Book Nook Cafe discussion

I'm intending this one as 12 categories over six months (through June) to clear out my TBR pile. These are posted in the order of random selection from a few lists, not necessarily the order in which they'll be read...

1) Memoir ✅
Wishful Drinking

2) Crime Novel ✅
The Murderer in Ruins

3) Female author with male main character ✅
High as the Waters Rise

4) Author under 30 ✅
Broken Glass Park

5) Award winner ✅
Down to the Sea in Ships: Of Ageless Oceans and Modern Men

6) Young Adult ✅
Second Dad Summer

7) Navy blue cover ✅

Indigo: In Search of the Color That Seduced the World


8) Pink cover ✅
Portraits and Observations


9) Chosen based on its cover ✅
The Scorpion-Fish


10) Historical memoir ✅
The Memory Chalet

11) Book set on a different continent ✅
The Front Seat Passenger

12) Based on a true story ✅
Courting Mr. Lincoln

Neat categories, John. Cover color should make for quite the decision making.

I have one pink book on my TBR! The one I plan to use based on my liking the cover is, of course, subjective. Historical memoir is kind of odd, but I think the one I have in mind qualifies.

Love your Determination List ! I'm looking forward to seeing your selections unfold. Good luck !

Category #2 (crime novel)
The Murderer in Ruins ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

(great deal @ $2.99!)

Interesting, John. Occasionally i'll see a movie set in post-war Germany or England, which is set in the '50s and am again impressed by how long recovery took. I'm reading one of your 2020 favorites, Rachel Joyce's Miss Benson's Beetle: A Novel, set mostly in 1950. Reading British characters stationed in New Caledonia, mentioning what they don't miss about the UK (continued rationing, the bombed out buildings that still stood, etc.) reminds readers once again.

ANYway, this sounds like something i might like to read. We don't often find books about those post-war years, let alone mysteries.

madrano wrote: "Interesting, John. Occasionally i'll see a movie set in post-war Germany or England, which is set in the '50s and am again impressed by how long recovery took. I'm reading one of your 2020 favorite..."

As I mentioned in the review, the mystery angle is in background enough that it could be seen as straight-up historical fiction. Glad you're enjoying Miss Benson!

My e-library had a copy immediately available, so i'm going to give it a whirl. Of course i have to finish other books which have a sooner due date.

Finished Benson today. My dad was stationed in New Caledonia during WWII, so the idea of the book held a special place for me. The story carried me all the way. I'm amazed how quickly i read it.

John wrote: "Category #2 (crime novel)
The Murderer in Ruins ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

(great deal @ $2.99!)"

I am not normally into murder mystery novels, but this one does sound interesting. Thanks !

Category #8 (pink cover)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

He was such a talented writer--observant, clear and direct. His gossiping was disappointing to me, as that's not something i like hearing, but that's about all the negative i can say about him. Other than, of course, if he'd socialized less & wrote more, we'd have fuller, better libraries! That's just selfish me talking, though. :-)

madrano wrote: "He was such a talented writer--observant, clear and direct. His gossiping was disappointing to me, as that's not something i like hearing, but that's about all the negative i can say about him. Oth..."

I'm going to do a bit of a "humblebrag" on the gossiping. There's an essay in which he mentioned the Manhattan ladies whom he likes to hang with the most... one of them seemed like a familiar name, so I checked with my mother. Turns out I was right that she was an acquaintance of my folks back in my distant childhood, so I had met her a few times as a kid. (Louise Melhado, a unique enough name though hardly famous.)

John wrote: "Category #8 (pink cover)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Loved your review. I've added it to my TBR list. Thank you.

John wrote: "I'm going to do a bit of a "humblebrag" on the gossiping. There's an essay in which he mentioned the Manhattan ladies whom he likes to hang with the most....."

:) Very cool.

Alias Reader wrote: "John wrote: "Category #8 (pink cover)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

..."

I had you in mind regarding the New York based essays!

John wrote: "I'm going to do a bit of a "humblebrag" on the gossiping..."

"Humblebrag" is clever. Neat about your connection to the woman. I get a thrill when one author mentions another author i like. I cannot imagine the fun in this recognition, John.

Category #1 (memoir)
⭐⭐⭐

My review of Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

John, i think your final comment says it all. Perhaps this will be one for archives, a taste of the woman/actor, for future generations. I appreciate that you got back to us on this one.

Category #5 (award winner)

Down to the Sea in Ships: Of Ageless Oceans and Modern Men which won the 2015 Edward Stanton travel writing award. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Sold! When we travel on cruise ships, we cross paths with container ships & wonder what it's like aboard them. Of course, as i read Two Years Before the Mast: A Sailor's Life at Sea, i again found myself wondering how it contrasts to today.

As it happens Richard Henry Dana Jr. sailed with two different ships, one a Temperance vessel, the other not. So the idea that today's ships have a no-liquor policy is interesting. Dana seemed to think booze could serve as a motivating factor when things were dire.

Thanks, John.

madrano wrote: "Sold! When we travel on cruise ships, we cross paths with container ships & wonder what it's like aboard them. Of course, as i read Two Years Before the Mast: A Sailor's Life at Sea, ..."

I think you'd appreciate the background information provided here, beyond the container life direct observations.

Booze ban I believe had to do with fights, as well as accident risk.

Fights--makes sense. Again, thanks.

Category #4 (author under 30)

Broken Glass Park by Alina Bronsky

My ⭐⭐⭐ review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

John, it says much that you want to read more by Bronsky. I can understand what you mean about not necessarily enjoying the "adventures". Sometimes i feel that way when reading books by younger authors, too. I suspect some writers set the reader up better than others do, so my own tolerant pleasure is determined by their "intro", so to speak. I'll keep an eye open for that author's name, though.

Congratulations on another Determination list book read, John.

I, too, find I am not the target audience for many books that are selected for celebrity book clubs. The celebrities are younger than I am. Still, I follow many YouTube book recommendations and book clubs as I often find gems that I would have never read on my own.

I had no idea there were YouTube book recs. This group supplies me with plenty, but how many of those are from other book groups? I don't know but i thank folks here for doing my leg work, so to speak.

madrano wrote: "I had no idea there were YouTube book recs. This group supplies me with plenty, but how many of those are from other book groups? I don't know but i thank folks here for doing my leg work, so to sp..."

They are called BookTubers.

LOL--instead of couch potatoes? Love it! I appreciate the name of the group. I'll have to seek them out.

madrano wrote: "LOL--instead of couch potatoes? Love it! I appreciate the name of the group. I'll have to seek them out."

It's just a general heading where you can search for people who review books, talk about books and do book challenges.

Thanks.

Category #12 (based on a true story)

Courting Mr. Lincoln ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Interesting review, John. I'm intrigued but not quite enough.

What i will state is that many Victorians (and many who were on both sides of that era), wrote in ways which indicate a sexual nature but which i find difficult to believe. An example would be Emily Dickinson. I've forgotten the title but one author concluded, after reading & researching letters between Emily & her sister-in-law, that they were lovers. From what i read, it seemed more sisterly love. I suppose we all have our own "ears" for letters.

I appreciate your candor in sharing that others didn't finish the book. It helps balance things, imo.

John wrote: "Category #12 (based on a true story)

Courting Mr. Lincoln ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Interesting review. I've never read that Lincoln and Speed had a romantic relationship. I tend to think this was not the case.

~ From Wiki
Although attribution of homosexuality would have been damaging, no accusations by his many political opponents during the lifetime of Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) are known to have been made. A comical poem he wrote about two men marrying was expurgated from later editions of the first Lincoln biography. Activist proponents of the view Lincoln was gay have regarded a sleeping arrangement with Joshua Fry Speed when both were bachelors as evidence. Mainstream historians point to Lincoln having openly alluded to it as showing that men sharing a bed was common and carried no implications in Lincoln's era. The proven facts of Lincoln's sex life are that he had four children with Mary Todd in an enduring marriage.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexuali...

Category #7 (navy blue cover)

Indigo: In Search of the Color That Seduced the World ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I like when authors write books centering on one item--one learns so much. In this case, it seems an odd choice but your review corrects my thoughts. When we were in Charleston, SC, we visited the Charles Pinckney Plantation (https://www.nps.gov/chpi/planyourvisi... ), where they highlighted indigo as a crop. It was my introduction to the plant and the products produced.

The guides stressed how labor-intensive indigo was. Also mentioned heavily was that some from Africa knew better ways to work with the crop because their tribes raised & used the plant. Interesting facts.

Thanks for the title, John. I like that you selected the color itself for that category's title.

Category #3: female author with main male character

High as the Waters Rise ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Interesting comments, John. It seems you have solid questions. Could it have been something about the translation? The only "solution" i would hazard to guess is that this is the first in a series, the blanks/questions to be filled in later. Which truly seems unfair to the reader.

Your observation about a similarity in styling to Robinson led me to adding the book to my TBR, although i don't know when i will find the time. Additionally, there seem to be several different nations visited, which appeals to me, as well.

madrano wrote: "Interesting comments, John. It seems you have solid questions. Could it have been something about the translation? The only "solution" i would hazard to guess is that this is the first in a series,..."

Thank you for your comments. I very much doubt there'd be a sequel. As far as I recall, the locations include Morocco, Egypt, Italy, Germany, Hungary and Poland.

Category #10: historical memoir

The Memory Chalet by Tony Judt ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

That was a nice comprehensive review, john. Thank you !

Really nice review. I'm not familiar with him, so had to check with Wiki. Thanks for the introduction, John.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Judt

Category #6: Young Adult
Second Dad Summer

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Good review, John, particularly with your specific issues with it. Sometimes when reading about a group with which i'm unfamiliar i feel there is a modicum of "teaching" but generally i don't mind, as it helps me. What i mind is when topics such as pronouns are still changing, as it is now.

This is as timely as last week when my brother read an online article by a transgender person who used the pronoun "they". This was news to the three of us to whom he was sharing. I'd heard it before but in this case it served to confuse, rather than "educate".

This is the sort of book that i would read when i saw that one of my kids was reading. Partly i wanted to know what was presented to them, the other part of me wanted to be better informed, too. Overall, it sounds as though the Klas novel did that. Many parents could use it as a jumping off topic for a larger conversation, which would be neat.

Thanks, again, John.

Thanks for your considerable input - much appreciated!

madrano wrote: "Good review, John, particularly with your specific issues with it. Sometimes when reading about a group with which i'm unfamiliar i feel there is a modicum of "teaching" but generally i don't mind,..."

I don't mind teaching but it's a fine line to preaching. When you cross that line many stop listening.

This sounds like a wonderful book for kids. I think when a young person also reads things like this, it can help them feel not so alone or weird.

As the famous quote says,

We read to know we are not alone,’ – the character of C.S. Lewis says this line in William Nicholson’s play, Shadowlands.

Thanks, Alias. Comments greatly appreciated!

Alias Reader wrote: "I don't mind teaching but it's a fine line to preaching. When you cross that line many stop listening. ..."

Or just stop reading that author, in my case.

Category #9: chosen for its cover

The Scorpion-Fish


My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

John wrote: "Category #9: chosen for its cover

The Scorpion-Fish


My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......"

Fun cover ! However, when I read "magical realism" I run the other way. :)

I can see why the cover drew you in, John. I’m not drawn to magical realism or the tropics yet his situation tickles my pleasure.