Hi all. It’s been a while. I hope everyone is well. I want to thank all those who left kind comments and their condolences on my last post about my father’s passing. It was very helpful to see your notes. I appreciate each one of you over these years that I’ve gotten to know while discussing books. You’ve made it fun and a positive experience. And we have a very good and caring community here in this book blogging world, so thanks much.
I know my Dad was a fan of the Cue Card and reading and would want me to continue on, so here I am again.
Now I’m back from California rather dazed and sad but trying to continue on. What have you been reading? I look forward to visiting your blogs again over the next few days to catch up. Here’s a picture of my current library loot. I still have The Frozen River on the pile, lol, it’s been there for a long while.
For the week ahead, I sort of want to focus on Frozen River along with Stone Yard Devotional, and the classic Brideshead Revisited, which Tina at the blog Turn the Page and I have started. Emily Feng book’s is a nonfiction book about China that looks good too. And Tim Winton’s novel Juice is a post-apocalyptic tale of suspense and survival. As always there’s much to read.
And you might have seen that the shortlists of various book prizes recently came out. The Women’s Prize for Fiction is a big one, and it appears I have read three on the shortlist including: Tell Me Everything, The Safekeep, and the debut novel Good Girl. I have no idea which of the six books the judges will pick as the winner on June 12, but I think I need to read Miranda July’s strange-ish novel All Fours sometime. Not sure its premise seems appealing to me, but it certainly has received some critical acclaim, so I’ll likely check it out. Apparently it’s about a mid-40s aged woman who’s a semi famous artist set to embark on a cross-country road trip but instead drives to a nearby motel and becomes obsessed with a local man. The character seems sort of out there but is trying to reinvent herself and find fulfillment as she faces menopause and mortality. (I say … just wait till your 50s and 60s, lol).
The novel All Fours also recently made the shortlist for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction (see the five pictured), but I’m sort of pulling for Aube Rey Lescure’s debut novel River East, River West, since I’ve read and liked that one. The prize winner will be announced on May 1, so there’s not a lot of time to read these beforehand. I don’t know the other novels, but I have read Sarah Manguso before with her prior novel Very Cold People. Her books are pretty bleak, so I’m sort of avoiding Liars, which apparently “paints an excoriating portrait of a marriage,” but it received starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus. Though I wonder if All Fours might be the favorite?
Also the shortlist for the International Booker Prize came out and these are translated into English works that I don’t know as well. Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix is a French novel about a dingy full of migrants that capsizes in the English Channel; On the Calculation Of Vol. 1 by Solvej Balle is a Danish novel about a bookseller in France who finds herself trapped in a time loop reliving the same day; Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami is a Japanese dystopian novel about AI mother beings who oversee isolated tribes of almost extinct humans; Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico is an Italian novel about an expat couple living in Berlin who feel increasingly trapped in their picture-perfect life; Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq includes 12 stories that captures the lives of women and girls in Muslim communities in southern India; and lastly A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre is a French novel about a mentally ill woman who is helped by the male narrator and her father to endure life’s challenges. Hmm which book would you pick up to read? The winner will be decided on May 20.
Meanwhile I didn’t get a chance to do my April Preview post at the beginning of the month as usual, so I’ll put forth these five novels coming out this month that look appealing to me.
I was a fan of Katie Kitamura’s earlier novels — A Separation and Intimacies — and so I plan to get to her new novel Audition (out April 8), which according to Kirkus is about an older woman and a younger man who “struggle to grasp who they are to each other in a slippery and penetrating tale.” Kitamura’s quiet, chilly (psychological) tales might not be for everyone, but I think her writing is not to be missed. Kitamura recently spoke at Politics & Prose bookstore in D.C., which you can hear here.
Also I liked Amity Gaige’s last strong novel Sea Wife, so I will check out her new novel Heartwood (out April 1), which apparently takes you on a “gripping journey as a search and rescue team race against time when an experienced hiker mysteriously disappears on the Appalachian Trail in Maine.”
It’s said to be part thriller-ish as well as a moving exploration of the complexities of mother-daughter bonds. Publishers Weekly calls it a mixed bag due to its unfocused plot, while Kirkus calls it a “winning portrait of a woman, and community, in peril.” With Amity Gaige, I need to get to it regardless. Her books are a go.
Then Kate Folks’ debut novel Sky Daddy (out April 8) seems an unusual funny story about a woman who has an obsession with airplanes. She doesn’t simply love them she’s apparently in love with them. She flys on them when she’s not working and going about her mundane life.
Author Gary Shteyngart says the novel is the “craziest, funniest book I’ve read in a while” and Electric Lit calls it “a zany, charming, and unexpectedly poignant portrait of a woman who feels herself to be unassimilable to the world of normal people.” I’m not sure what to think about it, but we could use something funny about now, so I’ll put my name in for it at the library.
Meanwhile The Death of Us (out April 15) by Abigail Dean looks like an engaging intense literary thriller about a London couple that struggles with the aftermath of a violent crime and an upcoming trial. Thirty years ago a couple endured a violent break-in — they survived but their marriage never recovered. Now the invader’s been caught and the former couple are in their 50s and are preparing to deliver victim statements before his sentencing, which describes their lives and what they’ve been through.
I don’t read many thriller-type books anymore, but this one has received high praise (from Stephen King and Mick Herron) and starred reviews from PW and Kirkus for its storytelling and focus on the victims, so I’m curious.
Lastly is Jennifer Haigh’s new novel Rabbit Moon (out April 1) about an American woman in Shanghai who winds up in a coma after a hit-and-run. Her estranged divorced parents fly to be by her side and the story alternates between their perspectives and their troubling questions about their daughter’s life there and then later the perspective of the woman’s adopted sister. It sounds like a family in turmoil. Haigh’s novels have been a bit hit-and-miss for me over the years — I liked Faith (2011) but not so much Heat and Light (2016) but this one’s setting of Shanghai entices me, so it’s a go.
That’s all for now. What about you — have you read any of these authors and books and if so, what did you think?
Good to hear how you are coping!
Thanks Mae, I appreciate it. Have a good week.
I’m glad you are finding ways to move forward. Loss is such a difficult thing to process. It’s inexplicable, I think.
Thank you for the book recommendations. I have just put in requests for Under the Eye of the Big Bird and On the Calculation of Volume, but there are long wait lists so it will be a while.
Thanks Deb. I’m trying to put one foot in front of the other these days.
The Booker International picks sound a bit unusual but we will see what their like. I need to get on the library list for a few.
Have a good week.
It’s tough losing family members or dear friends. And I think it takes some time to make the adjustment and see what regular life will look like. I’ve been thinking of you and praying that you will find some peace. Nice to know that your father enjoyed your blog. Hope you find some enjoyment in your reading this week. Take care, friend.
Thanks Kay, I appreciate your words & thoughts. It’s been almost three weeks since it happened and it’s still sort of hard to believe. Need more time to adjust and process. The world hurtles onward but where to? Let’s keep reading … and being with our dogs 🙂 and spouses.
Glad to have you back, Susan. My parents died within a few years of each other. I remember feeling like I went through the grief process a little more smoothly with the second one because it was familiar. Although, I also felt a weird resentment that I wasn’t done mourning the first parent before I had to start the second. Also, there’s something unmooring about losing the second parent.
I’ve heard good things about The Frozen River. I wanted to read it in January, because of the title and cover, but it didn’t happen. I may save it until next January.
I don’t often read books in translation, but I was intrigued by two books on that list — Small Boat and Under the Eye of the Big Bird. They both seem to be capturing a bit of the world that I feel under-informed about.
Hi Joy, good to hear your thoughts. I’m sure the grief process is a bit different paths for us all … the second was so sudden that it seemed a bit harder and it is completely unmooring to lose both. It is like an unchartered world. Sad to hear your parents are gone as well.
I’ve finally just started The Frozen River. It’s pretty long but fairly easy reading.
Those are good picks for the Booker translated works. I need to check with my library to see if they have any of these. Enjoy your week.
I’m glad to see you posting. You were in our thoughts here in book blogging land .
Of the books you mentioned I am on the hold list for Heartwood and Stone Yard Devotional, number 20 for Heartwood and 19 for Stone Yard. I also have another book by McConaghy on hold called Wild Dark Shore. Have you read that one?
Of the others you talked about I think another apocalyptic one would be good so i will add Juice. Small Boat also sounds interesting. Have not read any Jennifer Haigh yet.
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I’d be lost with book bloggers!
Hi Tina, plenty of books … you’re not too far on those wait lists. I’m having trouble juggling my reading. I’ve started The Frozen River but I don’t want to miss my chance with Stone Yard. But we are busy now with the house & yard & life, so something has to give. I’m not a speed reader, lol. And I seem to fall asleep reading at night. So just trying to carry on.
I’m on the wait list for Wild Dark Shore. I have read McConaghy’s two other books and she’s good! That book is a big go. I hope you like these.
talk soon. Enjoy the sun there & Loki.
Losing a parent is so hard. I remember being in a daze and so sad after my dad died. I turned to a lot of happy ending kind of books–books that I didn’t have to concentrate on very hard or think about very much–that whole first summer. Reading was a true consolation. Hang in there!
Thanks Lark. You are right … I have lost close friends (two in particular very tough) but losing a parent or both is even worse. Or it’s different. It’s like the ground has been pulled out from under you … and the world is now empty. I appreciate your advice on this: reading easier or happier books would be good for me now. Or quick reads. Escapes. I will try for this. I picked up The Frozen River and it seems to be doing the trick. thanks.
It is good to see you back, Susan.
Of the International Booker Prize books, I will definitely be reading On the Calculation of Volume 1 soon. I will also be interested in Heart Lamp: Selected Stories, but I am sure it will be a while before I would be able to get a copy.
I will be reading Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout later in the year, but I still have four of her earlier books that I want to read first.
Thanks Tracy, glad to hear from you. The Booker International books seem quite unique this time …. I will have to see if the library has any of these. I will like your thoughts if you get to any. The Danish book looks interesting. I wonder which will win?
Strout’s Tell Me Everything was a winner for me. I actually think her last few novels might have been better to me than her earlier stuff. Her early stuff is pretty bleak but then her later stuff … the relations get a bit more fleshed out & heartfelt. Just keep that in mind. Enjoy your week.
Welcome back, Susan. You’ve been in my thoughts and it’s good to see you posting again. I’ve only read a couple of books from the various shortlists and am unlikely to get to many more, but I am interested in giving Audition a try. Haven’t read anything by Katie Kitamura yet. I’ll be curious to hear what you think of Stone Yard Devotional if you get to it.
Thanks JoAnn for thinking of me here. Tough days. Just moving slowly on.
Katie Kitamura’s writing is often a bit sparse and mysterious. See what you think. I plan to read it too. Sometime. But I might not get to it till summer. I want to get to Stone Yard though I’m into Frozen River now. Good luck with your reads. Enjoy your week.
So glad you are back Susan and glad to know your Dad was a fan of Cue Card. We all are and we do have a nice community going.
Great list of books and I don’t know what to make of All Fours. I read the plot and it didn’t interest me and yet every time I turn around its being nominated for another award so I am not sure what to do.
Heartwood sounds good. I like the Appalachian trail setting. The 2025 Edgar Awards for best mystery are out. I went back to the 1940’s when the Edgar’s first started and some of the novels sound really worth a try.
Thanks Kathy, so kind of you to say. I appreciate your thoughts.
Yeah I agree I’ve been sort of avoiding All Fours since it came out … but it is receiving a lot of nominations. It might be too weird or off putting for me but maybe I’ll try it?
And thx for telling me about the Edgar Awards noms are out. I will check them out and see if I want to add any. I think Heartwood will be winner. We’ll see. I enjoy your reviews of books from the 40s & early years. You shine light on authors I should know & read. Enjoy your week.
I am sorry to hear about your dad and glad that you have been able to take some time.
There are definitely some interesting sounding titles in amongst those lists!
Thanks Marg, I appreciate your kind words.
There’s plenty of books to try and distract my mind. Enjoy your week.
It’s nice to have you back, Susan. It’s always hard to lose loved ones, but harder when it’s unexpected. I hope reading and blogging with us provides some comfort.
It seems that The Safekeep is the only shortlisted title for The Women’s Prize for Fiction I’ll fit in. Out of the longlist I read The Dream Hotel, and have Nesting in the pipeline. Both may be good candidates for The Booker, so fingers crossed they make the longlist and I don’t have to read extra. All Fours doesn’t sound like my kind of book, though I might be wrong. I’m reading The Antidote now, and read Wild Dark Shore, which Tina asked about above. It was a 5* read for me.
Thanks Carmen, the suddenness really caught us off-guard, sadly. I thought I could visit him another time and was supposed to go there April 9 for a visit, sigh, when this happened before. It’s hard. Trying to read but not going too fast.
Sorry I haven’t kept up with your reads on GR lately. Wow great to know Wild Dark Shore was a 5 * star read for you, yay!! I’ll have to see what you thought of The Dream Hotel. Not sure if I’m ready for such a dystopian, but I just finished the Han Kang book on audio …. ugh and that was so painful. Not really a good time for such a dark book. I didn’t appreciate it as much as perhaps I should.
I agree that All Fours doesn’t look like the book for me either … but maybe I’ll give it a try later. Good luck with The Antidote. What a great title, lol. Enjoy your week.
Word of warning: there’s a lot of sadness, loss and grief in Wild Dark Shore, so perhaps now it’s not a good time for you to tackle it. Don’t miss it, though, just not so soon after your loss.
Oops. I started the book on audio before getting your note. I thought it would be more action (of the storm etc). I haven’t gotten to the sad parts yet. Thx Carmen for your warning! I really appreciate it. I’ll have to get a happy one after this. I’m taking things slow.
Welcome back–grieving is a process, but forging ahead helps in so many ways.
I’ve read Brideshead Revisited twice, the second time just a few years ago, and I promised myself not to reread it a third time. I can honestly say it is about the saddest book I’ve ever read. Just broke my heart and spirit.
Just put Heartwood on my library list–definitely my kind of thriller!
Hope you enjoy The Frozen River.
Take care.
Hi Jane, thanks. Trying to forge ahead here.
Good to know your thoughts about Brideshead … not sure I knew that before going in …but only started. I’m further into the Frozen River … it seems like it’ll be good. I’m also on a long Heartwood library list. Look forward to hearing what you think whenever you get to it. Hope your vegetable seeds are working out! Cheers.
It’s good to see you posting again, Susan. You’ve been in my thoughts a lot this past month. I hope your daily routines and time with your dogs (and hubby) are helping you ease through this time of grief. It would be nice if grief were linear, so one could expect daily improvements, but that’s just not the way it is. Maybe, as painful as those sudden reminders might be, it’s nice to feel and lean into an unexpected wave of grief in order to be reminded of a strong love. OK, enough philosophical jabbering from me… 🙂
I’ve never read Tim Winton, but I do “enjoy” post-apocalyptic stories, so I’ll look for this one at the library. I’m eager to get to The Frozen River, which my mom recently read and said was outstanding. I’ve enjoyed Jennifer Haigh’s previous novels, so I’ll look into Rabbit Moon. Faith was a very good novel (4.5/5 stars).
Hope you have a good week. Be gentle with yourself. {hugs}
Thanks Lesley, I really appreciate your words. It has been tough & sad (today is 3 weeks since). But we are back now (though half my mind seems back in Calif.) and trying to ease into things. Spring is usually a busy time here. The planting & yard season ahead, lol.
I think the Tim Winton book will be good but I likely won’t get to it this time. I have too many books that came in at once. The Frozen River seems good so far. I think you’ll like it. I hope Rabbit Moon will be good too.
And I hope the Cove has been nice — we are a bit up & down here with weather. It goes from 68 degrees to 33 degrees and back & forth. I look forward to seeing what you’re reading next. We just started Season 3 of Bosch Legacy, yay. Have a good week.
Tell Me Everything is on my TBR shelves and All Fours is on my TBR list so I’m pleased to see they have received nominations.
As you know, grief is a long process. I am glad blogging, reading, and the community can be a tiny bit of help. I agree that we’re a good group of people.
Thanks Helen, yeah I think it’ll take a long while before feeling sort of normal. It’s a weird empty feeling without parents. My dad was stellar 🙂
I’m glad those books are on your TBR. If you get to All Fours before me — you can let us know if it’s worth the nomination hype. The Strout novel was a good one for me …. quite touching by the end. Hope you enjoy it. Have a good week.
Losing a parent is dreadful and there are so many moment when you think, “Oh, I want to tell him or her about” – something, and the sudden reminder that you can’t is one of the worst parts. I am so sorry for your loss. I do think that reading and dogs are a great comfort and I feel bad for those without any such consolation.
The Katie Kitamura book is getting a lot of attention. I am not familiar with her work and I can’t say I like the sound of it, but will be interested in what you think. I suspect I would prefer The Death of Us.
I am immersing myself in books published in 1952 at the moment, some good and some less so. My nephew is running a marathon in Newport, RI tomorrow. The course is supposed to be very beautiful ocean views so I am trying to get motivated to get up early and surprise him. It’s about 90 minutes without traffic (which rarely happens, of course).
Thanks Constance, I agree with you … I’m going through those painful moments now where I think I’ll call my Dad and then remember he’s no longer there. I keep trying to reach him somehow. It is a strange and empty feeling. Thx for understanding about that. Ugh. Parents have been essential for so long — that when they’re gone it’s very difficult.
Yeah I think you might like The Death of Us best of this bunch. It’s gotten some pretty high praise. I’m a bit unsure of the Kitamura plot this time so who knows if I will like it. But I’m putting it on my list.
I look forward to your reviews of books from 1952 …. and I’m excited to hear about your nephew running the marathon in Newport. Wow, that would be a blast to surprise him at the race. I hope you make it there … and tell us about it. Good luck to him!
Yikes! I read this post last week and commented on it, but don’t see my comment!
I forget what I said now. I agree with Publisher’s Weekly on Heartwood. I did enjoy parts and was committed enough to finish, though. I look forward to your thoughts on it as well as All Fours. That sounds like an unusual plot!
Hmm. Rachel — I’m sorry your comment got lost. Weird. I hope my site doesn’t eat comments. 🙁 I didn’t see anything.
Thanks for leaving another one. I understand what you’re saying about Heartwood. Seems the story with the various viewpoints is a bit hit-and-miss. Her earlier novel Sea Wife was a bit like that too — disjointed. I wonder when I’ll try All Fours. You’re getting to lots of books … so I like to see your thoughts — they’re always helpful. Happy spring to you.
I hope you have been able to enjoy your reading. I know how hard can be after losing a parent. It’s been 13 years since my dad died and I still find myself thinking of him often.
Rabbit Moon does sound good, especially with that setting. I will have to check it out.
Thanks Wendy, yes it’s been very hard losing my parents. And I sympathize that you lost your dad much earlier. How terrible, very sorry.
I am still processing it. Actually today is 1 month exactly since it happened. My reading has been slow. It’s busy too … with spring things. But perhaps the busyness has helped a bit…. with shock and change and loss.
I hope Rabbit Moon will be good. I’m on the library list for it. I look forward to seeing what you’re reading these days. Cheers.