My DH didn’t like the mini “best of” that book, either.
I’m reading Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam Zhang. Pretty intriguing so far and right in my wheelhouse.
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Has anyone read “The Paris Novel(A Sugary Bonbon of a Novel From a Legendary Foodie )” by Ruth Reichl yet?
I think I will put it in my list.
I just finished three Attica Locke novels, and started “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver.
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I’ll be curious to hear if you like it and stick with it. I enjoyed it at first but all the plot twists and travails defied plausibility for me. I was just like, “There’s no way so much bad can happen to one person.” I disagree with folk who say it is an accurate representation of Appalachia. But many loved it 
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I’m thinking you would know, or is that other folks in the area?
My sister lives in Durham, and seems to think it’s an accurate representation of kids in foster care, which I take issues with.
I am only on chapter 4, but so far it seems a bit over the top with regard to Demon’s mom.
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That’s a good way to characterize the whole book. I feel like it’s almost a pornography of violence and generally depraved characters and bad decisions. Are you aware that it is a reinterpretation of David Copperfield?
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Yes, although I have not read David Copperfield 
I recently read “James”, a reinterpretation of Huck Finn.
@ElsieDee , just got on the Libby wait list for The City We Became.
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Is “Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm” non fiction?
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I have the Reichl book on reserve at the library.
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I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. Appalachia is such a big area you can hardly represent it with a single book, no matter how lengthy. Kingsolver mainly wanted to tell the story of the impact of opioids on economically struggling people of Appalachia, especially young folks in foster care.
Off on a tangent…I just read a wonderful book that actually is a compilation of poems on the topic of family by a poet named Remica Bingham-Risher. Room Swept Home. The author describes herself as an Affrilachian poet and during our book club meeting (online through the Library of Virginia) she had a whole bibliography of other Affrilachian authors that she shared. Plus a bonus - her dad joined the Zoom and admitted that he mainly read James Patterson but was very proud of his daughter, LOL.
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Wow! I had to look that one up!
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The Ruth Reichl book comes out today! Will definitely get on audible when I finish Amir Towles’s Table for Two. I’ve loved her memoirs and her book about running Gourmet magazine called Save Me the Plums was really interesting.
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I just picked up ‘Memory Piece’ by Lisa Ko from the library.
My fill in between books has been ‘From Altoids to Zima’ by Evan Morris.
I had to return ‘The Age of Deer’. Maybe another time!
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Just finished Last Train to Elysian Fields by JL Burke and I think it’s one of his best Dave Robicheaux books.
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NYTimes guest link to their review of Reichl’s book.
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I’ve also started a new three-book series that should interest WW2 aficionados. The series by John C. McManus focuses on the US Army in the Pacific Theater. So, rather than the well known battles such as Guadalcanal (Marines) and Midway (Navy), these books focus on events like the New Guinea campaign and the “Battle of Brisbane,” a massive brawl between US and Aussie troops. I’m about 1/3 into the first book, Fire and Fortitude: The U.S. Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943. The writing is very good.
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Yes.
From what I recall it was very readable and had a fairly thorough overview of the history, present, and what will come with climate change, with a focus on the Black communities.
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While I really need to add some of my recent good reads (as opposed to those I gave up on/got through and now regret the time spent), here’s a gift link to the NYT’s Book Review Best Books lists, going back to 2000. Just in case y’all missed any! (I definitely did.)
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Wow, nice resource! Not that my to-read list needs more books but still nice.
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When I need a break from my usual books, I’ll borrow a magazine from OverDrive. Last night’s choice was the latest UNCUT magazine (6/1/24) and an article on David Gilmour. 
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