Read with Jenna: Blue sisters by Coco Mellors

Just as a preface – I was the only one who didn’t read Cleopatra and Frankenstein when everyone and their mother did, so this is my first Coco Mellors book.

At first I was pulled in by the easy prose and fast descriptions of the four sisters. And then I made the mistake of switching to audio – be forewarned, the audio of this is terrible! The narrator has an uninterested and slightly aggressive tone that completely ruined it for me. I switched back to reading, but the drive I had in the beginning was gone and I put it down for now.

(Read with Jenna- August pick) The wedding people by Alison Espach

The wedding people grabs your attention right away, surprises and entertains with a determined sort of standoffishness that only someone who has zero fucks to give can do. It was phenomenal. Unfortunately it lost that vibe about half way through and I didn’t find it again after that so I lost interest towards the end.

It’s an interesting premise though, and I enjoyed the characters and overall idea of the book. It stands out and I appreciated that. ⭐⭐⭐

Creation lake by Rachel Kushner

Shortlisted for the booker prize, creation lake is described as a science-fiction mystery thriller literary fiction.

With musings on Neanderthals and homo erectus, we follow “Sadie Smith”, a “typical” woman in her mid thirties that’s also a secret agent.

This did not read like a thriller or any of the above to me, but more like a diary that was very removed from the story. I felt like I was reading it all in hindsight, so there was no drive or real tension there. I also didn’t get any sense of the environment so it all felt like it was floating in the hypothetical. For me, the most interesting parts were the ones where she talks about the Neanderthals. And to be honest, I did not see the correlation between these fun facts and the rest of the story.

In the end I never really managed to get into the story, because it was told in a way that was hard for me to grasp. Like listening to my mom rambling a neverending story about people I don’t know with no real point. Which is to say, I was bored. ⭐⭐

James by Percival Everett

Huck Finn was my favorite as a child so a reimagined story from the perspective of Jim was certainly a must read for me.
I wish I had reread Huck Finn prior so I could really get into the likeness and the differences, because it’s been so long that I barely remember any details.

My first impression was that it was funny, the kind of funny that comes from switching it up to “play that role” that has been thrust upon you. The ironies and crazy scenarios that follow that are almost slapstick funny – like when Jim is painted to look white so he can be painted to look blackface to blend in with the whites doing blackface. Or when he puts on his “slave dialect”.

There were a few changes made to the story that ruined it a little for me, but to avoid spoiling anything I won’t list them. While I thought the writing was great and immersive, as all of Everetts other books that I’ve read, the changes to a classic book irked me a bit.

But after letting it sit with me for a while, I has been a book that has stayed with me. So I think I liked it more than my first reaction. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

Six astro- and cosmonauts orbit the world every 90 minutes, completing 16 orbits in a span of 24 hours. We follow along as they reminisce about life on earth while see it from a different perspective. They follow typhooons that ravage while they sit in a position of omnipotence yet being helpless to aid at the same time. It’s a fascinating read that gives a quiet and calm overview of humanity and our planet.

I liked this book way more than I thought I would, or maybe I just liked what it awakened in me. A step back, to see the bigger picture. Lean out just a little bit, the view might be different there. At just over 200 pages, this is a short little gem that’s easy to follow, because there is absolutely no real plot, just musings and wonder. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden

This book runs under the surface, like an underground river. On the surface it’s very calm, and not a lot is going on, but it is rumbling underneath about to arrive. And arrive it does, in a crescendo!

Honestly, I saw the twists coming a mile away, but that’s okay, this is not a thriller type of book that needs to keep it’s secrets. This is a beautifully told book that needed to be shared. And I’m so glad I read it. It’s a slow burn, but when it bursts into flame it is spectacular and impossible to look away from. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Held by Anne Michaels

Stories in past, present adn future is told in vignettes about a soldier during WWI, his childhood, his falling in love, his battles and his return to normal (and miraculous) life.

“From the edge of the North Sea, twenty miles distant, a faint hum reached the stone ear, the acoustic mirror that faced the sea. The measured drone of an aircraft engine twenty miles away. Fifteen precious minutes warning”

In beautiful prose Anne Michaels tells us a story about a very romanticized life. And by all means, I do admire anyone who manages to romanticize ever single little mundane thing. (But it’s a fine line until I roll my eyes at it too.)

“How many countries switch points that had been necessary to bring them together at this table, this country night at the end of summer, under the ancient map of the stars, a map taht had already passed out of existence, yet lumious and clear.”

The quotes can be taken out of anywhere since the story isn’t linear and while I felt it beautifullly told, it slipped out of my hands because there wasn’t enough for me to grab a hold on to. It was chopped up prose that jumps between letters, past, present, future, thought and memory and I didn’t connect to the story. But if you love beautiful prose, it may be enough for you, in some cases, it’s certainly enough for me. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I have some questions for you by Rebecca Makkai

This book has been on my shelf since it first came out, it took her other book landing on the NYT top 100 books of all time list to pick it up. And early autumn was the perfect time for it.

A moody type dark academia, set in the nineties with dual timelines, there a lot to keep track of here. The story sets off on so many sidestories I had troubles siphoning out the real story. I kept falling asleep every time because the writing dragged and the language didn’t flow properly. In that sense I found it challenging and I’m putting it down for now. Maybe I’ll pick it up again later.

Anxious people by Fredrick Backman

Backman is a flip of a coin to me, half is books I absolutely fall head over heels for (beartown series) and the other half I find good, but a bit dull to read (A man called Ove and Britt-Marie was here). This was the former, a profound and quick-witted story that left no crumbs.

I loved the mystery element of it, the ironies and humor. I see that Sweden has made a Netflix series of it already so I’m running to check that out! Highly recommend! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐