Things are pretty quiet around here this week. And you know what quiet is good for? Reading. Here are the books I’ve finished since we last discussed books. Which, by the way, was in mid August when I announced my book bingo cover all.

 

1. Sweet Bitter by Stephanie Danler
2. A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
3. My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
4. The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
5. A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
6. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
7. Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
8. Pax by Sarah Pennypacker

All links go to my GoodReads page where you can read what I thought of each book. A mixed bag, there.

What are you reading these days?

I experienced great distress when the Books on the Nightstand podcast ended. Seriously. That was my go-to source for book recommendations. I know you probably think I should get my ideas from working in a library but nope. That podcast was pretty much it for me.

This is all just a long way of saying that when it ended I started looking for other podcasts about books. I found 3 that I wanted to try and now that I’ve been listening to them for a couple of months I’m ready to tell you what I think.

All the Books This one is from Book Riot and it’s my favorite of all the new ones I’ve tried. The pace is lively, the discussion intelligent and they (mostly) discuss new books coming out – perfect for adding things to my to-read list on GoodReads. Most episodes are 30-40 minutes and that’s just right for me.

Get Booked Also from Book Riot, each week this podcast answers questions sent in asking for book recommendations. I like it because they discuss books that have been around for a while as well as newer books. I don’t like that it’s long-ish (usually close to 60 minutes) and they seem to recommend a lot of dystopian fiction and science fiction. But I’m still listening each week because it’s Mary’s favorite and I have gotten some good titles, too.

What Should I Read Next? I am uncertain about this podcast right now. I love the concept – each week Ann Bogel has a different guest. She asks them to tell her 3 books they love, 1 book they hate and what they are currently reading. She then makes recommendations for them based on what they have told her. The premise is great and actually an excellent reader’s advisory tool. But the podcast is long. Honestly, too long for the amount of content, in my opinion. I may or may not keep listening to this one.

And there you have it. If you’re looking for a good book podcast I would recommend any one of these three. While I don’t love them all equally I have gotten great ideas for reading from each of them and, as always, your mileage may vary.

Let me know if you check them out. And, if you listen to something you think I’d love, I want to know that, too!

 

As I mentioned on Monday, I finished the final book for my Summer Book Bingo card over the weekend. And so, today, I am sharing with you all 25 titles that I have read since Memorial Day. Links are to GoodReads and you can read my ratings and reviews there if you wish. The photos are of the front (which you already saw) and the back because it’s easier to read the titles there. (Please note that the back is the reverse of the front, i.e. top left on the front is top right on the back.)

Square: By a Canadian author Book: Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny Justification: Louise Penny is Canadian

Square: Reread a favorite book Book: The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian Justification: I don’t reread books. I mean, I guess I do because To Kill A Mockingbird and Pride and Prejudice. But still, I don’t reread. So, instead I read a book by a favorite author and Chris Bohjalian is one of my favorites, for sure.

Square: By a small press Book: A Skeptic’s Guide to Writers’ Houses by Anne Trubek. Justification: University of Pennsylvania Press is a small press.

Square: A classic that you should have read in school Book: Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger Justification: It’s a classic, my friends, and I never had to read this one in school.

Square: Cozy Mystery Book: Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay Justification: Very cozy indeed.

Square: About art or an artist Book: Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee Justification: The main character is an opera singer.

Square: Nature writing Book: The Round House by Louise Erdrich Justification: Okay, this one is a stretch but I really wanted to read this book and this is the only square I could (sort of) make work. I figure that a reservation in North Dakota counts as nature.

Square: Nonfiction Book: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande Justification: It’s non-fiction.

Square: About royalty (fiction or non) Book: The Royal We by Heather Cocks. Justification: The main character is the Prince of Wales.

Square: Set in a country from which one of your ancestors came Book: On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. Justification: My mother’s side of the family is English.

Square: Humor or satire. Book: Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris Justification: David Sedaris is funny.

Square: With an alliterative title Book: The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy Reichert. Justification: Lots of C’s.

Square: Free square Book: Miller’s Valley by Anna Quindlen. Justification: I could put anything here!

Square: Re-read an assigned book you hated in school Book: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Justification: I hated it with a passion when I read this in high school. I just wanted him to catch that damn fish so that the book would be over.

Square: Set in the place where you live Book: Dark Tide by Stephen Puleo Justification: It’s about the Great Molasses Flood that happened in Boston in 1919.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Square: By an author who shares your first name Book: With or Without You by Carole Matthews Justification: Do I really have to spell this one out?

Square: With 200 pages or fewer Book: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Justification: It’s less than 200 pages. It’s also fabulous.

Square: Self published. Book: The Goatmen by Dale Julius. Justification: This is a book that Dale has been working on since 2009 and he’s been bugging me to read it for practically forever. I decided that this bingo square provided the perfect opportunity. I know it’s not published yet so it’s technically not self published. But it’s close enough for me. And also, the book is pretty good and I think he should clean it up and get the darn thing to a publisher.

Square: Part of a series. Book: The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny Justification: It’s part of the Inspector Armand Gamache series. I love them all, by the way.

Square: Set in Africa. Book: Circling the Sun by Paula McLain Justification: It’s set in Africa.

Wow. That’s a lot of links! I feel like it took me as long to write this post as it did to read The Old Man and the Sea! Seriously, though, it’s a pretty great group of books. And I think the secret of my success this time was planning everything I wanted to read in advance. I not only selected a book for each square but I also noted where the book would come from – the library, Overdrive, an audio, etc. It really made it easy to get this cover all.

And now comes the best part. I’m going on vacation and I can read whatever I want!

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.

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?

 

 

A Saturday post is rare for me but today is the first day of Summer Book Bingo 2016 and I wanted to share that information with you so that you can get started on your summer reading.

Here’s my bingo card:

I’m shooting for a cover-all again this year. Who else is in? Get your Bingo card here!