Denver’s library is offering curbside pickup now. Yay!
The Witch Elm
by Tana French
I found this to be an entertaining mystery/suspense novel. I guessed the killer correctly initially, then second-guessed myself, then realized I was right all along.
The Elephant Chaser’s Daughter
by Shilpa Raj
We’re in a poor village in India. A generous benefactor chooses our narrator, a young girl, for a new boarding school. All of her expenses and meals and books and everything will be taken care of.
Of course it changes her life. The book is rather inspirational and also a bit depressing looking at the enormity of the problem of poverty.
I liked the school though. It was very progressive. It’s a true story too. The author is a real person and this is her life.
In a land where justice is often bought, poor people can only hope for mercy.
I don’t like the title though. Her father was only briefly an elephant chaser and it had little to do with the story.
Oligarchy: A novel
by Scarlett Thomas
We’re in an all girls boarding school in the United Kingdom. There’s a little bit of a mystery here — a girl drowns and perhaps she is murdered — but most of the stories are about how obsessed with food all the girls are. They’re anorexic and bulimic and dieting and it gets old pretty quickly.
His days are filled with waiting for them to end.
The Lager Queen of Minnesota: A novel
by J. Ryan Stradal
I didn’t want this book to end. It’s a story of two estranged sisters living in Minnesota. There’s a lot of struggle, a lot of death, and a lot of brewing beer. I’m surprised by how much I liked it.
“She looked at money like how a motorcycle driver looks at asphalt. The more of it you see, the farther you can go, but a single mistake with it can finish you.”
It perfectly encapsulates why I am looking for jobs again.
“With the frantic pace at Tippi’s, it was more difficult to surrender to the sadness that grabbed at her in the quiet times.”
“As she learned since last summer, if she wasn’t distracted, she could just start crying, and it was always, always better to be busy than be sad.”
And I found this piece of advice to be so true and endearing and I’m going to incorporate it in my daily life.
“Her mother had told her once that the nicest thing you can do for someone is be happy to see them.”
I was told it would get easier
by Abbi Waxman
I picked up this book because I liked the name, but that was a big mistake going in blind. It’s about a mother and daughter going on college tours on the east coast of the United States, switching narration between the two of them. I kept checking how many pages I had left to read, but still finished it because it’s an easy read. Wouldn’t recommend.
Lamb
by Christopher Moore
I gave up on page 79. It’s about Jesus’s childhood as told by his friend Biff. It’s a comedy, but I didn’t understand most of the jokes.
Calypso
by David Sedaris
Everything by David Sedaris is hilarious. This one made me laugh out loud several times. He’s just a guy talking about his life and family in a way that’s funny. He records 60,000 steps on his Fitbit each day. That’s 25 miles! He makes even the gruesome readable.
When talking about his sister’s death:
How could anyone purposefully leave us — us, of all people? This is how I thought of it, for though I’ve often lost faith in myself, I’ve never lost faith in my family, in my certainty that we are fundamentally better than everyone else.
*****
Yay reading real books with pages you can turn!
OMG, Lamb is one of my favorite books! I thought it was hilarious.
I still have the book and it’s for my book club, so maybe I’ll pick it up again.
I haven’t read any of these except Calyspo, which I enjoyed! Have you read Breath by James Nestor? I highly recommend it! It got me to try mouth-taping which sounds weird but he makes a compelling case and has me sleeping SO much better which is a key factor in my overall well-being and happiness. Are you back in Denver now? Hope you are well!
It’s on the list now. Thanks!
Yay! I love when you post book lists (really, when you post anything!). Do you like YA? If so, I highly recommend “The Girl Who Drank the Moon” (Kelly Barnhill) and anything by Naomi Novik!
I do love YA. It’s on the list, thanks. I’m looking for more fiction.
“It perfectly encapsulates why I am looking for jobs again.”
This is how I envision your job search (specifically the part about responsibility):
https://youtu.be/AjZJqh4IX7w
(fom American Beauty)
*This was meant to be a joke, in case it didn’t come across that way.
I think you’re doing the right thing. There is a huge difference between working because you have to and working because you want to. And if you’re considering volunteer opportunities don’t just look for what’s available; know that you can create your own tailor-made position. There’s plenty of need and you’ve got a ton of talent to apply towards it.
-Bob
We’ll see what happens!
Thanks for the recommendation! Have you read “A Year of Living Danishly”? It’s thought provoking and brings many smiles.
Thanks, it’s on the list now. It sounds interesting.
I think you’re comment about looking for a job pretty well encapsulates why I still work, despite burnout and old age. But chin up, Thrifty Gal, you are very young and can find community. Roll less, commune more. As they say now, it’s not social distancing, it’s physical distancing. There are people who love us and are happy to see us, and there are people we can make feel the same way. And pet kitties and doggies.
Well said
I recently read What Should I Do With My Life by Po Branson. In short the author interviewed an astonishing number of people to find out how they ended up where they are and why. The interviewees ranged from 25 to 70+ years old. I found it comforting to read that other people also don’t have a clue what they are doing with their life (like me 🙂 I also finished reading Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. A novel based on historical fact – the transport of orphaned children from big cities in the Eastern US to the Midwest. I can recommend both.
The Toronto Public Library is now open for in person browsing and checking out of books. Hurray!
Thanks for the recommendations!
Of this list, I have read “Lamb”. It was funny in parts and a little creative, but also boring in parts and I didn’t like the ending. I am reading “Space Case”, I have no idea who did it, although I suspect the temp worker astronaut – she’s just a little too perfect.
Okay, giving up on Lamb.
I learned about this cook and author from England in a Zac Efrom production. Ella Mills is your kind of person. Check her out: https://deliciouslyella.com/podcast/
I’ve never been able to listen to podcasts.
Thank you for the book review! Just finished reading Exit West, a 2017 novel by Mohsin Hamid. Highly recommend it. We follow two young people escaping their war torn country through a secret, magic door. The writing was fresh and haunting.
Ooh, thanks for the recommendation. It’s on my list.
That statement is so true! About being happy to see someone. I know it makes my day when someone is genuinely happy to see me! Lol. I’ll have to check out your book selection at one point. I wind up reading a lot on my phone nowadays. Still decluttering and organizing! Since March! Lol. A little every day. 🌞
I bet the decluttering feels great!
The Elephant Chaser’s Daughter is on my list to read. If you haven’t already seen it, I recommend watching Daughters of Destiny on netflix. It’s a documentary on the school Shanti Bhavan and follows 5 female students including the author, Shilpa.
I don’t have Netflix, but the next time I have access to it, I’ll keep it in mind.
I enjoy your summary of the books though I never get time to read