Friday56 - Trust by Hernan Diaz

This is my first time participating in Friday 56, but I've been meaning to for ages!  To participoate, gran the book you are currently reading, turn to page 56 (or 56% in an e-book), pick a passage, post it on your blog, and then link up with Anne at My Head is Full of Books.

I'm currently reading my last book of #BigBookSummer, Trust by Hernan Diaz.

From page 56 (actually, page 56 is blank, so this is from page 57, and it happens to be a passage I marked):

"Intimacy can be an unbearable burden for those who, first experiencing it after a lifetime of proud self-sufficiency. suddenly realize it makes their world complete. Finding bliss becomes one with the fear of losing it. They doubt their right to hold someone else accountable for their happiness; they worry that their loved one may find their reverence tedious; they fear their yearning may have distorted yheir features in ways they cannot see. Thus, as the weight of all these questions and concerns bends them inward, their newfound joy in companionship turns into  deeper expression of the solitude they thought they had left behind."

Join the fun!

It's Monday 8/19! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

 Life

Last week was a week of highs and lows (the chronic illness rollercoaster, as we say), as I continue my slow recovery from COVID last month. I had a few good days early in the week, when I got some work done, got a haircut, and enjoyed a short walk on a nice walking trail I hadn't been on in months. 

Then, I crashed (that's what we call it in ME/CFS when you suddenly get much worse). I was completely couchbound Thursday. I always know I'm in bad shape when I cry easily, and Thursday morning, I cried over a podcast (hey, it was a good one!), an e-mail from my doctor, a text from a friend, and my lab results. At that point, I gave in and spent the day on the couch (and cried over an old Grey's Anatomy episode--nothing like a good, cleansing cry over fiction! ha ha). I found out that in spite of getting so sick with COVID, once again I hardly made any antibodies, so I don't even get some partial protection for a while. That's why I can't get the vaccines, too--they make me worse for six months, and I hardly make any antibodies anyway. 

The good news is that the day of "aggressive rest" worked, and I was able to make our planned trip to Long Island with my husband Friday. It was our older son's 30th birthday (!!), and he couldn't come home because he's been working long hours (he has the same illness I do). His girlfriend and her family invited us to come visit, and we had a wonderful time meeting her family and celebrating our son's birthday. They took us out to dinner Friday, and then they hosted a family BBQ/pool party on Saturday, so we got to meet some extended family, too. I only took one picture the entire weekend (off my game!), but here are our two families together. I'm the short one, and my son, husband, and older son are to the right of me. We really enjoyed the weekend and getting to know her family.

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On Video

July 2024 Reading Wrap-Up - a short summary of the 5 Big Books I read and listened to last month, including some outstanding novels!

Friday Reads 8-16-24 - a quick overview of the two excellent Big Books I am currently reading and listening to.

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On the Blog

Movie Monday: Killers of the Flower Moon - I read (and loved) the book; my husband did not read it. But we both loved this immersive, suspenseful, engrossing movie about a "truth is stranger than fiction" historical horrifying series of crimes, and the newly-formed FBI that solved it.

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 What We're Reading

I'm still reading The Ferryman by Justin Cronin, another pick for #BigBookSummer. My husband and I are both big fans of Cronin and loved his The Passage trilogy. I also enjoyed his very different novel, The Summer Guest (realistic fiction, not sci fi), and my husband enjoyed The Ferryman last summer. Wow, this book just keeps blowing my mind! It's a unique sci fi story about a "perfect world" created on an isolated island that has been cut-off from the rest of the world, presumably due to some massive global crisis that occurred. There, on Prospera, no one dies. Mental, physical, and emotional health is constantly monitored, and when someone's rating starts to rapidly decline (and definitely before they hit 10%), they "retire," boarding a ferry to a neighboring island called The Nursery, where they will be reiterated, with a new 16-year-old iteration eventually taking a ferry back to Prospera (with no memory of his/her past life) to start fresh. The main character, Proctor, works as a ferryman, guiding people to the ferry on their last day, and begins to suspect that maybe their perfect world has some flaws. This novel is unique, gripping, has wonderful characters, and is constantly surprising! I'm down to about 100 pages and hate to set it down.

 

After finishing The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune on audio, I immediately began listening to the new sequel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. It picks up right where the first book ended, carrying on with the stories of Arthur, the unique children of Marsyas island, and Linus. There is a bit of a prologue about how Arthur first returned to the island and started the home there, and then it jumps back to the present day, as Arthur prepares to give testimony before the Council of Utmost Importance about his abuse as a child supposedly under the protection of the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY). And there is a new child coming to join the home on Marsyas. It's excellent so far, just as delightful, funny, warm, and thoughtful as the original.

My husband, Ken, picked a chunkster for his last Big Book of the summer! After studying his stack of Big Books he set aside in May, he instead picked a book off the bookcase full of Stephen King and Dean Koontz books we inherited from my dad: Dreamcatcher by King. It's about four childhood friends who saved a mentally disabled kid from a bully as young boys. They now gather together as adults for an annual hunting trip in the snowy Maine woods. During one such get-together, they encounter a stranger ... and something otherworldly. Ken says it's classic Stephen King horror (and we both love the way King writes about kids--he captures childhood so perfectly).

 

Our older son, 30, is still reading book 2 of the Licanius Trilogy by James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come. He started a new job last month and hasn't had any reading time! He's loving his new job so far, but it's keeping him busy. Despite how busy he's been, I did (of course) get him books for his birthday! I chose two by favorite authors: The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie and Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell, book 1 of his new series, Court of Shadows. He loved them both, and his girlfriend also gave him The Heroes, so he'll have some bookstore credits to spend, too.

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What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.

 

What are you and your family reading this week?

Movie Monday: Killers of the Flower Moon

Since I got COVID in July, we've been tackling some of the longer Oscar-nominated movies we missed last year. Last weekend, we watched Killers of the Flower Moon, which was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture. I had read the nonfiction book (my review at the link) back in 2018, and my husband hasn't read it, so we came from different perspectives. We both agreed it was a gripping, fascinating film.

Like many Native American tribes, the Osage were pushed onto a reservation on what the U.S. government thought was useless, barren land in northeastern Oklahoma. But at the turn of the 20th century, the Osage discovered that their useless land was on top of massive oil deposits. Almost overnight, the Osage became the wealthiest people in the world, but their wealth attracted greedy criminals of all kinds. The Osage built nice homes, drove beautiful cars, and lived comfortable lives, while whites poured into their town and took control of the bank and their lives. They did everything they could to control and manipulate the Osage people, including marrying Native women and murdering Native peoples to take control of their wealth. The U.S. government set up a system where every Osage citizen needed a white "guardian" to supposedly protect their interests, but the system was used to keep the Osage from their own assets and steal them.

The movie (and the book) focuses on a young Native woman named Mollie, played by Lily Gladstone, who lives in a large home with her mother and sisters. William Hale, played by Robert De Niro, is a white man who has put himself in the role of wealthy benefactor to the Osage, learning their language and participating in their traditions. He's accepted by them, and he treats Mollie and her sisters fondly, often referring to his deep friendship with their father. Hale's nephew, Ernest Burkhart, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, comes home from WWI, and his uncle welcomes him as a part of the family. He encourages him to marry one of the Native women. Ernest is driving a cab when he meets Mollie, and there is an instant attraction between the two. They eventually marry. It's clear that Hale thinks Ernest is following his advice, though Ernest and Mollie do truly seem to love each other. Osage people begin to die from suspicious deaths and clear, outright murder. Mollie's sister Millie, who's also married to a white man, dies of a mysterious "wasting illness," her sister Anna is found cruelly murdered outside of town, and many other (over 20) Native deaths follow. Mollie herself, who suffers from diabetes, begins to sicken and rapidly worsen. The newly-formed Bureau of Investigation (which will become the FBI), comes to look into the Osage murders, led by Tom White (played by Jesse Plemons).

Martin Scorsese directs this stunning film, with the setting and time period perfectly recreated. The A-list actors, as well as the supporting actors, are all outstanding, and many believe Lily Gladstone should have won the Oscar for Best Actress. She is excellent in this emotional yet understated role. With murder at the heart of the story, there is plenty of suspense, but the audience knows who's behind each death, so it's more of the "will they get caught?" than "whodunit" type. The true story is absolutely horrifying and hard to believe (truth is stranger than fiction!). When it was over, I explained to my husband that the book gave more time to the FBI's investigation, and the importance of this case in cementing its role as a federal crime unit. But we laughed about me wanting more detail because as is, the movie is 3 1/2 hours long! It took us two nights to finish it, but it was well worth the time spent. The entire production was excellent, with great attention to historical detail. It's a long movie, but we were both fully engrossed the entire time.

Killers of the Flower Moon is currently available on Apple TV or to buy on several other services, including Amazon ($19.99).

It's Monday 8/12! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

Life

Well, I think I finally "turned the corner" on my COVID recovery last week, my fourth since getting infected. Much to my surprise, I saw significant improvements last week and was able to resume an almost-normal routine. I'm now sitting up in the recliner (my usual spot) during the day, instead of lying on the couch. I restarted longer (15-25 minutes) walks and was even able to restart some light strengthening work. Those new treatments my doctor ordered arrived and I started them last week (after I was already feeling better). I was even able to help my husband with some cleaning on Saturday, though I probably overdid it and was a little worn out on Sunday. On the downside, I haven't seen anyone but my husband and son in a month! I'm missing my friends, but no one was available this weekend (last-minute). The highlight of my week was a walk at our local nature center--the change of scenery was wonderful! I also enjoyed short walks in my neighborhood. Best of all, after a month of heat and humidity and four dark days of heavy storms last week, the weather was beautiful this weekend--low 80's and low humidity--ahhh! It is lovely to have the windows open again.

Butterfly at the nature center

Walking at the nature center - so good to be out!

I love the view down the stream, in all seasons!

My neighbor's brown-eyed-Susans, my namesake

Wet weekend - raindrops on our pine tree

Open windows - yay!!

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On Video

I was able to get back to my normal video routine, too!

The Booktuber Name Tag - this one included some fun questions, based on the creative names of Booktube channels. I mostly answered with little-known books that I loved but rarely hear about.

Friday Reads 8-9-24 - my brief weekly update of what I am currently reading and listening to, as I continue #BigBookSummer.

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On the Blog

And I finally got back to writing reviews!

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley - I loved this intense, immersive YA mystery/thriller that is also emotionally complex and set against a fascinating historical and cultural backdrop.

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 What We're Reading

 

I finished a #BigBookSummer pick that's been in my summer stacks for several years: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. I'd heard this novel is similar to Cloud Atlas, which I loved, and I can see why the comparison was made. This book, like that one, includes multiple narrative threads, from different places and times, from 1450 Constantinople to Idaho in 2020 to a future where Earth has been destroyed and a group of families are traveling on a space ship to a far distant planet to begin again. There are multiple perspectives in the 1450's and modern-day narratives, which makes it even more interesting, plus a suspenseful and dangerous situation in the 2020 story, right from the first pages. The thread that pulls all of these stories together is an ancient Greek story (made up by Doerr) by a real-life author, Antonius Diogenes, that is gradually told throughout the novel, as various characters discover it. I enjoyed the entire engrossing novel, but I absolutely loved the way the disparate threads came together in the end and the theme of connections, how one person can touch the lives of others centuries away. 

 

Big Book Summer will be wrapping up in a few weeks, so I hope to squeeze in two more Big Books! I chose to read The Ferryman by Justin Cronin next. It's a bit longer than some others on my stack (and I would like to fit in one more), but it's a hardcover with large print that's not very dense--and my husband said it's a suspenseful, "can't-put-it-down" read. We are both big fans of Cronin and loved his The Passage trilogy. I also enjoyed his very different novel, The Summer Guest, and my husband enjoyed The Ferryman last summer. I'm about 100 pages in so far. It's a unique sci fi story about a "perfect world" created on an isolated island that has been cut-off from the rest of the world. There, on Prospera, no one dies. Mental, physical, and emotional health is constantly monitored, and when someone's rating starts to rapidly decline (and definitely before they hit 10%), they "retire," boarding a ferry to a neighboring island, where they will be sort of recycled, with a new 16-year-old iteration eventually taking a ferry back to Prospera (with no memory of his/her past life) to start fresh. The main character, Proctor, works as a ferryman, and begins to suspect that maybe their perfect world has some flaws. It's great so far, though I'm exhausted today from staying up too late last night reading!

I also finished listening to The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune on audio (also a Big Book). Yes, I somehow missed this very popular novel for years, though I enjoyed Under the Whispering Door. What finally pushed me to read it is that the publisher (Macmillan) reached out to ask if I wanted an early audio review copy of the sequel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. I can see why the first book was such a big hit! It's a beautiful, uplifting story of hope and love, about a quiet man named Linus Baker who is a case worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY). He is assigned to visit and assess a top secret facility (the title house). Though Linus is a by-the-books man who can quote the department's Rules and Regulations (and often does), what he finds in this home surprises him, opens his heart, and changes his life. I really enjoyed this delightful novel full of joy and can't wait to read the sequel. In fact, I just noticed it's also a Big Book, so I think I will start that today.

NOTE: Goodreads has a giveaway (25 copies) of the new sequel, ending at midnight tonight!

My husband, Ken, is down to the last 40 pages of Lonesome Dove (my review at the link). No big surprising plot twists for him because he'd seen the TV mini-series years ago and remembered the major plot points, but he's been enjoying the book very much.

 

Our older son, who turns 30 this weekend (!), is still reading book 2 of the Licanius Trilogy by James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come. He started a new job last month and hasn't had any reading time! He's loving his new job so far, but it's keeping him busy. We're going up to Long Island for the first time next weekend to visit him and his girlfriend and meet her family. Very much looking forward to it!

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What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.

 

What are you and your family reading this week?