THE TWO MILLENNIALS BEST BOOKS OF APRIL 2023

[@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711]

Shelly I love A Month In The Country too. It has something of the flavour of an older book. I really enjoy your shared wrap ups.

[@SpringboardThought]

It’s been on my wishlist for ages and ages, but other NYRB books seem to bump it out when I splurge. Thanks so much! :)

[@ameliareads589]

These best of/worst of videos really remind me every time how much I miss your weekly videos, Fraser.

[@SpringboardThought]

Aw thank you! I hope I have more energy soon

[@deborajohnson5717]

I loved Daisy Jone and the Six and Say Nothing. They were 5 star reads/listens! Great video

[@SpringboardThought]

Thanks Deb!!

[@bookofdust]

Shelly, last year was my year of reading Ireland and I finished with Say Nothing and it being a 5 star read. But earlier I read We Don’t Know Ourselves by Fintan O’Toole, who is also an investigative journalist, but who is Irish. His book is a history of Ireland emerging into a modern country during the second half of the 20th century, but intertwined with a memoir of his life at the same time. It was one of NY Times Ten Best Books of the Year last year.

[@SpringboardThought]

I hadn’t heard about that I will pass that on to Shelly as well.

[@CharlieBrookReads]

Lovely to hear about your faves. Definitely think you can’t go far wrong with Daisy Jones & The Six 😊

[@SpringboardThought]

I was so happy I came back to it and still enjoyed it!

[@bibliosophie]

very much agree about the various Secret History covers ha ha (I do like the Goldfinch cover)

[@SpringboardThought]

Yeah, it really is weird it’s never changed over a billion printings.

[@nathansnook]

"it's fine! they're used to it! they're on the internet!!!" love the range in this video! and love this series!

[@SpringboardThought]

Haha thank you so much!

[@novelideea]

I went into A Month in the Country with HIGH expectations and It was just average for me. I liked the writing, but didn't love the storyline of taking a break from his wife(at his wife's request) and sort of falling for another woman - though suppressed; nor the competition between churches for his patronage. I would call it Pastoral in that it is a mode of literature where the author places the complex/complicated life into the slow, simple one of country living. But, honestly it doesn't focus on the relationship between humanity and nature in a rural environment so not pastoral in that way. I think it would be more accurate to call it a "Mood Piece" or "Meditative Novella".

[@ameliareads589]

For me it was also only average, I totally agree.

[@SpringboardThought]

Interesting, thanks for the thoughtful take on what it is.

[@SpringboardThought]

Hm hm hm. It’s been on my wishlist for a while because it’s an NYRB I can’t get from the library but the description never feels so enticing that I want to own it, so it always takes a backseat.

[@jorgem71962]

A Month in the Country was a five star reading for me. No, it is not really a pastoral book, although it has at times that feeling. It is a book about brokenness and the aftermath of the Great War. It is a very calming read. It is hard to explain, it needs to be experienced.

[@SpringboardThought]

That piques my interest!

[@binglamb2176]

It always amazes me how tastes differ. I know I am an outlier on this but In my opinion Daisy Jones and the Six was the worst book I have read in the last 18 months. I had to grit my teeth to finish the audiobook. We have so much useless celebrity gossip I questioned the need for gossip about fake celebrities. Just boring with characters I didn't care anthing about despite the fact I am a fan of that era of music in which the book is set.

[@SpringboardThought]

I know plenty of people who didn’t care about it at all! It really tapped into a weird thing I like, and I’ve tried other books of hers and dnfd them really early. It’s an outlier.