The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. It manages to be a page turner at the same time that it makes you feel like you can't possibly go on. Literalizing the railroad (it's an actual railroad, underground) is interesting, but I think it's been a bit overblown in the reviews. The most intriguing thing is how he…

I love Bill Bryson so much. Enjoy A Short History! I am so sad that he became unbearably cranky (as opposed to enjoyably cranky) in his last book, The Road to Little Dribbling

Just finished The Queen of the Night, which was about a courtesan turned opera singer in France. It was ludicrous. I read all sorts of great reviews, and it lived up to none of them. Going to pick up Roth's The Plot Against America because I am terrified about the upcoming election, and I feel the need to wallow in my…

I read The Commitments before going to Ireland last year,and I highly recommend it. A bunch of working class Dublin kids form a soul band. It's short and fun.

I just finished So You've Been Publicly Shamed, which was such a breezy and fun book, even as it made me a bit queasy about my own schadenfreude. I'm definitely, absolutely done with the world of online shaming, even as a spectator. Also finished The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth, which was the opposite of fun and breezy.…

I did have to remind myself how young Dedalus was throughout. As a 30-something lady, it bothered me so much that he'd just watch that girl wandering around and despair instead of, you know, talking to her. But I suppose that's the whole point.

As much as I loved the Bleak House series, Little Dorrit might be even better. Fanny and her husband (Sparkler) are a joy and a delight.

The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man as a test to see if I could envision myself reading Ulysses someday. And if it means spending one more goddamn second in the company of Stephen Dedalus, then, no, I can't. And Then There Were None because I hadn't read any Agatha Christie since we read Orient Express in…

Undermajordomo Minor, The Buried Giant, and Golden Son were the only 2015 books I read this year. I liked Undermajordomo but felt it was less than the sum of its parts. Some great chapters, great moments, and great characters, but didn't quite add up. 2013's The Luminaries was far and away the best book I read this…

I think it came out last year. But second the recommendation—it's wonderful!

It's always good to know there are others in the "I didn't get it" club for Gilead. I need more than gentle sentences.

Nixonland! I find the style a bit grating at times ("And they called Dick Nixon the dirty one!") but it does a marvelous job situating you in the era. It inspired me to check out the May 4 Center at Kent State, which was very moving. Curious choice though: they ended the informational video about the shootings with…

Americanah was the best book I read last year. Amazing how much empathy the author has for every character. Enjoy!

Had to take a break from E.L. Doctorow's The March to pick up Undermajordomo Minor from the library. The latter is very impressive thus far—there's a bit on a cheese penis in the first 25 pages that makes me giggle just thinking about it.

I read Shusaku Endo's Silence, soon to be a Scorsese movie. Can't say I enjoyed the book—there's some torture of the Japanese, some European Jesuits agonize over it, and then the Japanese people get tortured some more. It was awful enough reading it; I have no desire to see it realized on screen. I have since moved…

I read John Hersey's Hiroshima, which was definitely a gut punch. I found The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe both fascinating and frustrating. As an Ohioan, I generally think that John Glenn hung the moon, so I appreciated the more cynical perspective. But that book could have cut out at least 1/3 of the "ziggurats" and…

I cannot wait to read Aziz Ansari's book. I'm still pretty low on the hold list at the library, but now I'm looking forward to it even more!

I put a hold on Empire of Deception at my library based on the review here, but it will likely be months before I receive and read it. So, if nothing else, I have gotten several good recommendations from the reviews.

I'm vacationing in Ireland next month, and I'm trying to read a mishmash of Irish authors before we go. Right now, I'm reading The Commitments by Roddy Doyle, which is charming. Then, I'm looking for a couple contemporary Irish authors or a nonfiction account of the Easter Rising. Recommendations welcome!

I read Wolf in White Van this month as well! An excellent character study, both honest and raw. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading for complex or exciting plots (this is usually me), but it would be great for someone looking for a beautifully written and introspective palate cleanser.