It's Monday, February 22nd. What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date!

I was away last week so I had the opportunity for quite a bit of reading due to travel time.

I have recently finished:

The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante. It is no secret that I am absolutely nuts, and obsessed, with this author and her books. This one was gobbled up on the travel day to my destination. It is classic Ferrante. Dark. Gut-punching. Compelling.

Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux. This I devoured poolside over the course of two days. I believe I first became aware of this journal-like novel from a Book Riot post. Translated from French, Ernaux chronicles what it was like being emotionally, physically, and mentally obsessed with  a lover over the course of two years. It isn’t so much about her feelings, but more of her actions and thought process. I understood it to be more of a memoir. I can’t say I have felt or done these things in relation to just one person, but I certainly saw glimpses of myself over the course of multiple relationships. It was fascinating, familiar, and gripping.

Troubling Love by Elena Ferrante. Again, I love her though this wasn’t a favorite of mine. The writing felt cumbersome and disjointed. There is always an element of discomfort and the unexpected in Ferrante’s stories. You come to expect it, and this novel had it as well. I will read anything she writes.

The Story of a New Name by…guess who?…Elena Ferrante. Thank goodness I brought a fourth book because I needed it halfway home. This is the second of four books in the My Brilliant Friend series. I loved My Brilliant Friend and care about these characters, and I continue to feel the same way with The Story of a New Name.

I am currently reading:

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout (of Pulitzer Prize winning note for Olive Kitteridge). I am loving it. Strout has such style. I just get her. If you’ve ever read anything by her, you’ll know what I mean. Like Olive Kitteridge, it induces strong visceral feelings and reactions. I am always on the edge waiting for the other shoe to drop. Call me crazy, but I like that feeling.

Since I should be wrapping this up today, my plan is to start The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Now this is supposed to be cray-cray! Don’t know what’s going on with me, but I am craving unstable characters these days!

I want to get my hands on:

Felicity by Mary Oliver and Forty Rooms by Olga Grushin. But before I do that, I need to finish up H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald, which is sitting right next to me.

That’s me! What are you reading? Any recommendations?

Update!!!

My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just like her writing. She leads us gently through the dynamics of a mother/daughter relationship, and others of equal importance, without ever hitting us over the head. We get to do the discovery. The epitome of subtlety.

View all my reviews