Hello friends and Happy December. We had a wonderful, celebration-filled Thanksgiving week in central NY that included Thanksgiving dinner at my sisters's, our annual extended family Christmas party, a birthday party for my father, and we celebrated our 39th anniversary! We also enjoyed our first snow of the season. It was beautiful, but I'm glad we won't be hanging around all winter. It's way too cold here now...
Recent Reading//
A Good Life by Virginie Grimaldi,
translated by Hildegarde Serle
This is a French novel about two sisters, Emma and Agathe, five years apart and as different as can be. They spent every childhood summer visiting their grandparents in the house by the sea, and remember those months as their happy times. The sisters, extremely close throughout their troubled childhood, have become estranged as adults. Now their grandparents are dead and the women have returned to that house by the sea for one final week before it is sold. They plan to relive old memories and possibly repair their broken relationship, too.
I loved the structure of this novel. It's takes place over the course of that one week and is told from the alternating perspectives of the two sisters. Additionally, there are flashbacks to their childhood, also from alternating perspectives, which allow the reader to gradually piece together what happened in the past and how they came to grow apart as adults.
I really enjoyed reading this book and have come to count on Europa Editions not only for quality works in translation, but also for outstanding new American voices.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
This was another great read from my fall tbr list. The short, contemplative novel set in 1956 follows an English butler as he sets out on a six day motoring tour through the countryside. He spends much of that time lost in memories, reflecting on his 30 years in service at Darlington Hall, and a vanishing way of life.
Winner of the 1989 Booker Prize, Remains of the Day will appeal to fans of Downton Abbey, readers who love an unreliable narrator, and anyone who appreciates quality literature.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Current Reading//
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
I just started this yesterday and love how it pulled me in right away! I've decided to get the audio version, too, and make it a read/listen combination.
On the blog//
The week ahead//
We're in full Christmas mode now. I plan to finish the rest of my shopping this week AND get it all wrapped. Next weekend we'll travel back to central NY (weather permitting) for our grandniece's christening. After that, the house will soon start filling up for the holidays. I can't wait!
How was your week? What have you been reading?
The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
