Revised Reading List

I’m still working through my reading list from last fall and the remains of the vacation list because, as many of you can relate I’m sure, what we read is often dictated by whim and binge. War, the Holocaust, Civil War (more war), have dominated my reading thus far this year, and as the day grows long and that summer is knocking on the door, I desire a change of pace. Here are some books that are on the Moleskine radar:

Olive Kittredge by Elizabeth Strout. The Pulitzer Prize winner has totally slipped by me. Average 4.05 out of 5 rating on GoodReads. According to one reader: “A former 7th grade math teacher (a fate worse than death, in my book), Olive is an opinionated, bossy wife and mother who feels disdain for just about everyone except her son whom she attempts to smother and who finally escapes by marrying badly and leaving town.” Looking forward to reading this one very soon. Strout is a new author to me.

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry. Short-listed for Man Booker Prize 2008, I deferred this book until the release of trade paperback. A 100-year-old woman wracks her mind in a hunt for memories in this novel. Memory and history often conflict in this mesmerizing saga. There is a consensus of surprises on GoodReads that this book didn’t win the prize.

The Gift of the Rain by Tan Twan Eng. I have never heard of neither the book nor the author, who actually had been long-listed for Man Booker Prize in 2007. That Eng is Malaysian makes sense the book has received more attention in the British Commonwealth. It is set in around Penang in the years leading up to and during the Japanese occupation of Malaya in World War II. It concerns Philip Hutton of mixed Chinese-English heritage and his relationship with Endo-San a Japanese diplomat who teaches him Aikido.

The Painter from Shanghai by Jennifer Epstein. Consider the recent Asian fever, I’m surprised this book is not all over critic’s radar, although it fares fairly well on GoodReads. This novel tells the story of Pan Yuliang, one of the most talented—and provocative—Chinese artists of the twentieth century. It tells the story of her life in the brothel and then as a concubine to a Republican official who would ultimately help her find her way as an artist.

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. I’m reading this novel for TLC Book Tour in May. I never would have thought I’d be interested in a book on the Mormons and plural marriage, thanks to Lisa from TLC Book Tour who recommends this to me.