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

Tamara’s comments from the 2025 Reading Challenge group.

25/70. Mama Hissa's Mice by Saud Alsanousi; translated by Sawad Hussain, takes place over a thirty year period in Kuwait. It is a compelling narrative of the devastating impact of war and sectarian violence.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

24/70. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne. An 18th C. classic. I've been reading it with a group for the last couple of months. It's not for everyone because it can be frustrating. But I enjoyed it.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

23/70. A Meal In Winter by Hubert Mingarelli, translated from the French by Sam Taylor.
Set in World War II in Poland. It's short, powerful, and brilliant.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

22/70. A Fist or a Heart by Kristín Eiríksdóttir from Iceland. It's an award-winning novel. I enjoyed it a lot.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

21/70. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. It's considered a masterpiece but it just wasn't for me. I'm more of a Faulkner fan.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

20/70. Butterflies in November by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir (Iceland). I enjoyed it but not as much as her Hotel Silence.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

19/70. Tale of a Boon's Wife by Fartumo Kusow. A haunting tale of a young woman's life in the turmoil of Somalia leading up to the civil war.

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

18/70. The Plains by Gerald Murnane. I read his Border Districts last year. Well, this is another strange and fascinating book. I'm not sure how he does what he does, but the effect is mesmerizing.

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

17/70. Elsewhere, Home by Leila Aboulela, a collection of short stories with variations on the theme of the challenges and rewards faced by immigrants in their adopted country. It's a good collection but the focus was a bit repetitive.

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

16/70. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. I wrote my Master's thesis on it. I think it is as brilliant now as it was when I first read it eons ago.

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

15/70. Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami, a charming, subtle novella, translated from the Japanese, about a young boy's first infatuation.

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

14/70. The Medusa Reader edited by Marjorie Garber and Nancy J. Vickers.
It's a comprehensive anthology of excerpts referring to the figure of Medusa and her myth. It begins with Homer and goes all the way to Gianni Versace's adoption of her face for his logo. I recommend the book if you're interested in Medusa.

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

13/70. I finished Green Lion by Henrietta Rose-Innes.
I thought it was very good, but I preferred her Nineveh. Her books embody a message about the relationship between humans and insects/animals.

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

12/70.I don't usually read graphic novels, but My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Vol. 1 by Emil Ferris was recommended to me. Told in the voice of a 10-year old girl, set in 1960s Chicago, has a murder mystery, a holocaust survivor, and a whole host of other interesting characters. The story was good. The illustrations breathtaking.

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

11/70. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. It's the craziest and most bizarre fantasy novel I've read. And I loved it!

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

10/70 The Library Book by Susan Orlean. I enjoyed it when she focused on the library, but I thought it lost focus when she wandered off topic about half way through.

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

You're welcome.

Jeanne wrote: "I see you read „strange weather in Tokyo“ by Hiromi Kawakami. I loved the book, but was annoyed with the German translation, or actually the translator in general. She does all the German Murakami ..."

Jeanne, I can't vouch for the accuracy of the translation because I don't speak Japanese. But I really enjoyed the novel and thought the English translation by Allison Markin Powell was very good. It captured the quiet, unhurried pace of the novel.

So, yes, I recommend it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

9/70. The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor. I thought it was a good historical novel although the ending was a bit mushy for me.

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

8/70. Lab Girl by the award-winning scientist, Hope Jahren. I thought it was wonderful. I especially loved her chapters on the natural environment. Full of fascinating information.

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