October 2024

So I went to the library to pick up my holds and do a bit of browsing. I found this in the fiction shelves and it looked interesting so I put  it in my stack. I checked out a number of books, loaded them in my tote bag and headed home with a deli stop on the way. When I got home there was a message from the library. It seems I had left this book on the counter. Did I want them to hold it for me or should the check it in and reshelve it? I told them to reshelve it.

Next time I was in the library I remembered to check it out again and remembered to actually take it home. Which is a good sign as it turned out to be about a woman in the early stages of dementia who is having memory problems. So now I wonder if the librarians knew the subject matter and wondered about the memory status of their elderly patron (me). 

I enjoyed the book and also many others in this month's list.  Found a new (to me) author, Katie Kitamura, whose writing I very much liked. Happily the library has more by her. I also enjoyed some mildly creepy stuff because - October.

October is also my birthday month and of course my daughters gave me books! Forged In Fire: Stories of Wartime Japan by Montibon, Rita Tomoko and Amanat: Women’s Writing from Kazakhstan by Batayeva, Zaure. I also purchased a few hard to find ones for myself. Plus I won some ARCs so my TBR list is, well, just where it should be. Long.

And I'm liking my carry-over-to next month read: Richard Powers' Playland.

Fiction:

Suite Française by Némirovsky, Irène; translated from the French by Smith, Sandra

Life in German occupied France in WW2. Excellent. 

The Mighty Red by Erdrich, Louise 

Super good novel set in Red River Valley sugar beet farming area of North Dakota.

Intimacies by Kitamura, Katie 

An interpretor for the International Court of Justice is searching for a meaningful life.

A Separation by Kitamura, Katie 

A woman goes to Greece to confront her etsranged husband but he has disappeared.

Polostan (Bomb Light, #1) by Stephenson, Neal

Haven't read any Stephenson since Snow Crash (1992)  and decided to give this a try.  It's good enough to look forward the numbers 2 & 3.  Maybe I should go back and fill in my Stephenson gaps.

Takaoka's Travels by Shibusawa, Tatsuhiko; translated from the Japanese by Boyd, David 

Strange creatures, strange adventures in the Ninth Century as a prince/monk and his three companions (two monks and a girl disguised as a boy) travel Southeast Asia. I got bored. 

The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Huynh, Carolyn

A sprawling, squabling family of Vietnamese women in Orange County's Little Saigon come to terms with a each other and their family's curse and the fun romp.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Loigman, Lynda Cohen

An eighty year old retires to Boca Raton only to find the man who deserted her sixty years ago is living in the same retirement community. Silly, sentimental fun as they renew their friendship.

The Mistletoe Mystery (Molly the Maid, #2.5) by Prose, Nita 

Not a who done it, but a sweet Christmas story.

The Night We Lost Him by Dave, Laura 

Meh.

Last House by Shattuck, Jessica 

A "family saga" reaching from 1953 to 2026 told in 325 pages. A "end of the world" retreat house in Vermont is supposedly refuge from the cares of mankind. We get a lot about the restoration of the Shah of Iran, a lot about the protests of the sixties, and absolutely nothing about 2001. And where was this family in 2020?

One Puzzling Afternoon by Critchley, Emily 

Aging woman tries to solve the long ago disappearance of a schoolmate.

The Hitchcock Hotel by Wrobel, Stephanie

A creepy hotel...

The Haunting of Velkwood by Kiste, Gwendolyn

A creepy suburban street...

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow 

A creepy house in a rural town...

The Hundred Waters by Acampora, Lauren 

An arty, but creepy, triangle.

A Sunny Place for Shady People by Enríquez, Mariana; translated from the Spanish by McDowell, Megan

A disappointing collection. Tried so hard to be macabre that the stories were lost.

Contents: My sad dead -- A sunny place for shady people -- Face of disgrace -- Julie -- Night birds -- Metamorphosis -- Hyena hymns --   Different colors made of tears -- The suffering woman -- The refrigerator cemetery -- A local artist -- Black eyes.

Your Utopia by Chung, Bora; translated from the Korean by Hur, Anton 

Enjoyable SciFi short stories involving robots and programmed machines--one is from the POV of a car, another is narrated by an elevator....

Contents: The Center for Immortality Research -- The end of the voyage -- A very ordinary marriage -- Maria, gratia plena -- Your utopia -- A song for sleep -- Seed -- To meet her -- Author's note: the act of mourning. 

There is a Rio Grande in heaven : stories by Reyes, Ruben, Jr.

Hit and miss collection. I didn't care for it.

Contents: An alternate history of El Salvador or perhaps the world -- He eats his own -- Try again -- An alternate history of El Salvador or perhaps the world -- The myth of the self-made man -- Quier Perrear! and other catastrophes -- An alternate history of El Salvador or perhaps the world -- My abuela, the puppet -- The Salvadoran slice of Mars -- An alternate history of El Salvador or perhaps the world -- Variations on your migrant life -- An alternate history of El Salvador or perhaps the world. 

Mixed genre Anthology:

Relations: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices edited by Brew-Hammond, Nana Ekua

Includes essays, poetry, and short stories. I read most of it but skipped a few stories and essays.

Contents: Introduction -- Nanyuman / by Ayesha Harruna Attah -- So long and Fuji-san / by Mogolodi Bond -- Body is more than a landfill and less than all that I am / by Sarah Uheida -- To the woman who accused me of breastfeeding the madman's child and by any other name / by Phillippa Yaa de Villiers -- Ezouga and post mortem / by Bahia Mahmud H. Awah -- Daughter of a bedouin chief / by Miral al-Tahawy --   God's plan / by Boakyewaa Glover -- Her sweetie, her sugarcane / by Natasha Omokhodion-Kalulu Banda -- Krifé / by Chiké Frankie Edozien -- Queens and sleeping beauty (of Borehamwood) and waterstones and ode to a discarded face mask and denouement/ by Dami Ajayi -- Finding Descartes / by Reem Gaafar -- Fulbright / by Rémy Ngamije -- Dirty money / by Kim Coleman Foote-- Kilmonger doctrine of color and humanity / by Joe Robert Cole-- Churai / by Fatima Camara -- [Coolitude: ce balisier-mirador] / by Khal Torabully -- This tangible thing / by Yejide Kilanko -- In a yellow dress with red flowers / by Lillian Akampurira Aujo -- A honey-headed child / by Nana Nyarko Boateng -- Napoleao / by Conceiçāo Lima -- Atat / by Arao Ameny -- Sontem and Ne na'a mpurí haalo and en la puerta primavera / by Recaredo Silebo Boturu -- Lagos wives club / by Vanessa Walters -- I am lost! / by Richard Ali a Muti K -- Poor men have too much ego / by Edwige-Renée Dro -- Sundays in Nairobi / by Jacquelynn Kerubo -- Mbuya Baines / by Makananka Mavengere -- Swagger stick man of June fifteen / by Chuma Nwokolo -- Heart of the father / by Enuma Okoro -- Trophy / by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond -- Célebrons la culture / by Salma Khalil -- Word maker. / by Ayi Renaud Dossavi-Alipoeh.

Nonfiction:

Other Rivers: A Chinese Education by Hessler, Peter 

Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting by Hood, Ann 

Essays on the joys (and pitfalls) of learning to knit, knitting, and teaching knitting.

Contents: Knitting pattern: "Banks" fingerless mittens / Helen Bingham -- The pretend knitter / Elizabeth Berg -- The perfect gift / Lan Samantha Chang -- Blood, root, knit, purl / Andre Dubus III -- To knit a knot, or not : a beginner's yarn / John Dufresne -- Home ec / Hope Edelman -- Knitting pattern: "Bingham" cabled head wrap / Helen Bingham -- Soft, warm, and fuzzy / Janice Eidus -- Looped yarn / Martha Frankel -- Teaching a child to knit / Sue Grafton -- Knitting in Kathmandu / Jessi Hempel -- Ten things I learned from knitting / Ann Hood -- Knitting pattern: "Bowden" coffee cozies / Helen Bingham -- Judite / Kaylie Jones -- Where to begin / Barbara Kingsolver -- The one-year marriage / Jennifer Lauck -- Knitting a family / Anne D. LeClaire -- Knitting : epic fail / Marianne Leone -- I bought this pattern book last spring / Elinor Lipman -- Knitting pattern: "Ashworth" ruffled slipper socks / Helen Bin(qham -- The supernatural power of knitting / Alison Lurie -- Straw into gold / Joyce Maynard -- Failing better / Bernadette Murphy -- How knitting saved my life. Twice. / Ann Patchett -- The clothes make the dog / Taylor M. Polites -- Knitting pattern: Clovis's perfect-fit sweater / Taylor M. Polites -- High-strung knitter / Elissa Schappell -- Knitted goods : notes from a nervous non-knitter / Elizabeth Searle -- What are you making? / Ann Shayne -- Crafty critters / Suzanne Strempek Shea -- Found objects / Anita Shreve -- Why bother? / Jane Smiley -- Knitting pattern: "Fisher" lacy wrap / Helen Bingham. 

Online:

Early June by by Flora Qian  (in Asia Literary Review, No. 32, Winter 2016)

and I add a journal to my TBE (to be explored).

Brightly, Brightly a short story by Latham, Kathleen (in The Ilanot Review, Parents: Prose Edition, Spring, 2024.)

another journal for the TBE.

Farmland by Conway, Elizabeth (in New Flash Fiction Review, Issue 33, May 15, 2024)

and yet another journal TBE...

September 2024

Love this cover!

A really good reading month.  There were some disappointments but even those weren't total losses as I did finish them, sort of.

I found some good online stuff this month. Oh, dear - the map thing! 

Fiction:

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Shafak, Elif

A tale of two rivers (the Tigris and the Thames) is mostly set in two eras (1800s and 2010s) but it begins in Nineveh with a single raindrop and a stone tablet containing part of the Epic of Gilgamesh. A good read.

The Life Impossible by Haig, Matt

Good but not as good as The Midnight Library.

Mina's Matchbox by Ogawa, Yōko; translated from the Japanese by Snyder, Stephen B.

A year (1972) in the life of a twelve year old Japanese girl who goes to live with relatives while her mother studies. Her cousin, Mina, has a pet pigmy hippo.

The Rhino Keeper by Forsberg, Jillian 

Advance review copy via LibraryThing. So-so.Split timeline with the historical (18th Century) being more rewarding than the modern one.

Burn by Heller, Peter 

Dystopian novel set in Maine in the near future. Two hunters stumble into a civil war.

Scattered All Over the Earth by Tawada, Yōko; translated from the Japanese by Mitsutani, Margaret

Refugees form a sort of troop and wander around Europe looking for something. I enjoyed the trip.

The Fires of Autumn by Némirovsky, Irène; translated from the French by Smith, Sandra

A French family endures. 1918-1941. 

The Most by Anthony, Jessica

A clever game of marriage.

The Love of My Afterlife by Greenwood, Kirsty 

So. Much. Fun. meta-romance

West Heart Kill by McDorman, Dann

More. Such. Fun. meta-murder mystery.

The Golden Spoon by Maxwell, Jessa

Another fun mystery. In this one six contestents and the hostess/crator of a TV baking competition tell about a week of filming gone horribly awry.  Love the cover! 

Tell Me Everything by Strout, Elizabeth 

Lucy, Olive, the Burgess boys, and all the other flawed folks from Crosby, Maine

Yerba Buena by LaCour, Nina

Sara, at 15, runs away from her Northern California home. Emelie lives a troubled life in Long Beach CA. They meet, part, meet again....

The Examiner by Hallett, Janice 

Six students work an a group project whilst persuing an MFA degree but all are not what they say they are. In fact, nothing about their project is what it's billed to be. There is a mysterious radio, someone disappears, and the plot thickens.

The Library of Lost and Found by Patrick, Phaedra 

Lots of family secrets in this one. Also it's never too late to come of age.

Sandwich by Newman, Catherine

What can I say? The family relationships in this struck me as unreal and creepy.

War by Candlelight by Alarcón, Daniel

Disappointing story collection by an author I usually like. Maybe it was the subject matter but I started skimming and skipping.

Contents: Flood; City of clowns; Third avenue suicide; Lima, Peru, July 28, 1979; Absence; Visitor; War by Candlelight;  Science for being alone; Strong dead man.

Nonfiction:

Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers by Smith, Emma 

A fun read.

Dear Black Girls: How to Be True to You by Wilson, A'ja 

The target audience, obviously, is black girls, but this would be a good read for teachers, coaches, counselors, and others working with black girls. I can see it being read and discussed in a mixed race environment. 

The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Tan, Amy

Interesting at first but there was a bit too much. So she fed the birds and felt good about it. BUT. I was bothered by her horror at how outdoor domestic cats impact wild birds but was gleeful about turning her little dog loose to terrorize the squirrels and other creatures she didn't want in her yard. She also a bit judgemental about which are "good" birds and which are "pests." The pictures were nice.

The Seine: The River that Made Paris by Sciolino, Elaine 

Lots of information about the river from it's source to the sea.  

Online:

What Comes Along by Henry Gifford 

"An arachnid in the corner carefully traipses through the crack, under where the baseboard just fails to meet the worn and oaky floor."

Impressions of the South of France by Hugo von Hofmannsthal; translated from the German by Henry N. Gifford

Interiors of Pastry Shops and Bakeries: Design Strategies that Integrate Functions, Users, and Materials by Agustina Iñiguez; translated by Antonia Piñeiro

The Greek-American Guardian of Neoclassical Athens by Tasos Kokkinidis

Google Arts & Culture

Spent almost as much time here as I did at the train thing.

David Rumsey Map Collection

I'm going to have to set aside a day or two (or more) to explore this. It has a search feature for text on the maps!

August 2024

August was off to a mixed start. It started with a fine romp with The Wedding People  which was a holdover from July. Then I picked up a bunch of holds and some were real bummers. This led  to a lot of skimming and skipping and DNFs until, finally, on August 11th I picked up Fire Exit and read it in one sitting. Excellent! Some other good stuff followed. 

The month is ending with me about one third through Elif Shafek's There Are Rivers in the Sky which I am enjoying. 

Fiction:

The Wedding People : a novel by Espach, Alison

Lots of fun and some romance, growing up, etc. during an especially lavish wedding week in Newport, RI.

The World After Alice by Green, Lauren Aliza

Another wedding; This one is in Maine and not quite as lavish as Newport. And it wasn't nearly as much fun. A disfunctional family function. 

Liquid, Fragile, Perishable by Kuebler, Carolyn 

A year in the life of a Vermont village. A very good debut novel.

Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight by Onda, Riku; translated from the Japanese by Watts, Alison

Billed as a thriller but this more of a psychological game between roommates (brother and sister) who deal with a past event while breaking up house to move off in separate directions. Good Read; good cover.

Silken Gazelles by Alharthi, Jokha; translated from the Arabic by Booth, Marilyn

Childhood friendship and loss as two Omani women go their separate ways. A very good read.

The Keeper of Lost Things by Hogan, Ruth 

A bit on the sentimental side but it was a pleasant read with some fun characters. 

Fire Exit by Talty, Morgan 

What is family? How do we self identify? Should family secrets be revealed? In this fine novel set in Maine on and near the Penobscot Indian Island Reservation a man struggles with his own identity and that of his daughter. 

Our Narrow Hiding Places by Jansma, Kristopher

Locale shifts between New Jersey in 2017 and Den Haag during WW2. It deals with the Dutch Famine of 1944-45 and the transgenerational physical and mental effects of starvation.

The Illegal Gardener  (Greek Village/Greek Island #1) by Alexi, Sara 

A British ex-pat buys a house in a mainland Greek village. It's rundown and the garden is a mess. She hires a Punjabi day worker to help her clear things up. They bond (not romantically) and she ends helping him earn enough to return to his homeland. A bit too simplistic: not sure if I want to read more in this series.

The Unmaking of June Farrow: A Novel by Young, Adrienne 

Confusing time travel which I skimmed a bit just to see how it turned out. Set in North Caroline Blue Ridge area.

James by Everett, Percival 

Why do prize winning books so often disappoint me?

Beep by Roorbach, Bill

Beep is a monkey secretly transported from Costa Rica to Manhattan by an eleven year old girl. He has adventures, he leads a rebellion, maybe even saves the world (sort of). Sounds promising but it wasn't very good.

The Thirteenth Husband by Macallister, Greer 

So many facts were changed to fit the narrative that this biofic of Amy Crocker was a whole lot more fic than bio. Ugh!

Catalina by Villavicencio, Karla Cornejo

Coming of age DACA, Harvard. Meh 

Nonfiction: 

Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood’s Hidden Genius by Courogen, Carrie  

More pop analysis (both psycho and social) than I wanted to read.

Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell by Montgomery, Sy; illustrated by Patterson, Matt

The parts about turtle rescue, rehab and release were very interesting and engaging. The attempts to tie it all to "mending the world" were a bit of a stretch. 

Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation by Miles, Tiya 

This seems like an attempt to get more milage out of an acedemic thesis by publishing it as a book. Not worth the time it took to read it.

River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Hessler, Peter 

Whew! After three disappointing nonfiction reads I finally read one I enjoyed. The two years are 1996-97 and the place is a teacher's college in Fuling in Sichuan province. 

The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by McCammon, Sarah 

Another winner in the nonfiction categpry.

July 2024

Some really good covers this month. This one captures the spirit of the book.

Lots of sisters this month (the first six novels in the list below) in varying degrees of light and serious reading. I enjoyed all six.

Also this month gave me three books from three different mystery series. I enjoyed them but don't especially want to follow any of these characters but I might pick one when I'm in the right mood.  Flavia could be very annoying, the California/Scotland Last Ditch crew were fun in a small dose, and Sharon McCone is mildy interesting.

Fiction:
Shanghailanders by Min, Juli 

Three sisters, lots of money

Tehrangeles by Khakpour, Porochista 

Four sisters, lots of money, covid-19 defiance, Kardashian wannabes.

One Big Happy Family by Day Jamie

Three (possibly more) sisters, an inheritance, murder, and more.

The Other Side of Disappearing by Clayborn, Kate

Two sisters, not much money, two podcast (true crime) journalists, one missing mother, a road trip. 

 A Good Life by Grimaldi, Virginie; translated from the French by Serle, Hildegarde

Two sisters, not a lot of money, clearing out a beloved grandmother's home, set in Anglet, France

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce, #1) by Bradley, Alan

Two sisters, maybe money, maybe land poor, country house, English village, mystery. 

Hop Scot (A Last Ditch mystery Book 6) by McPherson, Catriona 

Set in Scotland.

Circle in the Water  (Sharon McCone #35) Muller, Marcia 

Set in San Francisco and other Northern California locations.

No Two Persons by Bauermeister, Erica 

A book comes into the lives of nine different persons in these interlinked stories.

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Mishima, Yukio; translated from the Japanese by Nathan, John

Coming of age in Japan. A short book but not an easy read.

Welcome to Glorious Tuga by Segal, Francesca

A woman travels to a remote island in search of her father. A fun read.

The Heart in Winter by Barry, Kevin

Lame Irish western

The Berlin Letters by Reay, Katherine 

I enjoyed this one that spans the time from the night the Wall went up to the time it came down.

Ninetails : nine tales by Mao, Sally Wen

These stories are tied together by the Angel Island Chines immigrant experience and by the spirits of the Asian fox and ghost women legends.

Contents:

The haunting of Angel Island : Arrival. Love doll ; Beasts of the chase

The haunting of Angel Island : parts 2-3. Turtle head epidemic ; The fig queen

The haunting of Angel Island : parts 4-5. A Huxian's guide to seduction revenge immortality ; Thegirl with flies coming out of her eyes

The haunting of Angel Island : parts 6-8. Lotus stench ; The crush

The haunting of Angel Island : departure.

The History of Sound: Stories by Shattuck, Ben

More linked stories, these set in Northern New England.

Contents:  The history of sound -- Edwin Chase of Nantucket -- The silver clip -- Tundra swan -- August in the forest -- The journal of Thomas Thurber -- Radiolab: "Singularities" -- The auk -- The children of New Eden -- Introduction to The Dietzens: searching eternity in the North American wilderness -- Origin stories.

Nonfiction:

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Dench, Judi; O'Hare, Brendan; illustrations by Dench, Judi

A memoir told in a pleasant interview style.

Into the Amazon: The Life of Cândido Rondon, Trailblazing Explorer, Scientist, Statesman, and Conservationist by Rohter, Larry 

Good biography of a man we should have heard of.

Dragon Hoops by Yang, Gene Luen; color by Pien, Lark

A non-athletic (dare we say nerdy) high school teacher learns to love basketball.

Snacks for Dinner: Small Bites, Full Plates, Can't Lose by Volger, Lukas

Why not? But is it a snack if it takes a  lot of planning and prep?

Slow Noodles: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes by Nguon, Chantha

Not snacks. This is refugee fare, comfort food (when available), and hunger.

The Manuscripts Club: The People Behind a Thousand Years of Medieval Manuscripts by de Hamel, Christopher 

Nice to read about these obsessive people but a bit more detail than I needed. Still, it was a pleasant slog. Even though the library let me renew it twice I still had to skim a bit to get it returned in time. 

Contents:  The Monk: Saint Anselm; The Prince: The Duc de Berry; The Bookseller: Vespasiano da Bisticci; The Illuminator: Simon Bening; The Antiquary: Sir Robert Cotton; The Rabbi: David Oppenheim; The Savant: Jean-Joseph Rive; The Librarian: Sir Frederic Madden; The Forger: Constantine Simonides; The Editor: Theodor Mommsen; The Collector: Sir Sydney Cockerell; The Curator: Belle da Costa Greene.

The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi by Upholt, Boyce 

This was slightly better than just ok. I would have liked a good bibliography of the "suggested further reading" type.

Why Italy Fell Out of Love With Cilantro

by Andrew Coletti July 1, 2024

 

Faroe Islands: Inside the undersea network of tunnels

Film by Adrienne Murray & James Brooks; Executive Producer: Camelia Sadeghzadeh

June 2024

June had plenty of hot days in which I didn't do much but read and eat!  Good news for my various TBR lists. Especially since one of my few trips to the library involved just picking up some holds and no browsing, I ended up with some that I actually didn't want to read. 

Books listed here are from the public libraries unless otherwise noted.

For July? I hope I can keep chipping away at the TBRs but there is, perhaps, too much good stuff on my holds list!

Fiction:

A Northern Light in Provence by Birkelund, Elizabeth 

Greenland woman goes to France to translate a poet's work from Provençal to English. Enjoyable read.

Why I Killed My Best Friend by Michalopoulou, Amanda; translated from the Greek by Emmerich, Karen

Good one from my "owned but unread cart."

Everyone Leaves by Guerra, Wendy; translated from the Spanish by Obejas, Achy

Coming of age in Castro's Cuba. From my "unread on Kindle" TBR list.

October Light by Gardner, John 

Elderly Vermont siblings get into a stubborn standoff.  Another good one from my Kindle backlog

One of Us Is Sleeping by Klougart, Josefine; translated from the Danish by Aitken, Martin

Grieving the end of a relationship. Plus mother/daughter issues. From my TBR cart.

Under a Neon Sun by Gale, Kate

Covid-19 in Los Angeles. Gen Z domestic workers who can't afford to stay home. I really liked this ARC (via Librarything). I've read several Covid related novels but this was different because of the "I don't have the choice to quarantine" pov.

You Are Here by Nicholls, David 

Five people set out on England's  Coast to Coast Walk, One of them nearly completes it. 

The Safekeep by Wouden, Yael van der 

This novel is set in The Netherlands in 1961.  A post WW2 novel.  The cover depicts two pears but it's not a cookbook nor a "foodie" book. The cover is appropriate because two pears are eaten and they become symbolic. 

This Strange Eventful History by Messud, Claire 

A family saga (three generations from 1940-2010) about pieds-noirs displaced from Algeria and roaming about the world.

The Turtle House by Churchill, Amanda 

Two points of view:  that of a Japanese war bride from Osaka now in Texas and that of her  grandaughter. The parts about the grandmother in WW2 are interesting. The Texas parts aren't. An ARC (via Goodreads).

Bear by Phillips, Julia

Two sisters struggling to make end meet and care for their dying mother encounter a bear, Set on San Juan Island, Washington. These women are supposed to be in their late twenties but seem more like teenagers. Not good.

Regarding Anna by Osmund, Florence

Young woman becomes a private investigator in order to learn the skills to find her birth mother. A very complicated plot with lots of twists and interesting characters. From my Kindle backlog.

Fresh Water for Flowers by Perrin, Valérie; translated from the French by Serle, Hildegarde

Another complicated plot. This takes place in France. Lots of back and forth in time and pov and this one also has lots of twists and odd characters.  An enjoyable read.

The Flower Sisters by Anderson, Michelle Collins

Family secrets and town secrets are revealed when teen is dumped (by her mother) on her grandmother in a small Missouri town. An OK read.

The good, the Bad, and the Aunties (Aunties, #3) by Sutanto, Jesse Q.

I enjoued this frolic but not enough to read more in the series.

The Werewolf at Dusk: And Other Stories illustrated by Small, David

Three dark stories in graphic novel format.

Contents: Introduction: The beast within -- The werewolf at dusk by Michel, Lincoln -- A walk in the old city by Small, David -- The tiger in vogue by Jean Ferry, Jean.

St. Petersburg Noir edited by Goumen, Julia and Smirnova, Natalia; various contributors and translators

Not my favorite of the series but ther were a few good stories in this. From ny Kindle backlog.

Contents: Introduction -- Part I: Gangsters, Soldiers & Patriots "Training Day" by Andrei Kivinov (Kupchino) -- "The Sixth of June" by Sergei Nosov (Moskovsky Prospect) -- Wake Up, You’re a Dead Man Now by Vadim Levental (New Holland) -- “The Witching Hour” by Alexander Kudriavtsev (Dostoevsky Museum)

Part II: A Watery Grave “Peau de Chagrin” by Natalia Kurchatova & Ksenia Venglinskaya (Rybatskoye) -- “Drunk Harbor” by Lena Eltang (Drunk Harbor) -- “Barely a Drop” by Andrei Rubanov (Liteyny Avenue) -- “Swift Current” by Anna Solovey (Kolomna) -- “The Phantom of the Opera Forever” by Julia Belomllinsky (Arts Square)

Part III: Chasing Ghosts “The Nutcracker” by Anton Chizh (Haymarket Square) -- “Paranoia” by Mikhail Lialin (Lake Dolgoe) -- “The Hairy Sutra” by Pavel Krusanov (Moika Embankment, 48) -- “A Cabinet of Curiosities” by Eugene Kogan (Kunstkamera) -- “Hotel Angleterre” by Vladimir Berezin (Hotel Angleterre).

 

Verse:

The Jumblies, and Other Nonsense Verses by Lear, Edward; Illustrations by Brooke,  L. Leslie

I had a reading prompt to read "something frivolous" so if frivolous=silly, this fits the bill. From Project Gutenberg

Nonfiction:

Have You Eaten Yet: Stories from Chinese Restaurants Around the World by Kwan, Cheuk 

An interesting tour. This was a birthday gift and that meant I could savor it in small bites. Nice.

Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees by Nezhukumatathil, Aimee 

Essays on food (mostly fruit) and personal memories of food.  One reviewer wanted more personal stuff butI at first I wanted less. But then it kind of grew on me and I ended up learning from it. 

The Mystery Guest by Bouillier, Grégoire; translated from the French by Stein, Lorin

Delightful! and I learned a lot too. One of my favorite reads this month.

1974: A Personal History by Prose, Francine

Gives a partial answer to "Whatever happened to Tony Russo?" As for Francine? Well, she is very good at looking back to a time when she was very young. 

The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise by Laing, Olivia

A delightful account of the restoration of an English garden. This was an ARC (via Goodreads) and I'm glad because I can keep it.

Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley by Underwood, Brent

Disappointing.

The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies by Britt, Ryan

This was fun to read. It's been many years since I read the first three Dune books and I haven't seen any of the various film or TV adaptations but that didn't affect my enjoyment or interest in this book.

Secrets of the Sun: A Memoir by Yoshikawa, Mako 

Apparently I liked this well enough to give it three Goodreads stars. However, after three weeks, I can barely remember it even when I reread the blurb.

How to Kill an Earworm: And 500+ Other Psychology Facts You Need to Know by Smit, Jana Louise 

Mostly "facts" I already knew.