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I'm an avid reader, love reading and I always chase those kind of books that I fall into and lose myself... but with dealing with infidelity that is a luxury I find so hard to achieve these day, to stop thinking long enough to enjoy reading.

I've wanted to share this since I joined but I wasn't sure if this section is purely for help books?? While I'm here I may as well list the book I'm maybe-possibly-likely breaking the rules over

The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear

by: Walter Moers

It's my go to book, and author, when I need the world to vanish.

Honestly have no way to describe this wonderous imaginative book. Some try and explain "it's a children book for adults" but that doesn't quite cut it. As bluebear (MC) grows so does the language of the book, I've never experienced an evolving book before, but that's what it does.

We start the book with the introduction to a baby bluebear, no larger than a walnut, being swept to his death thanks to the misfortune of being in a walnut heading towards a maelstrom but as bluebear grows so does the writing style, it gets a little ... meaty, as one reviewer writes "But to get some of the jokes, you need to have a passing familiarity with quantum physics, string theory, and academic politics." It is a hoot (at times I snort laugh reading this and I can't name another book that has me doing that of late) and it's just a fabulous world to escape into.

Anyway, this has been a gem for me during this time, sometimes my mind needs that time out and I find it so hard to lose myself in fiction these days so I thought it worth a mention.

(so so sorry if this was for self help books only )

Totally okay! And appreciated as I need some book recommendations. I've added that one to my list.

I'll pass on another one to repay the favor:

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Within the first paragraph of the story you find out that a group of college students have murdered one of their friends. This book tells the leadup to the murder, the murder itself, and then the repercussions. It was incredibly engaging - I had trouble putting the book down! A good friend mentioned that she had read this years ago, was reading the book on the subway ride to a job interview and then was so happy when the interview was over so she could go back to reading again

Anyone else have good recommendations?

Wonderful!

I'm going to suggest an oldie.

The Seventh Scroll

by Wilbur Smith

An archeological adventure book, booby traps and all.

It is a part of a series, seven books I think make the entire series, this is book #2.

Book #1 (River God) is set during Ancient Egypt times while book #2 is the archeological dig involving the pharaoh's (book#1) tomb, so knowing details about the MCs of book #1, like what the pharaoh liked to eat for example, doesn't matter in book #2.

River God was a great read back in the day but I haven't read it since Dday as I believe the scribe falls in love with one of the pharaohs wives and I don't remember him acting on it but I don't want to face that right now if you know what I'm saying so I jumped straight to book #2 and glad I did.

The Seventh Scroll is a treasure hunting dream book.

Dresden Files. All of them.

I ♥️ Bluebear too! My most recent awesome read was The Anthropocene by John Green

Okay, here's another one you all might like.... Hominids by Robert Sawyer. It's essentially about a Neanderthal - from a parallel world where an advanced society of Neanderthal's populate earth - who suddenly gets deposited in Canada after a science experiment goes wrong. It's an enjoyable read but also really thought provoking - I still think of it fairly often!

I used to be an avid reader, but I've read less than a handful of fiction in the 3.5 years since dday, and am really enjoying "My Grandmother Asked me to Tell You She's Sorry" by Fredrik Backman (warning: it does have some infidelity).

I honestly don't know how to describe/what genre it would fit into, but the themes have hit me pretty hard (more than once I've walked into IC with a quote from this book).

I intend to read some of Backman's other works.

I've been reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry during this period of navigating my divorce. It's a beautifully written, character-driven story and I highly recommend it.

I also just finished Severance by Ling Ma. It was excellent - I read it all in two days. Content warning: It does deal with a global pandemic (published in 2019!) and may be triggering for some people still reeling from COVID-19.

Bump

If you are seeking a laugh-out-loud, entertaining read Richard Osman's 'The Thursday Murder Club' series is just fantastic! The sequel is the better book but the first book is still highly enjoyable.

Book 1: The Thursday Murder Club

Book 2: The Man who Died Twice

I could write what it's about but read the reviews on goodreads instead because they're equally entertaining as the book. I chuckled so much.

edit:

If you're after something less fanciful, but still fantastic read, I've started Alan Brennert's Moloka'i and it's so enjoyable. It's about a girl who is sent to Hawaii's quarantine leprosy settlement Kalaupapa, on the island of Moloka'i. The expectation is she is being sent there to die but instead life continues for her. There are humorous moments, poignant, sad, wholesome... it's a really fantastic read. Also I do enjoy anything that motivates me to learn new things, I never knew about Hawaii's history with leprosy nor the overall cultural history of Hawaii around this time and this book has motivated me to learn more about this. Anyway not done yet but can only see it being a satisfying read.

For those romance lovers just finished Kirsten Ashley's The Gamble and ... yeah it delivers the goods.

[This message edited by LostInHisFog at 12:03 AM, Friday, November 19th]

Moloka’i gets all the thumbs up 👍 very enjoyable read.

Lucky enough to get my hands on Paul McCartney "The Lyrics" and this is such a beautiful book, great gift for any reader who is also a music fan.

Here is a cut and paste of the synopsis...
“
A self-portrait in 154 songs, by our greatest living songwriter

'More often than I can count, I've been asked if I would write an autobiography, but the time has never been right. The one thing I've always managed to do, whether at home or on the road, is to write new songs. I know that some people, when they get to a certain age, like to go to a diary to recall day-to-day events from the past, but I have no such notebooks. What I do have are my songs, hundreds of them, which I've learned serve much the same purpose. And these songs span my entire life.'

In this extraordinary book, with unparalleled candour, Paul McCartney recounts his life and art through the prism of 154 songs from all stages of his career - from his earliest boyhood compositions through the legendary decade of The Beatles, to Wings and his solo albums to the present. Arranged alphabetically to provide a kaleidoscopic rather than chronological account, it establishes definitive texts of the songs' lyrics for the first time and describes the circumstances in which they were written, the people and places that inspired them, and what he thinks of them now. Presented with this is a treasure trove of material from McCartney's personal archive - drafts, letters, photographs - never seen before, which make this also a unique visual record of one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

We learn intimately about the man, the creative process, the working out of melodies, the moments of inspiration. The voice and personality of Paul McCartney sings off every page. There has never been a book about a great musician like it.
“

I’m not one for biographies but this is a very cool read.

[This message edited by LostInHisFog at 8:09 PM, Thursday, December 2nd]