|
Post by woolworker on Oct 16, 2021 18:32:39 GMT
I have been off the boards for awhile, just too busy! We spent a nice weekend on Monhegan Island, off the coast of Maine. We took a ferry from Port Clyde and had just a fabulous weekend, such a beautiful place and one we return to every couple of years for a getaway. There were LOTS of readers on the island Columbus Day weekend so we both got lots of good book ideas. I read The Last of Her Kind by Sigred Nunez. It follows the lives of two college roommates, one a poor black girl and the other a privileged white girl. The book takes place during the 1960s and protest, confusion and fragmentation are at the center of the story. There were parts that dragged a bit but this was an excellent book. The last third of the book is particularly intriguing. I picked the book up at the library book sale where I volunteer once a week. A dear friend of mine (aka slow walker) gave me The Good Friend by Nunez and said it was one of the best books she's ever read. It won the National Book Award but I haven't read it yet.
|
|
|
Post by woolworker on Oct 16, 2021 18:37:51 GMT
It's me again. My current EXCELLENT read is Downeast by Gigi Georges. The subtitle is: Five Maine Girls and the Unseen Story of Rural America. This review in the Portland Press Herald will sell you on this remarkable book: www.pressherald.com/2021/08/15/author-tells-an-upbeat-story-about-girls-down-east/I've been dipping into other books here and there, but these two are the best I've read recently that I think others might enjoy.
|
|
|
Post by conniej on Oct 16, 2021 20:16:27 GMT
Since I didn't know where Down East was I had to look this book up that Ann mentioned. First of all , miss your posts and this book looks like one I will enjoy , so will check it out either at library or buy it at Amazon. I am hooked!!!
Downeast by Gigi Georges
Nestled in Maine’s far northeast corner, Washington County sits an hour’s drive from the heart of famed and bustling Acadia National Park. Yet it’s a world away. For Willow, Vivian, Mckenna, Audrey, and Josie—five teenage girls caught between tradition and transformation in this remote region—it is home. Downeast follows their journeys of heartbreak and hope in uncertain times, creating a nuanced and unique portrait of rural America with women at its center.
Willow lives in the shadow of an abusive, drug-addicted father and searches for stability through photography and love. Vivian, a gifted writer, feels stifled by her church and town, and struggles to break free without severing family ties. Mckenna is a softball pitching phenom whose passion is the lobster-fishing she learned at her father’s knee. Audrey is a beloved high school basketball star who earns a coveted college scholarship but questions her chosen path. Josie, a Yale-bound valedictorian, is determined to take the world by storm.
All five girls know the pain and joy of life in a region whose rugged beauty and stoicism mask dwindling populations, vanishing job opportunities, and pervasive opioid addiction. As the girls reach adulthood, they discover that despite significant challenges, there is much to celebrate in “the valley of the overlooked.” Their stories remind us of the value of timeless ideals: strength of family and community, reverence for nature’s rule, dignity in cracked hands and muddied shoes, and the enduring power of home.
|
|
|
Post by conniej on Oct 16, 2021 20:19:13 GMT
|
|
|
Post by woolworker on Oct 17, 2021 0:57:21 GMT
Thanks for posting the summary, Connie! I do think you would love this book. I'm going up to bed to read more of it right now!
Good evening, all.
|
|
|
Post by Gail in SC on Oct 17, 2021 4:33:02 GMT
I finished THE GOOD SISTER by Sally Hepworth and enjoyed it. Thank you, Ruth.
Those books both sound good, Ann.. I'm ready for another and will look for them. I've missed you on the board. Acadia is a special place. I was just looking at photos of Mort and me there and reminiscing.
|
|
|
Post by Gail in SC on Oct 18, 2021 1:40:13 GMT
Just started listening to Louise Penny's THE MADNESS OF CROWDS, her latest. I couldn't wait for the library to get it in. Wow! So relevant to today.
|
|
|
Post by geritru on Oct 18, 2021 9:42:17 GMT
Connie, Thanks for posting the description of DOWNEAST that Ann recommended. I just reserved it at the library.
I am currently reading THE GODMOTHERS. THE GODMOTHERS is a novel about four remarkable women from very different backgrounds who are united by marriage in an elegant, prosperous Italian family, and then must take charge of the family’s business when their husbands are forced to leave them during World War II. The story takes place in the 1930s, 40s and 50s.
|
|
|
Post by woolworker on Oct 18, 2021 13:27:58 GMT
I heard Louise Penny and Hillary R Clinton interviewed on NPR. I think you can access the interview on the NPR website. They were great together. I would love to listen to that book. I dropped my subscription to audible so am going to encourage our library to get it on CD. This is my day to volunteer at the library so I will put that on my wish list.
My granddaughters were home this weekend and everyone was here on Sunday for dinner and some beach time. The granddaughter who journals about books with me and I had a great walk and talk. She is taking ethics from a Muslim teacher at her school...SOOOOOO interesting to hear her share that experience. She brought with her a book of essays her teacher recommended: Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self Delusion by Jia Tolentino. One of the essays is on the Barre program. My GD has two aunts who teach Barre, one of them owns her own studio. I've ordered the book through Thriftbooks, I'll keep you posted on this one. I'm off to work my shift at the library. I'll keep my eye out for good books!
|
|