Mini Update Sticky Post: April 10, 2024
So many books to talk about! Including what’s currently in my bookbag, notebook, stacks and reading log.
If you’re looking to catch up? Check out my reflections on 2023’s reading, and plans for 2024. All year I’ve been slowly reading towards various reading projects that I’ve set aside (willingly or otherwise) over the years.
Recently I finished reading Harold Johnson’s Corvus (the sequel to The Cast Stone) and Clayton Thomas-Muller’s Life in the City of Dirty Water as part of my ongoing exploration of Indigenous authors and stories. Now I’m reading as much of the longlist for the Carol Shields Fiction Prize as possible, including Mona Susan Power’s A Council of Dolls.
How about you: what are you reading these days, and what are you looking forward to reading soon?
(First time here? Please don’t be shy: there’s no such thing as too much bookchat! Please leave a comment, say hello, talk books!)
I look forward to your thoughts on Bad Cree. Currently I’m reading Beyond That the Sea by Laura Spencer-Ash and just finished a revisit of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer … because I’m gearing up for Percival Everett’s upcoming novel James which reimagines Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the enslaved Jim’s point of view.
That’s a great idea: I might pull them off my shelf with that in mind too. Everett’s The Trees was a standout read for me last year.
I persuaded the Betsy-Tacy NYC Chapter to read Flambards and discuss on July 25th. If you are interested in joining us, let me know!
Constance
Thanks kindly for letting me know, Constance. It was such a terrific reread. I’ve jotted down the date, but my schedule is unexpectedly crammed for the summer as I’ve had to set aside my work for longer than expected.
So curious what you think of Marriage of a Thousand Lies! I gave S.J. Sindu’s Blue-Skinned Gods three stars. I’m reading Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez right now which is ok, and I have some books by Edwidge Danticat, Weike Wang, and Zakiya Harris coming up. Happy reading! (:
I appreciate the amount of queer lit that Soho Press publishes, their bringing back into the spotlight classic queer YA and their support of new authors like Sindu; I’d like to read more from them. Will be curious to see what you think of Rainbow Milk; it’s one that I found hard to say much about because it kinda takes a turn, just a chapter in, and I don’t like to spoil. Love Danticat (including her book about creativity-a little gem) and thought Harris’ debut was really interesting. Wang is on my TBR, other than interviews and short pieces.
Kare Kano! I am curious to know what your thoughts are once you finish that series. 🙂 Happy reading!
I started by rereading the last one I was on (15 or 16?) which was an accident, but it was good to refresh too!
Melanie introduced me to Becky Chambers earlier this year. I’ve listened to, and thoroughly enjoyed the first two Wayfarers. What no. A Psalm for the Wild-Built? Anyway, I’ll get there eventually. If people stop diverting my truck reading time with ‘projects’..
Now, my other problem. I have stopped receiving notifications from you. So I have unfollowed you (briefly!) but where is there a bloody Follow button? I post this comment in the hope that I’ll be asked to tick receive emails
No. It didn’t even ask if I wish to be notified of other comments. I’m off to work. I’ll try again in a few more days.
Aiyiyi. Thanks for letting me know, Bill. There is usually an element at the bottom of each webpage which is an invitation to subscribe via email but it’s not displaying anywhere, for some reason. I also noticed yesterday that I’m not getting notifications when other people answer my comments on their blogs either…it’s like WP is mad at me all the way around. 😛 Will look into it tomorrow.
Keep your eyes on the road, but when you’ve pulled over, I think the subscription issue has been resolved…hopefully? 🙂 Thanks so much for letting me know!
Heard a lot of hype about the Ishiguru but not if it is for me, I have enjoyed three or four by him. Really excited to hear how you get on with Queenie. I think it’s great, but very British and modern.
My reading has been slow this last two or three weeks. Horrible moving stress, but all moved in smoothly. Totally in love with my new place, it was worth it in the end. I read a BLCC anthology of stories which was good, a brilliant Edith Wharton and just finished a newer novel that was undemanding, a good narrative voice but was ultimately underwhelming.
I got hooked SO fast with the Ishiguro that it surprised me (within the first 20 pages). It’s much more about yearning and connection than I thought it was going to be, and that’s a sweet spot for me. I’ve heard someone say it’s a retelling of Remains of the Day, which made me laugh because the other details I’d gleaned made that seem *impossible*…but now I see where they were coming from. Even though I loved Remains and Never, I don’t think I’ve actually gotten around to the others, just had copies now and again, which sometimes starts to feel like reading them, y’know? What’s your fave?
So glad to hear you’re all moved in and settling into routines again. Such a stressful experience.
Curious to see how you like Candice Carty-William’s Queenie. I know I heard mixed reviews from various readers. But I really enjoyed it!
I feel so sorry. I actually printed out a copy of the first Alistair McLeod in your project but didn’t manage to read it. I just don’t know why I can’t manage all the reading I’d like to do. I’ve read one Luiselli book, and would love to read more. And would also like to read another Lahiri, though I felt the first two I read were a bit similar to each other.
PS Great minds. I got up this morning thinking I should go check out Buried’s blog as I haven’t for a couple weeks, and lo and behold you’d checked out mine!
Maybe it was intuitive…I’m not sure that would have been the best of his stories for you to read, in this particular year of yours. (Although maybe cathartic.) He is a beautiful writer and I’m sure you’d appreciate that…there is a video that Mel shared with me at some point, I’ll try to find that so you could listen/watch instead (I think it was a different, slightly less sorrow-soaked story, with a different theme). The rest of Lahiri has been very different. Even though I like her in general, I think The Lowland is my favourite. It’s always nice to see you here and I’m glad you’re receiving my telepathic messages. 🙂
I am starting a book project on author Constance Savery, suggested by a friend who thought I would enjoy her work. She was a vicar’s daughter who made it to Somerville College (pre-degree, which always seems so unfair to me, like the women aviators in WWII denied of recognition) and wrote a variety of children’s books from historical fiction to contemporary stories to Sunday School tracts. The cost of postage from the UK may slow down the accumulation of material but so far I have bought two and got two from the library.
I love a new reading project! The public system here only has five of her books (and none of them circulate, which means, under lockdown, they’re not accessible) but it looks like she’s written widely for sure (like Blyton, but with more vicars, by the sounds of it LOL).
I like these sticky posts. I took a moment to find my way in, but I am sure now. I want to know more about ‘Dog Flowers’ for obvious reasons. The Alistair-MacLeo-Project sounds intriguing. One day, I want to become an organised reader. At the moment, I read based on my mood and energy levels. When it’s hard to focus, I spend a lot of time, browsing Scribd’s catalogue. If I had a plan in place, perhaps, I can convert the browsing-time into reading-time. Your reading life is such an inspiration. Thank you for all the book-love you share! 🙂
waves happily Yay, you’re here! passes plate of biscuits, also suitable for the four-legged and furred among us
Dog Flowers is very interesting, a indigenous coming-of-age story. However, your faithful companion would be disappointed in the lack of canine representation! I recommend Lauren Davis’ The Grimoire of Kensington Market for a great (and not untroubled but ultimately triumphant) story for the four-legged and their devotees.
On some recent post, in a comment, I mentioned this phenomenon too: because I love list-making, I can spend hours planning what books to read next, and I had to curb the habit so that I could actually read more of them! So I can wholly relate! LOL
Success! I have a lot of bookish reading to catch up on here! Thanks for the email and the gentle nudge (which is most kindly appreciated and accepted in the spirit you sent it! 🙂 )! I am impressed by your Mavis Gallant reading and now you are so close to finishing. I love that feeling of having worked on a reading project that you have enjoyed and tackled so thoroughly. Maybe I will join you in one of those last stories. I miss my own short story reading–I need to start with small steps to get back into my most enjoyable reading habits, which (as with so many things I have enjoyed in the past) seem to have let languish far too long!
It’s so nice to see you here. gestures toward plate of scones, pours tea It does feel rewarding to be in the final stages of the short story reading project. And, simultaneously, a little overwhelming, because I have so many ideas about the next set of stories I’d like to explore. I know what you mean about the short story habit; I go in stages (getting knocked out of the loop when a large stack of books with duedates is hovering in my peripheral vision) and then miss it when I’m not reading a collection.
I look forward so much to your next project. Mavis Gallant has been a great voyage
Can you believe it’s been four years of Gallant and you’ve been reading along from the start with your copy of Selected Stories?! Four years.
Who are you going to read next? I have a pile of short story collections sitting next to my night table. Of course. I was wondering about the Cortazar read you are doing? Are you reading in the order the book was published or following a different course–that is one of the interesting things about that book–literally hop scotching the chapters. If you are reading in tandem with someone–are you both reading the same way? It would be interesting to see how the story moves differently depending on how each person is reading!
Actually, I think I’m going to have a few going concurrently this time because I have had such a hard time choosing. The downside is that means it will take a long time to actually finish anything, but the upside is that I can begin on several different fronts.
With Hopscotch, I’ve chosen to follow the prompts at the end of each chapter which means that I’ve been jumping all over the place, whereas Reese read straight through (for something like 56 chapters?) and then the hopscotching started from there for her. She’s planning to reread after we “finish”, taking the route that I’ve taken this time. (I’m not thinking I will, but it’s a great idea.) We didn’t plan to read it differently from each other before we began, we simply had different inclinations, so we’ve been keeping each other moving through it but just discussing very generally. If you care to join, I am only about a third of the way through (best as I can guess), although I think Reese is further, but maybe it only seems that way because she can measure more easily.
Can you tell from your discussion if the story feels like it takes a different trajectory depending on the order you read the chapters? Ultimately the ending must be the same, but it’s an interesting way to see how a story moves through time! Wasn’t it made into a movie? I think so. If I was not trying to finally finish ASB I might just be tempted to grab my copy! 😉
Oh. Em. Gee. I have no idea. At first, when Reese was reading straight through, she had comments/questions about specific characters, but I was reading it with the hopscotch table and hadn’t even figured out that there were main characters yet. It feels to me, like the author wrote a draft of a novel, then thought about adding a couple of other characters, drafted some additional chapters, then wrote some sections about what he wanted to accomplish with writing this kind of story and how he hoped readers would respond, then put most of the core characters’ chapters together, and created something-like-a-plot with what remained, putting the more theoretical bits in occasionally, as though knowing that not every reader would want to consider that side of things. So far, only one element of plot stands out, and I’m nearing the 3/4 mark (best guess, as I’m hopscotching). I’m not saying that is what Cortazar did – he’s obviously planned this very carefully – but it feels like that to me, at this point. Is there a movie?! Wow. That would be interesting. I know there was one made of a short story, “Axolotl”, I think?
checking in first with a hello to see if I can do this via home but on a laptop from the library…
hellloooooo!
Thanks for stopping by my blog. Looking around your site: it is really neat. You are reading an interesting bunch of books. My wife read That Summer in Paris and liked it. There is such a fascination with Hemingway and his literary associates.
Flannery O’Connor sounds so good at this point. She’s one of those brilliant writers whose symbolism I don’t always get (too Catholic?), but her stories make an impact. I haven’t read her letters. I can’t wait to see what you think of. And as for Flambards, I love those books!
Did you happen to read any of Peyton’s other books? I understand at least one of them was quite a departure from this set. Really, I wasn’t sure if they would stand up, as it’s been many years and they are rather old-fashioned, it’s true, but I am wholly enjoying them.
I looked up The Quincunx because I remembered you had been reading it. And lo and behold! you mention it.
And I just read Ian Williams won the prize, so you were prescient!
Just reread one of Carol Shields’s books, and she is as good as I remembered.
The Palliser would be right up your street, I think, Kat. It’s Collinsy and Dickensy and not in a trying-too-hard way either.
Williams is very clever and heart-ful: I look forward to his next books too!
Oooo, which one did you reread? I’ll have to drop by and see…
I have The Nickel Boys checked out – haven’t started it yet. I’m a bit apprehensive about it because of the heavy subject matter, but I respect Whitehead’s writing so much I want to give it a go. I loved Olive Kitteridge! i read it just at the beginning of the year and it remains one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.
It’s just so lovely, isn’t it?! Are you looking forward to the continuation (I think it’s coming in November, maybe October?) and have you seen the limited/mini-series?
You’ve probably finished it by now! But in case you were able to renew (being a librarian), I’ll just say that The Nickel Boys reads very quickly and he is deliberately not glamorizing the violence so the scenes are presented almost clinically (although you know, of course, that their after-effects do not pass anywhere near so quickly). By the time all that happens, anyway, you are so invested in the character (part one is a great immersion into the story) that you just have to see what will happen next.
I love reading about your reading. I’m also a fan of Kay, and you remind me that he has a new book. Always varied posts here: Short stories, indigenous fiction, etc.
Thanks, Kat! The new one is A Brightness Long Ago. I’m really looking forward to it!
I see what you’re up to with those three books in the picture – what fun! I hope you’re going to write about them. 🙂
Hee hee. I love that you noticed. Not here, no, but I am working on a piece and will share. 🙂
🙂
The range of your reading is really something else 🙂 I’m looking forward to ending the night with the Mavis Gallant story – eager to check out her work in depth this fall (along with several others you’ve recommended to me, haha).
I envy those readers who have a single reading interest (e.g. crime, history) because it seems so tidy. It feels like once you start to add kidlit and poetry into the stack, that things can’t help but look chaotic, but it’s just all so interesting! (That’s one long Gallant story – I didn’t finish!)
I was just thinking about how you have entered my bookish lexicon. MRE is a thing with me because of you. I read an ARC of Kate Atkinson’s new Jackson Brodie, and because she’s an MRE, as soon as I’d gobbled that, I went looking for more. I found one I hadn’t read (Human Croquet), and I was SO disappointed. Sigh. Still and all, it makes me appreciate the great ones even more.
Love this! It’s too bad that you haven’t enjoyed all of her books, but it makes sense, because her early ones (like Atwood’s) are rather different. I’m really behind with her, but was just browsing through Transcription at the library the other day, thinking how much I’m looking forward to it…eventually.
Oh, yes, Payton Place. You can’t get much more trashy than that! 😉 Pretty much every nasty thing that can happen in a community does. I always meant to watch the TV show. I wouldn’t mind reading the Ng novel myself. I really liked her first book. I am sort of on a Russian reading binge, but it mostly only extends to the setting and not (maybe not Yet) to Russian authors. Maybe I can squeeze in a Chekhov novella or some short stories. I have been thinking of rereading Anna K, but that would have to be contemplated for January, I think. Are you feeling more freedom to have the CanLit Giller Prize reading done?
It was delightfully trashy and the movie was fun to watch too. But I couldn’t bring myself to dive into the sequel straight away (partly because the library copy was in pretty sorry shape and that put me off a little, which, as you know, has to be pretty bad, as I’ve a good tolerance built up over the years)! And, yes, I love reading the Giller books, but I am really enjoying my backlisted reading just now.
I’ve heard really good things about Louise Erdrich, though I haven’t read anything by her. Where would you suggest beginning?
For story, I really like The Master Butcher’s Singing Club and The Last Report on the Miracles of Little No Horse (the former a little more about dark family history and relationships, the latter being somewhat bookish and more about faith – with overlap on all those themes across her work). If you feel drawn to one, just give it a try: she’s much more accessible than she seems.
I took the Gallant collection home with me over the weekend but then didn’t get a chance to read the first story so I have it with me today. Not sure I’ll write about each story, or maybe will just write about them in a very loose sort of way.
You’re also welcome to leave a long comment on my post if you prefer: I don’t mind. But the first one is, technically, a novella, which I’ve just finished rereading today, so you could probably find enough to say about that one for a post on its own, if you are so inclined. (Some are much shorter, I see, and I think this first story is the only one I’ve read before.)