I’ve had this one on the shelf for a few months, but dropped it onto the top of the vacation pile when it became a 2026 Booker Prize finalist. Strout is a reliably good read, and this was no exception. In this latest novel, Strout creates a setting on the coast of Massachusetts reminiscent of... Continue Reading →
Antarctica, by Claire Keegan. Pub 1999
I’ve been wanting to read more Keegan, and when I found this newish issue of her first story collection, I added it to the vacation pile. With the first story, I thought perhaps I had read this before, but it was just that first story (included in So Late in the Day) – all the... Continue Reading →
Convenience Store Woman, by Sayaka Murata. Pub 2016. Translation by Ginny Tapley Takemori, pub 2018.
This was recommended by a friend, after a discussion about There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job and other Japanese novels. This short novel was highly enjoyable. Keiko is a 36-year-old convenience store worker in Tokyo. While never explicitly identified, she has some neurodivergency as well as some latent psychopathy. She is most content... Continue Reading →
The Cure for Drowning, by Loghan Paylor. Pub 2024
This book was recommended by a friend, who read it after it won the 2026 Canada Reads series. I knew nothing about it other than that, but I picked it up before vacation to read ahead of my next tea date with my friend. I should have asked more questions. Set in rural Ontario, The... Continue Reading →
Lolita, by Vladamir Nabokov. Pub 1955
Frequently appearing on best-novels lists, I’ve always found this one to be intimidating, mostly because of the subject matter, but also because of its lofty reputation as elite literature. However, after a thorough introduction and assurance that the novel was worth reading by the excellent The Book Club podcast, I decided it was time. I... Continue Reading →
Small Victories, by Anne Lamott. Pub 2014
After Bird by Bird, I wanted to dip into more Anne Lamott, hoping in part to find another essayist on par with beloved Anne Fadiman. Alas, the two Annes are not alike. This collection (which I was disappointed to realize includes both new and previously published essays, such that previous collections will include repeats of... Continue Reading →
Never Whistle at Night. Ed. By Shane Hawk and Theodore C Van Alst Jr. Pub 2023
This was a last-minute addition to my vacation book pile, based on the recommendation of the bookstore. I was expecting ghost and monster stories, perfect for a camping trip, and while there are those in this collection, most stories were stronger as allegories about North American colonialism, generational trauma, and disrespect of nature and the... Continue Reading →
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. Pub 1954
I was inspired to read this by The Book Club podcast, as it is on their upcoming reading list. I recall I had to read this in Grade 9, and also saw the 1963 film at about the same time. However, my memory was quite vague about the story details, so this rereading was like... Continue Reading →
Train Dreams, by Denis Johnson. Pub 2002. Issued in book form in 2011.
I selected this slim book based on the recommendation of the New York Times. I’d also heard it was made into a well-received film, so added it to my vacation book pile. Blessedly short, this felt like a strange and pointless story. It is well written, but there is no meaningful story or characters. The... Continue Reading →
This is Happiness, by Niall Williams. Pub 2019
This has been on my shelf for a while, moving up and down the tsundoku depending on when and from whom I heard it mentioned. It was on the top at last just before vacation. Described by critics as “unhurried” and “elegiac”, it requires slow and savoury reading, perfect for a holiday. The novel is... Continue Reading →