Alternate Side: A Novel | 
pickI liked this.
I liked the portrayal of wealthy New Yorkers who were aware of their wealth.
I liked the way in which the book developed.
Not a challenging read but lighter relief after Milkman!
It reminded me in some way of Lillian Boxfish.
A long car journey today to deliver my eldest at uni.
Bittersweet day as I'm excited for her but missing her dearly.
On the plus side, I got to read 100 pages!
The blurb sounds like I'd enjoy this... Litsy reviews are mixed.
I recently added Millers Valley to my pile but spotted this at the library so starting this first.
pan2/10 I tried, I really did. The story was banal and irritating in my opinion. Tried to read it three times, only managed to get a quarter of the way through the book in total. Possible that the book improves, just can't be bothered to torture myself any further.
The rumor is that Nora Nolan is going to leave her position as the Director of the Jewelry Museum in Manhattan, and work for her husband‘s powerful boss. Causes lots of friction in the marriage. #rumorhasit #anglophileapril
pickNora and Charlie Nolan have raised their twins in Manhattan. They are successful and growing apart. An incident in their neighborhood involving a violent dispute between a neighbor and a handyman results in tearing apart the community. Charlie wants to leave the City, but to Nora, it is inconceivable. This book tackles many social problems, but ultimately, it is about Nora‘s love for New York. #booked2019 #myhappyplace
A third of the way into this book and I‘m losing hope that it‘s going to pick up. 😒
so-soThis was just ok - to be honest as a New Yorker I had a hard time with her depiction of New Yorkers - she made them all seem awful and miserable and there are some pretty nice people here! I had much higher expectations for this book.
1. Tagged book plus becoming by Michelle Obama and the Life I live by Rory Feek and making no progress on anything
2. I'm not a hot beverage person but will drink hot chocolate
3. Unsweetened ice tea for lunch
#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain @rachelsbrittain
Taking a break from the #newyearwhodis to start a library book. This hasn't gotten great reviews but I'm a sucker for a good NYC story so will give it a shot.
This made me laugh. 😄 But it's also true. This is the time of year when I physically start to feel like a turtle--my head drops down into my neck, my shoulders go up and tighten there, and my body stays that way until approximately April. 😬
This is true. I hate February, too. (But then again, I live in New England.) Does anybody anywhere actually love February?
Ain't that the truth 🙄 (says a woman who's been married for 27 years) ...
bailedI couldn‘t get into this one. The characters were boring and it didn‘t seem to have much of a storyline.
It seems like forever since I‘ve finished a book. Dang Netflix is keeping me occupied. Starting this one tonight to get back in the swing of things. Has anyone read it yet?
bailed
I didn't even make 100 pages. I was so bored and simply couldn't spend any more time with those characters.
I remember liking Quindlen I the past, but perhaps I am mistaken. This one makes me want to pass on her writing.
On to "Force of Nature."
so-soWhat a boring book about a mundane topic. Unfortunately I think I am done reading Anna Quindlen, she does absolutely nothing for me.
pick4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Good reader. I love how Quindlen captures everyday life and what is universal about people. Not a power read but a thoughtful one. Good one to discuss.
so-soThe overall story was good. This started out very slow and didn‘t get any more interesting until about half way through. I didn‘t mind it from there but I wouldn‘t read it again. I like the main character Nora.
My next book. I've read a couple of hers, liked and disliked so we'll see!
pickSo relatable. 🙌🏻
Nora‘s twins are in their final year of college, she is successfully running a museum, her husband Charlie is excited to have a parking space in the lot on their block— small-town dramas translated to a single block in NYC. At a crossroads Nora‘s wonders: if she‘ll prioritize her marriage & leave the city, take a job offer from Charlie's boss, and if there's an alternate life which she could/should have had. 👇🏻
“Don‘t be cynical”, Charlie said.
“I‘m a New Yorker,” said Nora. “Cynicism is my religion.”
“I just Love New York,” said the tour guide, who had an accent so thick the consonants appeared to be chewy nuggets in the butterscotch pudding of her voice. “Is that where you all are from?”
“Nobody‘s really from there... Carolyn.”
so-soFinished this last night. Still not sure what I think. Nothing ‘really‘ happens except middle-age and empty nesting; and yet, it didn‘t lose my interest. Maybe because I‘m at a similar life stage? Definitely not a book for everyone, but if you feel like a little nostalgic introspection, this might be a read for you.
Just realized that I have no idea what has become of all my beach towels. So I present you with this lovely creation of “Book and Dish Towel”
#ReadingResolutions Day3 #BookAndBeachTowel 😁
When places you know show up in the book you‘re reading 👏
I can‘t possibly be the only one who gets a ridiculous thrill about this . . . right? 😁
Diggin‘ the end pages 😍
Just sitting down to start this
#CurrentRead
Just had my first "chat" with the Read it Forward bot and it was fun - plus I think I really would love this book! Have seen a few posts about it on Litsy I think ? Anyone else message the bot?
panI like Quindlen‘s writing style – it‘s simple and straightforward. However, literally nothing happened in the entirety of this book. I kept waiting for storylines to develop, but they just didn‘t. The biggest piece of action is centered around whether NYC neighbors can use their parking structure or not (literally). Definitely a disappointment. #arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️
so-soI liked the parallel between Charlie and Nora's dead-end marriage with them living on a dead-end street. But, the parking space and a mundane marriage seem to eclipse the rest of story. Or maybe because the first part of the book is so drawn out that the reader is just not as vested in any of the issues. Maybe it's because I live in the burbs, but I couldn't relate to the parking issue and felt that it had too much presence in the story.
pick4* Not my favorite Quindlen novel, but a goody. Many of her observations about life and having grown kids hit home with me. And in this novel, NYC is as much a character as her children are! A story of conflicts: between neighbors, friends, employers and employees, and husbands and wives. I enjoyed reading this. Nora isn‘t perfect, in fact no one is in this novel, which is partly what makes it so relatable as well.
pickWhat at first seems to be an exploration of a New York City neighbourhood actually morphs into an examination of a disintegrating marriage. I loved the characters, flaws and all. And as always, I really enjoyed Quindlen's writing style.
Finally figured out for myself why I couldn‘t download from Netgalley (thanks for zero help, Netgalley) and I can start this one!
😍🙌🏻😍🙌🏻😍🙌🏻😍🙌🏻😍🙌🏻😍🙌🏻😍🙌🏻😍🙌🏻😍
“Readers are the world‘s greatest empaths. A man who says he doesn‘t read is a very small person.”- Anna Quindlen, Today
Needless to say I had a pleasant evening 😄 I got to hear Anna wisely pontificate on current events & provide insight into her process. J. Courtney Sullivan, the moderator & another fave author, gave me a shoutout when discussing a class she taught recently, which I attended.
so-soI really wanted to like this book. Nothing happened. The characters just lived and not much else. I just kept waiting. I have loved many of Anna Quindlen‘s books, but this isn‘t one.
I started this Tuesday evening. It‘s very good. It‘s my first book by this author.
pick#AnnaQuindlen has long been one of my favorite authors. Her new book, #AlternateSide, is a thoughtful exploration of a marriage & neighborhood, both of which are unraveling. There is much in this story to contemplate & discuss. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to #NetGalley for the Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
Part two of matchy jacket design. Not as obvious as the last one but still eye catching.
I have this on the agenda for today.
Gosh, this is so true to life. It‘s weird how there are these kind of people (usually men) who do seem to make it a personal project to force you to like them and their most annoying behaviors. Especially when they think the rest of the world thinks they‘re cute and funny...
