Carrie’s Comments (group member since Jul 23, 2020)

Carrie’s comments from the DMPL Book Chat group.

I read, "The Family Chao" by Lan Samantha Chang, a retelling of The Brothers Karamazov set in present-day Wisconsin.

For this category, I read Dream Girl by Laura Lippman. This was a really well-done psychological suspense with a surprise bit of horror. Novelist Gerry Andersen begins to get calls from one of his characters. I recommend this book if you enjoy a mind-bending suspense. It has strong flavors of Stephen King's Misery and Jean Hanff Korelitz's The Plot, with a little bit of Rear Window!

For this category, I read Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis, which captured my attention when I walked by it at the library. It's a children's graphic novel inspired by the exile of Queen Elizabeth. It was sweet with an interesting plot with some humor and I would recommend it to both adults and children!

I read The Appeal by Janice Hallett, an epistolary mystery written in emails and texts about a dysfunctional group of community theater players.

Katie wrote: "Earned my yellow badge! Finished my first book chat recommendation. Carrie from the Des Moines Public Library was the one who put my list together. I chose to read Hill Women: Finding Family and a ..."

Katie, I am so glad to hear this! Thanks for sharing.

Michelle wrote: "I struggled to find a book for this prompt, and chose The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa since Carrie read it and gave it good review in the chat. I also found this book very charming an..."

I am so glad you enjoyed it too!

I read Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. The main character is an android or Artificial Friend. I recommend this haunting and thought-provoking novel with Ishiguro's excellent writing.

I read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.

I read The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa. It was a quick, charming read, narrated primarily from the perspective of the cat, Nana. I don't usually gravitate to books about or from the point of view of an animal or pet, but I enjoyed this one. Warning: It made me teary at the end.

I read Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam. I recommend it!

Kristen wrote: "I read Interpreter of Maladies, by Jhumpa Lahiri. Recommended to me by the Book Chat librarian! But I'd already read another one of her recommendations for that category." I am so happy you picked this one! I hope you enjoyed it.

I read Sh*t Actually by Lindy West. Snarky, entertaining, and fast-paced. West's movie reviews are delightful and made me laugh out loud. I even enjoyed the chapters about movies I hadn't seen. Thanks for the recommendation, Katie!

I reread The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is still amazing!

I read The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treur.

I read The Aosawa Murders by Riku Onda. This book is written primarily in the form of interviews. It's a nonlinear mystery with a really twisty plot. If you read it, let me know what you think of the end!