- Solenoid by Mircea Cartaescu
- Celebration by Damir Karakas
- My Women by Yuliia Lliuk
- A carnival of Attrocites by Natalia Gracia Freire
- Under the eye of the big bird by Hiromi Kawakami
- The book of Disappearence by Ibtisam Azem
- An untouched House by Willem Frederiks Herman
- Wayward Heroes by Halldór Laxness
- The Palm Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola
- The sailor from Gibraltor by Marguerite Duras
- Spark of Life by Erich Maria Remarque
I t was a bumper month for reviews. I managed 11 reviews. We start in Romania, following a teacher in a dark, surreal Bucharest. Then of to Croatia and a story of a man coming home from the war. Then another war, this time the current conflict in Ukraine, is seen through the woman having to cope with the loss and changes to their life it brings.Then, a girl is considered a witch in a distant village in Ecuador. Then, humans have to start evolving to survive and flourish. THEN we see through two neighbours what happens when, one day, all the citizens from Palestine just disappear, how does everyone and the government take it. Then a man seeks refuge from the end of the Second World War in a house untouched by the war, as things happen. The lives of the two brothers as Vikings are retold in retellings of the Icelandic sagas. Then a man goes to find a new man to make palm wine in a folk tale-like trip. Then a woman hunts for a sailor she just saw and fell in love with, and now is trying to find him. Then the Second War is ending as we see this view from the point of view of a German prisoner in a concentration camp, as it all starts to draw in around the Germans, will the narrator survive to the end ? Well, I had one new country, Ecuador, the first this year. It’s getting hard to tick off countries, as there are fewer than there were a few years ago.
Book of the month
It is hard; there were a few longlist prize-winning books, but this hit home and had that small epic feel to the writing. It’s a book that I will think about for a long time after I finish it. Some of the descriptions of the world and nature were staggering.
Non book events
Well it was Record Store Day this month, and an early start and further back than other years, even though I was there at five. I did get a few records. Highlights included Pale Saints’ slow-building.Hindu Love Gods, which is a collaboration between REM and Warren Zevon, created this single album; it has a blues feel to it. Then I also brought lps Talking Heads live, Belly (and a few more as well). TV-wise, it has been YouTube. With the country diary of an Edwardian lady, a twelve-part series follows the diary month by month. It wasn’t till I watched it this month that I saw it was filmed very near where my dad lives.The second series I had missed when I was younger, Squadron, follows an RAF squadron in the early 80s. Ok, this is very dated politically. But great to see the old planes flying. Other than that, the second series of the Star Wars series, Andor, is the best of them. It is a political thriller in style, with action, and never quite sure how the tale will turn out which makes it refreshing.
Next month
It will be mostly novellas next month. Plans are up in the air, and I don’t really have any books in mind. The only thing I can say is the recent turn of the club’s year last week has made me think that I need to read some of my backlist and the old books on my TBR. I have a few books already read to review. I’m in a good place, blogging-wise. In fact, every day, really. I’m not wanting to jinx it. My mental health is maybe in the best place it has been for at least five years. I have just finished a few sessions of talking therapy, which has helped me so much this time around. I think it shows in my blogging, to some extent. Hope you all had a good month, and remember it’s good to talk if you are struggling with your mental health!
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