The Forger's Daughter by Bradford Morrow

Read this for the Book Club. It was OK but not great. And we all seemed to agree.  Part of the book was interesting - learning about forgery and old books, etc. "It is a loveletter to the art of forgery." Listened to an interview with the author and referred to it this way.  This was a sequel to another book and without having read that one, pieces of the story were missing.

I won't be recommending this - except maybe to people who are interested in the art of forgery.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 

This is not my typical book to read, but it kept showing up on so many "Best of 2020" lists so I gave it a try...and enjoyed it!  There is a lot going on in this thriller, more than just the chlling spooky stuff.  The book deals with colonialism, eugenics, fungus and more.  I enjoyed it!

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

Loved this book and it has a very unexpected ending. At least for me.  It's gotten a lot of attention of late, made a lot of "best" lists, but not all readers like it.  I can understand why, for certain readers.

But I wanted to discuss immediately with someone after I finished it and had no one who had read it.  I made my husband read it and he loved it too.  

And we talked about it!

Girl with the Louding Voice (again!)

Read this again for book club and liked it even more than the first time I read it.  Makes me realize how the reading experience is often better the second time around!

🌟 Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar

This is a brilliant book by a brilliant mind.  I finished it and wanted to start all over at the beginning because it's full of so many ideas that challenge the intellect.  Kirkus says,  "A profound and provocative inquiry into an artist’s complex American identity."

Listening to so many people discuss this "novel", they question whether it really can be considered a novel because so much of the author's story is in this book.  I loved his novel, American Dervish and this was very different in many respects but had some of the same theme: being Muslim in America.

I really can't say enough about this.....

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown

Interesting read about a grifter, her mom (who she learned from) and her boyfriend, a real fiend. Quick fun read with some unpredictable events. Enjoyed it!

🌟 Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

 

Interesting paragraph from NYTimes review:

This novel is at once about the transfiguration of life into art — it is O’Farrell’s extended speculation on how Hamnet’s death might have fueled the creation of one of his father’s greatest plays — and at the same time, it is a master class in how she, herself, does it.

This is a remarkable work of fiction. The last 20 pages are so beautifully written and so powerful.  Highly recommended!