Book Nook Cafe discussion

1- A book adapted to the big screen.
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
2- A book about slaves in the U.S. OR one about freed slaves.
The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris
3- A book by an author you've never heard of before.
The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Aunty
4- A book you chose simply because of its cover.
The Hopkins Manuscript by R.C. Sherriff
5- A book with a epistolary or diary format.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by S Alexie
6- A book set on a farm or a ranch.
The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson
7- Told from the antagonist's point-of-view.
Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen
8- A book written in the second person. (in part)
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jamison.
9-.A book recommended to you, whether you think you'll like it
The Measure by Nikki Erlick
10- A debut novel or book
Vladimir by Julia May Jonas
11-A book with a verb in the title.
Murdering McKinley by Eric Rauchway (verb form!)
12- A trilogy. Part of a trilogy.
My Antonia by Willa Cather (Prairie Trilogy)
13- A book with an index
We Don't Know Ourselves by Fintan O'Toole
14- A comic novel or humorous book.
My Search for Warren Harding by Robert Plunket
15- A book published in the 1950s.
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
16- A book translated into English from another language.
The Books of Jacob by Olga Tovarczuk
17 - Book set in your current city or hometown
A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death,Life of Edgar Allan Poe
by Mark Dawidziak. Current location
Woke Up This Morning by Michael Imperioli, et al (hometown)
18 - Book based in a city you’d love to visit
Winter in Madrid by C J Samson
19 - Book written by OR about a current or past First Lady
Nellie Taft Unconventional First Lady of the Ragtime Era
by Carl S. Anthony
20 - Book with a character that lives with a disability (or impairment)
True Biz by Sara Novic
21- Book about Witchcraft, Monsters of any kind (real, historical or fictional/magical)- or - Book with fantastical creatures (dragons, fairies, etc) or- A book with magic in it.
Babel or the Necessity of Violence by R.F. Kuang
22 - Book about immigration or displacement
The Leavers by Lisa Ko
23 - Book about Nature/the environment
I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
24 - Speculative Fiction or Dystopian novel
The Deluge by Stephen Markley
25 - Retelling of a Fairy Tale, fable, legend or ancient myth
Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen
26 - Book about motherhood (or parenthood) fiction or nonfiction
American Mother by Gregg Olsen
27 - Book from Bill Gate’s Favorite Book List:
I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
28 - Book about inequality (financial, racial, gender or other)
The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris
29-- Biography, memoir or autobiography
A Mystery of Mysteries by Mark Dawidziak E.A. Poe
30 - Music, art, dance, theater, acting theme
Chronicles Vol 1 by Bob Dylan
31- A book published in 2023
Spare by Prince Harry
32- A play
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard
33- Read at least 23 books in 2023
Obviously
34- Read a fiction and nonfiction book on the same topic
Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder and The Books of Jacob by
Olga Tovarczuk
35- A prize winning book that has a different prize than those listed in the other prompts.
Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder Emerson Prize in the Humanities
36- A book about an animal(s) or nature fictional or nonfiction
The Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson
37- The title has a word that begins with a B,N or C in it.
Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder
38- A book about or set in a country you don't live in.
The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk
39- A book published before you were born
The Hopkins Manuscript by R.C. Sherriff (Pub 1939)
40- A Young Adult book- YA- Fiction or nonfiction
True Biz by Sara Novic
41- Book with a name in the title
Lincoln on the Verge by Ted Widmer
42-A classic (modern or older)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
43- A National Book Award
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by
Sherman Alexie
44- Pulitzer Prize winning book
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
45- A Booker winner
Vernon God Little by D.B.G. Pierre
46- A book written by a Nobel prize winner- any topic or genre
The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk
47-A book written about an author, novel, biography, criticism.
A Mystery of Mysteries by Mark Dawidziak
48- Contains the word "Wife" or "Woman" in the title.
The Mapmaker's Wife by Robert Whitaker
49-A book re: Native Americans/book written by a Native American.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by
Sherman Alexie
50- A book about a Real Life Person you admire
Enough by Cassidy Hutchinson
51-A book about a Royal Person--any nation, any time period.
Lady in Waiting by Anne Tennant, Lady Glencannon
52-A book set in Asia. Fiction or nonfiction
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
53-A book set in Africa. Fiction or nonfiction
Homegoing by Yah Gyasi
54-A book set in Australia/Oceania. -Fiction or nonfiction
Girt by Dirt: An Australian Adventure by Phillip Butters
55- A book set in South America. - Fiction or nonfiction
The Mapmaker's Wife by Robert Whitaker
56-A book about Asians in the US. or written by an Asian American-
The Leavers by Lisa Lo
57-A Novel related to Classics, such as a character from Moby Dick with his/her own story/book.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard
58-Novella
The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed
59- Book over 500 pages
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
60- A book by Agatha Christie
The Man in the Brown Suit
61- One word title
Trust by Hernan Diaz
62- book on a modern-day problem/issue? (ie global warming, gun violence, etc.) - Fiction or nonfiction
The Prime Minister's by Yehuda Avner
63- A book you knew nothing about beforehand. However something caught your attention. Cover, blurb, title. Tell us why
My Search for Warren Harding by Robert Plunket.
64- a book out of your comfort zone, not a genre you normally read
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
65- Concerning food or containing recipes
the Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson
66- A book where weather is involved. Fiction or nonfiction
The Secret Book of Weather by Tristan Gooley
67- A book having to do with travel- fiction or nonfiction
Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon
68- Wild Card ! Any book you feel like recommending
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
69- A health, diet, exercise, fitness or wellness book
The Invisible Kingdom by Meghan O'Roourke
70- Business, the economy or economics.
The End of the World is Just Beginning by Paul Zeihan
71- related to science
I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
72- Book about racism
The Trees by Percival Everett
73- LGBTQ+ character fiction or nonfiction
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
74- Read more books than you did in 2022
Yes. You'll have to take my word for that
75- Book you started but never finished

76- Book on a banned book listll
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Sherman Alexei
77- Education or teaching profession or has teacher or student in story F or NF
The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty Fiction
78- book with maps or photographs in it
Lincoln on the Verge by Ted Widmer
79- set in a country you have never visited
Damascus Station by David McCloskey
80- set around a holiday
The Christmas Train by David Baldacci
81- books about trauma or mental health issue- fiction or nonfiction
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
82 Book with a 4 word title
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
83- Famous author you've never read
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
84-A book whose author's last name starts with B,N or C
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
85- graphic novel

86- WWI or WWII or any war - novel or nonfiction
Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder
87- Book about or set in, the state or country you live in
A Mystery of Mysteries by Mark Dawidziak
88- an author who has published at least 5 books
Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder
89- Author is under 35 years old
The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris
90- Thriller or mystery
The Shutter by Ramona Emerson
91- Crime - fiction or nonfiction
Enough by Cassidy Hutchinson
92 - History
The Last Slave Ship by Ben Raines
93- Disease - fiction or nonfiction
The Invisible Kingdom by Meghan O'Rourke
94- legal profession - fiction or nonfiction
Lady Justice by Dahlia Lithwick
95 - short story or essays
The Wandering Earth by Liu Cixin
96- a leader whose country you don't live in (living or dead)
The Prime Ministers by Yehuda Avner
97- a color in the title
The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
98- historical fiction
The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris
99- spiritual or inspirational
Poems and Songs by Leonard Cohen
100- Romance
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
101- Bio or other NF about an Artist (paints, drawing, sculpture, i.e.), Author (poetry, books (F or NF) or an Architect.
The complete Works of Vermeer by Karl Schultz
102- Book (F or NF) written before the 1800s.

103- Book (F or NF) about Religion or Atheism.
Kaddish,com by Nathan Englander
104- A book published in the 1960s.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
105- A sport related book - fiction or non fiction
The 1998 Yankees: The Inside Story of the Greatest Team Ever

Sorry. I know I already made a list, but I can't find it, so I copied John's first post and now I've got his book listed for myself. I will persevere and use the list anyway. Please see John for info on Dr, Potter's Private Practice or Tokyo Ueno Station

My first book is Trust by Hernan Diaz. It was long listed for the Book Prize, and the most intriguing thing to me about it was the structure. It is made up of four separate stories that intertwine to tell an interesting story about a legendary financier and his wife. I gave it four stars.
It could be a story about a person living with a disability (20), a book with a one word title (61) or a book about business, the economy or economics. (70). I hope to figure out what I did wrong before and find a better way to communicate

I realize it may appear that I have stolen John's identity. I did not. I just copied the 100 questions thinking they were blank, then found out that John had already entered two books and given each a green check. I am envious of his checkmarks!!! I don't think my copying his list will impact John in any way, but if I'm wrong, tell me and I'll stop now.

Michele wrote: "I realize it may appear that I have stolen John's identity. I did not. I just copied the 100 questions thinking they were blank, then found out that John had already entered two books and given eac..."

You ought to delete my books including check marks on your list as you haven't read them.

Michele- I did the same with Alias’ list! You can edit your original “List” comment at any time and delete his, then add yours as you read them :)

John wrote: "Michele wrote: "I realize it may appear that I have stolen John's identity. I did not. I just copied the 100 questions thinking they were blank, then found out that John had already entered two boo..."

I'm hoping my editing has removed your books from my list!! I did it once and it didn't work. This time it looks like it has worked. Sorry.

It's fine - best of luck to you with your list! Looking forward to your choices!

Michele wrote: "John wrote: "Michele wrote: "I realize it may appear that I have stolen John's identity. I did not. I just copied the 100 questions thinking they were blank, then found out that John had already en..."

I had trouble copying and pasting the checkmarks, Michele, so I just used basic HTML to bold what I've read.

Sounds good. Thanks for your patience.

Michele wrote: "Sorry. I know I already made a list, but I can't find it, so I copied John's first post and now I've got his book listed for myself. I will persevere and use the list anyway. Please see John for in..."

All threads can't appear on the main page. You have to click on the Folder name (100 Book Challenge) to see all the threads.

The 105 prompts appear in Post #2. You can copy from there.

To add or delete something from one of your posts just click on the Edit button under the box you type in. Then after you make your changes click on Edit Post which you will see under the box you type in. Make sure you are not clicking on Cancel Edit. The two are next to each other and easy to make a mistake.

You now have 2 threads. Which do you want me to delete ?

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Once you get the hang of things it will be easy. Thanks for your patience.

please delete the top one: the Michele W list. Thanks.

Thanks ! I deleted the top one.

Sorry for all the confusion. I promise it will get easier.
I really appreciate you taking the time to figure this out and do the challenge with us.

The place of your thread will move. The threads with the most recent comments move to the top of the Folder.

Michele wrote: "I realize it may appear that I have stolen John's identity. I did not. I just copied the 100 questions thinking they were blank, then found out that John had already entered two books and given eac..."

Michele, your posts about the issue of copying & pasting the list of prompts have brought a smile to my face. It's neat when we learn this stuff but the process can be confounding, at times. You are doing well!

Good luck with the books.

I'm glad you're having fun! Appreciate the support and the kind words. I'm actually halfway thru book 2 on my list, and finding that participation is helping me concentrate. Good luck to you as well, in this and in all things.

Thank you, Michele. And continued enjoyable reading to you, too.

I finished Trust
A brief review:
This book is actually composed of four short stories in a way that is unique, at least to me, and was what interested me about the book. I'm not sure I can tell too much about it, because I think the unusual structure may also appeal to you and you will enjoy figuring it out for yourself. The main topic is the life of a legendary and mysterious financier, operating in the 20th C. in New York City. He is an odd man who might today be diagnosed with Aspebergers or mild autism. Imagine Morgan and homes a block wide on 57th Street. Imagine the richest man in the world. Then sit back and find out what really happened. It's not the first time it has happened this way. I wish I could say more. I really enjoyed it.

The Trees
Money, Mississippi is a forgotten backwater of a town populated by fat, racist, ignorant white folk and a couple of interesting black women. We know there are other people who live there, but they are not involved in the foreground of the story. The book opens with a grisly murder, and then another. Two fat, racist, ignorant white men are killed and mutilated. A very dirty, very dead black man--the same black man---- is also found at the scene of each murder. Experts from Hattiesburg and the the FBI are called in as murders pile up and dead black men always accompany fresh white corpses. Interesting satire, but not really finished.

The Leavers

Peilan Guo, is an immigrant to New York from a small Chinese village She left her father behind at 18 and became Polly Guo in New York City, working menial jobs as a nail technician to pay off the loanshark who had financed her voyage. Polly gave birth to a son, Deming, in New York, keeping him with her as long as she could. Eventually, she had to send him back to her father because she couldn't make enough money to support them both. The rest of the book follow Polly and Deming through life in the US and China. It is a family saga that leaves the family halfway through its life cycle, so I found it wanting, even though it was a National Book Award Finalist.

Michele wrote: "The Trees
Money, Mississippi is a forgotten backwater of a town populated by fat, racist, ignorant white folk and a couple of interesting black women. We know there are other people..."

TREES sounds good to me, Michele. Thanks for bringing it up. I love settings in the American SE or the area SE of the Mississippi River. I know it has its problems, but I love Mississippi.

Fascinating books, Michele. I agree with Kiki, The Trees sounds very good. I've read nothing by Everett thus far.

Congratulations on ticking off more than 3 prompts from these books, too.

Thanks. I got off to a slapstick start, but I’m doing a little better now. Just began “Lincoln on the Verge” which is the very best history book I’ve ever read. As a result, it’s taking me forever to savor each paragraph.

What an intriguing way to approach Lincoln, via that train trip from Illinois to his new job as President. Ted Widmer authored the book i read about Martin Van Buren. It wasn't my favorite bio but my library had none other. This Lincoln endeavor sounds promising. Happy Reading, Michele.

Michele wrote: "Thanks. I got off to a slapstick start, but I’m doing a little better now. Just began “Lincoln on the Verge” which is the very best history book I’ve ever read. As a result, it’s taking me forever ..."

Sometimes I can't help but read slowly so as to savor a book, Michele. I'm glad you're finding the Lincoln book so interesting.

Michele wrote: "I finished Trust
A brief review:
This book is actually composed of four short stories in a way that is unique, at least to me, and was what interested me about the book. I'm not su..."

I have that one on hold at the library. It made so many Best Of lists. I'm glad to hear you thought it was a winner, too.

Michele wrote: Just began “Lincoln on the Verge” which is the very best history book I’ve ever read. As a result, it’s taking me forever to savor each paragraph.
..."

Wow ! High praise indeed.

I finished another 2 books:

Spare by Prince Harry 29,31,51, 50 Good memoir with lots of detail, organized well for disorganized person. It seems to me that Harry has done lots of work to get where he is, and tensions with William will increase as long as Harry doesn't bow to him as he had expected.

Lincoln on the Verge 29,41, 50,, 62, 63, 67, 78, 82, 92
best ever history All the stars.

Well done, Michele! Your description of Spare & organization tickled me. Thanks for the comments.

Michele wrote: "I finished another 2 books:

Spare by Prince Harry 29,31,51, 50 Good memoir with lots of detail, organized well for disorganized person. It seems to me that Harry has done lots of work to get where..."

Harry did hire a ghostwriter at the cost of one million dollars so that probably accounts for the organization. Now, he's saying he left out the most interesting parts because those would be too upsetting to the people involved. I'm actually sorry I wasted time with the book.

As with so many celebrity books, watch one interview and you have enough, so to speak. I don’t read many because i am usually not that interested. Generally, i already had a deeper curiosity about the person before I’ll read their book. And i prefer they actually write it themselves.

Still, i appreciate reading the opinions of others, especially folks here at Book Nook Cafe.

madrano wrote: "As with so many celebrity books, watch one interview and you have enough, so to speak. I don’t read many because i am usually not that interested. Generally, i already had a deeper curiosity about ..."

I don't read many "celebrity" books, either. I wouldn't have read this one had it not been for the people I know who worked for King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla. They actually saw and heard a lot of what was going on and interacted with Charles and Camilla on a daily basis.

Michele wrote: Lincoln on the Verge 29,41, 50,, 62, 63, 67, 78, 82, 92


Wow ! You really hit a homerun on the prompts with that book !

Alias Reader wrote: "Michele wrote: Lincoln on the Verge 29,41, 50,, 62, 63, 67, 78, 82, 92


Wow ! You really hit a homerun on the prompts with that book !"

Nine prompts! Wow!

#29 is incorrect for Lincoln on the Verge. It belongs to Spare!! Where do you put your reviews that you are able to generate an url? I give up with this program. I doesn't make sense to me!

Michele wrote: "#29 is incorrect for Lincoln on the Verge. It belongs to Spare!! Where do you put your reviews that you are able to generate an url? I give up with this program. I doesn't make sense to me!"

When you write your review and hit Post, as soon as you post, before you leave that page, copy the URL and that will be the URL that takes people to your review and only your review, Michele. That's the best I can do by way of explanation because I'm a technically challenged person myself. It took me some time to figure it out myself.

Michele, i'm sorry but i don't know the answer, mostly because i don't write the url-type reviews. Heck, i didn't even know what Kiki shared. Thanks for that, Kiki.

madrano wrote: "Michele, i'm sorry but i don't know the answer, mostly because i don't write the url-type reviews. Heck, i didn't even know what Kiki shared. Thanks for that, Kiki."

You're welcome, Madrano.

Thanks, Kiki for telling me how to refer y'all to my reviews. I cannot make this software work for me. I would love to set this up so my current list is shown updated with all the books I've read to date in their proper places. It's not happening. I will continue to do it this half-assed way and assume that some of you will find what you're looking for.
My latest book is The Hopkins Manuscript by R.C. Sherriff . It fulfills a bunch of prompts: 3) an author I never heard of 4) I was persuaded to read it in part because of the cover art 6) it is set on a farm 14) it is humorous in the British way. 39) It was published before I was born (1939) 62) It discusses a modern day problem, the rise of authoritarianism 63) sounds a lot like 4) but it caught my attention because of the cover and the unusual setting for a dystopian novel. I also learned it was the first dystopian novel in which the protagonist survives.

My review is wherever my reviews are, but quickly for you guys, I enjoyed the dry British humor and the self-important, but socially clueless hero. The book was disjointed. It discussed village life, pompous misunderstanding of others, then the need to be important, then how humans are unable to keep their own impending doom at the forefront of their minds all the time, how people like to discount experts when they don't like what they say, how cooperation lifts participants up and feeds their soul, how most things are not as final as they seem at first, how politicians can screw everything up, and what happens when a benign government becomes authoritarian.
It's a lot to deal with and it seemed as if it didn't all belong together.
It reminded me of an Einstein thought experiment as explained by Walter Isaacson in his bio of Einstein, and I liked that there were no hard numbers or ridiculously sophisticated scientific concepts. Many sci-fi and dystopia fans wouldn't like this, I feel. I gave it 3.2 stars/5.

Michele wrote: "Thanks, Kiki for telling me how to refer y'all to my reviews. I cannot make this software work for me. I would love to set this up so my current list is shown updated with all the books I've read t..."

Nice review, Michele. I'm sorry the software isn't working out for you.

Michele wrote: "" I also learned it was the first dystopian novel in which the protagonist survives...."

How neat is that? I hadn't really taken note but will now. Thanks for the review and other comments, Michele, about The Hopkins Manuscript--R.C. Sherriff. I've added it to my To Be Read list.

As i understand these things, sometimes the appliance/machine we use to connect with GoodReads can also be the problem.

Finished The Books of Jacob yesterday. What a difficult book, but certainly a masterpiece. It was long (900+ pages), structurally challenging, regarding a subject matter I was not familiar with, and had a lot of Polish names. And half the characters changed names in the middle. I always think long books could use some serious editing, and this one needs it for sure. However, I didn't want to put it down because I was fascinated.

If you read the Goodreads reviews without looking at the title, you would never think they were reviewing the same book!! It's like the blind men and the elephant. I thought it was about the incredible lively mix of cultures, languages, beliefs found in a small area that I was not aware existed, and about the rise of a populist leader who leads his flock far, far away from where they want to be, and about the devolution of the Jewish religion into formula and rules, and the ideas Jews came up with to address that issue. All fascinating. But hard! Now I need a palate cleanser. Maybe The Measure.

I am embarrassed to admit that i didn't know the book or the author, Olga Tokarczuk. I appreciate your comment on book reviews. I suppose we all get something different from reading a large book such as this one, glomming onto what most intrigues us. Different eyes and brains, i guess.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one, Michele. Great choice for a prize winner.

Michele wrote: "Finished The Books of Jacob yesterday. What a difficult book, but certainly a masterpiece. It was long (900+ pages), structurally challenging, regarding a subject matter I was not familiar with, an..."

I give you credit Michele for sticking with such a difficult read. I'm happy to hear in the end your effort was worth it. It does sound like an interesting topic.

Today I finished The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty, a debut novel that won a National Book Award. I didn't enjoy anything about it. It was so bleak as to be dystopian, about a bunch of broken people in an aging factory town whose industry has folded and left them with a polluted environment and nothing worthwhile to do. There was a whole lot of language and precious little action. The plot, such as it was, had no observable point. I gave it 2 stars. I fulfilled prompts: 10. debut novel, 43. National Book Award for Fiction 62. Modern day problem (hopelessness, isolation, pollution) 77. a book whose main characters included a teacher and his student. 81. A book describing trauma and mental health issues 89. She does not give a birth date in her bio, but I assume she's under 35.

Michele wrote: "Today I finished The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty, a debut novel that won a National Book Award. I didn't enjoy anything about it. It was so bleak as to be dystopian, about a bunch of broken people i..."

You fulfilled a lot of prompts, but I don't think I'd like that book, either Michele. Think I'll skip that one. Thanks for letting us know.

I think not readiing this book is an excellent choice, Kiki.
It got good critical reviews, but I now know most readers didn’t care for it.

As to prompts, so far I’ve been surprised at how many each book fulfills. I picked this one because it was an award winner, but then I discovered that it was also a debut novel, and the plot revolved around trauma, mental illness and the environmental crisis. The major subplot was an affair between a teacher & student. So I put it under all of those topics. Do you do it differently?
Michele

I think you are doing the prompts correctly, Michele.

Sorry to hear the book wasn't a winner for you. I hope your next read is better.

Great accomplishment, Michele. Even though the book was less than sterling, you achieved many prompts. That makes it a winner in a different way.

By your description i can see why the topic could be depressing. Sometimes it's sad to drive through such cities. The act of expiring seems palpable. Thank you for sharing about it.

Michele wrote: "I think not readiing this book is an excellent choice, Kiki.
It got good critical reviews, but I now know most readers didn’t care for it.

As to prompts, so far I’ve been surprised at how many e..."

I do the same, Michele, and I think it's fine. I do have a few that could cover multiple prompts, but I didn't go with it simply because I had other books I really wanted to read that fulfilled another prompt. If I'm running short on time, I can always use a book I've read this year to fill in. (Now I know that sentence isn't grammatically correct, but I hope you got the meaning.) Like THE BOOKS OF JACOB. That's one I really want to read badly, so I think I've got it under "Books with a four-word title," but I read another book this month that could have fulfilled that prompt.) The bottom line, I think, is to enjoy ourselves and handle the prompts the way we think we should. No one challenges another. I'm glad you think highly of THE BOOKS OF JACOB, though. So, you go girl! Have fun and enlighten us!

Michele wrote: "Today I finished The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty, a debut novel that won a National Book Award. I didn't enjoy anything about it. It was so bleak as to be dystopian, about a bunch of broken people i..."

I'm facing a similar issue with my current book being downright bleak, where I'm unable to identify (bond) with the people profiled. But, I shall finish it.

madrano wrote: "Great accomplishment, Michele. Even though the book was less than sterling, you achieved many prompts. That makes it a winner in a different way.

By your description i can see why the topic could ..."

Critics seem to like depressing and lyrical writing, I think, Madrano. What do you think? I'm reading Less now, which is sort of comical and a Pulitzer Prize winner. I like it, love the main character, and it's well written, but I'm surprised at the Pulitzer. It isn't one of those soul-moving books with such gorgeous metaphors like Jesmyn Ward writes. Her stuff is prize-winning subject matter and writing, and her books have won prizes. I'm enjoying Less, but I also enjoyed Salvage the Bones. Beautiful, lyrical writing.