IRL #bookclub holiday party and Nov/Dec meeting. Adore this small, but mighty, group we‘ve built! We usually choose one fiction and one nonfiction each month; members can choose one, read both, or none. We aren‘t strict.
Nov Fiction: I Who Have Never Known Men
Dec Fiction: The Book Club Hotel
Nov/Dec NF: Finding My Way
Due to the chaos of year‘s end, we combined for one nonfiction this time. We loved all of the above! ♥️ A rarity. 😂😂
pickThe nameless narrator of this slender novel has no memory of life before she was imprisoned with 39 women, under the constant silent watch of armed men. She has only her mind, her ferocious curiosity and intelligence to fuel her. There are clues as to what disaster befell the world, but no definite answers, and ultimately the book seems to be asking: does life still have meaning without companionship or witnesses? Unlike anything else I've read.
pickA wholly original story that is written exceptionally well.
I am glad it was short, even at only 165 pages it took me over a week to read, this is one of those books that I admire for the craft but didn't particularly like, and I found myself having to push through the last 60 pages. I am probably an outlier here. I think this would be a great book in a class, there are so many writing and storytelling topics here.
Glad I read it...once.
Next up - Belgium
I know I am late to the party on this one.
so-soI loved the first third of this NBA longlister for Fiction in Translation.
Then it got VERY repetitive and long-winded.
The final third was more interesting but I‘d already guessed what was going to happen, although not the ultimate ending, so that lessened the impact a bit. That, and the fact that i5 was all rather depressing, kept this as a so-so..
@BookishMadHatter - thank you for my awesome #allhallowsreadswap package! I'm so excited to start the books and much on some tasty chocolate.
Thank you @MaleficentBookDragon for organizing a great swap.
so-soThis is a supremely frustrating book. The writing is great, but it is in desperate need of editing. It goes on and on in a way that just makes it a slog, then finally perks up in the last quarter. The only reason I stuck with it was that I was determined not to bail on two #NBAshortlist for translated lit books in a row. If you try to read it and get bogged down, I recommend skipping forward to chapter 11 and going from there.
pickA soft pick. @Jari-chan did warn me!
This reads a little like a novella length fairy tale for adults.
Diane is born to a mother who is incapable of loving her. Despite receiving love and affection from her grandparents, father, & siblings this lack cripples her emotionally and establishes her overachieving adult trajectory. Only through a violent tragedy is she able to close the circle by connecting another victim of the same trauma.
#Roll100
