What are you reading in 2025?

I'm still working on my "sense of place" chapter for Exit 9. (This has been a terrible winter for getting things done so I'm way behind). These are some of the books I'm referencing:

The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry
Belonging by bell hooks
The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind by Simone Weil
Bowling Alone (revised edition) by Robert Putnam
A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration by Michael Shapiro

That's basically it for the time being.

BTW, I appreciate everyone who responded to my request for your perspectives on your place attachments. I will be adding some clips of the quotes (anonymous of course). If you wrote something but do not want me to use your quote let me know, but I assure you, no one would be able to identify you based on it.

Feel free to build on any insights, or add some. I probably won't get this done for a few weeks.

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Originally Posted by nswef

I just finished "The Women" by Krisitn Hannah for the 2nd time- once for myself and then this time for the book club (30 years and still going strong) I love how whe writes. Second reading (I had forgotten much of it- just my anger at the reality) was just as compelling as the first.

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I've read such mixed reviews on this one. It's on my list, but I may not get to it for awhile.

In Covid‘a Wake. Brand new and has been in the news a lot. NYT Daily podcast had a 45 min interview with the author’s in the last week or so. Very interesting look back on policies and such. The authors are professors at Princeton. Good so far.

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Originally Posted by rosarugosa

I've read such mixed reviews on this one. It's on my list, but I may not get to it for awhile.

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I watched the film. It was interesting. At least I assume the film was based on this book. About an Amish or Amish-like community, right?

No, Iris it is about nurses in Vietnam and how the VA kept saying "there were no women in combat in Vietnam", I was reminded of the tv show China Beach.

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Originally Posted by nswef

No, Iris it is about nurses in Vietnam and how the VA kept saying "there were no women in combat in Vietnam", I was reminded of the tv show China Beach.

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oh, ok. I remember China Beach TV show.

okay--yeah homo/non-homo beer. Ha. A really significant topic. Ha. You kids needta start using your time to do more YARD WORK!!, steada paying flunkies to do it. Yup.

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Originally Posted by Rogar

Or, there are a lot of Bud drinkers who are homophobic and the far right made a big deal in the media over nothing important to enterprise on that.

I don't consider Bud a responsible organization and their loss of sales is not bringing any tears to my eyes.

I'm reading The Great Transformation by Karen Armstrong. It was a best seller and up for awards a couple of year ago and traces the origins of the four major religions. It might sound a little boring, but it's quite readable without being too simplistic.

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Yesterday Budweiser pulled $150,000 sponsorship from our local Pride event. They have been a sponsor for decades.

Interesting.

A little bit late, but these were my March reads:

• The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon - historical fiction about a midwife in colonial New England based on a real character. It was pretty slow moving early on, but I really liked it. It had very mixed reviews, a lot of people found it too slow and did not finish and a lot of people loved it. I would come down on the loved side.
• Such Kindness by Andre Dubus III - a wonderful book by one of my favorite contemporary authors. I would say it's his best since House of Sand and Fog. Initially it seemed so very dismal, but ultimately turns out to be quite an uplifting read. I feel like there is a touch of Buddhism in there, but I could be wrong. I loved the main character Tom Lowe and he will stay with me for a very long time.
• All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker - This was kind of a murder mystery. I liked it, but not nearly as much as the consistent rave reviews lead me to expect. I thought it was way longer than it needed to be.
• The Last Ranger by Peter Heller - I hadn't read anything by this writer in a long time. I didn't realize that he had written a few books since The Dog Star and The Painter, both of which I liked very much. This was a really good story about a ranger in Yellowstone, and although written a couple of years ago, it seems really relevant in view of current concerns about the country moving away from environmental protections and investment in our national parks. For some reason, this book reminded me of you, Rogar. I would be interested in knowing if you like it, if you get around to reading it.
• Attachments by Rainbow Rowell - this was a totally fluffy little rom-com that I read in a day. It's not my favorite genre, but I really enjoyed it because the characters were so witty and loveable.

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Originally Posted by rosarugosa

[*]Such Kindness by Andre Dubus III - a wonderful book by one of my favorite contemporary authors. I would say it's his best since House of Sand and Fog. Initially it seemed so very dismal, but ultimately turns out to be quite an uplifting read. I feel like there is a touch of Buddhism in there, but I could be wrong. I loved the main character Tom Lowe and he will stay with me for a very long time.
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Thanks for this. House of Sand and Fog is one of my favorite movies--I haven't read the book, but I bet the book is even better, as most books that are made into movies are. I will definitely read Such Kindness.