Oooooooh I absolutely cannot read animal cruely at any level so thank you for the heads up on some of those! Sympatía now on my list and may actually give Fire Exit a miss because I was also expecting a deeper feel into the Native American experience
No problem Nicole! Yes if that is how you feel, Of Cattle and Men & Animalia are not the ones for you. Excited you want to read Simpatia - I really loved that book, a lot of fun! It is unfortunate about Fire Exit, I also expected much deeper! I think the publisher did Talty dirty with the blurb, it mis-advertises what the novel is about! Thank you 🫶
Ok now I want to get together over a cup of coffee and go over the idea of exceptional prose because I have to admit I think The Bee Sting does have exceptional prose!! Just in a different way than say Ditlevson - more in a how did you capture four distinct voices like that way. Goshdarnit that we live so far apart.
I love this comment though "By the end of the novel, I did like all of them and felt I deeply understood them, which is significant, because at the beginning I thought each of the Barnes’ deserved whatever they had coming for them (except for PJ). "
You have me excited to read Ditlevson once I am done with my commitment to spooky season - thank you for the shoutout there 🖤🧙♀️.
And I love that you explore your expectations versus what the books deliver, I often have the same issues with blurbs or marketing. What a great month of reading though.
My favorite book of November was a three way tie between The Haunting of Hill House, Beloved, and Stoner. my fault for reading three absolute bangers in one month 😂
I have resisted replying to this all day to try and hone my definition of exceptional prose 😂 I think (uncooked thoughts) that to me, exceptional prose is often not in the precision of language (which is important and I would say Murray had exceptional precision) but instead in highly nuanced and evocative language. Aka, the prose carries what is not said just as well as it carries what is said. Eg - for me, bee sting didn’t carry anymore than what was said on the page. Personally, I found every emotion and thought on that page. Whereas I think I love love prose where the emotion and language is not always as explicitly on the page, instead found in the rumination you do while reading? Idk if this makes any sense. Everyone’s ideal prose is different and bee sting was good but not visceral enough for my definition of exceptional? Maybe we need to FaceTime… 😆
I’m glad you loved my comment about the compassion I felt for them at the end - because I did not expect it! At the beginning they were all the worst!
I’m super excited for you to read Ditlevsen once spooky season is over - really loved the trilogy. Her life story is remarkable - I couldn’t stop thinking about how different our life is not even 100 years later.
Yeh the more I read the more beef I have with blurbs. It is such a hindrance for a novel if the publisher gets it wrong, and that’s so unfair! Fire Exit was great but just not what it said on the tin. I’d be intrigued if Talty thought it worked.
Haha not you saying favourite book of November for SEPTEMBER! Girl!! 3 bangers - if I enjoy Jackson this year I’ll definitely give Haunting of Hill House a go. But I am absolutely wanting to read Stoner!!!
as always, i admire the breadth of what you're reading and the succinctness with which you talk about them! an ideal balance. i'm especially intrigued by tove ditlevsen, an author who has come up several times in the last year and i think it may be time to dive in.
i cannot claim such early rooney adoption, (early 2019 for me), but i'm glad i read the books i did before there were so many TAKES about her as a person and about what two books mean as some kind of monolithic, identifiable whole
Thank you, always, for your love Laurel - I appreciate it so much. Being told I have an ideal balance is *the dream*!!! I absolutely recommend diving into Ditlevsen - I was so so impressed and enamoured by her. I think the trilogy is the best place to start, understanding her life adds so much so her writing.
Haha 2019 is still an early adoption! But I agree I’m so glad I read the books before she became so big. So so many (insufferable) takes about her as a person and what her books ‘mean’. To be able to be introduced to her as *just* an author who tells stories. I think I’d really struggle starting with Rooney rn - there is arguably too much noise around her work now. But - intermezzo !!! I think it might be her best yet? I’ve really enjoyed reading it!
glad to hear you’re enjoying intermezzo. i did not like beautiful people so i decided to just wait on the library hold list, in which i am 964th out of 1529 people waiting (!)
Thrilled to have exposed you to a new cute cover! 💛 You absolutely should pick up the trilogy soon - it was seriously impressive. I am ALSO planning to read my first Shirley Jackson this month! I am going to read ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ !
I’ll be interested to hear how our first Jackson goes for us both!
What a wonderfully thorough review of your September reads, Martha! I haven't read any of these- Tove Ditlevsen sounds right up my street, so she is going straight onto my list 😀 Thank you
Thank you Kate!! Ditlevsen was remarkable - I think she would be right up your street! I look forward to hearing what you think, whenever you get the chance to read ☺️
Martha! Love this list and lfg for Bee Sting!!!! The way you painted it as the parents behavior retrospectively influencing Cass and PJ is so sharp and makes me think about the structure, whose story is told when. This was one of my favorite reads of the year
Simpatía is on my list!!
I also think you would like Suki Kim’s memoir “without you there is no us.” She came to speak during my MA and I was BLOWN away at the level of reporting, hiding, and sneaking notes she had to do in order for this story of her time teaching the sons of the highest powered people in North Korea—I can’t believe we don’t talk about her more and recognize this insane journalist struggle, though unlike Bandi she was an American and could leave the country without the fear of returning (if I remember correctly this was 2018). a very different socioeconomic glint into North Korea compared to Bandi!
Chloe! Thank you so much!! Bee Sting was SUCH a ride - so addictive. I’m flattered to hear you thought I painted it so sharply (swoon). As much as Cass and PJ are their own individuals w their own stories, I couldn’t help but constantly think they were also mirrors for their parents. I thought Murray starting w the kids was him setting up the analysis of Dickie and Imelda - here are 2 kids who have their own problems, yes, but they stem from their parents. Where it divulged was the resolution of the relationship between Cass and Pj at the end - while we don’t know what happens, I thought Murray was perhaps suggesting that as a new generation, they are able to communicate and figure out what their parents could not, and that’s where the change lies. The structure was so impressive. I really loved it! The last line had me crying my eyes out.
I look forward to hearing what you think of Simpatía!!! It was fun and fascinating.
And thank you SO much for another North Korea rec - I massively appreciate it. I haven’t come across Kim’s memoir before, it sounds really good! Particularly the socioeconomic insight it offers & the outsider/insider pov. Will definitely be adding to the list. Thank you for a comment full of so much (book) love! <3
I am already into my spooky reads for the season and thought The Harrowing, by Alexandra Sokoloff, and Knock Knock, Open Wide, by Neil Sharpson, were both excellent.
Thank you for sharing Deborah! I’m glad to hear your spooky reading is well underway. Knock knock, Open Wide sounds really interesting - I’m intrigued! I’m just about to start my first ‘spooky read’ - which is ‘Our Share of Night’ by Mariana Enriquez.
What a great month! Ditlovsen is on my list, because of you already! I *may* read some Shirley Jackson in October because our friends Natalie and Haley are so persuasive but, generally, I have not read anything I would consider "spooky" or "gothic"... I used to say I don't like that type of story but in the spirit of open-mindedness, I am now simply saying I haven't read that YET.
Correct me on the timeline but it sounds like you have been reading Rooney's work at roughly the same age as the corresponding characters in her books... which, in my opinion, is such an amazing coincidence and I bet it has contributed to your experience of her work on such a personal level. My first Rooney was Normal People, which I read in 2020 and thought it was crack. I basically abandoned all responsibilities to my child and husband for 24 hours and READ. 😂
Thank you Petya! I think you’ll love Ditlevsen - very up your alley! I also am planning on reading my first Shirley Jackson this month - look at us!! I’ve got a copy of ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ Natalie and Haley can take full responsibility for us dipping our toe into ‘spooky’ and ‘gothic’ - they are two wonderfully persuasive women. I am with you, in the spirit of open mindedness I am trying it this month! I don’t love ‘scary’ but I do think the thrust of it being October was a good excuse as any to try and motivate me to give it a go. I’m trying to broaden my horizons 😂
Your timeline guess is correct!!! It has been an amazing coincidence to be reading Rooney work at the same age as the characters - definitely impacts my relationship to her work. As her novels have matured in themes, so have I - which is really lovely. Ultimately, Rooney is probably writing the novels a v similar age I am by the time they come out, which is cool! I read NP at a time when I could remember school and first loves so viscerally. And now with Intermezzo, a lot of the topics explored in that novel felt so true to my life today.
I’m laughing at you abandoning all responsibilities to read NP in 24 hours 😂 honestly tho - I get it, Normal People IS like crack! Intermezzo is the first of her novels I haven’t finished in 24 hours and instead savoured it over a few days.
I always looooove how much detail you put into your reviews Martha! I was going to recommend In Order to Live before seeing you mention it, I've not read it yet but have been desperate to borrow it from a friend and I think I'll pick up a copy of The Accusation too!
Fire Exit sounded great until you said it didn't really give enough depth about Native Americans, which is such a shame.
Thank you Soph!! I enjoyed In Order To Live, while also appreciating the criticism surrounding it. I think some points are valid, while also acknowledging that Park DID escape NK so no matter how much they want to scrutinise her ‘accuracy’, bottom line she has a level of insight into the country. The Accusation was really fascinating - I look forward to hearing what you think! Yes - I thought Fire Exit would be different. I think the publisher did Talty dirty - it is still a good book, just not quite what the blurb implies, which is a shame xx
The Bee Sting was wonderful. I am so intrigued by Prophet Song by Paul Lynch now (which beat Bee Sting for Booker Prize last year). Because to me, I am shocked Bee Sting didn’t win (but appreciate I haven’t read the winner yet haha).
The Accusation was brilliant & I’d highly recommend! I look forward to hearing what you think whenever you get round to reading it!
It is really good!! It’s very different but a little bit similar to The Hearts Invisible Furies (bc of the Irish shame) so I definitely think you’d enjoy! I look forward to hearing what you think when you get the chance to read it xx
Was so eager to dive into this wrap-up after reading your comment about us both having read/recommended "horrendous and revolting yet new favorite" books translated from French --and I'm so excited to see that it was Animalia !!! Of all the books in this newsletter, that one just happens to already be sitting neatly on my shelf awaiting a first read (and it's just skyrocketed past the rest of my physical tbr)!
Tove Ditlevson has been on my radar for just forever now, but I almost feel like I'm subconsciously holding off because I have the inkling she might be a new favorite and I don't want to be disappointed! Have you ever read writer/poet Kristjana Gunnars? I have the sense she and Ditlevson might be similar in some ways. Her book The Scent of Light is one of my all-time favorites, and I'll have to include it in a newsletter before long, but it's about a narrator's "autofictional" life across her childhood in Iceland, time in Canada, time in Germany, etc. told across 5 collected novellas --you might enjoy it :)
I am so thrilled to hear you already have Animalia on your shelf!!! I am desperate to have someone to discuss it with. I think you'll really love it!
I also think I subconsciously hold off authors sometimes out of the fear of being disappointed, sometimes the build up is too tantalising! Also, I think there is something to be said for keeping some authors to have something to 'look forward too'. I have not read or heard of Gunnars, but the autofiction style of 'The Scent of Light' sounds really, really appealing. Thank you for the rec - I will definitely be adding it to the list. Anything that follows an author across their life is something I will always be interested in! xo
Thank you Jess! I agree, you should read the trilogy soon - it is a remarkable book that I think you'd love it. Animalia has a uncomfortable intensity that (I think) you really appreciate and enjoy in a novel every now and then. I'd be really intrigued to hear your thoughts on it too. A day has not passed since I finished it where I have not thought about it and all the questions it asks about humanity.
Del Amo had a new translation come out in May - 'The Son of Man', and I am definitely eager to read it soon. He is a new favourite for me.
I now look forward to these! Love your book taste and the details!!
Thank you Ochuko!! Lmk if you ready any xox
Oooooooh I absolutely cannot read animal cruely at any level so thank you for the heads up on some of those! Sympatía now on my list and may actually give Fire Exit a miss because I was also expecting a deeper feel into the Native American experience
What a great reading month 🫶🏼
Oh and Some Strange Music Draws Me In sounds just wonderful! added to my list
A great pick!! It’s a lovely book xx
No problem Nicole! Yes if that is how you feel, Of Cattle and Men & Animalia are not the ones for you. Excited you want to read Simpatia - I really loved that book, a lot of fun! It is unfortunate about Fire Exit, I also expected much deeper! I think the publisher did Talty dirty with the blurb, it mis-advertises what the novel is about! Thank you 🫶
Ok now I want to get together over a cup of coffee and go over the idea of exceptional prose because I have to admit I think The Bee Sting does have exceptional prose!! Just in a different way than say Ditlevson - more in a how did you capture four distinct voices like that way. Goshdarnit that we live so far apart.
I love this comment though "By the end of the novel, I did like all of them and felt I deeply understood them, which is significant, because at the beginning I thought each of the Barnes’ deserved whatever they had coming for them (except for PJ). "
You have me excited to read Ditlevson once I am done with my commitment to spooky season - thank you for the shoutout there 🖤🧙♀️.
And I love that you explore your expectations versus what the books deliver, I often have the same issues with blurbs or marketing. What a great month of reading though.
My favorite book of November was a three way tie between The Haunting of Hill House, Beloved, and Stoner. my fault for reading three absolute bangers in one month 😂
I have resisted replying to this all day to try and hone my definition of exceptional prose 😂 I think (uncooked thoughts) that to me, exceptional prose is often not in the precision of language (which is important and I would say Murray had exceptional precision) but instead in highly nuanced and evocative language. Aka, the prose carries what is not said just as well as it carries what is said. Eg - for me, bee sting didn’t carry anymore than what was said on the page. Personally, I found every emotion and thought on that page. Whereas I think I love love prose where the emotion and language is not always as explicitly on the page, instead found in the rumination you do while reading? Idk if this makes any sense. Everyone’s ideal prose is different and bee sting was good but not visceral enough for my definition of exceptional? Maybe we need to FaceTime… 😆
I’m glad you loved my comment about the compassion I felt for them at the end - because I did not expect it! At the beginning they were all the worst!
I’m super excited for you to read Ditlevsen once spooky season is over - really loved the trilogy. Her life story is remarkable - I couldn’t stop thinking about how different our life is not even 100 years later.
Yeh the more I read the more beef I have with blurbs. It is such a hindrance for a novel if the publisher gets it wrong, and that’s so unfair! Fire Exit was great but just not what it said on the tin. I’d be intrigued if Talty thought it worked.
Haha not you saying favourite book of November for SEPTEMBER! Girl!! 3 bangers - if I enjoy Jackson this year I’ll definitely give Haunting of Hill House a go. But I am absolutely wanting to read Stoner!!!
as always, i admire the breadth of what you're reading and the succinctness with which you talk about them! an ideal balance. i'm especially intrigued by tove ditlevsen, an author who has come up several times in the last year and i think it may be time to dive in.
i cannot claim such early rooney adoption, (early 2019 for me), but i'm glad i read the books i did before there were so many TAKES about her as a person and about what two books mean as some kind of monolithic, identifiable whole
Thank you, always, for your love Laurel - I appreciate it so much. Being told I have an ideal balance is *the dream*!!! I absolutely recommend diving into Ditlevsen - I was so so impressed and enamoured by her. I think the trilogy is the best place to start, understanding her life adds so much so her writing.
Haha 2019 is still an early adoption! But I agree I’m so glad I read the books before she became so big. So so many (insufferable) takes about her as a person and what her books ‘mean’. To be able to be introduced to her as *just* an author who tells stories. I think I’d really struggle starting with Rooney rn - there is arguably too much noise around her work now. But - intermezzo !!! I think it might be her best yet? I’ve really enjoyed reading it!
glad to hear you’re enjoying intermezzo. i did not like beautiful people so i decided to just wait on the library hold list, in which i am 964th out of 1529 people waiting (!)
BWWAY was absolutely a diversion for her - but I have to say I really loved it. I guess there’s something in the fact you’re not 1529th !!!
I look forward to seeing your review in 2025 x
there are 230 copies at least!! being a library power user is an exercise is zen patience
(watch me wind up buying a copy after seeing too many reviews and wanting to be in on the conversation)
I haven't seen that bee sting cover before - it's cute 🐝
The Copenhagen Trilogy has been sitting on my shelf for a couple of years now - I need to get to it!
For this year's spooky season I'm planning on reading my first Shirley Jackson - the haunting of hill house.
Thrilled to have exposed you to a new cute cover! 💛 You absolutely should pick up the trilogy soon - it was seriously impressive. I am ALSO planning to read my first Shirley Jackson this month! I am going to read ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ !
I’ll be interested to hear how our first Jackson goes for us both!
What a wonderfully thorough review of your September reads, Martha! I haven't read any of these- Tove Ditlevsen sounds right up my street, so she is going straight onto my list 😀 Thank you
Thank you Kate!! Ditlevsen was remarkable - I think she would be right up your street! I look forward to hearing what you think, whenever you get the chance to read ☺️
I just discovered my local library has the book you reviewed! I now have it on hold…
Amazing - what a stroke of luck!!! Now we wait patiently 😆
Drums fingers impatiently…
Martha! Love this list and lfg for Bee Sting!!!! The way you painted it as the parents behavior retrospectively influencing Cass and PJ is so sharp and makes me think about the structure, whose story is told when. This was one of my favorite reads of the year
Simpatía is on my list!!
I also think you would like Suki Kim’s memoir “without you there is no us.” She came to speak during my MA and I was BLOWN away at the level of reporting, hiding, and sneaking notes she had to do in order for this story of her time teaching the sons of the highest powered people in North Korea—I can’t believe we don’t talk about her more and recognize this insane journalist struggle, though unlike Bandi she was an American and could leave the country without the fear of returning (if I remember correctly this was 2018). a very different socioeconomic glint into North Korea compared to Bandi!
Chloe! Thank you so much!! Bee Sting was SUCH a ride - so addictive. I’m flattered to hear you thought I painted it so sharply (swoon). As much as Cass and PJ are their own individuals w their own stories, I couldn’t help but constantly think they were also mirrors for their parents. I thought Murray starting w the kids was him setting up the analysis of Dickie and Imelda - here are 2 kids who have their own problems, yes, but they stem from their parents. Where it divulged was the resolution of the relationship between Cass and Pj at the end - while we don’t know what happens, I thought Murray was perhaps suggesting that as a new generation, they are able to communicate and figure out what their parents could not, and that’s where the change lies. The structure was so impressive. I really loved it! The last line had me crying my eyes out.
I look forward to hearing what you think of Simpatía!!! It was fun and fascinating.
And thank you SO much for another North Korea rec - I massively appreciate it. I haven’t come across Kim’s memoir before, it sounds really good! Particularly the socioeconomic insight it offers & the outsider/insider pov. Will definitely be adding to the list. Thank you for a comment full of so much (book) love! <3
I am a huuuuge Tove Ditlevsen fan! You should read her short story collection, The Trouble With Happiness, after novel :)
I love to hear it Grace - consider me the most recent member to the fan club! Thank you for this rec - I absolutely intend to check it out xxx
I am already into my spooky reads for the season and thought The Harrowing, by Alexandra Sokoloff, and Knock Knock, Open Wide, by Neil Sharpson, were both excellent.
Thank you for sharing Deborah! I’m glad to hear your spooky reading is well underway. Knock knock, Open Wide sounds really interesting - I’m intrigued! I’m just about to start my first ‘spooky read’ - which is ‘Our Share of Night’ by Mariana Enriquez.
What a great month! Ditlovsen is on my list, because of you already! I *may* read some Shirley Jackson in October because our friends Natalie and Haley are so persuasive but, generally, I have not read anything I would consider "spooky" or "gothic"... I used to say I don't like that type of story but in the spirit of open-mindedness, I am now simply saying I haven't read that YET.
Correct me on the timeline but it sounds like you have been reading Rooney's work at roughly the same age as the corresponding characters in her books... which, in my opinion, is such an amazing coincidence and I bet it has contributed to your experience of her work on such a personal level. My first Rooney was Normal People, which I read in 2020 and thought it was crack. I basically abandoned all responsibilities to my child and husband for 24 hours and READ. 😂
Thank you Petya! I think you’ll love Ditlevsen - very up your alley! I also am planning on reading my first Shirley Jackson this month - look at us!! I’ve got a copy of ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ Natalie and Haley can take full responsibility for us dipping our toe into ‘spooky’ and ‘gothic’ - they are two wonderfully persuasive women. I am with you, in the spirit of open mindedness I am trying it this month! I don’t love ‘scary’ but I do think the thrust of it being October was a good excuse as any to try and motivate me to give it a go. I’m trying to broaden my horizons 😂
Your timeline guess is correct!!! It has been an amazing coincidence to be reading Rooney work at the same age as the characters - definitely impacts my relationship to her work. As her novels have matured in themes, so have I - which is really lovely. Ultimately, Rooney is probably writing the novels a v similar age I am by the time they come out, which is cool! I read NP at a time when I could remember school and first loves so viscerally. And now with Intermezzo, a lot of the topics explored in that novel felt so true to my life today.
I’m laughing at you abandoning all responsibilities to read NP in 24 hours 😂 honestly tho - I get it, Normal People IS like crack! Intermezzo is the first of her novels I haven’t finished in 24 hours and instead savoured it over a few days.
I am mindblown by existence of The Accusation!!
Me too!! Truly remarkable. It is so hard to comprehend!
I always looooove how much detail you put into your reviews Martha! I was going to recommend In Order to Live before seeing you mention it, I've not read it yet but have been desperate to borrow it from a friend and I think I'll pick up a copy of The Accusation too!
Fire Exit sounded great until you said it didn't really give enough depth about Native Americans, which is such a shame.
Thank you Soph!! I enjoyed In Order To Live, while also appreciating the criticism surrounding it. I think some points are valid, while also acknowledging that Park DID escape NK so no matter how much they want to scrutinise her ‘accuracy’, bottom line she has a level of insight into the country. The Accusation was really fascinating - I look forward to hearing what you think! Yes - I thought Fire Exit would be different. I think the publisher did Talty dirty - it is still a good book, just not quite what the blurb implies, which is a shame xx
I too love The Bee Sting and get excited anytime it gets recommended. The Accusation sounds fascinating. I’ve added that to my TBR.
The Bee Sting was wonderful. I am so intrigued by Prophet Song by Paul Lynch now (which beat Bee Sting for Booker Prize last year). Because to me, I am shocked Bee Sting didn’t win (but appreciate I haven’t read the winner yet haha).
The Accusation was brilliant & I’d highly recommend! I look forward to hearing what you think whenever you get round to reading it!
I've heard The Bee Sting is really good! Haven't had the chance to read it yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to it.
It is really good!! It’s very different but a little bit similar to The Hearts Invisible Furies (bc of the Irish shame) so I definitely think you’d enjoy! I look forward to hearing what you think when you get the chance to read it xx
Oh amazing thank you!
Was so eager to dive into this wrap-up after reading your comment about us both having read/recommended "horrendous and revolting yet new favorite" books translated from French --and I'm so excited to see that it was Animalia !!! Of all the books in this newsletter, that one just happens to already be sitting neatly on my shelf awaiting a first read (and it's just skyrocketed past the rest of my physical tbr)!
Tove Ditlevson has been on my radar for just forever now, but I almost feel like I'm subconsciously holding off because I have the inkling she might be a new favorite and I don't want to be disappointed! Have you ever read writer/poet Kristjana Gunnars? I have the sense she and Ditlevson might be similar in some ways. Her book The Scent of Light is one of my all-time favorites, and I'll have to include it in a newsletter before long, but it's about a narrator's "autofictional" life across her childhood in Iceland, time in Canada, time in Germany, etc. told across 5 collected novellas --you might enjoy it :)
I am so thrilled to hear you already have Animalia on your shelf!!! I am desperate to have someone to discuss it with. I think you'll really love it!
I also think I subconsciously hold off authors sometimes out of the fear of being disappointed, sometimes the build up is too tantalising! Also, I think there is something to be said for keeping some authors to have something to 'look forward too'. I have not read or heard of Gunnars, but the autofiction style of 'The Scent of Light' sounds really, really appealing. Thank you for the rec - I will definitely be adding it to the list. Anything that follows an author across their life is something I will always be interested in! xo
Loved reading this! The Copenhagen trilogy has been on my tbr for a while and now I’m really keen to get to it sooner rather than later.
Also adding Animalia and A Strange Music!
Thank you Jess! I agree, you should read the trilogy soon - it is a remarkable book that I think you'd love it. Animalia has a uncomfortable intensity that (I think) you really appreciate and enjoy in a novel every now and then. I'd be really intrigued to hear your thoughts on it too. A day has not passed since I finished it where I have not thought about it and all the questions it asks about humanity.
Del Amo had a new translation come out in May - 'The Son of Man', and I am definitely eager to read it soon. He is a new favourite for me.