Five books for the week
November 26th-December 2nd
Another Sunday already? Where did the week go? I knew this week was going to be busy because I’d been out of the office for the two weeks before it and one week was completely detached vacation. I managed to go to my bowling league, visit with my parents, get out with one friend for coffee and one friend for dinner, and I spent a whole afternoon dropping books off in little free libraries. Other than that, (which actually seems like a fair bit when written out here like that) my mind was focused on catching up from my absence. The coming week will likely be very similar except I’ll be preparing for my next vacation which starts on Friday. I am using up my remaining time off for the year while also juggling my busiest season of work. I won’t be in the office for a full week again before the middle of January which anyone can agree is a pretty good situation to be in. It’s energizing, but it’s also a lot to organize.
Here’s the TikTok I made with all my little free library pics.
As for reading last week, I actually read at least some of four of my five book selections. I didn’t feel like I had a lot of reading time, but I managed to finish two books and read a decent portion of the other two.
Books I finished:
Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin - I *adored* this book. I thought I loved Austin’s first novel, Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead, more than I could love another, but I was wrong. In Interesting Facts About Space we meet Enid and all her quirks. She is obsessed with space and terrified of bald men. She dates a lot of women and keeps a breakup form letter in her notes app. She loves her mother and is is getting to know sisters she just met as an adult. She gives the reader so much to love and her broken parts just make her more adorable. This is one to put on your most anticipated list for 2024. It’s out in the end of January.
The Forbidden Territory of a Terrifying Woman by Molly Lynch - I liked this book, but not as much as I’d hoped. I’d recommend it to people who enjoy reading about women with deep connections to motherhood and the ambivalence that foists onto their lives. It’s not totally my genre, but I love a good, emotionally challenging and traumatic story. This fell a little short of that expectation for me, but it fulfilled it for my friend Dana and a few others I’ve spoken to.
My five books for this week are:
Reuniting with Strangers by Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio - I had the pleasure of seeing Austria-Bonifacio speak on a panel at Whister Writers Festival in October and I got to spend time with her after that event. After listening to her read from it, I knew immediately that I wanted to read her book which explores the experience of Filipino caregivers living in Canada and being reunited with their family members after years of separation. I hadn’t had the chance to figure out how to get my hands on a copy until this week and I was so happy to see that it was available from my local library. I picked it up yesterday so it immediately got a spot on the list.
The Adversary by Michael Crummey - The only book in last week’s five that I didn’t read at all. I’m actually very excited about reading this so I wasn’t ignoring it. I think I just feel like I want to give it my undivided attention so I’m waiting for the perfect moment. It’s coming. I can feel it.
The Witches of New York by Ami McKay - I am also really looking forward to reading and listening to this one. I started it one evening last week and it kept me up later than I had hoped so I’m being deliberate about when I’m choosing to listen to it and when I’m choosing to read it instead. I’m loving it during both.
The Bleeds by Dimitri Nasrallah - I bought this book earlier this year and it sat on my shelf ever since. When I was book shopping with my friend Emma in Toronto, we found this one in the CanLit section and she was very enthusiastic about it. I feel like it landed on my bookshelf because someone recommended it one of last year’s Giller Book Club events OR I bought it after watching Nasrallah’s Giller Book Club event. Either way, I’d like to give it a read soon.
Her Body Among Animals by Paola Ferrante - I’ve been working my way through this. Last night, I finished the story The Silent Grave of Birds and it was so heavy. I am not a sensitive reader, but I read most of this 48-page story with tears in my eyes. It was so tender and heart breaking and it was hard to read so I took a few days to get through it. I have two stories left and I’m hoping to be able to read one each on two days this week.
Next Friday, December 1st will mean the arrival of the last edition of Susan Sanford-Blades’s newsletter, Girls to the Front! Sign up today to see everything she has in store for December and also get to read my book selection for the month. All Susan’s great goodies can be viewed online later, but Carly’s Choice only shows up in the emailed newsletter. Don’t miss it!
What will you be reading this week?