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I got back into reading at the end of 2021 and it has been really fun. Once again, books are a big part of my life. Historical fiction, literary fiction, science fiction, etc., etc. Interested in politics, feminism, climate change, TV, movies, birding, biking, music, forest preserves, art museums, travel. UC Davis law grad, now in Chicago suburbs.
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Brian Plunkett's books
2025 Reading Goal
37% complete! Brian Plunkett has read 6 of 16 books.
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Brian Plunkett started reading The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman
A gifted young knight named Collum arrives at Camelot to compete for a place at the Round Table, only to …
Brian Plunkett reviewed How to Be Both by Ali Smith
Brian Plunkett reviewed Godzilla vs. Chicago by Mike Costa
Godzilla vs. Chicago (2 Stars)
2 stars
I saw articles about this in The Tribune and Block Club Chicago. For me, I guess it was mildly amusing. I got it electronically from my public library via Hoopla.
Brian Plunkett started reading How to Be Both by Ali Smith

How to Be Both by Ali Smith
This is a novel all about art's versatility. Borrowing from painting's fresco technique to make an original literary double-take, it's …
Brian Plunkett started reading This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud
Brian Plunkett started reading Godzilla vs. Chicago by Mike Costa

Godzilla vs. Chicago by Mike Costa, Tim Seeley, Caroline Cash, and 2 others
Brian Plunkett reviewed The Morningside by Téa Obreht
The Morningside (4.5 Stars)
4 stars
A very engaging and well-written book that's part dystopian novel and part YA thriller, with some magical realism and a little humor thrown in as well. I really enjoyed the folklore aspects of the story and the relationship between the great protagonist, Sil, and her mother.
Brian Plunkett started reading The Morningside by Téa Obreht

The Morningside by Téa Obreht
There’s the world you can see. And then there’s the one you can’t. Welcome to the Morningside.
After being expelled …
Brian Plunkett started reading The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton

The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton
Florida is slipping away. As devastating weather patterns and rising sea levels gradually wreak havoc on the state’s infrastructure, a …
Brian Plunkett reviewed Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
Three Days in June (4 Stars)
4 stars
I decided to read this after seeing Anne Tyler's recent interview in The Guardian, where she said: “How we handle day-to-day life as we go through it, with its disappointments and its pleasures, that’s all I want to know.” But also, she's already working on her next novel, and apparently she's done with trying to avoid politics in her books: "It seemed so wrong to have any character going about normal life after that horrendous election." Can't wait to see what she comes up with.
As for Three Days in June, it's Tyler's usual bittersweet and amusing focus on a semi-dysfunctional white family, this time in the context of a wedding. Anyway, what can I say? I'm a fan.
Brian Plunkett started reading Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
A new Anne Tyler novel destined to be an instant classic: a socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the …
Brian Plunkett reviewed Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Washington Black (3.5 Stars)
3 stars
It's well-written, and Wash's journeys (both physical and psychological) are engaging for the most part, but overall I felt a bit disappointed. I think my expectations were probably too high due to some of the rave reviews.
Brian Plunkett started reading Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
George Washington Black, or "Wash," an eleven-year-old field slave on a Barbados sugar plantation, is terrified to be chosen by …
Brian Plunkett finished reading Playground by Richard Powers

Playground by Richard Powers
Four lives are drawn together in a sweeping, panoramic new novel from Richard Powers, showcasing the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of …