My Thoughts and Reading in September 2018
For the past few months it has felt like I have really slowed down in my reading, and that felt a little demoralising. Granted, to use the world ‘demoralising’ when referring to one’s reading life is very much a first world problem. To think my biggest problems in my life is about my reading journey really does mean that I have a pretty great life. I am currently in a period of uncertainty with my job where I am unsure if I will be made redundant and yet my concern is directed towards how many books I have read in a single month. As much as I would love to keep my current job, I feel at ease around the whole situation, one path leaves me with work, the other leads to a pay out and more reading time. While I do experience a little worry, it only comes in short waves and honestly I feel like they would be stupid to get rid of me.
Getting back to my reading month, I started off by finishing The Shape of the Ruins. I had put this one aside for the entire month of August because it was Women in Translations Month. Which makes me feel like I have done this book a disservice. Setting down a book normally is caused by not enjoying what I am reading but in this case I was literally distracted by other books. I am more interested in being a part of this great reading event. Juan Gabriel Vásquez is an amazing writer and I feel like my recent discovery of his books is one of the highlights of the year, but when women in translation month came along I could not stop myself from focusing on that event. Do you ever get that feeling? Sometimes I want to go into the new month with a clean slate but there will always be other books to distract my reading journey. I have found my reading niche, and I am happy that my focus is solely on translations, probably because I am now being distracted by less books than before.
One of the highlights of September was a weekend away from everything. My wife had to go down to Brisbane for work, and I decided to come along for the ride. I had a few days in a hotel room with some books I wanted to read. This was an amazing experience. I took down Aracoeli, Fever and Spear and Wait, Blink to occupy my time. There is something refreshing about stepping away from the distractions of your life to focus on some reading. I think this reignited the passion within me and kicked my reading back into normal gear. I was not experiencing a reading slump but I think I was lacking the motivation to read as frequently as I normally do. As far as the three books are concerned, Fever and Spear was the clear highlight. I think I am not smart enough to fully appreciate Aracoeli, but I will get there and Wait, Blink was just a fun quirky read.
The National Book Award in America last year announced that they had added a translated literature award and this month we finally got to see what was on their first longlist. My initial reaction to the list was one of curiosity, mainly because I was unfamiliar with half the picks. There were some obvious choices like Flights which won the Man Booker International prize this year. However The Beekeeper is an interesting pick, mainly because it is the only non-fiction book to make the list. I do feel like I should read the entire longlist just to be a part of the conversation. I listen to a podcast called The Three Percent Podcast which focuses mainly on translations and the publishing world, and just listening to the way they talk so critically about this longlist makes me envious. I know I have only recently focused on reading translations but I hope to be able to get to a point in my life where I can just scoff at a longlist the same way as the hosts. This kind of reaction happens all the time when an award like the Man Booker International longlist is announced. I feel like that kind of familiarity towards the choices is definitely a reading goal for me. Out of the ten books picked, I had only read one of the books picked (Flights), but at the end of this month I have completed three more (Wait, Blink, Love and Trick). Two others are currently being read (Comemadre and Disoriental). Which is leaving me in a really good position to complete the rest of the list, which are Aetherial Worlds, The Beekeeper, One Part Woman and The Emissary. Expect to see reviews from all these books in the next few months.
I finished off the month reading African Psycho, which is obviously a parody on American Psycho but I think I enjoyed it more. Not because there was anything special about the novel, mainly because it was a very different book to what I expected. Half the book I felt was a struggle, and that seemed to be the author emulating that obsession found in American Psycho, but the ending really pulled the whole book together. Finally I ended the month on a low note, The Silence of the Girls, which was the book club pick for October. It was a boring retelling of the Trojan War told from the perspective of a female slave. There was so much potential in exploring the fears this woman might have faced but Pat Barker missed the opportunity. This was told from the first person perspective of the slave so we could hear her thoughts, but for the most part the author wrote lines like “I was scared” regarding a situating with nothing more. You know that old writing advice “show don’t tell”? Pat Barker should have listened to that advice. Just writing about this is making me angry and I have said more about this novel than the others because this will be the last time I put any effort into writing about The Silence of the Girls.
I mentioned that I am currently reading Comemadre and Disoriental. I also mentioned that I want to complete the National Book Awards longlist for translated literature, so I do need to mention that again. I have been feeling very motivated and I hope to take that opportunity to write more. I still have a few reviews to write but I also want to get back into BookTube. I love talking about literature and looking for as many ways to do so as possible. Have you seen The Literary Discord? For those who do not know, Discord is like a modern day forum, it was created mainly for games as a place to build communities, but other communities have utilised it as well, including me when I created The Literary Discord as another place to talk about literature. My plan to return to BookTube is to push myself to speak about books that do not get enough attention (translations). It is a way to practise speaking and develop my voice. I have this blog and my podcast that I am passionate about, I hope to be able to bring that same passion back to BookTube, because I lost it. I hope this new found energy continues for me and I hope you have all had a great reading month.
BOOKS BOUGHT – 8
- Disoriental by Négar Djavadi (translated by Tina Kover)
- Ties by Domenico Starnone (translated by Jhumpa Lahiri)
- Vernon Subutex 2 by Virginie Despentes (translated by Frank Wynne)
- Evacuation by Raphaël Jerusalmy (translated by Penny Hueston)
- Drive your Plow over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk (translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones)
- Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman (translated by Robert Chandler)
- Aetherial Worlds by Tatyana Tolstaya (translated by Anya Migdal)
- Doom 94 by Jānis Joņevs (translated by Kaija Straumanis)
BOOKS ADDED TO MY WISHLIST – 5
- The Helios Disaster by Linda Boström Knausgård (translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles)
- La Femme de Gilles by Madeleine Bourdouxhe (translated by Faith Evans)
- The Hole by José Revueltas (translated by Amanda Hopkinson and Sophie Hughes)
- The Governesses by Anne Serre (translated by Mark Hutchinson)
- T Singer by Dag Solstad (translated by Tiina Nunnally)
BOOKS READ – 8
- The Shape of the Ruins by Juan Gabriel Vásquez (translated by Anne McLean)
- Aracoeli by Elsa Morante (translated by William Weaver)
- Fever and Spear by Javier Marías (translated by Margaret Jull Costa)
- Wait, Blink by Gunnhild Øyehaug (translated by Kari Dickson)
- Love by Hanne Ørstavik (translated by Martin Aitken)
- Trick by Domenico Starnone (translated by Jhumpa Lahiri)
- African Psycho by Alain Mabanckou (translated by Christine Schwartz Hartley)
- The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
OTHER BOOKS MENTIONED
- Flights by Olga Tokarczuk (translated by Jennifer Croft)
- The Beekeeper by Dunya Mikhail (translated by Max Weiss and Dunya Mikhail)
- Comemadre by Roque Larraquy (translated by Heather Cleary)
- One Part Woman by Perumal Murugan (translated by Aniruddhan Vasudevan)
- The Emissary by Yoko Tawada (translated by Margaret Mitsutani)
- American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Vasquez has been on my virtual list for so long… And I have two of his books on the shelf. Need to read him! You had a great month and I loved the run-down.
I hope I’ve convinced you to check him out.
I could not get into The Shape of Ruins, after waiting for it at the library for weeks and weeks! I wanted to read it for Spanish Lit Month in July, but no…and now I think my interest has passed. Despite liking what he has written before. I did read Fever and Spear, and for me, too, that was a highlight. Now I am plunging into Japanese literature, particularly a light-but-deep-at-the-same-time novel titled The Convencience Store Woman. Fascinating. And, short. I am eagerly awaiting Murakami’s Killing Commendatore, which is out October 9, as well. By the way, I like your peaceful attitude about your job/paths. It’s a win-win, I think, whichever way you go.
That’s a shame you didn’t like The Shape of the Ruins, what did you like in the past from him. I can’t wait to read more from the Your Face Tomorrow series. I really liked The Convenience Store Woman, love that kind of short but a lot to think about books. Not sure if I’m interested in Murakami’s Killing Commendatore, but will see what happens.
I really like these monthly wrap-up posts. Can’t wait to read your reviews of the NBA longlisted books! Sad to hear about The Silence of the Girls, I was looking forward to reading that. I’m currently reading Aetherial Worlds by Tatyana Tolstaya and really enjoying her short stories. Some of them have this kinda sarcastic tone that I just adore. 🙂
I need to write more posts like this. I just enjoy the conversational bookish essays. I’m sold on sarcastic tones.
Sorry to hear you might be made redundant. All your employer’s current restructuring sounds like a nightmare for employees. :/
I’m glad you’re feeling passionate about books and reading again. It’s so easy to get distracted. I decided to read some of the Man Booker long list, but only liked two of the books and all the others were a big DNF. I should know by now not to bother with it, and yet I keep hoping that I’ll find some decent books on the list.
Are you excited about the new Murakami? I’ll probably succumb to curiosity and buy it. I hope it’s not another IQ84 experience. That kind of broke my heart. The translation just seemed careless and horribly done. I’m liking Scandi lit at the moment. Not the big crime & thriller novels but smaller, more quirky narratives.
There is a rollercoaster of emotions regarding the redundancy, but for the most part I am glad to be getting out. I have no idea what I will do yet but I have some exciting ideas but have to see how they play out.
I am a little surprised you are trying the Man Booker longlist, I guess it is good to be apart of the conversation, I don’t feel drawn to any. What are the ones you liked? Did you read The Mars Room, I remember you liked The Flamethrower so thought that would be one you would try.
I think I am over Murakami so not really sure about Killing Commendatore, maybe I will get it from the library but not really hanging out for it. I have read some good Scandi lit lately, but I never seem to enjoy the nordic noir stuff.
I didn’t know you were actually made redundant. I’m really sorry to hear that. We had an experience with job termination a year ago and it really sucked. Take care of yourself.
I was curious about the Man Booker entrants so I decided to see if they were any good. The only ones I liked were Normal People and The Mars Room. I’m a big Kushner fan! Overstory is good, but it’s not a book to be hurried and I’m still reading it. I don’t seem to “converse” with anyone about books these days. I’m not on any social media and I don’t write about books much any more, either. *shrug* I wouldn’t know the difference between Scandi lit and Nordic noir, and I had to Google up-lit to see what it was. There’s a label for everything these days! They’re all just “books” to me. (And I can’t even use emoji because I don’t know what they mean. *wry face*)
I heard someone talking about the new Murakami on a podcast. Yikes. It sounds a bit ordinary. I loved his early novels. This one just sounds like more IQ84. I’ve requested it from the library. I didn’t like what I heard about it on the pod the other day, so chances are I won’t actually read it.
I’ve got a bunch of modern classic Russian & German NYRB editions I need to get to. They just keep publishing more and more. I’m kind of into Vasily Grossman at the moment. Interesting man.
For a long time I assumed that the company would be crazy to get rid of me but found out they are going to do just that. My wife was made redundant earlier this year, and I think there were more emotions around that. I am pretty angry but mostly I am glad to be leaving. I hope things work out for me in the end.
I knew you are a Kushner fan so I am glad it didn’t let you down. Normal People and Overstory seem to be the popular picks from the list. I know they are all books but there are so many labels these days, so I try to remember them. Pro tip regarding emojis; there is an emoji encyclopedia you can use to look up their meanings. Up-lit is the popular trend at the moment, people just want to be reading nice books that never make them feel any negative emotions. I am not impressed, so I am over here being grumpy.
I haven’t heard anything about the new Murakami yet but I feel like he is past his prime and I just suspect his new books will always disappoint. I didn’t mind Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage but it was a little basic compared to some of his early ones. I just felt like he made his points very obvious and I miss the subtleties.
Speaking of Vasily Grossman, I am currently reading Life and Fates for the first time and I see that Stalingrad is going to be released by NYRB next year. It is good to talk literature with you again, I hope you keep sharing your opinions on your blog.
It’s really hard not to take redundancy personally. Your company is cutting SO many jobs this time, too. I don’t know why big companies always retrench people just before Christmas, when we all have more expenses and everything shuts down until the end of February. I hope things turn out well for you. One door closes and another opens, etc.
Did you get the new Vintage edition of Life and Fate? I bought that one. I’m reading a bio of Grossman, which is relentlessly heartrending, and I read his non-fic, The Road. I can fully understand why people want to read up-lit! The world does seem kind of grim right now, and some people just don’t need to let any more horrible stuff into their heads. I go through episodes where I can’t bear to read one more miserable thing, and then I reach for fluffy books. I’ve had a bit of that going on this year!
Yeah, I agree about Murakami. Some of the comments I’ve read about stuff in his new book make me think he’s gone the full Lolita Syndrome, or something. I don’t know if I even want to give it a go. I’m not sure if he’s really as clever as some people say, or if his later books are just rubbish. I don’t suppose he or his publishers care, as long as people keep buying his books. I’m still very bitter about IQ84! I remember how we all looked forward so much to it and it was SO crap and we were all like, WHAT?
Thanks for the tip about the emoji encyclopaedia. I had a look and felt kind of tired. So many symbols. All I really need are the middle finger and the vomiting face. 😏
The reduction was enough at the new financial year, it just takes this long to work out who they plan to reduce, that’s why it’s always around Christmas time.
I did get the new vintage edition of Life and Fate, I wanted to get the updated translation. I only think there has been one English translator for this one. Not sure who is translating Stalingrad…probably should look that up.
Murakami has not written anything good in a while. Not sure if it’s because they don’t get edited as much or he is just getting creepier in his old age. I think I’m over Murakami and I don’t know if I will read him again.
I hope the emoji encyclopaedia helps you at the moment. For me my main emojis are the old man and the monkey covering his eyes