September started off well. And ended on fantastic. It was Booker shortlist month and I managed to bag atleast 2 books that were on the shortlist from the library and 1 book that was on the long list. You might remember our last podcast episode discussing the 2021 Booker shortlist.
Fiction
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Breathing Lessons by Anne Tylor 5/5
The first book I read this month was by Anne Tylor, who has now become one of my favourite writers. I thought this would be an interesting book to read after celebrating my 10 year wedding anniversary. And it was. The whole book just covers one day in the life of a couple. My reading of it did convey the simplicity and ordinariness of the couple and their lives – within which Tyler shows so much extraordinary emotion and thought.
We are all taught to think of homely and domestic things as inconsequential and silly. Tylor manages to show so much nuance and pathos within the domestic with her simple writing. Perfect.
I definitely judged the Pulitzer prize poorly – I assumed they would stereotype domestic books like this one and I am impressed with them. This book won the Pulitzer prize in 1988. Surprising but so well deserved. I have had a mixed experience with the Pulitzer fiction novels (loved The Goldfinch and Interpreter of the Maladies but thought All The Light We Cannot See overhyped) but Breathing Lessons is definitely one of my favourites of the lot.
2. Dear Edward by Ann Nepolitano 4/5
When I realised my library app had this book, I reserved it right after reading Hello Beautiful by the same writer. The premise is quite a unique one and apparently based on a real story which intrigued me. I enjoyed it but not as much as Hello Beautiful. Just not one of the books I would remember vividly later on. I have realised something – books termed as heart warming feel very contrived to me so not something I particularly enjoy.
3. Prophet Song by Paul Lynch 5/5
On paper this book sounds like a hard read but I flew through it and finished in 2 days. Its a harrowing read about the family and their life once the male members of the family are taken away by a fascist government. What I found absolutely fascinating is the fact this book is based in Ireland – a western democracy with a history of violence. I loved this since unfortunately in the world we live in, this will definitely make more of an impact on the largely Western reader for Lynch.
This is the first book I have read by Lynch who is an excellent writer. Some of the quotes were beautiful and the writing is haunting. Lynch is Irish himself so this definitely helps his storytelling based in Ireland. Something that stood out for me is that the protagonist is a middle aged woman but Lynch as a man manages to bring her to life. He writes her so naturally- there is nothing overtly feminine about her and nothing ridiculous (like many male writers are prone to do). It would not have surprised me if Eilish had been written by a woman.
One reason I mentioned Prophet Song is a hard read is its subject matter. The second reason is the fact that the book has lot of conversation but no quotation marks (ala Sally Rooney, James Joyce and so on). Again on paper, this sounds tedious to read but as a reader it required zero effort and is such an apt storytelling mechanism – it really brings out the relentlessness of Eilish’s ordeal and adds to the atmosphere.
I won’t say Lynch should win the Booker since I haven’t read all the others on the shortlist but I can say if it does, I won’t be surprised.
4. Western Lane by Chetna Maroo 3/5
I seem to have been reading quite a few sports related books (ok, after a little fact checking its just another one that I have read). It from the perspective of a 11 year old girl who plays squash quite seriously. It wasn’t clear to me which year this book is based in but it obviously is from a time it seems to be quite normal for girls to be prevented from playing sports seriously. I found the passivity of almost all the characters quite frustrating after a point of time. The only slightly active realistic character was the oldest sister and the uncle – characters with some personality. Its a lovely portrayal of life but I do think it was meant to be more than that but didn’t deliver for me.
5. How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney 3/5
In all honesty, if this book wasn’t available in my library and in the Booker longlist I would probably not have picked it up. Its not my type of book. It is odd that its the second one on the longlist told from the perspective of a young person (Western Lane being the other one).
I loved the interactions between the protagonist and the woodwork teacher and Tessa, but in all honesty I did not like the way the character of the protagonist was written. It was quite stereotyped in my opinion.
6. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng 4/5
I had seen the TV show and was a little more than meh about it. I don’t even know why I decided to read the book especially since I had already seen the show. It was fantastic. I don’t know if it was that some of the parts of the book were missed from the show or if I didn’t remember the show as well, but I really enjoyed the book. One star less because of the pointless ending.
Non fiction
7. Mad About the House: How to Decorate Your Home with Style by 3/5
I love the blog and picked this book up when i saw it in the library. Its a enjoyable read but in all honesty, I cannot say its given any major insight into interior decor. Maybe it is for someone with a very basic interest and knowledge of the subject matter and fortunately or unfortunately, I have acquired quite a lot of knowledge on interior decor over the last few years. I also don’t think this book is worth it for someone who is an avid reader of the blog so it wasn’t very clear to me whom this book was aimed at.
Until next month! (Posts will be back on Saturday next week onwards).
– Anisha
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