King Is Always Above the People: Stories | 
#Bookspin Trying to read those Americas books!
1. We Measure the Earth
2. Olga Dies
3. A Million Aunties
4. Run Towards
5. Bad Girls
6. Never so Bad
7. How The Garcia Girls
8. The Savage Detectives
9. The Sleeping Car Porter
10. Fresh Banana Leaves
11. A Small Place
12. I am a taxi
13. Love and Drowning
14. Nasty Brutish
15. Book of Goose
16. Solito
17. Pure Colour
18. Wild Tongues
19. Fruit of the Drunken Tree
20. Love after Love
bailedI was disappointed that I had to bail on this one, because I was really intrigued by “At Night We Walk in Circles” many years ago. I just could not get into these short stories, however. They just seemed too vague, with characters I couldn‘t relate to, as well as many of them being set in the US when it was my #Peru choice for #ReadingTheAmericas2023.
pickA strong collection of short stories. Alarcón is Peruvian-American (but has lived in many cities) & I loved the direct style but sense of South American place and life (of the men, mainly). Some stories are set in Lima & others in unnamed cities - but the way of life is conveyed in simple details: the old men sitting on benches who never left; the emigrants who return. Not great women characters but intelligent, thought-provoking stories.
Reading through this collection of short stories as I finish @Samplergal's #13inThree readathon. Update: I bailed on this one. 😕
Really enjoying this. We discuss it in A Little Less Guilty 🎧 this week, as well as books you shouldn‘t feel guilty about not reading. At the top of my list, Midnight‘s Children by Salman Rushdie. Do you have any books you haven‘t read but feel like you should?
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https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/a-little-less-guilty/id1351506953?mt=2&i=100...
What a delight to receive this parcel today from Bibliophiles - a subscription service for time-poor readers (& great gift idea)! And lovely listeners of our podcast A Little Less Guilty. Fiona is even confident she can find a book Cressida will like. 😉 Can‘t wait to get stuck into this one. 📚
so-soThis book of collected stories didn‘t really work for me. I have liked Alarcon before in NYTs but for some reason this set of stories just never clicked for me.
2 for 1 tonight: Daniel Alarcon and Jeff Chang in conversation. I already loved The King is Above the People, and this interview made me appreciate each story even more so. I love hearing about writers‘ processes and this talk was full of it. Both of these writers were incredibly cool + genuine, + any experience where there are two people of color on stage sharing their humor, their stories, their passions with us means I am a lucky, happy camper.
so-soBeautiful writing, yet a bit too pretentious, as if to say, “Look what I can do!” Brief sentences attempt to intellectually communicate more than they can. Several times I reread a paragraph because I didn‘t understand how I got from the previous one to the next.
I was disappointed with the one-dimensional female characters. And the men ?
But really, clichés aside I felt like most of this was just over my head. So many questions unanswered.
“The place you are born is simply the first place you flee. And then: the people you meet, the ones you fall for, and the paths you make together, the entirety of one‘s life— a series of mere accidents.”
pickThis collection of stories is downright enjoyable. And it is a collection that deserves to be read aloud, as the storytelling is exceptional, full of zing+grittiness+surprise+melancholy. The stories are as complex and deep as you want them to be, and hilarious or heartbreaking depending on your mood. There‘s one about Lincoln (so fun after Lincoln in the Bardo) and one about a boy struggling to support his family that will knock your socks off.
My next read on Day 2 of Snowpocalypse. ❄️☃️📚
Anyone else stay home again today?
I saw pictures of snow covering the subway platforms in NYC! And not just a dusting.... needless to say I am not looking forward to commuting on Monday.
so-soI did not really care for this short story collection. Two or three stories were lovely, but the rest just felt incomplete. I was definitely yawning throughout a majority of this one.
Heard Daniel Alarcon interviewed about this book and it sounded so good. Bonus: I was able to get out of the library.
I'm pretty stoked for this #LibraryHaul 📚📚📚📚📚
Finally got my hands on another from the NBA long list.
Hoping to fit in a few of these before year's end! If there are any here to prioritize, let me know! 😉
