A little, emotional story about the realities of growing older and the ties between generations. Some beautiful thoughts here, but the story didn’t stand out to me overall. The narration is great though, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a short, thoughtful read.
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Loved the voice in this one, and it was a really interesting retelling David Copperfield and also a reflection on the early 2000s. However, I did find the second half to be a little slow, and the conclusion to be rushed in a way that didn’t feel super satisfying. But if you’re looking for a character-centered modern classic, this could definitely be for you! Also the audiobook narration was fantastic!
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The Travelling Cat Chronicles was an unexpected gem. Told from a cat’s perspective, the story follows a sardonic stray (Nana) as he is adopted by a Satoru, a kind, optimistic cat-person with a somewhat tragic backstory. The main meat of the plot follows Satoru as he visits his friends across Japan trying to find a place for Nana to stay.
And it is just incredibly poignant, thoughtful, funny-in-turns, and in the end completely satisfying. The themes of friendship, the journey of life, and closure are so well delivered here, but in such a flowing, peaceful fashion, punctuated by amusing commentary from the sarcastic cat (especially in contrast with his benevolent owner.)
This is one that’s hard to give justice through a review so you really just have to go read it (or listen to it, because the audiobook is narrated fantastically). Definitely one of my favorite books of 2022, and I’m absolutely adding it to my list of books that I shall now go recommend to everyone and their grandmother. A truly beautiful novel. Don’t miss this one.
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So let me preface this by saying I knew within about the first ten pages that this book wasn’t for me. But as it’s so highly rated and recommended, I decided to try to broaden my pedestrian horizons and give it a shot. And I found it… very strange.
If you are reading to soak in the writing and look deeply into the symbiology and themes of a book. This may be for you! The first half essentially follows Piranesi as he wanders through a never-ending house of nature and statues that he reveres unequivocally. There’s a little mystery as we try to figure out where exactly Piranesi is and how he got there, but even though this book is short, this story… Takes… Its… Time.
Piranesi is a strange, innocent sort of character, reverently altered by his strange surroundings, and spends much of the book alone, reading through his journals to try to piece together his memories.
This book has lyrical descriptions with strands of grand themes interwoven into philosophical musings, and in general is unique in its own way. Altogether, I found it interesting, but not gripping, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a literary venture they can think into.
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I have a coworker that shares my love of library audiobooks that recommended this one to me. And although this isn’t my usual pick, I decided to give it a go.
Where the Crawdads Sing follows Kya Clark, “the Marsh Girl,” as she grows up mostly on her own in the backwoods marshes of North Carolina. The story follows her from age 6 to her 20s while alternating with the investigation into the death of popular townie during Kya’s adulthood.
Strangely, I don’t have a whole lot to say about this book. It was beautifully written, but slow, and I didn’t really fall in love with Kya in any way (although this might partially be because I found the narrator’s voice/accent for her to be a bit grating.) While I was rooting for her, I found it difficult to connect with her, and although I found the mystery of the death investigation interesting, I found the ending (though heavily foreshadowed) to be rather unsatisfying, and I guess I thought the themes to be kind of predictable.
If there’s ever a movie adaptation, I’ll pass, but I’d recommend this book to those that are interesting in imagery-rich prose that takes its time.
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Hayley Reese Chow 