March 2024

Some good stuff this month and some disappointments.

Fiction:

Float Up, Sing Down by Hunt, Laird

Nice collection of linked short stories set in small town Indiana. Fun to meet up again with some characters from Hunt's earlier books.

Extinction of Irena Rey by Croft, Jennifer 

Eight translators go to a retreat at their author's home by a forest on the border of Poland and Belarus. The author disappears and confusion reigns. Really good.

Strega by Holm, Johanne Lykke; tramslated from the Swedish by Vogel, Saskia

Atmospheric and boring tale about a maid in a hotel with no guests. Not very good.

In Case We're Separated : Connected Stories by Mattison, Alice

Stroies of a Jewish family in America. Good

The Underground Library by Ryan, Jennifer 

Good. but not as good as Ryan's earlier books. Things wrapped up a little too neatly.

The Newton Letter by Banville, John 

Meh

River Mumma by Reid-Benta, Zalika

Jamacians in Toronto. Very good

How to Find Your Way in the Dark by Miller, Derek B. 

Jewish boy set on avenging his father's death comes of age.  Set mostly in Hartford, CT and the Catskills.  Very good

The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West by Ackerman, Sara

A female pilot in a 1927 air race from Oakland California to Hawaii. Not bad

A Fire So Wild by Grossman, Sarah Ruiz

Wild fire in the Berkeley Hills. A fine debut novel.

Piglet by Hazell, Lottie

A mess of a wedding, the groom to be has a terrible secret, and the bride likes to cook and eat.  Another good debut novel.

Green Dot by Gray, Madeline

Millennial has affair with older, married man. Coming of age in Sidney. Another well written first novel.

She Started It by Gilbert, Sian

Four stupid twenty something women accept an invitation to a hen party on a remote island. Their hostess ia someone they bullied ten years ago in school. Dumb, dumber, dumbest.

Nonfiction (all good):

Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine by Blackstock, Uché

Whiskey Tender: a memoir by Taffa, Deborah Jackson

2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed by Klinenberg, Eric 

Singled Out: How Two Million Women Survived Without Men After the First World War by Nicholson, Virginia 

Patient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets by Dittrich, Luke 

Online:

The Manor by Cox, Tom

The writer explores the abandoned house of a book collector.

February 2024

Lots of bodies in my February fiction reading--I lost count. 

Everything this month was from public libraries.  No Gutenberg, no online reading to speak of, and I didn't get to the two ARC on my nightstand. Maybe next month....

Fiction:

The Storm We Made by Chan, Vanessa

Life of a family in Japanese occupied Malaysia. A decent read.

The The Excitements by Wray, C.J. 

A fun romp to Paris with two ninety year old sisters and their nephew.

Dead in Long Beach, California by Blackburn, Venita 

A woman finds her brother dead by suicide in his apartment and she does some strange things.

The Framed Women of Ardemore House by Schillace, Brandy

An enjoyable village mystery. I think it's going to be a series. If so, I will read the next one.

Who to Believe by Hill, Edwin

Several murders, several suspects, several narrators....  Once I got into it I liked it.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Hallett, Janice 

Murders, more murders, and a very convuluted conspiracy. Also, a very good read

The Adversary by Crummey, Michael

I didn't like it as much as others by Crummey, but it is very good.

Interesting Facts about Space by Austin, Emily

The blurb calls this "...fast-paced, hilarious, and ultimately hopeful...." Uh, the first and last might be true--it was nicely paced and ended on an optimistic note. However, "hilarious" just doesn't fit. This is not laugh-a-minute funny. There are some amusing monents and it's not too dark and dreary but there is a lot of unhappiness.

The Swallows of Kabul by Khadra, Yasmina ; translated from the French by Cullen, John

Good but a difficult read.

The Ghosts of Rose Hill by Romero, R.M.

Y.A.  A nice coming of age story. With ghosts.

The Phoenix Crown by Quinn, Kate and Chang, Janie

An earthquake (1906), a couple of murders, a grand ball, an abduction, a rescue, and more.... How did they manage to make it all so boring?

Fourteen Days edited by Atwood, Margaret

A collaborative novel where the tennants of a rundown NYC apartment bulding gather on the roof each evening for fourteen days of the early Covid lockdown. Each has a story to tell. I enjoyed it.

Contributors: Charlie Jane Anders, Margaret Atwood, Joseph Cassara, Jennine Capó Crucet, Angie Cruz, Pat Cummings, Sylvia Day, Emma Donoghue, Dave Eggers, Diana Gabaldon, Tess Gerritsen, John Grisham, Maria Hinojosa, Mira Jacob, Erica Jong, CJ Lyons, Celeste Ng, Tommy Orange, Mary Pope Osborne, Douglas Preston, Alice Randall, Ishmael Reed, Roxana Robinson, Nelly Rosario, James Shapiro, Hampton Sides, R.L. Stine, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Monique Truong, Scott Turow, Luis Alberto Urrea, Rachel Vail, Weike Wang, Caroline Randall Williams, De’Shawn Charles Winslow, and Meg Wolitzer.

Nonfiction:

Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks by Wilkinson, Crystal

I really enjoyed this memoir. 

Hollywood: The Oral History by Basinger, Jeanine and Wassan, Sam

Many, many clips from a series of interviews with representatives of all facets of production (producers, executives, directors, actors, set and costume designers, cinematographers, editors, etc.) for the American Film Institute. Nicely arranged in a thematic/chronological order. Interesting but they soft pedal a lot of stuff and I think they (the interviewees) make it look better than it was.

Inside Qatar: Hidden Stories from One of the Richest Nations on Earth by McManus, John 

The writing annoyed me, I'm not sure why, but the book is informative.

Islands of Abandonment by Flyn, Cal 

Lots of lovely descriptions, lots of viewing with alarm, lots of sad stories, and a bit of optimism. An ok read.

 

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Kolker, Robert

I don't know what to say about this other than it was confusing to have the experience of one family mixed in with a summary of research into the causes of schizophrenia. 

January 2024

Lots of good stuff this month plus a couple of not-so-good ones.  Fun with The Raven .

Gustave Doré (Illustrator)

Fiction:

The Fury by Michaelides, Alex

Twists and turns among seven people on a Greek island. A most inreliable narrator. A great read.

Vengeance Is Mine by NDiaye, Marie; translated from the French by Stump, Jordan 

Vague, meandering...just what's really going on here?

The Ascent by Hertmans, Stefan; translated from the Dutch by McKay, David

Based on a true storyof a Flemish Nazie collaborator and his family.

The Wide World: A Novel by Lemaitre, Pierre; translated from the French by Wynne, Frank

I liked this Fremch family saga set in post-war Paris, Beirut, and Saigon.

The Book of Fire by Lefteri, Christy 

Aftermath of a wild fire in Greece; it's effect on a marriage and family. A good read.

California Bear by Swierczynski, Duane

Assorted characters (The Killer, The Bear, The Girl Detective, a geneologist, an excop, and more...) unite (more or Less) to solve a couple of cold cases. There are many mishaps due to alchol and/or incompetance and some successes due to accident and/or solid reasoning. A fun read.

Call and Response: Stories by Moeng, Gothataone 

A nice debut collection of stories about women and families in Botswana.

Contents: Botalaote -- A good girl -- Small wonders -- Bodies -- Homing -- When Mrs. Kennekae dreamt of snakes -- Early life and education -- The first virginity of Gigi Kaisara.

Holiday Country by Atrek, İnci 

A Turkish/American young woman  spend each summer on the Aegean coast of  Türkiye with her Turkish mother and grandmother. But now she is nineteen, a college student in California, and she knows this may be the last year she can have a long vacation. A nice coming of age story with family secrets being reavealed. 

Half a Cup of Sand and Sky by Bjursten, Nadine

Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the country's politics afterward. Protaganist is a young university student in 1977, she marries a somewhat older man they have two children. while struggling to come to terms with the new regime.  A lot about  nuclear arms and disarmament so that part was new to me.

A review copy from publisher via LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

Horse by Brooks, Geraldine

Not a good book. All that complicated stuff about horse skeletons and horse paintings and the simplistic treatment of racism in the USA just didn't fit together. 

The Wildest Sun by Lemmie, Asha 

Seventeen year old French girl runs off to New York to try to connect with Hemingway because she thinks he's her father. An easy book to set aside. Also easy to skim. Language that didn't fit the times. Meh.

Nonfiction:

Unique Eats and Eateries of Connecticut by Urban, Mike 

Over 80 restaurants are covered and, judging from his descriptions of the ten I've eaten in, this is an excellent selection. 

Cinematic Places (Inspired Traveller's Guides, 7) by Baxter, Sarah; illustrated by Grimes, Amy

Short essays with synopses of movie and suggestions on how to visit the selected locales. Fun to read whether you've seen the movie and/or visited the place. Nice, moody illustrations. 

A White House Diary by Johnson, Lady Bird 

I admit to not reading all 858 pages. I jumped around and read the parts that most interested me or that I didn't know much about. Lady Bird is thorough making this a great historical resource.

Following Caesar: From Rome to Constantinople, the Pathways That Planted the Seeds of Empire by Keahey, John

So,so travelogue. Not sorry I read it but....it's kinda shallow.

Gutenberg:

William Ladd Taylor (Illustrator)

Not that I haven't read this poem before (aloud, in class, in the seventh and/or eight grade). This time I was "reading" for the illustrations (and, incidently, the introductory essays).

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe (Author), Gustave Doré (Illustrator), With Comment BY Edmund C. Stedman (Published by Harper Bros. 1884)

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, illustrator William Ladd Taylor (Published by Dutton, 1884)

The Raven, and The Philosophy of Composition by Edgar Allan Poe, illustrated by Will Jenkins, Galen J. Perrett. (Quarto Photogravure Edition, published by Paul Elder, 1907)

Will Jenkins (Illustrator)

Le Corbeau = The Raven by Poe, Edgar Allan; in English and with a French translation by Mallarmé, Stéphane; illustrated by Manet, Édouard. (Published by Richard Lesclide, Paris, 1875)

Édouard Manet (Illustrator)

Other Online Reading:

Cookie Jar by By Stephen King: Illustrations by Pat Perry

Also, the Cat by Rachel Swirsky; illustrated by Rovina Cai

River Runner by Sam Learner

I played with this for a while. You drop a raindrop anywhere in the world and this tracks it to the sea, Or not. One of my raindrops ended up in Tulare Lake.

The Appian Way: From Its Foundation to the Middle Ages edited by Ivana della Portella, photography by Franco Mammana; Authors: Ivana Della Portella, Giuseppina Pisani Sartorio, and Francesca Ventre.

Translator: Stephen Sartarelli

Much more detailed and, to me, far more satisfactory, the the Keahey book (listed above under nonfiction).

December 2023

My favorite cover from my fiction reads
(Also one of my favorite reads.)

Fiction:

The Love Parade by Pitol, Sergio; translated from the Spanish by Henson, G.B.

In 1973 an historian tries to investigate a murder that took place in 1942 in the building he lived in as a child. This is more about the factions in Mexico in 1942 than it is about the murder.

All the Little Bird-Hearts by Lloyd-Barlow, Viktoria 

Autistic single mother of teenage daughter.

America Fantastica by O'Brien, Tim 

Really enjoyed this.

Small World by Zigman, Laura 

To sisters, both in their fifties and both recently divorced, become roommates after about thirty years apart. 

Flight by Strong, Lynn Steger

Adult siblings and their families spend their first Christmas together after the death of their mother.

The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid, #2) by Prose, Nita

Enjoyed it but maybe not as much as I enjoyed the first one.

A Nearby Country Called Love by Abdoh, Salar 

An Iranian man returns to Tehran after several years in NewYork City.

A Grandmother Begins the Story: A Novel by Porter, Michelle

Told from the POV of five generations of Métis women (and some bison, and the prairie grasses too) this is a jumble of inter woven narratives. Sort of like looking at the back of an embroidery and trying to figure out a pattern. 

Edith Holler by Carey, Ed

If young Edith leaves the premises of the theater she and her father live in she will die and the building will collapse. Suspend your disbelief and meet ghosts, monsters, beetles, spiders, evil stepmother, loving (and not-so-loving) aunties, and more. 

The Body by the Sea (Commissaire Dupin, #8) by Bannalec, Jean-Luc; tramslated from the French by McDonagh, Sorcha

A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself by Howe, Kathrine

A bit disappointing as the blurb mentioned nothing about the student who was acrucial part of the story.

Straw Dogs of the Universe: A Novel by Chun, Ye 

Chinese in California building railroad, working in brothels, as servants, opium dens, etc. It was ok, good writing but by three quarters through I just wanted it to be over.

Good Taste by Scott, Caroline

Problems of a single woman in 1930s England. She's trying to write a history of British food but men (her father, her longtome best friend, and a rogue she meets whilst doing research) get in the way. It'ss an ok read but could use a little tightening up.

Nonfiction:

Thieves of Book Row: New York's Most Notorious Rare Book Ring and the Man Who Stopped It by McDade, Travis

A good read but perhaps that subtitle should read "...and the men Who Stopped...."  It took a team.

A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance by Abdurraqib, Hanif 

Not sure what happened here. I was really enjoying this and then I wasn't. It seemed like I was reading the same thing over and over. I gave up. 2/3 read.

Miss Florence and the Artists of Old Lyme by Heming, Arthur; illustrated by Stevenson, James

A  reminiscence written in 1937 (shortly after Florence Griswold's death) about events that happend in 1910, but not published until 1971

Einstein in Time and Space: A Life in 99 Particles by Graydon, Samuel 

Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties: The Collapse of the Studio System, the Thrill of Cinerama, and the Invasion of the Ultimate Body Snatcher--Television by Hirsch, Foster 

The Secret Life of John le Carré  by Sisman, Adam

Chasing Bright Medusas: A Life of Willa Cather by Taylor, Benjamin 

The Once Upon a Time World: The Dark and Sparkling Story of the French Riviera by Miles, Jonathan 

Sovietistan: Travels in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan by Fatland, Erika; translated from the Norwegian by Dickson, Kari

Empire of Ice and Stone by Levy, Buddy

This was OK. I skipped around a bit as I was already somewhat familiar tith the material

A favorite cover from my nonfiction reads.
(But not my favorite read.)

November 2023

It wasn't my goal to read a bunch short stories this month. It's just how my holds requests came in.

The Kate Atkinson and the Steven Millhauser collections were the best (and they also had the most interesting covers).

Everything, except the online pieces, is from the public library.

Short Stories: 

Normal Rules Don't Apply: Stories by Atkinson, Kate

These stories of life in an Alternate UK are somewhat connected but not exactly linked. They definitely should be read in order. Excellent!

Contents: The void -- Dogs in jeopardy -- Blithe spirit -- Spellbound -- The indiscreet charm of the boutgeoisie -- Shine, Pamela! Shine! -- Existential marginalization -- Classic Quest 17 -- Crime and punishment -- Puppies and rainbows -- Gene-sis

Disruptions: Stories by Millhauser, Steven 

Odd how many of these suburban  stories can be both unsettling and comforting at the same time.  How often do I like every story in a collection? Rare indeed. This month there were three collections that made it!

An added plus is they are mostly set in and around my adopted state: Connecticut.

Contents: One summer night -- After the beheading -- Guided tour -- Late -- The little people -- Theater of shadows -- The fight -- A haunted house story -- The summer of ladders -- The circle of punishment -- Green -- Thank you for your patience -- A tired town -- Kafka in high school -- A common predicament -- The change -- He takes, she takes -- The column dwellers of our town

Company: Stories by Sanders,Shannon

I liked every one of the linked multigenerational short stories.

Contents: The Good, Good Men -- Bird of Paradise -- The Gatekeepers -- Rule Number One -- RiojaLa -- Belle Hottentote -- Mote --  Dragonflies -- Amicus Curiae -- The Opal Cleft -- Three Guests -- Company -- The Everest Society

Seven Empty Houses by Schweblin, Samanta; translated from the Spanish by McDowell, Megan

Another good short story collection. Liked it, but not as much as the top two collections.

Contents: None of that -- My parents and my children -- It happens all the time in this house -- Breath from the depths -- Two square feet  -- An unlucky man -- Out

The Goodbye Cat: Seven Cat Stories by Arikawa, Hiro; translated from the Japanese by Gabriel, Philip

These were OK but maybe seven cute cat stories are a bit too many (I am not a cat person). Each stands alone but there are some connections so they are best read in order.

Contents: The goodbye cat -- Bringing up baby -- Good father/bad father -- Cat island -- The night visitor -- Finding Hachi -- Life is not always kind

Other Fiction:

Blackouts by Torres, Justin

Amazing!

Beyond the Door of No Return by Diop, David; translated from the French by Taylor, Sam

Disappointing tale of an Eighteenth Century French botanist in Senagal.

The Berry Pickers by Peters, Amanda

A child disappears while her family and other Mi'Kmaq migrant workers pick blueberries in Maine.

The Twilight World by Herzog, Werner; translated from the German by Hofmann, Michael

Japanese WW2 soldier on Phillipine island in 1970s doesn't know the war is over.

Nonfiction:

Hoop Muses: An Insider’s Guide to Pop Culture and the (Women’s) Game by Fagan, Kate; curated by Agustus, Seimone; illustrated by Chang, Sophia

This was a pleasant surpries that someone else picked for me.

Orphan Bachelors: A Memoir:  on being a confession baby, Chinatown daughter, baa-bai sister, caretaker of exotics, literary balloon peddler, and grand historian of a doomed American family by Ng, Fae Myenne 

How the various US immigration laws affected families.

The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn, and the Transformation of Journalism by Nagourney, Adam

I was really liking this until I got tired of the infighting and repitition. Recipe for selecting an executuve editor: Current editor selects and grooms a replacement, publisher eyes a different candidate, they lockheads and select the wrong man, there is some sort of crisis (internal or external), editor steps aside, and they repeat the process making the same mistakes. Somehow a paper gets printed, a web edition suceeds, the nation is (more or less) better informed and the Times goes merrily on.

Windfall: The Prairie Woman Who Lost Her Way and the Great-Granddaughter Who Found Her by Bolstad, Erika

Too many themes here for one book: the one stated in the sub-title; the author's personal struggle with infertility; fracking and its effect on North Dakota; the more general effect of fossil fuel use and climate change; and the American dream of "We could strike it rich."  All that, but the parts i enjoyed most were her descriptions of the land.

Online:

Wayne Thiebaud’s Water City gets refresh at landmark modernist building in Sacramento

By Matt Hickman,  The Architect’s Newspaper 8, 2020  

What eating a big meal does to your body by William Park

Discovering the Island of Saint-Louis: A Journey Through Architectural History and Conservation Challenges