The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer

Second books I’ve read from both authors. Enjoying the former, not the latter so far.

Finished:

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Tell the Machine Goodnight by Katie Williams.

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Loved the Goldfinch and found both Americanah and Tell the Machine Goodnight middling reads. They were quick and easy which I needed after a rough week.

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Started:

History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund.

I've been reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt for two months now and finally got halfway through it. I'm eager to know how it's going to end up, I love Theo but I swear that his choices sometimes make me frustrated.

Finished Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy - not really my thing - I get what he was trying to convey and it was beautifully written. It isn't the author as I liked both The Road and No Country for Old Men.

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Reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - about 75% done.

The Human Stain, by Philip Roth just amazing. I will read everything he ever wrote. This is my third novel of his.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz This is quite an interesting read. I love how eclectic Lola's voice is. Also very informative about 20th century history of the Dominican Republic.

The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt not very far yet

Currently Reading:
There, There by Tommy Orange
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (Audiobook)

I finished The Botanist’s Daughter, by Kate Nunn, and really enjoyed it. A few things felt half baked and rushed, and the characters could have been developed better, but overall I liked it.

I started The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt. I’m only about 100 pages in so I’ve got quite a way to go still. So far I’m enjoying it.

Finished The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt and really enjoyed it-- one of the best novels I've read in years. It's long at nearly a thousand paperback pages, but if you enjoy the writing, which I did, it's worth the read.

Started How to Hide an Empire, by Daniel Immerwahr.

I've been flying through my summer reading! Currently I've been reading The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt, and while the writing is good, I don't feel myself getting particularly pulled in by the story. I'm about 150 pages in, and I just can't empathize that much with the protagonist. Hopefully I come to like it a bit more.

Today I finished Heart-Shaped Box, by Joe Hill and now I'm stuck between starting The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt or The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah.

I finished:

• Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card as a library audiobook.

• Vox, by Christine Dalcher as an owned physical book.

I was enrapt by Ender’s Game. The only parts that had me a bit glazed over were the military and battle specific descriptions. But it was never too much.

Vox disappointed me. Top marks for concept. Horrible execution. Characters were not interesting. How the situation came to be was never explained. The task the main character was procured to accomplish was so slap-dash. You felt like it was going to be drawn out and further conflict with intrigue, but it was over so quickly and was confusing.

This week:

• The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt as a library audiobook.

• Bright Dead Things, by Ada Limon as an owned physical book.

• Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery as an owned physical book.

Still not sure about the Goldfinch but it’s an audiobook so I just turn it on whenever.

Still not sure about Anne of Green Gables because I might not be in the mood for it.

Finished The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt. I've come to understand that it's very polarizing on this sub, but I know I absolutely loved my entire time with this one. I haven't read anything quite like it in many years, as my favored genres have worn deep grooves and made exploring other styles and themes become a monumental effort. The beginning was unexpected and a perfect hook for the likes of me. The prose had me shaking my head in awe at Tartt's mastery, while the story and message made me fearful of how shallow and confined my existence seems to be. That's a much more personal reflection, as I certainly picked up more than was in the book (but maybe that's perfectly in line with the message). I'm really glad I decided to get out of my comfort zone on this one.

I don't know what to read next. I'm torn between reading some of the classics (to get further afield), or something more contemporary that is aligned with my usual indulgences. My hold on The Martian, by Andy Weir was just filled, so maybe that's where I'm headed.

Finished:

• The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt as a library audiobook.

Reading this week:

• The Enchanted April, by Elizabeth von Arnim as a library eBook
• My Own Words, by Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a library audiobook
• Litte Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng as an owned physical book

Thoughts:

In the end, I liked The Goldfinch. I resisted for so long because of the mixed reviews and it being so long. It’s not my favorite book. But, the length really paid off in the end because I felt like I knew the grand history of these characters’ lives and knew this rich backstory. It got a bit “the moral of the story is...” at the end. Anyway, still glad it’s over.

Been another slow reading week because of life. I’d love to finish The Enchanted April in the next day or so. I’ve checked out a couple books from the library so something’s gotta give.

My Own Words is nothing what I expected. There’s so many audioclips from speeches, etc. Very interesting and educational!

Started and finished two books last week:

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, by Mary Roach. I'd seen this recommended somewhere here (reddit) and I liked it pretty well. The chapters basically explore the variety of ends cadavers meet, primarily medical and research. Most of the chapters were interesting but a couple felt like filler.

The Sixth Extinction, by Elizabeth Kolbert. The premise of this nonfiction book is that we are currently in the midst of a sixth mass extinction on Earth (regarding other species, not necessarily humans). The author explores several specific cases and the ways in which these things happen. Engaging and interesting book.

Starting this week: The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt and probably How to Hide an Empire, by Daniel Immerwahr.

Just a few pages away from finishing Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys. Not sure what to embark on next, but it may be Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles or The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt.

Slow week.

Finished:

• Bright Dead Things, by Ada Límon as an owned physical book.

Worked on:

• The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt as a library audiobook.

Reading:

• Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery as an owned physical book.
• Nevermoor: the Trials of Morrigan Crow, by Jessica Townsend as a library audiobook.

Bright Dead Things was a book of poetry and it was ok until the end. It got great at the end. Talked about race identity and death and moving to a new, foreign place and relationships. Very thought provoking.

I tapped out after 11 hours of the Goldfinch. Returned it to the library after finishing 33% with an intention of checking it out again later to do another third. I’m determined to finish this but I’m not sure if I’m gonna be glad I did.

First time reading Anne of Green Gables and of course I’ve seen the PBS show. The show stayed pretty close to the book so far. It’s feeling very nostalgic.

The idea to read Nevermoor came from the podcast ‘All the Books’ and I’m enjoying it. My mind it enjoying the break from the Goldfinch.

This week I read:

• Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery as an owned, physical book

• Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow, by Jessica Townsend as a library, audiobook

Next week:

• Mem, by Bethany C. Morrow as a library, audiobook

• The Enchanted April, by Elizabeth von Arnim as a library, eBook

• The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt as a library, audiobook

I loved finally reading Anne of Green Gables. I’ve only ever seen the Canada TV Miniseries. I wish I’d read it as a child because it was exactly the thing that would’ve ignited my imagination.

Nevermoor was not for me. It did a great job at keeping suspense, but everything else was too simplified or smoothed over. I’m also not very into Fantasy yet, so it just wasn’t for me.

I finished Milkman, by Anna Burns. I guess I would say that I liked it. I say "I guess" because it is still freshly rolling around in my head. It was pretty difficult to read; stressful, even, but I think it's great when a book can have that effect on you. I thought about the story often throughout my day when I wasn't reading it. It really got under my skin.

When I was going to bed and couldn't deal with the world of Milkman, (I only read for a few minutes when I go to bed) I tried a few chapters of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, and The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Not sure which one I'm going to go deeper into first. In fact, I started Milkman at around the same time as all of these and was sucked into that world, so it must have been good.

I'm now reading (and close to finishing) The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt.

I've been thoroughly enjoying it and think she has a way of writing things that may seem outlandish in other authors' hands in a way that makes you not think twice. There's so much going on in the plot but equally the characters are such well-developed personalities.

The secret history, by Donna Tartt

First book that I have finished in years. So I decided to begin reading another book written by her:

The goldfinch, by Donna Tartt

I finished The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt.

I started A Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Finished last week:

• Mem, by Bethany C. Morrow as a library, audiobook.

Reading this week:

• The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt as a library, audiobook.
• The Enchanted April, by Elizabeth von Arnim as a library, eBook.

Thoughts:

• Mem was a charming novella. Written a few years ago, set in the early 1900s, with a futuristic premise, it reminded me of a classic sci-fi book. It focused more on the ethical, moral, existential questions that might arise from this technological advancement. No spoilers, it's about Mems, which are removed memories as a sort of avatar of the 'source' person. Still no spoilers, it follows the main character, the first Mem created, who happens to be the only self-aware Mem.

• I'm finally into the Goldfinch. I resisted and was not into it for probably the first half. Now, I feel like I need to know what happens. The whole backstory, first half of the book, feels nostalgic as it's referenced. What was once tedious is now being rewarded with development.

• The Enchanted April is so funny. I'm trudging away at it, though. Haven't had a ton of reading time. I'm sure if I had a free day, I'd finish this off quickly.

Magic for Beginners, by Kelly Link and The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt

Still reading The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt.

Non fiction I started on Life 3.0, by Max Tegmark.

Also read Heart of Hush, by Paul Dini and East of West volume 1, by Jonathan Hickman