Hello reader…

We decided to enjoy our July meeting in our cozy Book Lovers Lounge, over heaping bowls of fruity halo-halo, a Filipino dessert. Refreshing both ourselves and our TBR lists, lots of fascinating reads were mentioned…

By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah

Recent Nobel Prize winner, Abdulrazak Gurnah, intertwines backstories from Zanzibar with the refugee life in England in this novel about an elderly gentleman seeking asylum in Great Britain. Our friend Fleming found this book to be “wonderful”…and very interesting since it’s asking quite surprising questions like why people help asylum seekers and the stereotypes involved.

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

The second book of Atwood’s MaddAddam series, its reader, Mieke, found it mildly entertaining.

The Poetry of Strangers: What l Learned Traveling America by Brian Sonia-Wallace

To Veyot’s surprise, this memoir was among her results of a search using the term “poetry”. It recounts the author’s experiences sitting in diverse corners across the U.S., typewriter on a tv table, waiting for people to chat. From rock festivals to the Mall of America, Sonia-Wallace connects with folks from all walks of life, using poetry as his conversational currency.

The King Arthur Case: A Brittany Mystery by Jean-Luc Bannalec

This latest installment of Bannalec’s Brittany Mysteries is set in a forest that is traditionally associated with the Forest of Broceliande of Arthurian legend. Inspired by the myths and legends shared by Bannalec in these “love letters to Brittany”, Bernice found herself wanting to plan a trip to see all the locations for herself. She hopes he continues the series for a long time.

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

Published in English in 2019/2020 (originally published in Japanese), this book centers on a writer, whose name we don’t know…at least not yet (it’s a current read for Sierra). She lives on an island where things have been ‘disappearing’ for several years – roses…perfume…emeralds…hats…ribbons. When something disappears, it happens one day, or maybe overnight. The objects themselves leave the island completely…one day all the birds fly away for instance. And, interestingly, the people forget these things…except a few who don’t – and that’s where the Memory Police come in. They take these remember-ers away by force, never to be seen again.

Sierra said that there’s kind of a surreal aspect to the premise that drew her to this novel. It reads well and she’s enjoying it.

The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson

The second in a historical fiction series, this novel shares the story of 16 year old Honey Lovett, the daughter of a blue-skinned packhorse librarian. Returning to the remote hollers of Appalachia after her parents are imprisoned for miscegenation, Honey fights for her independence while also forming strong bonds with other trailblazing women in the area. Zoe enjoyed this book very much.

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A short list of these books may be found here.

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Our next gathering will be on Sunday, August 14 at 1pm SLT. All are welcome – bring a friend!

Hello reader…

Our June gathering was a delight! We made new friends and welcomed back a few who have been missed. As we enjoyed our summer snacks under the warm sunshine, a dynamic array of book recommendations was shared…

How to Be Human: An Autistic Man’s Guide to Life by Jory Fleming

A thought-provoking book primarily presented in interview format, the author shares his experiences growing up with autism, as well as his current views on life. As the first documented Rhodes Scholar with autism attending Oxford University, Fleming offers a unique perspective on how thinking differently and understanding our inner processes can lead to shared empathy and improved quality of life.

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

This British beach read is about a group of strangers who develop a friendship through a mysterious notebook that holds “life truths” about each of them. Zoe enjoyed this easy, breezy fun read.

The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild

Partly a satire on wealthy art collectors, this entirely readable story stars a painting that gives this book its title. The painting makes comments throughout the story and tells a lot about the famous people who have owned it. Mieke said that it was funny and hard to put down!

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Bernice is in the middle of this humorous tale of a group of four friends, living in a retirement home, who meet once a week to discuss unsolved murders. Then a man of their acquaintance is murdered so the quartet decide to investigate the murder themselves.

The Butterfly Lampshade by Aimee Bender

Of the magical realism genre, this book is centered on a woman who is worried that she might inherit her mother’s mental illness. She remembers three peculiar moments where a 2D object turned 3D; one of which was a butterfly that she caught when it flew off of a lampshade of painted butterflies. Throughout the book, the woman continues to revisit these three moments.

The Whistle Blower by Robert Peston

Written by an outstanding UK political journalist, the central character of this novel is a political editor whose sister is killed riding a bicycle through London. He suspects foul play and follows a trail to uncover the truth. The political detail is superbly done and kept Poppy’s attention all the way through.

State of Terror by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny

The central character of this thriller is the Secretary of State in the post-Trump era, following a lead against time to uncover who was behind three bombs that go off in buses in different countries, and what it may mean for the US. There are several fictionalized real-life characters, including a former president who appears at his Florida ‘palace’, thinly disguised.

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

An easy read set in wartime London, recommended at an earlier Book Lovers Coffee Hour gathering. Poppy liked the attention to detail and the way it depicted living in London during the Blitz.

*Poppy also has a wonderful bookshop called The Book Room in 1940s London in Second Life.

White Tears by Hari Kunzru

Fleming just started this one but thinks he’ll enjoy it a lot.

The Books of Jacob by Olga Tocarczuk

For lovers of historical fiction, this is about a very weird historical self-proclaimed Messiah-figure. Fleming noted that it was a fascinating but laborious read. Tocarczuk recently won the Nobel Prize in Literature, though for a different title.

Light Chaser by Peter Hamilton and Gareth Powell

A likely DNF (did not finish) that might appeal to a different reader, Sierra commented that she liked the main character and the universe that was being set up.

Strange Hote by Eimear McBride

Sierra recently picked this one up but noted that the writing style is bugging her some. We talked a bit about the timing of the reader reading a particular book and being in the right state of mind to be receptive to a work.

Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler

A novel about an eccentric guy whose company name is ‘Computer Hermit’. He visits people’s homes when they can’t get to their email. He’s very routined – jogs every morning and is near-sighted…and sees the same fire hydrant every morning but thinks it’s a redhead.

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A short list of these books may be found here.

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Our next gathering will be on Sunday, July 10 at 1pm SLT. All are welcome – bring a friend!

Hello reader…

Happy almost summer, y’all!

We took the party outside for our May gathering. Everyone enjoyed picnic finger foods and DIY smoothies as we chatted about recent reads…

Afterlife by Julia Alvarez

This book is about a woman, Antonia, whose husband has recently died and she’s still grieving. She is originally from the Dominican Republic, living now in a small town in Vermont.

One day, one of the undocumented workers employed by the farmer next door comes to Antonia for help. He is trying to bring his girlfriend over from Mexico but the ‘coyote’  helping her has called demanding more money.

She helps him as best she can. Then one of her three sisters, who is bi-polar, goes missing. The other three women are scrambling desperately to find her. At the same time Mario’s girlfriend finally arrives and she is very pregnant, about to give birth any day. 

Bernice enjoyed the book a lot. The characters are very real and the story ends in an unexpected way.

The Spoils of Poynton (or anything, really) by Henry James

Henry James came up in our conversation as a writer whose books just “seem to….stop”…but those who’ve read him agreed that they enjoyed his writing.

Charles Lenox mysteries by Charles Finch

Set in 1850s-60s Victorian London. Alas started this series at about #12 – The Vanished Man, which turned out to be a prequel. She enjoyed the book, and the writing, but in terms of a mystery – well, there was a clue about a third way through that gave it away for her. It didn’t ruin the book though, and she enjoyed the series.

anything by Robinette Waterson

Speaking of series, the Victorian Steampunk Erotica genre came up in conversation. Robinette Waterson’s titles were recommended for those looking for steamy Victorian romance with a steampunk twist.

Music is History by Questlove

Highlighted by The Big Read, this collection of essays covers 50 years of music, primarily told in a unique “chatting” writing style. FireWoman enjoyed learning about the various music genres though she did lose interest through the more technical parts.

Driving Miss Norma: One Family’s Journey Saying ‘Yes’ to Living by Tim Bauerschmidt and Ramie Liddle

 It’s about a 90-year old woman who, newly widowed and recently diagnosed with uterine cancer, opted to spend the remainder of her life traveling around the U.S. in an RV with her son and daughter-in-law.

The book is told from the son and daughter-in-law’s points of view. Overall, Zoe enjoyed it but wished she could hear Miss Norma’s side of the story

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

Originally recommended by FireWoman last summer, it was finally available last month at Zoe’s library. Zoe enjoyed it overall, though she felt a bit frustrated with the main character’s self-sacrificing at times.

She intends to read the recently published sequel, The Book Woman’s Daughter.

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A short list of these books may be found here.

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Our next gathering will be on Sunday, June 12 at 1pm SLT. All are welcome – bring a friend!

Hello reader…

Greetings, friends!

Many intriguing reads were shared during our cozy April gathering…

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

This book reminded Sierra a bit of ‘The Fountain’, which had a similar structure of spanning three different time periods and covering events in each, while still having a kind of continuity among all three. It was recommended by a friend who is generally not into science fiction, but really liked it

Cloud Cuckoo Land spans some of the years leading up to the capture of Constantinople by the Ottomans, through more contemporary times in a midwestern town, and to the distant future. It is drawn from the old Greek story of Aethon, with which the main character in each time period has an association. Sierra is still early in the book but will share further thoughts at a future gathering.

Doerr also wrote ‘All the Light We Cannot See’, for which he won a Pulitzer.

M Train by Patti Smith

Having recently read and enjoyed Just Kids, Bernice picked this up and thought it excellent as well. In a series of non-linear essays, Smith talks about books and authors she loves and recounts trips she has taken to various parts of the world, sometimes to visit places connected to authors and books she loves. Through it all, it seems Smith is recounting her journey through grief after her husband died.

Bernice thought that it was a fascinating look into an interesting and varied life, and loved it.

Dog Dish of Doom by E.J. Copperman

A cozy mystery with lots of conversation, where plain people solve mysteries while the police follow along.

Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen by Jeff Burger

A collection of interviews and encounters of and about Leonard Cohen. Veyot recommends this if you like Leonard Cohen’s singing voice because you can imagine his voice as he gets interviewed.

When asked about the most surprising thing she learned about Cohen from the book, Veyot shared that Cohen had spent years without performing at all and once lived in a monastery in Greece.

Librarian Tales by William Ottens

A collection of tales about being a public librarian.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

On the surface, this “beach read” is about a classic movie star’s rise to fame – sort of an amalgam of Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth, and a few others of that time period. Evelyn, the movie star, shares her life story with a young, no-name biographer who is handpicked for the job for mysterious reasons.

Aside from the gossipy stories of Evelyn’s career, the novel is really a story about a deep and lasting love between two people who are forced into impossibly tight boundaries by Hollywood’s relentless rejection of diversity.

Zoe thought it was well-written and unputdownable.

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A short list of these books may be found here.

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Our next gathering will be on Sunday, May 8th 15th at 1pm SLT. All are welcome – bring a friend!

Hello reader…

Happy almost-spring, friends!

Before I get to the round-up from our most recent gathering, I’d like to alert you to a Book Lovers Coffee Hour survey that will be posted in the FB group, through the inworld group, and shared directly with regulars who aren’t subscribed to either.

The purpose of this survey is to re-evaluate the timeslot for our monthly gatherings and to solicit feedback and ideas for our community.

Responses are anonymous, so feel free to offer honest suggestions. The survey will close on March 31st and timeslot changes, if any, won’t take effect until May.

And now, on to our round-up!

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

An engaging passage from this young adult novel opened our gathering. Our reader described it as “swashbuckling, gentle, and LGBTQ”. In it, the Sea depends on mermaids to remember everything that the Sea cannot possibly keep in her memories. Pirates are the most common consumer of mermaids’ blood but, ironically, it makes them forget. This tale of high seas adventure revolves around an orphaned brother and sister who find that their only chance at life is aboard a pirate ship with a Nameless Captain who can’t even remember his own name and their wild plans for escape.

As an aside, one of our members is an avid mermaid in SL and recommends the Safe Waters Foundation for those interested in learning more about SL mer-life. They hold meetings every Saturday at 10am SLT for helping new merfolk get started, talk about events of interest to sea-dwellers, etc.

Fearless Girls, Wise Women, & Beloved Sisters by Kathleen Ragan

This is an anthology of folktales and fairy tales from all over the world, featuring female protagonists. It’s organized by region, making it a fun and easy way to dip in for a bit of literary armchair travel.

Anxious People by Fredrik Bachman

Readers of A Man Called Ove will recognize this author. Our reader found the plot of Anxious People hard to understand, which made unscrambling it enjoyable. There are many good lines and the characters’ flaws are interesting. A recent film adaptation is available on Netflix and has received positive reviews. If you’re new to Bachman’s work, our reader mentioned My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry as a favorite.

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

This is a fictional story about Mexican migrants riding atop trains to reach safety. They got cheated by some people who promised to help but they also made some close friends with strangers. Regardless of one’s stance on immigration issues, the story itself is a touching testament to the difficulties of making such a journey.

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

This is a YA novel that was recently translated in English from the original Japanese, which was published in 2009. It’s about a friendship between two teenagers who are both silent victims of bullying. Our reader found the broader themes of good vs evil, the absence of hope, and the meaning of suffering to be very thought-provoking…the book stayed with her for days. But she also found the scenes of bullying to be deeply disturbing – so, definitely take this as a trigger warning. It was unputdownable and highly recommended.

Seeing Gender: An Illustrated Guide to Identity and Expression by Iris Gottleib

This adult graphic novel, bordered on coffee table book, in our readers opinion. Part of it talks about gender in general terms – e.g. the various facets of gender definition and expression, as well as how modern gender issues intersect other other identities and affect different parts of life. The last third is a personal reflection on the author’s gender transition. Our reader found the book interesting and useful, if a bit meandering at times.

Iggie’s House and Are You There God? It’s me, Margaret by Judy Blume

We chatted a bit about Blume books that we’ve read and thought that these two titles have held up well. Easy to read and appealing to teens and anyone who has ever been a teen.

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Our next gathering will be on Sunday, April 10th at 1pm SLT. All are welcome – bring a friend!

Hello reader…

I’ll admit – I wasn’t sure anyone would show up for this month’s gathering, what with the Super Bowl and all…but I was happily surprised that friends still came to chat about books!

So, without further ado…

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

Our hour opened with a lengthy quote from this novel set in World War II about a young woman who discovers a sense of community and a love of reading at her local bookshop.

Charles, The Alternative Prince: An Unauthorised Biography by Edzard Ernst

A short and sweet quote was shared from this soon-to-be-published work on Prince Charles and his obsession with alternative therapies. The author scrutinizes the evidence and holds Charles’ views to the light.

Ma’am Jones of the Pecos by Eve Ball

A reader picked this up at a local book sale. It’s an oral-history-ish non-fiction about settling the eastern part of New Mexico in the mid-to-late 1800s.

Billy the Kid was involved but the story is more about Ma’am Jones, a strong pioneer woman who had 9 sons and 1 daughter, and nursed, doctored, and fed everyone who came to their door.

The Jones family originally hailed from Virginia. Our reader explained that Virginia split because of the War between the States. Heiskell (Mr. Jones) couldn’t take up arms against the South and couldn’t stay in their county if he refused to go into the Union Army – he had promised his wife he could never fight.

So they migrated to Arizona for a while before settling in New Mexico. Our reader really enjoyed this book.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

The “Ma’am Jones” reader also read this Gaiman novel and said that it was “most excellent!”.

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

This is Erdrich’s newest publication and “fascinating” according to our reader…touching on the pandemic, BLM, etc. Erdrich won a Pulitzer Prize for an earlier publication, The Night Watchman.

Station Eleven by Emiuly St. John Mandel

The Sentence reminded another one of our readers of Station Eleven, a novel about the impact of a fictional deadly pandemic on a troupe of actors and a violent cult that they encounter.

The Binding by Bridget Collins

Although well-written and intriguing, this was a DNF for our reader, who felt they needed a lighter, happier read.

It’s about bookbinders who extract specific memories from people, bind them in books and lock the books away in vaults. Naturally, some folks use this to their advantage for nefarious purposes.

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem

Recommended by a reader who said this is a book for those who want an unreliable narrator…hmmm! The same reader also read Lethem’s Chronic City and loved it…and was thus disappointed in Motherless Brooklyn.

Too Much and Not the Mood by Durga Chew-Bose

A first book for this author and essay-ish, but in a stream-of-consciousness way. Very autobiographical. The author grew up in Montreal…lived in New York…is apparently back in Montreal. In the book she talks about a lot of things and goes in a number of directions.

Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin

This is about a ‘toy’ that has a camera behind its eyes, which allows a person to see into the life of the owner of the toy. This becomes a problem when people try to take real life intervention into things they see through the toys.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

This novel has been making the rounds through our group and most readers enjoyed it. It’s a series of short stories loosely tied together by the theme of a young woman exploring alternative lives that might have been. One reader mentioned that this book is particularly easy to listen to as an audio book, in short bursts. She very much enjoyed it!

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Our next gathering will be on Sunday, March 13th at 1pm SLT. All are welcome – bring a friend!

Hello reader…

Happy New Year! Thanks to all who joined us for our first book chat of the new year…and hugs to those who couldn’t make it – you were missed!

Here are the books mentioned during our January gathering…

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

The hour began with a quote that tickled us, “But you want murderous feelings? Hang around librarians,” confides Gamache. “All that silence. Gives them ideas.”

Cultish by Amanda Montell

This is a non-fiction book about the way cults and other groups with cult-like features use language to entice people in and keep them hooked. It talks about groups like Scientology and Heaven’s Gate, as well as things we don’t think of as cults, like multi-level marketing schemes and exercise cults like CrossFit and such. The reader felt it was quite eye-opening!

Arilla Sun Down by Virginia Hamilton

The Feathered Serpent by Scott O’Dell

Angelina by Patricia Lynn Spears

Her Own Way: The Story of Lottie Moon by Helen Albee Monsell

The Hamilton, O’Dell, Spears and Monsell are juvenile fiction that our reader bought at book sales over the years and enjoyed.

Beren and Luthien by J.R.R. Tolkien

Edited by Christopher Tolkien and based on his father’s notes, this is the complete story of a tale mentioned in both The Silmarillion and The Fellowship of the Ring. Our reader found it interesting and felt she learned a great deal about J.R.R.’s realm in literature and life.

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

This is fiction, originally written in Japanese. It’s about a housekeeper who is assigned by her agency to a client that, on record, seems difficult to please. As it turns out. the client is actually a mathematics professor who suffers from short term memory loss – his short term memory only holds 80 minutes worth of memories at a time. He also remembers everything that happened before he got into a car accident in the mid-70s…so he’s still able to research and publish. Despite this and other challenges, he and the housekeeper eventually form a kind of family, bonded by platonic love. A short read – but very sweet!

Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds

One of our readers read this over the holidays. It’s about an ice mining ship that diverts to catch up to a moon of Saturn, Janus, that turns out not to be a moon but an alien artifact that decided to jet on out of the solar system. The mining ship does reach the wayward ‘moon’ but then is forced to land on it and leave the solar system. There is a bit of a schism among the crew…the captain is exiled to a dome they set up away from their makeshift base. This turns into a long storyline…part survival, but also part mystery.

The reader mentioned liking Reynolds because she feels he is better at writing about people compared to number of science fiction authors – meaning they’re well-formed with good backstories and believable responses to events.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

A young adult trilogy that was so incredible, the recommender might read them again!

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

This was a DNF for the reader – though many in our group enjoyed Towles’ previous novel, A Gentleman in Moscow. Not enough happened in the first 100 pages to keep the reader going and the characters were uninteresting.

No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood

The reader received this novel as a gift – it was shortlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize.

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny

This is another novel received as a gift by a different reader….and another reader remembered reading it ages ago and enjoying it.

False Alarm by Bjorn Lomborg

A non-fiction title about climate change. The author – a professor in Copenhagen – purports that we’re doing it all wrong by focusing on limiting fossil fuels. He suggests that we focus on feeding the starving children, curing TB and encouraging trade with all.

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Our next gathering will be on Sunday, February 13th at 1pm SLT. All are welcome – bring a friend!

Where’s Momo?

If you’ve visited the Reading Room recently, you might have noticed that Momo is missing…

…but not to worry!

Momo is safe and sound – and has a new “home” at the Momo Mewseum!

The Momo Mewseum is a homage to feline friends in both real and virtual worlds. Opening in 2022, the Momo’s namesake mewseum will feature an eclectic collection of RL/SL art and personal objects arranged in a casual, cozy setting.

An official opening date will be announced soon – so stay tuned! Meanwhile, feel free to drop by the explore the area – there’s lots to do and see…shop and lunch at a nearby Welsh village and go for a ride on the charming Zany Zen railway!

SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Seonbawee/18/232/36

Book Lovers Coffee Hour

Let’s toast the new year with champagne and catch up! Join me at our usual spot on January 9th at 1pm SLT. See you then!