This first half of the first month of the new year has not been what I expected, but I'm hanging in.
I thoroughly enjoyed a quick trip to Boston (across the river in Cambridge, actually), January 6-8, to visit my oldest nephew and my oldest friend. Both meetings were so heartfelt, and so rewarding. And to top it off, I stayed on the 16th floor of a hotel set on the Charles River, which afforded unbeatable views of Boston. Absolutely amazing, especially at night, or at 5:30 in the morning. Amazing.
Reading:
WOW! I loved reading Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, the Polish Nobel Prize Winner. This novel was originally published in Poland in 2009, but an English translated edition appeared in 2018. I believe that its first publication in the U.S. was in 2019, and it achieved "best book of the year" status from NPR, Publisher's Weekly, New York Times, Kirkus Reviews, etc., etc. To my mind, it's a treasure. I'm so glad I read it. It's part mystery--detective, part literary fiction with a slight philosophical bent that I think will appeal to people who delight in a slightly quirky rendering. But the main draw is the fascinating protagonist Janina, an older woman who has lived a long, interesting life, but who now lives in the deep Polish countryside near the Czech border. I highly recommend it.
Today I was supposed to be cleaning the house in preparation for Ken's cousins coming this weekend, but I was so out of sorts that I ended up reading the entirety of John Connolly's The Caxton Private Lending Library and Book Depository, which was a pure delight!! I couldn't put it down. It's part mystery, part detective story, part fantasy, part QUIRKY with a capital Q! I've mentioned in a previous post that Connolly is an Irish writer and author of the Charlie Parker mysteries. This short novella makes me want to try one of those. The Caxton Private Lending Library is available on Amazon. And if you check into my post two entries ago, you'll find more info on how to find this wonderfully charming story. FOR BOOK LOVERS ONLY.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
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Judith - so happy to read that you loved: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk as I have a copy as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Diane,
DeleteIt's quite different and very quirky, but I got on with it very well. It's a powerful book, to my mind, and I'm glad I read it.
I've added Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead to my Goodreds shelf for my European reading challenge. I'm looking to read more books in translation and that sounds perfect.
ReplyDeleteI think I replied to your last post that John Connolly is one of my favourite authors. I must read this one, it's a novella isn't it? Did I tell you we went to hear him speak in Swansea last year? I probably did. Such a fun evening.
Hi Cath,
DeleteAt long last I'm responding, and I'm sorry to be so RETARDED in responding. I was ridiculously sick with that virus, which weakened me for quite a while.
I don't think I knew that you were such a fan of John Connolly--I'm going to read more. I like the way he combines mystery and fantasy.
And yes, it's a short novella ( or a long short story). Definitely fun.
And I am so JEALOUS that you heard him speak in Swansea. Sometimes I just wish I lived on your side of the pond, Cath!!
Glad you had such an enjoyable trip to Boston. Im going to check the library for Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. I've been curious about that book, so glad to hear you thought it was a winner. I've finally passed the halfway point of Trollope ;-)
ReplyDeleteNow JoAnn, I have to ask you. Do you mean you're just over the halfway point of reading the totality of Trollope's entire oeuvre? Still lots of fun to be had, if that is the case. For me, too. I have Barchester Towers and I'll read that first, when I do, which I hope will be this year.
DeleteOh no, Judith, not halfway through Trollope's entire oeuvre. I meant the halfway point of his 800+ page novel, The Way We Live Now! I finally finished this morning, so have read 13 Trollope novels to date. He was incredibly prolific... over 40 novels total, I believe. I still have a long way to go!! ;-)
DeleteJoAnn,
DeleteI know Trollope has written many, many novels, but had no idea that the number exceeded 40! How did he fit in his reading time, I wonder, if he was writing so very much?
I'm happy for you that you have such a long way to go!
Judith, I am glad you mentioned The Caxton Private Lending Library and Book Depository again, because I had discovered I have that in a book called Bibliomysteries, and I want to read it too.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I are both interested in reading Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead but we have not got a copy yet.
I did change the commenting on my blog and maybe you would be able to comment there again. I am emailing about that too.
Hi Tracy,
DeleteI'm so glad you have a copy of The Caxton Private Lending Library in your home--that's great. I do hope you'll get a kick out of it.
I'm so glad I can comment on your blog now. I've been out of commission with an incredibly lethal virus, but hope to be livelier soon.
Reading when I am supposed to be doing something else is THE BEST! I don’t know why, but it is.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear more good things about the Olga Tokarczuk novel. I tried to read “Flights” last year and just couldn’t get into it. But it isn’t a traditional novel with a traditional narrative. I think I will have better luck with Drive Your Plow…
I’ve not read any John Connolly either but I’ve heard good things about “The Book of Lost Things” by him.
Hi Ruthiella,
DeleteSo sorry to be so late responding, but the virus was so LETHAL. I'm still trying to recover. And now Ken is down with it. Sandy our dog is disgusted with us.
I will venture to predict that you will like Drive Your Plow. It's quirky, it's different, but it's very satisfying.