It was another fabulous month of reading! This month I read about (surprise) powerful ladies and murder. I also dove into what I expect will be a long micro histories obsession. Thank you Random House for gifting me these books, noted with a star!
The Lost Painting
Jonathan Hart
I picked up this book at an art opening at Simmons from a pile of free art books. It’s a partially fictionalized, partially based on real life account of the search for a lost Caravaggio. It was pretty entertaining though it was hard to tell what was based in truth and what wasn’t. It was decent read but wouldn’t be my first art fiction recommendation.
Life of the Party*
Olivia Gatwood
This is a new volume of poetry by Olivia Gatwood. It really resonated with me because she is also a young women navigating the many mores of our contemporary world. Some of it is tough material (sexual assault, etc.) but it’s beautifully written and well illustrates the experience, both good and bad, of women today.
Odd Jobs
Jonathan Krieger
I will be tight lipped here because the internet is forever and I don’t want to offend anyone I know. This was our book club book this month. It was put forward by a lovely member who is friends with the author. It was not my cup of tea.
Peluda
Melissa Lozada-Olivia
I can’t believe it took me so long to discover this book of poems. The author is a Latina from Boston and her works are AMAZING. It’s a lot of feels for children of immigrants, particularly girls who are dealing with dual beauty standards and expectations. Loved, loved, loved.
Stoned: Jewelry, Obsession, and How Desire Shapes the World
Aja Raden
I DEVOURED this book. It’s an amazing microhistory about how the desire for jewels has shaped our world and history. It’s spectacular. It reads like your best friend is chatting with you but it’s chock full of fascinating information about jewelry and history and the psychology of desire. Can’t recommend enough.
An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good
Helene Tursten
This was an adorable tiny book of intertwining short stories about an elderly woman named Maud who basically kills anyone who inconveniences or offends her. That sounds horrifying but it was really quite fun. You can knock it off in a day and it’s well worth it. I used it as a fun breather between large books.
The Girls of Murder City
Douglas Perry
Another nonfiction DREAM. The Girls of Murder City tells the true story of the murderesses behind the musical Chicago. It’s all ladies being amazing. Lady killers, lady attorneys representing them, and the lady journalist who turned it all into a musical. I didn’t even know it was based on true history but it’s a fascinating tale. I was worried about it being written by a man but it actually does everyone involved justice. Read it immediately.
Optic Nerve
Maria Gainza
Optic Nerve is a new release by an Argentine author and it’s like she took everything I love and put it into a book. Stories about a female art lover’s life are revealed while she discusses famous artists and paintings. It’s a little bit abstract and eerie but not as aggressively as some Latinx literature. So I would recommend this for a relative newbie to Latin lit.
RE-READ:
Mouthful of Birds
Samanta Schweblin
I’ve mentioned this in another list because Samanta Schweblin is one of my all time favorite authors. I re-read this book because I wanted to be reading it on my birthday to make it that much better. It’s a to-die-for set eerie short stories from an incredible Argentine writer.