Not the greatest reading week for me. The books were fantastic. The pace at which I read and the amount of time I was able to read was not. No wonder the week ended with me feeling a bit depressed.
How was your week? Did you read anything fabulous?
FINISHED SINCE THE LAST UPDATE:
Viet Thanh Nguyen’s collection of short stories is everything I wanted it to be and more – and this is coming from someone who really does not like short stories. They show the everyday lives of people who fled war-torn Vietnam, their children, and how their experiences influenced the rest of their lives. None of the stories are flashy; neither are the characters. However, there is an earthiness to these stories that allows them to loudly resonate. Timely and important.
John Darnielle’s debut novel is powerful stuff as well, but it is in a much more subdued Midwestern way. In fact, if you ever wanted to know what it was like to be a Midwesterner, this book is it. Its story of loss and its impact is subtle and matter-of-fact but almost poetic in the need to read every word carefully. I know a lot of readers are going to find it strange and seemingly aimless. I personally loved it.
CURRENT READ:
CURRENT LISTEN:
So, I might not have actually started listening to this one just yet, but it is next on my listening queue. I promise!
UP NEXT:
I cannot wait to get to this one; I sort of just want to lock myself in a room and devour all of its pages without interruption.
So, what are you reading?
I just finished The Dry — it’s not too action packed but it’s a nice mystery. I liked Shrill — she’s bold and funny too.
I’m reading a lot of poetry right now. I have several books going, not really like me. I’m going to look for The Regugees because I loved The Sympathizer–one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.
I still need to read The Sympathizer, but if his prose is anything like that in the short stories within The Refugees I can only imagine how great it is.
I haven’t seen that Hester Young book…I think I have another book by that author on my Kindle. Hope you’re enjoying it!
I haven’t had any time to read the past several days and it’s really pissing me off. I hope to fix that tonight/tomorrow!
Her first book was Gates of Evangeline if that helps. This is apparently the sequel to that. I had no idea it was a series. The first stands alone by itself really well. I haven’t had time to eat much less read this week. That is severely pissing me off. I don’t mind being busy but so busy that I cannot even take 15 minutes to grab a bite to eat is ridiculous.
I finished Shrill last week. Great stuff! I read it, not listened, but I bet it would be a great audio!
I will get around to starting it eventually. Maybe this weekend…
Hmm. I’ve had my eye on Universal Harvester, but I’m not sure “strange and seemingly aimless” isn’t really my cup of tea. I’ve been getting frustrated with books like that lately.
It definitely is not a novel for everyone. There are a lot of “WTF is happening” moments, but I found it a beautifully-told story. Perhaps you could read the first chapter on Amazon or something and see what you think?