I am going to be on a sailboat for ten days in July and would love some good book recommendations. Here is what I have been reading lately and my thoughts. I would love to hear yours!
The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith
I am not that far into this book; I am really enjoying it so far. It is the story of an artist in Golden Age Holland and the modern-day art restorer who forged her work.
The Good House by Ann Leary
Meh.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
I have been trying to finish this book since we bought a copy at the New Bedford Whaling Museum while cruising in 2013. I absolutely love it and fall asleep every time I pick it up. On the boat we were reading it aloud. Maybe that’s the key.
The Collected Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway
I picked this up after seeing the Hemingway exhibit at the Kennedy Library. The exhibit is WONDERFUL if you have not see it yet. I’ve enjoyed the stories I have read so far, but a little Hemingway goes a long way for me.
My Struggle by Karl Ove Knaussgaard
I am currently on Volume IV, which I believe is the last one available in the US so far. I have so enjoyed reading the first three volumes of this memoir/fictionalized autobiography?
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
A wonderful story.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
This would have been perfect boat reading.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
Brutal. I cannot in good conscience recommend this book unless you are seriously interested in being as depressed as possible.
The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson
Brutal. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is an account of life in North Korea presented in a fictionalized form. Amazing writing and story telling.
The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth GIlbert
Meh.
On deck–unless you tell me not to–I have:
I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
Exposure by Helen Dunmore
High Dive by Jonathan Lee
Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo
Something Will Happen, You’ll See by Christos Ikonomou