Books Read April 2019: 83-117

83. The Cook by Maylis de Kerengal *** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
84. Praise Song for the Butterflies by Bernice L. McFadden *** (Hoopla eBook; my review)
85. The Sad Part Was by Prabda Yoon **** (personal copy; my review)
86. Machine by Susan Steinberg **** (Graywolf Galley Club; my review)
87. The Honey Bus by Meredith May **** (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
88. Broken Stars translated by Ken Liu **** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
89. Cape May by Chip Cheek **** (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
90. A Terrible Country by Keith Gessen **** (library copy; my review)
91. Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong **** (Hoopla eBook; my review)
92. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami **** (library copy; my review)
93. The Chef's Secret by Crystal King **** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
94. kaddish.com by Nathan Englander *** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
95. Mars by Asja Bakic, translated by Jennifer Zoble ***** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
96. Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar ***** (interlibrary loan; my review)
97. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, read by Cassandra Campbell **** (Audible audiobook; my review)
98. When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll **** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
99. Stitches by David Small **** (library copy; my review)
100. Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire ***** (interlibrary loan; my review)
101. Our Men do not Belong to Us by Warsan Shire ***** (interlibrary loan; my review)
102. Misconception by Ryan Boudinot *** (library copy; my review)
103. Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capó Crucet ***** (library copy; my review)
104. The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West **** (Hoopla eBook; my review)
105. The Salt Path by Raynor Winn *** (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
106. river woman by Katherena Vermette *** (Hoopla eBook; my review)
107. Atomic Marriage by Curtis Sittenfeld; read by Diane Lane *** (free Audible download; my review)
108. Southern Lady Code by Helen Ellis **** (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
109. A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza ***** (library copy; my review)
110. The Last Woman in the Forest by Diane Les Becquets **** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
111. Bright by Duanwad Pimwana, translated by Mui Poopoksakul ***** (personal copy; my review)
112. Brute: Poems by Emily Skaja (personal copy; my review)
113. Women Talking by Miriam Toews *** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
114. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman ***** (interlibrary loan; my review)
115. Hotbox: Inside Catering, the Food World's Riskiest Business by Matt Lee, Tedd Lee *** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
116. Pastoral by André Alexis **** (Audible audiobook; my review)
117. The Athiest Wore Silk by Anna Journey **** (interlibrary loan; my review)


Total Books Read: 35
Five-starred: 8!

Print: 15
eBook: 17
Audiobook: 3

Review copies or other galleys: 14
Library or interlibrary loan: 15
Purchased: 6

Asia 2019: 5
Womens' Prize for Fiction: 1
Poetry: 7
Leftover Tournament of Books longlist reading: 2

Reading Envy 150: Rife with Storytelling with Sara

Jenny and Sara combat humidity and allergies to get together to chat books. We cover escapes and intergalactic refugees, snakes and fish, serial killers and out of print reads. Jenny can't decide on a third book so discusses three more books, and Sara has a word bleeped out from a story too funny not to include.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 150: Rife with Storytelling with Sara

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Books discussed:

The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee and David John
The Vela by Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, Rivers Solomon, and SL Huang
The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk, translated by Christopher Moseley
The Deeper the Water, the Uglier the Fish by Katya Apekina
Hotel by Arthur Hailey 
The Pisces by Melissa Broder
Praise Song for the Butterflies by Bernice L. McFadden
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite 


Other mentions:

Emily Rosko
Magical Negro by Morgan Parker
758 Books (St. Lucia)
Airport by Arthur Hailey
Just Kids by Patti Smith
iHotel by Karen Tei Yamashita
The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye
James Michener
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Sara's hospitality shelf in Goodreads
The Women's Prize for Fiction
The Shape of Water (film)
BBC Trokosi documentary
The Tournament of Books
News of a Kidnapping by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikabu
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Parker


Related Episodes:

Episode 069 - Evil Librarian/SFBRP Crossover Episode with Luke Burrage and Juliane Kunzendorf
Episode 122 - A Cylon Raider Shaped Hole in Your Heart with Sara Burnett
Episode 144 - For the Fans with Thomas of Hogglestock
Episode 147 - Bonus Poetry Recommendations with Lauren


Stalk us online:

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

Thoughts on the Women's Prize for Fiction Longlist

I can't help myself, I pay attention to award lists, especially longlists. Tonight, the Women's Prize for Fiction longlist was announced, and I thought I'd write a short response. I've actually read 6 of these already!

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
I haven't read this one yet but I remember seeing it in the reshelving area at work so I might snag it. Myth retellings are not often a hit with me, but I am still interested in this one.

Remembered by Yvonne Battle-Felton
I had not heard of this book or author, but it doesn't even come out until August, so I'm not surprised. A historical novel set in Philadelphia.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
This is one book that's on the Tournament of Books shortlist that I haven't read yet. I've heard it's pulpy, comic, and short, but I can't find a copy in all my library options to save my life.

The Pisces by Melissa Broder
Gah, I can't believe I haven't read this one yet. Completely mean to, for sure.

Milkman by Anna Burns
Winner of the Man Booker Prize, this was not a five-star read for me. I've heard the audio really helps, but I always was left feeling like I'd missed the humor that others had seen. My longer review is here if you are interested.

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
This is a stand-out, unusual novel that I really loved. The author has said they do not identify as one gender, so I was taken back a little, but I'm not the only one. The Guardian picked up on that story immediately. It would align with feminist theory to be more inclusive, but I expect there will be discussion about this decision.

Ordinary People by Diana Evans
This one isn't on my radar although I see it came out in October, about marital strife in two South London couples. It sounds like my kind of thing, but perhaps too stereotypically "domestic" to be the winner of the Women's Prize?

Swan Song by Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott
This doesn't come out until June, but looks to be about the six women surrounding Truman Capote. Hmm.

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
I read this before it was an Oprah Book Club pick, but I'm happy to see it on this list. The storytelling technique of rotating narratives, the setting of Atlanta, the issue of black male incarceration - it leaves a lot to discuss.  My review discusses it a little more in depth and can be found here.

Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lilian Li
I could have sword I read this book! Maybe I've just seen the cover a bunch.

Bottled Goods by Sophie van Llewyn
Ooh, a small-press book about spies. I might have to read this one next. Oh look I just bought the Kindle version.

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
I've swirled around this one - a road trip plus a border story should be good, but I didn't like her teeth novel so I've been dragging my feet.

Praise Songs for the Butterflies by Bernice L McFadden
Set in West Africa, about ritual sacrifice/slavery. It didn't immediately peak my interest when it came out but maybe more people will read it now.

Circe by Madeline Miller
This is one of two five-star reads on this list for me, and I also included it in my best reads of 2018. It's the story of Circe, a character in the Odyssey, from her perspective, and it is genius. A powerful woman, a compelling narrative, beautiful writing.  My review is here.

Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
This is the only book I've read by this author despite meaning to read her work for a while, and it was one in a number of books with domineering father figures, too much for me. My review is here.

Normal People by Sally Rooney
I have been waiting forever for this book to come out in the United States and it still has a month and a half to go. I don't usually talk about books that aren't out yet on my podcast but when Anna Baillee-Karas was on, we talked around it because I had just finished it and knew she'd liked it too. It's mostly a relationship with tons of conversation and I loved it. I was so bummed it didn't make the Man Booker shortlist! My review is here, and the podcast episode where I kind of talked about it a bit is here. 

Library Books Mid-April 2017

The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
Brand New Ancients by Kate Tempest
Hold Your Own by Kate Tempest
Judas by Amos Oz
Sex Object: A Memoir by Jessica Valenti
Midwinter by Fiona Melrose
The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain

This was a smaller library month, probably because I still had so many that I had checked out in previous months. In fact, I was really able to clear out some of those piles in the first few weeks of April.

The two Tempest volumes are for National Poetry month, Crispin and Valenti accompany my ongoing feminism reading, Melrose and Tremain are from the Bailey's Prize longlist, and Barnes is just... because.

Library Books Mid-March 2017

This month's library piles see the clear influence of award lists, because it is the season indeed!

The Mindfulness Diaries: How I Survived My First Nine-Day Silent Meditation Retreat by Jennifer Howd

Charm City: A Walk through Baltimore by Madison Smartt Bell
Light Box by K.J. Orr
Cain by Luke Kennard
The Beautiful Struggle by Ta Nehisi Coates
Everfair by Nisi Shawl
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion by Meghan Daum
The Iguana Tree by Michel Stone
Cannibal by Safiya Sinclair
The Barn at the End of the World by Mary Rose O'Reilly
Moonglow by Michael Chabon
One Child: the Story of China's Most Radical Experiment by Mei Fong
Version Control by Dexter Palmer
The Nix by Nathan Hill

The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
Judas by Amos Oz
Sex Object by Jessica Valenti
Midwinter by Fiona Melrose

I'm going on my first silent retreat in April, so I wanted to read the Howd and O'Reilly in preparation. I'm headed to Baltimore soon and snagged the Bell and Coates for that purpose, but it turns out that the Chabon is also set there. I read the Orr for the Republic of Consciousness Prize, checked out the Kennard and Sinclair for the Dylan Thomas Prize list, the Barnhill and Shawl for the Nebula, the Chabon & Palmer & Hill for the Tournament of Books, the Melrose for the Baileys, and the Oz for the Man Booker International Prize.

The Fong is the April book for my in-person book club; the rest were just books I was interested in.

I review every book I read on Goodreads, and a hefty chunk of these are already done!

These piles are an eternal tribute to the library where I work, because all but one book comes from their collection or through the statewide consortium, or infrequently, an interlibrary loan.

New Books In, August 2016

I brought home SO MAN BOOKS in August that they will have to be represented by three photos of book stacks.  Bear with, bear with.

Much of the fault goes to The Really Good, Really Big, Really Cheap Book Sale put on every summer by the Greenville Literacy Association. This year I volunteered as a book sorter, pulling a few shifts throughout the month of July to sort donations that came in. I haven't heard yet how many books were sold, but I know we sorted over 126,000 books, if you can imagine. I was a minor player compared to some people who seemed to be full-time volunteers.

Child of All Nations by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Footsteps by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
House of Glass by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Bad Dirt: Wyoming Stories 2 by Annie Proulx
A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle
Time and Again by Jack Finney
Your Face Tomorrow: Fever and Spear by Javier Marías
Old Filth by Jane Gardam
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

I read the first book of the Toer (This Earth of Mankind) and was pleased to find books 2-4 for $1 each.  I have meant to read some of L'Engle's adult fiction, and the others were all authors I had on my list. Yes, I do bring a list. It helps keep me focused. The Finney was an earlier pick this year for the Sword and Laser book club, one I didn't get to, but hey, for $1, I might still.

I went to that book sale twice - once on the Saturday, where you pay per book, and once on the Sunday, where you pay $10 for every grocery bag. I went earlier on the Saturday than I usually do, so there were more people. This meant I didn't get to look deeply at the non-fiction, which is where I headed on the Sunday! Richardson-Moore is a minister in my town, Nahmad wrote the book I wish I'd lived, and the Kabat-Zinn was to give away!

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala
The Weight of Mercy by Deb Richardson-Moore
Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Pilgrimage to Iona by Claire Nahmad
My Sergei: A Love Story by Ekaterina Gordeeva
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

Otherwise, I had birthday money that I of course spent on books. Many of the books I ended up with in August are in preparation for my in-person book club. (You can hear more about this book club on Episode 049 of the Reading Envy Podcast.) There are some other random books in this pile - one from a Misfit Reader which I purchased in a weak moment, one Goodreads Giveaway win (the McInerney) and two audiobook review copies from Brilliance Audio.

Salt Creek by Lucy Treloar
The Hamilton Affair by Elizabeth Cobbs
The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding by Jackie Copleton
The Registrar's Manual for Detecting Forced Marriages by Sophie Hardach
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Skylark Farm by Antonia Arslan
The Plum Tree by Ellen Marie Wiseman
The Seventh Elephant by Alexis Stamatis
The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney

Now that I have finally taken photos of these piles, I can try to find space for them on my shelves.

Reading Envy 060: A Good Era for Communists

Jenny is joined at the Reading Envy pub by Rose Davis, one generation removed from a previous guest! We cover a lot of ground, historically and geographically, from moody moors to being raised by vampires for political reasons to whether or not an Oprah Book Club sticker makes us more or less interested to read a book.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 060: A Good Era for Communists.

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Books discussed:



Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Miernik Dossier by Charles McCarry
Prudence by Gail Carriger
Ruby by Cynthia Bond

Other mentions:
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
Don't Look Now: Selected Stories by Daphne du Maurier
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
Villette by Charlotte Bronte
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle
Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett
The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett
The Tears of Autumn by Charles McCarry 
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben Macintyre
Soulless by Gail Carriger
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The Shadowed Sun by N.K. Jemisin
The Lady of the Camelias by Alexandre Dumas
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
A Good Story is Hard to Find Podcast Episode 134: Aliens

Related Episodes:
Episode 052 - The Man with the Eyebrows with Philip and Scott
Episode 055 - Too Late for an Autopsy with Julie Davis
 
Stalk us online:
Jenny at Goodreads
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Library Books Mid-May 2016

The Tears of Autumn by Charles McCarry
The Front Seat Passenger by Pascal Garnier
You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down: Stories by Alice Walker
The Door by Magda Szabo
Some Day by Shemi Zarhin
The Forgotten Recipe by Amy Clipston
Upstairs at the Strand: Writers in Conversation by Jessica Strand
Hotels of North America by Rick Moody
The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie
The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
Arcadia by Iain Pears

I am teaching a reading class in the month of May for our May Experience term. Two of these books are in genres I haven't yet read - sports and Amish romance. I haven't decided which way to go so I may go both ways and read the Bissinger and the Clipston.

The McKenzie is on the Baileys shortlist, the Okorafor is on the Arthur C. Clarke shortlist (but I have read other books by her, and The Book of Phoenix is the prequel to my favorite, Who Fears Death.) The Moody just jumped out at me while at the public library, as did the Pears (I had tried the audio and couldn't get into it but still was intrigued by the description... I suspect this author may just not be for me....)

I requested the McCarry, the Garnier, the Walker, and the Zarhin through interlibrary loan. I loved the first Paul Christopher novel, and came across the Zarhin on a publisher's website sale. The Walker is the May read for a feminist book club in Goodreads; I've read poetry by Walker before but not short stories.

I have been wanting to read the Szabo but haven't cracked it yet. Robyn, my amazing co-worker with impeccable book taste, thought I might want to read the Strand so she saved it for me. I've dipped into one interview and enjoyed it, so I will likely read it in chunks between other things.

Wrap-Up for Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon

I have seen this readathon around social media for years but when I found myself home on a Saturday with few plans, I decided to jump in at the last minute. My day was largely spent reading, posting about reading, and reading other people's posts about reading. Oh and watching half of the first season of UnReal because I started it.

You can read more about Dewey, the readathon, how to participate, and make plans for the next round over on their website.

I finished five books yesterday. I had started three of them already, which might be against the official rules, but it is how I did it. I also started and rejected a sixth book which I don't to mention here (savvy readers can find my abandoned books shelf in Goodreads and draw their own conclusions.)

Reading in community is the best, and it was great fun to be a part of such a great community of readers for this readathon!

The Miernik Dossier by Charles McCarry
The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Ark by Ed Madden
Gin and Gardenias by A. Scott Henderson

Library Books April 2016

Vacation, Bailey's Prize shortlist, and other random reasons to get books from the library!

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine
The Miernik Dossier by Charles McCarry
The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
The Vacationers by Emma Straub
The Meursault Investigation  by Kamel Daoud
The Past by Tessa Hadley
Ruby by Cynthia Bond
The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild
Koreatown: the Cookbook by Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard

When we went on vacation a few weeks ago, I went impulse book picking at the library. I brought home the Straub (which I read in the low country) and the Hoffman (which I didn't.) The Daoud was a pick earlier in the year of one of my book groups, but it took a while for my library hold to come in and I had to read The Stranger first. I checked out the McCarry on a whim, after reading a review for a book later in the series.

The Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist was announced earlier this week. I had already read A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara and The Green Road by Anne Enright. At the library I found two more (which I probably ordered) - the Bond and the Rothschild. Koreatown was just sitting there begging to come home with me, and the Rankin I requested from interlibrary loan (also ordered a copy for our library to have later.)

The Hadley is the first group read of a new reading group I joined in Goodreads, which focuses entirely on super recent (as in published this year or last year) literary fiction. I'm looking forward to it!

Reading Envy 006: Bailey's Women's Prize 2014

For a slightly different podcast episode, Jenny and Scott got together to focus on this year's Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist. Jenny read the lot and Scott adds a bunch to his to-read list.

• The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (Jenny's review)
• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (Jenny's review)
• Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (Jenny's review)
• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Jenny's review)
• The Undertaking by Audrey Magee (Jenny's review)
• A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride (Jenny's review)

Links from our discussion (all lists. gosh we love lists.):

• Bailey's Womens Prize for Fiction
• Pulitzer Prize:
• Jhumpa Lahiri wins in 2000 for Interpreter of Maladies
• Donna Tartt wins in 2014 for The Goldfinch
• Man Booker Prize
• Goldsmiths Award
• Folio Prize
• The Morning News Tournament of Books

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 006: Bailey's Prize 2014

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