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Nina Barufaldi's avatar

I love that we're getting this in installments.

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Sarah Orman's avatar

This is part of my motto for 2025: “embrace ease.”

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Jen Cooper's avatar

Love this annual list! I also went on Percival Everett bender, starting with Dr. No (one of my favorite books this year), then Telephone, James, and I Am Not Sidney Portier.

I adored Orbital and argued with a friend about whether there was a plot of sorts. We compromised with "tiny, overlapping narrative arcs."

I've put Dayswork, Beautyland, and Reproduction on my "to read" list. And maybe this year I'll be organized enough to keep track, so I await your "how to read like a writer series"! Maybe it will help me restart my own blog.

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Sarah Orman's avatar

That's amazing, Jen! Thanks so much for reading and subscribing. I think you'll love those novels. Save room on your reading list, because I also just read a memoir that I keep wanting to tell you about. It's The Book of Difficult Fruit by Kate Lebo. Do you know that one?

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Christine Beck's avatar

I got halfway through Search on Audible and quit. I wasn’t invested in what would happen next and the characters felt like caricatures. If I had it in print, I might have skipped ahead. But that’s much harder with Audible.

I haven’t read any Ferrente and appreciate your reminding me to get started!

Agree agree about Day and Strouts latest. Thank you for such excellent recommendations. Oh, and I’ve already downloaded Dayswork. I see he has the primary writing credit on the cover. I have some thoughts about that.

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Sarah Orman's avatar

Thanks for reading, Christine! That’s interesting about the cover of Dayswork. I assumed the book was mostly authored by Jennifer Habel because it’s written in the wife’s first person POV. But I see what you mean. I hope you enjoy the book more than Search!

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Geoff Mantooth's avatar

Thanks for the recs, Sarah. Search looks particularly good, adding it to my list. Enjoyed More Than You’ll Ever Know, Gutierrez’s debut.

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Jim Walsh's avatar

Delighted to be mentioned in your annual review. We watched The Essex Serpent and enjoyed it.

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