I have fallen in love with audio books, so I'm going to share my favourite three of the past year here: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and (because all good things come in threes) The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. I suspect I would have loved them all, but the narrators of all three added icing and a cherry (fresh, not maraschino) to delicious cake.
I have listened to so many delightful, light fiction books - last year it was all I thought I could take in. But now I'm listening to Robin Wall Kimmerer narrate "Braiding Sweetgrass" and it makes me FEEL things to the bottom of my bones. It is beautiful writing and a beautiful voice. I'm glad it's really long! I really enjoyed The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins, South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber, Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe (also Heather Webber). The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham was also really magnificent, even if it was also heart wrenching. The Secret to Hummingbird Cake by Celeste Fletcher McHale, Falling Home by Karen White and The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes all ripped out my heart and made me cry and deal with the tragedy in my own year - and provided lots of healing.
I joined a read-along and we read The Brothers Karamazov, one chapter a day. It was most enjoyable. We would discuss what we read and shared favourite quotes on social media. I loved the book and was so glad I finally read it. I don't think I would have otherwise. I read 47 other books as well last year, some very good ones, but this was my favourite. This year we are tackling War and Peace!
I read Crime and Punishment after having it sit on my to-read list for a decade. It had been so long since I'd picked up an older classic, and feel so fulfilled for having done so - Dostoevsky was a helluva story teller, and his interweaving of commentary on Communism and human nature had me spellbound. Also read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, and it earned a place in my top 5 favourites of 20th century American lit. I resonated a ton with Mick's character, and her relationship with Harry I found to be quite charming. McCullers's prose reads like poetry in so many places, there are images she created that will forever remain in my mind.
I got Coupland’s Binge for Christmas and, uh, binge read it over Betwixtmas. 60 short stories. Almost brilliant - I thought he ran out of gas towards the end (maybe I ran out of gas). The cover promises the stories will “make your brain feel different”. It’s true. Certainly you will never look at a Thule cartop cargo box the same way afterwards.
I read books last year that made me think, or that took me away. Some made me laugh and others just wore me out. My favourite reading experience, though, was Nevil Shute's Trustee from the Toolroom. It was recommended to me in one of the used bookstores in Sidney. Written in 1960 it is a story of a writer of articles on mechanical models that is circumstantially pushed into an adventure. There are challenges, but no real villains. It is a light story of a honest, kind hardworking man going to great lengths to support his niece. A simple yet fullfilling read during a complicated time.
Feb 25, 2022·edited Feb 25, 2022Liked by Alison Acheson
Another book that is sticking around in my brain is George Saunders’ A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. I kind of didn’t want to like this book—I wondered if he’d just typed up his lecture notes or transcribed some of his on-line classes and then monetized them—but it is one of the most interesting and, potentially, useful books on reading and writing short stories that I’ve come across. I read it once and am now going through it again in an audiobook format. This morning, reading through a friend’s story, I asked the Saunderesque question: “Is it story yet?”
I have fallen in love with audio books, so I'm going to share my favourite three of the past year here: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and (because all good things come in threes) The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. I suspect I would have loved them all, but the narrators of all three added icing and a cherry (fresh, not maraschino) to delicious cake.
I have listened to so many delightful, light fiction books - last year it was all I thought I could take in. But now I'm listening to Robin Wall Kimmerer narrate "Braiding Sweetgrass" and it makes me FEEL things to the bottom of my bones. It is beautiful writing and a beautiful voice. I'm glad it's really long! I really enjoyed The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins, South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber, Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe (also Heather Webber). The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham was also really magnificent, even if it was also heart wrenching. The Secret to Hummingbird Cake by Celeste Fletcher McHale, Falling Home by Karen White and The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes all ripped out my heart and made me cry and deal with the tragedy in my own year - and provided lots of healing.
I joined a read-along and we read The Brothers Karamazov, one chapter a day. It was most enjoyable. We would discuss what we read and shared favourite quotes on social media. I loved the book and was so glad I finally read it. I don't think I would have otherwise. I read 47 other books as well last year, some very good ones, but this was my favourite. This year we are tackling War and Peace!
I read Crime and Punishment after having it sit on my to-read list for a decade. It had been so long since I'd picked up an older classic, and feel so fulfilled for having done so - Dostoevsky was a helluva story teller, and his interweaving of commentary on Communism and human nature had me spellbound. Also read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, and it earned a place in my top 5 favourites of 20th century American lit. I resonated a ton with Mick's character, and her relationship with Harry I found to be quite charming. McCullers's prose reads like poetry in so many places, there are images she created that will forever remain in my mind.
I got Coupland’s Binge for Christmas and, uh, binge read it over Betwixtmas. 60 short stories. Almost brilliant - I thought he ran out of gas towards the end (maybe I ran out of gas). The cover promises the stories will “make your brain feel different”. It’s true. Certainly you will never look at a Thule cartop cargo box the same way afterwards.
I read books last year that made me think, or that took me away. Some made me laugh and others just wore me out. My favourite reading experience, though, was Nevil Shute's Trustee from the Toolroom. It was recommended to me in one of the used bookstores in Sidney. Written in 1960 it is a story of a writer of articles on mechanical models that is circumstantially pushed into an adventure. There are challenges, but no real villains. It is a light story of a honest, kind hardworking man going to great lengths to support his niece. A simple yet fullfilling read during a complicated time.
Another book that is sticking around in my brain is George Saunders’ A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. I kind of didn’t want to like this book—I wondered if he’d just typed up his lecture notes or transcribed some of his on-line classes and then monetized them—but it is one of the most interesting and, potentially, useful books on reading and writing short stories that I’ve come across. I read it once and am now going through it again in an audiobook format. This morning, reading through a friend’s story, I asked the Saunderesque question: “Is it story yet?”