Friday | A Week Full of Books

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Happy Friday! I am so glad the weekend is near and that Matthew is on vacation next week. It will be nice to have some help around the house in the evenings and we will be able to watch some television that we haven’t been able to get to on the weekends, like Moonflower Murders on PBS and A Discovery of Witches (finally!) on Netflix. The highs next week will be in the 60s and clouds and rain are forecasted – it will feel like fall!

I’ve been laying low this week, trying to read in all the crooks and crannies of time. So I’m here today to update you on some of those highlights, which includes three books that I thought were outstanding, progress on my TBR for the second half of September, and my thoughts on the Booker shortlist announcement.

September TBR Progress

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Last Friday I shared my TBR for the second half of September and here is my progress (the purple checkmarks at the right). 3 books down, 6 to go! I doubt I’m going to finish them all but it’s fun to track my goal like this.

Highlights:

I have finished four books since I shared my weekly highlights and I really need to share three of them with you:

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The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
This novel is ominous, sensual, and has a twist that made me look at nearly every scene in a different light.

It’s set in post-WWII Amsterdam. Isabel is a young woman living alone in the house she grew up in with her mother and two brothers. When her brother’s girlfriend Eva stays with her for a while, her life of order and stability is turned upside down. Eventually Isabel recognizes her romantic feelings towards Eva and they form a surprising relationship. About 2/3 of the way through the book we learn about Eva’s past and what her life has been like. This changes everything and made for a spectacular twist.

The Safekeep made it on the Booker shortlist! Such a wonderful addition and I’m looking forward to reading lots of conversations about it.

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Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
This book is about Cyrus, a young man who moved with his father to America from Iran after his mother’s plan was blown up by a US Navy Warship. His father worked 6 days a week and long hours at a chicken farm in order to put Cyrus through school and died soon after Cyrus left home. Throughout his adolescence and young adulthood, Cyrus was plagued with addiction and bouts of depression that left him questioning his value in the world. Once sober, he became obsessed with martyrs and the idea of making one’s death meaningful. He decides to write a book about it and visits Brooklyn to meet Orkideh, an artist using her last days on earth to talk to people intimately about death, and a person he considers to be a martyr. While visiting Orkideh, Cyrus discovers we’re all more entwined that we’d ever guess and realizes just how important his own life is.

What a book! Though it’s a serious topic, this book never really takes itself too seriously. Kaveh Akbar’s writing is thoughtful, funny, and smart – my favorite kind!

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Happening by Annie Ernaux
This memoir is about Ernaux’ experience of having an illegal abortion in France in the 1960s. Annie was in her early 20s and in college when she became pregnant and it devastated her. She was a first generation college student who saw education as an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and thought it would be impossible for her to continue if she were to become a young mother.

Annie takes us through the experience of trying to get advice from doctors and friends despite the illegality of the procedure. She also poignantly describes the actual procedure when she finally connects with someone willing to help her.

This book is short – only 96 pages – but intense. The emotions and imagery were raw and powerful. But this is the perfect time in US history to read this memoir given the state of women’s rights today. I hope a lot of you give it a try.

I’m reading another Annie Ernaux in October, A Simple Passion.

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Also, I made a YouTube video talking about these books earlier this week:

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Booker Thoughts:

The Booker shortlist was announced on Monday. These are the books that made the cut:

✔️ James by Percival Everett
✔️ Orbital by Samantha Harvey
✔️ Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner 
✔️ Held by Anne Michaels
✔️ The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden 
❒ Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood

I was thrilled by this list! I am waiting for my copy of Stone Yard Devotional to arrive (ordered from Blackwell’s – I’d be grateful if you used my affiliate link both here and in the list above. Blackwell’s offers free shipping to the US and there will be no extra cost to you by using this link). I’ve only seen glowing reviews of it and am excited to start reading it!

So far my pick for the winner would be Held (obviously) or The Safekeep – both were incredibly thought-provoking, perplexing, and satisfying in their own ways. But I’m wondering if Stone Yard will edge either of them out?

The book I’m the least enthusiastic about is Creation Lake, which I finished last week. I don’t like to post negative reviews on my site and try to only share books that I’d recommend to the most readers, but I’m not sure who I’d recommend Creation Lake to? Have you read it? Do you think I missed something important? Let’s chat about it in the comments or via email, because I would love it if you could change my mind about it.

But now we have to wait until December for a winner to be announced. The anticipation is too much! And I’m curious to hear your thoughts about the list – what surprised you? What are you happy to see? What do you wish was included?

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Friends, thank you so much for your enthusiasm about my YouTube channel. I have had a lot of fun recording videos this week and am hoping to post more chatty book and journaling videos as time goes on. I have lots of ideas and am grateful for your friendship throughout this endeavor!

This weekend will be the same: library on Saturday, cooking & cleaning, reading if I’m lucky. But it should feel like fall and not summer, so perhaps we’ll throw in a drive to the mountains to check in on the foliage. It won’t be anywhere near peak but it’s fun to get in a few peeps as the season progresses.

I hope your weekend is lovely and full of exactly what you need. Take good care.