Tamara’s Comments (group member since Mar 26, 2019)

Tamara’s comments from the 2025 Reading Challenge group.

Goal: 80 books
24/80. The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott. It builds a world with mythic qualities that conveys an ecological message about the importance of reciprocity in human interaction with nature.
I enjoyed it.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
23/80. Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko. It's about a Native American veteran recovering from PTSD. I've been meaning to read it for a very long time. I finally got to it, and I'm glad I did. A challenging read but very powerful.

Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
13/50. Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko.

Sub Goal: 10 classics
7/10. Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
22/80. The Blizzard by Vladimir Sorokin; translated from the Russian by Jamey Gambrell.
The novel is intense; the setting immersive; the details well-drawn; and the language hypnotic, especially during the dream sequences and psychedelic vision. But I felt the significance of the journey was elusive and remained just beyond reach.

Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
11/25. The Blizzard by Vladimir Sorokin; translated from the Russian by Jamey Gambrell.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
21/80. Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson.
A charming novel about the power of words to generate intimacy between two people who have never met.

Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
12/50. Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
20/80. Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky; translated from the Russian by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.

Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
10/25. Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky; translated from the Russian by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.

Sub Goal: 10 classics
6/10. Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

I finally finished reading it for a group read and gave it 3 stars. I didn't write a review. I found the novel a bit unwieldy. It is my least favorite of Dostoevsky's novels.

Goal: 80 books
19/80. Stoner by John Williams.
A quiet novel about a quiet hero. Absolutely brilliant. I had not heard of it until recently. It's a classic to be savored.

Sub Goal: 10 classics
5/10. Stoner by John Williams.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
18/80. Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh.
A hilarious satire that skewers British societal norms of the 1920s.

Sub Goal: 10 classics
4/10. Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
17/80. Supernavigators: Exploring the Wonders of How Animals Find Their Way by David Barrie.
It is full of fascinating insights on the navigational tools of animals, with particular focus on insects and birds.

Sub Goal: 10 books of non fiction
3/10. Supernavigators: Exploring the Wonders of How Animals Find Their Way by David Barrie.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
16/80. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark.
A group of elderly people receive anonymous phone calls reminding them they're going to die. The novel wasn't at all bleak or morbid. It was humorous, with authentic characters, and wonderful dialogue.

Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
11/50. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
15/80. Absent: A Novel by Betool Khedairi, translated from Arabic by Muhayman Jamil.
I think there were some issues with it, but, on the whole, it presented a compelling portrait of Iraqi civilians living under horrific circumstances of economic sanctions and constant bombings during the 1990s.

Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
10/50. Absent: A Novel by Betool Khedairi, translated from Arabic by Muhayman Jamil.

Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
9/25. Absent: A Novel by Betool Khedairi, translated from Arabic by Muhayman Jamil.

Sub Goal: 24 books from the Middle East and Africa
4/24. Absent: A Novel by Betool Khedairi, translated from Arabic by Muhayman Jamil.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
14/80. The People in the Photo by Hélène Gestern, translated from the French Emily Boyce and Ros Schwartz.
An old photograph triggers a search for a long lost parent. A poignant story about the role of memory in identity formation.

Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
9/50. The People in the Photo by Hélène Gestern, translated from the French Emily Boyce and Ros Schwartz.

Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
8/25. The People in the Photo by Hélène Gestern, translated from the French Emily Boyce and Ros Schwartz.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
13/80. The Wedding of Zein by Tayeb Salih, translated from the Arabic by Denys Johnson-Davies. A delightful novella about life in a Sudanese village and the village idiot who turns out not to be such an idiot, after all.

Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
7/25. The Wedding of Zein by Tayeb Salih, translated from the Arabic by Denys Johnson-Davies.

Sub Goal: 24 books from the Middle East and Africa
3/24. The Wedding of Zein by Tayeb Salih (Sudan)

Sub Goal: 10 classics
3/10. The Wedding of Zein by Tayeb Salih.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
12/80. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Set in Stalinist Soviet Union, it combines magical realism with scathing political satire and social commentary. It was absolutely hilarious and thoroughly brilliant.

Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
6/25. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, translated from the Russian by Michael Glenny.

Sub Goal: 10 classics
2/10. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
11/80. My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder and Anna Yates. It's murder mystery that takes place in Iceland. It's been a while since I read a murder mystery. I thought this was quite good.

Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
8/50. My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder and Anna Yates.

Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
5/25. My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder and Anna Yates.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
10/80. Travels in Vermeer: A Memoir by Michael White. It is part travelogue, part memoir, and part art appreciation. I enjoyed it, especially his "reading" of the Vermeer paintings. His appreciation for the paintings was infectious.

Sub Goal: 10 books of non fiction
2/10. Travels in Vermeer: A Memoir by Michael White.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
9/80. Lord of the Flies by William Golding. A chilling classic that is as powerful now as it was when I first read it many years ago.

Sub Goal: 10 classics
1/10. Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
8/80. Abigail by Magda Szabó. This is the third book I've read by this author. I thought it was quite good as a mystery, but it didn't have the same impact as Iza's Ballad or The Door.

Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
7/50. Abigail by Magda Szabó, translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix.

Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
4/25. Abigail by Magda Szabó, translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
7/80. The Door by Magda Szabó. This is the second book I've read by this author. There is a haunting quality about her writing that lingers with me long after I turn the last page of her novels. I think she is an amazing writer.

Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
6/50. The Door by Magda Szabó, translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix.

Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
3/25. The Door by Magda Szabó, translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
6/80. On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe.
The circumstances that led four African women to become sex workers in Belgium. Graphic scenes of violence and sexual assault.
A compelling story told in unadorned, straightforward diction.

Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
5/50. On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe.

Sub Goal: 24 books from the Middle East and Africa
2/24. On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe (Nigeria).

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Goal: 80 books
5/80. Mud and Stars: Travels in Russia with Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Other Geniuses of the Golden Age by Sara Wheeler.
An engaging mix of history, literary criticism, travelogue, and memoir as Sara Wheeler visits the homes and favorite haunts of famous, nineteenth century Russian novelists.

Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
4/50. Mud and Stars: Travels in Russia with Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Other Geniuses of the Golden Age by Sara Wheeler.

Sub Goal: 10 books of non fiction
1/10. Mud and Stars: Travels in Russia with Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Other Geniuses of the Golden Age by Sara Wheeler.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...