Bookgirl's Nightstand | When I'm not reading books, I'm making them.

Books of Summer

iliana Nightstand May 24, 2021

You guys know I love a reading challenge but when it comes to sticking with a list of to be read books, well that’s when things usually don’t end up going well but I’m caught up in the excitement about 20 Books of Summer hosted by Cathy at 746 Books. I decided to join in with a list of 10 books and focus on books I’ve had on my shelves for a long time and to make things a bit easier on me I also chose fairly slim novels. I know I can swap out books but I’d like to commit to these titles.

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison. A thriller about a couple headed for catastrophe.

Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham. AÂ delicious satire of London literary society between the Wars. I thought it would be a good idea to add a classic in this bunch.

The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Allison Markin Powell. I think this may be the book I’ve had the least amount of time and it’s from 2017. A thrift shop that sells commonplace objects but which hold secrets of their own.

Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healy. A story where the main character is trying to solve a mystery however she’s becoming forgetful.

A Handbook to Luck by Cristina Garcia. In the late 60s, three teenagers from around the globe are making their way in the world.

A Heart of Stone by Renate Dorrestein, translated by Hester Velmans. A dramatic coming-of-age story with a mystery at it’s center set in Holland.

July’s People by Nadine Gordimer. Now all over South Africa the cities are battlegrounds. The members of the Smales family, liberal whites, are rescued from the terror by their servant, July, who leads them to refuge.

Real People by Alison Lurie. A story set in Illyria, a luxurious retreat for successful and not-so-successful writers, painters and musicians. I’ve had this book on my shelves since 2005!

A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark. Mrs. Hawkins takes us well in hand and leads us back to her threadbare years in postwar London. There’s blackmail, anonymous letters and suicide but Mrs. Hawkins will set about to put things in order.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, translated by Alan R. Clarke. A fable about following your dreams. I think I’m the last person to read this book right?

So let me know what you think of my choices. Is there one you think I should start with first? I hope I can stick to them and I hope I can actually finish these books this summer.

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Weekend Recap

iliana Nightstand May 23, 2021

How was your weekend? I hope you all had a great one. I’ve been catching up on a couple of chores and even ventured out to look for some garden stuff but with not a lot of luck. Then again, we’re supposed to have quite a bit of rain this next week so we may not be out doing much in the garden anyway.

Other than that we watched Nomadland which several of you have recommended. We enjoyed it but it certainly left me very curious about the book it was based off of because I feel like there was probably a lot more we didn’t see. One scene which to me was so sad was when one of the women says that she has to find jobs because although she’s worked all of her life her social security benefits would only be around $500 a month. To think that for so many this is a reality is heartbreaking. Anyway, will have to read the book for sure.

In reading news I did finish Fresh Water for Flowers and parts were really lovely but there were a few things that bothered me too. I’ll have to do a full recap later. I realize also that I have not had a chance to start a book for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month month. In case you are need some suggestions here’s a Must-Read list.

Looking forward to the summer I know several of you are participating in 20 Book of SummerÂ and I think you guys have tempted me to join in so I’ll have my list in my next post.

The other thing I need to tackle soon is this magazine stack! I love magazines but I need to go through these and either clip out any interesting articles or cool pictures (for collage purposes) or donate them to the library for others to enjoy. Actually, I’m not sure if my library is accepting still accepting magazine donations but I need to make some room on my shelves for sure.

That’s it around here. How was your weekend? Did you watch any good movies or finish a good book?

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Currently Reading

iliana Nightstand May 20, 2021

I hope you’ve all been having a great week. So glad the weekend is almost here and I am really looking forward to finishing at least one book – fingers crossed. I wanted to just do a quick post on my current reads and tell you a bit about them.

First up is Fresh Water for Flowers by ValÃ©rie Perrin, translated by Hildegarde Serle. The novel is about Violette Toussaint who is a caretaker at a cemetery in a small town in Burgundy. She is content living with the cats, cemetery visitors and tombstones but as the story unfolds we see a woman who desperately wanted to belong and love and in the end she lost everything that mattered to her. There’s a bit of a mystery, a romance and overall it’s a quiet and a cozy story despite some sad moments (it does take place in a cemetery after all).

There are short quotes or a sentence at the beginning of all the chapters and one I liked is this one: “We think that death is an absence, when in fact it’s a secret presence.”

Next up is Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian. This historical novel tells the story of Mary Deerfield, a young woman married to an older man, set in Boston in 1662. She is had withstood his cruelty but one day he goes too far and drives a fork into her hand. She decides that she must escape and divorce him but in 1662 that is not an easy thing. Before Mary knows it, there are rumors of witchcraft that surround her and if she’s not careful she may be facing the hangman’s noose instead.

Here’s a snippet from the beginning of one chapter, “…and so infidel-like he would call me a whore and concoct the most wild stories as to my behavior, and then he would strike me in the name of discipline as if I were an untutored child. – petition for Divorce filed by Mary Deerfield, from the Records and Files of the Court of Assistants, Boston, Massachusetts, 1662.”

Finally, I am almost embarrassed to mention this but I’m still reading The Sixth Extinction. This is one of those reads that while interesting, it’s just not the same as a novel. I really have to be more focused when reading this because unlike a novel I where I can imagine the setting and characters, this is just not the same. My plan is still to finish the book though because I do feel invested and actually am interested in how it concludes. Are we doomed or is there some hope for our planet?

Anyway, there you have it. I have a lot of new books waiting for me but I’m determined not to add any new reads until I can finish at least one book first. Hope you are reading some good stuff and happy weekend!

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