The thing about graphic novels that are part of a larger world and larger series is that the first volume is usually an introduction. So since this waThe thing about graphic novels that are part of a larger world and larger series is that the first volume is usually an introduction. So since this was new to me, I spent a bit of the time confused, but knew I would know more by the end. There is a lot to like - the art is gorgeous, the full-page pieces are worth spending a few moments with alone. There is a majority of female characters with a range of good/evil, strong/weak, old/young, human/not. This is not a typical situation! It is very violent and may not be for everyone, and takes a few interludes to tell the history/backstory that I think would annoy me if it happened in every volume.
Merged review:
The thing about graphic novels that are part of a larger world and larger series is that the first volume is usually an introduction. So since this was new to me, I spent a bit of the time confused, but knew I would know more by the end. There is a lot to like - the art is gorgeous, the full-page pieces are worth spending a few moments with alone. There is a majority of female characters with a range of good/evil, strong/weak, old/young, human/not. This is not a typical situation! It is very violent and may not be for everyone, and takes a few interludes to tell the history/backstory that I think would annoy me if it happened in every volume....more
My last read of April, the latest book of short stories included in the Indigenous Reading Circle - I really enjoyed the voice in the stories, and quiMy last read of April, the latest book of short stories included in the Indigenous Reading Circle - I really enjoyed the voice in the stories, and quite a bit of internal dialogue, something I've learned I like when done well....more
I'd always meant to read this and the years went by, and finally it came up in Hoopla and I downloaded the audio version, narrated by multiple voices.I'd always meant to read this and the years went by, and finally it came up in Hoopla and I downloaded the audio version, narrated by multiple voices. This comes in handy since several of these stories have multiple points of view, often the male and female in a relationship with both of their perspectives. (I specify male and female since the stories only have heterosexual relationships.)
Kathleen Collins is a strong voice and we are lucky her daughter went through her papers to pull together this collection of stories. (Since I'm reading this 6 years after publication, I also note that there is a book with her diaries and more stories that has come out since - Notes from a Black Woman's Diary: Selected Works of Kathleen Collins.) According to her daughter, who writes the forward to the collection, the stories are highly autobiographical, to the extent that she the daughter recognized the people in the stories.
I liked how these stories are very much about black women and the people in their immediate periphery, with their own lives and cultural queues and internal dialogues between expectations they feel placed on them and what they actually desire. Most are set in the 1960s in fairly urban/city type settings, with characters who are intelligent and not overly religious. I would read more of these stories, I would watch the film adaptation, and I also want to go watch the only film she ever made - Losing Ground....more
This novel is one I picked to read during the first quarter of Reading Envy Russia and did research on female authors publishing in the 21st century. This novel is one I picked to read during the first quarter of Reading Envy Russia and did research on female authors publishing in the 21st century. The Time of Women won the Russian Booker Prize in 2009 and was translated into English in 2012.
The story is set in Russia in the mid 20th century, about a factory worker who is an unwed mother. She ends up living with three old women and together they try to navigate the bureaucracy to have enough to eat, to wash, to heat, but also to keep young Suzanna/Sofia at home. I liked how much it shows a daily slice of life for normal people with a little bit of drama, and the old women using their cunning to defeat the bureaucracy.
It's a bit fragmented, especially in library eBook form, so I sometimes struggled to figure out the narrator for a few sentences. The daughter, although she doesn't speak, sometimes writes/thinks in fairy tales in her head, and believes in a mirror world with a more traditional family. The mother is really the only one typically leaving the house both to hold down her job but also to do the shopping, accompanying the older women to the bathhouse, and negotiating for items they need.
I see that others have rated this quite a bit lower but I liked its unique elements....more
CW for violence, harm to children, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, self-harm.
Oof. Well I went looking for books from the new Booker InternationalCW for violence, harm to children, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, self-harm.
Oof. Well I went looking for books from the new Booker International Prize longlist for 2022, and found this one in Hoopla. It was originally published in Japan in 2009, and published in the English translation by Sam Bett and David Boyd, the same team that translated Breasts and Eggs. (I was a bit critical of these two male translators with that book, as all narrators are women and talking about female health and bodies. In this case, the narrator is a teenaged boy, so I had no questions.)
A 14-year old boy with a lazy eye is referred to as "Eyes" by his classmates and is the victim of ongoing, outrageous bullying. He is befriended by a girl in his class, Kojima, who is also a victim of bullying, but admittedly exhibits strange behavior like not bathing or eating, deliberate acts in her own logic to connect to her father who left. They write letters about everything except their experiences at school.
There is a chilling scene where the boy asks one of the bullies WHY and the answer is the most nihilistic darkness I've ever heard - and this serves to mess with the boy even worse than the physical bullying....more
I was in the mood for a good old boarding school mystery novel but nobody told me this was the start of a series and nothing resolves completely untilI was in the mood for a good old boarding school mystery novel but nobody told me this was the start of a series and nothing resolves completely until the last book! But this was an engaging read I found in hoopla....more
Can I squeeze this into my mid-century women reading project if it came.out in 1923? I read all the Anne of Green Gables books but for some reason wasCan I squeeze this into my mid-century women reading project if it came.out in 1923? I read all the Anne of Green Gables books but for some reason was never really interested in Emily as a child.
Emily is orphaned and moves in with her mother's family in New Moon, PEI. She has to navigate rules, school, and friends while also managing a passion for writing (the joke here seems to be the passion without the talent, for now.) There are a lot of similarities to Anne and I wonder how far down the road from each other these girls are; PEI not being huge. ...more
I snagged this from Hoopla when it compared it to Younger and assumed it was a romance. While it has some romance, it's much more about the central chI snagged this from Hoopla when it compared it to Younger and assumed it was a romance. While it has some romance, it's much more about the central character of Nora, who is unhappily employed in her fifth year as an editorial assistant at a less than prestigious publisher. When she gets a pay cut, she has to figure out what comes next. ...more
This year, thanks to Erin and Dani's Book Club, now Indigenous Reading Circle (you can join in Patreon) - I got to read her earlier book of short stories and songs as they spend the first half of the year focusing on story collections. The stories deal with similar themes, all featuring Nishnaabeg characters close to home for Simpson (apologies if my spelling is incorrect for this form of the word, sometimes I see it starting with an A and don't know the rules. On her website, this spelling is used.)
My absolutely favorite story features two friends or lovers who have waited so long to meet in person and when they do find their suspicions correct - and it has to do with what we call "sasquatch" but they would not. (It harkens back to The Sentence which had a chapter called "Tender Sasquatch" as a joke self-pub title.)
Several reviews say the book comes with songs recorded to accompany the stories but I listed to the audio version in Hoopla and it did not have any performances included, and the one publisher site that claims to have them to listen to for free doesn't seem to. I'd welcome any guidance there as I'd love to hear them. I really enjoyed this book in audio! So much I listened to it back to back twice!
I'll attempt to discuss it a bit more on upcoming Episode 240 of the Reading Envy Podcast....more
Tania de Montaigne wrote Noire : La vie méconnue de Claudette Colvin, which was adapted to graphic novel form and illustrated by Emilie Plateau. It's Tania de Montaigne wrote Noire : La vie méconnue de Claudette Colvin, which was adapted to graphic novel form and illustrated by Emilie Plateau. It's the story of Claudette Colvin, no relation, who refused to give up her seat on the bus before Rosa Parks but is often left out of the narrative.
The illustrations were simple, lots of white space and shades of brown. I almost wish that since Claudette was so marginalized in her lifetime that she could have taken up more space on the page here, but perhaps that was the point....more
I'm trying to read books from the last few countries in my around the world project that I've been working on since 2012, and It Would Be Night in CarI'm trying to read books from the last few countries in my around the world project that I've been working on since 2012, and It Would Be Night in Caracas was recommended by several people for Venezuela.
The author is a journalist from Venezuela who relocated to Madrid, and the main character of the novel follows a similar path. The novel is so focused on her life and struggles without a lot of context so I had to do a lot of reading about Venezuela - its government, the poverty, the violence - it's all there in the background but not something I knew a lot about. And the way the main character encounters it is as a woman alone - at the beginning she has to bury her mother who died because there was no health care infrastructure, without family because they were either dead or unwilling to risk traveling. It isn't long before she decides she has to flee the country, and while a lot of convenient things have to happen for that to work, it is still harrowing.
Interestingly, Venezuela has been in the news this week because they blamed the U.N. and United States for what is happening in Ukraine. That initiated another internet rabbit hole, to find Venezuela closely aligned with Russia and Cuba.
The other thing I did was to spend some time in Google Maps, looking at some of the amazing rainforest landscapes found in the south of the country, and read recent stories about an American who has been held under espionage charges for several years.
You'll see below that this took me a while to read - it's because the violence would make me put it aside for a while....more
But I'm looking forwaard to the Tournament of Books discussion of this book.
Moments of pause: (view spoiler)[ -when she staI DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.
But I'm looking forwaard to the Tournament of Books discussion of this book.
Moments of pause: (view spoiler)[ -when she starts talking silly with the researcher guy to make him feel better? bizarre -IS THIS YOUR CHILD OR NOT -oh wait the child is dead? horrifying -the puzzle changes? -the daemon badger creature? -the shoes at one point shared a description with her personal device's material description, but both kept changing WHY - and at the end the device is a bird? (hide spoiler)]
I went poking through Hoopla and rediscovered this book of poetry from/about the Isle of Iona. I spent three days there in 1999 but it really is a speI went poking through Hoopla and rediscovered this book of poetry from/about the Isle of Iona. I spent three days there in 1999 but it really is a special place and the poems grapple with that, from a changing focus in theme of its history, to the legendary people who have passed through, to the spirituality of the place, to the unique landscape, to the memories of the poet's childhood, etc. They brought up memories for me too.
This diversion prompted by the last month of the Readtheworld21 challenge! ...more
This book is on the Tournament of Books long but not shortlist. It's about a relationship that ends abruptly when B- dies, and their partner is not alThis book is on the Tournament of Books long but not shortlist. It's about a relationship that ends abruptly when B- dies, and their partner is not allowed in the hospital and then is excluded from the family's ceremonies. So they take on a way to commemorate their partner that has to do with their work/art. .= There is a back story of foster care that made me pick it up and I think that feeds into the "found family" element in the book as well. I think the pacing is a bit odd at times but the unevenness also feels like a part of it - the grief, the story, the good parts. It felt unique in many ways, and I'm glad I read it....more
I didn't catch this book when it was on the International Booker list, but when it was named a finalist for the translated lit category of the NationaI didn't catch this book when it was on the International Booker list, but when it was named a finalist for the translated lit category of the National Book Award, I finally decided to give it a go, especially once I found the audio in Hoopla and it was under 6 hours.
At first, it feels like non-fiction, well researched information about science and math, death and destruction, the usual. It slowly morphs to include details about the characters that might be true, I guess, but would he unlikely to be known without a detailed journal or analysis records. And as it nears the end, the stories start linking and it feels more like a fictional experience.
I always enjoy books that take me on a journey. The characters do not have to be on a journey, but I like the author to have a clear goal in mind even if I don't know what it is... It's one of those undefinable things that I like and is present here. I also am a sucker for books about math and mathematicians and boy did this qualify. I wish it had won the International Booker and I hope it wins the National Book Award for translation....more
I saw this book on the longlist for the (USA) National Book Award for translated literature. It is translated from the French by an author who was raiI saw this book on the longlist for the (USA) National Book Award for translated literature. It is translated from the French by an author who was raised in various countries, including France and South Korea.
After I saw it on the long list, I found it in Hoopla, and realized it was a short book that I could probably read quickly. It is in fragments and vignettes as well, about a young woman who works in a seasonal hotel, out of season on the border with North Korea. A French comic book artist comes for a visit and the story goes from there. There is a lot about the body and how it is seen by the self and others. I would have liked a longer story but perhaps the mood of it works best in its shortness....more
Okay this is one of the best books I've read this year and I'm not sure why I haven't heard about it from more people. It's a relationship novel - notOkay this is one of the best books I've read this year and I'm not sure why I haven't heard about it from more people. It's a relationship novel - not a romance - absorbed in the emotions and internal dialogue of intense connection. It's also about Blackness - specifically in London - and creating art. Loved it, and read it in hoopla....more
After enjoying Sugar Town by this artist, I found an earlier work about when she spent a high school summer removing (invasive species) English Ivy frAfter enjoying Sugar Town by this artist, I found an earlier work about when she spent a high school summer removing (invasive species) English Ivy from Portland parks. There is a strong storyline about homeschooling that also attempts to break some stereotypes but also brings Hazel in contact with some uncomfortable reasons for homeschooling....more
I finished this one from the Booker long list and I would love to discuss it more if anyone else has read it. I have a few questions. . The story followI finished this one from the Booker long list and I would love to discuss it more if anyone else has read it. I have a few questions. . The story follows three white South African siblings (whose names all begin with A) - they are living through the aftermath of apartheid in a changing environment where they are losing their automatic privilege and class. The siblings have a variety of reactions and aren't exactly heros of their own stories.
The pieces I need more discussion on - who is the narrator exactly and does it keep changing? Sometimes I think it is a ghost? What happened to Amor on the roof? Did she hear her mother right? (Was the promise really a promise?)
I liked this more than the last novel I read by the author. He has been well favored by the Booker judges in the past so he could make the shortlist again. He's never won it. I'd say of the four I've read, this is the best so far....more
A dead mother, a woman in a coma, a daughter with a gift for massage, and a mollusk that might help reach a comatose brain all come together in El SalA dead mother, a woman in a coma, a daughter with a gift for massage, and a mollusk that might help reach a comatose brain all come together in El Salvador. And this fits the #Readtheworld21 challenge of Central America. I found it in #hoopla and the author is from Puerto Rico but grew up between Connecticut and El Salvador, much like the protagonist in this novel....more
Jenny (Reading Envy)
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