It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? 05-09-22 #IMWAYR

Another busy weekend past — throwing a surprise birthday party on Saturday and celebrating Mother’s Day three times over yesterday — and blogging took a backseat again on Moan-Day…I mean Monday…morning.

Currently Reading

The Kinship of Secrets by Eugenia Kim

Reading The Kinship of Secrets by Eugenia Kim for book club on Wednesday, selected in honor of May’s being National Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. It’s a split narrative; one about a couple who leaves one of their two young daughters behind with family in Korea while they get established in America and the other about the daughter in Korea who is unable to join them before civil war breaks out in Korea.

Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak

Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak is one I’m reviewing for Library Journal. It’s women’s fiction, set at the time of the Haitian Revolution. The historical details are from the perspective of a young woman whose position as the mulatto daughter of a white coffee plantation owner and an enslaved Black woman becomes even more precarious when the rebellion begins, and who flees to France with her half brother.

Coming out in early August from Berkley Books.

Recently Read

The Great Man Theory by Teddy Wayne

The Great Man Theory is coming out in July from Bloomsbury Publishing. I received an ARC through a publisher’s giveaway. Some readers may find the main character unsympathetic — a middle-class, middle-aged white male academic who, had he been born a generation before, might have led the life he was led to expect –a life of modest privilege as a tenured professor at a small but respected private college, publishing books that have wide popular appeal as well as garnishing critical acclaim.

Instead, his life is a train wreck. He alienates his friends/colleagues, feels himself losing his connection with his daughter after a divorce, loses his already tenuous academic position, and it just keeps getting worse. I felt sorry for him, as it takes a long time for him to realize how far his life has gone off the rails and he doesn’t understand why or how.

Set during the debacle of Trump’s presidency, this book should appeal to political satire fans as well as literary fiction readers.

Currently Listening To

Five Tuesdays in Winter: Stories by Lily King

I have loved everything I’ve read or listened to by Lily King and this collection of short stories is no exception!

Recently Listened To

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

“The best books about grief find a way to illuminate the darkness of loss, and Remarkably Bright Creatures offers a masterclass.”- Marie Claire

What a fantastic audiobook! Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt just came out on May 3rd and is narrated by one of my favorite readers, Marin Ireland, and Michael Urie, who was new to me, but wonderful as the voice of Marcellus, the giant Pacific octopus at the Puget Sound’s Sowell Bay Aquarium.

I received an advance listening copy from NetGalley but forgot about it. I was halfway through it when it was announced as this month’s Read with Jenna Today Show book club selection, instantly making for long waits for library copies. So I was lucky!

This post is linked to “It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?” hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. Check out the link-up party there for more book lists!