1. Table for Two
— Amor Towles
One of the best collections of short stories I’ve ever read. And my book of the month.
2. Rules of Civility
— Amor Towles
A very enjoyable read and a great characters in Eve and Katey. “A book about a young woman in post-Depression era New York who suddenly finds herself thrust into high society.”
3. The Sound of the Mountain
— Yasunari Kawabata
Not my favorite Kawabata — too many characters spoiling the broth, but nevertheless “a powerful, serenely observed meditation on the relentless march of time.”
4. The Awakening
— Kate Chopin
Will aim to read more by this author. “This candid portrayal of a woman who refuses to accept her allotted role as wife and mother caused an outcry when it was published in 1899.”
5. Brian
— Jeremy Cooper
A novel for film buffs — and not just casual film buffs. A very slow burn. “A tender meditation on friendship and the importance of community, Brian is also a tangential work of film criticism.”
6. The Unknown Masterpiece
— Honoré de Balzac
If Giorgio Vasari wrote fiction. “The story of a painter who, depending on one’s perspective, is either an abject failure or a transcendental genius—or both.”
Books on my February TBR include part 3 of On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle, Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert, Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, Killing Stella by Marlen Haushofer (author of the magnificent The Wall), and Joan Didion’s The White Album.
Remarkable Renaissance Books
My new book Remarkable Renaissance Books is now available at all good bookstores. Alternatively, but it online at Bookshop.org or Amazon.com.
