For years I’ve been a fan of Donna Tartt’s big, sprawling novel, The Goldfinch, that opens with a terrorist bombing in a New York art museum, setting in motion an international tale involving a very particular painting and deeply personal reflections. Tartt’s debut novel, The Secret History, was a bestselling phenomenon when it came out in 1992, and has reportedly experienced a resurgence with Gen Z and other young audiences who’ve discovered it online. But I hadn’t read it until I had some quiet time during this year’s winter holidays.
Set in Vermont at the fictional Hampden College, The Secret History introduces us to a fictionalized Bennington College, which Tartt attended along with other literary types like American Psycho’s Bret Easton Ellis, to whom the book is dedicated. We learn quickly from the book’s outsider narrator that there’s been a murder, then rewind to explore with him his arrival at the New England college from California. His life increasingly intersects with a small, erudite and eccentric collection of fellow students who have devoted themselves both to the study of the Classics and to their charismatic professor.
The well-drawn characters, not especially likable but often fascinating and mysterious, are not only engaged in the pursuits of the mind but also an ongoing absorption in liquor, drugs and the desire to lose control. As their teacher puts it, “We don’t like to admit it, but the idea of losing control is one that fascinates controlled people such as ourselves more than almost anything.” But that hunger leads them into a riotous bacchanal with most extreme consequences that inevitably results in this tight-knit group’s undoing.
Count me grateful that The Secret History pulled me in at a time when I had begun to wonder whether our overwrought political sphere had made reading almost any novel a near impossibility. Tartt’s classic work has given me a rich, page-turning landscape of ideas, characters and fine writing to linger—an entertaining respite from the often-dispiriting political world. What about you? What’s the last book that has captivated you?
Aa always, I look forward to reading your comments and the opportunity for this community to learn from each other.
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I loved The Goldfinch and wasn’t aware of her earlier book. I will definitely read it. The last book that captivated me was Anthony Doerr’s “All the Light We Cannot See”. It takes place during the Nazi occupation of Paris, and is a tragic yet beautiful story.
I have just finished “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride. It is an absolutely fantastic book. I also highly recommend Heather Cox Richardson’s “Democracy Awakening”; Jonathan Eig’s stunning biography “King”, and Jon Meacham’s revealing biography of Abraham Lincoln, “And There Was Light”. The issues Lincoln faced were so similar to where we are today.
For me I guess it was the first time I read Herman Wouk's 'Winds of War'....it tells how Germany came to be ruled by hitler and I see how it could apply to the US now.
I read The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese last month. I love reading books that teach me about other cultures, books that inspire me to open an atlas and explore a different continent.
Growing up, our family passed around books like candy. We were always reading. I find myself lost in a book and you couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Your comments struck a point with me because I, too, thought reading anything these days was near impossible. I have a stack of books in front of me on the coffee table. Many are about current events, etc.. What with the pace of news these days, by the time you pick one up to read, it's almost ancient history. I find myself buying books to support the person who wrote it more than reading it! However, I did pick up, The Flight Girls, by Noelle Salazar and read it in two days. As a pilot who files an old 30's era biplane, the story of Women Air Service Pilots (WASPs) has always captured me. This was a pretty good novel and based on historical facts. But more so, I was excited to be captured by a book again. I haven't found another one--yet--but I'm sure it will come along when I need it most. Great topic! Thank you!!
I absolutely loved The Goldfinch. I will be purchasing this, as well, as I was not aware of it. I'm lousy at following authors and love many genres of books so I'm all over the place. Thank you for sharing it.
The "not last" book, I read, that had a lasting impact on me was Unthinkable by Jamie Raskin. There are many books, memoirs included, that I have learned a great deal from. The Gulag, The KL, The New Jim Crow, The Deepest Well and others I've read for my interest in the mob, true crime, etc. Hunting LeRoux was excellent for so many reasons that remind us just how dangerous it is to protect America, as agents in the DEA, FBI, CIA, from the worst of the worst all over the world and how they do it. The anger I have for those who believe it some joke or conspiracy, missed the first impeachment of Donald Trump and have never read books like those who testified, and those like in Hunting LeRoux whom a border wall would never stop and how complex, and immersive, the drug trade is all over the world and who battles it from within our own government with valor and honor.
Jamie Raskin's memoir broke my heart, gave me hope, reminded me that no one is exempt from immense internal pain, outward brilliance and normalcy, while not knowing the worst thing, in life, is just around a corner. To then, be called, to lead our country through the second impeachment of the 45th POTUS, when he could have shut down and refused. He answered the call and dealt with his loss, his own pain, his own health battles, his oath he took to protect and defend the Constitution, and finally bury his best friend, his only son. I think of that book so often and see and hear Mr. Raskin and think how did you do it? He's one of the most courageous people whom I've never met but is on my list..HAHA. I could go on but I'll leave it there. I hope everyone gets the chance to read his, most inspiring, heartfelt, honest, and gut wrenching memoir, that hopefully leaves others with the hope he left me with. We are all just human but there are so many stars among us who don't know just how bright they shine on the rest of us.
I too loved The Goldfinch, which led me to her other works. I also liked The Secret History, but not so much The Little Friend. But to your question: I fell so hard for James McBride’s The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store that I gave it to everyone on my Christmas gift list. What a storyteller, and every character is so well-drawn and original that I felt I knew them personally. Some of the scenes will stay with me forever. It’s a masterpiece and entirely entertaining. (I was delighted to see it topped Obama’s book recommendations; high praise from a prolific reader.)
I am still being captivated by The Boys in the Boat - I saw the movie and had to read the book. I don't usually do that but I have to tell you I can't put the book down. It's non-fiction but so well written and such interesting characters. I highly recommend it.
Most recently, "The Lilac Girls" by Martha Hart Reilly was fascinating, as the topic was women during the Holocaust. Not just any women, but Polish women who endured the horror of medical experiments conducted on them while they were in a concentration camp. This is an aspect of the Holocaust that's perhaps less known than some of the other forms of torture. The women were subjected to simulations of potential war wounds on the battlefield, and the irony is that the experiments were conducted by a female physician. Based on a true story, the novel also highlights the work done by a New York City socialite, who brought the surviving women to the United States for post-war treatment. This is a lengthy book that I couldn't put down. As a writer myself, I was both fascinated and horrified as I read what the women endured at the hands of hatred.
I was introduced to Louise Penny’s Three Pines mysteries during the pandemic and consumed the entire series over the course of the shut down. Inspector Armand Gamache is a character for the ages. Smart, thorough, kind, a distillation of the best a person can be, flaws and all. The nineteenth in the series is out soon and I am more than ready to cozy up with Armand, his wise wife Marie-Reign, and all the delightful and wacky residents of the sleepy Quebec village of Three Pines.
Having been given for Christmas the novel West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge, I opened the cover and started reading. Instantly, I was captivated by the story of giraffes that had been sent from Africa and arrived during the hurricane in New York. Both of those events are historical facts although the storyline itself is fiction. Set during the time of the dust bowl, hoovervilles and hobos, the two-week journey is an odyssey of love and loyalty and loss, with a zookeeper, an orphaned teenager, an ambitious young woman and the giraffes. It left me more sensitive and more determined in my passions. Now I'm headed to the library for other works by this author.
I'm a mystery fan. I've been reading the novels by Val McDermid. I'll read them all. She's a great writer who creates memorable characters and plots. I also like that they're set in Scotland. They make me sorry I didn't visit there when I was in Britain.
I highly recommend Shelter by Jung Yun. I don’t recall the last time I literally had to pause for several minutes before getting to the end of a novel, just to catch my breath. This story was such a beautifully told tragedy about family. I can’t recommend it enough.
For me the book I always go back to is lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
When it came out in 1985 I borrowed it from the local library in Tiffin, OH and could not put it down. The story of a cattle drive in the old west is a story of life death wants needs
I’ve been able to read for 72 years and used to always have a book of some flavor or other in my hands but anymore, the actual books I read are for my own pleasure. I get my political fixes here through several Substack newsletters but the last actual books I read are all books in the OUTLANDER series by Diana Gabaldon. My Kindle is my passport now and I have a full library at my disposal. My next read will be Liz Cheney’s book just to see what she experienced after Jan 6, 2021. I’m curious to see if she connects the increasingly nasty political rhetoric over the last thirty or so years to what finally exploded all over Congress and the country thanks to tfg and his cabal of nasties.
Kate Atkinson's "Normal Rules Don't Apply". As with another book she wrote 20 years ago, you should read it twice to "get" it.
P.S. This is a wonderful exercise! Thank you so much! (I just made a list on Amazon of books people mentioned that sound interesting, including yours!)
There is another book that I love. “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein. A great story but mostly a beautiful connection between a dog and a human.
Let me first say that I tend to surrender myself pretty quickly to well written books, particularly histories, biographies, and well researched and written historical fiction.
Our daughter bought me "The Wager" by David Grann as a Christmas present. I just started it and I'm hooked.
That having been said, the 2023 read that most captivated me was "Hamnet" by Maggie O'Farrell. Her writing is mesmerizing. Without giving away too much, it's set in late 16th century England. The characters, although never quite definitively named, are easily identifiable. A very immersive experience. I didn't want it to end.
Thanks Steve for this indirect way to think about our current political, social, and environmental problems through literature. I am currently reading a poetry book, Song & Error, by Averill Curdy. I'm particularly taken by a poem with the longest title I've ever seen on a poem: To the Voice of the Warden of Huntsville Prison (Texas Death Chamber). I'm totally with her in that car, driving across salt flats, listening to radio, to the numb hum of the road and the numb warden's "bursal tones. /Tactful as the file box." Her longing, "For news of the opal distances."
"In Birding Under the Influence, Dorian Anderson, a neuroscience researcher on a pressure-filled life trajectory, walks away from the world of elite institutions, research labs, and academic publishing. In doing so, he falls in love and discovers he has freed himself to embrace his lifelong passion for birding." My son's classmate @ high school. Fascinating prose...so visual, and will appeal to anyone who is a birder, or finding their way in this crazy world!
Off topic perhaps but the last book that truly amazed me was "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver. It provoked thoughts outside our western world current issues.
Given our current environment, I recently dusted off my old copy of Eric Hoffer's True Believer. As accurate and important a book as I know of about dealing with the fanatics in politics. A fine, short read, created by one of the most interesting authors in America.
I'm reading (and re-reading) Anne Lamott's latest book "Dusk Night Dawn-on revival and courage". As a caregiver of my spouse, I needed "Reviving" and definitely "Courage"! It is light reading, but that's about all I can handle at this time in my life.
My interest in history began in Jr Hi when I read Speaking Frankly by James Barnes, a book my dad forgot to return to the PSU library, & I still have. Next came From Here to Eternity,
unfortunately, a 2nd edition, not valuable 1st.I primarily like nonfiction. The Fear & The Freedom (Lowe), The Coldet Winter (Halberstam), The Underground Railroad (Whitehead), Dead Wake & The Splendid & the Vile (Larson). I read your brother's Presidents of War.Loved novel A Gentleman in Moscow.Liked House of Sand & Fog. Also like novels by Kristin Hannah & Wm. Krueger. In short, I am captivated, learn something from them all.
(I guess since I'm no longer emailed ☹️, I will have to find on substack app, hopefully remember to do so before midnight!)
Steven, I don't quite know when I last read a hard-copy book, although I read and listen some on Kindle. These next months are perfect to get back into reading. I'm going to look up Goldfinch now. I feel inspired by you and this community. Thank you and I hope you savor the books you're reading.
I just finished Bleak House. It was my third attempt; I gave up after a few chapters the first two times. This time, I got deeper into it and then before I knew it I was obsessed. It gathered momentum as it went, which I find unusual.
I remember liking The Secret History.
I didn't think The Goldfinch was well written. I put it down without regret.
One book that captivated me was “A Piece of Cake” by Cupcake Brown. A black woman’s struggle to find who she was and what she wanted to become. Yes, Cupcake Brown is her real name! I am currently reading “The Postcard” by Anne Berest, a French writer. It is in regard of her mother receiving a postcard with only 4 names of her relatives on it. These relatives died 60 years ago in Auschwitz. I was attracted to it because both of my parents were Holocaust victims. It’s beautifully written and here is a link of Ms. Berest speaking about it: https://youtu.be/vIjt8U3R0Mo
I loved Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. She is a great author and the book is a fantastic contemporary version of David Copperfield set in rural America.
I loved A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. In 1922, a young Russian aristocrat is sentenced to house arrest for life in a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Despite being confined to the hotel, he develops close relationships with hotel staff and the guests he meets. He is aware of the major changes taking place in Russia even though he can never leave the hotel. He seeks and finds a purpose for his life.
There are 2 historical novels that have really captivated me in the past few years. First there is Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. It tells the story of women in the Ravensbruck concentration camp during WW II and how with their stamina and willpower they were able to withstand the punishment and break codes and free themselves and identify those who carried out the atrocities. The book also highlights Caroline Ferriday, an American woman who brought the Ravensbruck women to the Unit4ed States after WW II and got them the healthcare they so desperately needed. This book was so inspiring, as I read how, against all odds, these women, in the worst of circumstances, brought must needed justice to the world that was reeling during and after WW II. Another historical novel that really captivated me was The Matchmaker's Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman. The book tells the story of the matchmaker industry that exited in the Lower East Side during the early 20th century. I learned so much about Brooklyn, the Lower East Side, and the culture of the Jewish people during that era. It was a wonderful read, and a great learning experience. I highly recommend both books .
OMG. I just recently read "The Woman They Could Not Silence" By Kate Moore. I could NOT put it down. It is a non-fiction story that reads like fiction. It is the amazing story one Elizabeth Packard of Illinois, who, in the 1860's defied all odds, all expectations, all horrific obstacles, including being wrongly committed to a State Insane Asylum by her husband, just because she disagreed with him on the religious direction he had decided to move his Church. He was a pastor, and a prominent man in the community. She refused to let even the 3 year commitment defeat her. She became a hero to the women there, and eventually everywhere. She was able to fight back, from nothing, and changed laws and exposed injustices across the state and across the country for women's rights. She made lasting change. Just amazing.
As a survivor of years of domestic abuse, I cannot tell you how much her story touched me. I live in the Chicago area, and after reading this book, felt compelled to go visit her grave in Chicago and pay my respects. Seriously grateful. May she continue to rest in peace.
When you read this, a whole New World of communication and interaction among trees and their underlying mycorrhizal network opens up to us, helping us recognize how we are inextricably a part of nature and everything on the planet, and in the universe. It’s an unforgettable intelligent read.
I'll add a book here that I don't yet see listed. About a month ago I finished Still Life, by Sarah Winman. Like Goldfinch, it was a story that I didn't want to end; I wanted to just keep on reading. Still Life is set in Florence and the east of London and is effectively a love story among chosen family. A beautifully written historical novel, it begins just as WWII is concluding and then spans the next forty years setting out the wonders of life among friends. And it so makes me want to go spend time in Florence, such a gorgeous city of art.
Captivated? Interesting question, what does captivated mean to me?
I just finished Anne Lecke’s Translation State, another story set in the sprawling universe of the Ancialliary series. Her work is hard to describe, certainly hopepunk sci fi about identity, what is considered human. Yet it was still able to surprise me with some fascinating hard sci fi and political crises.
“The Goldfinch” which I’ve now read twice. Then “All the Light we cannot See” , “A Little Life”, “Demon Copperhead” and “The Last Painting of Shara DeVoss”and “Blind Assassin”
If you’re into audiobooks, Donna Tartt’s narration of Charles Portis’ “True Grit” is phenomenal. The novel is told in the voice of Mattie Ross, a no-nonsense Presbyterian woman recounting her odyssey to avenge her father’s murder when she was 14 years old. Donna Tartt’s voice captures and enhances Mattie’s unwavering courage as she refuses time and again to be intimidated by malevolent, nasty men. Really! Stop thinking “but it’s a western” and think “but it’s Donna Tartt!”
Just finished "When the World Came to Town". Little known story about when our air space was closed on 9/11 and the planes in the air had to land someplace. They flew to Gander, Nova Scotia, a small town. The townspeople welcomed the passengers warmly and took care of them until they were able to fly home. Heart-warming! A story to renew your belief in humanity!
I think the best book to provide me with an understanding Putin, Trump, Orban, Berlusconi:Ruth Ben Ghiat's "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present" Her portrayal and analysis of fascist-era strongmen, Hitler, Mussolini and cold-war dictators world-wide. I urge all subscribers to read it!
I found these three books captivating! Joseph O'Connor's "My Father's House", Pip Williams' The Bookbinder of Jericho, and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. These three books were a good antidote to Timothy Snider's oh-so eyeopening history of Eastern Europe, (i.e. Poland, Ukraine, Belarus) under German/Russia/Soviet authoritarian domination, BLOOD-LANDS. Snyder teaches us how to understand Russia and how to protect democracy: "The Road To Unfreedom" and "On Tyranny". I've just finished Rachel Maddow's PREQUEL; and so I need a something new to reclaim my hope for democracy and our humanity.
I loved The Goldfinch and wasn’t aware of her earlier book. I will definitely read it. The last book that captivated me was Anthony Doerr’s “All the Light We Cannot See”. It takes place during the Nazi occupation of Paris, and is a tragic yet beautiful story.
I have just finished “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride. It is an absolutely fantastic book. I also highly recommend Heather Cox Richardson’s “Democracy Awakening”; Jonathan Eig’s stunning biography “King”, and Jon Meacham’s revealing biography of Abraham Lincoln, “And There Was Light”. The issues Lincoln faced were so similar to where we are today.
For me I guess it was the first time I read Herman Wouk's 'Winds of War'....it tells how Germany came to be ruled by hitler and I see how it could apply to the US now.
I read The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese last month. I love reading books that teach me about other cultures, books that inspire me to open an atlas and explore a different continent.
Growing up, our family passed around books like candy. We were always reading. I find myself lost in a book and you couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Your comments struck a point with me because I, too, thought reading anything these days was near impossible. I have a stack of books in front of me on the coffee table. Many are about current events, etc.. What with the pace of news these days, by the time you pick one up to read, it's almost ancient history. I find myself buying books to support the person who wrote it more than reading it! However, I did pick up, The Flight Girls, by Noelle Salazar and read it in two days. As a pilot who files an old 30's era biplane, the story of Women Air Service Pilots (WASPs) has always captured me. This was a pretty good novel and based on historical facts. But more so, I was excited to be captured by a book again. I haven't found another one--yet--but I'm sure it will come along when I need it most. Great topic! Thank you!!
I absolutely loved The Goldfinch. I will be purchasing this, as well, as I was not aware of it. I'm lousy at following authors and love many genres of books so I'm all over the place. Thank you for sharing it.
The "not last" book, I read, that had a lasting impact on me was Unthinkable by Jamie Raskin. There are many books, memoirs included, that I have learned a great deal from. The Gulag, The KL, The New Jim Crow, The Deepest Well and others I've read for my interest in the mob, true crime, etc. Hunting LeRoux was excellent for so many reasons that remind us just how dangerous it is to protect America, as agents in the DEA, FBI, CIA, from the worst of the worst all over the world and how they do it. The anger I have for those who believe it some joke or conspiracy, missed the first impeachment of Donald Trump and have never read books like those who testified, and those like in Hunting LeRoux whom a border wall would never stop and how complex, and immersive, the drug trade is all over the world and who battles it from within our own government with valor and honor.
Jamie Raskin's memoir broke my heart, gave me hope, reminded me that no one is exempt from immense internal pain, outward brilliance and normalcy, while not knowing the worst thing, in life, is just around a corner. To then, be called, to lead our country through the second impeachment of the 45th POTUS, when he could have shut down and refused. He answered the call and dealt with his loss, his own pain, his own health battles, his oath he took to protect and defend the Constitution, and finally bury his best friend, his only son. I think of that book so often and see and hear Mr. Raskin and think how did you do it? He's one of the most courageous people whom I've never met but is on my list..HAHA. I could go on but I'll leave it there. I hope everyone gets the chance to read his, most inspiring, heartfelt, honest, and gut wrenching memoir, that hopefully leaves others with the hope he left me with. We are all just human but there are so many stars among us who don't know just how bright they shine on the rest of us.
I too loved The Goldfinch, which led me to her other works. I also liked The Secret History, but not so much The Little Friend. But to your question: I fell so hard for James McBride’s The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store that I gave it to everyone on my Christmas gift list. What a storyteller, and every character is so well-drawn and original that I felt I knew them personally. Some of the scenes will stay with me forever. It’s a masterpiece and entirely entertaining. (I was delighted to see it topped Obama’s book recommendations; high praise from a prolific reader.)
Love her but just finished The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by james McBride.. it's a rare book that brings me to tears this one did it
I am still being captivated by The Boys in the Boat - I saw the movie and had to read the book. I don't usually do that but I have to tell you I can't put the book down. It's non-fiction but so well written and such interesting characters. I highly recommend it.
Prequel by Rachel Maddow is stunning. And scary. This is our country.
Most recently, "The Lilac Girls" by Martha Hart Reilly was fascinating, as the topic was women during the Holocaust. Not just any women, but Polish women who endured the horror of medical experiments conducted on them while they were in a concentration camp. This is an aspect of the Holocaust that's perhaps less known than some of the other forms of torture. The women were subjected to simulations of potential war wounds on the battlefield, and the irony is that the experiments were conducted by a female physician. Based on a true story, the novel also highlights the work done by a New York City socialite, who brought the surviving women to the United States for post-war treatment. This is a lengthy book that I couldn't put down. As a writer myself, I was both fascinated and horrified as I read what the women endured at the hands of hatred.
I was introduced to Louise Penny’s Three Pines mysteries during the pandemic and consumed the entire series over the course of the shut down. Inspector Armand Gamache is a character for the ages. Smart, thorough, kind, a distillation of the best a person can be, flaws and all. The nineteenth in the series is out soon and I am more than ready to cozy up with Armand, his wise wife Marie-Reign, and all the delightful and wacky residents of the sleepy Quebec village of Three Pines.
Having been given for Christmas the novel West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge, I opened the cover and started reading. Instantly, I was captivated by the story of giraffes that had been sent from Africa and arrived during the hurricane in New York. Both of those events are historical facts although the storyline itself is fiction. Set during the time of the dust bowl, hoovervilles and hobos, the two-week journey is an odyssey of love and loyalty and loss, with a zookeeper, an orphaned teenager, an ambitious young woman and the giraffes. It left me more sensitive and more determined in my passions. Now I'm headed to the library for other works by this author.
I'm a mystery fan. I've been reading the novels by Val McDermid. I'll read them all. She's a great writer who creates memorable characters and plots. I also like that they're set in Scotland. They make me sorry I didn't visit there when I was in Britain.
Good Lord, everyone must read Eliot’s Middlemarch! So much wisdom in one novel.
I highly recommend Shelter by Jung Yun. I don’t recall the last time I literally had to pause for several minutes before getting to the end of a novel, just to catch my breath. This story was such a beautifully told tragedy about family. I can’t recommend it enough.
For me the book I always go back to is lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
When it came out in 1985 I borrowed it from the local library in Tiffin, OH and could not put it down. The story of a cattle drive in the old west is a story of life death wants needs
Lessons in Chemistry. A strong female lead character with a mission!
Thanks, Steven, for this recommendation! The last book that captivated me was Klara and the Sun by Kasuo Ishiguro. He is an amazing writer!
I’ve been able to read for 72 years and used to always have a book of some flavor or other in my hands but anymore, the actual books I read are for my own pleasure. I get my political fixes here through several Substack newsletters but the last actual books I read are all books in the OUTLANDER series by Diana Gabaldon. My Kindle is my passport now and I have a full library at my disposal. My next read will be Liz Cheney’s book just to see what she experienced after Jan 6, 2021. I’m curious to see if she connects the increasingly nasty political rhetoric over the last thirty or so years to what finally exploded all over Congress and the country thanks to tfg and his cabal of nasties.
Kate Atkinson's "Normal Rules Don't Apply". As with another book she wrote 20 years ago, you should read it twice to "get" it.
P.S. This is a wonderful exercise! Thank you so much! (I just made a list on Amazon of books people mentioned that sound interesting, including yours!)
There is another book that I love. “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein. A great story but mostly a beautiful connection between a dog and a human.
Let me first say that I tend to surrender myself pretty quickly to well written books, particularly histories, biographies, and well researched and written historical fiction.
Our daughter bought me "The Wager" by David Grann as a Christmas present. I just started it and I'm hooked.
That having been said, the 2023 read that most captivated me was "Hamnet" by Maggie O'Farrell. Her writing is mesmerizing. Without giving away too much, it's set in late 16th century England. The characters, although never quite definitively named, are easily identifiable. A very immersive experience. I didn't want it to end.
Thanks Steve for this indirect way to think about our current political, social, and environmental problems through literature. I am currently reading a poetry book, Song & Error, by Averill Curdy. I'm particularly taken by a poem with the longest title I've ever seen on a poem: To the Voice of the Warden of Huntsville Prison (Texas Death Chamber). I'm totally with her in that car, driving across salt flats, listening to radio, to the numb hum of the road and the numb warden's "bursal tones. /Tactful as the file box." Her longing, "For news of the opal distances."
"In Birding Under the Influence, Dorian Anderson, a neuroscience researcher on a pressure-filled life trajectory, walks away from the world of elite institutions, research labs, and academic publishing. In doing so, he falls in love and discovers he has freed himself to embrace his lifelong passion for birding." My son's classmate @ high school. Fascinating prose...so visual, and will appeal to anyone who is a birder, or finding their way in this crazy world!
Off topic perhaps but the last book that truly amazed me was "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver. It provoked thoughts outside our western world current issues.
Given our current environment, I recently dusted off my old copy of Eric Hoffer's True Believer. As accurate and important a book as I know of about dealing with the fanatics in politics. A fine, short read, created by one of the most interesting authors in America.
The last book that I read was "Strongmen " By Ruth Ben Ghiat. I loved the historical accounting of dictators and how they came to power.
I'm reading (and re-reading) Anne Lamott's latest book "Dusk Night Dawn-on revival and courage". As a caregiver of my spouse, I needed "Reviving" and definitely "Courage"! It is light reading, but that's about all I can handle at this time in my life.
Klara and the Sun is another good story.
My interest in history began in Jr Hi when I read Speaking Frankly by James Barnes, a book my dad forgot to return to the PSU library, & I still have. Next came From Here to Eternity,
unfortunately, a 2nd edition, not valuable 1st.I primarily like nonfiction. The Fear & The Freedom (Lowe), The Coldet Winter (Halberstam), The Underground Railroad (Whitehead), Dead Wake & The Splendid & the Vile (Larson). I read your brother's Presidents of War.Loved novel A Gentleman in Moscow.Liked House of Sand & Fog. Also like novels by Kristin Hannah & Wm. Krueger. In short, I am captivated, learn something from them all.
(I guess since I'm no longer emailed ☹️, I will have to find on substack app, hopefully remember to do so before midnight!)
Steven, I don't quite know when I last read a hard-copy book, although I read and listen some on Kindle. These next months are perfect to get back into reading. I'm going to look up Goldfinch now. I feel inspired by you and this community. Thank you and I hope you savor the books you're reading.
He is a wonderful writer, his novels really capture both the beauty and sadness of life
I just finished Bleak House. It was my third attempt; I gave up after a few chapters the first two times. This time, I got deeper into it and then before I knew it I was obsessed. It gathered momentum as it went, which I find unusual.
I remember liking The Secret History.
I didn't think The Goldfinch was well written. I put it down without regret.
Honestly, anything by Alice Hoffman, and the short story collections of Alice Munro.
One book that captivated me was “A Piece of Cake” by Cupcake Brown. A black woman’s struggle to find who she was and what she wanted to become. Yes, Cupcake Brown is her real name! I am currently reading “The Postcard” by Anne Berest, a French writer. It is in regard of her mother receiving a postcard with only 4 names of her relatives on it. These relatives died 60 years ago in Auschwitz. I was attracted to it because both of my parents were Holocaust victims. It’s beautifully written and here is a link of Ms. Berest speaking about it: https://youtu.be/vIjt8U3R0Mo
I loved Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. She is a great author and the book is a fantastic contemporary version of David Copperfield set in rural America.
I loved A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. In 1922, a young Russian aristocrat is sentenced to house arrest for life in a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Despite being confined to the hotel, he develops close relationships with hotel staff and the guests he meets. He is aware of the major changes taking place in Russia even though he can never leave the hotel. He seeks and finds a purpose for his life.
There are 2 historical novels that have really captivated me in the past few years. First there is Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. It tells the story of women in the Ravensbruck concentration camp during WW II and how with their stamina and willpower they were able to withstand the punishment and break codes and free themselves and identify those who carried out the atrocities. The book also highlights Caroline Ferriday, an American woman who brought the Ravensbruck women to the Unit4ed States after WW II and got them the healthcare they so desperately needed. This book was so inspiring, as I read how, against all odds, these women, in the worst of circumstances, brought must needed justice to the world that was reeling during and after WW II. Another historical novel that really captivated me was The Matchmaker's Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman. The book tells the story of the matchmaker industry that exited in the Lower East Side during the early 20th century. I learned so much about Brooklyn, the Lower East Side, and the culture of the Jewish people during that era. It was a wonderful read, and a great learning experience. I highly recommend both books .
OMG. I just recently read "The Woman They Could Not Silence" By Kate Moore. I could NOT put it down. It is a non-fiction story that reads like fiction. It is the amazing story one Elizabeth Packard of Illinois, who, in the 1860's defied all odds, all expectations, all horrific obstacles, including being wrongly committed to a State Insane Asylum by her husband, just because she disagreed with him on the religious direction he had decided to move his Church. He was a pastor, and a prominent man in the community. She refused to let even the 3 year commitment defeat her. She became a hero to the women there, and eventually everywhere. She was able to fight back, from nothing, and changed laws and exposed injustices across the state and across the country for women's rights. She made lasting change. Just amazing.
As a survivor of years of domestic abuse, I cannot tell you how much her story touched me. I live in the Chicago area, and after reading this book, felt compelled to go visit her grave in Chicago and pay my respects. Seriously grateful. May she continue to rest in peace.
Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard.
When you read this, a whole New World of communication and interaction among trees and their underlying mycorrhizal network opens up to us, helping us recognize how we are inextricably a part of nature and everything on the planet, and in the universe. It’s an unforgettable intelligent read.
I'll add a book here that I don't yet see listed. About a month ago I finished Still Life, by Sarah Winman. Like Goldfinch, it was a story that I didn't want to end; I wanted to just keep on reading. Still Life is set in Florence and the east of London and is effectively a love story among chosen family. A beautifully written historical novel, it begins just as WWII is concluding and then spans the next forty years setting out the wonders of life among friends. And it so makes me want to go spend time in Florence, such a gorgeous city of art.
I loved Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson. It read like a novel on both the scientific and human character levels.
Captivated? Interesting question, what does captivated mean to me?
I just finished Anne Lecke’s Translation State, another story set in the sprawling universe of the Ancialliary series. Her work is hard to describe, certainly hopepunk sci fi about identity, what is considered human. Yet it was still able to surprise me with some fascinating hard sci fi and political crises.
“The Goldfinch” which I’ve now read twice. Then “All the Light we cannot See” , “A Little Life”, “Demon Copperhead” and “The Last Painting of Shara DeVoss”and “Blind Assassin”
If you’re into audiobooks, Donna Tartt’s narration of Charles Portis’ “True Grit” is phenomenal. The novel is told in the voice of Mattie Ross, a no-nonsense Presbyterian woman recounting her odyssey to avenge her father’s murder when she was 14 years old. Donna Tartt’s voice captures and enhances Mattie’s unwavering courage as she refuses time and again to be intimidated by malevolent, nasty men. Really! Stop thinking “but it’s a western” and think “but it’s Donna Tartt!”
Just finished "When the World Came to Town". Little known story about when our air space was closed on 9/11 and the planes in the air had to land someplace. They flew to Gander, Nova Scotia, a small town. The townspeople welcomed the passengers warmly and took care of them until they were able to fly home. Heart-warming! A story to renew your belief in humanity!
The Hild sequence: Hild and Menewoods.
I think the best book to provide me with an understanding Putin, Trump, Orban, Berlusconi:Ruth Ben Ghiat's "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present" Her portrayal and analysis of fascist-era strongmen, Hitler, Mussolini and cold-war dictators world-wide. I urge all subscribers to read it!
I found these three books captivating! Joseph O'Connor's "My Father's House", Pip Williams' The Bookbinder of Jericho, and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. These three books were a good antidote to Timothy Snider's oh-so eyeopening history of Eastern Europe, (i.e. Poland, Ukraine, Belarus) under German/Russia/Soviet authoritarian domination, BLOOD-LANDS. Snyder teaches us how to understand Russia and how to protect democracy: "The Road To Unfreedom" and "On Tyranny". I've just finished Rachel Maddow's PREQUEL; and so I need a something new to reclaim my hope for democracy and our humanity.