Pamfrommd > Recent Status Updates

I just finished the chapter called Helped. Powerful. Affecting me so much. Strout is a great writer.

Wow is this an interesting book! Too bad the first author died suddenly, too young, just after publication. Creative thinker.

I'm not sure I believe everything in this book, which puts me in a minority position I suspect. It got glowing reviews when first published. But the medical stories -- in particular the number of times she reports seeing brain matter coming out of the skulls of family members who not only survived with minimal traditional medical treatment but suffered no apparent permanent injuries -- strains credulity.

Not chortle-out-loud funny but close enough. I've got several more of his novels to read. Pleasant way to pass a few hours.

So far I love this book. I’ve had no particular feelings about her cause one way or the other over the years but her story/stories are compelling. A family member of mine,same age as Chelsea,has recently become a trans woman (is that the proper way to say that?) so I have that interest in Chelsea’s story.
The writing is very good, and her intelligence shines through every page.

I'm reading 10 pg each morning before getting out of bed; it's working perfectly. Like not buying green bananas, I don't read colossally big books, which made me sad the other day until I read about a group of readers who read 20 pg/day of War/Peace & discuss it online daily. That inspired me. I can continue reading other fiction and nonfiction during the day & night but those 15 AM mins for London are sacrosanct.

Finally! A book I'm engrossed in. My reading has suffered so much since c-virus came along. (Will I find another engrossing book to start after I finish this one?)
Very odd book. Called nonfiction, but is really a novelization of one man's life. At least so far. Fascinating look into Irish adoption practices in the mid 20th century, then a look into a mostly closeted gay man living in DC (my town) in the mid 70s.

This is perfect for my very late night reading when I just want to fall asleep. Easy to read, easy to digest, easy to forget by the next morning. Better than ambien.

Uh oh. I’m getting a little bored. Love the writing but there’s no plot. Are endless dinners and dinner time chatter enough for me? Maybe not. But the book gets so many 5-star reviews!

Enjoying this book a lot so far.

I'm on page 130 and hope to polish this off tonight. It's about 10% plot, 10% introduction of new characters, and 80% descriptions of food, homes, clothing, hair/makeup, and jewelry. After scanning the 1-star reviews on Amazon, I decided that I can just skim it, keep up with the plot twists such as they are, and move on. If it was funny or witty I might not feel this way. But that's me.

Am I going to stop reading this novel because of one sentence? Maybe.

"She copied her favorite poems into a beat-up notebook...when she finally allowed him to reAd some of them, he was speechless. HE WANTED TO TWINE HIMSELF IN THE TINY CURLICUES OF HER HANDWRITING."

As a holiday gift to myself I picked up this potboiler and was immediately pulled in. (I needed a break from the novel "them" by Joyce Carol Oates, a well written but very depressing novel that I'll get back to later.) And I fully understand the irony of thinking that a book about hurricanes wiping out tall buildings in south FL is less depressing than a family saga set in Detroit in the mid-20th century.

I'm 1/4 into this book and have a feeling I'm going to be disappointed when I learn, if I learn, what happened at that BBQ. But I'll soldier on. It's an easy read.

A very silly book. But you can easily skim along when the author goes on and on with ornate descriptions. I almost gave up but am glad I pushed past the first third, which takes place in Britain. When F and F (Charles &. Diana) arrive in Cherry Hill, NJ, things pick up. It reminds me a little of two Woody Allen movies smashed up: Broadway Danny Rose and Sleeper.

I knew going in that P.Highsmith was one true oddball. I'd forgotten that she kept snails for pets. And one time took some with her to a party (in her bra) so she would have someone to talk to.

I usually write comments only after I finish book but this book isn't typical. It's very readable and well-written but it's a little bodice-rippery which is off-putting. So many people give it 1 star and I'm overly influenced by that (not proud of that). BUT, I read Goolrick's memoir recently & I think his life story explains a lot. Jury is still out.