Thursday, November 30, 2017

Read in November: Books 279-303 of 2017


Pictured: November's 5-star Reads

279. Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa **** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
280. The Voiceover Artist by Dave Reidy **** (interlibrary loan; my review)
281. Wilde in Love by Eloisa James *** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
282. Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman ***** (audiobook from Audible; my review)
283. Dark at the Crossing by Elliot Ackerman *** (library book; my review)
284. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson **** (Hoopla audiobook; my review)
285. Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed **** (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
286. Practicing Peace in Times of War by Pema Chodron **** (Hoopla audiobook; my review)
287. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie **** (postal book swap; my review)
288. Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder **** (ARC from publisher; my review)
289. The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne ***** (ARC from publisher; my review)
290. Christmas in Kilts edited by Bronwen Evans **** (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
291. The Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles **** (postal book swap; my review)
292. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh **** (postal book swap; my review)
293. 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino ***** (postal book swap; my review)
294. All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes by Maya Angelou **** (postal book swap; my review)
295. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng **** (Hoopla audiobook; my review)
296. The Weight of Mercy: A Novice Pastor on the City Streets by Deb Richardson-Moore **** (personal copy; my review)
297. The Resurrection of Joan Ashby by Cherise Wolas **** (ARC from publisher; my review)
298. Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang **** (ARC from publisher; my review)
299. Waiting for the Punch: Words to Live by from the WTF Podcast by Marc Maron (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
300. Light Both Foreign and Domestic: A Collection by Darin Bradley **** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)

301. Bering Sea Strong by Laura Hartema **** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
302. Holding Space: On Loving, Dying, and Letting Go by Amy Wright Glenn (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
303. Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky **** (personal copy; my review)

Review: Light Both Foreign and Domestic: A Collection

Light Both Foreign and Domestic: A Collection Light Both Foreign and Domestic: A Collection by Darin Bradley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First I should say that I always struggle with short stories. I wanted to read these because I'm a fan of Darin Bradley and I am a completist, but I must admit I feel weird writing the first review in Goodreads.

But a person who gets short stories is this author. He understands that the short story is a place to play with an idea, a fragment, and flesh it out to its logical conclusion. The topics in these range from quantum algorithms in suburbia to archival collections to basement enlightenment to ginseng harvests in a post-hipster world. There is even one story that reads like a post-apocalyptic gospel.

And because it is Bradley, you will find chewy words and a tone I always hear in my head as part Jimmy Stewart, part noir detective. (If you don't hear it too then I can't really explain it to you!)

Thanks to the publisher for providing access to this title via Edelweiss.


View all my reviews

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Reading Envy 102: The Reading Women and Reading Envy Crossover Episode

Sometime in this past year, I realized that another podcaster, Kendra, lived in the same city as me. Her co-host is Autumn and they host the Reading Women Podcast (more info and links below.) We decided to use the opportunity to talk about the best books we read by women this year.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 102: Crossover with the Reading Women

Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner
Or subscribe via Apple Podcasts by clicking: Subscribe
Or listen through TuneIn
Or listen on Google Play
Listen via Stitcher

And check out the Reading Women Podcast:
Copied from their website:
"The goal of the Reading Women podcast is to bring previously anonymous women to the forefront of your TBR stack. Each month Kendra Winchester and Autumn Privett pick a theme and then discuss several books in a book club-style podcast. Subscribe today to discover amazing female authors who are giving voice to a part of the world's population that has been largely overlooked."


I (Jenny) am scheduling guests for 2018! If you are interested in appearing on the podcast: FAQ


Books featured:



The Mothers by Brit Bennett (Riverhead)
Black Wave by Michelle Tea (Feminist Press)
Human Acts by Han Kang, Translated by Deborah Smith (Hogarth)
Difficult Women by Roxane Gay (Grove Atlantic)
Juventud by Vanessa Blakeslee (Curbside Splendor)
Himself by Jess Kidd (Atria)
A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin (FSG)
Eve Out of Her Ruins by Ananda Devi, translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman (Deep Vellum)
This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell (Knopf)


Other mentions:

The Vegetarian by Han Kang
The Big Green Tent by Ludmila Ulitskaya
Snow by Orhan Pamuk
The Impossible Fairy Tale by Han Yujoo
Tilted Axis Press

Hunger by Roxane Gay
An Untamed State by Roxane Gay
Turf by Elizabeth Crane
The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill
David Mitchell
I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell
The Idiot by Elif Batuman (Penguin Press)
Decatur Book Festival
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Algonquin)
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (Algonquin)


Stalk us online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy
Reading Women Podcast
Kendra on InstagramTwitter, Goodreads, and YouTube
Autumn on Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Review: Holding Space: On Loving, Dying, and Letting Go

Holding Space: On Loving, Dying, and Letting Go Holding Space: On Loving, Dying, and Letting Go by Amy Wright Glenn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It was published November 21, 2017.

I had very personal reasons to read this book. Last year as I was trying to process my own grief from my own experiences and the terminal diagnosis my father received, I met with a chaplain on our campus who used the term "holding space." I was nervous about talking to someone, but knew I needed to, and it something I was glad I did. I've read many books about grief, even spent an entire podcast episode discussing books on grief and how reading can help you through a tough time. The people who were there for me had a powerful impact, and the space they held for me allowed me to hold space for others in the days leading up to and after my father's death. Yes, I too was grieving, but there was also this space. So when I saw this book come across the NetGalley listings, I knew I wanted to know more.

Amy Wright Glenn is a former Mormon who went on to study comparative religion, and works as a doula and hospital chaplain. She writes about the importance of holding space in various moments of grief, and not only at the end of life - loss of pregnancies, stillbirth, when a family member is injured, cancer diagnoses, and so on. She discusses the importance of her own meditation practice in developing the grounding and strength that allows her to hold this space for others.

What I wasn't expecting, but enjoyed, was a parallel discussion of her Mormon upbringing, how the LDS teachings form her background if not her beliefs, and how those ideas intersect with many other religions. I don't often get to read former Mormon narratives that aren't completely villainizing what they've left behind, and it was interesting to learn about.

I have some interest in this idea of the grief doula. I know people who volunteer for hospice and other things outside of their "real" jobs. This is a book I would want to return to, at the very least to check out her recommended reading.

View all my reviews

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Review: Bering Sea Strong: Sometimes a Woman Has to Board a Fishing Boat to Find Herself

Bering Sea Strong: Sometimes a Woman Has to Board a Fishing Boat to Find Herself Bering Sea Strong: Sometimes a Woman Has to Board a Fishing Boat to Find Herself by Laura Hartema
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an eARC of this title from the publisher through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. The book comes out in March 2018.

I was poking around my review titles for non-fiction to read during Non-Fiction November and this caught my eye. I had recently booked a trip to Alaska and wanted to read more about it, and here was a book set north of where I will be! The life of the commercial fisherman is one of the hardest there is. Laura quotes a statistic that it has the fatality rate, and that half of the deaths in the profession take place in the Bering Sea. Yet this is where she decided to work on a commercial fishing boat, measuring and counting as the "observer," no less in danger than those pulling the fish from the sea.

Plus she is the only female on board! I was a bit surprised at her lack of preparation for some of the practicalities related to this, but she was honest. And maybe she was more focused on being fearless than on being practical. She learned a lot.

Threaded throughout the recounted tales of fishing are pieces of Laura's life story, from her childhood to failed attempts to pursue a graduate degree. This is a good look into what life is like in one of the most extreme places there is.

Cross-reference: I read a 19th century account of one of the first non-indigenous women to travel to this same region, and she stopped at the Pribilof Islands, which is south from where Laura and her crew are fishing. The challenges were slightly different - hunger, cold, seals - but I just kept thinking of these two women together. You can read that account here: Libby: The Sketches, Letters & Journal Of Libby Beaman, Recorded In The Pribilof Islands, 1879 1880,

View all my reviews

Review: Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher/author after I requested it as a Goodreads Giveaway.

I wasn't sure what I would think about this book because I don't always like fantastical elements but I found it charming and well-written, with several characters living unusual lives. A boy named Weylyn who lived with wolves, friends Mary and Lydia who influence his life in different moments, and a special pig who might have the ability to control the weather.

I liked the changing perspectives and the jumps between decades, because they kept the story moving forward and allowed it to be examined from different angles. I am surprised this isn't marketed as YA, despite some of the characters moving well into adulthood.

View all my reviews

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Review: The Resurrection of Joan Ashby

The Resurrection of Joan Ashby The Resurrection of Joan Ashby by Cherise Wolas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I stared it earlier and had to take a break when I sprained my thumb, because the book is heavy! But that should not be seen as a reflection of my interest.

The Resurrection of Joan Ashby takes a deep look into the internal life of a female author. Her fiction parallels and adds depth to the story of her life.

Joan Ashby published two books of short stories with great acclaim, and then disappeared! It turns out that in her shifting of her energies to a domestic situation (marriage and then two boys), she was unable to write. But the author gives us insight into her thoughts and sacrifices and struggle in a way I'm not sure we usually get to see.

How many women give up their dreams, and convince themselves their new lives are enough? We all change. But what if the dreams could be followed after all? I think that's what this book really looks at.

In the ARC I have, the various pieces of fiction along with some other differences (letters, audio recordings) are represented by different fonts. This made my head ache a bit, to my surprise, but I don't know if this was handled differently in the final version or not.

The complexity of the novel was impressive for a debut, but in the beginning and middle I felt it really added a lot to the story. Near the end, when Joan's novel is read alongside her current situation, I felt less convinced that a separate story needed to be included since there were so many parallels. In many ways her story had become the important one.

View all my reviews

Review: The Weight of Mercy: A Novice Pastor on the City Streets

The Weight of Mercy: A Novice Pastor on the City Streets The Weight of Mercy: A Novice Pastor on the City Streets by Deb Richardson-Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Some days... the parade of brokenness is so profound I retreat to my office, stunned and silent."
I picked this book up at the giant used book sale that Greenville Literacy has every year and it sat on my shelf. I did include it in a round of book speed dating that I discussed in Episode 076 of Reading Envy, but that was more from an effort to cycle through book sale books by the end of the year.

This year's Book Riot Read Harder challenge included a book that is set within 100 miles of your location. Deb Richardson-Moore is the pastor and director of Triune Mercy Center in Greenville, which is 8 miles from my house, so I think it counts for the challenge. I've even been there. A few years ago, I was accompanying a clarinetist for a service there and heard her preach. She was powerful, compassionate, and a truth teller, and I remember thinking that if I were still a church person, this would be the place I'd go.

Triune is one of the central places for homeless members of my community, and she started working here right out of divinity school. Before that, she was a journalist for 27 years, something I did not know, and as such was pleasantly surprised that the writing was better than I expected. The Weight of Mercy covers her first three years at Triune, although she continues working there now. It chronicles some specific events but also just all the things she had to learn the hard way - coming to terms with the feeling that sometimes helping is doing more harm than good, the importance of rest, how to balance compassion with policies, etc. Possibly most interesting to me is realizing the enormity of mental health challenges and what the implications are.
"Now I realize that privilege can be even more primal - sound mental health being perhaps the greatest of all."
I think you can really see the groundwork being laid for what the church has become in the last decade. Her dream is clear -
"Build up the church. Bring in all kinds of people so we can have role models and mentors. Make Triune a place where an addict can come and see not just other addicts, but people living in ways he can aspire to. Make it a place where affluent Greenvillians worship alongside this invisible population."
I'm glad Richardson-Moore has people in her life pointing out when she needs to take a break, because this work is all-encompassing and draining, even while rewarding. I'm certain that she has had a great impact on our community.
"Where the love comes in, I think, is this: Showing up. Showing up day after day after day."


View all my reviews

Review: Waiting for the Punch: Words to Live by from the WTF Podcast

Waiting for the Punch: Words to Live by from the WTF Podcast Waiting for the Punch: Words to Live by from the WTF Podcast by Marc Maron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to the publisher for providing access to this title through Edelweiss.

I try to read as many books as I can about podcasts, podcasting, interviewing, etc., so I was excited to see this book come up. I used to listen to the WTF Podcast, and still do occasionally when the guest is someone who really interests me. I think, at times, Marc Maron asks interesting questions, and I was curious to hear more about his thought process. That isn't really represented in this book much, although there are tidbits here and there. In the Addiction chapter, his brief intro explains why he asks about addiction if he has that in common with his guest. This is one of the reasons I stopped trying to listen to all the episodes, honestly, but I found that he has a very good reason for doing so - something about when someone connects with you on a shared experience like addiction, it somehow strips the pretense away and allows him to get deeper and more personal about other topics. As a listener not all that interested in addiction though, I would often get frustrated when he got to these moments!

So if you have heard every episode of WTF, there will not be any new content here. What he has done is cull the interviews for thematic content and organized them so they create a rough narrative in the sense that the first person might mention their father and then religion and the next quote might be about religion and move to the next topic. It takes skill to organize bits in this way, so I respect that. It made it enjoyable to read, even though some of the excerpts were revisiting stuff I'd already heard.

There is not a lot of man-behind-the-curtain stuff like I was hoping, but enjoyable just the same. There are a few people I started skipping because I found I didn't particularly care for their flavor (I do think that people have certain expectations about what will happen when they sit down in a garage with a comedian and have a hard time getting beyond masturbation jokes), but your mileage may vary.

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Review: Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nomadland takes a deep look at the growing culture of van-dwellers and other nomads that attempt to live on the road, because they can't afford to live otherwise. I thought it was a particularly poignant read after reading Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City earlier this year, since that book examines the issue of eviction among people attempting to still live in traditional ways. The people in this book have left town, leaving mortgages and rent behind, to try to make it through seasonal work all over the country. The author spent three years and got to know many of the people she writes about very well, and I think because of this is able to provide greater insight than people who treat this lifestyle as quirky or the newest hobby of snowbirds. For many of the people in this book, this is the last chance they have to make ends meet, and it is not an easy way to live. There is no safety net.

I received a copy of this book when the publisher had leftovers from ALA and I requested a copy via e-mail. I think I expected it to be more about hipsters than retirees, but was happy with the actual focus of the book.

View all my reviews

Review: The Heart's Invisible Furies

The Heart's Invisible Furies The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was offered a copy of this from an intern working for the publisher in exchange for an honest review, which I accepted, after feeling slight regret after passing the book up from Book of the Month.

I am a super skeptic of the hype machine. Seriously, the more a book is covered by BookTube and Bookstagram and book podcasts, the less likely I feel compelled to read it. And this book suffered this fate. Not to mention that I had previously read the author, when my book club read The Absolutist, a decent but short book. So let this pass me by, felt a bit skeptical of people who wrote glowing reviews, but then decided on a whim to read along with others in Litsy.

Okay, so I was wrong about this book. It is so easy to sink into it and get wrapped up into the life of Cyril Avery from pre-birth to death. It starts with his mother, an unwed teenager, being denounced from the pulpit and being forced out of her family and town, and moves quickly into Cyril's childhood as "not a real" Avery. At times there are major jumps in time between sections, often after a memorable scene.

The book will take you through a journey. I laughed (out loud, freaking out my pets and husband), I cried, I stayed up until the next morning reading the last 300 pages in one setting. Worth the hype, worth the read.

View all my reviews

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

What was your favorite read of 2017?

It's time to compile the best of 2017! If you want your favorite book of 2017 included on Reading Envy Episode 105, please send me an email at reading envy at gmail.

Please include:
1. Your name as you'd like it included
2. Your location (optional)
3. Your favorite read from 2017. Like all Reading Envy episodes, it does not need to be published in 2017, just something you enjoyed this year.

You may also record this, in fact I prefer it so that episode is not all my voice! It should be less than 5 minutes, and saved as an MP3, and include the same info as above.

Deadline: December 15, 2017. But please do send earlier than that.

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Reading Envy 101: A Different Kind of Time Travel

Jenny was so excited to be in the same city as Karen, in October, so we planned reading dates, a meat fest (not a euphemism), and time to record an episode.

Warning: There is a bit of a spoiler for Exit West on here, but nothing you haven't learned if you've read any reviews of the book.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 101: A Different Kind of Time Travel

Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner
Or subscribe via Apple Podcasts by clicking: Subscribe
Or listen through TuneIn
Or listen on Google Play
Listen via Stitcher

I am scheduling guests for 2018! If you are interested in appearing on the podcast: FAQ


Books featured:



Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002) by David Sedaris
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Nobody Cries at Bingo by Dawn Dumont

Other mentions:

National Book Awards - winners 2017 (spoiler: not Machado)
Room by Emma Donoghue
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
Dr. Paul Koudounaris
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid
Glass Beads: Stories by Dawn Dumont
Slade House by David Mitchell
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
The Resurrection of Joan Ashby by Cherice Wolas

Related episodes:

Episode 004 - Home, Frightening and Banned with guest Karen Acosta
Episode 015 - The Time for Exclaiming Over Costumes with Jean and Karen
Episode 051 - Dreaming in Books with Karen
Episode 066 - When Time Stops with Karen


Stalk us online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Review: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I know that Neil deGrasse Tyson has been the new poster child of capital-S Science in the last few years, but I have lived in blissful ignorance. I didn't watch Cosmos, for instance. But I like astrophysics, the parts I can grasp, and have an admiration for people who can grasp the science and math and concepts enough to push our understanding forward.

This is a short book, and I will recommend the audio read by the author. He is very passionate and exuberant about his topics, and it still came across a bit sped up (which I felt it needed.) The different chapters are sometimes previous essays, compiled into this layman's overview of astrophysics - intentionally short, concepts boiled down to the core of where our understanding started, what we know now, and what we do not know. It's clear that the one thing we really have gained understanding of is all that we do not know!

I was least thrilled by the periodical table chapter, but I get it, the elements are not unique to earth, and that can be used as evidence for some things, mostly things I'm not super interested in the debate on. But I loved his cosmic perspective and where humanity fits as much as I loved his visual description of what the galaxies looked like in the past, and his questions about the things that we can never know we don't know because they are gone.

This is the best science book I've read all year, and possibly also the only science book I will have read this year.

View all my reviews

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Review: Gather the Daughters

Gather the Daughters Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've struggled to review this title because I have mixed feelings.

On the one hand, I'm weary of the women-as-breeder trope so common in post-apocalyptic fiction. On the other hand, there are reasons this is so prevalent.

On the one hand, I find the child abuse in this, even though it is often "offstage," very disturbing. On the other hand, well. It's not unbelievable.

On the one hand, I was confused about the world building. On the other hand, the ending makes everything very clear, or at least provides reasons for it to be muddy. It is true that the daughters don't know enough about the world. That isn't a mistake, that's deliberate, both on the part of the author but also on the part of the men running the island they all live on. But would everyone feeling confused make it to the end?

I also very much like the rotating perspectives, always only the daughters.

Thanks to the publisher for providing access to this title through NetGalley. Published July 2017.


View all my reviews

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Reading Envy 100: 100 Reasons Why

To my great amazement, this is the 100th episode of the Reading Envy Podcast! It has been such a journey to host and produce this podcast. I invited other readers to weigh in on the best ten books they read in the last ten years - just like a normal Reading Envy episode, they do not need to have been published in the last ten years. Some readers have connections to the podcast, others are people on my guest wishlist that I haven't been able to convince to be on the show. Some lists are recorded by the contributors while I have recorded lists submitted by others. I made my own list, and also include a list of the top ten things you might not know about Reading Envy. All in all, the lists add up to 100.  All books are mentioned below, as well as links to previous episodes by guests (if appropriate) and their various online presences.

Thank you for listening, and thank you for making Reading Envy what it is. And if you are feeling left out, I will be asking for contributions for the best books of the year episode very soon.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 100: 100 Reasons Why.

Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner
Or subscribe via Apple Podcasts by clicking: Subscribe
Or listen through TuneIn
Or listen on Google Play
Listen via Stitcher

If you are interested in appearing on the podcast: FAQ

Reader 1: Jason Roland appears on Reading Envy about twice a year, and I continue to be influenced by his deep knowledge of southern writers.

The Graybar Hotel by Curtis Dawkins
My Struggle by Karl Ove Knaussgard
Barbarian Days by William Finnegan
This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
All the Living by C.E. Morgan
Serena by Ron Rash
Snow Hunters by Paul Yoon
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down by William Gay

Related Episodes: 014, 025, 042, 054, 073, 080


Reader 2: Claire Tristram, known as poingu in Goodreads. Claire and I co-moderate the Newest Literary Fiction Group in Goodreads, and I have long admired her ability to read deeply and thoughtfully.

The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas
Of a Fire on the Moon by Norman Mailer
Preparation for the Next Life by Atticus Lish
Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson
Oreo by Fran Ross
Stone Upon Stone by Wiesław Myśliwski
Laurus by Eugene Vodolazkin
The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson
The First Wife: A Tale of Polygamy by Paulina Chiziane


Reader 3: Sara Moore is a newer reading friend in Litsy with similar tastes to my own!

The Human Condition by Hannah Arendt
Hard Times by Charles Dickens
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle
Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Bunt
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Related Episode: 088


***
At this point, I talk about the ten things you might not know about Reading Envy, but you have to listen to the episode to find them out.
***


Reader 4: Scott Danielson, co-founder and original co-host of the Reading Envy Podcast!

Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree, Jr.
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Pavane by Keith Roberts
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Reapers Are the Angels by Alden Bell
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Brother Astronomer by Br. Guy Consolmagno
Wonderful Life by Stephen Jay Gould
The Odyssey by Homer
Beowulf

Related Episodes: 001-026, off and on, plus 052, 058, 071, 082


Reader 5: Robyn Andrews is a colleague I've been trying to get onto the podcast since I started. In lieu of that ever happening, at least I get to talk to her about books in person. And she agreed to share her list of ten books.

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Room by Emma Donaghue
Under the Dome by Stephen King
Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel
American Rust by Phillip Meyer
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Homer and Langley by EL Doctorow


Reader 6: Shawn Mooney. I first encountered Shawn in Litsy but we have become close reading friends. Since we are on opposite time zones I am never surprised to wake up to a book related message. Shawn recently started his own BookTube channel, Shawn the Book Maniac, so check it out.

Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Idaho by Emily Ruskovich
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
The One-in-A-Million Boy by Monica Wood
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent

Related Episodes: 077, 086

 
Reader 7: Joni Tevis, writer and professor extraordinaire, is someone I am lucky to see around campus. I once audited her Writing Non-Fiction class and can only classify it as life-changing. She also loves to read, and I asked her for her list.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Beautiful Zero by Jennifer Willoughby
Dangerous Goods by Sean Hill
Swallow the Ocean by Laura Flynn
The Truant Lover by Juliet Patterson
Borrowed Wave by Rachel Moritz
The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
Believers by Charles Baxter
The Book of Wanderings: A Mother-Daughter Pilgrimage by Kimberly Meyer

Related Episode: 029


Reader 8: Karen Acosta, a friend first in a virtual world before becoming friends in real life, we have been reading books together since we were only pixels. She is also the only friend I've ever had reading dates with. The last ten years have been the only years Karen read for pleasure in English, so this is a fun list!

A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You by Amy Bloom
Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It by Maile Meloy
St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell
For the Relief of Unbearable Urges by Nathan Englander
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker
Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming
The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesay

Related Episodes: 004, 015, 051, 066


Reader 9: Me, Myself and I! This was such a hard list to make.

Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
Justine by Lawrence Durrell
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr.
Stoner by John Williams
Ark by Ed Madden
Black Wave by Michelle Tea


Stalk me online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Review: Dark at the Crossing

Dark at the Crossing Dark at the Crossing by Elliot Ackerman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was the only book from the National Book Award finalists for novel that I hadn't tried, so I sat and read this book this afternoon. It is about a man Haris, who is from Iraq, has achieved US citizenship, but is now trying to get into Syria from Turkey to fight against the regime. He ends up living along the border with refugees, where the story unfolds.

I feel like so much of the motivation of the main characters is never explained. Why would a person who has done everything to leave go fight against a regime that isn't impacting his own family? He is not particularly religious or zealous about anything.

On the other hand, there are some minor characters in the novel that really pop - Jim, who led the interrogations for the US army that Haris translated into English (in his past) and Marty, the American man-child who is starting an ice hockey team in the new Turkish settlement on the border. I was trying to figure out why these characters who are really only mentioned a few times felt like they had so much more energy than the characters filling more of the novel. It turns out the author served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he really had a grasp of how Americans living overseas, whether in the military or as contractors or entrepreneuers, would act and why. I'm not sure he really has drilled down to the same levels for the refugees and immigrants in this novel, and that is why I don't think it has as great of an impact as it could otherwise.

There is some commentary on war and grief that I found worth reading, such as, "...The fighting doesn't go on because of ideas. It goes on because of loss. If I was robbed of my daughter, I would be lost from this world. I'd take up arms and fight like a dead man alive, killing until I was killed."

(view spoiler)

View all my reviews

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Book Subscription Plans (not boxes)

Some of my friends in the Newest Literary Fiction group in Goodreads have been hunting around for book subscription plans that we can read from together, after having some positive experiences in 2017. I can find a bunch of lists online of book subscription boxes with books plus fun extras, but I had a harder time finding a list of subscriptions just of books, just books, no filler.

Please comment if you know of others and I can post an updated list! None of these are a paid advertisement, by the way, although the link to BOTM does have my account linked to it should anyone subscribe from it.

Many of these are independent publishers, and a healthy amount of them are working in translated work, something I am particularly interested in.

This seems to be a new model many independent publishers are working with. Some offer bundles by season while others just send on a schedule. This can work well for book clubs if you are all going to get the same book in the mail anyway! Might as well read it and discuss it.

And Other Stories - "And Other Stories works with writers and translators to handpick the best international books for its subscribers and all lovers of fine writing. Subscribe for 2, 4 or 6 titles per year." Ships from UK but available worldwide, which is a feature many subscription services lack.

Archipelago Books - "A nonprofit press devoted to contemporary & classic world literature." Choose between a half-year or year subscription, and see the titles in advance. Pro-tip: The year-long eBook subscription (rather than print) is a deal!

Book of the Month - five popular books to choose from each month, plus add-ons that are older titles, and you can add additional titles for $9.99, hard to beat!. Good range of genre plus healthy inclusion of debut titles. Not ideal for my book club since we'd all pick different titles, but vary popular on the internet.

Coffee House Press - An indie press plus arts non-profit, they offer bundles by year. $100 gets you a season of books. The current season is Fall 2017 and contains 11 books. 

Dorothy Publishing Project - Not really a subscription but you can get all current titles in one bundle. I did this last January and just have a few left to read. All fiction by women, many titles translated, all with beautiful cover art.

Homeward Bound Paperback Originals - from Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe in Asheville, NC. "Hand-curated by the booksellers of Malaprop's, we'll pick a new paperback original every month -- fiction or creative non-fiction, a book we find to be notable for its literary quality and its appeal -- and mail it to your home." They also have a local version for slightly less money where you can pick the books up. This is a bookstore an hour from me, so I've been a subscriber for a while now, and can attest to the range of the books.

Milkweed Books Subscriptions - Milkweed just celebrated the first anniversary of their storefront bookstore, and now have several subscription options. "The original Read This Next! subscription (six books per year) features the most exciting new voices in literature. The Indie Spotlight subscription showcases the vital work of our fellow independent presses and the six books per year will introduce you to the most compelling and eclectic books we've encountered. The Long Live Books subscription combines the previous two." I'm tempted by Indie Spotlight myself.

New Vessel Press - "independent publishing house specializing in the translation of foreign literature into English." Their subscription goes by seasons, where you pay a set amount for a set of books. My favorite book from them is Some Day by Shemi Zarhin.

NYRB Classics Book Club - Each month, editors select a book from their newest titles (often classics or obscure titles being revived.) Annual membership is $150* for the twelve books, plus a bonus book—Balzac’s The Unknown Masterpiece, translated for NYRB Classics by Richard Howard.


Open Letter Books - "newest and greatest international literature in English translation." Subscribe for 6 or 12 months.

Restless Books - "independent, nonprofit publisher devoted to championing essential voices from around the world, whose stories speak to us across linguistic and cultural borders." For $10/month, you end up with six of their titles in a year, one of which you choose from the backlist and the others are chosen for you. I have my eye on this one. They recently published four volumes of Cuban science fiction!

Two Lines Press - world literature in translation. 2017's subscription was $50 for 6 titles.

Ugly Duckling Press - "a nonprofit publisher for poetry, translation, experimental nonfiction, performance texts, and books by artists." Subscriptions are part of the support level for donations, so you can choose an amount and will receive books accordingly.


Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Reading Envy 099: Readalong of The Secret History

Our first readalong was so much fun that we had another one just a few months later. This time the vote was between four books by women, and this one swept the vote with almost 43% (see the chart below.) The book must have been in the air, because Book of the Month randomly offered it as an add-on (not a paid advertisement) and it felt like a bunch of people were reading it even before the readalong started. The book is 25 years old and still holds up, and we had a lot to talk about. I was joined by Carol Ann, Jeff, Ellie, Vinny (in text), and Sue near the end. What a great group with which to talk about this mighty tome!

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 099: Readalong of The Secret History.

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Look at all the posts from the readalong in social media!


The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Books discussed, other than The Secret History:

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt


Thanks to everyone who read along! Feel free to take the survey about the readalong if you have feedback or want to nominate a book for next time.



Related episodes:

Episode 081 - Reading Envy Readalong
Episode 090 - Reading Envy Readalong: East of Eden with Ellie and Jeff 

Stalk us online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy
Ellie is @elliedottie on Litsy
Jeff at Goodreads
Jeff on Twitter
Jeff is @jeffkoeppen on Litsy
Carol Ann is @thebookandbeyond on Instagram
Vinny is @billypar on Litsy