Marlena
7 years ago by
Last fall, I started a book club with a few friends and the studio. We’ve read a few great books and I thought I’d share the latest one, since it makes for a great summer read!
Last month, we read Marlena by Julie Buntin. The novel is about a teenage girl growing up in rural Michigan and her uninhibited neighbor-turned-best-friend, Marlena. It’s a very real, honest portrait of a teenager coping with everything from a broken home, to experiencing drugs and sex for the first time. I don’t want to give too much away, but you’ll breeze through it effortlessly.
If you have any other book recommendations let me know! We’re looking for our next read.
Yes! I’d recommend THE LIGHTS by Brian McGreevy.
Thanks Lauren! x
I would recommend Out of this century (the autobiography of Peggy Guggenheim) and from Robert Evans The Kid Stays in the Picture. I enjoyed reading both of them.
Thanks Katja! x
Rules of Civility by Amor Towels is one of the best books I’ve read in ages. Our book club recently read Bel Canto by Ann Patchett as well and had a great discussion.
Thank you for the recommendations! x
My bookclub recently read Lilac Girls and enjoyed it. I have also read All the Light We Cannot See, which was amazing. The next book I want to read is The Department of Speculation. Please post what you decide on.
Hi Cara! I will definitely share! I haven’t read any of these titles, so thank you for the recs! x
Yes! All the light we cannot see is amazing!
“When she was good” by Philip Roth
Thanks for the recommendation Laura! x
“M train” by Patti Smith. I’ve read it 3 times already!
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It’s so good!! I loved Just Kids and picked M Train up right away when it came out! x
“Martin Eden” de Jack London !! You will be obsessed from the beginning to the last word !
Thanks for the recommendation Charlene! x
I totally recommend Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels (4 books), which talk about the lives and friendship of two girls from Naples since they were kids
Hi Helena,
I bought the first one but had a hard time getting more than 50 pages in! Maybe I’ll have to pick it back up this summer. x
So Much for That by Lionel Shriver.
I just finished the Neapolitan Quartet. It’s not light reading, at all; it took me four nights to carefully read the last 50 pages. But, it’s a work of art that gives a lot back to the disciplined reader. I finished in about 6 weeks. Very interesting text structure and plot, involving Italian history, childhood, family, intimacy, friendship, love, pain, loss, obsession, disappointment, elation, fame … reminds me a little of Ulysses. I really enjoyed it. Lots to discuss.
Le livre de Joe, de Jonathan Tropper. L’histoire d’un écrivain qui revient dans la ville de son enfance lorsque son père tombe malade, et doit alors faire face à ses souvenirs, aux fantômes de son passé et surtout à l’hostilité de toute la ville qu’il a ridiculisée dans son best-seller.
Un livre plein d’émotions, drôle et touchant, qu’on ne peut lâcher avant la fin !
It makes me want to read .. I like the stories that presents our reality … thank you very much
How about “Scent and Subversion: Decoding a Century of Provocative Perfume”? It looks at 20th century perfume (decade by decade) through the lens of culture and aesthetics, arguing that like fashion, it reflected the cultural zeitgeist but in perfume notes rather than through hemlines or shapes…I could send you a copy!