Carole Knits

october zinnia
october zinnia
martinis with a view
martinis with a view
gettysburg fence for
gettysburg fence for
germinate shawl on rocks
germinate shawl on rocks
field of flags 2
field of flags 2
color affection with edge
color affection with edge
cedar leaf shawlette 2
cedar leaf shawlette 2
3_27_2014
3_27_2014
3_18_13
3_18_13
2_24_2014
2_24_2014
1_11_13
1_11_13
peony-bouquet-for-carole-knits
peony-bouquet-for-carole-knits
dale-and-jackie-for-carole-knits
dale-and-jackie-for-carole-knits
nightshift-progress-for-carole-knits
nightshift-progress-for-carole-knits

ABC Along Adventures of Dale and Carole Arthritis Ask Me Anything Birthdays Bloggers Books Buy More Yarn Charity Knitting Circular Sock Machine Contests Crochet Dyeing Epic Sock Blanket Eye Candy Friday Feeling Crafty Fiber Festivals Food Good, Bad, Ugly Hmmm Joyful Wednesday Knitting Knitting Olympics Macro Monday March Money Madness Memes Mittens Monday On My Mind Movies Museum of Me Mutterings My Backyard NaBloPoMo One Little Word Patterns Photography Project Spectrum Quilting Random Ravelry Read With Us Reenacting Run For Your Life Saturday Posts Selfies Sewing Show & Tell Sock Knitting Spinning Sunday Funnies Swaps Ten on the Tenth Ten on Tuesday Thankfulness That's Life Think Write Thursday Three Things Throwback Thursday Thursday Things Uncategorized Vacations Wordless Words in the Wild

  • Home
  • Carole Julius Photography
You are here: Home / Books / Read With Us: The Spring 2021 Book Announcement

Read With Us: The Spring 2021 Book Announcement

April 6, 2021 By Carole

We’re talking about books again today and I hope you’re on board with that. I should say, we’re talking about one book today and it’s a book I hope you will read and then discuss with us later on this spring.

The book is Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. It’s a powerful and difficult book, it won the 2020 Booker Prize and was a finalist for several other awards and prizes. It reminds me a bit of A Little Life and it’s just an incredibly brilliant debut novel.

As I usually do, I am sharing the GoodReads description:

Shuggie Bain is the unforgettable story of young Hugh “Shuggie” Bain, a sweet and lonely boy who spends his 1980s childhood in run-down public housing in Glasgow, Scotland. Thatcher’s policies have put husbands and sons out of work, and the city’s notorious drugs epidemic is waiting in the wings. Shuggie’s mother Agnes walks a wayward path: she is Shuggie’s guiding light but a burden for him and his siblings. She dreams of a house with its own front door while she flicks through the pages of the Freemans catalogue, ordering a little happiness on credit, anything to brighten up her grey life. Married to a philandering taxi-driver husband, Agnes keeps her pride by looking good–her beehive, make-up, and pearly-white false teeth offer a glamourous image of a Glaswegian Elizabeth Taylor. But under the surface, Agnes finds increasing solace in drink, and she drains away the lion’s share of each week’s benefits–all the family has to live on–on cans of extra-strong lager hidden in handbags and poured into tea mugs. Agnes’s older children find their own ways to get a safe distance from their mother, abandoning Shuggie to care for her as she swings between alcoholic binges and sobriety. Shuggie is meanwhile struggling to somehow become the normal boy he desperately longs to be, but everyone has realized that he is “no right,” a boy with a secret that all but him can see. Agnes is supportive of her son, but her addiction has the power to eclipse everyone close to her–even her beloved Shuggie.

A heartbreaking story of addiction, sexuality, and love, Shuggie Bain is an epic portrayal of a working-class family that is rarely seen in fiction. Recalling the work of Edouard Louis, Alan Hollinghurst, Frank McCourt, and Hanya Yanagihara, it is a blistering debut by a brilliant novelist who has a powerful and important story to tell. (less)

Kym and Bonny and I will be sharing thoughts about this book over the next couple of months and we plan to have our online and Zoom discussion in early June. It’s a popular title but we are confident that you all are resourceful and will be able to get your hands on it in time.

There’s so much to discuss with this one, I really can’t wait to hear what you all think of it. Happy Reading!

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailRead With Us: The Spring Selection Announcement Default ThumbnailRead With Us: The Winter Book Announcement Default ThumbnailRead With Us: The Fall Book Announcement Default ThumbnailRead With Us: The Summer Selection Announcement
« For the Love of Reading: March 2021
Spring Freshening »

Filed Under: Books, Read With Us

Comments

  1. Kat says

    April 6, 2021 at 7:41 am

    I am on the waitlist! Great choice!

  2. Sarah says

    April 6, 2021 at 7:47 am

    I *just* finished reading it yesterday — how’s that for great timing? Really looking forward to discussing this one!

  3. Bonny says

    April 6, 2021 at 7:59 am

    I haven’t finished it yet, but I am already looking forward to our discussion!

  4. Patty says

    April 6, 2021 at 8:38 am

    Excited to see this. Thank-you Carole!

  5. Mary says

    April 7, 2021 at 8:27 am

    ha! when you told me I should read this one RIGHT AWAY I wondered if it would be your next pick!

Archives

carole AT caroleknits DOT net
my read shelf:
Carole's book recommendations, liked quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists (read shelf)

2021 Reading Challenge

2021 Reading Challenge
Carole has read 15 books toward her goal of 75 books.
hide
15 of 75 (20%)
view books

carolejuliusphoto

Watching Gaslit with a view. It’s another beauti Watching Gaslit with a view. It’s another beautiful night in Bayside. #baysidemaine #gaslitstarz #alaptopwithaview #porchsitting #coastofmaine
A donut the size of my hand! This one is called Th A donut the size of my hand! This one is called The Homer 🤣 @theonlydoughnut.belfast #theonlydoughnut #belfastmaine #thewaylifeshouldbe #donutsforbreakfast
I can’t get enough of this view. #baysidemaine # I can’t get enough of this view. #baysidemaine #thewaylifeshouldbe #maine #theviewfromhere
Friday night snacks look better from here. And als Friday night snacks look better from here. And also, I’m not oblivious to today’s news, I’m devastated. I’m also extra grateful to (a) live in Massachusetts and (b) be privileged enough to ignore it for right now while on vacation. #fridaynightsnacks #martinitime #baysidemaine #cheeseandcrackers #myhappyplace
Pizza night. What can I say? Wednesday is the new Pizza night. What can I say? Wednesday is the new Friday. #oonipizzaoven @ooni.it #pizzanight #outdoorliving #margaritapizza #imadeitmyself #homemadeisbest
Happy FriYay, friends! #fridaynightsnacks #friyayn Happy FriYay, friends! #fridaynightsnacks #friyaynight #helloweekend #martinitime #cheeseandcrackers #charcuterie #outdoorliving
Happy Sunday from Fred and George! #sundaymorningv Happy Sunday from Fred and George! #sundaymorningvibes #siamesecatsofinstagram #siamesecats #fredandgeorge
Friday night is pizza night these days. And those Friday night is pizza night these days. And those napkins? They sum up the secret to our 25 (next Tuesday!) year marriage! #oonipizzaoven #fridaynightsnacks #peaceloveandcocktails
It’s a perfect June morning for Sunday brunch un It’s a perfect June morning for Sunday brunch under the pergola. #sundaybrunch #brunchalfresco #pergolaliving #outdoorliving #inmybackyard #juneismyfavoritemonth
My patriotism is sorely lacking at the moment. Sti My patriotism is sorely lacking at the moment. Still, I’m grateful to head into Memorial Day weekend focusing on the good, remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country, seeking common ground and (always) looking for hope. If all that fails, at least I’ve got a martini. And snacks. #fridaynightsnacks #memorialdayweekend2022 #cheeseandcrackers #martinitime
I love a hotel conference room with a view! #massl I love a hotel conference room with a view! #masslib2022 #libraryconference #aroomwithaview
Flower haul, day 2. #flowersaremagical #containerg Flower haul, day 2. #flowersaremagical #containergardening #timetoplant #givemealltheplants
It was a good day for plant shopping, my annual tr It was a good day for plant shopping, my annual tradition with my gardening bestie @doemack87 . I think we even left some plants behind … maybe. 🤣 #plantshopping #containergardening #plantsgalore #flowersaremagical
Pizza perfection tonight! Margherita for me and pe Pizza perfection tonight! Margherita for me and pepperoni for him. I’m loving our @oonihq pizza oven. #oonipizzaoven #ooni #margheritapizza #pepperonipizza #homemadeisbest #imadeitmyself #summernights
Fred has assured me that there is no pea under tha Fred has assured me that there is no pea under that pile of quilts. #fredandgeorge #siamesecatsofinstagram #siamesecat #princessandthepea #pileofquilts
First al fresco breakfast of the season, air fryer First al fresco breakfast of the season, air fryer hash browns with avocado and crispy fried eggs. Delicious! And so nice to enjoy under the pergola. #breakfastalfresco #inmybackyard #airfryerhashbrown
Fridays on the deck are the best Fridays of all. # Fridays on the deck are the best Fridays of all. #fridaynightsnacks #martinitime #cheeseandcrackers #happyhourathome #itsspringbutfeelslikesummer
Ranunculus season is short, gotta enjoy these beau Ranunculus season is short, gotta enjoy these beauties while we can. #ranunculus #flowersaremagical #springblooms #crossstreetflowerfarm
Two kitties in a basket! #fredandgeorge #siameseca Two kitties in a basket! #fredandgeorge #siamesecatsofinstagram #siamesecorner #siamesecats
It’s Friday night, friends. Time for snacks. Ooo It’s Friday night, friends. Time for snacks. Ooof, what a week. #fridaynightsnacks #cheeseandcrackers #martinitime #thosenapkinsthough #iwishiwasaunicornsoicouldstabpeoplewithmyhead #fuckyouscotus
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Categories

ABC Along Adventures of Dale and Carole Birthdays Bloggers Books Charity Knitting Contests Eye Candy Friday Feeling Crafty Fiber Festivals Food Good, Bad, Ugly Hmmm Knitting Knitting Olympics Macro Monday Memes Monday On My Mind Movies One Little Word Photography Project Spectrum Quilting Random Read With Us Reenacting Run For Your Life Saturday Posts Selfies Show & Tell Sock Knitting Spinning Sunday Funnies Swaps Ten on Tuesday Thankfulness That's Life Think Write Thursday Three Things Throwback Thursday Thursday Things Uncategorized Vacations Wordless Words in the Wild

Copyright 2014 Carole Knits · Log in