April is over and now we're into the first weekend of May. The heat and humidity are inching higher as we close in on the rainy season. I'm trying to walk either earlier in the morning or later in the evening.
April turned out to be a good month for reading - another month with extra time at home with (or waiting for!) contractors. I read four novels, including one classic, plus a short story collection.
BOOKS READ IN APRIL
classic novel, ⭐⭐⭐
James by Percival Everett
literary fiction, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ladies' Lunch: and Other Stories by Lore Segal
short story collection, ⭐⭐⭐💫
Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier
mystery/thriller, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Absolution by Alice McDermott
literary fiction, ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
MAY READING POSSIBILITIES
Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
classic novel, currently reading
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
nonfiction/history, long-term summer read
There There by Tommy Orange
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (reread)
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Also in May//
Our time in Florida is winding down. The contractor has another week and a half to finish up.... we'll see what happens. Reservations have been made for the drive north. We'll see friends in Beaufort, SC and my cousin in Chapel Hill, and arrive in CT ahead of the Memorial Day weekend.
My May reading list is optimistic, to say the least. I don't read much while we're traveling and my focus is usually elsewhere as we pack and prepare for the trip, but it never hurts to have a plan!
What was your favorite April book? Do you have any special plans for May?
My favorite book for April was Absolution closely follwoed by The Road to Dalton. It was a blast reading with you. I am going to see which book in the two stacks grabs me for May. Just finished The Great Divide whihc had potential but I think too many story lines to keep up with.
ReplyDeleteThe Plot was good although I liked her book The Latecomer more. Thanks for suggesting that author to me!
Have a safe trip to CT and I look forward to your updates.
Tina - Both of those books are excellent! Hmm, sounds like The Great Divide may have a little too much going on for me, too. My sister also preferred The Latecomer to The Plot, so we'll see how it goes. Either way, I'm looking forward to reading it!
DeleteWe have several trips on the agenda for May, plus my daughter moving back in now that she is finished with college. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteCindy - Oh, I remember the days of moving everybody in and out of college. So glad I had a minivan then, lol! Hope your week is off to a good start.
DeleteHello from the other side of the Gulf! Things are ramping up for another unbearable summer over here, too — I'm also still trying to enjoy outdoor walks while I can. I hope you enjoy your escape to a kinder summer climate! Fingers crossed those contractors can get things wrapped up on time.
ReplyDelete'Death Comes for the Archbishop' is also on my to-read list. I look forward to seeing what you think about it!
looloolooweez - Waving at you across the gulf! I didn't make it out early enough this morning, so I'll be walking later on this evening today... with an audiobook, of course. The writing in Death Comes for the Archbishop is really good, but the pace seems slower than some of Cather's other novels. We'll see...
DeleteInterestingly, someone in my book group recommended that Lore Segal collection. I got it from the library but had not got around to reading it before it was due. I wasn't sure if she simply thought I would like it or thought the group should read it. I thought Absolution sounded like a better choice for the group as soon as it is my turn again. Short stories can be hard to discuss.
ReplyDeleteHope your drive back north goes well. I went to Duke so wave to my school as you pass through on 85 . . .
CLM - The Lore Segal collection is very good, but more depressing than expected. Choose your reading time wisely! Absolution would be a good reading group choice. I'll definitely wave at Duke... we're going to try to visit their rose garden while we're there. My future son-in-law is a Duke grad, as well as my cousin's son, and sister-in-law.
DeleteChiming in for Duke. My uncle (Rick Searles) taught botany at Duke for many, many years.
DeleteLes - I deleted your previous comment by mistake and blooger won't let me retrieve it! I'll copy and paste here:
DeleteThat photo at the top of this post (not your header) looks like an oil painting. Absolutely gorgeous!
What a difference our climates are. We are still in the 50s, but we may start to see temps in the upper 60s by the end of the week. :)
You have some good books on your list for May. I loved that Cather book, but I read for a Great Plains Lit class, so I may have gotten more out of it due to the discussions. Not sure what I would have thought had I read it simply for pleasure. Doris Kearns Goodwin is a great nonfiction writer, and I loved Wait Til Next Year. I have No Ordinary Time on my shelf, but I've started and stopped it a few times, but can't seem to stick with it. I wonder how you'll like Team of Rivals. There There is on my list... Loved The Plot and Rules of Civility.
Your time in Florida flew, didn't it? Nice that you can visit friends and family on your drive north. I have cousins in Durham, but have never been to Chapel Hill.
My favorite book in April was Demon Copperhead, although Still Life was also outstanding.
Enjoy the remaining days at the beach!
Adding an update to my comment... I just spotted a new book by Doris Kearns Goodwin titled An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960. This sounds like it could hold my interest since it's more of a biography/memoir.
DeleteLes - I finished the Cather book yesterday... such beautiful, descriptive writing, but much slower paced than her other books I've read. Would have loved the opportunity to discuss this in a class. I've enjoyed googling the main characters. We will be staying across the street from the Cathedral when we go Santa Fe for my nephew's wedding.
DeleteI agree Goodwin is a great nonfiction writer. We read No Ordinary Time years ago as part of a short-lived couples nonfiction book club and WaitTil Next Year has been on my tbr list for ages. I started reading Team of Rivals for a half hour in the morning and her storytelling skills keep me turning the pages. Her new book sounds good, too!
I ended up reading a couple chapters of The Plot this afternoon. Think I'm going to enjoy it!
Good luck with the trip home!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mae!
DeleteHope everything gets sorted before you need to start travelling home!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marg. They were here briefly this morning, but didn't get an awful lot done...
DeleteDeath Comes for the Archbishop is so good. That reminds me I want to read more Cather. As for May, I've piled lots of books onto my Kindle for our upcoming--squee!--cruise to Alaska. Hope to get lots of reading done in between shore excursions!
ReplyDeleteAmy - Cather's writing is beautiful, but the pace is a little more meandering than some of her other books... I'm enjoying it though. An Alaska cruise sounds amazing!! I'd love to do that one day... hope you enjoy every minute!
DeleteGood luck with the trip home.
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
Anonymous - Thank youQ
DeleteAbsolution is on my radar since it is coming up when the potential Pulitzer Prize winners are discussed. What did you think of it?
ReplyDeleteAnne - I though Absolution was excellent - 4.5 stars for me. I wrote about it briefly in last week's Sunday Salon:
Deletehttps://lakesidemusing.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-sunday-salon-april-28-2024.html
Coincidentally, I finished up both The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Absolution this morning. Absolution is one I'll remember for a long time for a lot of reasons, including how naive Tricia was about being an American living in a foreign country...reminded me about my own misplaced feeling of security when traveling alone in iffy places. I hope that reading Huck Finn makes James a more meaningful book for me. Is it basically the same plot, but through Jim's eyes? I'll be waiting a while longer for it because the library line is moving slowly.
ReplyDeleteSam - Rereading Huck Finn was a chore, but it certainly made James more meaningful and impactful for me. I think it also increased my appreciation of what Percival Everett has accomplished. The beginning of the book sticks pretty closely to Twain's plot, but he makes some pretty bold plot changes later. It all really worked for me!
DeleteMy book group just didn't choose James last night and I was a bit disappointed. Seeing that you rated it 5 stars means it is definitely going on my list to read!
ReplyDeleteHelen - I was pretty impressed with James overall. Too bad your group didn't choose it, but am glad you'll give it a try anyway.
DeleteMy brother, a reader I greatly respect, loved Team of Rivals. But the length is intimidating!
ReplyDeleteAbsolution comes in for me this week at the library. I do hope I get a chance to read it before I have to return it. The latest Erik Larson book is also arriving this week.
Deb - I've started reading Team of Rivals for about half an hour in the morning and am surprised by how readable it is. Goodwin is an excellent storyteller! Hope you get a chance to read Absolution. I'll be interested to hear how you like the Erik Larson, too.
DeleteIt seems like you'll have a really busy summer with all the weddings and everything. Will you be able to come up for air?! I'm glad you liked the James novel. My sister thought it was great too. I plan to get to it maybe by June. I agree with you on Huck Finn - some parts of it were just slow going and a bit annoying. I liked it 3 stars too.
ReplyDeleteSusan - It seems like there has been so much going on for the last 18 months or so. I'm hoping to hibernate for about a month after our daughter's wedding in September, lol! Hope you get a chance to try James this summer.
DeleteI am a big fan of Doris Kearns Goodwin and read Team of Rivals quite awhile ago. I thought it was fascinating and since I am currently binging on the Civil War, I may reread it. Eager to hear what you think of it.
ReplyDeleteI also read Death Comes for the Archbishop forever ago--maybe 30 years--but I do really like Cather and need to reread it.
I also want to read Rules of Civility soon. I was going to say May, but May is flying by!
Happy May!
Jane - I read Goodwin's No Ordinary Time years ago and thought it was excellent. Her baseball book has been on my list for some time, and Team of Rivals is excellent so far! I'm reading a little bit each morning, so it will take a couple of months but I do look forward to spending time with it each day. Erik Larson's new book, The Demon of Unrest, zeros in on the same time period... Lincoln's election through Fort Sumter. Sounds like another winner!
DeleteDeath Comes for the Archbishop was a beautiful book. It seemed slower than the other Cather novels I've read, but well worth a read.
Rules of Civility was a favorite back in 2016. Hope it will be just as good this time around!
The weather here has been very nice. Our air conditioner kicked on the other day though--the heat is definitely on its way. I am so glad you enjoyed James. I keep hearing good things about it. I hope the contractors are able to get done what they need to before you have to leave. Have a great rest of the week, JoAnn!
ReplyDeleteWendy - The heat is ramping up here, too... I'm almost ready to head north! I'm resigning myself to not getting everything done before we leave, but I'll return with a punch list! Hope you've had a good week :)
DeleteI hope the contractor gets everything done that you want done before you head north! That beach picture is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteFavorite April book - History of Loneliness
Special plans for May - I've decided that as soon as the floor is refinished, I can buy a bicycle so hopefully I'll be tooling around on my bike when I'm on Staycation the last week of May.
Jinjer - Almost everything is done! A few small jobs are left, but I'm okay waiting until we get back for those. I just downloaded a kindle sample of History of Loneliness - probably won't get to read the whole book this month, but that might make me get it sooner rather than later. Yay - you're going to get a bike!! Enjoy!
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