My November reading didn’t begin as auspiciously as did recent months’, but it was full of gems nonetheless. Here’s the list:
— Terry Hayes’ I Am Pilgrim (international political thriller)
— Elif Batuman’s The Idiot (literary fiction; coming-of-age)
— Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X (literary fiction; novel in free verse; YA novel; coming-of-age)
— Abi Daré’s The Girl with the Louding Voice (literary fiction; coming-of-age; set in Nigeria)
— Edna O’Brien’s Girl (literary fiction; coming of age; set in Nigeria)
— Thomas Perry’s A Small Town (thriller)
— Christobel Kent’s A Murder in Tuscany (mystery; armchair travel)
— Emma Donoghue’s Akin (literary fiction; road trip/travel)
–Louise Erdrich’s The Night Watchman (literary fiction; historical fiction; Native American/indigenous history).
— Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret (children’s literature; set in Paris; historical fiction; picture book/graphic novel)
The first book I picked up in November got put down after 85 pages. Certainly gripping (and very graphic!) and promised to be entertaining, but I just realized I’ve no patience for books featuring Muslim terrorists and American undercover operatives. I find it an over-used and corrosive narrative, and there are so many other books. . .
So the first book I started and finished in November, #69 in my Reading Journal, was Elif Batuman’s The Idiot. The novel is narrated by the protagonist, a young Turkish-American women at Harvard in the ’90s. Stylistically interesting, with many truly amusing observations about American academic culture from this young woman’s somewhat detached perspective, but I was impatient and skimming by halfway.
(I also posted about I Am Pilgrim and The Idiot on Instagram.
By contrast, Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X (my journal entry begins in the photo above, continues below) was a fast and entertaining read, but also thoughtful and nuanced. A YA novel in free verse might sound an unlikely proposition but the book has been very well received. Recommended.
(My Instagram post here.)
Next up, I read two novels about life for girls (become women, far too soon) in Nigeria. British-Nigerian Abi Daré’s The Girl with the Louding Voice and Edna O’Brien’s Girl.
I found O’Brien’s by far the more harrowing of the two (but an important, if imagined, testimony, and beautifully written, carefully researched) with its narrative of a schoolgirl kidnapped by Boko Haram, held by them for months, tortured, raped, forced into marriage. . . and then after she manages to escape, must confront her family, community, and nation’s response to her as somehow contaminated by and even complicit with the rebel soldiers. . . Daré’s protagonist suffers forced marriage (legalized rape in an abusive household) and then extended servitude and more abuse after she escapes. Both novels are well worth reading, despite the horrors they represent, not only to broaden our knowledge of Africa, to offer some solidarity to the victims in our witnessing of their stories. . . but also because both offer scenes of beauty and friendship, humanity and resilience, possibilities for resisting and persisting.
(My Instagram post about these two.)
#73 on my year’s reading list was a palate cleanser after the two “witnessing” novels. Nothing like a spate of fictional thriller murders to lighten the spirit. . . . #kiddingnotkidding. . . Thomas Perry’s A Small Town was fast-paced and the premise was intriguing. And just when there was a chance it might become pedantically formulaic, he changed up the plot. . . I love Perry’s Jane Whitfield series, but A Small Town is a stand-alone title.
And for #74, combining armchair travel with mystery, Christobel Kent’s A Fine and Private Place (also marketed as A Murder in Tuscany for those who don’t like literary allusions in their murder mystery titles). Very satisfying, but do read A Time for Mourningfirst.
More armchair travel as elderly retired chemistry professor takes temporary custody of a great-nephew he’s only just learned of. . . in Emma Donoghue’s Akin. We’ve seen and read versions of this basic plot, with too many playing to every cliché. Donoghue keeps it fresh and interesting. . . and the backdrop of Nice plus the investigation of a World War II family mystery help. (Instagram post about #74 and #75 here.)
Louise Erdrich’s The Night Watchman was the book that really shone for me this month, and it’s probably in my top three for the year. Not only does it work to illuminate a deliberately obscured chapter in American nation-building, but it’s full of wonderful characters and so many hopeful, affirming, human and humane stories. If you’d like to know more about Native American or First Nations or indigenous culture and history, this novel is a wonderful opportunity. So good. My husband is currently reading it at my urging, and thoroughly enjoying it, as I did. . . Instagram post here.
I’ll close November’s Reading List with a book I read to my granddaughter (8) on FaceTime over the month. It’s a beautiful story (made into the movie Hugo, which you may have seen). . . that folds into its narrative some of film’s early history, thus inviting its young readers to imagine a time before they could see their Nana read to them from far away . . .
Beautiful illustrations to pause and marvel at, as well. Would make a great gift for a young reader, and maybe they’d let you read it to them. . .
And that’s it! Only one month’s reading left to post for 2020 and not much more than two weeks in which to do that reading. It’s been a strange and challenging year in so many years, and I think we’re all pinning big hopes on 2021. But how are you making the most of your last reading days of the year? I’d say most of us have more reading time than we generally do during this (normally) festive season. . . Have you found a few gems to get you through until New Year’s Eve? Are you spending some of this end-of-year time thinking back on your favourite books of 2020? Have you some particular wishes for titles you’d like to find under the tree? Or recommendations for books to give (or get) as gifts? Please, have a seat in my Literary Salon and join the conversation in the comments below. I’ll bring you a cup of tea or a mug of mulled wine, your choice, and we can chat books until the year is out!
xo,
f
I would happily join you over a glass of mulled wine to chat about books and to thank you for all your posts throughout the year (and years!) Thanks to you and your other readers I have discovered some wonderful new authors, particularly international ones (I am currently reading Élif Shafak’s “10 minutes 38 seconds…”) I know that a great deal of time and effort must be involved in preparing these posts and I certainly appreciate them.
As for my own reading, I finished Keigo Higashino’s “Naroka,” and ended up mostly enjoying it. It’s not one of his usual mysteries but more of a paranormal tale: when a young girl recovers from a serious bus accident that claimed the life of her mother, she returns to her father and her old life as a schoolgirl with all the traits, mannerisms and knowledge of her mother. There are some interesting details of life and gender roles in modern Japan and it also delves into the question of how one woman is given a second chance to reframe her life. There is an interesting twist at the end that I found very satisfying.
Here’s to another year of great reading!
Frances in Sidney
Thanks for the kind words, Frances (in Sidney ;-). . . Wouldn't it be great if we could all gather, in person. . .
Naroka sounds very interesting as a way of exploring that mother-daughter relationship and issues of gender — and I don't doubt that I'd find the twist satisfying as well. The few novels of his that I've read so far have been so cleverly plotted, subtly and intricately. . .
I stopped by today to do research aka refresh my memory…
I was listening to the 'Simply Foxed' podcast and to my delight the guest was Alexandra Harris, author of my beloved Weatherland (I'm sure I have talked at length about this before so won't bore you with stories of my delight in it); she was lovely and very enthusiastic about her subject: winter. I came away wondering why I don't have a copy of Orlando despite having read it many times (now remedied) and trying to remember what I thought about Ali Smith's Winter. Came back to see if I commented here, which I did, that is now ordered as well.
I have been buying books apace but a lot of it is rereading and almost invariably I am finding a lot of new scope for thought. It is the 'small world' feeling of books and the joy in finding connections that pleases me so. (I was listening to that podcast while walking and must have been grinning away the whole time…thinking 'oh me too!')
Ha ha in case you are wondering I did read your post! I used to gobble up Louise Erdrich and Edna O'Brien too, and had forgotten about them both. I think that has come from not trolling the shelves of the library in recent years. There were a lot of gems to be found that way.
I have the new Elena Ferrante from one of my previous ordering sprees and read the first few pages but it is not seasonally appropriate right now so will save it for next summer. Winter needs Russian authors, spies and dark romantic love (or a combination thereof).
I laugh to myself when my comments are longer than your posts but I haven't touched base for ages so consider this a Christmas letter. Humour me please 🙂
The Night Watchman sounds very interesting…
I'm not a fan of dystopian fiction,but Diane Cook's The New Wilderness is an excellent book,set in a dystopian,apocalyptical future,more Jean M.Auel's Earth Children series than Mad Max environment. I liked it very much
It seems that Booker was all about mother-daughter (or son-I've just started Shuggie Bain by Stuart Douglas) dramas and relationship this year-I've finished Burnt Sugar at last
Georgia,are you writing about Ferrante's The Lying Life of Adults? I've started it a month ago and didn't continue till recently (I have to return the book to my friend)-she writes as usual,there are similar characters,situations and dilemmas,only the main character Giovanna,young girl (it is a kind of Bildungsroman),is from Neapolitan middle upper class,but there are family connections with poor neighbourhood,there is also kind of Nino Sarratore character as love interest….my"oh,me too" moment,as Georgia said, was the review in The Guardian
I've read my first Andrea Camilleri's book (in a horrible translatation from italian to croatian) The Safety Net
Dottoressa
Yes, D, that's the one…I enjoyed the pages I read but can imagine Naples better when there's no snow on the ground. Despite my excellent and vivid imagination I do have a difficult time taking myself to another season (in real life as well as in fiction…causes problems packing…oh! to be packing again).
G
Georgia: Your comment sent me back to my post on Ali Smith's Winter — two years ago, and I have to say I liked those longer, more analytical, slightly more comprehensive responses better than what I'm doing now — except that now I tend to keep up, and I have a record for myself in compact form (my little notebook) — and I don't have to spend as much time at the screen. But. . . Hmmm. . . .
I looked up Weatherland again and it's tempting me as much as the first time you mentioned it. Ugh! So many books! How ever to keep up?! I have the new Elena Ferrante as well, but I think when I picked it up I was intending to give it to my daughter for Christmas. . . which actually might work well, since later she can lend it back to me.
I love to see you and D chatting back and forth to each other here. . . And someday, I should compile a list of all the books you readers have recommended here. D., have you watched the Montalbano series? We subscribed to MhZ choice and saw the many years of it, a good way to visit Sicily since our trip was cancelled. I've read a couple (in English, of course) but scarcely remember as that was many years ago.
No,I didn't watched the Montalbano series,but I think you've mentioned Camilleri long ago. The translation was like Google translate- I might try english (or italian :-)) version
Georgia,yes,it makes sense,I didn't think about seasons 🙂
D.
Thanks, Frances for giving me some ideas for when I run out of the books I should read over the holidays. I will definitely put my name on the OPL list for The Night Watchman and see if they have any of the Thomas Perry series you mention. I've not read him at all. In fact my reading has slipped alarmingly this year. Hoping to recapture that delicious feeling of settling into a good book over Christmas.
Sue: It did look as if you have a stack that will keep you going right through the holidays. . . And I think you'll get that feeling, especially as everything else shuts down for a bit. . . But for later, I do think you'll enjoy The Night Watchman and we can all learn from it. As for Thomas Perry, it might be worth checking the order of the jane Whitfield books and starting at the beginning. I hope they stand up — years and years since I read those early ones.