A group of us got together to share what we're reading and what are some of our favorites that we've read in the past year. I thought I'd share the books that were mentioned with all of you.
The Nix by Nathan Hill, it's been compared to The Goldfinch, John Irving and Jonathan Franzen.
Barkskins by Annie Proulx, many of us agreed on the recommendation of this one. an epic tale with the world's forests as the primary character. It's a big book but well worth the read.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, another one that many of us recommended and also another big book. This sparked a discussion of whether a book is depressing or hopeful.
The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli, another one from book club that many of us highly recommended. This lead us into a discussion of other books about Vietnam such as
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (don't be scared away by the strange format, I feel it's definitely worth sticking with. You might even consider the audiobook with several well known actors narrating.) We did agree that George Saunders is a little quirky and not necessarily everyone's cup of tea.
Also two of Dennis Lehane's novels, Mystic River and The Given Day (which we read in book club and agreed the movie about this series was not worth your time)
These last two books have local connections, both set in Oceanside with authors from Oceanside, although a century apart. Rain of Gold by Victor Villaseñor and The Mothers by Brit Bennett, (this is one some of us had read for book club and enjoyed quite a bit.)
I hope you find some books that interest you. Next month we'll be discussing our favorite authors and I'll be sure to post here and let you know who we like.