My reading slump ended in around mid-April and I read a lot of books, most of them rather short, about less than 300 pages. I also read more classics and literary fiction in April. Because I’ve been reading more books in the public domain than I used to, I will now be linking where you can download public domain copies of the books I talk about. While I read 18 books in April, I won’t be reviewing all of them. Instead, I will be reviewing a select few I wholeheartedly recommend.
- Love, Anger, Madness by Marie Vieux-Chavet (trans. Val Vinokur and Rose-Myriam Rejouis)
I highly enjoyed this book. It’s three novellas in one, each about different characters, but all exploring the same theme of change and dictatorship in Haiti. It’s beautifully written and heart wrenching, but you also get deep into the psyche of the characters and really feel like you got to know them in the few pages they appear. I highly recommend reading the historical context of the novellas and the author’s own circumstances as it can make the reading experience deeper.
- Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa (trans. Alison Watts)
My first five star read of the year. Beautiful and heart wrenching story about people who feel like societal outcasts. A short novel about the friendship between a former convicted Dorayaki chef, a former leprosy patient, and a schoolgirl in a troubled home. Sweet and touching, but also bittersweet. It touches on people’s prejudices and how it affects the lives of people, but also how it can inform one’s outlook on the meaning of life and their work. Prepare tissues.
- The Ardent Swarm by Yamen Manai (trans. Lara Vergnaud)
A book that on the surface, is about a beekeeper and his bees fending off a swarm of wasps. However, it’s much deeper and complex than it first appears. While it does touch on the theme of man vs nature, it also touches on themes of revolution, radicalization, and the hope for the future. A very timely novel and lends well to re-reading. I also recommend reading on the context of the Arab Spring. I got this for free from Amazon for World Book Day and I highly enjoyed it.
- Reflections in a Golden Eye by Carson McCullers
Link here (Public domain in countries where copyright is Life+50 years)
My first Carson McCullers book. I didn’t know there was a movie when I first read it and I haven’t watched it yet, but I want to. This book deals mainly with repression and obsession. It’s a very short novella that reads much like a soap opera in the way it dealt with character drama. One of the characters is a closeted gay man in the army, while another is queer-coded and fairly flamboyant. I highly enjoyed this book- atmospheric and well-written, short but lets you sympathize with the characters. I might watch the film at some point.
- The King of Elfland’s Daughter by Lord Dunsany
Link here
The King of Elfland’s Daughter is my favorite fantasy book. It just feels properly magical, like a fairytale for adults. It’s very short in comparison to modern fantasy doorstoppers- about 250 pages but sets the tone, setting, and world so well. I didn’t even care if the characters weren’t very deep. The beautiful, poetic writing carried much of the novel and lent it this feel that I’ve been wanting from fantasy- wondrous and numinous. Magic here is rare, vague, and mysterious. Reading this after reading a lot of modern fantasy really allows you to see how this book influenced so many authors.
- Broken Wings by Khalil Gibran
Link here
A short novella about a tragic first love. I’ve read Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet before and enjoyed his poetry, but I like Broken Wings better as it’s a prose work but feels like poetry. The writing is beautiful, but the characters carried the novel. There is a tragic air throughout the story and you really see the cage that trapped and in many places, continues to trap women. It’s short at less than 100 pages and really worth a read.
- Flock of Brown Birds by Ge Fei (trans. Poppy Toland)
Another re-read. The first time I read it, I didn’t understand Flock of Brown Birds and gave it a rating of “it’s okay”. The second time I read it, I can’t fully say I understood it but I respect it. It’s a highly experimental novella and the author’s introduction said as much. It’s interesting in the way it explores the themes of shifting memories and magical realism. A little confusing but so well-written in English I could only wonder what it must read like in Mandarin. If you like experimental fiction or modernist fiction, I can recommend this.
The Bookworm Daydreamer 