What I’m Listening to Now: We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida
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Tag Archives: adult fiction
What I’m Listening to now: I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardóttir (read by Lucy Paterson)
My obsession with Icelandic noir continues with this creepy little number.
Weekend Reads: Red, White, and Blue
This is a day late because a cold has sidelined me, but it is a long weekend here in the US because Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which is a federal holiday.
Monday is also Inauguration for the U.S. President. So, with that in mind, here are some “American themed” (very broadly speaking) suggestions for your next read.
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This is the story of Ifemelu, a Nigerian woman living in the US. The narrative moves between the past and the present and is interspersed with blog posts Ifemelu has written about life as a Non-American African in the U.S. This had me hooked immediately. The characters were real and vivid and it gave me so much to think about.
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Beth and I both loved this book, a first in the series. It is an alternate history set immediately after the Civil War…but with zombies. It is written from the perspective of a Black woman who has to navigate both the terror of a zombie-filled world and the racism of the time period. Bonus, the audio book is read by one of my favorite narrators, Bahni Turpin.
Since he’s about to be our new vice president, you can take a whack at J.D. Vance’s memoir. The audiobook is read by the author and it is a well-written tale about his life growing up in Appalachia. Drug addiction, incarceration, lack of resources, broken families, grit, and perseverance all make an appearance. Honestly, I was lukewarm about the memoir when I read it first in 2018 and I’m still pretty meh about it now. But maybe you’ll like it better!
Ms. Marvel No Normal by G. Willow Wilson
Kamala Khan is such a wonderful character. I enjoy her so much. She is your typical American teenager, wanting to fit in but also stand out, wanting to make her parents happy but also follow her dreams. When she finds she has super powers, she does the only thing she can think to do, and that is help people. If you don’t know Kamala Khan, I highly recommend you give her comics a try.
What I’m Listening to Now: The Ice Queen by Nell Neuhaus (Read by Robert Fass, Translated by Steven T. Murray)
What I’m Listening to Now: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Read by Alma Cuervo, Robin Miles, and Julia Whelan)
I have no idea what this is about but everyone in my knitting group loved it, so I’m excited it’s finally available from my library!
Quick Review: The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (translated by Ken Liu and read by Luke Daniels)
This is now a series on netflix and when I watched it a few months ago and discussed what I thought of the show, a friend who had read the books suggested that I try them out, too. The book is set largely in China either during the cultural revolution or in modern day. A secret military project in the 60s makes contact with an alien civilization and in the modern day we see the fall out of those actions. A bunch of the modern day stuff takes place in a video game, which gives us an interesting third setting that introduces the characters, and us, to the aliens. There is heroism, selfishness, horror, and surprise. A lot to recommend this bit of sci-fi, really.
Luke Daniels brought many of the characters in the novel to life. I enjoyed his voice acting. I also enjoyed the progress of the novel. I am on the wait list for the next two and I do believe I will check them out from the library when they come available.
Review: The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Set on a small island North of the Arctic circle in Norway in the 1600s, this novel follows the lives of women in a fishing village who lose most of their men in a freak storm and then get caught up in the witch hysteria sweeping Europe. It is centered on the lives of Maren, a young girl woman from the island who lives with her mother, sister-in-law and her newborn nephew and Ursa, the Bergen born newly wed wife of the new Commissioner assigned to the town. Their relationship was an unexpected twist that I really enjoyed. Ursa is not prepared to find herself at the edge of the world in a one room house without so much as a maid and Maren is not expecting to stumble into a friendship with this helpless woman. As their friendship grows, a fever of distrust and poisonous religiosity spread through the village.
This book was compelling. I was infuriated, saddened, and touched. The ending caught me by surprise. If you like books that center women’s stories and historical fiction. I recommend you try this one!
What I’m Reading Now: The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Another book suggested by a friend from knitting group in what is becoming the convergence of two different trends in my life: reading books suggested by knitters and crocheters and reading actual physical books I have checked out from the library. I know nothing about this other than Grace said it was good. I can’t wait to get into it!
What I’m Listening to now : Out by Natsuo Kirin
What I’m Listening to Now: Lone Women by Victor Lavalle
This is so good. I can’t put it down.
2 Women, So Many Books 