The Romanian holiday has receded in the mists of time, as November proved implacable in terms of work load and ‘fun’ events that involved mainly my older son’s GCSE exams and life after those exams.
All this is the lead-in to explain why my reading has not been hugely varied this month. I managed to finish just 11 books (and others have been dragging on forever). 7 of those were written in English, 8 women authors (well, 7 in fact, for one of those authors featured twice – namely Tana French). I’ve also been very bad about reviewing the books.
Books I Loved
Tana French: Broken Harbour – this was the first book of hers that I read but did not review a few years ago, so this is a reread and it moved me all over again. Possibly my favourite among her books. Those ghost town developments, I wonder if they are beginning to recover as the Dublin property market picks up.
Simone Buchholz: Beton Rouge, transl. Rachel Ward – another writer who takes the crime fiction trope and runs away with it. The crime plays second fiddle to a hugely atmospheric portrayal of Hamburg (and Bavaria), and a cool jazzy riff on language and style.
Books That Surprised Me
Prabda Yoon: Moving Parts – Surreal, fantastical, sly and witty stories from Thailand, with lots of word play and mind games and lateral thinking. An unusual delight, showing us a very contemporary and urban world, far removed from the exoticism we might associate with that country. Must have been sooo tricky to translate – and you can read an interview with the translator Mui Poopoksakul here.
Kathy Acker: Essential Writings – I’d read short bits and pieces by Kathy Acker before, but never a selection of what the editors consider her best stuff. Not sure if it does justice to the variety of her work, but she certainly still has the power to shock, jolt, anger and make you think!
Ahmet Altan: Like a Sword Wound, transl. Brendan Freely & Yelda Turedi – historical family sagas are not my cup of tea, but the initial soap opera quality of the book soon gives way to a fresco of a society, a certain time and way of life, much like the Transylvanian Trilogy. Another great Asymptote Book Club choice, just like the Prabda Yoon.
Books I Wish I Hadn’t Bothered With
Not necessarily bad, but just not as interesting or scary or crime-fictiony or funny as I expected. Sadly, quite a few of them this month, which perhaps put me off reading a bit.
Hanna Jameson: The Last – can’t make up its mind if it’s a mystery or a dystopian novel
Lucy Foley: The Hunting Party – giving all those who went to Oxford Uni a bad name
Tana French: The Wych Elm – a character who just dragged on and on and on
Noel Langley: There’s a Porpoise Close Behind Us – a few chapters of this could have been charming and funny, a whole book was just too much
Meh
Louise Penny: Kingdom of the Blind – normally this author can do no wrong in my eyes, but although it was nice to revisit Three Pines, I felt this one was a tad repetitive. Maybe it’s time to move on to another subject, another character.
Eva Menasse; Quasikristalle – good in parts, but not quite as clever or innovative as it tried to be
German Literature Month
I only managed to take part with two reviews (although Simone Buchholz fits in this category as well): Eva Menasse and Fred Uhlman’s Reunion, which I read just on the cusp of November. The latter was certainly far more memorable than the former.
Big Plans for Next Few Months
I’ve let my #EU27Project languish for far too long and there are only a few months until they really do become just 27. I was shocked to discover how many French and German books I’ve read, but how few from other countries. So I’ve used my last bit of money to buy some elusive ones, tracked others down from the library and will be focusing mainly on the 13 (thirteen!!!) countries I still have left to read. I’m still searching for books from Cyprus and Luxembourg, so do let me know if you have any recommendations.
Broken Harbour is my favourite Tana French too and unfortunately, those ghost estates are still there in Ireland. Haunting really.
I suppose I’m a sucker for ‘state of the nation’ type novels (but seen through very personal stories). Sad to hear that they still exist.
Oh, sorry to hear you didn’t like The Wych Elm and Kingdom of the Blind more than you did, Marina Sofia. I like both authors’ work quite a lot, but hadn’t gotten to those yet. And here’s hoping December is a less hectic month for you.
Yes, perhaps my expectations were too high for them because both of them are favourite authors of mine. I did enjoy the Louise Penny, but I felt she had gone as far as she could with the series.
Sad to see that the newest Tana French novel did not live up to (my) expectations. Broken Harbour was so good….
The pacing was just glacial – which would have been OK if the characters had been more interesting to live with… but they weren’t.
Good to know as I’ve really enjoyed the books I have read by this author so far. I’ll not rush to get this one.
I suppose it was an experiment for her – good on her for experimenting but you can’t win them all.
Sounds like a mixed month Marina – hopefully the next one will be better!
I’ve loved the Louise Penny novels up until now but this one didn’t grab me as much as the others. The plot felt strained. Like you I’m thinking the series has now run its course.
Much as it pains me to admit it, yes…
I will check out the books you liked. I’m disappointed to read about Tana French’s book. I loved “The Trespasser” the most, but liked all of her novels.
So much to read that I’m not going to read books I don’t like after giving them sufficient pages to prove themselves.
I’m pledging to use my reading time wisely.
By the way, “Go, Went, Gone” is on the NYT Book Review’s list of 100 top books of the year.
Tana French is on my list, having seen so many recommendations from bloggers whose opionions I trust, including yours, but The Wych Elm is clearly not the best place to start!
OMG, you ladies, you are scaring me with the last Louise Penny!!
and a great site to find novels set in these countries, and any other place: http://www.bookssetin.com/
oh, and my wrap-up is here: https://wordsandpeace.com/2018/11/30/2018-november-wrap-up/
Yeah, I read The Last recently and although there was a lot about it that worked for me, it really couldn’t make its mind up! Elements of the more literary/post-apocalyptic novel that it might have been kept reminding me of Station Eleven, but then it’s also clearly been written with a thriller audience in mind, so the plot kept racing on and abandoning those interesting moments.