A good reading month with at least five first-class novels.
1. Job
— Joseph Roth
How has it taken me this long to discover Joseph Roth? The prose, the character studies — perfect. And my book of the month, against some strong competition.
2. Mina’s Matchbox
— Yoko Ogawa
Loved this. It reads like a Wes Anderson movie. If you’re new to this author, perhaps skip the best-selling The Memory Police and start with this one or with The Housekeeper and the Professor.
3. Silence
— Shusaku Endo
Suffused with foreboding; brutal and brilliant. Endo is exceptional.
4. Butcher’s Crossing
— John Williams
Great storytelling in this tragic Western. Williams is superb.
5. The Dry Heart
— Natalia Ginzburg
Can be read in one sitting. My new favorite Ginzburg.
6. All Our Yesterdays
— Natalia Ginzburg
A hypnotic, slow-burn. Reminds me of long sultry summers in Japan.
7. A Canticle for Leibowitz
— Walter M. Miller Jr.
I enjoyed the first 100 pages. Great setup, but disappointing payoff.
8. Nemesis Games
— James S.A. Corey
Another entertaining installment (the fifth of nine) in the bestselling Expanse series. Onward!
9. Journey to the Center of the Earth
— Jules Verne
This was pretty fun.
10. The Inseparables
— Simone de Beauvoir
Disappointing. And I think she was right not to publish it during her lifetime. If you’re new to de Beauvoir, I suggest starting with my favorite, A Woman Destroyed.
11. The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Biography
— John J. Collins
A good refresher, although if this topic interests you and you want a single-volume study, then stick with VanderKam and Flint’s The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
12. Some Prefer Nettles
— Junichiro Tanizaki
I read this more than 20 years ago. I very seldom re-read fiction. Classic Tanizaki, but I won’t be making a habit of rereading in future.
13. The Legend of the Holy Drinker
— Joseph Roth
A tragicomic novella that you’ll enjoy reading in a single sitting.
