Summer Reading Update

Can I get a drumroll please? Because I have a B-I-G announcement to make. And it includes 3 of those letters right there.

That’s right. I have my first B-I-N-G-O of the summer.

first bingo 2016 for carole knits

Woot!

I read, from left to right on that fourth row down:

Square: With a main character over 60. Book: Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman Justification: Britt-Marie is 63.

Review: I think this is the weakest of the 3 of Fredrik Backman’s books that I have read, with A Man Called Ove way in front. I do like his style, though, and the way that Britt-Marie is transformed in this book is reminiscent of Ove. Some of the writing, particularly about sadness and grief, is really really beautiful and there are good life lessons here. Recommended.

Square: Hated by someone you know. Book: My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult Justification: I have a friend who hates anything written by Jodi Picoult.

Review: A bit predictable and contrived but entertaining. I know Picoult is very popular but I don’t think I’ll be rushing to read anything else by her.

Square: An audiobook. Book: LaRose by Louise Erdrich Justification: Ummm. I listened to it? hahaha

Review: How do you fix something that can’t be fixed? How do you repair the damage when you rip someone’s life apart? And how do you being to recover, to come back to a life of hope and love? You do it with compassion and humility, with tradition and unselfishness, with kindness and understanding and maybe even a little help from a whole host of ancestors. I can’t really explain this book more than that but what I can say is READ IT. Right away.

Square: Includes recipes but is not a cookbook. Book: My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl. Justification: Okay, some people might label this as a cookbook but in my interpretation it’s a memoir.

Review: I always enjoy anything by Ruth Reichl and this book didn’t disappoint. I love the combination of memoir and recipes and enjoyed hearing how Reichl recovered from the demise of Gourmet.

Square: With a family member in the title. Book: My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman. Justification: A grandmother is a family member. Duh.

Review: A wonderful story with a cast of characters who will make you smile and cry and laugh. There is sorrow but also joy and, ultimately, hope.

I’m closing in on another row and going for a cover-all, ultimately.

How’s your summer reading going?

 

 

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This Post Has 12 Comments

  1. Look at that colorful card! I’m still thinking about LaRose weeks after I read it. I would personally struggle through Old Man and the Sea and Catcher in the Rye, but thought Lucy Barton was wonderful. Looking forward to seeing what you read by an author who shares your first name!

  3. Yes about La Rose. I’m reading (listening) to the a book that will give me a Bingo and get me close to a second. I’m also going for the blackout by years end. I loved Catcher in the Rye, btw.

  4. 4 hours remaining with LaRose. It’s such a special book. (Thank-you.) You are cranking the books out! I’ll be happy with one bingo..but still happy to be checking off some boxes. 🙂

  5. Woohoo! BINGO! That’s exciting! My summer reading is going real well. I’m averaging about a book a week between audio and actual reading. That’s a huge improvement for me. I’m on the waiting list for LaRose at the library. I think there are 6 people ahead of me.

  6. EXCELLENT!!! I am so happy for you and thank you for the awesome recommendations you have shared with me this summer! You have absolutely amped up my reading XO

  7. My book group is discussing A Man Called Ove tomorrow night, and I have to say I was less than thrilled with it. In fact, I was so annoyed with it after 30-40 pages I put it down and resolved not to finish. But after a couple days I picked it up again and read it as though it were a novel-length Aesop’s fable; that made it bearable. But 2-dimensional characters, cutesy characters, unrealistic plot — bleah.

    But differing tastes is what makes a book group fun — and book bingo — fun, right?

  8. you got some really interesting squares!

    LaRose keeps popping up as a book people are enjoying. I’ll have to check it out.
    I just read Worthy by Catherine Ryan Hyde and Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center.
    Now it’s onto Rebecca so I can check of a 20th century classic.

    p.s. we tried The Farmer’s Daughter last weekend for breakfast since our usual place was closed for vacation. It was awesome! Worth the drive.

  9. I see you’ve got “Books Can Be Deceiving” on your card. That’s a fun little series, just right for a small town librarian. As long as you don’t start trying to solve dangerous mysteries and we lose our “Carole Knits” author!

  10. woo hoo!! I love how you’re keeping up with your squares…looks like another winning summer of reading!

  11. Your BINGO card looks a lot like mine-I’ve done a lot of reading, but no BINGO lines yet! Lots of new authors and over all I think a good blend of what’s popular, recommendations, etc. I hope that summer BINGO will continue even if BOTNS does not.

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