Really 3.5 stars - you don't read Dan Brown for great literature, but a quick read with conspiracy theories, obscure religious sects, art, and symbolsReally 3.5 stars - you don't read Dan Brown for great literature, but a quick read with conspiracy theories, obscure religious sects, art, and symbols. There are many internet rabbit holes a person could go down if she wanted to.
This time around, the setting is Spain, with a discovery made by an Elon Musk type tech master. The discovery is supposed to change everything for the world's religions, so he meets with three religious leaders before making the announcement, as a courtesy. This puts him in danger, and of course Robert Langdon ends up at the center of all the action, forced by events outside his control to go on a big adventure/escape/pursuit with the closest intelligent and beautiful woman, this time the director of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. She also happens to be engaged to the prince of Spain, and is it possible all of this is connected to the royal family and the church?
As far as character development goes, it is minimal. Back story of some characters is only used to make the reader question if they are good or evil, and there are only two camps. The plot actually wasn't of much interest to me, but I liked reading about the art and the various places of intrigue around Barcelona and other regions of Spain. Sometimes that's enough in a book like this.
Thanks to the publisher for providing access to the audiobook, although I got to it kind of late. The narrator did a great job.
Merged review:
Really 3.5 stars - you don't read Dan Brown for great literature, but a quick read with conspiracy theories, obscure religious sects, art, and symbols. There are many internet rabbit holes a person could go down if she wanted to.
This time around, the setting is Spain, with a discovery made by an Elon Musk type tech master. The discovery is supposed to change everything for the world's religions, so he meets with three religious leaders before making the announcement, as a courtesy. This puts him in danger, and of course Robert Langdon ends up at the center of all the action, forced by events outside his control to go on a big adventure/escape/pursuit with the closest intelligent and beautiful woman, this time the director of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. She also happens to be engaged to the prince of Spain, and is it possible all of this is connected to the royal family and the church?
As far as character development goes, it is minimal. Back story of some characters is only used to make the reader question if they are good or evil, and there are only two camps. The plot actually wasn't of much interest to me, but I liked reading about the art and the various places of intrigue around Barcelona and other regions of Spain. Sometimes that's enough in a book like this.
Thanks to the publisher for providing access to the audiobook, although I got to it kind of late. The narrator did a great job....more
This was a quick read for the non fiction quarter of Reading Envy Russia - the artist was present for many 21st century protests in Russia, and also dThis was a quick read for the non fiction quarter of Reading Envy Russia - the artist was present for many 21st century protests in Russia, and also did some reportage with groups of people like "working women" and a group of people who had been basically slaves imported from bordering countries but the local government turned a blind eye.
Some of the graphic art is in the moment, like during a court proceeding or a protest march, while some is more refined. Both styles are powerful, and Victoria Lomasko's art and activism are deeply intwined.
This was longlisted (but not shortlisted) for the Booker Prize in 2021 but is just now coming out in the United States later this month. I had early aThis was longlisted (but not shortlisted) for the Booker Prize in 2021 but is just now coming out in the United States later this month. I had early access from Random House in audio.
Karen Jennings is a white South African writer, and I only say this because the narrative voice and audiobook narrator (Ben Onwukwe) are definitely Black. The narrator in the story is African but the country of origin is unnamed. This made me a little squirmy for sure - Africa is a varied and complex place and I don't think it hurts anyone to just go ahead and place the story relating to a specific time and place. Perhaps the author was angling for universal themes.
The story is about Samuel, who has been tending a lighthouse on an island off the coast of "somewhere in Africa" for two decades. He has regular deliveries of supplies but lives mostly on his own. Some kind of conflict has sent the occasional dead body to his shore, and he always buries them. One day, one of the bodies is still alive and it puts his small life and his personal history in a spin. ...more
My last read of April, the latest book of short stories included in the Indigenous Reading Circle - I really enjoyed the voice in the stories, and quiMy last read of April, the latest book of short stories included in the Indigenous Reading Circle - I really enjoyed the voice in the stories, and quite a bit of internal dialogue, something I've learned I like when done well....more
I really loved the last book by this author - A Girl Returned - and this one is good too, focused more on a sister relationship, with one sister tryinI really loved the last book by this author - A Girl Returned - and this one is good too, focused more on a sister relationship, with one sister trying to support/rescue her sister without ever knowing the full story. Set largely in a fishing community in an Italian coastal town, and a quick read. ...more
If you're like me and struggle to read history, make it a cultural history like this one, where the history is told sideways through the life and workIf you're like me and struggle to read history, make it a cultural history like this one, where the history is told sideways through the life and work of an artist, in this case the composer Dmitri Shostakovich and his hometown of Leningrad, up until and during the Siege itself. The publisher is also YA and while this book is considered YA, I didn't find it overly simplified in its discussion of the music or the history. The author does a fantastic job narrating his own work, bringing a vibrance to the political and musical worlds of Shostakovich.
One of my goals this year was to better understand how Russia moved from WWI into the 1950s and still remain a powerhouse despite - or as I'm learning on top of - the devastation to the country and its people. The background of this story displays many of the missteps made by the Soviet government - really mostly Stalin - on the German front in particular, but also in dealing with their own citizens. One somewhat sordid argument this author uncovers is that it was Stalin's history of food deprivation that may have trained the citizens of Leningrad to survive what should have been an impossible solution. I don't want to give him that much credit, but it was an interesting tangent.
And who will now go on a Shostakovich listening spree? It's me!...more
This is a feat of research and writing about Ukraine in the 1930s, and how Stalin's policies intentionally targeted Ukrainians, resulting in widespreaThis is a feat of research and writing about Ukraine in the 1930s, and how Stalin's policies intentionally targeted Ukrainians, resulting in widespread famine and what many consider genocide. From collectivization to dekulakization, the author shows how Ukraine was stripped of its resources and culture and then punished further for not being able to provide more. I was shocked this time period is still highly debated/contested - largely by the Russian government - well shocked might be too strong of a word, after all Putin borrows from Stalin in categorizing Ukrainians as Nazis in order to justify his decisions.
For my tastes, there are so many names and so many details that the reading was sometimes a slog. However I don't know how the author could have written it without those details since she has done so well pulling them all together. I just don't read a lot of history.
This is one of the books I selected for the non-fiction quarter of Reading Envy Russia (#readingenvyrussia) - April was month 1 so you can still join in with 2 more months of non-fiction reading to go....more
Presented solely as words on the page, I would give these poems overall three stars. There are themes of the female body - in pain, in pleasure - the Presented solely as words on the page, I would give these poems overall three stars. There are themes of the female body - in pain, in pleasure - the black body, moving between worlds. Quite a few of the poems repeat in thematic material although I did appreciate the varieties of structure and length.
But Ama Asantewa Diaka sees herself as a storyteller, not just a poet, and reading the words on the page is only part of the experience. The experience of her work is much more enticing, and I'd encourage you to watch a video or two.
I'm one of many people who felt drawn to reading more about Ukraine. This novel was already on my radar so I purchased it from Two Dollar Radio.
PublisI'm one of many people who felt drawn to reading more about Ukraine. This novel was already on my radar so I purchased it from Two Dollar Radio.
Publisher summary excerpt: "[This novel] follows four individuals over the course of a volatile Ukrainian winter, as their lives are forever changed by the Euromaidan protests. Katya is a Ukrainian-American doctor stationed at a makeshift medical clinic in St. Michael’s Monastery; Misha is an engineer originally from Pripyat, who has lived in Kyiv since his wife’s death; Slava is a fiery young activist whose past hardships steel her determination in the face of persecution; and Aleksandr Ivanovich, a former KGB agent, climbs atop a burned-out police bus at Independence Square and plays the piano."
Set in 2013-14 but also rooted in the complexities of the past (from the mythical Rus to Cossacks to Chernobyl), alternating viewpoints include the four characters plus news articles, cassette recordings, songs, and more. It's very readable and brings the reader into the intimacy of the recent past for Ukraine. Honestly I was trying to read non-fiction about Stalin's war on Ukraine and was drawn back into fiction instead.
The author is not Ukrainian but is donating all proceeds of the book to relief orgs benefitting Ukrainian people at the time of this review.
One friend said they couldn't tell if I liked the book and my feelings are mixed - it has many techniques I like, the rotating perspectives, the various format types, the short chapters, the tidbits that send me off on research projects, for instance listening to the bells of St. Michaels in 2013 on YouTube (only the second time they were played as part of a conflict, the previous time was with the Mongols!) But it feels weird to say I liked a novel about a previous conflict when the country it's about it in such turmoil now with people dead in the street. It even took me a while to read because I struggled to return to a setting that doesn't even exist as it's described because of the Russian invasion, and the book is set only 8 years in the past. I can be quite the emotional reader sometimes.
This book has come up a few times on the Reading Envy podcast this year, and will also be mentioned on episode 245.
The author is not from Ukraine but is a bit of a subject matter expert, and also published this list of suggested books to read to learn more: https://electricliterature.com/a-lite......more
As the author points out, there seems to be a focus on the Asian diaspora that leaves out English-speaking Asian people who still live in Asia. She shAs the author points out, there seems to be a focus on the Asian diaspora that leaves out English-speaking Asian people who still live in Asia. She shares what it was like to grow up in Hong Kong, to continue to live there during graduate school and early adulthood, to try to write and find space to live, up through the multiple protests and the pandemic.
I'm not sure I would call this the most riveting read, just one person's normal life in a very specific place, but I learned a lot more about Hong Kong and what it's like to live there, so at least I can cross it off of my Around the World reading list!
And yes I know technically HK is part of China, but has a unique political history and deserves its own attention. ...more
Don't read these poems if you have a hard time fathoming that people might reject your white supremacy or your religion, or maybe do read these poems Don't read these poems if you have a hard time fathoming that people might reject your white supremacy or your religion, or maybe do read these poems if you haven't gotten it yet. These poems declare Blackness, Africanness, Angoleseness, queerness, and confront the narrative that white culture and religion should be the dominant/only. The poet does this in ways both serious and lighter ("Find Some Real Chilies" was one of my favorites.) They also embody reclamation of bodily autonomy in a number of ways.
"...what strength we must have to hold secrets inside the body..."
The poet is now living in Denmark in asylum and many of the poems discuss borders and refuge, and the many ways seeking refuge has been made illegal. ...more
This comes out February 15th and I had a digital copy from Drawn and Quarterly via Netgalley - to read the story of Putin is to better understand the This comes out February 15th and I had a digital copy from Drawn and Quarterly via Netgalley - to read the story of Putin is to better understand the story of Russia, unfortunately. He was born in Leningrad/St Petersburg only eight years after the siege and clawed his way to positions of power and money. He's like the Dick Cheney of Russia, where for every shady situation, you pull back the curtain and there he is.
This is content that probably exists in biographies and other critiques of Putin and his policies, but for me, easier to consume in graphic form. It's really astounding how Putin can have such a high popularity rating when we know about the people he's had killed (goodbye, free press, goodbye, vocal opponents), the countries he's invaded or destroyed, but since we have a person who copies his playbook, it also feels familiar.
In my year of reading Russia I worry I lack the knowledge to understand the subtext of the literature I'm reading, and from that perspective this graphic non fiction book helps provide context about Russia's power and control from the fall of the Soviet Union to the present day. Putin has been there all along.......more
This short book is so much about language - double meanings, puns, innuendo - the translator should receive all prizes for making it work in English.
TThis short book is so much about language - double meanings, puns, innuendo - the translator should receive all prizes for making it work in English.
The narrator is a 12 year old girl living with a father obsessed with concrete so there is a lot about it, but also living in rural areas, tinkering, absorbing beliefs/knowledge from the family surrounding you (some homophobia and racism are included although it's pretty clear the author is putting loaded language in the mouths of a child who doesn't understand it.)
Most of the time I could picture old male readers chuckling about each clever turn of phrase and that made me like it less (does anyone else ever imagine the perfect reader for a book?) plus what 12 year old would ever be able to make these jokes?
This is one of my last reads for the Tournament of Books shortlist (I still have many left on the long list) and as translated works go, I'm still Labatut forever. 4 stars for the book overall, 5 stars to the translator....more
I didn't really know where to start with Russian novels for #readingenvyrussia so I jumped in with a book I had from @pushkin_press - An Evening with I didn't really know where to start with Russian novels for #readingenvyrussia so I jumped in with a book I had from @pushkin_press - An Evening with Claire by Gaito Gazdanov, originally published in 1930, translated from the Russian by Bryan Karetnyk.
This was an author I didn't know of, but he lived from 1903-1971, and spent most of his life outside of Russia. The novel is described as a coming of age story bookended by two encounters with a woman named Claire, but I found it to be much heavier on coming of age and very sparse on Claire. When she's present the dialogue is in French, which is a pain even if there are reasons.
Most of it is part nostalgia including references to Leo Tolstoy and Kolya's grandfather, who was a nobleman who stole horses in the Caucasus. The narrator lives during a very transitional time, and even joins the White Army against all recommendations, knowing they will probably lose. The style is very internal and philosophical and really is more of a wander through family history and the people he meets.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me early access, even if I ended up saving it for my Russian focus this year....more
I'm trying to read books from the last few countries in my around the world project that I've been working on since 2012, and It Would Be Night in CarI'm trying to read books from the last few countries in my around the world project that I've been working on since 2012, and It Would Be Night in Caracas was recommended by several people for Venezuela.
The author is a journalist from Venezuela who relocated to Madrid, and the main character of the novel follows a similar path. The novel is so focused on her life and struggles without a lot of context so I had to do a lot of reading about Venezuela - its government, the poverty, the violence - it's all there in the background but not something I knew a lot about. And the way the main character encounters it is as a woman alone - at the beginning she has to bury her mother who died because there was no health care infrastructure, without family because they were either dead or unwilling to risk traveling. It isn't long before she decides she has to flee the country, and while a lot of convenient things have to happen for that to work, it is still harrowing.
Interestingly, Venezuela has been in the news this week because they blamed the U.N. and United States for what is happening in Ukraine. That initiated another internet rabbit hole, to find Venezuela closely aligned with Russia and Cuba.
The other thing I did was to spend some time in Google Maps, looking at some of the amazing rainforest landscapes found in the south of the country, and read recent stories about an American who has been held under espionage charges for several years.
You'll see below that this took me a while to read - it's because the violence would make me put it aside for a while....more
I slipped this book in from my eARC backlog. I remember reading a previous novel by this author (Love) with the initial response of frustratCW suicide
I slipped this book in from my eARC backlog. I remember reading a previous novel by this author (Love) with the initial response of frustration with the characters for making bad decisions. Well they are back - not the same characters but new ones, pushing forward through bad times and sometimes pulling people down around them.
There is a somewhat strange combination of things going on here. Liv is the central character and she is a pastor. After the loss of her friend to suicide, she has taken a job in a small Norwegian community within eyesight of a fjord. She has frequent flashbacks to her time at a seminary in Germany as well.
Her new gig hasn't gone well - her introductory sermon went an hour and some people stood up and left, and she has already had to deal with too many men who don't think she should be allowed to be a minister. The community she serves is in the midst of a significant legal conflict over land rights with the Sami..her dissertation is about how language inside a religion effect its practice and understanding, and there is a lot going on about the history of forced conversion, Bible translation, and concepts of justice that she thinks about differently from everyone around her.
And her community is struggling too, including the family she lives with, with one daughter that reminds her of her deceased friend. There is a lot of guilt and distraction over those events that make her not an unreliable narrator but an unfocused one....more
Toufah Jallow won a scholarship contest in her country that was supposed to be her pathway to an education and a better life. The President/Dictator oToufah Jallow won a scholarship contest in her country that was supposed to be her pathway to an education and a better life. The President/Dictator of The Gambia took an interest in her and when she rejected his advances, raped and humiliated her. As a teenager she fled the country, and in just a few years transformed herself into an activist for women's rights in her country and beyond.
She gets referred to as inspiring "West Africa's #metoo movement," but I think the truth is more startling because of the lack of conversation and understanding in The Gambia. Toufah explains how there are no words in three languages foe.the act. There were no support services for victims/survivors of sexual assault, and previous victims of the President/Dictator risked their lives and the lives and livelihoods of their families if they spoke up. The conservative community from which she came also had a pretty firm unspoken agreement that such topics are not discussed, and demonstrate in other ways (arranged marriage etc) that women do not have bodily autonomy.
In 2008, the UN started redefining rape as an act of war, and you can see that rhetoric here, but she also points out how courts are still demanding higher forms of proof when accusing someone of rape than of other war crimes (a section on the word "alleged" is quite powerful.)
I also didn't know of the political turmoil in The Gambia in the last five years, despite having read two novels set there during that time. Toufah's story probably could only have happened during this particular upheaval, although I believe she would have fought for women even if she couldn't have returned home....more
This is the December pick for Sword and Laser and has magic in the form of family curses, living stars, and generations of a family coming together toThis is the December pick for Sword and Laser and has magic in the form of family curses, living stars, and generations of a family coming together to witness the... death (?) of the matriarch. The author was born in Ecuador and the story is very much nestled inside Ecuadorian places, names, and traditions (it reminds me of the time my book club read The Potbellied Virgin because of me, but that had more Catholic stuff in it.)
I'm not sure we've ever read anything like this in this giant book club, which means it was a great pick by Veronica. I don't always get to the last book of the year, but I was glad I did this time....more
This book was on my radar after Ed discussed it on episode 227 of the podcast, but I was still surprised to see it on the Tournament of Books long lisThis book was on my radar after Ed discussed it on episode 227 of the podcast, but I was still surprised to see it on the Tournament of Books long list.
I'm not sure it has aged well. The women are all described body parts first, and the narrator for the audiobook has an old-fashioned voice that made me keep upping the speed. It's like Patricia Highsmith Ripley novels without the high stakes or sociopaths. I'd choose Highsmith first every time!
So this was a miss for me. I had a copy of the audio from the publisher of the new translation....more
Angelou is a single woman in Cyprus who runs a "coffee shop" for women. The story starts with the death of her friend, Avraam Salih, a man born to a CAngelou is a single woman in Cyprus who runs a "coffee shop" for women. The story starts with the death of her friend, Avraam Salih, a man born to a Christian and a Muslim and thus widely ostracized on the island.
I like that the author is Cypriot but the contents are better suited to a short story. Lines and scenes are repeated frequently for no apparent reason and this made it a bit of a slog to read. I appreciate that she had people along a sex and gender spectrum and navigating religious difference in different ways, and the scene where she confronts a priest is pretty great.
I think I'll end up reading 3 books set in Cyprus for my Europe 2021 challenge, but maybe only one from a native author....more
Jenny (Reading Envy)
>
Books:
around-the-world
(896)
Loading...
