Booksnfreshair
Sunday, January 10, 2021
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte MConaghy
Sunday, January 3, 2021
The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante
“She’s getting the (ugly) face of Vittoria.” Teenager Giovanna overhears this one devastating comment from her father, a harshness that forms the basis for Giovanna’s rebellion. Determined to meet the estranged aunt Vittoria, Giovanna gets to know the extended family and learns how to wield her sexuality as a weapon. Above all, she stumbles under the weight of the realization that her parents are imperfect beings. The adults Giovanna knows are so mediocre and petty that they deserve for their fates to be corralled into one life as the title suggests. A bold coming-of-age story narrated in a riveting voice.
Thursday, December 31, 2020
My Favorites of 2020
2020 was trying and books came to the rescue more than ever. Here are my top ten for the year:
Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town by Barbara Demick
To the Lake: A Balkan Journey of War and Peace by Kapka Kassabova
Street Without a Name: Childhood and Other Misadventures in Bulgaria by Kapka Kassabova
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
Nights When Nothing Happened by Simon Han
A Burning by Megha Majumdar
The Book of Rosy: A Mother’s Story of Separation at the Border by Rosayra Pablo Cruz and Julie Schwietert Collazo
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May
The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar
Setting down roots as a Pakistani Muslim American. Claiming America as home despite constantly being branded as the other. These tropes might sound like worn ground but they’re sheer dynamite in this awe-inspiring, semi-autobiographical novel. Akhtar tears open every wound on the collective American psyche, while chronicling the straight path from the ‘80s to Trump. The process is exhilarating and insightful. One of those rare novels that is as necessary to read as it is enjoyable. I am glad I took President Obama’s recommendation on this one. Warning: the book includes a couple of brief instances of rather graphic sex.
Thursday, December 24, 2020
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Full disclosure: I’m a fan. Even if you’re not, this remarkable memoir is worth reading for the quality of writing and to understand how the political sausage is made. Starting with his political ambitions, Obama reminisces about his historic election, the passage of the ACA, the Deepwater Horizon accident, the Arab spring, and the Navy SEALS operation that lead to Osama Bin Laden. For a volume this long, the pacing is incredible — the book reads like a cliffhanger. Even those who are not political junkies will find this to be an illuminating account from an intelligent and deeply introspective president.
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
The Art of Losing by Alice Zeniter
Saturday, December 12, 2020
Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri
Light and shadow interplay in this much-awaited performance from a legendary writer. Lahiri’s keen powers of observation are on full display here as a 45+ unnamed single woman in Italy narrates her everyday choices. Having grown accustomed to solitude, she reflects on the vise-like grip her parents continue to exert on her psyche. A sandwich from a favorite deli, a purchase of an annual planner, a chance encounter with an old friend, sadness over a store closure, a litany of minor regrets all populate these pages. Together they deliver an impressive chorus but with a tad too many staccato notes.