nomadreader

The backstory: The Lucky Ones  is longlisted for the 2017 Center for Fiction's  First Novel Prize . The basics:   "A literary jigsaw puzzle of a debut novel set in Colombia during the peak of its decades-long conflict, and in New York City."-publisher My thoughts: When this year's First Novel Prize longlist was announced, I'd already read two. The Lucky Ones  was the first one I picked up from the longlist, so I had high expectations. I started it on my lunch break. The first chapter left me breathless; it was extraordinary. It, and many of the other stories, were originally published as short stories, and it shows. Some chapters are stronger than others, and the order certainly matters. Pachico uses names sparingly, and I spent the first parts of most chapters trying to figure out who the narrator was and if/when I'd read about them before. I enjoy non-linear stories told in this way, and I enjoyed it (for the most part) in this novel. I was hoping for ...

July 2017 was a phenomenal reading month for me. It has given me hope that my reading and blogging mojo are back in full force. Now if I can only hang on to both once classes start at the end of the month! Here's what I read in July: Books Read: 15 Fiction: 12 Nonfiction: 3 Mystery/Thriller: 3 Not Yet Released: 4 (one came out this month after I read it) Audio: 2 New-to-me authors: 13 My Favorite July Read: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo  by Taylor Jenkins Reid Will I get around to reviewing them all? I don't know, but I have been really engaged with posting reviews as I finish books on Litsy. You can find me there as nomadreader, of course. Now tell me: what's the best book you read in July? As an affiliate, I receive a small commission when you make a purchase through any of the above links. Thank you for helping to support my book habits that bring more content to this blog!

Two years ago, I convinced my spouse to create a book club with me. I read more than he does, but he loves to read. I love discussing pretty much anything with him, and I am forever recommending books to him. We fizzled our pretty quickly, at least partially because Hawthorne wasn't even one yet, and finding a routine to anything was hard. Last week, Mr. Nomadreader suggested we start our book club back again in August. Of course, I agreed. Our book club is pretty fun, but we do have a few rules. Each month, we each pick one book, and we both read both books. 1. We're not allowed to pick books we've read before (I am not the creator of this rule, but it is a good one because it's terrible to hand a book to your favorite person and say, "I loved this book. I know you will love it too!" And then they don't. I also have so many books I want to make him read.) 2. No one may pick Infinite Jest  or a similarly long book. Here's what we picked for Augus...