*****Love Like Water, Love Like Fire by Mikhail Iossel

 LibraryThing Early Review

Memory either confirms or refutes the very fact of our own existence.

 

Iossel portrays an often absurd and haunting life under Stalin’s rule. Having grown up as a Russian Jew in the Soviet Union, he pulls from his own life experience in this fictionalized autobiography. Ioseel uses the short story form to offer glimpses into various aspects of his life, but altogether it works as a novel.

 

I grew up during the United States Duck and Cover program when we greatly feared the Soviets. I had to laugh as an author of similar age was taught to fear and look down on what he believed would become Soviet America. Iossel seems to do this purposefully as a form of laugh-out-loud irony. Similarly, he illustrates the absurdities and fear of being a Soviet Jew. He does so magnificently with irony and sadness.

 

Iossel’s perspective is unique, somewhat funny and horrifying. If you liked Pamuk’s Museum of Innocence and the tension in Ravel’s Bolero (referring to Iossel’s short story, Moscow Windows), you will enjoy this novel as it is superbly written.

 

2021 Books Read 01/01/2021-12/31/2021

*****The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World, by Laura Messina, 2020, Italian Literature 

*****In the Shawdow of Young Girls in Flower, by Marcel Proust, 1920, French Literature

****The Sentence, by Louise Erdich, 2021, American Indian Literature 

*****Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, by Elizabeth Taylor, 1971, British Literature

****The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles,  2021, American Literature 

***The Impudent Ones, by Marguerite Duras, 1943, French  Literature 

****This Tender Land,  by William Kent Krueger,  2019, American Literature 

*****To Be a Man, by Nicole Krauss, 2021 American Literature 

***Things We Lost to the Water, by Eric Nguyen, 2021, American Literature 

****Look at Us, by T.L. Toma, 2021, American Literature 

****The Days of Abandonment, by Elena Ferrante, 2005, Italian Literature

*****The Makioka Sisters, by Junichiro Tanizaki, 1957, Japanese Literature 

***Bewilderment,  by Richard Powers, 2021 American Literature 

****This Mournable Body, by Tsitsi Dangarembga,  2018, ZimbabweanLiterature

****Department of Speculation,  by Jenny Offill, 2014, American Literature 

*****Curl, by T.O. Bobe, 2019, Romanian Literature 

***Madonna in a Fur Coat, by Sabahattin Ali, 1943, Turkish Literature 

*****Sugar Street, by Naguib Mahfouz, 1957, Arabic Literature 

****Intimacies, by Katie  Kitamura, 2021, American Literature 

*****The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai, 2018, American Literature

*****Palace of Desire, by Naguib Mahfouz, 1957, Arabic Literature

****Brooklyn, by Colm Toíbín, 2009, Irish Literature 

*****The Death of Vivek Oji, by Akwaeke Emeze, 2020, Nigerian Literature 

****The Arrangements by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,  2016, Nigerian Literature 

**** The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, 1984, Mexican - American literature

****The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah, 2021, American Fiction

***Diary of a Rapist,  by Evan S. Connell, 1966, American Literature 

*****The Engagement, by Georges Simenon, 1933, French Literature 

*****Notes on Grief, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 2021, Nigerian Literature

*****Palace Walk,  by Naguib Mahfouz, 1956, Arabic Literature 

****Whereabouts, by Jhumpa Lahari, 2021, American Literature

****Small Country: A Novel, by Gaël Faye, 2016, French-Rwandan Literature 

*****Some New Ambush,  by Cary Davies, 2007, Welsh Literature 

****Great Grandma Webster, by Caroline Blackwood,  1977, Anglo-Irish Literature 

*****The Invention of Morel, by Adolfo Bioy Cesares, 1940, Argentinian Literature

***In Watermelon Sugar, by Richard Brautigan, 1968, American Literature 

****Artemisia, by Alexandra Lapierre, 1998, French Literature

*****Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernardino Evaristo, 2019, British Literature

*****Variations on the body, by Maria Ospina, 2021, Columbian Literature 

***Heaven, A Novel, by Mieko Kawakami,  2⁰9, Japanese Literature 

*****Like a Sword Wound, Ottomon Quartet, Book 1, by Ahmet Altan, 1997, Turkish Literature

****The Widow, by Georges Simenon, 1942, Belgian Literature

**Miao Dao, by Joyce Carol Oates, 2018, American Fiction 

****Of Women and Salt, by Gabriela Garcia, 2021, American Literature 

****The Night Watchman,  by Louise Erdich, 2020, American Indian Literature 

****Offshore, by Penelope Fitzgerald,  1979, British Literature 

****Eleven Sooty Dreams, by Manuela Draeger, 2019, French Literature 

****Three Women, by Lisa Taddeo, 2019, American Biography 

*****Narcisse on a Tightrope, by Olivier Targowla, 1989, French Literature

****Ere the Cock Crows, by Jens Bjørneboe, 1952, Norwegian Literature 

****Seven, by Farzana Doctor, 2020, Canadian Fiction

*****Love Like Water, Love Like Fire, by Mikhail Iossel,  2021, Russian Literature 

****The Sonderberg Case, by Elie Wiesel, 2008, Romanian-American Literature

*****A Dance to the Music of Time: 3rd Movement,  by Anthony  Powell,  1960's, British Literature 

***The Silent Patient,  by Alex Michaelides, 2019, American Mystery 

***The Consequences of Love, by Sulaiman S.M.Y. Addonia, 2008, African Literature 

***I Remember You,  by Yrsa Sigurdardottir, 2012, Icelandic Fiction

****The Perfect Nanny, by Leela Shimano, 2016, French Literature 

*****Garden by the Sea, by Mercè Rodorea, 1967, Catalanian Literature 

****A Burning, by Megha Majumdar, 2020, Indian Literature 

***Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall,  by Ishiguro Kazuo, 2009, British Literature 

****Dinner at the Center of the Earth, by Nathan Englander, 2017, Jewish  American Literature 

*****Such Small Hands, by Andres Barbs, 2017, Spanish Literature 

****Hunger, A Novella and Stories, by, Lan Samantha Chang,  2000, Chinese-American Literature

***Libertie, by Kaitlyn Greenidge, 2020, American Fiction

****Lie With Me, by Philippe Besson, 2017, French Literature

****Autumn,  by Karl Ove Knausgård, 2015, Norwegian Literature 

*****Die, My Love, by Arianna Harwicz, 2017, Argentinean Literature 

****Codex 1962: A Trilogy,  by Sjón, 2018, Icelandic Literature

****Burnt Sugar, by Avni Doshi, 2021 Indian American Literature 

****Straight From the Horses Mouth, by Maryse Alaoui, 2020, Moroccan Literature 

****Infinite Country, by Patricia Engel, 2021, American-Columbian Literature 

*****Wild Swans,  Three Daughters of China,  by Jung Chang, 1991, Chinese Memoir 

***Creatures of Passage, by Morowa Yejide, 2021, American Literature

****Deacon King Kong,  by James McBride, 2020, American Literature 

*****The Agony and the Ecstasy, A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo, by Irving Stone, 1961, Biography

****Tokyo Ueno Station, by Miri Yú, 2020, Japanese Literature

*****Pew, by Catherine Lacey, 2020, American Literature

Books Read 8/1/2020-12/31/2020

****Breasts and Eggs, by Mieko Kawakami, 2020 Japanese Literature 

****Follow Me to Ground,  by  Sue Rainsford, 2020, Irish Literature 

*****Flowers of Mold, by Seong-na Ha, 2019, Korean Literature 

***Better Luck Next Time, by Julia Claiborne Johnson, 2021, American Fiction 

****Hamlet, by Maggie O'Farrell, 2020, Irish-British Literature 

*****Rag: Stories,  by Maryse Meijer,  2019, American Literature 

***The Exiles, by Kristina Baker Kline, 2020, American Fiction

****Lust for Life, by Irving Stone, 1934, Biography

*****Young Adam, by Alexander Trocchi, 1954 Scottish Literature 

**Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, 2020, Mexican Canadian Fiction

****Shuggie Bain, by Douglas Stuart, Scottish Literature,  2020

****The North Water, by Ian McGuire, 2016, English Literature 

****Strange Weather in Tokyo: A Novel, by Hiromi Kawakami, 2012, Japanese Literature

****Bless Me, Ultimate, by Rudolfo Anaya, 1972, Chicano Literature

*****Nervous Conditions, by Tsitsi Dangarembga, 1988, Zimbabwean Literature

*****The Lying Life of Adults, by Elena Ferrante, 2020, Italian Literature 

****Convenience Store Woman, by Sayaka Murata, 2016,  Japanese Literature 

***Bass Rock, by Evie Wyld, 2020, English Fiction

****Eileen, by Ottessa Moshfegh, 2015, American Literature

****Fruit Rot, by James R. Gapinski, 2020, American Literature 

*****Death in Her Hands, by Ottessa Moshfegh, 2020, American Literature 

***The Giver of Stars, by Jojo Moyes, 2019, Historical Fiction 

***The Book of Rosy, A Mother's Story of Separation at the Border, by Rosayra Pablo Cruz, 2020, Guatemalan Memoir 

****Actress: A Novel, by Anne Enright,  2020, Irish Literature 

***Kintu, by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, 2014, Ugandan Literature 

****The Theory of Flight, by Siphiwe Ndlovu, 2019, African Literature 

*****The Vagrants, by Yiyun Li, 2009, Chinese Literature 

****His Only Wife, by Peace Adzo Medie, 2020, African Literature 

****Necessary Lies, by Diane Chamberlain, 2013, American Fiction

****The Theory of Flight by Siphiwe Ndlovu

 LibraryThing.com Early Review 

Ndlovu combines her skills as a Zimbabwean filmmaker and writer to tell a generational story depicting extreme loss and love.  She incorporates her childhood experiences, general history and the HIV epidemic to illustrate how seemingly disparate events are interrelated. Ndlovu reveals how our choices determine not only the course of our own personal history, but the histories of those around us and beyond – the domino effect. This is a complex and unique work of literature filled with engaging characters, depth and creative use of visual language. I suspect we will see much more from this talented artist.

****His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie

LibraryThing.com Early Review

Medie adeptly portrays Ghana’s contemporary patriarchal polygamous culture in her debut novel, His Only Wife.  In this slowly changing rigid society, she illustrates the difficulties women face as they choose between traditional expectations and personal ambitions. Medie's writing style is subtle yet effective.  Her characters are rich and engaging. I enjoyed this novel and look forward to future work by this talented author.

****Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline

LibraryThing.com Early Review

Indigenous Canadian Literature

A social commentary on the exploitation and oppression of indigenous people through religion. Developers use the work of Christian Missionaries to purposefully attract and distract aborigines in order to buy up their land for industrial and domestic expansion. The author adopts the legends from her native Metis culture to tell this contemporary story of colonial racism. A captivating, insightful read.

Books Read 1/1/2020-7/31/2020

*****The Family,  by Ishmael Beah, 2020, West African Literature of Sierra Leone

*****Bluebeard's First Wife, by Seong-nan Ha, 2020, South Korean Literature 

****Four by Four, by Sara Mesa, 2020 Spanish Literature 

***Dear Edward, by Ann Napolitano, 2020, American Fiction 

****My Dark Vanessa , by Kate Elizabeth Russell, 2020, American Literature 

***The Triumph of the Spider Monkey, by Joyce Carol Oates, 1976, American Literature 

*****Plexus,  The Rosy Crucifixion, II, by Henry Miller, 1953, American Literature 

***The Book of Longings, by Sue Monk Kidd, 2019, American Fiction 

****Frankissstein,  A Love Story, by Jeannette Winterson , 2019, English Literature 

*****The Endless Summer,  by Madame Nielson,  2014, Danish Literature 

*****The Jump Artist , by Austin Ratner, 2009, American Literature 

****Radiance of Tomorrow , by Ishmael  Beah, 2007, West African Literature of Sierra Leone 

****The Front Seat Passenger, by Pascal Garnier , 1997, French Literature 

*****Waiting for Eden, by Elliot Ackerman, 2018, American Literature 

***The Oysterville Sewing Circle, by Susan Wiggs, 2019,  American Fiction 

****Empire of the Wild, by Cherie Dimaline, 2020, Indigenous Canadian Literature

****American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins, 2020, American Literature

****Redhead by the Side of the Road,  by Anne Tyler, 2020, American Literature

*****The Golden Lotus, Volume I, by Lanling Xiaoxiao Cheng, 1596, Chinese Literature

*****A Long Way Off, by Pascal Garnier, 2010, French Literature

*****Apeirogon, by Colum McCann, 2020, Irish Literature

****Sexus, The Rosy Crucifixion I,  by Henry Miller, 1949, American Literature

*****What Belongs to You, by Garth Greenwell,  2016,  American Literature

*****Break Shot, My first 21 Years,  by James Taylor, 2019, American Autobiography

*****Ragged Company, by Richard Wagamese,  2008,
Canadian Literature

*****Kitchen, by Banana Yoshimoto, 1993, Japanese Literature 

*****The House of the Sleeping Beauties and Other Stories, by Yasunari Kawabata, 1961, Japanese Literature

****Everybody's Fool, By Richard Russo, 2016, American Literature 

****A Woman Is No Man, by Etaf Rum, 2019, American Literature

*****Virgil  Wander by Leif Enger,  2018, American Literature 

***Chances Are, by Richard Russo, 2019, American Literature

*****The Golden Lotus, Vol I, by Lanling Xiaoxiao Cheng

There is a Ravel like rhythm and repetition that pervades this 16th-17th century Chinese novel. Eat lasciviously, have adulterated sex with any and everyone, use one’s corrupted wealth for bribery, intimidation and violence, now repeat. At times it feels like a little too much of the same thing. Yet, to fully understand and appreciate this novel it has to be read in context. The author is making a statement about society during his lifetime (cloaked as 12th-century China). He depicts a wealthy man who is lazy and foul and wastes his inheritance on excessive food, alcohol and women. He lives in a veritable house of cards. One sees chinks in his life-structure immediately. He manages to superficially and repeatedly mend these chinks through successful bribes and corruption, which only serve to further embolden him. He will stop at nothing to protect his life style, including violence. This story has a dramatic telling. It is a saga whose purpose is to depict corrupt individuals, especially those in government and other places of power. It does that and more. It illustrates how history truly does repeat itself while providing a glimpse of the social customs of the time. I am intrigued and look forward to reading the next installment of this early satiric social commentary.

*****Apeirogon by Column McCann

McCann is a beautiful storyteller. In Apeirogon, he retells the story of the Israeli – Palestinian conflict through two contemporary real-life fathers and activists. He brings together seemingly incongruous elements to show how, like the butterfly effect, all things are interconnected. The message in his book: to make a difference, to really reach people, it is necessary to tell a story, a history, over and over until we really do hear it, learn from it and take positive action accordingly.

“Ignorance is a terrible acquaintance.”

Researched in detail, woven together like a powerfully poetic piece of tapestry, this book is a literary work of art.

*****A Long Way Off, by Pascal Garnier

LibraryThing.com Early Review
French Literature

A page turner, A Long Way Off is a quirky novella of the noir genre. Pascal takes his reader on a dark, yet funny, unusual ride. One disappears for a short time with an odd, aging father and his mentally unique adult daughter, only to experience a sudden turn of events which transforms the comic into sinister. This is my first book by Pascal and I am hooked.