarians, booksellers, and bloggers. A female chemist in the 1960s, denied a job because of her gender, creates a feminist cooking show that awakens the housewives of America.
A Great Unrecorded History, by Wendy Moffat. One of those titles that I came across on Instagram, found on Overdrive, checked out and started reading. A biography of E.M. Forster, which sympathetically looks at how his suppressed sexuality impacted his life and writing.
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