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 →
The Odyssey, by Homer. Translation by Emily Wilson. Pub 2017
I have read The Odyssey before (not sure when), from another translator. A few years ago, listened to the audiobook version of Wilson's translation. Then I heard that Christopher Nolan's movie version was in part based on and inspired by this translation, so I wanted to read it again before seeing the movie. Very briefly, The Odyssey tells... Continue Reading →
11/22/63, by Stephen King. Pub 2011
This monster of a book was a recommendation from a fellow book shopper a few months ago. I was intrigued by the concept – a man travels back in time to stop the assassination of JFK – but that is only a sidebar in this lengthy mess of a story. Briefly, in a diner in... Continue Reading →
James, by Percival Everett. Pub 2024
I've had this on my radar for a while, since it first came out and won so much acclaim. I love a good retelling of a classic story, whether from another character's perspective (Natalie Haynes is brilliant at this) or transposed into another era (Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead is a great example). The key with these examples is... Continue Reading →
The Ghost Orchard, by Helen Humphreys. Pub 2017
Helen Humphreys is a writer beloved by me for her poetic descriptions, lyrical narratives, and unusual blending of fiction and non-fiction (see Machine Without Horses for a great example). I have read almost her entire oeuvre, but this one (a Christmas gift) had been lingering on my shelves for a few years until recently. On a... Continue Reading →
Pandora’s Jar, by Natalie Haynes. Pub 2020
I took this book on a recent bus trip under the mistaken impression it was a novel. While I was initially disappointed to have no fiction in my travel book selection (the other being a non-fiction maths book), I stuck with it and found it enjoyable and enlightening. I've read two novels by Haynes (both... Continue Reading →
The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali, by Uzma Aslam Khan. Pub 2019
I've read one previous book by Khan (Trespassing) and enjoyed it very much, so was looking forward to this and was not disappointed. Khan has a knack for creating small believable stories within larger historical settings, providing a glimpse into lesser-known situations through her characters. In this novel, we are transported (like most of the... Continue Reading →
Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi. 20th anniversary edition, pub 2023.
Given the January 2026 revolution on the streets in Iran, this seemed like a timely read, and one I've been meaning to get to for some years. While graphic novels are not usually my thing, it seemed like an interesting way to engage with the topic, and indeed it was. Persepolis (which is actually two... Continue Reading →
Julia, by Sandra Newman. Pub 2023
This is billed as a retelling of George Orwell's 1984, with the imprimatur of approval from the Orwell estate (while the original novel is in the public domain in England, it is still under copyright in the US, and the estate has further protected both the title, the phrase "Big Brother is watching you" and the... Continue Reading →
