So far, I’ve read some excellent books. Stand-outs include Bridge of Clay, The Choke, Exploded View and Boy Swallows Universe (it’s shameful that I have not yet written a review of this marvellous book). If I was forced to make it a ‘top ten’, Lifelines, The Arsonist, Little Gods, Small Wrongs, First Love and In the Garden of Fugitives would be there.
I enjoyed reading the Stella Prize list this year (and the spirited conversations I’ve had about the winner), and I’m looking forward to the Melbourne Writers Festival.
I’m continually drawn to themes of grief in my reading, and this year has been no exception. Unintentionally, many have been about the Holocaust – Small Wrongs, Denial, Lifelines and I’m about to start Hannah’s Dress by Pascale Hugues.
Although my reading challenges are chugging along, let’s not talk about anything else such as NetGalley percentage or the stupid TBR stack. Because. It. Just. Never. Goes. Down (I blame my start-of-year Sample Saturday buying, Stella Prize reading and a recent ‘accident’ at Readings).
Lastly, I’m doing quarterly check-ins with Book Bingo, hosted by Theresa Smith Writes. I’ve made progress and completed two rows.
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- novel that has 500 pages or more: Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides
- novella no more than 150 pages: The Cook by Maylis de Kerangal
- themes of science fiction: Machine Like Me by Ian McEwan
- themes of inequality: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
- written by an author over the age of 65: The Erratics by Vicki Laveau-Harvie
- crime: Wimmera by Mark Brandi
Have you made note of your favourite books ‘so far’? Are you like me and get a little antsy if you reach June and there are no stand-outs? (It’s only happened to me once – every time someone asked “Read anything good lately?”, I’d feel stressed about my general lack of enthusiasm. For the record, the answer to that question this year has been Boy Swallows Universe).