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

Tamara’s comments from the 2025 Reading Challenge group.

7/70.The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad, translated by Ingrid Christopherson.
She is a Norwegian journalist who spent 4 months in the home of a Kabul bookseller. It was strong in some areas, but I wish she had let the Afghan women speak for themselves instead of interpreting and mediating for them.

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

6/70. The Pagan Lord, book 7 in The Saxon series by Bernard Cornwell.
It's not the type of book I normally read, but I figure it's good to step outside of my comfort zone, occasionally. It's got a lot of gory battles and chest-thumping males. It is well-researched historical fiction about a turbulent time in England's history. I enjoyed it.

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

5/70. The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. It was disappointing and not her best work.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

4/70. How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee by Bart D. Ehrman.

Prof. Ehrman is a biblical scholar who has written nearly two dozen books on early Christianity. This book may not be for everyone, but I thought it was a fascinating study.

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

3/70. Will and Testament by Vigdis Hjorth (Norway).
An exploration of the impact of childhood trauma on a family. There were a lot of grammatical errors (fused sentences, comma splices, etc.) which I found bothersome. I don't know if it is because of the translation or because the author was trying to capture the fractured life and attitude of the victim. Either way, it didn't work well for me. But it may not bother others as much.

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

2/70. Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami.
A very tender love story that builds up gradually between a thirty-something woman and her seventy-something former professor.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thanks, Blagica! Nice quote.

1/70. My first read for 2020 was Nineveh by Henrietta Rose-Innes. It was an unusual book about a beetle infestation. But it's not really about that, at all. I read it as an allegory about all things creepy-crawly that lie beneath the surface. The writing was lush and full of evocative detail. It was a good way to start the year because I really enjoyed it.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I exceeded my goal of reading 60 books in 2019. I plan to read 70 books in 2020 and write reviews for each. This is where I'll track my reads and reviews.

79/60. Cockroaches by Scholastique Mukasonga.

A harrowing memoir about growing up as a Tutsi in Hutu-dominated Rwanda. Scholastique manages to escape before the 1994 genocide. Nearly 40 members of her family are not so lucky. Not a happy book to end the year with, but an important one, nevertheless.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read this in June. I loved the story, the different threads, the poetic prose, and the immersive imagery. Looking forward to seeing what the rest of you thought of it.

78/60. A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee. A historical crime novel set in India in 1919. An enjoyable read.

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

77/60. The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson. It started off really strongly, but then I thought the story got a bit bogged down with a convoluted plot. A bit disappointing since it was based on a beautiful 12th century poem, The Conference of the Birds.

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

76/60. How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at An Answer by Sarah Bakewell. Her approach and style is very engaging and informative. I enjoyed it.

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

75/60. Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry. Simply wonderful! Kevin Barry knows how to make words dance on the page. The dialogue was amazing.

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

74/60. The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea. It is set in Iceland in the year 1686. It was quite good, but I thought Burial Rites, also set in Iceland, was the better novel.

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

73/60. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, based on the true story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last person to be executed in Iceland in 1829. Kent incorporates archival material in the narrative and fills in the blanks with a sympathetic portrayal of a woman mired by poverty and challenging circumstances.

My 4-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

72/60. Salt Houses by Hala Alyan, a compelling narrative about the impact on a Palestinian family of being displaced from their homeland.

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

71/60. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa, translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder. A charming novel about human connection. I loved its quiet simplicity.

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

70/60. Kudos by Rachel Cusk. This is book 3 in her trilogy. I loved all three books. Her books may not be for everyone because very little happens. But I think she is a very talented writer.

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