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description= Books, book lists, and bookish thoughts from Rose City Reader.;
description= Books, book lists, and bookish thoughts from Rose City Reader.;
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novels fave five book thoughts the word of the month is semiquincentennial on this independence day weekend in honor of america s 250th anniversary i picked five of my favorite american novels i think these are all great american novels even if i don t know i would pick one of them for the great american novel which is an elusive critter instead of trying to pick the most american novel i could think of huckleberry finn to kill a mocking bird i picked these because i love them and i think they all have a particularly american spirit to them postcards by e annie proulx her debut novel this overlooked gem follows the tragic hero from a hardscrabble farm in upstate new york across america and across the decades from 1940 to 1980 an unforgettable story of rural american life in the mid 20th century my ántonia by willa cather my favorite cather book and the best novel about immigrant pioneer life on the great plains rabbit angstrom the four novels by john updike rabbit run rabbit redoux rabbit is rich and rabbit at rest no matter your feelings about rabbit no fiction better captures the zeitgeist of the silent generation s era from basketball stardom in 1950s high school to a rocky marriage in the turbulent 60s commercial success in the 70s and retirement in florida in the 80s rabbit lived through it all updike won the pulitzer prize in 1982 for rabbit is rich and 1991 for rabbit at rest the road home by jim harrison like my ántonia this intergenerational family saga is set in nebraska but deals more directly with the tragic conflict between pioneers and native americans at the same time it is a great yarn with harrison s typical wry humor big characters astute sense of place and forgiving heart all the king s men by robert penn warren louisiana is like nowhere else in the united states but could only happen in the united states making this fictional story of huey long a quintessential american political novel it won the 1947 pulitzer prize have you rea any of these what do you think what book would you nominate for the great american novel five faves there are times when a full sized book list is just too much when the top 100 a big read or all the prize winners seem like too daunting an effort that s when a short little list of books or authors grouped by theme may be just the ticket inspired by nancy pearl s companion reads chapter in book lust themed clusters of books on subjects as diverse as bigfoot and vietnam i decided to start occasionally posting lists of five books grouped by topic or theme i call these posts my five faves feel free to grab the button and play along use today s theme or come up with your own if you post about it please link back to here and leave the link to your post in a comment if you want to participate but don t have a blog or don t feel like posting please share your list in a comment posted by gilion at rose city reader at 12 00 pm 1 comments labels annie proulx classic books five faves jim harrison john updike pulitzer prize willa cather sunday june 28 2026 the calamity club by kathryn stockett and mona s eyes by thomas schlesser book review s the calamity club by kathryn stockett and mona s eyes by thomas schlesser book review s i recently read the calamity club and mona s eyes both new popular books and they hit me entirely differently can you guess which of these i loved and which i didn t finish the calamity club by kathryn stockett well suspense over i loved this one absolutely loved it i almost didn t start it despite getting a review copy from the publisher spiegel grau the description on the back about three misfit women bonding together to claim what s rightfully theirs gave transgressive vibes that didn t appeal to me i just wasn t in the mood for thelma louise set in depression era mississippi but i gave it a go and could not have been more wrong in my interpretation of the cover description stockett s story is plot driven historical fiction at its best the pov switches between 10 year old meg stuck in an orphanage with a cruel superintendent and 25 year old birdie who is stuck solving the dire financial problems of her extended family their stories connect through charlie a woman whose tragic past drives her to an audacious plan to save all three of them the characters are compelling the setting authentic and the plotting steadily builds to a satisfying conclusion it s exactly the sort of shaggy adventure i love mona s eyes by thomas schlesser i made it through the first third then gave up i only wish i hit the dnf button earlier mona s eyes is the contemporary story of 10 year old mona who may or may not go blind following a medical scare her grandfather decides to teach her about art so if she goes blind she will have good images in her mind under the pretense of taking her to a child shrink he takes her once a week to a museum to study one piece of art and discuss it with him every chapter is their viewing and discussing one work of art it s like sitting through art history 101 but without the slides and the laser pointer reading about someone else looking at art is as boring as it sounds unlike plot dense calamity club mona s eyes has no plot at least not in the first third that i read there are little scenes interspersed between art lessons mona at school or with her friends mom worrying about mona s health dad drinking and running his vintage collectibles business into the ground but those are just scenes not story maybe they will tie together to suggest a plot at some point there s a glimmer of something involving mona finding a secret stash of valuable figurines in her father s storeroom maybe he can sell them and save his business but that is two short scenes out of 150 pages otherwise i feel like i m sitting in class notes have you read either of these what did you think my book club is reading mona s eyes for our next meeting i am dying to know what the other ladies think although i won t be surprised if they loved it several of them are really into art and may love it just because it is a book about art i like art as much as the next person but if i want to learn about art i ll read an art book or watch an art appreciation class on youtube i want my fiction to tell a story not educate me posted by gilion at rose city reader at 9 00 am 3 comments labels 2026 book club book review historical fiction new books review wednesday june 24 2026 birdbrains a lyrical guide to washington state birds edited by susan rich book review birdbrains a lyrical guide to washington state birds by susan rich editor stephanie delaney author bird notes and hiroko seki artist raven chronicles press 2025 book review birdbrains captivated me immediately both in concept and execution it s not like any other bird guide or poetry collection you ve ever seen the birdbrained brainchild of editor susan rich seattle poet and novice birdwatcher birdbrains combines notes on 107 birds accompanied by poems short fiction and memoir from 98 poets and writers illustrated with ink sumi e paintings by hiroko seki for each bird there is space left to note the dates and locations of your own sightings stephanie delaney s bird notes are aimed at the beginner birder which i appreciate i knew from the first entry on the bufflehead duck that i would love this book because delaney s style is casual and friendly north america s smallest diving duck the bufflehead is an eye catcher with a black and white body and white head their face appears iridescent green and purple in sunlight black under clouds with a small size and a plump body the bufflehead is a truly cute duck the notes all include a description of the bird its voice and its habitat along with an intriguing tidbit about the bird such as the diminutive brown creeper only burns 4 10 calories a day thus one spider can fuel 200 feet of climbing the poems and short prose pieces including those by four washington state poet laureates celebrate each bird and make us reflect more thoughtfully on each one a particular favorite of mine by katy t ellis honors the least sandpiper to say the least is to say the smallest is to say there s no twitch of the eye it s like saying there exists in the world of peeps some greater faster shoreline speedwalker to spot the leasts time lapse stitchers of the strand to hear their pin piped preet is to count the least among us hiroko seki s ethereal ink drawings many done outdoors beautifully illustrate each bird a visual aid is necessary for any kind of bird guide and seki s monochromatic images are perfect for this one although birdbrains is called a lyrical guide to washington state birds it is a delight for bird and poetry lovers anywhere these birds are common in the rest of the pacific northwest and most also live further afield as dr ursula valdez wrote in her foreword you don t need to be an ornithologist or bird watcher to appreciate this book it is for bird and art lovers of all forms who want their curious eyes hearts and souls filled notes i was happy to receive a review copy of this book through raven chronicle press because i truly love it the four washington state poet laureates featured in the book are elizabeth austen claudia castro luna kathleen flenniken and derek sheffield three pulitzer prize winners also included poems ray armentrout ted kooster and diane seuss posted by gilion at rose city reader at 4 30 pm 2 comments labels 2026 book review nature writing poetry review thursday june 18 2026 the impossible fortune by richard osman book beginnings book beginnings on fridays the impossible fortune by richard osman thank you for joining me this week for book beginnings on fridays where participants share the opening sentence or two from the book they are reading you can also share from a book you want to feature even if you are not reading it at the moment my book beginning it s been a while since i wrote i know that i m ever so sorry from the impossible fortune by richard osman the fifth and latest thursday murder club book it starts with an excerpt from joyce s diary which i think they all do although i can t remember for sure i m almost finished with the audiobook from the library and love it the narrator fiona shaw is excellent now that the movie came out i see the actors in the characters of course but that makes it all the more fun your book beginning please add the link to your book beginning post in the linky box below if you participate or share on social media please use the hashtag bookbeginnings so other people can find your post mister linky s magical widgets thumb linky widget will appear right here this preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site if this widget does not appear click here to display it the friday 56 the friday 56 asks participants to share a two sentence teaser from their book of the week if your book is an ebook or audiobook pick a teaser from the 56 point anna at my head is full of books hosts the friday 56 a natural tie in with book beginnings on fridays please visit my head is full of books to leave the link to your post my friday 56 from the impossible fortune i mean you never know with life do you one minute you re sitting there looking at tanning machines online the next you re being forced out of your own home at gunpoint from the publisher s description it s been a quiet year for the thursday murder club joyce is busy with table plans and first dances elizabeth is grieving ron is dealing with family troubles and ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favorite criminal but when elizabeth meets nick a wedding guest asking for her help she finds the thrill of the chase is ignited once again and when nick disappears without a trace his cagey business partner becomes the gang s next stop it seems the duo have something valuable something worth killing for joyce s daughter joanna jumps into the fray to help the gang as they seek answers has someone kidnapped nick and what s this uncrackable code they keep hearing about plunged back into action once more can the four friends solve the puzzle and a murder in time posted by gilion at rose city reader at 3 05 pm 2 comments labels book beginnings friday 56 mystery opening sentence thursday june 11 2026 20 000 leagues under the sea by jules verne book beginnings book beginnings on fridays 20 000 leagues under the sea by jules verne thank you for joining me this week for book beginnings on fridays where participants share the opening sentence or two from the book they are reading you can also share from a book you want to feature even if you are not reading it at the moment my book beginning the year 1866 was marked by a bizarre incident an unexplained and unexplainable phenomenon which without a doubt no one has forgotten from 20 000 leagues under the sea by jules verne translated by william butcher for oxford world s classics 1998 the original 1873 english translation by mercier lewis was horribly clunky but remained unchanged despite criticism for over 100 years the year 1866 was signalised by a remarkable incident a mysterious and puzzling phenomenon which doubtless no one has yet forgotten signalized doubtless no one has yet forgotten that awkward and made up word no matter the translation 20 000 leagues is a corker and i m loving every page i read junior versions of verne s classic tales when i was a kid and am finally reading the full versions now as an adult i started with around the world in 80 days which was terrific so exciting now i am having an undersea adventure with captain nemo and it s just as wonderful your book beginning please add the link to your book beginning post in the linky box below if you participate or share on social media please use the hashtag bookbeginnings so other people can find your post mister linky s magical widgets thumb linky widget will appear right here this preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site if this widget does not appear click here to display it the friday 56 the friday 56 asks participants to share a two sentence teaser from their book of the week if your book is an ebook or audiobook pick a teaser from the 56 point anna at my head is full of books hosts the friday 56 a natural tie in with book beginnings on fridays please visit my head is full of books to leave the link to your post my friday 56 from 20 000 leagues under the sea i was stretched on the ground just under the shelter of a bush of algae when raising my head i saw some enormous mass casting phosphorescent gleams pass blusteringly by my blood froze in my veins as i recognized two formidable sharks which threatened us from the publisher s description 20 000 leagues under the sea by jules verne is a pioneering science fiction novel that takes readers on an extraordinary underwater adventure the story follows professor aronnax his servant conseil and the canadian harpooner ned land as they are captured by captain nemo aboard the technologically advanced submarine the naut...
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