Category: Book Treks

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Summer Reading Recap

Stress relieved by reading mostly light non-literary beach books in a serene waterfront setting. So fortunate to be able to escape.

Best to least:

The Glass Hotel,  St. John Mandel
Notes On a Silencing,  Crawford
This Tender Land,  Kent Krueger
Redhead by the Side of the Road,  Tyler
The Guest List,  Foley
The Turn of the Key,  Ware 
The Less Dead,   Mina
28 Summers,  Hildebrand
The Summer House,  Patterson & du Bois
The Summer House,  McKinnon
The Big Summer,  Weiner
Death on the Beach,  Johannsen
All Adults Here,  Straub
You Are Not Alone,  Hendricks & Pekkanen
Home Before Dark,  Sager
Mexican Gothic,  Moreno-García

Reviews on Book-Treks

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So New?

Not much. Fresh TV content is mostly done. Daytime. Primetime. Even Jeopardy! Until productions go back into operation, it’s all re-runs all the time. Okay. One good newish series. Unorthodox. A slice of life in a fringe Jewish cult with a great performance by an elfin powerhouse.

Biden. An old pol denying culturally-accepted behavior in the old timey days. Nothing new there. #MeToo oozing hypocrisy. New blood. Please.

Even ordered a long-lauded book. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Never appealed. Yet. Was running out of options. So glad I did. One of the best reads in years.

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Carol’s Carrel

mAd Ben’s friend lives nearby and is a voracious reader. We trade book ideas. So. Yesterday I decided to inventory what’s currently on my shelves to lend her a few. It took much of the day. Which was great.

Click here if you want to see what’s on the UWS Stacks. Yes. That’s right. I alphabetized them by author.

Also recalled NYC and past Book Clubs and what we read. A perfect day. Any ideas for the next 28? +

Book-Treks . com

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Reading to the Rescue

Although NYC Book Club was postponed this week, still intend to read the pick Dear Edward, by Ann Napolitano.

But. That’s after I finish Mantel’s last Thomas Cromwell in her trilogy, which could take quite a while. On page 200, 500+ to go. So far it is rich, dense and captivating. Thanks, Hilary!

A lighter and shorter diversion is Bret Stephens’ portrait of his avant-garde artist grandmother in today’s NYTimes. Whatta woman! Mexico with Trotsky & Rivera just for starters.

Conjured recent novel by Isabel Allende, A Long Petal of the Sea. Her familial perspective of the Spanish Civil War and later migration to Chile. Political and historical context made it a worthwhile read.

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Coron Avoidance

To avoid panic-demic:

Watching The Players Championship and putting a hex on DeChambeau.  (Update: Or not. Cancelled the whole tournament at 10pm.) Reading Hilary Mantel’s new novel The Mirror & The Light, the last of her Thomas Cromwell trilogy. (They can’t cancel a book. Can they?) Always Soaps. (Update 3/13: Or not. Trump to speak during General Hospital.)

Staying away from Cable News & social media at all costs. Not opening alarmist alert e-mails from family and friends. Starting a rumor that all dogs need to be quarantined.

On the bright side. Trump looks to be trashing his chances for re-election with every speech. Yet. Pelosi is scary as well. Decrepit inept people running the Country. Now Joe. Really?

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Untoward Torture

What did we do to deserve this? The American people did nothing wrong. Why are we being subjected to this extended torture? Days upon days of blathering bluster. Repetitive regurgitations of mindless muddle. The Senate Impeachment Trial.

House Managers. For 3 days. After a marathon yesterday. After hearing them for days in the House. Cannot abide Schiff or Nadler for another minute. As poor Lizzie, Bernie & Amy are stuck there kept from the campaign trail. Lucky Joe. Luckier Trump. And Mike!

Thanks to Book Club for a much needed diversion. Purple Hibiscus good or bad will be a godsend.

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Book-Treks 2019

It’s that time again. Best Books lists are out. None seem particularly compelling. My own is short. Not a stellar crop this year.

Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield
Snakes by Sadie Jones
The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones
Save Me The Plums by Ruth Reichl

New novels by Richard Russo, Elinor Lipman & Ann Patchett were surprisingly lackluster.  Full reviews on Book-Treks.com

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Zo Zo Good

While we were waking up to another soggy weekend morning, hearing the news that U.S. Special Forces bagged Al-Baghdadi, Tiger was teeing up his fourth round at the ZOZO Tournament in Japan. Which he won. Tying Sam Snead’s record.

Later. Niners crushed the Panthers 51 – 13. Can that be right? And. Belichick racked up his 300th Patriots win. As fans booed the Prez, Houston creamed the Nationals 7-1, now leading World Series 3-2.

Managed to get in a good mystery as well.   Drowning With Others
by an amalgamated woman-man author team called Linda Keir.

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Autumn Crisp

Farm fresh tart apples from Upstate. In a flaky crust. Clean crisp air. Parades on Fifth Avenue. Yep. It’s Fall in the City.

Won’t spoil anything about Season Finale of Succession. Except to say it was perfect. The Politician on Netflix a quirky Falchuk-Paltrow vanity piece. Yet. Worth it for Ben Platt’s version of Joni Mitchell’s River.

Ann Patchett’s new novel The Dutch House a pretty good read. Her narrator Danny a bit flat. Guessing Margaret Atwood’s sequel will win the Man Booker prize. Find out at 4:30.   Half right.

In other rumors. If Biden out. Bloomberg in.