Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: A Mixed Week of Reading

How was your first week of the year? Mine was busy with work, deadlines, getting back on a regular routine, and finishing up all the holiday food. I'm happy to get back to what counts as normal around here.

Early January is usually a fairly calm time for my work, but this year has started with a bang. I don't know what's going on in the publishing world, but I'm not complaining.

Despite the end-of-the-year chores and several editing projects, I managed to finish two books. I also started a new project: reading more short stories. I've made an unofficial commitment to myself to try to read at least one story a week--so far I've met that goal (hahahahaha). Oh and I've already had my first DNF (did not finish).

Looker by Laura Sims (Scribner, Jan. 8): As you know, I like a good thriller, so I was looking forward to this one, which earned starred reviews and appeared on several most-anticipated-novels of 2019 lists. It's about a college-level poetry instructor in a big city (I think it could be New York), who becomes obsessed with a famous actress, who lives in a building a few doors down with her screen-writer husband and their three kids. Sims really knows how to amp up the creep factor as our unnamed protagonist deals with a number of personal problems, issues with her students, and her unrelenting interest in the actress. I was hooked all the way until I started closing in on the end. I don't want to spoil the book for others, so I'll be a little vague here, but I was completely disappointed with the conclusion and was left with a "that's it?" kind of feeling. The tension and sense of foreboding were well done, but the payoff wasn't there. The unabridged audiobook was read by Katherine Fenton (Simon & Schuster Audio; 5 hours, 32 minutes), who did a fabulous job picking up on the main character's personality and downward spiral. But a great performance couldn't save the novel for me. (audio copy provided for an AuidoFile Magazine review)

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield (Atria, Dec. 4, 2018): I held off reading this book because I so loved Setterfield's Thirteenth Tale, I was worried my expectations would be too high. I shouldn't have worried because I can't say enough good things about this book. I loved, loved, loved it. The story is set along the Thames in the mid- to late-1800s and starts on the winter solstice, when a photographer stumbles into an old inn carrying a dead girl in his arms. He passes out, and the child's body is taken to an outbuilding until the man can recover enough to identify her. A trained nurse is fetched to tend to the man and to examine the body for cause of death. To the nurse's--and everyone's--surprise, the four-year-old girl wakes up, and though she seems to have recovered, she cannot talk and no one knows for sure who she is. The story weaves through and round the girl, the river, local families, local legends, loss, love, good, and evil. The tale is all-engrossing, poetic, and mesmerizing and incorporates historical details, which grounds the story in reality. This is the first book that will appear on my top ten of 2019. Though I don't often reread books, I think I'll read this one in print over my next free weekend. Juliet Stevenson's performance of the unabridged audiobook (Simon & Schuster Audio; 16 hr, 27 min) was brilliant. She created the perfect atmosphere, highlighting the characters' emotions and personalities. Her sense of timing was spot-on, keeping me fully on the banks of the Thames. (digital and audio copies provided by the publisher)

Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin (Riverhead; January 8), translated from Spanish by Megan McDowell. My first story of the year comes from a well-received collection by an award-winning Argentinian author. "Headlights," the leading piece, contains elements of magical realism to recount the experiences of a young bride who is abandoned at a highway rest stop by her groom, just hours/moments after the wedding ceremony. In only a few pages, I was invested in Felicity's fate and how what happened to her addressed wider themes, including the generation gap and gender issues. Although I've read only a single story, I understand why Schweblin garners so much buzz. I'm keeping Mouthful of Birds in my story rotation and will report back as I work my way through the collection. (digital copy provided by the publisher)

The Plotters by Un-Su Kim (Doubleday, January 29), translated from Korean by Sora Kim-Russell. Have you read any Korean crime novels? Me neither, so I was excited to give this thriller a try. The story is definitely weird, though in a good way. I agree with other reviewers who mentioned David Lynch or Henning Mankell. The book centers around Reseng, a trained assassin who was raised by a man known as Old Raccoon, who is also a killer. When a mission goes awry, Reseng begins to question the entire structure of the underground world, including the Plotters, who are in control. While I actually enjoyed the 80 pages I read, I haven't yet returned to the book. I liked Reseng, was really taken with the opening scene, and totally appreciated the dark humor, but the novel isn't calling to me. I know myself well enough to know that I will likely never come back to The Plotters. I'll keep my copy, just in case, but I'm not holding my breath. Don't let my experience stop you from giving this book a try. The part I read was good, even if it didn't put a hook in me. (review copy provided by the publisher)