Hello again,
How are you? Well, I hope.
It’s been a while, hasn’t it? The hiatus wasn’t planned but June was a pretty full month and my attention was generally elsewhere. I’m very glad to be back, though and I have several great books to share with you! Also, if you’re a fan of Virago Press titles you’ll want to keep reading as I have a 25% discount code you may or may not wish to make use of…
Seeing as we are now officially over half way through the year (and because I promised the people of Instagram I would do so) I thought I’d dedicate this letter to my standout reads of the past six months.
So, let’s talk about some books, shall we?
Between January and the end of June, I read over fifty books and most of them were very good so I’ve had to think quite hard about which ones I’d share and why. I’ve settled on five fiction titles and two non-fiction and I just know I’m going to regret not mentioning so many, but if you want to see more of the books I’ve loved and you aren’t following me on Instagram or The StoryGraph , that’s where you’ll find the most up to date record of the books I’ve read/ am reading.
A powerful depiction of inequality, abuses of power and violence- particularly against women - as a direct consequence of colonisation in Mauritius. A definite stand-out for me. You can find more in-depth thoughts here.
This novel comes straight for your heart and your gut. The interwoven experiences of nine characters and their lives in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. It is a brilliantly crafted, harrowing, brutally honest depiction of a (quite literally) earth shattering event and the contributing factors within Haiti’s past and present that only worsened the impact. UK availability isn’t what it should be for this book but if you can get a reasonably priced copy, or your library is able to get it in, I’d definitely recommend it. More thoughts on it here.
At its core, Creatures of Passage is a book about death and grief; it is also about society’s (mis)treatment of the poor and marginalised and the evil and violence that this carelessness not only allows to creep in but also fosters, where perpetrators feel all too safe in the knowledge that few are bothered enough to question their presence, let alone advocate for their eradication. It is also about our sources of strength and healing. It is quite a dark novel but there is something incredibly beautiful about it, too.
If you enjoy these letters and feel like buying me a coffee, you can do so here and it’ll always be very much appreciated!
Two friends, Laura and Alina determine that they don’t want children. Laura commits to this decision and undergoes surgical sterilisation, whereas Alina changes her mind and proceeds to do all that she can to get pregnant.
What follows is a story about motherhood in its various forms, what it actually might look like to ‘mother’ a child, the choice to have children or not and the freedom to choose, and the associated complexities. The tenderness within this story has stayed with me and if you appreciate novels with friendships at their core, you’ll love this one.
A collection of stories by Palestinian writer and political activist, Ghassan Kanafani (1936-1972), Men in the Sun is undoubtedly a good collection but, for me, the titular story is what makes it a must-read. Men in the Sun is reflective of the experiences of people all over the world who are impeded from seeking a safer life by bureaucracy, politics and the inhumanity of far too many governments to name. It is probably one of the best stories I’ve read.
Non-fiction
A Horse at Night: On Writing by Amina Cain
I loved the experience of reading this slim volume, which offers an insight into Cain’s writing and reading process and the ways in which they merge, as well as her relationship with literature and the specific works she was moved to discuss for one reason or another. As someone who is massively swayed by the way books make me feel, I could only love the ways Amina Cain reflects on this and so much more. It is also stunningly written.
Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence and Grief by Victoria Chang
I’ve spoken quite a bit about my love of Victoria Chang’s writing, and Dear Memory so perfectly compliments her poetry collection, Obit, which was one of my favourite books of last year. Dear Memory is, as the title suggests, a series of letters on writing, on what is said and what isn’t, and on grief, particularly as it relates to the loss of a parent(s). Victoria Chang’s writing never fails to move me and this book was no exception.
In reality, I could write this letter again with seven different titles and be quite content so hopefully I’ll do a more comprehensive round up of my standout books of 2023 in another six months. I’ll be interested to see which of these are still holding on, which of the books I haven’t mentioned put in an appearance (there’ll be many) and which of the books I’ve yet to read earn themselves a place.
Speaking of titles I love, I recently did some work for Virago Press as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations and, as part of that, shared five of my favourite Virago titles. You can read all about those here and you really should check them out because they are great, however, I actually just wanted to share the 25% discount code they gave me, which should be valid until the end of the year. It’s not an affiliate link- I don’t earn anything if you purchase- I just thought I’d share while I’m here.
Use code: GOLDEN-VIRAGO-TASNIM or simply purchase through this link and it’ll take the 25% off automatically at checkout.
One last thing…
The Caine Prize is back! This year’s five shortlisted stories were selected from almost 300 entries so it’ll likely come as no surprise that, as I slowly work my way through them, not a single one has disappointed me yet! I have a current favourite but that might change…
You can read all about the entries and the judges here and you can read the shortlisted stories here ahead of the prize ceremony on Monday 2nd October.
Until next time,
Tasnim