Halfway through this novel in verse about a #Sami family in Northern #Sweden. It is sparse and beautiful. It requires much reading between the lines, and basic knowledge about the history of the region helps, hence my relief at the review in the link, which gives helpful pointers: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/jan/18/dnan-by-linnea-axelsson-review-an-...
pickI finished this a few weeks ago and it seems sitting on this one has made me grow a bit fonder of it than during the actual reading experience. This is a LONG audio, and I was growing tired of it by the end. However, looking back, the characters were fully formed and I‘m still thinking of those three sisters! (Aren‘t there always 3??) This one is making the “best of” lists but won‘t make mine.
so-soThis one just didn‘t quite come together for me. Despite being called “The Sisters,” much of the book centers a male character who seems intrigued by them but not really associated with them, and it felt fragmented to me. I also felt like the narrative tense didn‘t quite work in a way that was believable. I never would have made it through in print.
#NBA longlist, fiction
bailedMy #DoubleSpin for June. I looked through my shelves multiple times, thinking I had the paperback, only to discover that, no silly me, I have the ebook! Despite the darker subject (the MC is dying of cancer & reflecting on his life) while I'm going through some very stressful stuff, I decided to start reading it. I really tried, but OH did I really dislike this guy & how he treated people, particularly women (especially his wife). #HailTheBail
panNope. When I go into a book knowing there's a semi-absurd premise, something where you're going to work extra hard to suspend disbelief and not think too hard about the details, I'm looking for the result to be charming or meaningful. I feel like this book didn't manage either.
Started out thinking it could have been a novella, now convinced that amount of plot and original rumination minus the redundancies would have fit in a short story. 1/?
pickRandomly picked this one from the bargain table at the bookstore and so glad I did! Police procedural filled with interesting characters, a vivid and atmospheric setting and an interesting "whodunit.".
pickI read this book for a reading challenge, a book by a Sami author. I liked the insight into Sami culture. The main character is part of a family of reindeer herders. He is struggling with his new feelings for his best friend, because as far as he knows there has never been a gay reindeer herder. This story really conveys the power of representation and the strength it gives to the next generation to be confident in themselves
Finished October 2024
Twelve-year-old Flora and her mother go to the seaside village of Helmersbruk to spend their Christmas holiday in a cottage on the grounds of a beautiful, but rundown, old mansion. Well, that‘s about all I needed to know to buy it. 😆
I may wait until next year to read it as it‘s formatted with an illustrated chapter for each day of Advent.
(Translated from Swedish).
pickA girl travels with her yellow robot across 1997 America where society has collapsed thanks to some VR-like helmets.
The story feels quite unfinished and full of gaps, but it's really awesome nonetheless. If you like science fiction and/or dystopian and/or graphic novels, this is a must read. The artwork is eerily beautiful.
#scifi #dystopian #graphicnovel #swedish
