Too many (ten+) DNFs this month. Am I getting too picky? Or am I getting sloppy the early selection process? Maybe, but I did read some really good books this month.
Still finding books with "last" in the title. Two were really good; two were DNFs.
Read in September:
Fiction:
The Sisters by Khemiri, Jonas Hassen
This might end up being the best book I read this year!
Flashlight by Choi, Susan
Good, but not as good as The Sisters.
The Retirement Plan by Hincenbergs, Sue
After reading the above two complex novels, it took me a few chapters to get into this straight narrative style. It was a fun read once I got into it.
The Impossible Thing by Bauer, Belinda
Also really good. Bird's egg thieves in East Yorkshire,
In the Family Way by Becker, Laney Katz
Ah, women's place in the sixties.
Girls Girls Girls by Blanckensee, Shoshana von
Young lesbians from Long Island set out to make a life in San Francisco in 1976. I really liked this one.
Women, Seated by Yueran, Zhang; translated from the Chinese by Tiang, Jeremy
Strange but very readable.
The Midnight Hour by Chase, Eve
I really enjoyed this twisty tale of family secrets.
A Year of Marvellous Ways by Winman, Sarah
Another winner!
The Redemption of Galen Pike by Davies, Carys
No need to highlight any - I liked them all!
Contents: The quiet -- On Commercial Hill -- Jubilee -- The travellers -- Myth -- Bonnet -- First journeyman -- Precious -- The taking of Bunny Clay -- Miracle at Hawk's Bay -- In the cabin in the woods -- The coat -- The redemption of Galen Pike -- Wicked fairy -- Creed -- Nothing like my nightmare -- Sibyl.
Contents: The quiet -- On Commercial Hill -- Jubilee -- The travellers -- Myth -- Bonnet -- First journeyman -- Precious -- The taking of Bunny Clay -- Miracle at Hawk's Bay -- In the cabin in the woods -- The coat -- The redemption of Galen Pike -- Wicked fairy -- Creed -- Nothing like my nightmare -- Sibyl.
At Last by Silver, Marisa
Two women with little in common tolerate each other because they are mothers-in-law together. A good three generation story.
The Last Lifeboat by Gaynor, Hazel
Another
good book I wouldn't have read except for the "last"in the title. This
is a WW2 story about survivors of a shipwreck of a vessel carrying
children evacuees from England to Canada.
I kind of wish these were on the DNF list but I did muddle through them, with regrets:
Vianne (Chocolat, #0) by Harris, Joanne
Disappointing. I finished it but I couldn't really suspend my disbelief and find the tricks magical. It's offensive to good cooks and chefs to suggest that someone could learn how to cook all those recipes in three months.Too much sugar.
Disappointing. I finished it but I couldn't really suspend my disbelief and find the tricks magical. It's offensive to good cooks and chefs to suggest that someone could learn how to cook all those recipes in three months.Too much sugar.
Play Nice by Harrison, Rachel
Billed as horror but it really isn't. Not suspenseful either. Actually it's not much of anything.
Hunchback by Ichikawa, Saou; translated from the Japanese by Barton, Polly
Terrible.
An Oral History of Atlantis: Stories by Park, Ed
A couple of these were OK (highlighted), but most were boring.
Content: A Note to My Translator -- Bring on the Dancing Horses -- The Wife on Ambien -- Machine City -- An Accurate Account -- The Air as Air -- Seven Women -- The Gift -- Watch Your Step -- Two Laptops -- Weird Menace -- Thought and Memory -- Well-Moistened With Cheap Wine, the Sailor and the Wayfarer -- Speak of Their Absent Sweethearts -- Night Eating Syndrome -- Slide to Unlock -- An Oral History of Atlantis.
Content: A Note to My Translator -- Bring on the Dancing Horses -- The Wife on Ambien -- Machine City -- An Accurate Account -- The Air as Air -- Seven Women -- The Gift -- Watch Your Step -- Two Laptops -- Weird Menace -- Thought and Memory -- Well-Moistened With Cheap Wine, the Sailor and the Wayfarer -- Speak of Their Absent Sweethearts -- Night Eating Syndrome -- Slide to Unlock -- An Oral History of Atlantis.
Disappearance by Stefan Kiesbye - Northern California (Santa Rosa) noir
Body Language by Juhea Kim
Crossings by Bryan Washington
Nonfiction:
Ready for My Close-Up: The Making of Sunset Boulevard and the Dark Side of the Hollywood Dream by Lubin, David M.
Boustany: A Celebration of Vegetables from my Palestine [A Cookbook] by Tamimi, Sami
Love a beautiful cookbook.
Clam Down: A Metamorphosis by Chen, Anelise
A mixture of memoir and essay as Chen deals with the aftermath of a divorce.
A mixture of memoir and essay as Chen deals with the aftermath of a divorce.
When The Snow Leaves Town by Emile Holba
Stunning photographic essay of Spring coming to Ilulissat, Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland).
This is just one of several galleries on the British documentary photographer's Web site.
This is just one of several galleries on the British documentary photographer's Web site.
Here are some samples of why The World of Interiors is becoming one of my favorite browsing spots:
Clickbait to Cliché by Tony Liu
"Are algorithms divorcing words from their true meaning? Turning terms such as ‘chinoiserie’ into hashtags also denudes them of context and nuance. And, argues the co-founder of Diet Prada, online overdose consigns designs to obsolescence before their time."
Dream Sequins by Kira Goodey; Photography by Brooke Olsen
"The Las Vegas Showgirl Museum is an ode to the high-camp spirit of the Sin City spectacle, with over 40,000 costumes, photos and pieces of memorabilia amassed by its owner, the dancer and choreographer Grant Philipo."
"The Las Vegas Showgirl Museum is an ode to the high-camp spirit of the Sin City spectacle, with over 40,000 costumes, photos and pieces of memorabilia amassed by its owner, the dancer and choreographer Grant Philipo."
The Year of 100 Birds, Week Ooh I Dunno by Lev Parilian
Lev adds a bird to his list.
Glassworks Magazine Fall 2022. Issue 25: Published on Sep 30, 2022; a quarterly publication of Rowan University's Master of Arts in Writing
Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art.
Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art.
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DNF:
The Phoenix Pencil Company by King, Allison
This looked promising but at about 1/3 through it started going downhill fast. Weird and cringy.
Spectacular Things by Dorey-Stein, Beck
Fundamentally by Younis, Nussaibah
Didn't really start this--maybe another time. The library wants it back.
The Lake Escape by Day, Jamie
A big disappointment because I liked The block Party and One Big Happy Family. This one drags and the characters seemed flat.
Automatic Noodle by Newitz, Annalee
A noodle shop in San Francisco run by robots (after a future civil war)? Should be fun but is was dismal. Read 44 of 160 pages.
Moderation by Castillo, Elaine
Where Are You Really From by Chou, Elaine Hsieh
I tried to read every one of these stories and couldn't finish any of them!
Contents: Carrot legs -- Mail order love -- You put a rabbit on me -- Featured background -- Happy endings -- The dollhouse -- Casualties of Art: a novella.
Contents: Carrot legs -- Mail order love -- You put a rabbit on me -- Featured background -- Happy endings -- The dollhouse -- Casualties of Art: a novella.
Something to Look Forward To: Fictions by Flagg, Fannie
Read four of the stories (there are around 30) before I choked on the down home sweetness. Blech!!!!
Starting From Here by Saunders, Paula
Shallow, predictable coming of age story. She wants to be a ballet dancer,,,I'd call it a YA but it's not even that. Short chapters that don't say much.
The Last Sunrise by Todd, Anna
Person who picked up my holds warned me that this is bad. She was right. I requested it because of "last" in the title and also because it's set in Mallorca. That didn't save it.Last Seen by Ellison, J.T.
Read the prologue. Too something: contrived? gory? not worth my time?
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