While I appreciate a good movie or show, few things make life better than falling in love with the world of a novel, the sort of book that while you’re reading it, you’re dimly aware that with every page you turn, you’re hastening the end of your love affair with the story.
David, so glad to hear how much you enjoyed The Calamity Club. I’ve been lugging my copy from place to place this summer, somehow not starting to read it. Now I will! I just finished Maggie O’Farrell’s LAND, set in post-famine Ireland. Immersive, rich, layered, wonderful — you and your Debbie might like it.
Thanks for sharing this, David. I was going to ask you how you selected the books, and when you revealed it was Claude I experienced a mixture of disappointment (not sure why) and thinking, "How sensible!". I read several novels a year or so ago, but this year I've been focusing on short stories and non-fiction. I love fiction, though, and now that I have finally (finally!) sorted out my bookshelves I am looking forward to reading or re-reading much older books, ie the classics: Emma, Bleak House, Barchester Towers etc etc!
Days Without End is the one book I found through Claude. I find Claude most useful to me for coming up with lists and aggregating reviews. Bleak House is my favorite of the Dickens novels I’ve read. I hd a few false starts over the years, but recently I made it to a tipping point where the novel became addictive.
I rarely read fiction any more. It was always one of the greatest pleasures of my life, but I find myself too restless with worry lately. It’s silly of me—everything is going to stay as it is whether or not I take time off to read a book!! Because I feel kinship with you and trust in your opinion, I’m going to try one of these. “Knowing” me, which should I pick?? And THANKS so much for the mention of my “Pitt” writing.
I think Calamity Club because it deals mostly with the treatment of women back then. And I know how passionate you are about calling out misogyny from all sides.
For last several months, I was reading fiction only , perhaps bc of some restlessness, perhaps bc I had a long list of recs. Then I broke the regimen and read, in chunks bc it’s a hard read, “Regime Change”. How I wished that authors Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan were writing fiction here. More restless than ever.
Don’t you live in New York, a city with great public libraries and presumably great librarians? Why ask an LLM what to read instead of seeking the personalized advice of a real life human? I’m sure they would have even offered suggestions over the phone if physically going to the library was a barrier.
Debbie I would argue that “quibbling” is a very minimizing word to describe what I feel is a valid question — that’s why I asked it, and the fact that David answered suggests he found it worth spending two minutes to respond to. Self reflection and when, why, and how we use AI is not naive. I prefer the expertise of a human who has spent their life helping others seek knowledge and fall in love with reading over a bulk of code that is basically summarizing a Time best of list, good reads, and the books subreddit. A librarian can ask the nuanced questions to not just offer ‘what everyone else is reading next’ but what you might love even more. You’re allowed to disagree but awareness of what we sacrifice for the sake of perceived convenience is essential in my opinion.
Right now I'm reading the novel Cubafruit by Substack's own Alex Sorondo. Sourced because I love his writing. For me, relying on multiple sources makes sense. I like Cubafruit enough (I'm definitely going to finish it) to get it for my wife. Good dialogue!
It’s efficient, and I’d rather rely on multiple reviewers as a first pass. That said, most of the books I read come from other sources. Trusted friends, reviews I see, and so forth. When I asked Claude for well reviewed historical novels since 2000 (as I recall) I’d read most of the list (Cromwell Trilogy was one) but had never heard of Barry’s book.
I read The Rest of Our Lives recently and enjoyed it, although I was anxious the whole time about the diagnosis, which I knew was coming. I didn't realize that wouldn't happen until the end of the book!
I always appreciate your book recs! I just started reading Returning and am really enjoying it. If you’re ever looking for short stories I highly recommend The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck - it’s a series of vignettes about all kinds of relationships set in the same locations in New England over the past 200 years or so.
Sebastian Barry--why have I never read him? I'm a huge fan (typically) of the long- and short-listed and winning Booker books. Thanks for moving Barry up the TBR ranks for me!
I'm with Debbie - I have to finish a book or project that I start. Right now, I'm reading through and writing about the Pulitzers. Many of them are wonderful, but some have left a bad taste, making it hard to reach for the next one. Reading more current recommendations might help. Thanks for this!
I blame Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch. It made me wonder why a book was selected. So I thought I would read them and look for patterns. Of course, I really thought I would love them all. Not so much.
Hi David/ I must admit to having such a negative response to The Help, both book and movie, for its white savior narrative, I have not considered the possibility of reading another book by the author. But I trust your critical eye! Hope you are well!
Ooh i have Medium Rare on Kindle. I'm a big college basketball fan, so I'm excited to start it next. I have been reading The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife while I'm in Boston and look forward to your other recs as well.
Nope, not reading your Substack today. I trust your recommendations completely since I read the Belle Burden memoir after your previous Substack. But I’ve already downloaded “The Rest of Our Lives.” THEN I’ll come back to your thoughts on that book and start on the next recommendation. I have pivoted to audibobooks since I have to read so much at work. Great joyous picture of you and wifey. (Please don’t tell her I put down any book anytime if I don’t get pulled in, although sometimes I hang in one more chapter with audibobooks and then I’m hooked!). Best to all.
Sounds like a good plan, Sharon. Hope you enjoy "The Rest of Our Lives. I don't understand "completists!" But perhaps completists don't understand "stoppers."
Thanks for the recs! I just finished OUT, a late 90s Japanese feminnist/noir crime novel. Surprisingly engaging though relentlessly bleak - and with a bonkers ending. But it is hard to get away from the "greats" - those books that formed you, haunted your days and nights, and against which everything else pales in contrast. The "love" analogy truly lives here. So when you recommend a western, I have to think of Blood Meridien. A novel about a middle aged upper class white guy contending with aging, infideloty, etc - I am immediately "misprisoned" (Harold Blooms pretentious but useful term) by Cheever and his Collected Stories. Etc. I guess the same is true about movies and even TV series, but the effect of those first-love-volumes seems somehow different in kind. Spoiling me for almost anything else.
I didn’t have the same comparative reaction to any of these books. I think in part because there’s a pace to them that is quicker than many of the “greats.” And the language was demotic (using a non-demotic word) while still being compelling to me as a reader. Cheever, to use an example, is lyrical, and that’s in part why you and I and millions of others love his stories. Thanks for making me think.
And now, with love, goodbye my brother. (literary Vinnie?)
David, so glad to hear how much you enjoyed The Calamity Club. I’ve been lugging my copy from place to place this summer, somehow not starting to read it. Now I will! I just finished Maggie O’Farrell’s LAND, set in post-famine Ireland. Immersive, rich, layered, wonderful — you and your Debbie might like it.
I adore Maggie O'Farrell and was wondering about her latest--thanks for mentioning it!
Loved Hamnet so happy to read another of hers. Thanks Debbie for the suggestion.
Thanks for sharing this, David. I was going to ask you how you selected the books, and when you revealed it was Claude I experienced a mixture of disappointment (not sure why) and thinking, "How sensible!". I read several novels a year or so ago, but this year I've been focusing on short stories and non-fiction. I love fiction, though, and now that I have finally (finally!) sorted out my bookshelves I am looking forward to reading or re-reading much older books, ie the classics: Emma, Bleak House, Barchester Towers etc etc!
Days Without End is the one book I found through Claude. I find Claude most useful to me for coming up with lists and aggregating reviews. Bleak House is my favorite of the Dickens novels I’ve read. I hd a few false starts over the years, but recently I made it to a tipping point where the novel became addictive.
ditto re Bleak House. My favourite Dickens novel, or part thereof, is Hard Times. Must finish that!
Your opening paragraph describes the experience well.
I rarely read fiction any more. It was always one of the greatest pleasures of my life, but I find myself too restless with worry lately. It’s silly of me—everything is going to stay as it is whether or not I take time off to read a book!! Because I feel kinship with you and trust in your opinion, I’m going to try one of these. “Knowing” me, which should I pick?? And THANKS so much for the mention of my “Pitt” writing.
I think Calamity Club because it deals mostly with the treatment of women back then. And I know how passionate you are about calling out misogyny from all sides.
For last several months, I was reading fiction only , perhaps bc of some restlessness, perhaps bc I had a long list of recs. Then I broke the regimen and read, in chunks bc it’s a hard read, “Regime Change”. How I wished that authors Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan were writing fiction here. More restless than ever.
Don’t you live in New York, a city with great public libraries and presumably great librarians? Why ask an LLM what to read instead of seeking the personalized advice of a real life human? I’m sure they would have even offered suggestions over the phone if physically going to the library was a barrier.
Debbie I would argue that “quibbling” is a very minimizing word to describe what I feel is a valid question — that’s why I asked it, and the fact that David answered suggests he found it worth spending two minutes to respond to. Self reflection and when, why, and how we use AI is not naive. I prefer the expertise of a human who has spent their life helping others seek knowledge and fall in love with reading over a bulk of code that is basically summarizing a Time best of list, good reads, and the books subreddit. A librarian can ask the nuanced questions to not just offer ‘what everyone else is reading next’ but what you might love even more. You’re allowed to disagree but awareness of what we sacrifice for the sake of perceived convenience is essential in my opinion.
Right now I'm reading the novel Cubafruit by Substack's own Alex Sorondo. Sourced because I love his writing. For me, relying on multiple sources makes sense. I like Cubafruit enough (I'm definitely going to finish it) to get it for my wife. Good dialogue!
It’s efficient, and I’d rather rely on multiple reviewers as a first pass. That said, most of the books I read come from other sources. Trusted friends, reviews I see, and so forth. When I asked Claude for well reviewed historical novels since 2000 (as I recall) I’d read most of the list (Cromwell Trilogy was one) but had never heard of Barry’s book.
I read The Rest of Our Lives recently and enjoyed it, although I was anxious the whole time about the diagnosis, which I knew was coming. I didn't realize that wouldn't happen until the end of the book!
I always appreciate your book recs! I just started reading Returning and am really enjoying it. If you’re ever looking for short stories I highly recommend The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck - it’s a series of vignettes about all kinds of relationships set in the same locations in New England over the past 200 years or so.
Thanks Audrey for the rec.
Sebastian Barry--why have I never read him? I'm a huge fan (typically) of the long- and short-listed and winning Booker books. Thanks for moving Barry up the TBR ranks for me!
I was surprised to "discover" him.
I'm with Debbie - I have to finish a book or project that I start. Right now, I'm reading through and writing about the Pulitzers. Many of them are wonderful, but some have left a bad taste, making it hard to reach for the next one. Reading more current recommendations might help. Thanks for this!
That's ambitious re: the Pulitzers!
I blame Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch. It made me wonder why a book was selected. So I thought I would read them and look for patterns. Of course, I really thought I would love them all. Not so much.
I liked The Calamity Club, but loved John of John by Douglas Stuart. Easily the best novel of the year.
Thanks Susan for the rec.
I've seen John of John making a lot of lists
Hi David/ I must admit to having such a negative response to The Help, both book and movie, for its white savior narrative, I have not considered the possibility of reading another book by the author. But I trust your critical eye! Hope you are well!
I never read The Help, but I know that point was controversial. It's absent as far as I can tell from the CC.
Grand post: without reading, without narrative feels like without life!
Ooh i have Medium Rare on Kindle. I'm a big college basketball fan, so I'm excited to start it next. I have been reading The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife while I'm in Boston and look forward to your other recs as well.
I think you're in for a treat with Medium Rare.
Nope, not reading your Substack today. I trust your recommendations completely since I read the Belle Burden memoir after your previous Substack. But I’ve already downloaded “The Rest of Our Lives.” THEN I’ll come back to your thoughts on that book and start on the next recommendation. I have pivoted to audibobooks since I have to read so much at work. Great joyous picture of you and wifey. (Please don’t tell her I put down any book anytime if I don’t get pulled in, although sometimes I hang in one more chapter with audibobooks and then I’m hooked!). Best to all.
Sounds like a good plan, Sharon. Hope you enjoy "The Rest of Our Lives. I don't understand "completists!" But perhaps completists don't understand "stoppers."
David, if you share that you like lined stationery and your wife prefers unlined stationery, my head WILL 🤯. 😏, Sharon Kiel 👋🏼
I agree about the picture! I love it
Thanks for the recommendations! If you enjoy magical realism, I highly recommend Eowyn Ivey’s Blue Sky Black Woods.
Thanks Holly!
Thanks for the recs! I just finished OUT, a late 90s Japanese feminnist/noir crime novel. Surprisingly engaging though relentlessly bleak - and with a bonkers ending. But it is hard to get away from the "greats" - those books that formed you, haunted your days and nights, and against which everything else pales in contrast. The "love" analogy truly lives here. So when you recommend a western, I have to think of Blood Meridien. A novel about a middle aged upper class white guy contending with aging, infideloty, etc - I am immediately "misprisoned" (Harold Blooms pretentious but useful term) by Cheever and his Collected Stories. Etc. I guess the same is true about movies and even TV series, but the effect of those first-love-volumes seems somehow different in kind. Spoiling me for almost anything else.
I didn’t have the same comparative reaction to any of these books. I think in part because there’s a pace to them that is quicker than many of the “greats.” And the language was demotic (using a non-demotic word) while still being compelling to me as a reader. Cheever, to use an example, is lyrical, and that’s in part why you and I and millions of others love his stories. Thanks for making me think.
And now, with love, goodbye my brother. (literary Vinnie?)