April wasn’t very eventful, which might be for the best. I fell asleep in most films we watched and rain postponed a lot of plans. But we did get a couple of sunny weekends that felt something like spring. The books were a mixed bag. I think I might need more upbeat reads on my TBR.

If you’re reading this on 1 May, happy International Workers Day! Else, happy whatever day it is.

Books read

Bestsellers: a Very Short Introduction by John Sutherland
This book made me angry. It’s a very disparaging and old fashioned look at bestselling fiction in the US and UK, primarily focused on the 20th century. They really should have commissioned this from someone who actually likes popular fiction and sees its merits.

Inland by Téa Obreht
This novel is set in the 1890s, alternating between two characters in territories that would later become the United States. Nora is a frontierswoman trying to keep her three sons and herself alive during a drought while her husband has gone missing. She speaks to her dead daughter and seems awesome and badass until we see her racism, particularly against Indigenous people. Lurie has spent his life on the move – much of it running from the law. I loved his story and Obreht’s writing but the way the two characters eventually overlap was a bit disappointing.

The Simple Art of Killing a Woman by Patrícia Melo
Translated by Sophie Lewis
A young lawyer in Sao Paolo is hit by her boyfriend and reacts by taking a temporary project on the other side of Brazil – a study of femicide cases in Acre. Her own past and fears about her current relationship overlap with the horrific situations she sees every day in court. I loved this book. It’s angry and really not subtle about that. The main story is interspersed with short poems about women who have been murdered and with ayahuasca ritual visions of women warriors.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Klara is an artificial friend, designed to keep a child company in a near future we only see through her eyes. From a shop front in a city she observes everything but we can see she doesn’t fully understand. This is a thoughtful, mysterious musing on love with a very sweet, engaging narrator.

Some Thoughts on the Common Toad by George Orwell
I have long been a fan of Orwell’s essays. Politically and socially I tend to agree with his views and he’s an entertaining writer. The title essay here, for example, argues that enjoyment of nature shouldn’t be the preserve of rich people. Because it’s free he says nature should be a leveller, for everyone. The second essay is an insightful, nuanced dissection of PG Wodehouse and his decision to do radio broadcasts for the Nazi Party while under house arrest in Berlin. But the rest of this book I honestly found boring or racist, which was unexpected.

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
I didn’t expect to love a novel set in a war. In 2004 in a small Chechen village, eight-year-old Havaa’s father is arrested by Russian soldiers. Their neighbour Akhmed finds Havaa and sneaks her away, knowing the soldiers will come back for her. He takes her to the only person he can think of – a doctor he has never met, knowing her only by reputation. The three strike up an uneasy alliance. Although the main story covers just five days, it flashes back and forward to encompass much more time, particularly the first Chechen War of 1994. A beautiful, heartbreaking book.