The Book Thread Book • Page 100

Hanif is on a streak right now. He's got a new book coming out next year and I can't wait for it. They Can't Kill Us was great and so was Go Ahead in the Rain.

 

Hanif is probably my favorite active writer

 

i’m in a long car ride so for fun i quickly put together a faves of the decade list. there are about a billion things i need to read still and this list leans heavily on the past few years because i got out of college but this was fun

1. They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us — Hanif Abdurraqib
2. Skippy Dies— Paul Murray
3. Night Moves—Jessica Hopper
4. Lincoln in the Bardo—George Saunders
5. The Great Believers—Rebecca Makkai
6. Cockroaches—Scholastique Mukasonga
7. Asymmetry—Lisa Halliday
8. A Fortune for Your Disaster—Hanif Abdurraqib
9. Exit West—Mohsin Hamid
10. Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl—Carrie Brownstein
11. Universal Harvester—John Darnielle
12. The Underground Railroad—Colson Whitehead
13. A Little Life—Hanna Yanagihara
14. Nothing to See Here—Kevin Wilson
15. Sabrina—Nick Drnaso
16. When Rap Spoke Straight to God—Erica Dawson
17. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous—Ocean Vuong
18. The Mark and the Void—Paul Murray
19. Tonight I’m Someone Else—Chelsea Hodson
20. The First Collection of Criticism By a Living Female Rock Critic—Jessica Hopper

 

I was not a fan of Kill Us. The writing itself was fine but I can’t do essays. Bought it based on the neat cover but only got half way through before stopping

 

Same question as what I asked earlier but which of these fall within literary fiction?

 

these ones!

1. Skippy Dies— Paul Murray
2. Lincoln in the Bardo—George Saunders
3. The Great Believers—Rebecca Makkai
4. Cockroaches—Scholastique Mukasonga (this is actually memoir i guess but it’s written like a novel)
5. Asymmetry—Lisa Halliday
6. Exit West—Mohsin Hamid
7. Universal Harvester—John Darnielle
8. The Underground Railroad—Colson Whitehead
9. A Little Life—Hanna Yanagihara
10. Nothing to See Here—Kevin Wilson
11. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous—Ocean Vuong
12. The Mark and the Void—Paul Murray

 

Heard great things about Exit West

 

i really loved it. quick read too, only took me like a day (and i’m not the fastest reader)

 

I've got Go Ahead in the Rain on deck after I finish Crown Ain't Worth Much and A Fortune for Your Disaster. so excited, huge Tribe fan

 

A new year means new books!

Here are some to keep on your radar in the next couple months:

Apeirogon by Colum McCann (fucking mesmerizing story revolving around the Israeli-Palestine conflict)

Good Citizens Need Not Fear by Maria Reva (fans of Anthony Marra's Tsar of Love and Techno will enjoy this; it has a darker comedic tone to it)

How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang (already an instant favorite of 2020 for me)

Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin (a captivating and unique debut/a true-crime-meets-coming-of-age novel)

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (there's already tons of hype for it and while I don't think it's worthy of all that hype, it's still worth reading. Definitely a book people will be talking about all year)

 

I've just wrapped up the first volume of 1Q84 and I'm embarrassed to admit how long it took me to realize that the boy from her childhood Aomame keeps referencing, and the same with Tengo, are just the two of them.

 

How weird that you mentioned this book, because I just came into this thread to say that I finally sat down and finished 1Q84 this morning since I've been reading it on and off for 2-3 years and didn't want to drag it into another decade. I don't know why it took me so long, it was an interesting story, but I really struggled to stick with it at times.

 

I’ve been really slacking on reading these past few years. Only managed 2 books in 2019. Must try harder

 

I'm reading less and less but it's probably because I'm reading massive high fantasy novels lol. Quality over quantity!

 

starting the year off with Inland by Téa Obreht, which I've been eyeing since it came out. I already love the prose in this

 

I started it a few days ago also. Much stranger than I expected but I'm digging it so far.

 

SHE HAS A BROKEN THING WHERE HER HEART SHOULD BE - Now Available for Pre-Order!


@Donnie Ruth !!!

Also I think I'm gonna finally finish the 4MK trilogy soon

 

Oh hell yeah I will definitely be reading this come March! I absolutely love his writing and am glad a new book is coming. Sounds very interesting of a plot, but I’m in!

Let me know once you finish the 4MK series!

 

getting my hair cut and then going to the local bar to sit and have a quiet drink and some dinner by myself before getting back to work after the holidays.

thinking of picking up Gideon the Ninth or maybe Ninth House to read, anyone read them? Determined to read more this year

 

Imaginary Friend is vintage King this is incredible

 

Anyone know any good books about the Salem Witch Trails? (Nonfiction)

 

Slowed real down on reading with the holidays and such. I did finish reading The Chain by Adrian McKinty and felt it was a solid read. Nothing groundbreaking but a very intriguing plot and the characters getting into stressful situations.

Just began The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal. So far enjoying this a lot. However, it reminds me a lot of The Institute by Stephen King which I absolutely LOVED ... so I constantly keep thinking of the Institute and how much I love that book.

 

Have had The Chain on my list for awhile.

 

It’s a solid, easy read. I thought the plot was intriguing!

 

Recently read the novel Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling.

It's like Futurama meets Brave New World meets Kurt Vonnegut meets Mike Judge - absurdly hilarious and disturbingly prescient. Highly recommended.