Room on the Sea

Finished March 1

Room on the Sea: Three Novellas by André Aciman

This was my first encounter with this author and I really enjoyed these novella. I think my favourite is the title one. 

The first novella in the book is The Man from Peru. It is set in coastal Italy, at a hotel in a small town. 

A group of American, friends from college, is there, meeting ten years after graduating. One of them was unable to attend, but the others are letting him know about the good time they are having. They've noticed an older man by himself, along with other fellow guests, and some of them have been making unkind comments about them and guesses about their lives. 

On of the Americans, Mark, has a shoulder injury that is bothering him and the older man stops at their table and holds his shoulder for a moment while telling him it might help and the shoulder appears healed. The man, Raul, reveals that his family used to vacation here regularly when he was a child, and he offers other predictions and advice that proves to be true. He seems to have an interest in one of them, Margot, even though she is the most catty of the women, and gets her to spend some time alone with him. The outcome is interesting and unexpected, but fits with the other strange stories he has.

The second novella is Room on the Sea, and takes place mostly in New York City. Two people in their sixties are both attending the courthouse for jury duty. They begin a friendship, going for lunch together, meeting for coffee before jury duty, wandering the streets and visiting art galleries. As they share details of their lives, they also befriend an Italian-born barista at the coffee shop and his stories of Naples get to be part of their story as well. This is an interesting look at the serendipity of relationships and how we as people change over our lives as well.

The third novella is Mariana and is also set in Italy. The title character is attending an art school, and she is drawn to a man already there as a student when she arrives. They have a short relationship, and he moves on, but she finds herself unable to get over him. Her actions draw attention and she learns more about herself and the other women he has spent time with.

A Chance Meeting

Finished February 23

A Chance Meeting: American Encounters by Rachel Cohen

I received this book as part of a subscription from the New York Review Books. It was an interesting read, and I think you could read the sections that interested you most, rather than the whole thing in order. The only issue with doing that would be the background she gives the first time you encounter one of the subjects of her writing. There are many people who appear more than once as they 'encounter' someone else, but the background is given more deeply during the first time they appear, which is actually great if you are reading in order, because you would end up being bored by the repetition otherwise. 

The forward by Vijay Seshadri is insightful and helps place this work in context. 

There are many interesting people covered in the thirty-six encounters here, and I learned a lot about even the ones that I was already familiar with. She includes writers, editors, photographers, artists, critics, and entertainers. Here is a list of the encounters:

1. Henry James and Mathew Brady

2. William Dean Howells and Annie Adams Fields and Walt Whitman

3. Mathew Brady and Ulysses S. Grant

4. William Dean Howells and Henry James

5. Walt Whitman and Mathew Brady

6. Mark Twain and William Dean Howells

7. Mark Twain and Ulysses S. Grant

8. W.E.B. Du Bois and William James

9. Gertrude Stein and William James

10. Henry James and Annie Adams Fields and Sarah Orne Jewett

11. Edward Steichen and Alfred Stieglitz

12. Willa Cather and Mark Twain

13. Willa Cather and Annie Adams Fields and Sarah Orne Jewett

14. Edward Steichen and Alfred Stieglitz and Gertrude Stein

15. Carl Van Vechten and Gertrude Stein

16. Marcel Duchamp and Alfred Stieglitz

17. Willa Cather and Edward Steichen and Katherine Anne Porter

18. Alfred Stieglitz and Hart Crane

19. Hart Crane and Charlie Chaplin

20. Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston

21. Beauford Delaney and W.E.B. Du Bois

22. Hart Crane and Katherine Anne Porter

23. Elizabeth Bishop and Marianne Moore

24. Zora Neale Hurston and Carl Van Vechten

25. Joseph Cornell and Marcel Duchamp

26. Beauford Delaney and James Baldwin

27. Joseph Cornell and Marianne Moore

28. James Baldwin and Norman Mailer

29. Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop

30. John Cage and Richard Avedon

31. W.E.B. Du Bois and Charlie Chaplin

32. Langston Hughes and Carl Van Vechten and Richard Avedon

33. Richard Avedon and James Baldwin

34. Marianne Moore and Norman Mailer

35. John Cage and Marcel Duchamp

36. Norman Mailer and Robert Lowell

Losing Your Head

Finished February 21

Losing Your Head by Clare Kauter

This humorous mystery was a great read. It is the first book in the Charlie Davies series, which is set in a small town in New South Wales, Australia. Charlie, nineteen, has been working as a cashier in a run-down grocery store in town, living at home with her mom, and hoping to save up for a better car. Her boss at the store is a creep and always makes her do extra work. When he asks her to lie for him and she does, albeit sarcastically, his wife threatens him with divorce. Charlie decides enough is enough and quits. 

Charlie goes to explain to the wife that she wasn't serious, and ends up inviting her back to her place to stay. 

With a new housemate and no job, Charlie goes looking, and finds herself in the right place at the right time to get hired as a receptionist for Baxter & Co., a security and investigation company. When she encounters her high school enemy James McKenzie, a man estranged from his family and who has lived with his uncle for years, the conversation turns to the recent murder of said uncle. Charlie bets James that she can find the real killer in exchange for a few thousand dollars and a house, he jokingly agrees, but she's serious. 

As she investigates, using tools at her new job, and enlisting the help of her new housemate, she finds herself in some interesting situations. 

Charlie is delightful. She's a tad klutzy, and known for sabotaging herself, but she has a great wit, isn't afraid to talk back, and is impulsive. She's also a hard worker, and isn't afraid to try new things, which serves her well. 

The mystery was interesting, and I liked the vibes of future romance between her and James. 

Chronicle of a Last Summer

Finished February 20

Chronicle of a Last Summer: a Novel of Egypt by Yasmine El Rashidi

This novel is a gem. Although the title refers to a single summer, the novel is written about three summers. The first is in 1984, after the assassination of Sadat with Mubarak newly elected. The female narrator is six years old, and she spends her life going to English school, interacting with her extended family, particularly her older cousin Dido, watching the three television channels available and trying to figure out her world. Her father has gone away, but no one says where he's gone and when he will return. She makes up stories in her head about his absence, but misses him. Her mother is distracted and often has telephone conversations that seem emotional. One of her Baba's close friends, a man she refers to as 'Uncle' visits regularly and talks politics. 

The house by the Nile that she lives in is a family home, with her family living on the second floor. Her grandmother and aunt lived on the first floor until her grandmother died, and then her aunt, born with Down's Syndrome, moved up with them. Her aunt died not long ago as well. 

The second summer is in 1988 and she is in university, studying to be a filmmaker and Dido keeps trying to convince her to make political films, but she isn't interested. We see her taking the bus to university, visiting the gallery there, and borrowing equipment to make films. One time her class visited a prison, and she thinks of that experience. There are sit-ins after a recent attack downtown where sixty-two people were killed. 

The third summer is in 2014. She is now a writer and thinking back on her experiences. She has packed up most of her grandmother's belongings and moved down to the first floor, her own space. One of her finds was small paintings her grandmother had done and she has hung them all together. There is more political upheaval, and attacks on Copts and their churches have been happening. She and Dido have become more distant with each other as he became more active politically. Her father has returned and she tries to create a new relationship with him after his long absence. 

We see what has changed over time and what has remained the same. She has grown up and made decisions about her life that are hers alone. She is observant and curious, and that has shaped her life. 

A lovely read, and I got a feel for her inner life.

March Reviews for the 19th Annual Canadian Reading Challenge

 This is where you add the links to the reviews meeting this challenge that you finished in March. 

A Place of Pretty Flowers

Finished February 18

A Place of Pretty Flowers by Jerrod Edson

This short novel is beautifully written. The events take place within a week, and each chapter has the date at the beginning so the reader can see when it happened. Set in small town New Brunswick, the story begins on August eleventh at the cemetery where Kevin Finch, a young man who aspired to be a professional writer, but who hasn't tapped into real success yet, is to be buried. The funeral party is waiting, as the hole where Kevin's grave should be isn't dug, and they aren't sure what to do.

As we jump back a few days to August sixth, and other days in between, we follow the lives of people whose lives interact with Kevin's in some way. Besides his parents, Joan and Jerry, we also see Jeremy Wiggins, the son of the owners of the funeral parlour, who is driving the hearse with Kevin's casket in it, and his older sister Carol who prepared the body. We see Reverend Richard Grey and his wife, who are dealing with their own life challenges. 

There are also Joan's friends, who include younger members such as Carol and her partner Amy; Prin, a young single mother with a baby daughter Daisy; Sonia, a university professor; and Barb, similar in age to Joan, who has a strong rebellious streak. 

There are also the medical examiner at the local hospital, Dr. Edward Ramsey; one of the cleaners at the hospital, Irene Thorne; and Irene's husband Carl. Key to the action are gravedigger brothers Pete and Gabe Landry and the scheme they have going on the side. 

One of the stories is the wedding that Kevin was attending the night he died, with old acquaintances and his ex-girlfriend Kate, including his backstory with her.

And watching everyone is Detective Harry Ross and Constable Ladd. Harry is an old pro at police work, and Ladd is new, bright, and eager to learn. The title of the book comes from a comment Harry makes to Ladd about the cemetery, that it is a place with pretty flowers, but there is a lot buried beneath that façade, a statement that relates to the work they do. 

I really enjoyed this novel and was interested to see how everything came together and the stories of the people that go deeper than what those around them see. The story has real meat to it, and left me lots to think about.

Witcha Gonna Do?

Finished February 17

Witcha Gonna Do? by Avery Flynn

This is the first book in a series called The Sherwood Witches. There are two points of view in the story, and the main one is Tilda Sherwood. She is the youngest child in her family, and the only one who seems to have no magical ability. Her family is an old and established one and seen as one of the stalwarts of the community. She manages the family's social media accounts.

Tilda is also lonely and longing for a romantic relationship, so she's been trying some online dating platforms, but has now been matched with Gil Connolly for the third time, and is feeling frustrated. She does find Gil attractive, but also somewhat full of himself.

Gil is the other voice and he is from a family who has a power to intensify existing emotions. It's often interpreted as manipulating emotions, and the Council (a group that is thought by many to have been disbanded years ago) has placed his family in exile. Gil is working with the Council to try to get his family allowed back, or at least treated with more empathy and compassion. Gil is also working for a Resistance group against the Council, one of whom is Tilda's great aunt. The matching with Tilda is part of his research for the Council. He's trying to find out if she is indeed without magic. At this most recent meeting, he accidentally uses his magic and he and Tilda become obsessed with each other.

Tilda is part of a group of young people who either have no magic, or have some difficult issues with it. For example, one member is allergic to her own magic. Little does she know that she actually has a kind of magic that is rare and powerful.

When Tilda, while recording a social media post with her sister, accidentally has an influence on a spell, she finds that her whole family, including extended member, has been frozen in limbo.  When Gil shows up at her family home, she enlists his help, and they also rope in a few of her magically challenged friends, and work to steal a spell book that may hold the only solution to undoing the spell binding her family. They are working against time, hoping that the Council doesn't find out about the situation and take advantage of the fact that he family is out of action to stage a takeover. 

I liked the light humour embedded throughout the story and the race against time that really moves the plot along. The attraction between the two main characters feels real, and the magic that amplifies it makes the passionate actions believable. A fun read.