Hope you are all well and had a lovely Easter break. Did you manage to read some good books? Even if I haven’t posted much recently, my reading is going well. I’ve dipped into the longlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, which has been interesting. Hopefully more about that in a later post. Below you can see what I’ve been reading besides from the Women’s Prize.
What are you currently reading?
T. Kingfisher’s Nettle & Bone is fantasy in the tradition of old-school fairytales. There are princes, princesses and fairy Godmothers and an unlikely group of characters going on a quest to save a sister in distress. I needed a light palate cleanser between some heavier reads and Nettle & Bone seems to do the job perfectly.
Set in early 1980s Poland against the violent decline of communism, Swimming in the Dark is a coming of age story and a love story between two young men, who choose to cope with the political reality in very different ways. For some reason it isn’t gripping me as much as I expected, but reading about the situation in 1980s Poland is interesting and educational.
What did you recently finish reading?
The best thing to come out of my character-driven crime fiction project, is the discovery of Tana French. I really enjoyed The Likeness, but with Faithful Place, French has consolidated her place as a new favourite. The characters, most of which are unlikable, are nuanced and interesting. Also, French excels in making the setting come alive. Her description of a poverty-stricken community in Dublin in the 1980s is vivid and realistic. I ended up feeling strong empathy for all the characters and their sad lives, both the guilty and the innocent. This is exactly how I normally respond to Ann Cleeves’ novels. And that from me is the highest praise.
Trust should have been perfect. The metafictional structure, the setting in New York’s financial world in the 1920s, the playful manipulation of perspective… Everything appealed to me. However, it turned out to be a disappointment. I wonder if my disappointment would have been less, if I hadn’t recently read Ian McEwan’s Atonement. Trust illustrates the power of a writer; how readers are exposed to the writer’s version of the truth, not the objective truth (if such a thing exists). But Atonement does the same thing so much better, with elegance, cleverness and wit. Both Atonement and Trust include a major twist towards the end, but whereas Atonement took me by genuine surprise, I am sure most readers could spot the *reveal* in Trust from a mile away. So unfortunately a disappointing read for me, although not a bad book.
What do you think you’ll read next?
As usual, I have no idea. But these are some of the options:
I am not a fan of short stories. However, interconnected short stories sometimes work for me, such as in Girl, Woman, Other. In How High We Go in the Dark, the author Sequoia Nagamatsu speculates what would happen if an ancient virus is released. The short stories span centuries, thereby giving the reader a – terrifying – insight into how such a scenario could play out long term. Intriguing premise, right?
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow barely needs any introduction. The novel about friendship and video game design is one of the more hyped publications in recent time and I think this may be one of the rare situations, where I surrender to the hype and give it a go.
That was my bookish update for now. Have you read any of these books? Do they appeal to you?
WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words.
Hi. My most recent book was a mystery. The Riddle Of The Third Mile, by Colin Dexter. I liked the stylish, descriptive writing. But, towards the end, the plot began to seem pretty preposterous.
I enjoyed the Inspector Morse tv show, but I don’t think I’ve read any of Colin Dexter’s books. Too bad the plot didn’t quite deliver.
Agree about short story collections, generally, but How High We Go in the Dark sounds intriguing. I love a good virus story! I remember reading The Andromeda Strain back in the 70s, and being delightfully terrified.
I just finished a review copy of The Houseguest, by Hank Phillippi Ryan. It was just okay. Everyone seems to want to be the next Gillian Flynn, and the uber-twisty thriller is getting a bit on my nerves. Plus waaaay too much explanation/wrapup at the end, which always ends up making me feel like 1) the author thinks I am stupid, and/or 2) they didn’t write the plot line well enough and are trying to make up for it by explaining. It doesn’t bother me with Agatha Christie *at all* (because: Agatha Christie!) but I do not like it in modern mysteries.
Haven’t been lured in to reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, so I’d be interested in hearing what you think of it.
Happy reading!
I guess virus stories have become uncomfortably realistic after Covid, but maybe that is some of the attraction as well. From what I’ve heard, How High We Go in the Dark should be well worth reading.
“Everyone seems to want to be the next Gillian Flynn” – I couldn’t agree more! To be honest, all the modern thrillers inspired by Gone Girl with a twist on every other page and an unreliable narrator started driving me crazy at some point. These days, I rarely pick up modern crime and thrillers, but I do love older stuff such as Agatha Christie and P.D. James.
It will be interesting to see if Tomorrow x 3 can live up to the hype, but I tend to find many of these overly hyped books disappointing in the end.
Thanks for stopping by and happy reading to you as well!
I’ve had my eye on Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow for a while now so it’ll interesting to see what you think of it!
Yes, I look forward to reading it, but fear it can’t live up to all the hype!
I loved How High We Go In The Dark – one of my top reads from last year! It is utterly devastating but so compelling.
I am so pleased to hear that – really look forward to reading it!
One of these days I’ll read Kingfisher! Here’s hoping it continues to be the palate cleanser you were seeking. I have Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow but, like you, worry that it won’t live up to the hype. Fingers crossed 🤞
Apparently Kingfisher’s books are quite different. Her horror books have become popular, but Nettle & Bone was more like a (cosy) fairytale. I would be happy to try other books from her in the future.
Thanks for the update, interested to hear what you think of your next reads. I haven’t had so much time for reading lately, life got really busy! I’m a fan of short stories, sometimes I don’t feel like committing to a novel.
Haha, yes sometimes life gets in the way of reading – very annoying! 🙂 I see what you mean about committing to a full length novel. For me novellas are probably the sweet spot, giving me enough opportunity to get absorbed, but still readable within a short timespan.
Ahh Tana French is a brilliant writer, her words have got this sort of immersive experience to them. I recently finished Our Wives Under The Sea and it was definitely a five star read – thanks so much for the recommendation! I’ve been reading Leigh Bardugo lately and as much as I love her writing, I don’t think it lives up to the hype.
Fantastic list, I hope to get to some of these soon!
Tana French is amazing, I am so glad to have discovered her books. I read your review of Our Wives… Great that you enjoyed it as well! Never tried anything by Leigh Bardugo, but I mean to read more fantasy in the future, so who knows what will happen in the future.
I agree! Me too – thank you for the recommendation! Ahh she’s a clever storyteller but I didn’t find her writing to be anything extraordinary, but that’s just my opinion!
Ah well, if the story is great, maybe it’s fine with writing which isn’t spectacular.
Some very exciting reads you’ve been through and plan on getting through too! I do want to try someday try my first Kingfisher story though. They all sound sooo good. Happy reading! 😀
Kingfisher seems to be very popular. Nettle & Bones is my first book by the author, but I am willing to try more of her works. Thanks!
I also might have to surrender to the hype and read the Tomorrow, Tomorrow book. I have picked Trust up a couple times and put it down. Not sure if I plan to go back to it, though the structure sounds interesting. I’m midway into the Rebecca Makkai novel. life is busy right?
How are you getting on with the Rebecca Makkai novel? I wondered if I should pick it up. Apparently, it should appeal to crime readers, who like more literary writing? If I were you, I wouldn’t bother with Trust. It wasn’t bad, but didn’t impress in any way. Haven’t got to Tomorrow x 3 yet. Taking a short break from fiction in order to fulfil my goal of reading more nonfiction (and I was in the mood for some hardcore science 😀 )
Tana French is brilliant—although I didn’t like “The Trespasser” as much as the two you mentioned. I just finished “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.” I thought the characters and their connections/friendship were beautifully drawn. I won’t say more than that… give it a go and I’ll be interested in other opinions.
Ah well, even with favourite authors, some of their works will be better than others. I will try to read Tana French’s books in order, so it will be a while before I get to The Trespasser. Great to hear your views on Tomorrow x3, now I am even more keen to read it!
I’d lke to try How High We Go in the Dark. As for the last book listed, I was so so disappointed
Sry to hear, you didn’t get on with Tomorrow x 3. That is the problem with very hyped books – it is so easy to get disappointed!