What I Read November 2022

An excellent reading month! Only one nonfiction book this month: The Island of Extraordinary Captives, by Simon Parkin which was a fascinating tale of a World War II internment camp on the Isle of Man. The British sent thousands of Jewish refugees there in fear that they might be nazi agents. Parkin tells the stories of several artists, writers, and others, including one man who did work with the nazis, but the main character is a teenager whose internment provides him with mentors for his art. 

A few good mysteries: 1989,  by Val McDermid, which I enjoyed. Desert Star, by Michael Connelly, which I bought at his Mysterious Bookshop signing. Not my favorite by him, but of course I'll keep reading until he stops writing about Bosch. And finally, Under a Veiled Moon, by Karen Odden. I was looking forward to this, the second of her (hopefully long) Inspector Corrovan series. This gives Anne Perry vibes, and I felt the second book was much stronger than the first. This one dealt with Home Rule and Irish revolutionaries, and she gave more background on Corrovan's story. I look forward to the next book!

One book of poetry by Saeed Jones: Alive at the End of the World. Just heartbreakingly beautiful.

The only slightly disappointing book of the month was The Cloisters, by Katy Hays. It wasn't awful, but I just think dark academia isn't for me. I find it irritating to read about so many stupid decisions made by smart people! But I did like revisiting The Cloisters through the book. 

One very sweet and quick read: The Reading List, by Sara Nisha Adams. Did I mostly know what was coming? Yes. Did I enjoy the characters and their discovery of the library, and the books on the list? Absolutely.

And finally, some solid literary fiction. Ian McEwan's Lessons got lackluster reviews, but I enjoyed it. Maybe I'm the right age for a novel that reflects on life toward the end of it, but I loved how he showed the impact of historical events on the main character's life. Some favorite sentences:

Describing the main character shortly after his wife leaves him and their baby without an explanation:

     One-handedly he fetched a mop, filled a bucket and cleared up the mess, spreading it widely. This was how most messes were cleared up, smoothed thin to invisibility. Tiredness turned everything to metaphor. (And connecting this to Margaret Roach's The Backyard Parables, which I'm reading now, and which speaks of everything in the garden as metaphor.)

And toward the end of the book, and possibly the end of the main character's life:

    By what logic or motivation or helpless surrender did we all, hour by hour, transport ourselves within a generation from the thrill of optimism at Berlin's falling Wall to the storming of the American Capitol? He had thought 1989 was a portal, a wide opening to the future, with everyone streaming through. It was merely a peak.

The Night Ship by Jess Kidd gave me such vivid nightmares I had to restrict myself to reading it only during the day. Two timelines, one in the 1600s and one in the 1980s, both menacing and claustrophobic. Mayken is a young girl on a ship from the Netherlands to the Dutch East Indies with her maid after her mother dies. Gil, a troubled and secretive boy is sent to live with his grandfather on a remote and haunted Australian island after his mother dies. I grieved for both children, but Kidd gives a glimmer of hope in the end, and exquisite writing throughout. 

A novel about a governess in the Austen family? I grabbed Godmersham Park by Gill Hornby off the new books shelf at the Doylestown Library for the cover alone. Anne Sharpe was a real person, and even if Hornby had to embellish the relationship between her and Jane, it was a delight to read. 

Our Missing Hearts, by Celeste Ng is a dystopian novel dealing book banning, done to protect "American culture." I never felt connected to Bird, and wished we had more of his father. Who's the hero--the parent who stays to raise a child or the one who leaves thinking she can save the world? It did keep me thinking for days after, which makes it a better book for me. 

Finally, and one I'll be thinking about for months: The Trees, by Percival Everett. I cannot describe it well (I've tried, and failed, to convince three different people to read it, so I know I'm missing something in my pitch!) Set in rural Mississippi, the book quickly gives us three brutal murders of white men, all lying next to the same Black corpse. While the MBI investigates there, similar murders take place across the country, all white supremacists (or descendants of) and all with the body of a lynching victim beside them. This short satirical novel had me wincing and laughing, often on the same page. I can see why this was on The Booker shortlist. It's a brilliant book! 

What Else I Read in October 2022

Overall, an excellent reading month. Only two authors I won't keep reading: Alice Feeney (I read Daisy Darker), because I always figure out what's coming, and Emily Henry, because as cute as Book Lovers was, I'm not a fan of the meet cute romance genre. 

Four mysteries: Marple: Twelve New Mysteries, was very enjoyable. Several of my favorite mystery authors contributed stories, and a few new to me authors to add to my TBR list. Next, The Killing Code, by Ellie Marney. Murders of female code breakers. I really liked this one, and believe it was Marney's first historical mystery. I was disappointed with Back to the Garden by Laurie R. King. I wish she'd bring back the Martintelli series! Finally, some of my favorite characters return in The Bullet That Missed,  by Richard Osman. This retirement village is surrounded by murders, but I'd still love to live there if it meant spending time with The Thursday Murder Club members. Osman writes fully realized characters who just happen to be old.

Only one memoir this month: Taste: My Life in Food, by Stanley Tucci. This was a skim read but still interesting. His cancer treatment sounded brutal, and it's hard to look back on his show about eating through Italy knowing he couldn't taste, or at times even swallow the food he tried on camera. 

Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark was recommended by Deb Coco on her Lonestarwords Instagram page. I liked it, but I can't shake my prejudice against rich people and their problems with inheritance:) 

I'll keep reading Julian Barnes until one of us dies, mainly for the clear memory of Flaubert's Parrot pulling me back into literary fiction that made my brain work harder! Elizabeth Finch wasn't one of my favorites by him, but the elegance of his writing, and the expectation that his readers will be able to follow his intellectual digressions are oddly a comfort read for me.

Three new to me authors whose backlist I will seek out: C.J. Carey, whose Widowland is a alternative WWII history with shades of 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale. This ended on the ultimate cliffhanger and I can't wait for the second book to see what she does with it. 

The Apartment by Teddy Wayne is dark academia adjacent--grad school students of very different socioeconomic backgrounds who share an apartment. I read with expectations of a dead body before the last chapter, but Wayne surprised me. 

Finally, Ain't Nobody Give a Shit About What Happened to Carlotta, by James Hannaham is at the top of my list for the month. Most of the book takes place over the weekend Carlotta is released on parole for a crime she didn't commit. She transitioned in prison, spending a lot of time in solitary while enduring abuse from a guard. Her first person account of trying to meet the parole requirements, establish a relationship with her son, and make her place (and peace) with her family made me feel like she was sitting next to me on a long bus ride pouring her heart out. Hannaham pulled some hope and humor out of this, which is why I'll be reading more from him!

What I'm Reading October 5, 2022

First up was Counterfeit,  by Kirstin Chen, a New York Times recommendation. Two women who were briefly college roommates reconnect. One feels trapped by marriage and motherhood, the other has transformed into a beautiful grifter. The plot twist was interesting and I loved the slow reveal of the two main characters. 

The next was also highly recommended in the Times and on several blogs. The Book of Goose, by Yiyun Li. I kept reading in hopes of catching whatever everyone else raved about, but this was not for me. Just too damned depressing.

Alias Emma, by Ava Glass is the first in a series. Emma is a spy for MI6, and for her first mission has to move a Russian target across London to safety without any backup and with no one to trust. It was a bit predictable but would have been a great airplane book. Good enough that I'll keep an eye out for the second book.

I got lucky and got Lucy by the Sea, by Elizabeth Stroud the day it was released. She reminds me a lot of Anne Tyler: the observations of quiet women, which often strike profoundly. Also, notes of Ellen Gilchrist when she weaves characters from other books into each successive book. Another pandemic novel. I'm trying to think of how many I've read. It seems like most of the characters have been upper/upper middle class like this one (other than the main character in The Fall?) Who's going to write that pandemic novel that tells us about the restaurant workers, or the hotel maids, or others who suddenly had no income?

My favorite book of this bunch was The Colony, by Audrey Magee. An English painter heads to a remote Irish island (redundant, I know) with the hope of becoming the Gauguin of the north. He immediately clashes with a French linguist who is studying Irish speakers. Magee's writing was amazing--a blend of dialogue; stream of consciousness from the artist, from James,the teen aged boy who becomes his assistant and mentee, and Mairead, his mother; and brief news briefs about murders committed by the IRA and the British in Northern Ireland.  The artist and linguist argue over colonization while James dreams of going to art school in London. I didn't expect a happy ending, but I wasn't disappointed in the one she gave. I'm surprised this novel didn't make the Booker short list.

I read a bit of a palate cleanser next: The Family Remains, by Lisa Jewell. A quick suspense novel that was intriguing up until the end. I didn't read the first book, so I don't know how these characters were portrayed there, but one character is so deeply twisted that I felt I needed to know more about him before judging the ending. I've added the first book to my list. We'll see if I remember anything about this one when I finally get to it!

Last up, Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World, by Barry Lopez. I'd forgotten what a brilliant writer he is. These essays weren't my favorites, but just the vocabulary expansion did my brain good! And Rebecca Solnit's introduction reminded me how much I love her writing. (Also, it reminded me that her latest book was one someone took from my library sale pile, so I'm annoyed anew.) 

What I'm Reading September 17, 2022

First up and most anticipated, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin. I don't want to add any spoilers, but one character immediately gave off "too good for this earth" vibes, and... I always feel like I discovered Zevin before anyone else, only because I read her young adult novel Elsewhere when I started working at San Elijo, and it made me realize how much I was going to love choosing books for the library.

Next up was a mystery I waited far too long for. Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead is a locked room mystery, but the writing just felt stilted. I will give the next book in the series a try when it comes out, but Mead will have to grab me in the first 50 pages!
I checked out a copy of A Place in the World, by Frances Mayes when I saw it on the new book table at the Doylestown Free Library. I've felt she's been riding on the success of Tuscan Sun forever, and this did nothing to change my mind. When I look at the quotes I wrote out, they're all quotes from other authors! Quotes and lots of name dropping made this a meh book for me.
I have mixed feelings about Mohsid Hamid's The Last White Man. A novella, with Hamid's signature lengthy and comma-filled sentences didn't flow right for me. The happy ending seemed pasted on, after the anxiety of whether Anders would survive life as a brown man surrounded by fearful white people. Still, I'm thinking about it over a month after I finished it, which is always a mark of a good book to me. It's just Hamid-lite compared to Exit West.
California Soul, by Keith Corbin was a speed read for me. Corbin grew up in Watts and is now a chef/owner of a restaurant in LA, with stints of drug abuse and prison in between (well, his drug use was concurrent with being a chef.) 
Deanna Raybourn switched it up from her historical mysteries with Killers of a Certain Age, about four women who worked as assassins. The Museum, the agency they work for, was established by former CIA/MI6 agents to track down and kill nazis who escaped justice after World War II, but expands to kill others as time and these agents reduce the number of WWII era nazis. The characters are lightly sketched, but the action and dual timelines kept me reading. I hope she'll continue writing about these women and give us more backstory. 
All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days, by Rebecca Donner, told a fascinating story of German and American resistance in the early days of WWII. I love narrative nonfiction, but this suffered a bit from a scarcity of information on Mildred Harnack. Still, Donner clearly connects the dots between the nazi regime and the current GOP, including the smug belief on the part of German conservatives that they could keep Hitler in check; the belief by Hitler that any publicity is good; the burning torches and banning of books, the false news narratives; and the relegation of women to strictly the role of child bearers and carers. 
Next up: ALL the books! So many authors I love have new books out this fall that I've lost track of those I've ordered and I've hit the limit on holds from the library. It will be a cozy book reading fall, with Grammy's chair to relax in.

What I'm Reading August 18, 2022

Finished Jess Walter's The Angel of Rome and Other Stories. He's one of those writers that makes beautiful writing look effortless. 

Next up was Scattered All Over the Earth, by Yoko Tawada. In the near future, Japan is gone, fallen (sunken?) to climate change, along with most of its citizens. Hiruko now lives in Denmark, seeking anyone who speaks her first language, while she communicates in Panska, a pidgin Scandinavian language she created. She gathers a motley crew and travels around Europe. As she weaves stories for immigrant children out of her memories of Japanese fairy tales, she pulls from universal folklore to fill in the blanks of her memories. Really creative, and I look forward to the next two books in the trilogy.

I followed this up with a binge read of Denise Mina's Garnethill trilogy. Set in the underbelly of Glasgow, I found myself rooting for Maureen, even though I usually hate characters that constantly get in their own way. Very satisfying ending for me!

A nonfiction break with 52 Ways to Walk by Annabel Streets. A nice supplement to The Age Well Project, and a few good ideas for future walks (once it cools off!)

A memoir by Raynor Winn, The Salt Path left me wanting to shake the author at times. A couple loses their family farm just as the husband is diagnosed with a terminal disease. Somehow she decides walking the the South West Coast Path in England is the best way to stretch their dole payment. I kept thinking there should have been someone they could have stayed with, but then there would have been no book. An interesting if disquieting cautionary tale.

The Marlow Murder Club, by Robert Thorogood. A variation on Strangers on a Train, set in a Thames-side village. Very little character development and not a series I'll continue.

Another first in a series English mystery, The Body in the Garden, by Katherine Schellman, was a bit better. Schellman left room for her main characters to grow, and the London setting was a plus. 

I downloaded The Christie Affair, by Nina de Gramont on audio for my visits to Jean, thinking I'd finish it in five days of driving. Instead, Jean got Covid, and I listened around the house. Great narrator, and I figured I knew what was coming, so I wasn't too upset when my loan ended while I still had an hour or so left in the book. Because it was a 7 day hold, I got an instant notification that I could borrow it again, so I finished, and I'm glad it did, because de Gramont added a great plot twist that tied some things up most satisfactorily! 

The Doylestown Library purchased two gardening books I'd requested based on reviews in The New York Times: You Grow, Gurl, by Christoper Griffin and Becoming a Gardener, by Catie Marron. The former was an introduction to houseplants, covering what and where to buy plants, how to place them in your home, and how to pot and care for them. The author is a self-described Plant Kween, and the book is a chatty version of his Instagram, and was a quick and fun read. I'd love to see Griffin and Marron have cocktails together! Marron worked in finance, as an editor at Vogue, and is the widow of a very, very rich man. Her book is gorgeous, sprinkled with watercolor illustrations, paintings (some from their art collection) and photography of her garden. It reads more like a long essay, and reminded me of Dominque Browning, who oddly doesn't get mentioned in the extensive bibliography (and I just went down a Google rabbit hole to be reminded that it was Browning who wrote the reviews of these gardening books!) 

And this morning, I finished Nuclear Family, by Joseph Han, about a Korean family living in Honolulu. I was so close to DNFing this in the middle and am very glad I didn't. The family runs a few Korean lunch plate restaurants, with sporadic help from their two children. Jacob, who knows his family won't accept him being gay, travels to Seoul to teach English. His grandfather, who wanders Seoul as a ghost, trying to return to the north to reunite with his first family, finds Jacob and possesses him. Jacob then attempts to cross the DMZ, failing and bringing massive negative attention to his family in Hawaii. His sister is self medicating her depression with pot, and is never without a bong, a vape pen, or edibles. It was unremittingly bleak, but Han pulls out a hopeful ending. Another reminder that telling a hyper-specific story well always tells the universal story, too: Always connect.

What I'm Reading July 25 ,2022

I had a spate of holds arrive at once, and they got better as I read:) First up, and least favorite, was The Men, by Sandra Newman. The premise of a planet without men was intriguing, but the plot was non-existent. Characters appeared to be integral to the story, then disappeared. I sped through the last hundred pages just to see if she could pull something out of it, but unfortunately no.

Next was The Premonitions Bureau, by Sam Knight. This would have been a great long form piece in The New Yorker or The Atlantic. There just wasn't enough material for the book, so he padded it with some tangents that I felt weakened the book.

I always look forward to a book by Ruth Ware, and The It Girl  didn't disappoint. It also didn't wow me like The Death of Mrs. Westaway did. I knew who the murderer was at least halfway through the book:/ But Ware does suspense so well, I was still quite anxious reading the last fifty or so pages. 

I put The Kingdom of Sand  by Andrew Holleran on hold based on one sentence quoted in the review in The New York Times:

"Using a two-lane highway presumes that everyone coming toward you wants to live as much as you do..."

A book that epitomizes what fiction does, because reading it gave me insight I could never have into the lives of older single gay men living semi-closeted in central Florida. Another beautiful quote:

"...when people express tenderness and kindness to someone it's often because of someone else. Love and kindness have a lineage their recipients know nothing about."

I've been waiting for Isaac Fitzgerald's memoir, Dirtbag, Massachusetts since I stumbled upon his newsletter. Finally one that lived up to the hype! A few of my favorite lines:

"Even before I learned how to read I learned to respect books as a second religion."

And,

"My mother gave me my first Saint Jude medal [patron saint of impossible causes] when I was twelve, which could have felt like calling it a little early."

Finally, I read a few essays from Rogues,  by Patrick Radden Keefe. The one about Anthony Bourdain was so bittersweet.

Right now I'm reading Jess Walter's short story collection, The Angel of Rome,  and am loving it.

What I'm Reading July 14, 2022

A few that got hyped so much my expectations were too high and a few solid picks from The New York Times  book review.

First up, Ordinary Monsters  by J.M. Miro. Vibes of Harry Potter and The Mysterious Benedict Society, only more gory. Started out great, dragged on way too long (which is why I thought of J.K. Rowling!) I believe it's the first in a series, but I won't read the rest.

Sorrow and Bliss, by Meg Mason. A surprise, as I thought it was more of a beach read from the cover. Generational mental illness that no one talks about destroys a marriage. I'm a sucker for smart conversations between sisters. Well-written, and I'll enjoy reading her backlist titles. 

A mystery set in LA in the early 60s, One Shot Harry,  by Gary Phillips took me a while to get into. The heavy expository dialogue didn't do it for me, but I get why he included it--the 60s are ancient history for some readers! Great characters, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Girls They Write Songs About, by Carlene Bauer was another victim of hype. My expectations were too high, and I doubt I'm the audience for this book. But I did enjoy the brief glimpses of New York.

The Shore, by Katie Runde. Seaside Heights summer, with a family roiled by the father's imminent death from a glioblastoma. Beautifully written, especially the teen daughters. 

Search,  by Michelle Huneven. One year and a few months of a search for a new minister at a Universalist Unitarian church. Phew, these characters were so unlikeable. I also found the dialogue of the younger people so stilted that none of it felt believeable. Disappointing.

Hurricane Girl,  by Marcy Dermansky. Now this one was surprising in a good way! A young woman leaves LA and buys a beach house in North Carolina, only to lose it to a hurricane 10 days later. A brilliant first person narrative of a woman suffering from a brain injury; I felt her struggling to make sense of the world. I read it in one night, and am still thinking about it.

The Recruit,  by Alan Drew. I read Shadow Man,  the first book in this series, a few weeks ago, after reading a review of The Recruit in the Times. It was good enough for me to read the second, which is much better! They're set in a fictional Rancho Santa Elena (which sounds like Rancho Santa Margarita) and the second book deals with white supremacy groups there. It was definitely a page turner, and I'm sorry I'll have to wait at least a year for the next one.

Finally, I read--in print!--The Empathy Diaries, by Sherry Turkle. The first part about her early life and education had me underlining and researching, but when she got to MIT, I felt the book flatten. Or rather, it turned into a book about Seymour Papert, and not her!