Comments on: Books read in April 2018

By: Megan

Megan — Mon, 21 May 2018 16:49:59 +0000

I am currently reading, A Time to Creep, a Time to Soar. Lessons Learned for work and life from Climbing Kilimanjaro, by Nina Spencer.
So good. Quick read and love that the author is also from Ontario, Canada 🙂
Love your blog Laura!

By: Anne

Anne — Thu, 03 May 2018 15:56:05 +0000

In reply to Laura Vanderkam. Agreed! And well said.

By: Laura Vanderkam

Laura Vanderkam — Thu, 03 May 2018 13:46:14 +0000

In reply to ErinH.

@ErinH – thanks! Glad you’re enjoying the podcast. And yes, readers can have very different tastes. One of the reasons I always like Modern Mrs Darcy’s reviews is that I can tell whether I’m going to like the book or not from her descriptions. Sometimes I read the description and think “definitely not for me.” And that’s good to know!

By: Kathy Johnson

Kathy Johnson — Thu, 03 May 2018 12:03:21 +0000

I also really enjoy your book reviews, and have added books to my ever-growing TBR list after reading them. I loved Goodbye Vitamin (the only book on this list that I’ve read), and also Crossing to Safety, much of which I read while waiting for jury duty a few years back!

My son is an adult now, and I struggled with what I now see as an artificial work vs. home situation, but as a freelancer I was able to keep working from home and bring in a little money while my son was younger. I wish I’d had Ambition Redefined to read back then, as it sounds like a book that would have helped clarify things for me.

By: ErinH

ErinH — Thu, 03 May 2018 02:51:41 +0000

Love reading the book reviews – you and I have very different taste in books but I am always interested to hear the opinion of another reader.
I am a recent follower (shout out to the podcast!).

By: Laura Vanderkam

Laura Vanderkam — Thu, 03 May 2018 00:11:40 +0000

In reply to Harmony@CreatingMyKaleidoscope.

@Harmony- so I do get sent a lot of books – one of the upsides of writing about them, and writing for various places over the years! So the advance copies were all sent to me. I owned Ulysses from back in the day. I purchased The Spectator Bird in paperback. I read Goodbye Vitamin on Kindle. I was weighing if I wanted to read it, but when I clicked over from Modern Mrs. Darcy, there was a Kindle deal and it was only $2.99! So for that, it’s an impulse purchase. And I did enjoy it. I do have a huge stack of books in my house. I need to start getting rid of some of them. Maybe I’ll do some giveaways…

By: Laura Vanderkam

Laura Vanderkam — Thu, 03 May 2018 00:09:39 +0000

In reply to EB.

@EB – I find Stegner slow too. At least at the beginning. Then there is this tipping point where I get into the books and the pages just fall away. I’m kind of still working on that with Angle of Repose, but I’m only 125 pages in.

By: EB

EB — Wed, 02 May 2018 21:12:32 +0000

In reply to EB. I do aim to read War and Peace and something by Virginia Woolf based on your reviews though.

By: EB

EB — Wed, 02 May 2018 21:07:10 +0000

I definitely enjoy your book reviews and think the number of them is just right–once a month. IfAnd, yes, thank you for your suggestions. I’ve taken a few suggestions off your list and have come to the conclusion that I may have different tastes, but enjoy these reviews nonetheless. I’ve read Gilead and Home by Marilynne Robinson (enjoyed those), Age of Innocence (enjoyed for the historical commentary aspect, but otherwise wanted to throw it against the wall), Hourglass (nope), and Stegner’s Crossing to Safety (which while well-written, I found slow which pains me to say as I know everyone loves him). I think I’m simply interested in more “poppy” books that are faster paced reads where I can’t put the book down. Fredrik Backman may be my most favorite author to read right now–loved A Man Called Ove and Beartown. I’d put any book by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling’s pen name) and Paula Hawkins (Girl on a Train and Into the Water) in this pop-fiction, suspenseful, can’t-put-the-book down category. Also really liked Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie which is a more thoughtful, longer read.

By: Harmony@CreatingMyKaleidoscope

Harmony@CreatingMyKaleidoscope — Wed, 02 May 2018 20:38:17 +0000

Thanks for introducing me to these titles – a few of them are definitely headed to my to-read list. Right now, of course, I just can’t wait to dive into Off The Clock!

Question: You read so many books. Do you buy them? As you mention advance reader books above, I imagine you receive a number of them for free. Do you keep them all when you’re done reading with them? Do you have a library in your home, stacked full of books? Just curious 🙂