Which books sit on your nightstand?

[doc benway]

I'm in a bit of a reading frenzy lately, mostly fiction.

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami was very sweet and well written, his only foray into "normal" fiction, nothing surreal or fantastical just a Murakami style love story.

Erasure by Percival Everett was interesting. It was the inspiration for the film American Fiction. The book within the book was a bit of a sickening slog, by design, and almost put me off but I'm glad I finished it. The ending was perfect. 

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr was an engaging and clever story about a story and how it stretches across millennia, impacting the lives of multiple characters. 

The Vegetarian by Han Kang was unique and unpredictable, she won the Nobel in Literature this year - highly recommended.

In the middle of listening to Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kamerer right now - beautiful book of indigenous and botanical wisdom. It's nice to hear it narrated by the author, it gives a feeling of intimacy which works well with the subject matter.

Also in the middle of Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor - a brutally poetic, stream of consciousness tale about the death of a bruja in a fictional, impoverished town in Veracruz, Mexico told from 4 different perspectives. Reminiscent of Rashomon by way of Faulkner or Joyce.

Nearly at the end of War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, the slow read that began on 1/1/24 - a chapter a day for a year. It's been a wonderful experience overall though the book certainly has its ups and downs. The repetitive, pedantic criticism of historians gets a little tiresome but Tolstoy's craft is undeniably brilliant. I only wish I could read the original Russian. 

 

 

[doc benway]

I decided not to finish Hurricane Season, I've learned that life is too short to read books I'm not enjoying.

Currently in the middle of There, There by Tommy Orange and really impressed by his writing.

I would like to read The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Burgakov. I cannot read Russian and trying to decide which English translation to buy. Leaning towards the one by Diana Burgin and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor.