Hello to the first Monday in the new year! Did you all survive the holidays relatively intact? Or, with intact relatives? Congrats on either one. I had a nice mix of family and reading time and am ready for a new decade of reading. Here’s what’s up for this week.
Currently Reading
The Gimmicks is far from my normal choice of book. I don’t like the cover or the title, but for as loud and garish as both are, the story is quiet. It’s about two Armenian cousins who consider each other a brother. One is freakishly big and tall while the other is small, smart, and a competitive backgammon player. The story is split between the 1970s when they are still teens living in Armenia and 1980s California, where a former pro wrestling manager is trying to find an old client—an Armenian giant. Mixed into this is a fiancé left back home and a terrorist group killing Turkish diplomats to avenge the Armenian genocide. Sounds like a lot, but so far it’s not.
Gloria Steinem is an icon in the feminist movement and a beautiful example of someone who has lived their life with purpose, held fast to their beliefs, and made a difference in this country. This is a small book filled with her thoughts and numerous quotes from other women about life, love, work and meaning. Every page I read reminds of what an extraordinary woman she is.
Up Next
Topics of Conversation is a novel about women talking. Kind of like the title suggests. It’s a debut novel and I’m intrigued because it sounds as if it’s going to get real on the topics women only talk about with other women. Which could be dicey if the writing’s not good. I love the cover, because sometimes the best conversations do happen in the oddest places.
Two book bloggers I trust, Sarah and Susie, have already read We Wish You Luck and really liked it. I’m hopeful it will be one of those page-turners I need after more serious reading. It’s got the variables that usually work for me: debut, written by a woman, college, friends, power dynamics gone bad and suspense.
That’s my reading week—what lies ahead for you? Any great new reading?
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Do you really read 2 books at once? I mean, I sometimes have a background book going on my phone for slow moments in addition to my daily reading, but I typically just have one hard copy book going at a time. How do you decide which to pick up? Or is it the same situation like I described?
Oh boy, good questions! I’ll often read 2 books at once if one is nonfiction and one is fiction because they affect my reading brain differently. I’ll also read two novels if they’re very different genres. Like historical fiction and a thriller.
Ohh, I am intrigued by We Wish You Luck. I think it’s the collective narrator that is what is appealing to me. I don’t think I have read anything like that beside The Mothers, which is still one of my favorites to this day. I am reading Ten Thousand Doors of January and it’s not a normal read for me but I am enjoying the writing so far.
I’m about 60% of the way through We Wish You Luck and while I love the writing the story has slowed down to a crawl. The collective is interesting- I really liked it in The Whisper Network, but when it’s the only POV it creates a wall that along with the pace is starting to put me off. We’ll see!
Interesting about Ten Thousand Doors. I tried it, but could not get into the writing. It may have been a timing thing so I’ll be interested to hear your final thoughts.
Thanks for the Winter Books you discussed on Sarah’s podcast. There’s quite a few I want to read. I hope to get to Long Bright River and American Dirt. Right now I’m stuck in the memoir Yellow House … and not sure it will pan out as big as it was hyped. I’ll let you vet the Topics of Conversation for me ….
I’m feeling like a fraud as my first two picks on the podcast did NOT pan out. Topics of Conversation was just…odd and not in a good way. I am really not sure what the author was trying to do, but it didn’t resemble the synopsis or blurbs. And Lady Clementine felt more like a book about Churchill, which is quite disappointing as Benedict usually goes strong with the woman in her books.
I’m feeling like a contrarian about American Dirt. It has been so hyped with ARCs showing up everywhere, except to established bloggers. I was thoroughly snubbed by the publisher as was Susie and other bloggers I know, but people with 100 followers on Instagram got a copy. So, taking a pretty picture means more than reading and reviewing. I guess it’s the new order, but it’s left me deciding I won’t read it until it comes in at the library.
You two shouldn’t have been snubbed on getting American Dirt. Not sure what gives about that. I plan to wait for a library copy as well. Sorry the other books didn’t work out. Let’s start the year again.
I know! My first two picks from my episode on Sarah’s podcast were both duds for me. I’m going to lose all my credibility! Ha, if I had any!
I understand wanting to encourage new bloggers etc, but when so many of these people will never write about the book after receiving it it’s frustrating. Makes me question why bother?
I am reading Flannery O’Connor for the Classics Club – A Great Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories. So far it’s so good, but of course, really dark.
I’m embarrassed to say I have never read any O’Connor. What do you recommend?