I recently perused NPR’s list of best books from 2024, sorting by the tag “Seriously Great Writing”. I put a handful on hold at the library and have been reading them as they come in. I really liked this one, set mostly in Georgia (Europe). Time to put a few more on hold!
Looking forward to getting my hands dirty with this one.
While camping, I read and enjoyed this short book by Tristan Gooley. My main takeaway is this (far from simple) exercise: Wherever/whenever you are outdoors, ask yourself “In what direction am I looking?” and “What time is it?“ (Learn to) use nature to find the answers. I’d like to get better at this.
I recently met a Bulgarian couple, and we got to discussing Bulgarian literature, as I had just read Georgi Gaspodinov’s Time Shelter. They recommended Kapka Kassabova to me, and I borrowed a couple of her books from the library. From the back cover of this one: “Border is an immersive travel narrative that is also a shadow history of the Cold War, a sideways look at the migration crisis, and a witchy descent into both interior and exterior geographies.” I’m fifteen pages in, and I think I’m going to like it a lot.
I plan to read a lot more non-fiction in 2024, so book group picks might be pretty much my only fictional forays. This one was the 2023 International Booker Prize winner; let’s see if I agree with the judges!
I thought this would be a more difficult read than it is, which is a good thing, because I’m not at my best or brightest right now.
I’m in two book groups; these are our November picks. Have you read either? I thought the McEwan was excellent. I just started the Gray last night.
I’ve seen reviews of this book saying it’s deadly boring, but I found it to be quite a page-turner.
hashiworks 