March 2023: What are you reading?

What 1001 books are you reading to survive the Ides of March?

I am hoping to finish up Nana shortly and continue on with The Rainbow.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I'd always just ignored this one because it didn't sound interesting at all based on what had filtered down to me from popular culture (*cough* Disney). Recently I tried looking for things to read on medieval Paris and right from the first search results it dawned on me this book isn't what I'd thought it was at all.

I'm finishing Night Boat to Tangiers by Kevin Barry which I'm loving. It feels like a mix of Trainspotting - drug trafficking and abuse - and Waiting for Godot - meaninglessness and the strange space of waiting, confronted with one's past, and one's imagination. I'm almost done and I can't wait to see how it all comes together.

I am reading 2666 which may take forever but is less bad than I had feared.

>5 annamorphic: It is long, but I enjoyed it overall (don't remember a thing about it, but enjoyed it enough to give it 3 1/2 stars). Keep going - you've got this!

I'm reading Summer in Baden-Baden. Interesting but the lack of periods is driving me nuts.

I’m reading The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen.

I'm reading Kiss of the Spider Woman. The very extensive footnotes are somewhat bemusing.

I'm on the last leg of L'Enfant perdue by Elena Ferrante. It's been a bit of a slog - it's an easy read but I don't like the highly descriptive narration (first person). It creates a distance that has prevented me from really caring about the characters and Elena, the narrator, comes across as needy and whiny which is rather exhausting over 550 pages.

There are definitely interesting bits: Italy in the 1980s, mired in corruption, Elena's tense relationship with her childhood friend, Lila, and life in Elena's Neapolitan neighbourhood. I just wish there were more images and less recounting.

On audio I am listening to The Tale of Genji and OMG, talk about grooming! If this hadn't been written by a woman, and a thousand years ago, I'd have to stop reading. If it were a physical book, I'd have thrown it across the room earlier today.

It was bad planning to read this simultaneously with 2666 (on paper) which includes a LOT of rapes and murders of young girls. I had to skip about 80 pages of that one (it's OK, it's 900 pages long) because my daughter is currently missing and who knows what's happening to her.

Finished listening to Five on a Treasure island. Next up is Two Stories by Sally Rooney
Still reading The Amber Fury in print.

>11 annamorphic: I'm so sorry to read that. I hope you get news from your daughter soon and that you have the support you need.

>11 annamorphic: I am also sorry to hear about your daughter and hope you hear from her soon.

Currently I am reading Where Angels Fear to Tread - it's quite short and an easy read so should be finished with it quickly.