Bookish quote of the month, from the New York Times By the Book interview with Grant Grinder last February:
“Does a book help you feel less alone?” – I love that as a yardstick for books. I think there are so many ways books can help me feel less alone – they can show me people like me so that I know I’m not the only “Asian American failed potential Ivy League-educated daughter of immigrants and mother to young children” out there (or any one of those descriptors really). But also, a book can fill my world with people and adventures so that even though reading can be a solo activity, I still feel like my existence is very rich with humanity. I guess this is why when one is stuck on a desert island one would want books.
And on to last month’s books:
Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? A Memoir by Saemus O’Reilly, read by the author – O’Reilley recounts his childhood in Ireland, growing up as one of 11 children being raised by his single dad after his mother passes away. I picked up this book after reading Say Nothing because I was interested in reading another perspective about what it was like living in Ireland during the Troubles. The Troubles aren’t a huge part of O’Reilly’s narrative, but rather is a constant shadow in the background. What I loved this book for, though, is O’Reilly’s loving and clear eyed portrait of his father, a man who raises 11 kids single handedly without fuss or sentimentality, but with lots of love. If you are interested in big families, I highly recommend this book. I laughed out loud so many times when reading this book. One of my favorite quotes I read this month came from this book. Whenever one of the kids asked his father how he managed to raise 11 children on his own, he would reply:
“Which of you was I supposed to give back?“
I love that as a combination of no nonsense wit and deep affection for his children.
The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles read by Marty Swain – I loved this romance novel about two men who have a fling at an inn, only to discover months later that one (Joss) is a smuggler, and the other (Gareth) is the baronet of Joss’ little corner of England. Both Joss and Gareth were characters that I could root for and I really liked how their relationship starts as one thing and kept evolving as they warily and carefully got to know each other. There is a lively cast of side characters which is always fun. At first I didn’t like the audiobook narrator – I thought he was a little uppity in tone, but then I realized that he sounded a little bit like Colin Firth and suddenly I liked him a lot more.
101 Dalmations by Dodie Smith – Read aloud with the kids. The lady who wrote I Capture the Castle also wrote a children’s novel! I didn’t know that. Anyhow, I originally got this to read out loud with the kids in December because a good portion of this book takes place in the lead up to Christmas. It’s a charming book with lots of fun animal characters.
House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City Book 1) by Sarah Maas – So one day last fall, I was making dinner and suddenly the 14 year old comes into the kitchen, earphones in, clutching her phone, bawling her eyes out, as if her heart were breaking. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“She died!!” the 14 year old cried, inconsolable. She cried for at least fifteen minutes.
Anyhow… this is that book. The 14 year old recommended it to me, and while fantasy is not my usual fare, I like to read something she’s read once in a while. It’s fun to ask her questions as I read and talk to her about the book. And, yes, the death in question was a real doozy. This book is one in a trilogy that features angels, mermaids/mermen, curses, magic, the underworld, immortal life, war, betrayal, intrigue, romance… so much packed in there. Will I read the other books? Probably not. This book was loooooong. And so much world building. I have a hard time with books where there is so much world building that I feel like I need a chart to keep track of everything. But I thought the twisty plot was certainly entertaining, and the relationship that develops between the two main characters was a very satisfying slow burn.
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams – continuing my efforts to read down my shelf of books I bring home from Little Free Libraries. This novel tells the story of Eva and Shane, two authors who had an intense connection over a couple days as teenagers and haven’t seen each other since, even though their writing is heavily influenced by their memories of those high school days. I enjoyed this book – it combines breezy humour and deeply felt trauma. Eva and Shane were by turns hilarious and heart-wrenching. I really enjoyed the writing, and the structure of the story unfolding in one week (with a few flashbacks). The ending felt a little forced/rushed to me, though – I felt like there were a lot of issues that didn’t get resolved – but maybe healing the trauma is not the story that is being told?
A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by K.J. Charles – The sequel to The Secret Lives of Country Gentleman. This book tells the story of Luke (a minor but important character in The Secret Lives…) who for mysterious reasons takes a job as the secretary to Rufus, the new Earl of Oxney. Of course love and intrigue ensue. I have to say, I didn’t like this one as much as the first book, but I still enjoyed it. While I really liked both Luke and Rufus, I thought the plot was not as tight as in The Secret Lives, and because these two books are intertwined, I found the weaker plot disappointing.
The Innocents by Francesca Segal – This is a retelling of The Age of Innocence, set in a tight knit wealthy Jewish community in modern day London. I always find retellings fascinating to read. I like seeing how an author molds one story to fit their own, seeing what works well transplanted and what feels like a stretch. I often wonder if a retelling would work for me if one didn’t know the original source material. Anyhow, I thought this novel was fine. Adam (the Archer Newland character) had a little bit more self awareness than Archer – I didn’t feel like he was deceiving himself as to his feelings towards Ellie (the Ellen counterpart). His fiancée Rachel was certainly not as interesting or complex as May in Wharton, though. I think what didn’t land for me was a) Adam and Ellie’s relationship felt very abrupt and lacked chemistry, and b) that I felt like Segal’s version was a little heavy-handed; some things that Wharton would talk about in an oblique, ironic fashion, Segal would hammer into the reader. And because of this lack of irony, I think in the end there isn’t anything tragic about Adam, not in the same way that Archer is kind of a pathetic figure at the end of The Age of Innocence.
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans – I finally got this hugely buzzy book off hold. I love me an epistolatory novel, which is why I picked this book up in the first place. I tore through it and then went back to read it a little more slowly, to savor every nuance and all the things said and unsaid. I will say that I don’t love “death of a child” as a plot point, so those bits were hard for me, but I found much of the rest of the book stunning – the slow evolution and reveal of each character, and how the book shows the importance of connection and the value of kind patience and love. And the book was so funny and on point. I also really loved how Sybil wasn’t the protagonist of everyone else’s story – I think that’s a real sign of craft when you can write and epistolatory novel where all the characters feel fully developed, even the ones that have no or very few letters.
On My Proverbial Nightstand (I probably have too many books going on right now…) :
The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope- Reading this for my Classics Reading Challenge. The prompt was for a novel originally written in serial form. I’ve never read any Trollope before and many lists say this is a good one to start with. Its is such a soap opera!
The Work by Olga Ravn – This is one of those books that came off my holds list and I couldn’t remember how it got there -I was probably doing some late night holding. (I mentioned in a comment on Engie’s blog that putting books on hold late at night is my middle-age lady’s version of getting drunk and waking up in an unfamiliar bed.) I think I put it on my holds because it talks about early motherhood, and I’m always up to read about someone’s experience of early motherhood. It’s been a little visceral and esoteric at the same time.
10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People by David Yeager – I had heard this book mentioned a couple times in the past month – maybe it’s Baader-Meinhof phenomenon? I’m constantly trying to figure out how to motivate young people, whether it’s my kids or my interns, so I picked this one up.
Felicity Cabot Sells her Soul by Aydra Richards – I’ve been on an historical romance kick (moreso than normal). Not sure if I love this book, but the male main character is doing some really satisfying groveling.
This American Woman written and read by Zarna Garg – Garg played the mother in A Nice Indian Boy and she was charming. This is her memoir about her life growing up in India and how she came to America at age 16 to escape an arranged marriage and eventually became a stand up comedian.
What good books have you read lately? How do books make you feel less alone?
