Three February books

A small selection with a broad range in topics, herein you’ll find a hard look at five literary marriages (heads up fans of Phyllis Rose’s "Parallel Lives") and Salman Rushdie’s new novel about a woman inhabited by a deity. Also, a book-length essay from one of my newest favorite translated authors, Nona Fernandez.

“Two Thousand Million Man-Power” by Gertrude Trevelyan

Gertrude Trevelyan is a British author whose novels were among the best published in the 1930s; however, they disappeared after her death in 1941. Today her work is being rediscovered, including this memorable novel that was first published to critical acclaim in 1937. It was one of my top favorites for 2022. Once forgotten, it now deserves lots of attention, even if I'm repeating myself. Here's a review.

Three novels, one reminiscence

I told myself I wouldn’t add to my reading table during December, and yet these new books sound irresistible. They take place in varying worlds, such as North Korea, an Irish shirt factory, ballet, and the Mediterranean island of Rhodes. I’ve already dipped in to two of them. What’s here, I believe, is intriguing, funny, engaging, and moving, promising memorable good reads.

The unsung life of a famous painter

Award-winning author Steve Stern has a new novel out called "The Village Idiot." It creatively recounts the life of the renowned early 20th century Russian-French artist Chaim Soutine, whose paintings now reside in art institutions around the world. The story powerfully imagines the inner life of this genius. Here's a review.

“Treacle Walker” and “Oh William!”

The National Book Foundation announced their longlist for the 2022 National Book Awards this week. (This post isn't about that. I just wanted to tell you.) They have several categories beyond fiction and nonfiction, all of which you'll find on their website. Meanwhile, I'm still closing in on the Booker Prize nominees. They're down to the six finalists, including these two.

Reading the 2022 Booker Prize longlist

There’s much to be excited over in this upcoming fall season's literary line-up: Cormac McCarthy, Ian McEwan, Elizabeth McCracken are some of the authors coming out with new books. More on those later. Meanwhile, the Booker Prize is in full swing with its longlisted nominees, a great selection this year. Here are a few you might want to consider reading.

Catching up on my nonfiction reading

Nothing better than reading a good book on the porch at night with a breeze and the cicadas. Three books from my TBR table are now in the mix, all nonfiction and varied in topic. One was a finalist for the nonfiction 2021 National Book Award. The other two are “finds” that called to me. Take a look. Maybe there’s something here for you and your reading during these dog days of summer.