1. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
What a wonderful way to start the reading year. Ann Patchett is just the kind of company that you want to hunker down with on a snowy, icy few days when there's no sign of sun in the sky. I listened to the audiobook which is masterfully read by Tom Hanks. Sometimes a reader who is as well known as Hanks is can muddle up the reception of a book, but this is a perfect pairing. His deep decency and humanity amplifying what is extant in Patchett's prose. I'm so grateful that I had time to spend with this book. I also recommend that if you listen to the audio book, you follow it by reading this piece that Patchett just published in Harper's and which magically came to my attention the day after I finished the novel.
2. Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
Bowing down to the genius of Jacqueline Woodson--this is an exquisite book, from the first word to the last. (The last sentence gave me shivers, it's that good.) So many voices, each so perfectly rendered and not a bit of filler in there. It takes a poet to write such perfect, economical prose. Such a beautiful story of family and life and choices; I feel privileged to have read it.
3. How the Multiverse Got Its Revenge by K. Eason
A fun sequel to "How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse". I'd say 3/4 of this SF novel was greatly entertaining: witty, with great character development and fun plot tangles to unravel. The last 1/4 became a bit of a slog and I wasn't the biggest fan of the narratorial voice interjecting historical perspective which became more apparent and felt like a technique to wrap up a plot that was not moving forward. I'd say tone-wise, K. Eason is in a similar camp as John Scalzi and Martha Wells so if those authors' SF works appeal to you, then this one probably will.
4. A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself by Peter Ho Davies
This is a concise, beautifully written exploration of the paired intimate subjects of abortion and parenthood. The title comes from an Anais Nin quote, "Shame is the lie someone told you about yourself" and the book dives deep into the private shames that one couple, and particularly the man, share.
I'm glad this was written for all the people for whom this will be "new" but personally, it was like reading a book about myself (which is not why I read. I've said it before and will say it again, I read to escape myself.) I have lots of parallel experiences from 30+ years of involvement in abortion rights, to parenting a 2e child, to living in the same town as the author and identifying the locations (hello Burns Park Elementary School, Summer's Knoll School and the Planned Parenthood branch that backs up to it. I know the white line that is painted on the sidewalk demarcating the space up to which PP protestors can stand w/out trespassing. I know the university classrooms where the main character teaches.) All of it was way too close for me to "enjoy" this book. I appreciate it and the craft that went into it, but I wish I could have read it as an outsider for whom the main character's struggles didn't reflect my own quite so intimately. That's my problem, not the authors, of course. On a dispassionate craft side, there were a few moments when (if I was his editor) I would have suggested that he stop with the coy references to the question of "how autobiographical is this book" because I think they distract from the central question. And there was the ending of one of the last chapters where the last paragraph should have been cut because it attempts a sort of emotional closure that undermines the rest of the narrative. But these are small complaints.
I think the book will be incredibly revealing to western readers who do not live in the US (or perhaps Northern Ireland where abortion is still illegal.) I have lived in countries where abortion is a medical procedure that hasn't been weaponized by right-wing ideologues and this book gives one of the clearest views of the depths of the damage to our country and to the perceptions of women's bodies as places that everyone, except the actual woman, has a say in and a judgement about the operation of, even in a "safe" liberal college town.
5. The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas
Sigh. Well, I think that's the last of the Lady Sherlock series I'll read/listen to. It just slogged along, and the interactions between the characters lacked charm or wit. The "mystery" wasn't particularly interesting and the resolution relied on leaps of faith about the ability of the main character to break a 12 digit combination to a safe that was simply implausible, even if you believe in her "genius."
6. The Death of a Gentle Lady by M.C. Beaton
Oh dear lord this was a stupid mystery. Despite being read by one of the best audiobook readers out there (the estimable Graeme Malcolm) this was almost unfinishable. I really thought that after "Death of a Maid" that I'd found a series that I could turn to for distraction but it looks like they are wildly uneven in quality.
What a wonderful way to start the reading year. Ann Patchett is just the kind of company that you want to hunker down with on a snowy, icy few days when there's no sign of sun in the sky. I listened to the audiobook which is masterfully read by Tom Hanks. Sometimes a reader who is as well known as Hanks is can muddle up the reception of a book, but this is a perfect pairing. His deep decency and humanity amplifying what is extant in Patchett's prose. I'm so grateful that I had time to spend with this book. I also recommend that if you listen to the audio book, you follow it by reading this piece that Patchett just published in Harper's and which magically came to my attention the day after I finished the novel.
2. Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
Bowing down to the genius of Jacqueline Woodson--this is an exquisite book, from the first word to the last. (The last sentence gave me shivers, it's that good.) So many voices, each so perfectly rendered and not a bit of filler in there. It takes a poet to write such perfect, economical prose. Such a beautiful story of family and life and choices; I feel privileged to have read it.
3. How the Multiverse Got Its Revenge by K. Eason
A fun sequel to "How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse". I'd say 3/4 of this SF novel was greatly entertaining: witty, with great character development and fun plot tangles to unravel. The last 1/4 became a bit of a slog and I wasn't the biggest fan of the narratorial voice interjecting historical perspective which became more apparent and felt like a technique to wrap up a plot that was not moving forward. I'd say tone-wise, K. Eason is in a similar camp as John Scalzi and Martha Wells so if those authors' SF works appeal to you, then this one probably will.
4. A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself by Peter Ho Davies
This is a concise, beautifully written exploration of the paired intimate subjects of abortion and parenthood. The title comes from an Anais Nin quote, "Shame is the lie someone told you about yourself" and the book dives deep into the private shames that one couple, and particularly the man, share.
I'm glad this was written for all the people for whom this will be "new" but personally, it was like reading a book about myself (which is not why I read. I've said it before and will say it again, I read to escape myself.) I have lots of parallel experiences from 30+ years of involvement in abortion rights, to parenting a 2e child, to living in the same town as the author and identifying the locations (hello Burns Park Elementary School, Summer's Knoll School and the Planned Parenthood branch that backs up to it. I know the white line that is painted on the sidewalk demarcating the space up to which PP protestors can stand w/out trespassing. I know the university classrooms where the main character teaches.) All of it was way too close for me to "enjoy" this book. I appreciate it and the craft that went into it, but I wish I could have read it as an outsider for whom the main character's struggles didn't reflect my own quite so intimately. That's my problem, not the authors, of course. On a dispassionate craft side, there were a few moments when (if I was his editor) I would have suggested that he stop with the coy references to the question of "how autobiographical is this book" because I think they distract from the central question. And there was the ending of one of the last chapters where the last paragraph should have been cut because it attempts a sort of emotional closure that undermines the rest of the narrative. But these are small complaints.
I think the book will be incredibly revealing to western readers who do not live in the US (or perhaps Northern Ireland where abortion is still illegal.) I have lived in countries where abortion is a medical procedure that hasn't been weaponized by right-wing ideologues and this book gives one of the clearest views of the depths of the damage to our country and to the perceptions of women's bodies as places that everyone, except the actual woman, has a say in and a judgement about the operation of, even in a "safe" liberal college town.
5. The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas
Sigh. Well, I think that's the last of the Lady Sherlock series I'll read/listen to. It just slogged along, and the interactions between the characters lacked charm or wit. The "mystery" wasn't particularly interesting and the resolution relied on leaps of faith about the ability of the main character to break a 12 digit combination to a safe that was simply implausible, even if you believe in her "genius."
6. The Death of a Gentle Lady by M.C. Beaton
Oh dear lord this was a stupid mystery. Despite being read by one of the best audiobook readers out there (the estimable Graeme Malcolm) this was almost unfinishable. I really thought that after "Death of a Maid" that I'd found a series that I could turn to for distraction but it looks like they are wildly uneven in quality.
