Hello, friends. It's a sunny, breezy weekend in southwest Florida and high season, along with the resulting traffic, is here! We've been adjusting our schedules to avoid the worst of it, but I can certainly understand why everyone wants to be here this time of year. It doesn't get much better!
Recent reading//
by Narine Abgaryan, translated by Lisa C. Hayden
Both the author and title of this novel were completely unknown to me, but the selection of my small World Lit book club turned out to be a delight! It's about a small, mountain-top Armenian village and its dwindling, aging population. Set in the mid 20th century, the village had been plagued by a mudslide, war, and famine. Many villagers lost their lives as a result, and most of those who were spared moved away. The remaining inhabitants are now older and stubbornly clinging to their isolated mountain life.
The novel reads like a fable, at times playful and tongue-in-cheek... a quality the audio narrator was able to emphasize. (This became a read/listen combination for me when I discovered the audio available on hoopla.) I was reminded of characters from Shannon Bowring's Dalton novels, or maybe even Elizabeth Strout's... they were real and relatable.
The title is from an old Armenian saying:
And three apples fell from heaven:
One for the storyteller,
One for the listener,
And one for the eavesdropper.
I rated this 4 stars on goodreads, but it's probably closer to 4.5.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
I'll Come to You by Rebecca Kauffman
You all know I love a good family drama, but I'm also drawn to a unique or creative structure. Rebecca Kauffman's new novel delivers both. It's basically a year-in-the-life story of a young couple, Paul and Corinne, as they prepare for their first child, but it also follows Paul's divorced parents, as well as Corrine's parents and her older brother. The year is 1995 and each month is a chapter. I loved the gradual unfolding of relationships and getting to know and understand the characters.
This is the third novel I've read by Rebecca Kauffman and she is quickly becoming a favorite. Both Chorus and The Gunners were 5-star reads for me, and now I plan to read the rest of her backlist.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
I've been reading Anne Tyler for decades and was happy to win a copy of her latest book from goodreads. Sixty-something Gail Baines' daughter is getting married and this novella (under 170 pages) takes place over the three-day wedding weekend. We learn a lot about Gail, as well as her ex-husband Max. Set near Baltimore, this is classic Anne Tyler! It was a 3.5 star read for me, until the ending bumped it up to 4.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Current reading//
by Harrison Scott Key, narrated by the author
This is the April selection of the MMD book club. So far it's just okay...
On the blog//
Later today and the week ahead//
I'm hoping to get in an hour or two of reading this afternoon before heading over to a neighborhood happy hour. My sister and brother-in-law are at their place on the east coast this week. They're planning to come over and stay with us for a night or two mid-week. We always have such a good time when they're around!
How was your week? What are you reading today?
The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
Your weather sounds wonderful! I hope you enjoy all your outings.
ReplyDeleteI am glad not to live in a place where you get a lot more traffic at different times of the year! I used to live in Charlotte and we would have to avoid certain areas during race season. Have a great rest of your weekend!
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoy your picture of the 'week'! Bet you guys do have a lot of people around - spring break and lovely weather. Enjoy your time with family and also mostly enjoy your reading! Take care!
ReplyDeleteWe're having beautiful weather in southeast Florida too. Today is a little windier than it's been but still really nice outside. Your books look really good especially the Anne Tyler book. Hope you enjoy them and have a great week!
ReplyDeleteFlorida does sound lovely right now! Enjoy :)
ReplyDeleteI've heard good things about Three Apples and in fact I got it from the library but wasn't in the right mood--an audio sounds like a good approach for this one.
I love the cover of I'll Come to You, but it seems an odd choice given the premise...but then I'm just judging the cover by the premise!
I haven't read a lot of Anne Tyler, but what I have read, I've liked. I am fond of the novella format. Will look into this one.
I know what it's like to live in a popular tourist community! Our traffic is terrible during the summer months, and the restaurants are always packed (and noisy!).
ReplyDeleteI added I'll Come to You to my TBR list, as I love a good family drama, too! I'm tempted to get it on audio, but I already have so many books in my audio queue/library, so I'll probably get it in print from the library. I'm not a huge fan of Tyler's, but I'll get her latest at the library since it's not too long.
I need to get off my computer and read for an hour or so. I've been far too tired by the time I go to bed that I can only read for about 10 minutes! Ack!
Have a good week, JoAnn.
I enjoyed Three Days in June and several of your other books look good too! Have a great week ahead.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your three reviews especially for Anne Tyler's and Kauffman's. We will see if I get to them this year. I'm interested to see if the Kauffman novel has some problems in the relationships hmm. Enjoy your week!
ReplyDeleteYou are the first person I've ever heard of who actually won a book from Goodreads. They don't publicize the winners and I know I've never won any but I am delighted to learn from you that the giveaways are for real. Thanks for visiting my blog today! Blessings!
ReplyDelete