Fitzgerald's Bookshop

 

The Book Shop / Penelope Fitzgerald
Boston: Mariner Books, 1997, c1978.
123 p.

Ah, opening a bookshop! Isn't it everyone's dream? (I tried it myself at one point; harder than it looks). In this book, probably fairly well known now thanks to the movie, Florence Green decides to start a bookshop in Hardborough. 

This is 1959, it's a small seaside town, and Florence decides to take her widow's inheritance and start a bookshop, because of course a town without one desires one! But she encounters many, many obstacles. First off, a cold, old building with a damp cellar - and apparently a poltergeist too. And then suspicious locals. And envious shopkeepers once she begins to become a bit of a success. And spite from the local woman who considers herself the artistic arbiter of the area, and doesn't like someone else claiming culture. 

Because it's Fitzgerald writing I didn't expect any goodness to be rewarded, or for the powerful and selfish to do anything but succeed in their bullying. And, well, I was right. I do find her quite bleak and cynical a lot of the time. Even though her writing is sharp, crisp, acidic and never sentimental, which can be refreshing. She has an eye for the ways in which people reveal who they are, and the ways in which privilege corrupts. The insularity of this small town, and the ways in which those with connections rule the roost, even if they are unworthy of it, is finely drawn here. 

The highlights of this story are the bookish bits. Any reader will enjoy the discussion of the books themselves, while as a librarian and former bookseller, the parts about the day to day operations of the shop were entertaining and relatable. 

But in the end, this is a sad book with a depressing ending. Mulish insularity and small town politics win the day and the idealist, the lover of books and gentle soul, fails in her quest to educate and enlarge the world for these residents. I can't say that I love Fitzgerald's writing - I admire her skill, and find much to appreciate, but her cynicism about human nature is often off-putting for me as a reader. This one is hard to evaluate because of that balance between cleverness, bookishness, and the opposing idea that nasty people always come out on top. It felt maybe too realistic to really take to heart. 

A Winter's Love

 

A Winter's Love / Madeleine L'Engle
NY: Open Road Media, 2017. c1957.
356 p.

I have always loved Madeleine L'Engle, since I read A Wrinkle in Time as a young reader. I've tried to read most of her work over the years, but have missed a few, this one included. It was available in my library so I decided to read it now. 

It was ok; very of its time, 1957 to be exact. The plot is that Emily Brown, wife and mother, is living in Switzerland for a year during her husband's sabbatical. Well, it was supposed to be a sabbatical, but he has lost his teaching job so it's really just time away from home -- everything was set so they decided to go ahead. They have 2 daughters, one an older teen and one a 6 year old (who reads very young). We find out further into the book that they had another daughter who died when she was 8 -- this adds to the feeling of estrangement in this marriage. After that experience, and the loss of his job, Courtney has withdrawn emotionally from Emily. And now, in Switzerland, they meet up with an old New York friend, Abe Fielding. And he and Emily struggle with the fact that they are falling in love. 

Along with this key dilemma, we have the older daughter Vee and her friend Mimi home for the holidays (this is set over Christmas, which is why I thought I'd read it now, but it is very much not festive, barely relevant to the story at all). Mimi is very mature and worldly wise, but Vee is so neurotic. She has hysterics over her parents behaviours (all quite mild), she takes everything way too hard, and makes herself sick with anxiety. Emily herself is slightly neurotic and can hardly make up her mind to anything. 

And there's a nearby 'friend', Gertrude, who is ill and living in a chalet there with a man - unmarried! Gasp! Gertrude was a resistance fighter in the war, which is very close, not even 10 years in the past. This colours the book as well. But Gertrude is also supremely bored, self-centred and melodramatic. She precipitates some of the action, both intentionally and accidentally.  

I really liked the setting of this book, and the very natural realism of war still overshadowing the characters. The characters have artistic leanings - piano, poetry, classical music, etc. - as expected in any of L'engle's books I've read. I always look for the artists and scientists in her books, it's an element I really enjoy. And I like her way of writing. 

But overall I found this plot far too full of indecision, melodrama and neuroticism to really enjoy it. The core dilemma is a bit dated and some of the side characters are almost unbearably unlikeable. I have a few more of L'engle's books still unread, though, and this won't keep me from reading them. Or rereading some of the others that I haven't read for years! 

The Buddha in the Attic

 

The Buddha in the Attic / Julie Otsuka
NY: Knopf, c2011.
144 p.

I checked out this book from my library mainly because of my Century of Books project - it was a year I was missing, and this was a book I'd heard of before. I'm so glad I did, because it was a great read. 

In eight short sections, Otsuka outlines the lives of a group of 'picture brides' coming to San Francisco from Japan in the early 20th Century. She follows their fortunes as they meet their husbands (none like their photos) and work hard in the fields, shops or as maids. In very few words she illuminates a wide range of lives - from their relationships with their husbands, children, wider local Japanese community, those left at home and of course American society. Abusive husbands, childbirth, prejudice, hard hard work, all is shown here. 

The writing style in this book is one of the highlights for me as well. The narration is like a chorus, using "we" at all times, even when describing an individual experience. It really works and I found it both poetic and really effective. It's incantatory, revealing the shared experience of these Japanese women. 

The final section of the book is set during the start of the Japanese Internment camps during WWII. It's disturbing and so visceral. After building up the life stories of the women who worked so hard to belong in their new homes, seeing the senseless war mania that led to the camps is horrifying. 

This last section also uses the same "we" narrative, but it shifts to the non-Japanese people left in the towns after the Japanese have been carted off. I didn't think this worked as well, after the rest of the book focusing entirely on the inner lives of the Japanese women. But it was necessary to show what remained, and the behaviour of those who hadn't said anything one way or another in the face of this event. 

The feel of the book is a little dream-like, a little epic, even if it is pretty short. It's a powerful and sensory read, one that opens up a part of history that's important to tell. A great find. 

Happy New Reading Year!

 And just like that it is 2025! I have so many plans for the year, at least for my reading. I shared some of the challenges I want to do this year in a recent post, but since then I've discovered another. It's an oldie that I did a few times back when book blogging was in its heyday. And I've discovered that it's still being hosted! So I'll jump in again for fun and nostalgia. 

The idea of this challenge is that you read something with a totally arbitrary category in its title. It can be rather entertaining to see what people choose! The host for this challenge, Carolina Book Nook, says:

In 2025, choose 6 books that have titles that contain:

Cardinal direction

Wanderlust

First & last name

Alliteration

Deity

Crime

There are examples for each category on her signup page if you're interested, too! 

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I'll also be sharing a lot of reviews for my final reads in the Century of Books project, over the next few weeks. I am trying to finish up this round as quick as I can so that I can go ahead and start another round for 1925-2025 -- even if the official challenge isn't running this year. Check out Simon at Stuck in a Book, the creator of this challenge, who has just completed his 2024 Century. And who does a lot of other very cool bookish things like his great podcast, Tea or Books. 

Best of 2024!

 

Already time for the yearly roundup of some of my best reads this year. I always wait until the very last possible moment to post my list; you never know what you'll come across around Christmas! I like to give every book I've read this year a chance to appear on my favourites list, no matter if I read it in the first week of January or the last few days of December. 

I also create a statistical summary each year, for my own geekish pleasure. As I've said before, I don't think of reading as a competition -- I keep track of numbers and various stats for my own interest, not to prove anything or compare myself to anyone. 

Here are my reading stats for 2024:

Total Reading: 186

Authors

Female: 161
Male: 22
Both/Neither: 3

Genre 

Fiction: 124

Non Fiction: 57

Poetry: 5

In Translation: 45

Ukrainian: 10

Japanese: 5

Arabic: 5

Spanish: 5

Quebecois French: 3

French: 3

Korean: 3

Polish: 3

Italian: 3

German: 1

Swedish: 1

Turkish: 1

Portuguese: 1

Russian (Ukrainian writing in): 1

My Own Books: 34
Library Books: 149

Review Copies: 3

Rereads: 7
E-reads: 78

Author who I read the most from: 

Susan Scarlett - 3 books, plus one under her real name, Noel Streatfeild

2024's Weird Random Stat: 

Books with the names of flowers/herbs or gardens in the title: 7

I picked up my reading numbers over last year, although not in all areas. I did get back to reading some poetry, which I am pleased by.

Like always, I read a big majority of women authors, and quite a few more library books than my own this year. But I am happy with all the great books I am able to find through the library! I am hoping to get a few more books off of my own shelves in the upcoming year, though. 

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And now for the Best of 2024!

These are titles that were memorable, unusual, or caught me with their great storytelling or rich characters. Just books that hit the right note with me when I picked them up! 

Starting with my Top Ten in Fiction: 

Two lighter reads that I found clever and enjoyable. The English Understand Wool was funny and surprising, as well as talking about fashion a bit. Miss Carter & the Ifrit was imaginative, touching and also quite philosophical in the end. I really liked both. 

And a few translations that I found very memorable and powerful. Elena Knows (from Argentina) was striking, with a great lead and a mystery driving the narrative. The Sea Cloak was a beautifully written collection of stories set in Gaza, powerful reading now. The Forbidden Notebook was a fantastic Italian read about a woman's life and autonomy, and how a diary shakes things up. 

There were two books that caused a double take in my reading! Both My Death and

Do Evil in Return were books that sprung unexpected events on me and made me look at the characters differently. Excellent reads! 

And there were some Ukrainian books that I loved this year, too. There were quite a few I enjoyed but these three were my faves. Days of Miracle & Wonder was a recent read, a collection of engaging stories which I really enjoyed. Forgottenness was a translation, a slower moving, thoughtful story about memory, Ukrainian history, existential crisis and more. Philipovna was a novelization of the writer's mother's story and it was striking and unforgettable, such dramatic moments of history and cultural trauma shared. 

There were also a couple of nonfiction titles that really stood out to me this year. Ukraine: a Spring for the Thirsty was a collection of interviews and essays about translation, publishing and Ukrainian literature. It was a fascinating, lively read, much more than I'd even expected, and I learned so much. Really great. Food Was Her Country was a poetic memoir by a Ukrainian Canadian filmmaker and writer, who I've read before; this one was fantastic as well. 

And I also have to add some outstanding books for younger readers. This year I discovered a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin by Eleanor Farjeon, called The Silver Curlew. It was a magical, delightful read. And Stitching Science was a pleasure all through! It combines scientific facts alongside beautifully stitched textile works illustrating scientific concepts from A-Z. I love science and I really love textiles so this was a big hit with me!

So these were my top reads of the year, and I enjoyed so many different kinds of books this year. I loved the settings, the historical contexts, found some marvellous characters and enjoyed the artistic themes in many of them. And I'm hoping that next year's reading will bring some new discoveries that are just as good. 

Challenges Past & Challenges Ahead

Last year I participated in a few yearlong reading projects, many of which are long term ongoing ones. I'm still going on with most of them for 2025. I haven't been joining many new ones lately, but there are two I'm going to add to my plans for 2025! Let's see if I can successfully incorporate some new challenges to the mix once more ;) 

Canadian Book Challenge 

It's the 18th year of the challenge & of my reading along. The goal is to read and review 13 Canadian books from July 1 - July 1. I've just finished review #14! How did that happen - I never finish ahead of time! But I'm going to keep reading Canadian and I'll restart again next July 1 as well. 

Century of Books

This challenge was first begun by Simon at Stuck in a Book; as I finish it every few years I just start it up again on my own. I began a new Century in 2023 & hoped to finish it in 2024 - I am just a handful of books away from completion so hope to get my final reviews in during January so I can start anew! 

Women in Translation 

This is more a readalong/celebration than a challenge, but I love to focus on #WIT during August especially, and will continue to join to fun in 2025. 

Literary Sewing Circle

And there's my own challenge, of sorts, the Literary Sewing Circle. This is a readalong I host on my sewing blog, Following the Thread, twice a year. We read a book together and then sew something inspired by our reading, usually one in the spring and one in the fall. We read a couple of fabulous books together in 2024, and have two more to explore in 2025. All welcome to join in!

And then there are the new ones I'm going to try to read along with! 

The first is Dolce Bellezza's Japanese Literature Challenge - it's in its 18th year in 2025. The goal is to read and review at least one work of Japanese literature during January and February. I sometimes participate by chance, but I'm making it a goal this year. 

The next new one is Rose City Reader's The TBR 25 in '25 Challenge. This is aimed at getting you to read 25 of the books from your own shelves in 25. Considering that I have many books but usually read more library books than my own, this is a perfect prompt for me in 2025. You can make a list ahead or read by mood - I am a mood reader so will not make a full list ahead of time but have ideas already! 

And that's it for me. I hope that 2025 brings you both new reading adventures and all the literary challenges you could wish for!

A Year in Review: 2024 in First Lines

 

Ready for 2025!

As usual at this time of year, I review and share my reading/blogging year with First Lines.

Simply put, we share the first line of the first post of each month and see what that overview tells us about our year. Often it can be an uncannily accurate summary.

If you haven't tried this before, give it a go this year; it's a fun exercise, and often summarizes the year quite efficiently. If you do, please share a link in the comments so we can all enjoy!


Here is my 2024 Year in First Lines: 

January: 

The Japanese Literature Challenge is running for the 17th year, created and hosted by Dolce Bellezza. (from Japanese Literature Challenge)

February: 

Ukraine has been on my mind even more as we head up to the 2 year mark of the Russian invasion. (from Ukraine - A Spring for the Thirsty)

March:

This slim tale by poet Louise Gluck is a charming read. (from Marigold & Rose)

April:

It's poetry month! (from Thread Me a Button for Poetry Month)

May:

This middle grade novel, set in British Columbia in 1926, tackles racism, history, and family connections equally well. (from The Go-Between)

June:

This month I'll be sharing many of the Ukrainian themed reads I've been examining over the last little while. (from Unbound)

July:

I picked up this short YA novel from my library recently -- I mean, just look at the cover!  (from Stitches)

August:

August brings one of my favourite reading celebrations of the year -- Women in Translation Month.  (from Women In Translation Month is Here!)

September:

This short novel has an interesting premise: Dómhildur is a midwife, who descends from a long line of midwives on her mother's side and undertakers on her father's. (from Animal Life)

October:

Dreamy and imaginative Grace Fairfax is married to Tom, she's 34 and has no children (after a lost pregnancy earlier in their marriage). (from A Note in Music)

November:

I have something very special for you today! (from Stitching Science)

December: 

It's already a week into December, and so that means that I'll have to speed up and share some of my outstanding reviews for the year! (from Heart on my Sleeve)

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So there's my reading year in a nutshell. Some challenges, more YA than usual, some poetry and classics, lots of reading in translation, a focus on Ukraine, and some inclusion of textile art & fashion. Pretty much covers my reading interests. I'm sure that I'll continue in this vein for 2025, particularly with a focus on Ukraine. There is so much great literature being translated that anyone wanting to really understand the country can read to get a better sense of what's going on now. Hoping that 2025 will bring better times.