Taking a conscious break from thesis work to focus on other projects that I had to neglect because of my thesis deadline, January was great for recreational reading as well. I didn’t finish that many books, but some big ones. I also finished my first month of using the audiobook app Storytel, which brought me much joy and welcomed distraction with a lovely little cozy mystery/fantasy series called the Spellbound series. And yes, that’s escapism at its best, but sometimes I just need some fun — and fun it is. But more on that later.
Big names, big works
Though I’m not much of a fantasy reader, at the start of the new year I wanted to take on something huge (literally) and started reading Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. This went well for some 300 pages until my ADHD fuzzybrain just couldn’t handle the EXTENSIVE footnotes anymore. I know this book was hugely successful, and I loved much of it as well, but I still think that some thorough editing would have saved me a lot of time and energy as there are quite some characters and storylines that could do with less visibility. Suffice to say, I was glad once I finished the book — though I’m glad I read it as well — and I’m looking forward to Clarke’s The Ladies of Grace Adieu, which is set in the world of Strange and Norrell, and of course, Piranesi.
Another big name I read in January is Antonio Muñoz Molina. Tage ohne Cecilia ( in Spanish Tus pasos en la escalera, which in English would be “Your Steps on the Stairs”) is a novel about a man who is waiting for his wife to finally arrive in their new home. We follow him through his days as he is finishing up everything so they can continue their life together after leaving New York. On the outside, nothing much seems to happen, but does this ever hold true? I don’t know when (and if) an English translation gets published, but if your Spanish (or German) is well enough, I can highly recommend this quiet little tale from the margins of just another love story.
This month’s favorite: Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes
I’ve worked on Vietnam War literature for years (a decade at least??), so reading a Vietnam War novel always feels a bit like coming home to a familiar realm tucked away somewhere in my mind. Since I’ve been focusing on Iraq war literature (or the literature of the GWOT in general) for a large part of the last years, I missed Karl Marlantes’ Matterhorn when it was published and now finally found the time to read — and love — it. I’ve yet to decide if I want to write about it in more detail — the more I love a book the more difficulties I have discussing it — but if you’ve not read it yet, I highly recommend getting a copy and immerse yourself in this detailed and nuanced (obviously US-centered) depiction of history.
Escapism, pt. 1 — India Holton’s Dangerous Damsels
Sometimes, reading should be fun. Just that, nothing more. No need for educational value, political/societal messaging, or expanding one’s horizon. Just straight, pure fun. And that’s exactly what I got from India Holton’s The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels and The League of Gentlewomen Witches. Witty banter, lovely characters, and plots that sometimes got a bit lost, which wasn’t an issue for me because of the overall fun of the books. I’ll probably write about this series once the third (and final) part, The Secret Service of Tea and Treason, will be released in the spring of 2023. I’m not big on ‘traditional’ romance novels, and I don’t consider these books to be just that, but rather literary screwball comedies that move along fast and funny at all levels, romance/a love story being just one of many.
Hardcore Escapism pt. 2 — Emma Hart in Spellbound
I started a Storytel subscription last December, which opened up a plethora of audiobooks to entertain me during my busy times. While I also found some ‘serious’ literature, I dove into my new audiobook adventure with some very light listening and found Annabel Chase’s Spellbound Paranormal Cozy Mysteries series. It’s a mix of cozy mystery — though the mysteries are usually not that hard to figure out —, comedy, and (of course) a bit of romance, all of it easy to listen to while cleaning, cooking, sewing, and what else I do. Before discovering Storytel (or similar apps, there are several of them and you may want to try another service) I used to listen to podcasts but I’m glad I finally found an audiobook service that works well for me. These few cozy reads by Annabel Chase were just right for a gloomy January. Having finished the series, I’m now on to Emily Austin’s Everyone in this room will someday be dead, which sounds promising so far. But that’s for another month 🙂
So far the “read my shelves” challenge 2023 is going great, but just one month in might not be too early for significant conclusions. We’ll see how it goes as the year progresses.
For now, I wish you a lovely February with lots of time for books and everything/everyone else you love 🙂