January 2015 Reads (week two)

In addition to the four I finished this past week, I've started several others several others: Sweetland by Michael Crummey; Suspended Sentences: Three Novellas by Patrick Modiano (finished two of the three so far); The Museum of Abandoned Secrets by Oksana Zabuzhko  (about half way through); and Tales from a Mountain Cave: Stories from Japan's Northeast by Hisashi Inoue (read one so far).

Here is what I finished:
Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi
Library book. Graphic novel.
No, despite the yummy sounding title, this is not a Foodie book. The title dish is served, but the story is about a dejected tar (Iranian lute) player who has lost his favorite instrument. It is based on the death of Nasser Ali Khan, who was the author's great-uncle. A tragic story told with warmth and humor. I'd like to see the film. The book was made into a 2011 French-German drama film (Poulet aux prunes) directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud.

Manazuru by Hiromi Kawakami, Michael Emmerich (Translator)
Library book.
Reading for January In Japan. (discussion on January 15). Not sure what to say, it's rather confusing. Need to review some parts, I lost the thread a bit. It's like dreams within a dream. My review.




 
Black Diamonds: The Downfall of an Aristocratic Dynasty and the Fifty Years That Changed England by Catherine Bailey 
Library book.
I enjoyed this in spite of its rambling focus. It is part a family chronicle, part history, and part gossip. At times it reads like a soap opera, other times like a dry history book, and still other times like a pretty good novel.






 A Palace in the Old Village by Tahar Ben Jelloun, Translated from the French by Linda Coverdale
Library book. My brief review on my French Lit page.