I felt the same about Thunderclap. I was reluctant to read it, but really enjoyed it. I still have a couple more of the nonfiction shortlist to get through before the announcement, but I’ve been impressed with the finalists.
I read Doppelganger, I (not American) enjoyed it and felt it offered interesting concepts/ways of looking at things, but agree with you that it lacked on a follow-through/what now. If it had been stronger on this latter front, I would have given it 5 stars, now it sways somewhere near 4 for me. Also, I recently bought Brotherless night and Soldier, Sailor.. looking forward to reading those.❤
Thank you for sharing your take on Doppelganger. It's nice to know I'm not alone if feeling like the follow-through was lacking. I'm so excited for you to read Brotherless Night! I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on it, as well as on Soldier Sailor. Enjoy!
Right? If this video hadn't already been running long, I'd have talked more about Lee having published many of the short stories previously in various publications. She intentionally revised and edited to weave the stories together in an interesting way, so I should have trusted her methods. Lesson learned!
Thank you so much for recommending ‘How To Say Babylon’. So beautifully written. Poetic lines fill the pages and need to be savored. The ending shows absolute grace and strength simultaneously. The ending wouldn’t work if Sinclair had not found her own worth flavored by all the elements of her Jamaican/ Rastafarian childhood. This allowed her to acknowledge all facets of her father’s impact on her life without requiring his acknowledgment of wrongdoing.
Beautifully said, Kelly. I'm so glad you read Sinclair's memoir and enjoyed it. I couldn't agree more about the poetic lines throughout; her prose is gorgeous.
Thank you, Hannah. I really enjoyed hearing your thoughtful perspectives on each of those books. I need to check out The Dictionary People and The Blue Beautiful World!
I read The Wren, the Wren and really hated it. I should have DNF'd it, but was reading it for a challenge prompt so pushed through. It was on audio, and I found myself tuning it out most of the time, not understanding anything that was happening, and really not caring.
I completely understand. I started by listening to the audiobook and struggled to follow it, so I switched to reading a physical copy. But not even that was enough for me to connect with the characters. I'm sorry to hear it was such an unfortunate experience for you, and I hope you've moved on to a more satisfying read.
The bug .... 😅 Before the 16;minute ..... It gave me a hard time becausse I am in a natural enviroment right now without any light but the cell phone , and there are real insects in this rainy night ... Specially on my screen , so i though the bug was real .... 😅 .. yeah , i tried to kill It at least three times ..... 😅 Sorry i needed to say that, i was intrigued listening to you before the bug ..
I was also disappointed when In Defence of the Act didn't make the shortlist. But I'm also glad it was in the longlist because I might have never heard of it otherwise. Those final pages left me weeping! Though I still can't decide if I'm an egg, a carrot or a coffee bean. 😅 Soldier Sailor was also great. I'm a mom and I had never read something that captured the loneliness of the first years of motherhood like this book did. I haven't read Thunderclap or Brotherless Night, but I'm looking forward to getting to them after watching your video. Thank you!!
I feel the same about In Defence of the Act; if it hadn't been longlisted, I suspect I would have never heard of it. I usually find at least one best of the year read on the WP longlist. It's just one of many reasons why I love exploring the nominees. I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed Soldier Sailor, and I hope you enjoy Thunderclap and Brotherless Night as much as I did. I look forward to hearing your thoughts once you finish them. Happy reading!
Not you making me want to pick up In Defence of the Act RIGHT THIS SECOND. But I'm getting to it as soon as I finish with my current read. Can't wait to talk to you about it!!
Your review videos are so well done! I had never heard of The Dictionary People. I'll have to check it out. Also, I read The Summer That Melted Everything, great recommendation! It's one of those books that sticks with you long after you're finished.
Thank you so much! I'm delighted to hear that you read TSTME and enjoyed it. I completely agree that it's one of those books that stays with you. I'm looking forward to your thoughts on The Dictionary People. Enjoy!
