The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
Absolutely loved this! I read it under deadline because it was an express (short duration) library loan, but that was NOT a problem because it was so engrossing! Definitely a page turner, and I did not guess who the murderer was—I was genuinely surprised by the reveal.
The book is set in a small rural English village. The three narrators are Clare, an English teacher at the local high school, Georgia, her 15 year old daughter, and Harbinder, a local detective investigating the murders that take place at the school. The building itself is of historical interest because a Victorian author of Gothic ghost stories used to live there, and the school is reported to be haunted.
I loved the three narrators, the touches of humour, the literary references, the relationships between the characters, the well calibrated narrative tension, the satisfyingly spooky gothic settings (the old part of the school, the abandoned factory) juxtaposed with the comfortingly mundane ones (Clare’s and Harbinder’s houses, the new part of the school).
The book description recommended it for people who liked Anthony Horowitz’ Magpie Murders, and I can see why. I happened to really enjoy that book, and this one scratched the same itch for me.
I will most definitely be reading more by this author!
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
I loved it! I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Blair Brown. She did a fabulous job and I’d highly recommend experiencing the book that way. Great characters (many strong women with complicated but loving relationships), interesting plot—essentially three stages of the protagonist’s life—and a terrific 1940s Manhattan setting for the first part. I liked Vivian very much and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her. I felt like I was being told a fascinating life story by an old person looking back at their youth with self awareness and wisdom.
“Then my mercy swelled, and for just a moment, I felt mercy for everyone who has ever gotten involved in an impossibly messy story–all those predicaments that we humans find ourselves in. Predicaments that we never see coming, do not know how to handle, and then cannot fix.”
The Truth about Stories by Thomas King
I assigned this for my First Peoples Literature course–we read and discussed one chapter every couple of weeks, and my students absolutely loved it. Some read the paper version; some listened to the audio version of King’s Massey Lectures broadcast on CBC Radio. You can find them all on the CBC website, and even if you choose to read the book rather than listen to it, I do recommend listening to at least one of the lectures. King is a fantastic storyteller with a great voice and a great style. He speaks with both humour and deadly seriousness about the contemporary issues facing indigenous people in Canada, the US, and all over the world as a result of colonization. It’s an important book/series of lectures, and I would recommend it to anyone who is concerned about the state of the earth and where we are headed. Even though Thomas King gave these lectures in 2003, I think you and I both know that the outlook for the environment, for democracy, and for social justice has not exactly improved in the intervening 16 years.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
I loved The Testaments. You can read my previously posted review here.
Calypso by David Sedaris
The first David Sedaris book I read was Me Talk Pretty One Day. At the time, I was a language teacher, so his descriptions of trying to learn French had me weeping with laughter. His essay about his brother, “Can’t Kill the Rooster,” remains one of the funniest things I’ve read.
Calypso is not like his other books. Yes, there are parts that made me laugh out loud, but I don’t think that’s its main purpose. I think with Calypso, Sedaris is working out his feelings about the death of his alcoholic mother, the death by suicide of his sister Tiffany, his father’s increasing age and frailty, his own mortality, and—this is important—his own awareness that he is not always a nice person or good to his fellow human beings.
This may not be his funniest book, but I found parts of it very moving and some of his reflections on death, aging, and grief to be quite profound.
Something That May Shock and Discredit You by Daniel Mallory Ortberg
You can read my previously posted review here.
The Lonely Doll by Dare Wright
I want you to close your eyes and imagine a slightly unsettling children’s story illustrated with Cindy Sherman photos. Done? Good! Now you know what it’s like to read Dare Wright’s 1957 classic, The Lonely Doll.
This book has been cited as very influential by many women artists, including Cindy Sherman herself. It’s fascinating, disturbing, beautifully photographed, playful, sad, and mysteriously melancholic. I think in 2019 it is more realistic to view it as an art book or literary piece as opposed to a children’s book. Dare Wright was a model, actress, and photographer who had a sharp eye and a meticulous touch. In that way, the book is a photographic masterpiece—really.
Here’s an excellent New Yorker article about the history of the book, its lasting influence, and the rather strange life of the author.
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