Recently Read
For a library book club discussion last week, I read Afterlife (Algonquin, 2020) by Julia Alvarez.
Afterlife is a short work of literary fiction – almost a novella – with themes of family and personal responsibility; self-care and societal debt; passion and logic; and the ongoing conflict within ourselves to balance these, especially in times of family crisis. It starts out as an almost poetic meditation on grief after the death of a beloved spouse as the widowed Antonia Vega, a recently retired English professor in Vermont, struggles to figure out her new, solo path.
A self-contained, private woman whose only close relationships are now her sisters, Antonia can’t figure out where her responsiblity lies when she is asked for help by an undocumented immigrant in her community and at the same time her troubled older sister vanishes en route to a birthday celebration. Guidance from her husband is gone and the help she is used to seeking from her beloved books seems insufficient to her needs.
Highly recommended in print, but I would bet the audiobook (Recorded Books, 2020) would also be great, narrated by Alma Cuervo.
Read the AudioFile review of Afterlife by Julia Alvarez.
Currently Reading
First (and maybe only) book in my #BigBookSummer challenge, this sprawling WWII novel is what I’m reading every morning for an hour or so.
Umami (Oneworld, 2016) by Laia Jusfresa – I borrowed this e-book from the library, but I can’t remember why I chose it. I think I thought it was a foodie book and a good one to follow With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. It turns out not to have much to do with food or cooking, but is set in a small cluster of houses forming a neighborhood, where dysfunctional families and troubled individuals reside – or have returned to – and who are all struggling individually with grief or other heartache.
I’m reading Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell in an e-ARC from NetGalley. Lots of references here to his other works, including The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, which is next on my Big Book Summer list.
Recently Heard
Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson, narrated by Graham Halstead is a cleverly written work of crime fiction that begins when an observant FBI agent notices deaths in New England may be connected to a list of “Eight Perfect Murders” posted on an obscure Boston mystery bookstore blog several years earlier.
The book, Eight Perfect Murders is written in the style of a memoir by bookseller Malcolm “Mal” Kershaw, a jaded mystery reader who these days reads more poetry than crime fiction. The book starts off as a spoof of a conventional bookstore mystery – a metafictional ode to classic murder mystery books and films – until Mal realizes he might be under suspicion himself.
If you liked Anthony Horowitz’s The Magpie Murders, you would probably like Eight Perfect Murders. Highly recommended for classic puzzle mystery lovers, Hitchcock film buffs, and anyone looking for an unconventional bookish mystery.
I’ve been on a Jasmine Guillory audiobook kick lately; I can’t get enough of these smart, sassy romances, read by Janina Edwards. I’ve been reading backwards, instead of in publication order, but each story stands alone while being loosely connected by the characters’ friendships with each other. This one is about how Carlos – who appears in The Wedding Date as Drew’s best man – and Nik – who appears as Carlos’ date in The Wedding Party – meet cute.
And you know how with some authors, you feel a little guilty listening to, instead of reading, their books? In The Proposal, Nik is addicted to her true-crime audiobooks!
Currently Listening To
This week, I’ll be listening first to Stay Sexy, and Don’t Get Murdered by podcasters Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstar – recommended by a library coworker – and then The Power by Naomi Alderman – recommended by one of my daughters.
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!
