Hope everyone is staying safe out there and catching up on lots of reading!
I live in the Bay Area, and we’re all under a Shelter-at-Home order right now, so things are quiet around these parts and social life is more or less non-existent. I’m sure you’ve all seen the many introvert memes out there about how this is “our time” (if not, twitter has plenty for you to peruse), but honestly even for an introvert, I feel a bit stir-crazy.
I’m looking forward to when things normalize a little, because I found a really delightful local book club to be a part of in Oakland just before the Shelter-at-Home policy started! We met at a cozy wine bar downtown and discussed Elizabeth’s Gilbert’s City of Girls for the first meeting. There were about 15 ladies present, and everyone had lots of great insights about the book. We’re not meeting right now, but I’ll definitely be going back when the time comes!
At any rate, see below for what’s on my reading list while Sheltering-at-Home. How are you guys faring during these strange times? I’m so grateful for my dog right now. Any books you’re planning on reading?
What It's About: From the award-winning author of Station Eleven, a captivating novel of money, beauty, white-collar crime, ghosts, and moral compromise in which a woman disappears from a container ship off the coast of Mauritania and a massive Ponzi scheme implodes in New York, dragging countless fortunes with it.
Vincent is a bartender at the Hotel Caiette, a five-star glass and cedar palace on an island in British Columbia...Publication Date: March 24, 2020
What It's About: A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.
Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living showing other women how to do the same...Publication Date: December 31, 2019
What It's About: The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake and The Devil in the White City delivers a startlingly fresh portrait of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz
On Winston Churchill's first day as prime minister, Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away...Publication Date: February 25, 2020
What It's About: In THE POWER, the world is a recognizable place: there's a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But then a vital new force takes root and flourishes, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect...Publication Date: January 8, 2019
What It's About: In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of a father and son caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.
After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal...Publication Date: August 20, 2019
These all sound like great books! I’ve read Such a Fun Age and it gave me a lot to think about. And I thoroughly enjoyed City of Girls, which was surprising, considering I didn’t like Eat, Pray, Love. Hope you take care there.
glad to hear you liked Such a Fun Age. I like parts of City of Girls and had some critiques of it as well, but it was definitely made for a good book club discussion. I think I came out of the discussion appreciating the book more than I did before. Hope you take care as well!
Nice list!
thank you! and hope all is well with you! :)
Such A Fun Age and Station Eleven are two I’m determined to finish by the end of lockdown !
Susan Books Etc
I’ve enjoyed Erik Larson in the past so I’m excited to learn from you that he has a new book out.
I belong to an online book club, so for us it was really the same this month. We read the book and then discussed it in our Facebook group. I also found another one that is having online discussions – it would normally be too far for me, but as it’s online, I can take part now. Stay safe and hope you can enjoy the book club when you are able to meet again.