As I mentioned in a recent post, I have big reading plans for November what with joining so many reading events and this past weekend I did start four new books for these events so I wanted to tell you a bit about them.
For Novellas in November, I selected Henrietta’s War by Joyce Dennys. This epistolary novel, chronicles Henrietta’s life in small village in Devon via letters to her best friend, Robert. The timeframe is WWII so Henrietta often talks about shortages, taking in refuges and many of the other aspects of war but despite the grim situation, Henrietta manages to infuse her letters with warmth and joy. My copy also has some charming drawings. I’m really glad I chose this one and should be able to finish this week.
Next for #MARM, I had several options to chose from by I decided to start The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. This picks up Offred’s story from The Handmaid’s Tale but it’s set 15 years later. It’s still too early for me to tell but I am hooked.
For German Literature Month I’ve chosen Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Susan Bernofsky. The protagonist, Richard, is recently retired from his career as a university professor. He is contemplating his life now but one day comes across a demonstration by African refugees in Alexanderplatz and that captures his attention. Soon he isn’t just seeing the Berlin of his youth and after the Wall came down but how it continues to change and grapple with new arrivals.
Moving on to Nonfiction November and what may be the hardest book to read is The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea. This is the tragic story of a group of undocumented immigrants who crossed the Mexican border into the southern Arizona desert in 2001. I’m only 30 pages in and already feel so much despair for the people. To think that there are still many people worldwide who flee their countries to provide food and safety for their family and expose themselves to so much risk.
These aren’t the only books I’m reading. I still have a couple of others I’ve carried over from October. How is your reading month going so far?
I loved Into the Beautiful North by Urrea, but I’ve long been afraid that this one would be too depressing. Human migration is going to continue to be a problem–when circumstances make living in one area almost unbearable, people are going to try to find something better. This is one of the things Jeff Fleischer discusses in A Hot Mess–whether the problem is war, gang violence, or climate change, people will be seeking a better life elsewhere.
Good luck reading all of these! Go, Went, Gone is the one that really interests me. 🙂
Looks like a challenging November for you. Great picks.
I’ve been meaning to read The Testaments but just haven’t got around to it. Hope you enjoy all the books you’re reading; they all sound interesting!
These all sound like interesting reads, but I’m especially curious about The Devil’s Highway. If you’re already feeling despair after 30 pages, it may be too much for me…
Good luck getting them all finished!
I did not know there is a reading month for Margaret Atwood! I would have happily joined in. Maybe next time as I’m in the middle of many reads and don’t want to change plans now but I will be eager to hear what you think about Testaments as that’s probably the next Atwood book I will read.
The Devil’s Highway sounds like a must-read – I will have to check it out.
How did you like The Testaments? It’s good right? I enjoyed it. Happy reading!
I hope you’re enjoying The Testaments; I found that it read very quickly…I had to try and make myself slow down so that I could take some notes!