November book list

Eat a Peach, David Chang 

(memoir, audio by the author, 3 stars)

Saw this one on the shelf of mom's new neighbourhood bookstore. Pretty cover. Didn't love it, but quite an interesting character. He's faced a lot of challenges & done a lot of inner work, that's for sure.

"elevation through conscious endeavour / work towards something."

"I have to commit to the years it will take to learn about the people around me & reject my baked-in biases. I am somewhat soothed by one thought: we are supposed to grow as people, we're meant to ask questions, see things differently, build empathy. That's the hope anyway."

The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini 

(historical fiction, 5 stars)

the Kite Runner was a page turner! Absorbing from the start. Parts of it felt familiar, tho I don't distinctly remember having read it before. The pace/plot arc of the story reminded me a lot of All the Light We Cannot See.

"Zendagi migzara / life goes on." 

"The certainty of turmoil, or the turmoil of uncertainty."

The Ickabog, J.K Rowling 

(youth fiction, excellent audio, 3 stars)

A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett 

(read with Edie, 3 stars)

Enjoyed, tho a bit long. The abridged version would do.

This Time Tomorrow, Emma Straub

(fiction, audio by Marin Ireland, 4 stars)

Enjoyed this one way more than I was expecting. Enjoyed the particulars of New York people & life, also related to the main character even tho our lifestyles are nothing alike. Like this narrator.

"Their neighbourhood, their tiny kingdom"

"It was the worst fact of parenthood; that what you did mattered so much more than anything you said"

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Haruki Marukami 

(memoir, audio, 3+ stars)

Enjoyed the memoir/personal parts more than his running log, but quite astonishing how much his running has affected his life at large. Inspired to try running a longer distance after this one. He's quite a fascinating person.

"I run in order to acquire a void."

"I have my own pace, my own sense of time."

Goldenrod, Maggie Smith 

(poems, 3 stars)

Preferred her other book, Keep Moving.

My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok 

(Fiction, re-read, 3 stars)

This is a good book, but I found it pretty dark & repetitive. Didn't love it this time around.

"The Master of the Universe gives us glimpses, only glimpses. It is for us to open our eyes wide."

The Strange Library, Haruki Murakami

(novella, 3 stars)

This was a very strange little book, but I liked his writing style. Found it kind of humorous despite being a bit on the darker side. I didn't know what to make of it it, but I'm told it's a labyrinth of grief, which makes sense.