Read about the great books, new and old, that our staff have been enjoying.
Rosalind has been reading:
Vanishing World
Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori
Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata is perhaps the best possible book for a book club discussion. It will divide the group, provoke discussions you never thought possible and will make you evaluate all your views on society, procreation, relationships and gender roles.
This is not, in my opinion, to be read as a novel. It is a fabulously sharp conversation starter. An idea incubator and a great read. I had such fun reading this book and in all the conversations around it.
Lou has been reading:
Plain Life
Antonia Pont
Plain Life suggests we are often tired, frightened, self-medicated, unsure. We've been groomed by neoliberal capitalism to expect to achieve a feeling of constant bliss.
Pont explains how learning to accept a low buzz of unease can help. This is a fun and informative philosophy of choosing to live a plain life.
Lian has been reading:
Dwelling
Emily Hunt Kivel
I just finished Emily Hunt Kivel's debut novel, Dwelling, and it was an absolute delight. Described by The New York Times as 'a magical realism take on the housing crisis', it's the story of Evie who – along with virtually everyone in New York – loses her home when the corrupt mayor introduces an initiative to turn the entire city into one big Air BnB. With both of her parents dead and her beloved sister a resident in a utopian mental hospital, Evie up-sticks and moves to the only place she might be able to go: a tiny town in Texas called Gulluck, where her second cousin works as a real-estate agent.
What follows is a surreal fairytale as Evie finds a home, a community, and a purpose within the borders of a this wonderfully weird town that seems to sit just outside reality. If you loved Schitt's Creek, the books of Sarah Addison Allen, stories with lots of heart, or even just great shoes, I highly recommend this wonderful book! I found it a balm for the soul in these trying times.
