#books – The Simple Voice

What I’ve been reading

I write these posts about the books I read and I never know what books you like. Do share! Are you a buyer, loaner, recipient, library, kind of person?

Me? library all the way.

omen Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimon.

I wasn’t looking forward to this reading this book for book club. I thought it was going to be Monty Python stupid funny. But it was truly hilarious and sacrilegious.

Amazon Prime is releasing the TV show based on this book in 2019. I’ll be watching.

tree A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Wow. I see why this is a classic. This is the first time for me reading this and I just loved it. The story is timeless! Betty Smith was very insightful on her observations of life.

If you haven’t yet, check this book out.
fool Nobody’s Fool by Richard Russo

I remember the movie that was based on this book in the 80s or 90s with Paul Newman. It was a good movie. I probably wouldn’t have picked this book up if it hadn’t been one of my book club books, but I really enjoyed it.

Sully reminded me of men I knew while growing up in small town America. He’s a good man but for circumstances we don’t have the clearest view of — and are a mystery to Sully too — he is having a hard time maturing into a stable life.

Sometimes life has a way of beating us down. Still, we can mean a lot to the people who love us.

Now I need to go to the library to rent the DVD of the old movie.

Hope this weekend if full of great pages for you.

— Namaste

What I’ve been reading

Baby it’s cold outside. What a great time to grab a book and rack up those “books read” for your Goodreads challenge.

Here are three books that I’ve recently read that are notable.

less Less by Andrew Greer. My book club members brought this book to my attention.

The story involves a writer with a degree of success who is finding it hard to accept that his boyfriend of nine years is marrying someone else. So to deal, he gets out of town in order to miss the nuptials date.

Way out of town. Paris, Berlin, Morocco, Southern India, a desert island, and the Sahara.

The humor is low-key and smart. This was a real pleasure to read — what truly lovely love story isn’t a pleasure to read.

Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill by Sonia Purnell

I enjoyed this biography of a public figure that I may not have been interested in before reading. This was a book I had to read for book club.

I learned about what was going on in the background during WWII England, British government, life as an aristocrat (yea, I want to write Aristocat) Winston Churchill and Clemmie.

I recommend.

greatalone The Great Alone by Hannah Kristin

I really enjoyed this book. It might be the topic of Alaska homesteading, because I’ve always thought that would be a great way to live.

The young family moves to Alaska in the 1970s to escape demons. The dad, a former Vietnam POW, suffering from PTSD is the driver. His wife and daughter are the helpless riders in Volkswagon bus — literally and figuratively.

Let’s face it, Kristin Hannah knows how to tell a good story.

Enjoy these if you try them; if not, enjoy whatever helps you through.

— Namaste

What I’ve been reading

There are plenty of books I read to the final page that I am not going to mention in this blog. They are fine but nothing exceptional. Not worth the mention.

Boy, do I have a good book for you this month. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles is everything a book should be. I enjoyed the characters, it taught me a little about Russian history, so funny and clever, it held my interest — so much so I can’t wait to read Towles other book, Rules of Civility.

gentleman

In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. The story of Rostov’s 30+ years in this hotel has heart, such wit and the subtle back handed humor of a true gentleman. A must read.

Here are other great books I’ve read recently.

12384157 The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott. This was a hand-me-down from my mom. I was pleasantly surprised by this. It’s an easy read. Great for when you want a good story.

Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she’s had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be her personal maid on the Titanic. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men—a kind sailor and an enigmatic Chicago businessman—who offer differing views of what lies ahead for her in America. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes, and amidst the chaos, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat.

The story then takes us on the aftermath of the survivors and starting a life on a new continent. Check it out.

27209486 Modern Lovers by Emma Straub. I had some issues with this book but it had many positives and I’m glad I read it. It certainly is a book that sticks with you and those are the best kind.

(Straub is also the author of The Vacationers, if you have read that. I haven’t.)

The story involves a tight-knit group of friends and bandmates from college who go on to remain each other’s lives in middle age, but how relationships change and evolve is explored. A splash of the next generation and it’s a nice, thoughtful read.

So curl up on the couch this weekend and read whatever you like. Hope it’s a good one!

— Namaste

Best books I’ve read lately

Books are personal. Go to any book club where a group of people read the same book and listen to all the differing opinions.

I used to not like to get suggestions from people about good books because my list of books to read is never ending. But, I’ve found that reading suggestions, brings a variety to the types of books I read that is refreshing.

So whether you want any book suggestions or not, I’m going to put these right here. Up to you. 😉

Beartown by Fredrik Backman. This author also wrote, ‘A Man Called Ove,’ which I disliked enough to not finish it but this book was the opposite. Insightful. Fast moving. It’s about a town in love with hockey.

beforeWewereYours Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. I really enjoyed this book and not for the sappy story that it certainly is, but for the description of the young families life on the river. Enchanting.

RobertPease The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs. This was a great story that I’m glad I read it. I think of it often.

While reading, I thought the story could have been edited by half and it would have been stronger — it repeated itself too much. I hate that.

But if you have a mind, meet Robert Peace and see his life.

AnnaK Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. In my attempt to read good books I haven’t read in my lifetime, I occasionally throw in a classic. I was so surprised by the timelessness of his writing and his insights into emotions. Enjoyed this very much.

—Namaste