PLAYGROUND
Richard Powers
Although Richard Powers’ PLAYGROUND is not published in the US yet, it has been longlisted for THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024. It is due to be released on September 24, 2024. The themes in this book are indicative of and like many other titles on the list.
If all the books have a similar theme it is SYMBIOSIS.
But I’m getting ahead of myself and we’re only talking about PLAYGROUND here today. So let’s take a step back and talk about it.
My first experience with Richard Powers didn’t go over well. I DNF’d OVERSTORY and although it was an Oprah Book Club choice, I decided it wasn’t for me. Then I read BEWILDERMENT and was blown away. Powers’ connection to language and to the Earth is extraordinary. And to be a part of it as a reader is a wonderful experience.
PLAYGROUND features characters, but it is more about how we interact with our environment and secondly how we interact with each other. One prominent storyline features a curious young boy who grows into a successful businessman. To have that success he essentially must unbecome a lot of who he is. The two identities cannot exist in the same body.
Is there a version of you that you need to let go of to allow a new rendition to come in?
PLAYGROUND is about symbiosis. How when two things come together a new thing is born. There is no end of us and a beginning to the universe. We extend beyond our human form and part of our expression as humans is how we treat this part of us that is the universe.
You are not a human in the universe. You are the universe.
It is a lot about how we interact with our environment. It’s also about the lasting changes we make to our environment. How all of us who inhabit the EARTH change it for the worse.
In some ways Powers is a literary boy scout. Who wants us to leave this Earth better than we found it. It is in our nature to have dominion over all. To do that we must first have dominion over ourselves.
And every single choice we make as we make it through our days and nights makes a difference. Sam recycling in New York, helps the fish in the deep blue sea in California. Every time we litter or drive our cars, or water our yards unnecessarily, we take. From the forests to the oceans and everything in and between continents.
If you want a flavor of all the books, PLAYGROUND is the one I recommend. An easy Five Stars.
*Full-cast narration
Thanks to W.W. Norton, Netgalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the advanced copies!
PLAYGROUND… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK
Chris Whitaker
When I talk about Chris Whitaker, I want to start at the beginning, but it feels more appropriate if WE BEGIN AT THEN END.
Someone is missing and she’s not the first. She most likely won’t be the last. There is a hunter in their small town, in their presence. And in the hunting, the hunters become the prey. But that’s just the story’s beginning and I promised to start at the end.
Patch is a hard boy to forget and over the span of decades turns into a man most will wish they never met. But his story is long, and to understand his trajectory we must start at the beginning. At the end he will be forgiven, but his actions will not be forgotten.
ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK is a mystery, a thriller, a crime drama that spans states and decades. But in the end, ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK is a love story.
When the plane took off when the shades were drawn, when it got quiet, and when the lights were low, I went into the dark with Chris Whitaker. And when the plane landed, and I got to the end all I could see were ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK.
Reading over 600 pages in one sitting is not something I normally do but then again, I don’t normally get the pleasure of reading a Chris Whitaker novel. I was on an exceptionally long flight, and I needed an exceptional book to pull me through. ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK was just that.
ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK is not about who you should be, not who you pretend to be, not even who you aspire to be. It’s about who you are. When it matters, when it counts.
With crushing language, a superior grasp of what the English language can do, authentic characters, and a storyline that rivals only his last work, ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK provided an exceptional reading experience and I highly recommend it.
If I could give it ten stars I would!
Thanks to Netgalley and Crown Publishing | Crown for the advanced copy! It was a pleasure!
ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK…⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS
Araminta Hall
Are you ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS? If not, I bet you know one.
Cole is ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS. His nails are always trimmed and clean, he’d never order for you in a restaurant (unless asked to of course), he’s thoughtful, listens, and hangs on to your every word. He has recently moved from London to a little cottage along the coast where he is trying to recover from a deeply emotional breakup. There along the coastline, he meets Lenora, and the two form a relationship as alluring as the cliffs that surround them.
At the same time, two young women are doing a charity walk that has them traversing the very same coastline where Cole and Lenora live. What happens when their paths intersect will surprise you and is the plot for Araminta Hall’s, ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS.
Hall livened up my December, put a smile on my face and singlehandedly reinvigorated my love of reading all within around 300 pages. It’s twisty and mind-bending and I couldn’t get enough.
ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS is one of the good ones. It is so cool to see someone living out their passion as Hall does here. The writing is smart, the characters are memorable and distinct, and it has great, spot-on commentary running throughout. There are parallel levels of entertainment in ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS. It’s thrilling for the novice and reads like candy for the experienced.
ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS is one of the best books I’ve read from 2024 and we are just getting started.
Thanks to Netgalley, Zando, and Gillian Flynn Books for the advanced copy! It was a pleasure!
ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
