Eine I didn't realise there was another one in that series. I wasn't keen on the second, so won't bother with this one. According to GR, there is fourth which is not translated yet.
MamaNewt I'm glad you enjoyed Dark Queens. I always panic slightly when I've raved about a book and someone else picks it up off the back of that.
Some of the books mentioned upthread as recent deals, The Thorn Birds and Golden Hill are imminent in my library holds. Just a reminder to say check out the digital offering of your local library and neighbouring areas, not all require you to be a resident to join. Some will let you join on a temporary membership for 3/6 months before needing to go in person for a full membership card. I appreciate some areas are better than others eg Bristol (and Libraries West) have an amazing selection whereas Leeds is woeful.
The Nation's Favourite Poems - John Nettles
The usual suspects read by various actors.
The rest of the Booker Longlist.
The Trees - Percival Everett
A series of brutal murders sweeps rural Mississippi , where in each case a second body is found that keeps going missing from the scene or the mortuary. The investigating officers discover this phenomenon is happening all over the country.
This comments on police violence and institutional racism. It had some important things to say, but it wasn't a book I particularly enjoyed or got anything out of. As someone else recently said, there were words on a page and I read them. (Sorry, can't remember who said this, but the sentiment stuck).
Glory - NoViolet Bulawayo
In an unnamed African nation, a long standing authoritarian regime falls and in the aftermath key players seek to fill the void while the people hope for liberation and democracy.
This documents the situation in Zimbabwe when Mugabe was supplanted by an unexpected coup. The characters are animals, so an obvious comparison comes with Animal Farm. This didn't really work for me at all. In AF it is all farm animals based on a farm. This is not limited in the same way and takes place on a global stage and while the 'tweeting baboon' is fairly obvious, there is reference to 'the Queen of England' without reference to a beast. The animal references are not consistent throughout, so while the motif is laboured at the beginning, it peters out part way through, going to character names and then the animal references come back into play towards the end. Otherwise it's very sound writing that captures the atmosphere of the country and times well. I think I'd count this as one I admired rather than enjoyed. The content was already interesting, and really didn't need the animal gimmick. I don't think it added anything.
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida - Shehan Karunatilaka
Set in Sri Lanka. This documents the events of the 80s and aftermath of civil war through the eyes of a murdered photo journalist who is stuck in the inbetween, with tasks to complete before he can move on in to the afterlife in one direction or another. He visits friends and old haunts in a bid to find out what happened to him and settle old scores.
This absolutely hammers you with history and information on the civil war as well as being heavily laden with cultural references. I think if you were well versed in the history and mythology of the country them you'd get a lot more out of it. I had enjoyed it for the most part and then someone pointed out it was a rip off of the film Ghost in a different setting which took a bit of the shine off.
Booth - Karen Joy Fowler
A family saga of the parents and siblings of John Wilkes Booth. His father, a famous Shakespearean actor, marries but then continually sets off on tour, leaving his wife to raise the many children they produce against the backdrop of the civil war. As adults, the siblings clash until John assassinates President Lincoln and puts their lives in turmoil in the aftermath.
This is quite long and laboured with many tangents. It was a bit if a slog to get through. The family and their circumstances are fascinating but it was made hard work of by the author. In places this had a similar feel to Tracy Chevalier's At the Edge of the Orchard which was in itself reminiscent of Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. A better editor was definitely needed.
Nightcrawling - Leila Mottley
Oakland, CA. A 17 year old in precarious circumstances turns to prostitution as a way to survive rent increases. Her parents have both been in prison and are no longer in her life and her older brother refuses to work, convinced he can make it big as a rapper. After a short time, she is caught up with corrupt police and becomes exploited by them. An undercover officer tries to help her when the police scandal hits the press.
I wasn't convinced by this at the start but the writing and the main character won me over. The author is only 19 and drew on a real case that happened locally to her in her earlier teens for this novel. The writing is really evocative. Definitely one to watch.
Case Study - Graeme Macrae Burnet
A rehash of the formula used in His Bloody Project. The author has 'real' historical documents dropped into his lap which with further research uncover a scandal in the past. This time it is more recent. Set in the 60s, a young woman visits a psychoanalyst under the guise of a patient after her sister kills herself following an appointment with him. Her own mental state deteriorates as a result. His bestselling book, 'Kill Yourself' has brought him great fame as well as a slew of patients. The author armed with a copy of the book and the diaries of the undercover sister sets out to uncover the truth. The narrative shifts between the author detailing his research on the psychoanalyst and the notebooks of the sister.
While this is meant to be a commentary on identity, sanity and truth, it fails to convey this by virtue of being incredibly dull. I had to relisten to great chunks of it as my mind constantly wandered, which I initially and mistakenly put down to tiredness. I'd rename this His Bloody Boring Project and avoid at all costs.
After Sappho - Selby Wynn Schwartz
Recently reviewed by Pepe and I am in agreement.
A series of short vignettes that chronicle the literary and arty women of the turn of the last century and their relationships with one another. Each vignette is very short and they are loosely woven together. As the narrative is so fractured it makes it difficult to follow. Each section is only a short paragraph making it difficult to concentrate and far too easy to put down and wander off from. The lives of the women included are fascinating, but this was a very laboured way to cover them and very hard work for the reader. I'm all for authors playing with form and trying something different, but this didn't work for me at all. I don't know if it would have been easier as an audiobook, but as a reading exercise it was painful.