Kang‘s most recently translated work explores survival and death amidst hardship and violence, whether man made or natural. Overall I quite liked this, including the multiple potential interpretations of events in the second half. I was bothered by the description of a medical procedure that would never actually be used and would in fact be counterproductive, as things like that always take me out of a story.

A group of disparate, sort-of friends come together for a weekend tennis party and things end up blowing up rather spectacularly. Basically, the foibles of rich people and those adjacent. I enjoyed this as a nice palette cleanser and even learned about the Lloyd‘s Name situation back in the 80s/90s.

It had been a while since I had read book 1 of this series, so it took me a little time to settle in. But once I did, I enjoyed this further exploration into Cainsville with a new mystery attached and some interesting visions for Olivia. Armstrong seems to know exactly how much paranormal to add to balance the story well.

This fascinating and engaging narrative nonfiction explores the creation of Chinese telecom giant Huawei and its story up to the current moment. I was glued to it in a way I didn‘t expect and Nancy Wu is unsurprisingly fantastic as the audio narrator. While it never mentioned TikTok, it gave me some insight into why some are concerned about Chinese governmental involvement in that app (though I still don‘t know if it‘s a concern or not).

Another day, another bail! This one looked so interesting, and I love the cover, but I‘m bailing at the 12% mark. It‘s repetitive and very YA (in a bad way). Plus, if New Zealand is underwater from sea level rise, why is Manhattan only partially submerged? In the age of Google it‘s really easy to figure out there‘s an altitude problem there.

I gave this one 50 pages, but it isn‘t working for me at all. I find the writing stilted and it‘s holding me at arm‘s length. I feel like there‘s both nothing happening and no character development.

I suspected this would not be for me and indeed it was not. It occasionally felt like it was going to veer close to an understandable metaphor, but instead of getting there would then throw in a deliberately provocative sexual statement and I‘m never a fan of that, as I don‘t think it informs the story. #TOBlonglist

This is one I skipped over last year and I‘m so glad I circled back to it. I thought it was absolutely brilliant. It‘s such a good exploration of patriarchy and incels (without ever using that word). I loved it.

This book follows a football team from a deaf high school in California as they reach for the state championship. It looks at the stories of some of the players and coaches along the way. Amazon picked this as their 2024 book of the year and while I would not give it that status, it‘s definitely worth reading.

Wanting to increase his income enough that his cattle ranch could continue to survive, a Montana man contracted with a wind company to establish a small wind farm on his property. This book shows how moneyed interests worked to put every blockade in his path. It is outstanding narrative nonfiction and contains warning bells for the way the US appears to be going.

I really like that Richard Powers focuses on the sciences in his books, but the science here is computer programming/graphic design, and it is just not for me. I really tried but it isn‘t working and I‘m out.

A man washes up on the Scottish island of Harris with no memory of who he is. Meanwhile, another man is found murdered on the remote Flannan Isles. Our amnesiac main character is concerned he may be the killer and tries to put his memory together to figure out the mystery. I really enjoyed this. Riveting story and stunning setting.

Described by the author as a children‘s book for adults, these stories are the daydreams of a creative child. Not my usual fare, but it‘s charming with a bit of an edge, which I appreciate.

Following Volume I, where Tara found herself stuck reliving November 18 over and over, she now enters her second year of reliving the day. Most of this is riveting, though she does go off on a tangent at one point I found less interesting. The ending makes me crazy to read the next volume, which isn‘t out in English yet! Arg!

I received a B&N gift card for Christmas (thanks Mom!) and succumbed to their 50% off hardbacks sale. I ordered these a few days after Christmas and they have finally arrived! Plus I included a copy of The Book Censor‘s Library, as I LOVED it and wanted a copy to keep. #bookhaul

In Watershed, Everett draws parallels between the current and historic treatment of both Black and Native Americans in the US. And, of course, he still infuses the book with his trademark humor. This was terrific, and I‘m not surprised—the man is a marvel.
#Roll100

I‘m being honest with myself—I‘m never going to read this book. I started it months ago and was immediately stymied, as it read to me like a book one needs to have some knowledge of Indian history going in to understand and I just don‘t. Since, it has just sat, and today is the day I admit it isn‘t going to happen.

This book looks at domestic violence and, in particular, intimate partner homicide, from all angles. It takes a deep dive into a few particular real life stories in an incredibly readable narrative nonfiction fashion. It also shows the efforts to combat the violence and support victims. It is of course emotionally challenging to read but is absolutely superb.

The latest in the series finds Tempe in DC, asked to assist with the aftermath of a fire. It‘s a good addition to the series, with a fun wink at Bones. I didn‘t love the audio, though, which I thought was read a bit dry. I will warn potential readers that there is a brief but very frank description of what happens to human bodies in fire, which might be too much for some right now.

This book looks at a series of men who have evidence showing they are undoubtedly innocent yet were nonetheless found guilty and locked up at Sing Sing. Their stories are important, but the author‘s involvement in tv production comes out too strongly here, making the stories a bit more surface and lacking in more angles. A low pick for me.

I keep seeing this book so when it popped up as a skip the line loan, I thought I‘d give it a go. I wish I hadn‘t bothered. It‘s billed as a mystery/thriller, but at the 43% mark, there‘s only the barest hint of a mystery and no thriller whatsoever. It reminds me of Riley Sager, who I can‘t stand. And the characters are actively uninteresting. I get annoyed that books like this get elevated when those that are far better do not.

This is a poorly done, clunky mystery in which the cops are clueless and fail to investigate obvious options, the red herrings are incredibly obvious and the main cop character has an odd quirk that verges on inappropriate. I definitely won‘t read this author again. Cool cover, though.

This #TOBlonglist book actually looks like snarky fun that I would enjoy. But it‘s just not working for me right now. So back to the library it goes!

This book looks at the tiny, remote culture of St Kilda, an outer Hebridean island group evacuated of its human population in the 1930s. It‘s a very interesting read told in an engaging fashion with little bits of humor here and there. I really enjoyed it and would love to visit there someday.

I really don‘t know what to say about this one. The writing is good and there‘s some genuinely good humor in it, but for some reason Greathead clearly believed we needed a book about a mediocre white guy skating through life believing far more of himself than he should. We can see that all around us, why do we need to read it? #TOB25

A woman and her baby were found killed in a burned house in 1843 and almost immediately her SIL was charged with the murders despite a complete lack of physical evidence. This book tells the story of her trials, loaded with misogyny. It‘s not quite as good as the most excellent narrative nonfiction, but it‘s interesting and the audio is well done.

A multilingual Albanian woman is living in NYC, working as a translator and interpreter. Her marriage is in a rocky spot and she‘s such a passive person—she largely just lets things happen to her. There‘s a noirish plot line threaded through but otherwise not much really happens. I‘m not sure what I think of it, though I did enjoy reading it. I‘ll give it a low pick.

This book follows 3 people who meet in girlhood, then sees how their adult lives unfurl. But at its heart, it‘s an evaluation and critique of capitalism and the path it may well have us on for the future. It‘s not pretty and it feels all too likely. Grim but good. #TOBlonglist

In the wake of the Boston marathon bombing, kids in various high schools around the country are dealing with all the things teens have to deal with these days. Only there‘s an online forum where something terrible is being planned. Well done and thoughtful, but definitely some content warnings here (under spoiler tag below).

My first #Roll100 read!

Disabled author and disability activist Hevda presents a series of essays about her experiences to help illustrate and reframe disability and ableism. A lot of food for thought, though there were things that made me raise an eyebrow (she calls astrology a “language” to poo-poo those [like me] who do not believe in it; I remain unconvinced).

Lt Taylor Jackson is back at work after having shot and killed someone attacking her in her home…who turned out to be a fellow, dirty cop. Now she‘s faced with a young woman found dead and posed with herbs on her. Turns out this is actually the kickoff of a series and I‘m eager to read more. The story is propulsive, the writing engaging, and I really liked the characters.

O‘Neill spent 20 years digging up documents and interviewing people involved in the Manson murders and trial and presents here his “proof” that the motives presented at trial aren‘t correct. The problem is, he is relying on memories of 30+ year old events and failing to contextualize his findings. There‘s some intriguing possibilities here, but that‘s it, not the smoking gun he wants to believe it is.

Many moons ago I did an environmental studies minor in college and this book was mentioned repeatedly. I‘m glad Leopold exists for having influenced so many in thinking about the natural world, but much as I‘ve tried for several years now, this book is not for me. It just doesn‘t hold my interest.

What a fantastic start to my reading year! I absolutely loved this book. I was fully absorbed right away and never wanted to put it down. It‘s not what I would think of as a Booker nominee, but why not? I‘m so glad this was on the #TOBlonglist to insure that I read it.

I didn‘t read any of my December #ReadYourEbooks as expected. My focus on #TOB25 and the longlist is winding down a bit now, so hopefully I‘ll get to one or more of these this month!

This thought-provoking book is a mix of unusual personal/family memoir and what feels like a NF version of Labatut‘s How We Cease to Understand the World. It ruminates on life, death, war, and more. I found it fascinating and I‘m glad it serves as my final completed book of 2024. #TOBlonglist

My last read from the NBA NF longlist, and I dragged my feet on picking this one up as I‘m so tired of political discourse. It is well done, though, and the first 2/3 was historical, showing how we got here (none of this is new), with the final third being the focus I dreaded. I do wish since it leaned so heavily into American mythmaking that it had made a little more effort at debunking.

I am not a fan of child narrators and child neglect makes my blood boil, so this book shouldn‘t work for me at all. But the writing is magical and buoyant and that made all the difference—I really enjoyed it. I‘m glad it was on the #TOBlonglist to get me to read it. I‘ll be looking for more from this author.

With the exception of the past two months (oops), #ReadYourEbooks has helped me this past year to read down some of my owned ebooks. So, I decided to jump into #Roll100 for 2025 for my physical owned books. I made up a list, then realized the numbers were already rolled, so here‘s mine for January! Hopefully this will be another successful endeavor for me to read my own damn books. 😬

With all due respect to the books I will finish before Wednesday, I went ahead and put together my #Top24of24 list. My favorite fiction of the year is The Book Censor‘s Library and my favorite NF is Challenger. There‘s also some really good stuff in the next tier and if I‘d waited an hour, maybe this list would be different.

This book centering a comedy MFA program had a dynamite first chapter, looking like it‘s going to skewer academia and take on topical issues. But then it falls flat on its face with bad pacing, exploration of boring characters, and no apparent point. There are some funny lines scattered through, but I wanted to do anything else but read this. #TOBlonglist

Eleven years after the events of The Cheerleaders (which I really enjoyed but is not necessary to read first), a member of the local football team ends up in the hospital under mysterious circumstances. Intrepid student reporter Hadley starts investigating and finds fire where there‘s smoke. This one may have tried to squeeze a bit too much in, but I still enjoyed it.

Not sure what to think of this one. It appears to be a social commentary on things many find tacky (Jersey Shore, Hot Topic, Cheesecake Factory), but instead it‘s a memoir incorporating those things into King‘s story. And the writing is good, but some of her life choices are a bit abhorrent to me. I‘ll give it a low pick since I enjoyed reading much of it.

This book frustrates me. I like the plot and characters, but the writing is poor, the editing isn‘t great, and the entire storyline in the US is superfluous—there would have been better ways into the story. Not an author I‘d reach for again.

I was not excited for this one as, quite frankly, I didn‘t expect to like it at all, but turns out I liked it a lot! I‘m glad the #TOB25 put it on their list and in the tourney to get me to read it. It‘s funny but has heart and shows the reality of the lack of options and support for young single moms.

In this trippy little book, Tara has traveled to a Paris on a book-buying trip for her rare books business with her husband. But when she wakes up one morning, she discovers she‘s reliving November 18, which was the day before. No one else remembers they‘ve already done this. Watching her navigate the time loop is fascinating. I really hope the whole series gets translated.

NBA longlist, translated literature

What a wonderful collection of gifts, Soubhi, thank you so much! I love the variety in the books and can‘t wait to read them all. The orchid picture is so cool (and fitting, since we put in a bunch of orchids not long ago) and the jam looks scrumptious, though I‘ll have to fend off Tony for it, since he loves blackberries! Have a lovely, very Merry Christmas!

I had passed on this one earlier this year, so I‘m really glad the #TOBlonglist got me to circle back to it. Not only is it a great read about family, depicting very realistic relationships, it‘s so well crafted, giving the right time to each story and making each sister distinct.

The first part of this is writer Sarah Moss‘s memoir of her abusive childhood, written as somewhere between a fever dream and verse, and revealing her initial entry into anorexia. Then she delves into the most harrowing account of anorexia in an adult I‘ve ever read. This is very well done, but a harrowing read.

I‘ve seen people raving about this and I get why. Two people meet as misfit kids, forming a bond impacted by trauma, then bound together through life by the obsession of one. It‘s engaging and well balanced. I really enjoyed it.