I know it’s AUGUST. But I’m just now getting around to finishing my June Reading Recap:
My Work by Olga Ravn, translated by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell – I read about this book in The Week; they have a feature where someone recommends five or six books and this by by Danish writer Olga Ravn was on a list of books that I already liked, so I thought I might like this one too. My Work is autofiction, about a Anna, a writer struggling with pregnancy, post-partem anxiety, early motherhood, and identity. The writing blends poetry, prose, transcripts from therapy sessions, medical information, journal entries. I found the premise intriguing, but also this book was so dense and tortured that at times I found it hard to parse. I’m finding reading about new motherhood is tricky for me – sometimes I feel seen, but sometimes it is just overwhelming to read about the emotional weight of it and live through it again. Anyhow, this book took me a long time to read, and I’m not sure I completely understood all of it, but there were definitely a lot of highlighted passages where I just went, “Yup.”
Here are a few of my highlights:
“I didn’t realize we would be parents forever”
“Maybe it was all a misunderstanding.”
Or this:, which seems like a useful exercise:
She tries to write something about the part of her life that has nothing to do with men or children.
Anna thinks for a while, then she writes:
Garden
Textiles
Tongue-and-groove pliers
Cooking
What is this? Anna thinks, looking at the list she has written. It seems incomplete.
Or this, for all of us who obsess about time management:
ANNA: Having to pick up the child at a specific time in the afternoon drives me crazy. It’s as though all time in the world shrinks, and by nine in the morning I’m already stressing about picking him up on time so I spend so much energy thinking about what time is.
or this sentiment:
It’s a nice thought to apply to people too, Anna thinks. That her mistakes, her anxiety and stupidity hold the key to her transformation into a greater and more beautiful human.
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield, read by Juliet Stevenson: This epic layered novel is set in a small village in Victorian England, and begins when a little girl is pulled half drowned out of the Thames and brought to a local pub to recover. From there three different people/families lay claim to the mysterious child and the novel is about the lives of those people intersect. This novel is very much imbued with the tradition of storytelling and fairy tales, the writing is descriptive, almost gothic in nature; plot elements are revealed slowly and sometimes mysteriously. You know when a book is describes as rich in character and details – that’s how I would describe this book. I really enjoyed this book on audio ; I think that format really suits the way the book was written and it’s sense of storytelling, and Juliet Stevenson narrates with a sense of omniscience and irony. It’s a bit of a long, winding book, and I really enjoyed it.
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio – This book had a lot of buzz when it first came out, so when I found a copy of it in a Little Free Library, I snatched it up. The Husbands tell the story of Lauren who comes home one day to a husband coming out of her attic. Only she doesn’t have a husband. That Husband eventually goes back into the attic and another one comes down. And so on – an endless string of husbands, each one giving Lauren a different life. I really enjoyed this book and how it asks the question of “What might have been.” It actually reminded me a lot of Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library, a book that also deals with “What might have been”, but which I heartily dislike and can’t understand why so many people rave about that book. I find the Midnight Library kind of prescriptive and heavy handed, as if Matt Haig wants to write a book that hands people the meaning of life, so that people should read Midnight Library instead of really seeking support for their mental health. I will, say, though, I thought Haig’s How to Stop Time was an excellent book, much better than The Midnight Library. But… this isn’t a paragraph about Matt Haig (though clearly I needed to get that Midnight Library BS off my chest.) All to say, Gramazio handles the age old question of “How else could my life had turned out,” with a wry sense of humour that I still found quite perceptive. I thought that I might get tired of all the Husbands, but I didn’t – I eagerly looked forward to what each subsequent husband and life would bring Lauren and how she decided whether (or when) to send her current Husband packing in exchange for another life. Funny, thoughtful, and well written.
Joyful Anyway by Kate Bowler-This was the book for my Lenten reading group and the first book I’ve read by Kate Bowler. I’m glad this was the pick because I’ve always loved listening to Bowler’s podcast or being interviewed on other podcasts. I have to say, though, I didn’t love this book. There are a lot of truths and good reminders in her writing, but the whole book seemed incohesive – like it jumped from thought to thought and didn’t quite gel. I’m not sure if it’s Bowler’s books in general or just this one specifically?
Murder at Gull’s Nest by Jess Kidd, read by Siobhán McSweeney – I 100% listened to this book because I’m a big fan of McSweeney, who plays Sister Michael in Derry Girls. This mystery novel features crusty Nora Breen, a former Nun, who comes to a en English coastal town in search of a friend who has mysteriously stopped writing her. I enjoyed Nora’s combination of determined curiosity and sly wit. The mystery itself was unclear until it suddenly wasn’t, which was fine – I listened to this on my commute and I didn’t always follow the plot; I just enjoyed following the characters around.
On my proverbial bed side table:
The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb by Garrett M. Graff – My current audio book. Some of the details about the science behind the atomic bomb goes over my heads, but the human involved are what keeps me listening to this book. Nagasaki has just been bombed.
Dolly Goes of Script by Annabel Monaghan – Devouring this; perfect summer reading.
Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys by By Michael G. Thompson, Ph.D. and Dan Kindlon, Ph.D – my current non-fiction read.
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell – my before bed book; bit of a slow burn.