Flipping pages on a Friday…four reads

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 I like to read books that there’s a lot of  🐝 buzz 🐝  about. There’s typically a long wait list, so when they come in I dive right in. Here’s the hyped list that I have read this year.

I thought I would love this book since I love dictionaries and word play. Despite the great reviews I had a hard time getting into the book and the characters. In the end, there were just too many words for me. On the plus side, it made me think more about language, the origin and obsolescence of words.

I was on the waitlist for a long time for this one and had high expectations. It was well written and I enjoyed it, though not as much as I anticipated. My expectations too high? Was it because it was a downer in the time of Covid or because I knew the ending so it lacked suspense?  Not sure, but I do love this cover!

My two favorite hyped books which I consider must reads are:


These were two powerful reads about very difficult and depressing subjects: race and the opioid crisis. Neither was an easy read, but so well done. They will definitely be at the top of my 21 for 21 list, and on the top of my nonfiction reads of the past 5 years.  

Back to my reading journey. Read well.



Comments

  1. CJ KennedyAugust 13, 2021 at 9:26 AM

    The Liar's Dictionary sound interesting. Maybe I should take a look at that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bleubeard and ElizabethAugust 13, 2021 at 4:55 PM

    The only one of these books I know anything about is Hamnet. The rest I've never heard of. I read several reviews on Hamnet by friends who didn't care for it. Maybe it was because of the overworked prose, you found it tedious. These last two sound good, but I am on a quest to read something a bit lighter this month. Thanks for reviewing these, though.

    ReplyDelete
  3. KarenAugust 16, 2021 at 8:25 AM

    I finally got Hamnet from the library, and couldn't get into it. I'm determined to try again as several friends thought it a "must-read." Caste is among the top five books I've read this year. I also want to read her previous book, The Warmth of Other Suns" which another friend recommended highly. I'm not familiar with the other titles, but will check out Empire of Pain.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Let's Art JournalAugust 17, 2021 at 9:20 AM

    Such interesting books, thanks for the reviews and sharing them 😁. Happy wishes! Hugs Jo x

    ReplyDelete
  5. My name is Erika.August 17, 2021 at 5:05 PM

    I love reading about people's books. The only one I have heard of from these 4 is Caste. But I agree that sometimes books get talked about so much expectations are too high when they get read. Thanks for sharing these Nan. Hugs-Erika

    ReplyDelete
  6. nwilliams6August 18, 2021 at 3:42 AM

    I haven't heard about any of these, but I don't keep up with the top lists or anything. I think I would like the Caste book - such a complicated subject and I would like to read the author's perspective. Thanks for the reviews here!!!

    ReplyDelete

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