pickThe publisher gifted me this book. My great grandfather painted in the interwar years and artist Toby Knobel Fluek painted (and wrote) her story after the war. But there are connections between the two stories - primarily the impulse to document the Polish Jewish community. The paintings are a lovely ode to Fluek‘s family and even the depressing wartime paintings beautifully illustrate and bear witness to history in an emotionally important way.
pickEven though it's not my favorite book by Tokarczuk, it is still a very takarzuk-y book. It has all her elements: complicated characters, nature, history, magic, intertwined stories. Those stories show us that we all belong together somehow, that we all are connected. Even if it's only a tiny string. It's a slow book, like a fresh rainy afternoon in the summer. Actually, you can hear the rain hitting the leaves.
#BacklistReadathon @Clwojick
pickI expected this one to be super weird and it was, but turns out it‘s my kind of weird. Croft explores the relationship between authors and their translators and plays with language (I‘m sure even more than I realized), as well as winking at her own work. I didn‘t love the ending and this won‘t be for everyone, but I dug it.
“No man is above fate and the natural turn of events, no matter how much they try to manipulate things no one can control.”
I‘ve been reminded about the devastating effects of book banning during this read.
“Whatever was restricted from her, she wanted it as a means of protest.”
A little too chilly to sit outside but still…I‘m reading.
“I may seem like a sweet old woman, but I refuse to follow rules that don‘t suit me.”
Waiting for a friend at BIGGBY ~ so glad I brought my book.
