What are you reading in 2025?

[KayLR]

RR, I enjoyed reading The Frozen River so much I bought a copy for my daughter as a birthday gift. Will look into Such Kindness.

[Rogar]

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.

Thanks for the reminder. I just ordered a used copy. The Painter was a favorite. I gave the book to a friend and it got passed around to several readers. It had place names and characters that were quite imaginable for around here, even the despicable ones. My last book of his was The Guide. It might to go down as a favorite, but a good story. It revolves around a global pandemic like Covid, which already seems a little dated. So far.

I'm listening to The Fisherman by John Langan as an audio book. I read it a few years ago and like it a lot, but didn't want to re-read it. It takes place near the Adirondacks and belongs solidly in the category of pulp horror fiction in the style of Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard.

[KayLR]

Currently reading "The Secret Life of Sunflowers," by Marta Molnar.

[iris lilies]

Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden Harris, and the odds in the wildest campaign in history by Chris Whipple

I raced through this new book, one of many to come, about the failings of the Biden campaign for presidency in 2024.

the theme is Biden‘s team insulated themselves from reality, told themselves that Joe Biden was up to the job of another four years as President. There was no adult in the room to say to Biden “WTF do you think you’re doing running for another term?“

One of the chief informants for the book was Ron Klein, who had worked for Biden as chief of staff and who was brought into coach him for the June debate. KLein saw a weak, unfocused, greatly diminished President unable to understand the basic policy questions he would most likely be asked during the debate.


Ron Klein is a special kind of traitor who was assuring the public how sharp and confident Joe Biden was up until the moment Biden stepped out of the race.


This book doesn’t reveal anything we don’t already know and even the juicy details are not many, and nothing new. And in order to pad out the theme into a book length manuscript it covers the entire presidential campaign with lots of detail about Trump World as well as the problems with Harris’ campaign.

While this is a competent coverage of the 2024 presidential campaign, nothing new or especially interesting is revealed, so save your money.

edited to correct title

[catherine]

[U]

While this is a competent coverage of the 2024 presidential campaign, nothing new or especially interesting is revealed, so save your money.

I wonder how it will compare with Jake Tapper's soon-to-be-released book on the same topic: "Original Sin:President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again."

[iris lilies]

I wonder how it will compare with Jake Tapper's soon-to-be-released book on the same topic: "Original Sin:President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again."

Oh my, I will probably have to buy and download that one as well.

[rosarugosa]

These were my April reads:
One, Two, Three by Laurie Frankel - good read about triplets born and living in a Love Canal type of town where most of the townspeople have major issues caused by factory pollution. I enjoyed the relationships between the sisters, all three very smart, but one of normal ability, one profoundly disabled physically and one with an Asperger's-like presentation. I liked how they respected each other's strengths and none of the sisters was considered as less-than the others. I found it a little slow going at first, but as I got into the story, the relationships and themes of ableism/disability won me over and gave me food for thought.
Holly by Stephen King - very enjoyable read if you like Stephen King, which I certainly do. Also, there was cannibalism, and who doesn't enjoy a good creepy read involving cannibalism?
Go as a River by Shelley Read - decent read about a young woman in mid-century Colorado, with themes of racism, and the challenges of having a baby out of wedlock in that era.
Beyond That, the Sea - decent read about a young girl sent from England to stay with a family in the USA during WW2, and the relationships she develops with her family of origin and her US family.

[pinkytoe]

Lawn People and Amy Tan's Backyard Bird Chronicles.

[iris lilies]

Original,sin: President Biden’s decline, it’s coverup, and his disastrous decision to run again by Jake Tapper and AlexThompson.

This one is juicy, unlike the previous book I read about this topic. This one has quotes by cabinet members who saw the decline of Biden and who were shocked and later kept away from the President. This book brings in Jill Biden’s role whereas the other book didn’t mention her. She was concerned about her performance after the June 2024 debate where she complimented her husband for “answering all the questions!!!” like a dialogue with a toddler. I found that so creepy, so I’m glad she recognized her part in that night’s debacle.

I learned from the book how much Beau’s death affected Biden. So many people said over and over he wasn’t the same person after 2015 when Beau died, and his extreme fear of losing yet another child keeps him tied to Hunter’s shenanigans where he’s always fearful Hunter will have a relapse with drugs.

It also gave a little bit of gossip. Michelle Obama was friends with Hunter’s first wife Katherine and when Katherine divorced Hunter telling the world why, the Bidens shut her out. That made Michelle mad. So this fueled the already cool relationship between the Bidens and the Obamas.

Jack Tapper is getting skewered in the media and rightly so. Podcasts are taking him to task for being one of the chief media failures to bring the story to light a year ago or two years ago.

[catherine]

I've seen Jake Tapper hawk the book on CNN for months.. I'm glad it's worth all the self-promotion. I was a little surprised that CNN allowed him to do that, but I don't know what the rules are regarding those things.

You have me interested in reading it.

But on a lighter book-reading note, on CBS Sunday Morning there was an apparently very rare interview with Anne Tyler. I have always loved her books. Her 25th book, Three Days in June is coming out. I haven't read one of her books in a while, but I'm going to see if the library is planning on getting a copy.