Reader discussion: Chéri

Public reader discussion about Chéri in the WeRead Catalog by Colette.

Looking for book recommendations for my book club that won't leave me feeling angry and depressed!

By tiny_mirror6

My group tends to pick really heavy memoir-type stuff, but I’m honestly not in the mood for that lately. Life already feels like a lot, so I want something that’s a little more of an escape, but I’m picky about it. I’m not into romance or fantasy, though I’ll read sci-fi if it’s actually good. And the writing matters a ton to me—I feel like a lot of books lately just aren’t very well done. The stuff I’ve liked before includes Cloud Atlas, Recursion (even if it’s kind of “fluffy,” it was still super addictive), pretty much anything by David Foster Wallace aside from Infinite Jest—I couldn’t get through that one, but I really love his essays and short stories. Also An Instance of the Fingerpost and Everything Is Illuminated. Any recommendations for what I should bring to the group? Thanks!

What are the book awards that you trust?

By midnightPath1995

On the A Canticle for Leibowitz thread I’ve seen a bunch of people (me included) point out that it won a Hugo, and that somehow makes it feel like it’s probably a pretty good book. But when I was just browsing Hugo winners, it looked like there are quite a few “gone and forgotten” types, plus some books that sound like total stinkers. And yeah, someone even basically wrote off the whole 2023 list. I’ve also heard good things about the Arthur C. Clarke Award as a signal. And for the Booker Prize, my take is it almost never lines up with stuff I actually want to read, though I’ll admit there are exceptions—like Iain Banks and Roddy Doyle. So, fellow readers, which awards do you actually trust? And do you think they’re mostly hit-or-miss?

I am Andrew Sean Greer, author of LESS and THE CONFESSIONS OF MAX TIVOLI, among other novels. AMA!

By hawkWandering8606

I’m the person behind six fiction books, like *Less* (Pulitzer winner), *Confessions of Max Tivoli* (bestselling), plus *The Path of Minor Planets*, *How It Was For Me*, *The Story of a Marriage*, and *The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells*. I’ve also taught writing at a bunch of schools, including the Iowa Writers Workshop. I grew up as an identical twin in the suburbs of DC—my dad and mom were scientists—and I’m in San Francisco now. If you want to find me, I’m on Twitter and Instagram (u/agreer and u/asgreer). Proof is here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CB6H7W\_Bc8K/?utm\_source=ig\_web\_copy\_link

C.J. Cherryh

By snow-story5

I’ve heard so many people sing C.J. Cherryh’s praises for years, and I finally started. I went with Port Eternity and Voyager in the Night. Port Eternity was just okay—kinda slow at times, but I actually liked how it wrapped up. Voyager in the Night, though… I really didn’t like it at all. I’ve got Cuckoo’s Egg sitting on my shelf, but I’m gonna pause on her for a bit. Now I’m wondering if I just randomly picked two duds, or if her whole vibe just isn’t for me. What I usually go for is neat alien culture stuff, first-contact with different alien societies, and I’m always a sucker for friends hanging out on a spaceship. For reference, I’ve enjoyed Haldemann, Scalzi, Becky Chambers, the Bobiverse, the Culture books, and the Expanse. Does anyone have a Cherryh recommendation that might click with that kind of taste, or should I just accept she’s not my thing? Also, side note: Port Eternity had way better prose and description than I expected for sci-fi from that era.

Suggest me “lesser known” classics under 400 pages

By Lazy_Velvet39362

Are there any good translated novels/foreign fiction written by women you’d recommend? I’m usually down for romance or more introspective stuff, but I’m not super into reading about cowboys or military themes. Also when you say “lesser known,” I’m thinking stuff that isn’t talked about as much in everyday reading circles. I’m looking for something engaging that I can get through in one sitting, if possible—thanks!

Colette: The most beloved French writer of all time

By amberfrog40

I read her stuff a long time ago, basically all the Claudine books. I was going down a rabbit hole about women whose writing got taken by men—often their husbands—and women who published under male pen names. And from what I remember, her first husband ended up taking credit for her early books, like the Claudine ones.

I'm Cheri Radke, author of AN ACCIDENT OF DRAGONS, out this week from Erewhon. AMA!

By WildHeron1980

Hey, fantasy folks! AN ACCIDENT OF DRAGONS is my first novel, and it came out this Tuesday. Seeing it on shelves for the first time this week has honestly been kind of unreal, and I’m still a little blown away by all of it. I’m in northern California with my husband and cat, and when I’m not reading or writing, I’m usually out hiking or just being outside. Book info: In theory, the Summer dragoness can pick any person on her island to be ruler if the old Lord Summer dies without an heir. But nobody really thought she’d choose Teddy, the late lord’s middle-aged fancy man. Teddy has sharp humor, lots of charm, and great taste in clothes, but politics, family background, and proper manners are definitely not his thing. Still, he did his part for the island, and his five-year-old daughter, Zinnia, is supposed to grow up into a great Lady Summer someday. Then a ship full of desperate mainland thieves shows up, Zinnia gets swept into the chaos and taken hostage, and Teddy heads straight into a rescue attempt, even though his mainland adventure days are long over with his lover. His sailors have never even been to their destination, and the stern admiral in charge thinks Teddy is basically useless. Between a sneaky robber baron, a sorceress who’s already mastered her own dragon, and regular people with everything on the line, the odds are awful. But with everyone he loves in danger, Teddy has to show there’s more to him than he ever meant to reveal. My instagram is here: https://www.instagram.com/cheriradke/ Book landing page here: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/cheriradke/ Picture of me and a cat tax: https://preview.redd.it/je4drroq7cyg1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=faa02f7a8ca46363c5853b71f298e1cd68ffe65c https://preview.redd.it/zwtfmtoq7cyg1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=58970015239ec0013c12e37a66d280ba3ba76ea4 EDIT: If you find this later, or think of a question after reading the book and want to come back, go ahead and ask anytime. I’m a real redditor and I plan to keep this account around, so I should see questions when they come up.

[deleted by user]

By folioSpark1991

Looks like /r/Books might be a better place for this. /r/SuggestMeABook is mostly for asking for book recs from other people. There are also some handy posts linked there already, like beginner/veteran/expert suggestions, what to read after Harry Potter, books like Game of Thrones, best books of 2019, and stuff like that. They also list some related book subreddits if you want more places to look, plus the posting rules about spoilers, what kinds of submissions aren’t allowed, and comments that get removed. If you think something got filtered by mistake, you can message the mods.