Happy Christmas! I've been spending a lot of my time reading, to catch up on my Goodreads challenge and re-prioritize reading. And it's been a lot of fun exploring more poetry and novellas especially, having the opportunity to just try books at no additional cost thanks to Scribd. Wish they'd support downloads to the Kindle, but perhaps I'll consider getting an e-ink tablet at some point in the future, it's just so much more relaxing for my eyes.
That Time of Year by Marie NDiaye (transl. by Jordan Stump) is a very weird short book, it almost feels absurdist and reminiscent of Kafka. It's about Herman, a Parisian teacher, and his wife and son, who spend every summer outside of the city in a village. Each year they leave promptly on the last day of August like the rest of the tourists. However, this year, they stay till September and everything changes. Rose and the child disappear and Herman initially searches for them, trying to get the villagers to help and cooperate, but the place and people are completely changed.
Reading something by NDiaye has been my plan for years, so I was happy to get my hands on this novella. This is a very weird book with a story that seems to go nowhere with unlikeable and absurd characters, but I really enjoyed it. Much of this is due to this amazing dark and sinister vibe that accompanies the absurd story, and also the satire of provincial and city relationships. Apart from that, NDiaye's writing is excellent. That Time of Year also made me take note of the publisher Two Lines Press and I've already added a bunch of their other titles to my tbr. Recommended: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I listened to the audiobook of Roxane Gay's Wiriting Into the Wound. It's a very short nonfiction title and I was interested because in it Gay goes into detail about the publication of her amazing but very personal book Hunger. She opens up about how stressful the reception was and how discriminatory and insensitive journalists were, but also how she returned to Yale and conceptualized a workshop on writing trauma. Recommended, especially if you've read Hunger: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
So Late in the Day is a short story taken from Claire Keegan's collection of the same name. Set in Ireland, the story is about the relationship of a hetero couple, told from the perspective of the Cathal. As he leaves work and gets on the bus home one day, he reminisces about his relationship with Sabine and its ending. The story is told in a slow unfolding contemplative style and very well written, Keegan sharply reveals the everyday-ness of misogyny. Will be interested to read some of her longer works, recommended: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a cozy mystery about the senior Vera, who still keeps her crumbling tea shop in China town going, despite only having one customer a day - and who is her friend to boot. It was such a fun read and Vera is a wonderful character, very forceful and assertive, but also warm and loving. She's not for everyone, but I thought she was wonderful and I loved the way she built community around her, even in the middle of her murder investigation. I really hope this will turn into a series, but until then I will read Sutanto's other works. Highly recommended for a fun time: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wait for Night is a Tordotcom horror short story by Stephen Graham Jones that puts new spin on a familiar monster. Set in Colorado, Chessup only signs up to work as a laborer to clean up the canals to receive new work boots. It goes well and he gets along with most of the crew, but then they cut down the old Willow tree and find something only Burned Dan might have expected. I really liked the sense of place and the atmosphere of this one. I listened to the audiobook and it was suspenseful and not confusing even on audio. Definitely makes me want to read more of Jones' horror stories. Recommended: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pretty Deadly: The Shrike is the first volume in the comics series from Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Emma Ríos. It could have been a quick tale about Death's daughter and revenge, but I found the arrangement (or lack thereof) of the panels confusing, making it hard to follow the story at first. I think it will be much easier for regular comics readers or on a second read. I found the art style quite explosive but also really good, drawing me in much more than the story. I wish I could have felt more of a connection with the characters, so I'm giving it a good-ish ⭐⭐⭐.
Time to readathon the last 7 books to finish my reading challenge! 😁📚
