I must have seen this on a bookish vlog to make me add it, as the title and the cover aren't particularly inspiring. Thanks to whoever brought this toI must have seen this on a bookish vlog to make me add it, as the title and the cover aren't particularly inspiring. Thanks to whoever brought this to my attention.
Greta & Valdin are two siblings in their twenties, trying to find their way. Greta is 25 and doing a PhD in comparative literature and like most people in academia, she's struggling with her minimal income and dealing with academia politics. On top of that, she thinks she's in love with a fellow PhD student except that she's only using Greta. Greta lives with her older brother Valdin, 28, who's quit his academic career he worked hard at and now is doing a travel show. Valdin is broken-hearted about a recent breakup.
The two young people are gorgeous individuals. We hear their thoughts via alternating chapters. The writing is smooth and natural. Greta and Valdin have a mixed heritage, with the mother being Maori and the father Russian. The family dynamics were lovely and complex, both parents are intellectuals, quite open-minded and supportive. There's queerness galore in the extended family.
This debut novel was wholesome, endearing, and a pleasure to listen to. The multiple narrators were excellent. Incredibly enough, there were no descriptive sex scenes, no acts or behaviours to shock the reader.
So congratulations to Rebecca K Kelly for writing such a delightful novel....more
Dawn French is a British comedy legend, who's also turned to writing. This is made up of anecdotes and recollections that involved some kind of oopsieDawn French is a British comedy legend, who's also turned to writing. This is made up of anecdotes and recollections that involved some kind of oopsies, gaffes, blunders and accidents. She's a delightful narrator, full of spark and personality, as you'd expect if you ever watched her on the small screen.
To paraphrase her - enjoy your twattery, lean into being a twat, it makes life more interesting....more
BOOK OF THE YEAR for me! Winner of the inaugural Women's Prize for non-fiction. (UK)
This is the Book of the year for me! I can't rave enough about it.BOOK OF THE YEAR for me! Winner of the inaugural Women's Prize for non-fiction. (UK)
This is the Book of the year for me! I can't rave enough about it.
Naomi Klein gets confused often with Naomi Wolf, a former lefty feminist, now, a right-wing nutjob, and conspiracy theorist promoter, anti-vaxxer, gun lover. Both are named Naomi, both are Jewish, Wolf is American, Klein is Canadian.
A bit of personal history: Before I deleted my Twitter account, I used to be on it a lot - mainly for news and politics. Occasionally, I used to correct people who confused and tagged Klein when they were referring to Wolf. At some point, in 2019, I was live chatting with Wolf on YouTube, as she took on a conservative Australian government representative and I was delighting in a Twitter pile-on. I was retweeting and exchanging views with Wolf on Twitter. When Covid hit I started nnoticing all sorts of weird posts and stances that made me uncomfortable. Not so slowly, she became more unhinged, full-blown coo-coo, I remember laughing at her posts about clouds, I thought she was mocking other people's ridiculous tweets, only to discover she was serious. I promptly unfollowed her.
Doppelganger covers so many topics: our public, social media persona, tribalism, fascism, climate change, capitalism, tribalism, racism, right-wing nationalism, Jewish entity and Zionism, Gaza, Autism, techno feudalism, colonialism. Klein is a genius, unlike other egomaniacal so-called geniuses, she is a thoughtful, kind human.
Just in case my quickly penned thoughts don't make it clear - you should read this book....more
This is a coming of age novel about Molly Bolt, a smart, vibrant, active girl, strong willed and determined, covering just over ten years of her life,This is a coming of age novel about Molly Bolt, a smart, vibrant, active girl, strong willed and determined, covering just over ten years of her life, until she was 24. It's the 60s, lots of changes are happening, in some parts slower than others. Molly is the adopted child of a modest family. The mother is not very nice, she can't accept Molly's exuberant personality and tries to subdue her. But there's no stopping Molly, who realises early on that she likes girls. That doesn't stop her playing the field, adhering to hetero-normative ways for a while, she's very astute in that way.
She knows she's got to escape her small world and the only way is by getting a scholarship. College allows her to reignite her lesbian ways, getting a bit too comfortable, so she gets into trouble.
I loved Molly for her determination and focus, ambition, and staying her course in a world that worked hard to keep women "in their place" as reproducers and homemakers.
I can only imagine the waves this novel must have caused when it was first published in the 70s. ...more
I can't concentrate on literary books, so upon checking one of the library apps came across one of Penny Re3.5 This novel should have been titled GRUFF
I can't concentrate on literary books, so upon checking one of the library apps came across one of Penny Reid's audiobooks.
I've always liked Reid's novels, while they have the usual romance tropes, they're smarter and not problematic.
This novel was the palate cleanser I was after. I didn't roll my eyes too much at the plot and characters, but I exercised my eyes whenever I heard the word gruff, which was a lot, pretty much every single time the footballer dude was saying something his voice was described as gruff. Gruff, gruff, gruff ...
I'm still searching for that illusive/elusive romance male character who's funny, passionate about progressive causes, he's into art, music, books - now that would be sexy!!!!...more
McFadden's books kept popping up on my newsfeed, so I wanted to see what the fuss was all about.
This started pretty well, I appreciate first person nMcFadden's books kept popping up on my newsfeed, so I wanted to see what the fuss was all about.
This started pretty well, I appreciate first person narrations, especially coming from the so-called "unlikeable" female characters. One of them is Eve Bennett, a high school Mathematics teacher, married to the gorgeous English teacher, Nate, both having the same workplace. Their marriage is horrible, even though they're young.
The other narrator is Addie, an unpopular, needy, lost sixteen-year-old student, who's on everyone's radar for causing a popular teacher's resignation. I tried to be sympathetic and understanding, after all who among us hasn't put a teacher on a pedestal, but Addie's narration and idiocy drove me up the walls. Also, she didn't feel like a real person, she was both incredibly, stupidly naive, but also had the ability to break into people's places etc. Oh, and those inner monologues ...
I could go into more details, but that would involve giving away spoilers. The more I progressed, the messier, more improbable and more ridiculous this novel became. Had it not been an audiobook, I wouldn't have bothered finishing it.
I'm no fan of epilogues - this one was beyond ridiculous....more
Thelonious Ellison is a professor and novelist. His novels are too intellectual, too high-brow, to the point of being incomprehensible. When his la4.5
Thelonious Ellison is a professor and novelist. His novels are too intellectual, too high-brow, to the point of being incomprehensible. When his latest novel is being rejected on account of making no sense, he's despondent, seeing what type of novel is at the top of the best sellers list only lowers his spirit. To make things worse, his family is going through a series of crises and a tragedy.
Pissed off, Thelonious takes to writing in the style of a ghetto thug. He's having so much fun with it. His unamused agent will submit it, under a pseudonym. Surprises follow!
This novel is a brilliant satire about the literary and publishing world, about race and the limitations and expectations associated with one's skin colour, which make Thelonious feel like he does not fit in anywhere.
This is the fourth Everett novel that I read in the past two years. I'm in awe of his intelligence and how he twists language to make a point or several in just the right number of pages. So often, I found myself guffawing.
As I said in a previous update, Sean Crisden's delivery is worthy of an award or several.
Before reading this, my husband and I watched American Fiction, which we appreciated for the most part, but were puzzled by its ending. I wonder if Everett was OK with it, as the movie's ending was over the top and different to his novel. ...more
I almost DNF this, but other readers convinced me to keep going.
My Brilliant Sister is a genre-bending novel, made up of three stories. It starts w3.5
I almost DNF this, but other readers convinced me to keep going.
My Brilliant Sister is a genre-bending novel, made up of three stories. It starts with the story of Ida, a Kiwi who moved to Melbourne with her husband, a writer, and their young daughter. Ida is stressed, working as a high school English teacher during the pandemic no less, in a city which frequently locked down. Juggling a demanding job, a young child and a household doesn't allow for much time to do what one wants - writing a novel and/or trying to get a position as an academic. She's resentful of her husband, whose life is smooth, he's unencumbered by domestic mundanities, carving many hours to do his thing. Besides, he unilaterally decided that the family should move to Melbourne.
The second and longest part is a fictionalised account of Stella Miles Franklin's sister, who by all accounts was nowhere near as passionate, restless, and challenging as her older, famous writer sister, who wrote My Brilliant Career a famous, autofiction novel that is still studied in Australian schools today. (I'm yet to read it, although I have a copy on my bookshelf). Via letters to her sister, Linda paints a picture of accepting domesticity and one's diminished role. Fair or not, this longer account got boring to me after a while, so I considered abandoning the audiobook.
The last part is about Stella, a famous musician from New Zealand, who's dealing with the loss of a relationship with a band member and finds herself alone and lonely. There's a price for everything, every choice has a consequence. Domesticity, motherhood, and careers seem to collide, pull and push. How many of our choices are free will? Are there people with no regrets, people who wondered about paths not taken?
My Brilliant Sister is an excellent debut novel that showcases Brown's writing skills. I'm looking forward to reading her next book.
Ordinary Human Failings is seemingly a thriller, mystery.
Nolan's writing shines when it comes to characterisations. Told via multiple POVs, over decaOrdinary Human Failings is seemingly a thriller, mystery.
Nolan's writing shines when it comes to characterisations. Told via multiple POVs, over decades, it has at its centre the Greens, an Irish family who moved to London. This is a novel about disenfranchisement, mistakes that affect one’s once promising future, lack of opportunities, depression, alcoholism, loneliness to name just a few of the themes. Nolan does a great job humanising all the individuals, even the very flawed.
Ordinary Human Failings is worth checking out – the writing is masterful, the narrator, Jessica Regan, was top notch....more
This is the first time I read a book about Libya and Libyans, My Friends filled in some gaps in my limited knowledge. Growing up in Romania, CeausescuThis is the first time I read a book about Libya and Libyans, My Friends filled in some gaps in my limited knowledge. Growing up in Romania, Ceausescu was very fond of Qaddafi, I guess they were kindred spirits in their megalomaniac, dictatorial ways. Unfortunately, the Libyans had to suffer even longer than the Romanians. Anyway ...
This was unique, not only because of its Libyan protagonists but also because it's about the friendship between three men, who met while in exile in the UK. The novel is narrated by Khaled, who received a scholarship to study English literature in Edinburgh, where he meets a fellow Libyan, Mustafa. The two become good friends. Mustafa pushes Khaled to join him to protest in front of the Libyan embassy in London. Both young men get shot, with Khaled taking quite a bit of time to recover. That was an actual event that happened in April 1984. Both young men fear repercussions from the Libyan regime, known for assassinations of dissidents who were in exile in other countries. Khaled kept those events hidden from his parents and sister, who were still living in Libya under the regime.
A chance encounter brings another Lybian into Khaled's circle - Hosam is an author, whose short story left a strong impression on Khaled when he had heard it on the radio years prior. The three are different men, Khaled is the connecting link between Mustafa and Hosam. We follow them over decades.
This novel is highly introspective and permeated with melancholy, which was amplified by Hisham Matar's soothing voice, which I found mesmerising and calming. Destiny, belonging, self-determination and duty are always on Khaled's mind, who could never quite find his place. He came across as indecisive and impassionate, I guess people have a certain disposition and temper.
I was impressed with Matar's writing, I'll try to get my hands on his other books....more
For quite some time, I was asking myself why am I listening to a novel about a thirty-five-year old British man. I realised some years back that I'm nFor quite some time, I was asking myself why am I listening to a novel about a thirty-five-year old British man. I realised some years back that I'm not that interested in male perspectives anymore. Of course, one should allow for exceptions. I thought it was a strange/unexpected choice for a female writer to focus most of the novel on Andy and have it narrated in the first person. Our hero is lost, taken aback by the break-up of a four-year relationship, so he tries to understand. He goes through different stages from obsessing, sulking, finding comfort in alcohol. He fails to find adequate support in his male friends due to men's inability to talk about feelings and also due to his friends' busy lives with partners and kids, which is yet another reminder that he's single, although he'd have liked to be like his pals.
It's difficult to hate someone when you're in their head (assuming the writing is decent), so Andy grew on me. I thought his portrayal was realistic and nuanced. He wasn't a bad man, it's just that Jan outgrew him, she wanted different things and was brave enough to recognise that and do something about it.
The truth is that relationships are difficult, so many things have to align, people change and yes, women have more options and are less willing to settle. Many younger women see the price of having kids as too high and have decided otherwise. It's their lives, so it's their right.
So, in conclusion, I ended up liking and appreciating Alderdon's novel about a thirty-five-year-old's break-up and the mending of his broken heart. ...more
I borrowed this because I liked the cover. The Divorcees is set in the 1950s US. Our main heroine is Lois Saunders, a sole child of Polish immigrants,I borrowed this because I liked the cover. The Divorcees is set in the 1950s US. Our main heroine is Lois Saunders, a sole child of Polish immigrants, who wants to divorce her husband of four years, not as easy to accomplish without proof or causes such as violence.
Enter the divorce farms in Nevada. The state was granting easier, no-fault divorces, as long as you were a resident, easily achieved as it only required one to have resided in the state a minimum of six weeks.
So Lois makes her way to Golden Yarrow, a respectable divorce farm, where she meets different women working on extricating themselves from their unhappy marriages. They have different stories and circumstances. Lois is shy and has a penchant for telling lies. Enter the enigmatic Greer. For some strange reason, Green takes a shine to Lois. The two of them strike a friendship of sorts. Lois feels seen. Also, Green challenges her and pushes her limits in all sorts of ways. But all is not what it seems.
This novel was slow going although it's relatively short. There were a lot of repetitive situations, some of the women at the farm were undeveloped. I did have a clue about a pivotal moment in the novel. The ending could have been better.
This wasn't the book to get me out of my reading funk by entertaining me. I picked this one up without checking the GR ratings, but was somewhat en2.5
This wasn't the book to get me out of my reading funk by entertaining me. I picked this one up without checking the GR ratings, but was somewhat enticed by the fact it had a writer in it and it was set in Cornwall.
The cover and the title are similar to Beach Read by Emily Henry - which I wasn't gaga over it.
This novel had too many subplots and tangents, the male interests were jerks or not that interesting. But, I read worse. Also, what kind of name is Alexis for a man?
Why is it so hard to find a good, lighter read? :-(...more
This collection of essays contains quite a few autobiographical segments.
Flanagan's father, a prisoner of war and slave on the notorious Thai Burma RThis collection of essays contains quite a few autobiographical segments.
Flanagan's father, a prisoner of war and slave on the notorious Thai Burma Railway, and his shy mother, who raised six kids, are at the centre of this collection, and so is Tasmania, his home state.
Flanagan's beautiful writing and intelligence kept me interested in the different aspects of this book....more
Phoebe Cotton is a young librarian who has misophonia - she finds certain noises extremely irritating, which she's aware of, therefore avoids most sitPhoebe Cotton is a young librarian who has misophonia - she finds certain noises extremely irritating, which she's aware of, therefore avoids most situations that involve noise, especially eating noise. Most of the socialising is around eating food, therefore, Phoebe has become a bit of a recluse, only seeing her loving parents, visiting her grumpy grandmother now and then, and coping with the library work environment, which is pretty quiet compared to other places.
Some postcards sent to her house but addressed to another person are an intriguing mystery. Enter Suze, a PhD student, who's got additional information about the cards. Phoebe, Suze and Monty, a young man whose parents own the local post office become close, trying to find out who was the addressee on the postcards.
This is a sweet novel about finding one's place, getting over inhibitions, and finding people who accept you for who you are.
The characters were well-developed, the story was familiar but compelling....more
3.5 I was curious about this novel, I thought it'd be a romance, rom-com Aussie novel. It's not. Hera is twenty-four and just muddles through life. She 3.5 I was curious about this novel, I thought it'd be a romance, rom-com Aussie novel. It's not. Hera is twenty-four and just muddles through life. She doesn't know what she wants from life, she's intelligent but not willing to settle, and she's antsy. She's got a couple of humanities degrees, she'd rather study than work for a corporation, but one needs money to survive, even though she's living in her father's place and doesn't have to pay rent. So she takes a job to moderate comments for a news website. She hates her job, most colleagues and is quietly dispering. One day she stumbles upon Arthur, a forty-something journalist, who is intrigued by her bluntness and sense of humour.
Hera has mostly been with women, suddenly she's into this guy and enjoys having snarky, teasing chat message exchanges. Besides, she's so damn bored. So what's a man and a woman to do - they hook up. Besides the age gap, there's one little problem - the dude is married. Oh, the cliche. Hera is aware, she's not stupid. So what will happen to them, will he leave his wife? They are both declarative and the guy makes promises, but because he's such a nice guy he has to find the right time, he doesn't want to hurt his partner of twenty years. Feel free to roll your eyes, I certainly did.
I get why some would hate this book - Hera is not that particularly likeable, she makes a problematic choice, or several, still, despite those barriers, there were quite a few things I appreciated about this novel: - a realistic, flawed main heroine, bonus points for her being bisexual; - she's witty and quite in touch with herself, oh the irony that she still lies to herself for a man, an undecided, coward - but, it's love! - it was just different from all the other Gen Z, millennial sad female character novels.
This is not for everyone, but a worthy debut novel.
The e-audiobook was available on the library apps, so I thought I'd try it, especially since it wasn't long.
I confess I have a somewhat snobbish attitThe e-audiobook was available on the library apps, so I thought I'd try it, especially since it wasn't long.
I confess I have a somewhat snobbish attitude towards books written by celebrities/actors, which more often or not are written by ghostwriters. If you're like me, you don't need to worry about this novel.
Hawke sure took the mantra, advice "write what you know" to heart, as this novel is about a thirty-two-year-old movie actor, who's about to divorce his gorgeous, talented, famous music star wife. He's taken a beating in the media due to his cheating and there's disdain thrown his way. He's also starting a new challenge, being in a Shakespeare play on Broadway.
The poor, pretty boy William, just wants to be loved and admired, he wants to be a good dad and his marriage to work, why doesn't the world give him a break? (insert small violins)
At some point, I was asking myself why am I listening to a novel about a self-involved actor, who's got a crisis of confidence and feels sorry for himself and self-sabotages.
Truthfully, this was well written, at times brilliant, at times self-indulgent and infuriating. Hawke was such an excellent narrator, it only showcased how smoothly the novel flowed and the naturalness of the dialogue.
A Bright Ray of Darkness had some great observations on culture, theatre, and art in general, the theatre scenes were quite interesting to me. ...more
I thought this was going to be something else, but at least I didn't hate it, which is an accomplishment in itself.
Miss Eliza Balfour is a widow at3.5
I thought this was going to be something else, but at least I didn't hate it, which is an accomplishment in itself.
Miss Eliza Balfour is a widow at only twenty-seven years old. Luckily, she's a very rich one, which affords one so much freedom, even given the double standards of the era. She has to overcome her nature which has always been submissive, fearful and compliant.
Will she finally do what she wants to do and come into herself?
There's a love triangle of sorts to keep things interesting. While this has the usual cliches of the genre, I went along for the ride and sort of enjoyed it. I put that in the wins category. :-)...more
Crudo is about a forty year old woman who's about to get married. Her life is changing, the UK is changing, the world is one big boiling pot which sheCrudo is about a forty year old woman who's about to get married. Her life is changing, the UK is changing, the world is one big boiling pot which she's aware of due to consuming the news and being on Twitter.
This is a short, fast paced, direction and ideas changing novel, that should have greatly appealed to me, alas I couldn't get into it, many a times I found myself not taking anything in, I didn't feel anything except for mild irritation about not knowing what the point was.
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