After cleaning pretty much the whole house, I deserve coffee + some reading time.
But before reading, here's a short review for tagged and pictured book: I still very much enjoy this series. The 3rd book is quite entertaining, I like keeping on learning about art, about Japanese art school systems. Plus, love to see the progress of the main character. It's really great to see the main character's journey and resilience.

Barbara Butcher shares her experience as a New York City Death Investigator, showing us how the system actually works. She talks about how she struggled with alcoholism, and how it led her to this job.
Overall a well-written and interesting read. She talks about several of her cases, and shares what she learned about the dead, but also about the living and life in general.

This book led to a very interesting conversation at my book club, plenty of themes: grief, justice/revenge, etc.

What makes a good person? When justice fails, are we allowed to seek revenge? How do we grieve? How do we react to people's grief?

Very well constructed plot, with different shades of grey. It's the type of books I really enjoy, books that make you question things, without leading you to an answer.

Literary quote of the day from my “Sorry, I'm booked“ mug a dear friend gifted to me.

Wish you all to find your happy place ;)

Fast read, Hallmark story with a little bit of Freddy in the mix.

On one side, the perfect family, very loving, and on the other side, an evil young man who likes to kill + a love story with a rock star. Well, the good vs evil, with no grey area, not my cup of tea, neither is the romance.

When I read this type of books, I keep thinking that it would be better with more shades of grey.

Morning coffee as I need fuel for my morning reading!

I finished the tagged book Friday, but I gave my copy to a member of my French reading group who didn't get the chance to get a copy.

This book was a so-so for me, but it led to a very interesting conversation about “les cités“ (projects) in France.
French is my native language, and I really enjoyed having a French book club and conversation club here in San Antonio.

New books, shipped directly from France!
Two are for my French book club, and the two others are for one of my English book club. When it's a translation, I prefer to read the book in my native language.
Yes, I could have bought ebooks, but I read enough magazines on my computer, my eyes need physical books 📚

2.5/5 - soft so-so

While I enjoyed some stories, too many left me really not interested. I disliked the lack of world building, and the orality of his writing. My favorites were Victory Lap, The Semplica girls diaries, and Escape from Spiderhead.

Cup of coffee + a book I'm about to start...
I've started so many books I want to finish, but need to read this one by Friday because I have to lead the book discussion (the person supposed to had a family emergency).
I really hope I'm going to like it...

Illustrated poem by Jacques Prévert for kids.
A lovely poem with nice illustrations.
Jacques Prévert is a very accessible poet, he wrote poems for kids, but also for adults.

I actually preferred this book over the first one in the series. I still like the concept of including art pieces made by actual artists. And it's a fun way to learn about art techniques. It's also nice to follow the progression of the main character.

2/5
Not my cup of tea.
Good writing, but the story didn't work for me. I didn't gain an interest for any of the characters, and I'm sure the story won't stay with me.

3/5 - soft pick
WWII in Italy, we follow Pino Lella from an awkward young adult to the end of the war. From his role in the resistance helping Jews to flee through the mountains to his uncomfortable role as a spy. All the experiences of war, good and bad.
Entertaining story based on a true story... How much is actually factual should be kept in mind.

2.5/5
In this book, that I'm sure will soon be translated into English, Édouard Louis recounts how his mom escaped, with his support, from an abusive relationship.
Some parts I found very interesting, but I had difficulty with his tone and ideas sometimes, hence the so-so.

3.5/5
Quick tale for adults with interestingly weird illustrations.
Tale of the past, tale also about the future. Well-constructed, and interesting. I enjoyed the short ride.

4.5/5
Well-written historical fiction about how war changes society and social rules. I found the characters diverse and well-developed, and I liked the evolution of the different characters.
While not everyone gets a happy end, it's still a feel-good book, full of humor. It offered me a perfect escape ;)

3/5 - Quick read, second book in the Wren Muller series. The descriptions are very realistic when it comes to what happens to bodies, so if you're sensitive, it may not be a book for you.
Writing is okay, the plot is interesting enough to want to finish the book. Some of the descriptions of the emotional states of characters are redundant and sound superficial.

While I didn't care much about the romance part, I liked how the book was constructed and the different themes: loyalty, time travel and the constant rewriting of the future, how history is written, etc. Good choice for a book club.

A Japanese high schooler takes an interest in art. We follow his journey. Loved the concept of including actual paintings by contemporary artists. Also enjoyed all the info about art techniques.

Overall, a good reading month ;)

3/5
Very well-written autobiography about her childhood spent in Africa (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi). Her sensory descriptions are excellent. However, despite of all that, I wasn't taken by it. I wasn't interested... I guess I would have preferred more in-depth introspection.

First part of the Second Sex.

To-be-read for sure, but before beginning the second tome, I'll let my brain recover, haha.

Very interesting, I just love how she writes, how she builds her arguments. And the amount of research is just mind blowing.

Definitely recommend this book if you're interested in politics.

It's a personal account of the 1960s by Doris and Dick Goodwin through their archives: their role, what they thought at the time, how they looked back on it all.

Doris Goodwin's writing is excellent and intimate.

This comedy, first performed in 1664, is a pleasure to read, especially Dorine's parts.
This play is very topical: a man, Tartuffe, an hypocritical devotee, manages to entirely manipulate another man, Orgon. Manipulation, credulity, blindness are common themes.
Highly recommend!

Here are my Valentine's gifts from Barnes & Noble.

Two books that seem very interesting
And a Moomin bag, because... I love the Moomins!!!!

Soft so-so
It being a debut novel, I would be interested in reading the second book in the series to see if her writing improved.
Entertaining plot, but I found the main character very insecure and immature (quite close to the damsel in distress stereotype) which puts me off.
Khavari's writing about plants was good, but she really hammers the parts about feelings/relationship, something not explicitly said is sometimes better.

An interesting collection of witty comebacks, some are pretty fun, like the one on the picture:
- I'm looking for a husband.
- You'd be better off looking for a single guy.

Morning read! Le Tartuffe by Molière. My French book club meets tomorrow, and as the organizer, of course I need to take notes ;)
First time reading this play, but I've seen it played (ages ago).

What a disappointment!
Unstructured, very weak and ill-constructed arguments, lack of transitions. All these undermine his ideas.
Overall, it lacks rigor.

My January wrap-up on Storygraph
This morning, I've updated all my readings from April 2024... a huge task! I'll try to keep up with it.
Overall, good reading month ;) Favorite book tagged.

Claire Keegan's writing is just excellent. Through it, she brings alive characters, places, thoughts. Not one unnecessary word, no fandangle. Everything is at the service of the story.
Based on the Magdalene laundries, institutions for “fallen women“ run by Roman Catholic orders, this novella brings to a wider audience the abuse suffered by these women, it's the power of fiction.

This book is a great way to get to know (better) the artist, it focuses mainly on Pärt's search for innovation and inspiration, his quest for finding his musical language. The political background about how his work was impacted by the Soviet government is also interesting.
I loved how the illustrations managed to incorporate the music theme.

3rd book in the Dawson series.
Interesting plot.
What I like in this series, is that yes, it's a murder mystery, but also that it is set in Ghana, so it's a change of scenery and culture.

3/5
Thorough look into the series of theft committed by Stéphane Breitwieser and his girlfriend in the 90s.
While it is an easy and fluid read, I didn't find the book compelling: it feels repetitive at times, and over 200 pages for this story is kind of overkill...

So many things happening in this volume... Luckily, I have the next one available!!!
Very entertaining read.

3.25/5
+: the idea of the threads, and how knowing your life expectancy could change our society, how would people react, and the play of social media, all these elements were quite realistic and interesting, well executed. Gives a lot of food for thought.

-: some lacking in character's building, quite close to stereotopycal characters at times. Also some plot twists I saw coming a mile away.

Overall good read, especially for a debut novel.

3.5/5
Collection of short stories by Anton Tchekhov.
I was surprised how accessible these were. Overall quite an easy and enjoyable read. Of course, some short stories won't be as enjoyable for modern readers, but it is to be expected.
In a few short stories, Tchekhov played frustratingly well with my expectations as a reader.

Just excellent.
Everyone should read it, even if it's a hard read because of the content (sexual assault + trauma).
In this graphic memoir, Una questions the treatment of women, how difficult it is for a female victim to be heard, the labels put on women (good/bad victims), she also questions the responsibility of men, the banality of men's violence, the cause of this violence.
A lot of food for thought.

Nope, not for me, I had to bail.
Couldn't enter into the story, didn't care about the characters.
There are too many other books I'm enthusiastic about for me to lose valuable time with one I don't connect to.

4/5
Sunyi Dean did a great job creating this parallel world in which book and brain eaters live somewhat secluded from humans. It's quite easy to enter into the story, the plot is well constructed.
The back and forth in time works well for that story, building suspense.
I'm sure it could lead to interesting conversations for a book club.

3.5/5
Great way to discover Thelonious Monk's work and life. Solid introduction to this artist.
I enjoyed reading this graphic biography while listening to his music.
I didn't know Monk before, and I'm not well-acquainted with jazz, but I really enjoyed his music. Perfect reading companion.

2.75/5
Elizabeth Kolbert writes a series of essays about climate change, one for each letter of the alphabet.
While some essays are interesting and hopeful (about new technologies, leapfrogging) some others miss the mark (the one titled Republicans for example).
Contrary to the title, I didn't find much hope in this book, and I would have liked some essays to go more in-depth.
Wesley Allsbrook's illustrations are stunning.

2/5
Second book by Sedaris I'm reading because some members of my non-fiction book club love him... Well, another pan for me. I really don't understand the hype. His stories aren't interesting, I don't find him funny, you don't get any enlightenment from his stories, no “Interesting, I've never thought of this that way“ moment.
Well, now I know that Sedaris is really not my cup of tea.

3/5
In this graphic memoir, Mike Hawthorne recounts his childhood spent with his mother in poverty.
This book focuses on his relationship with his mother, a difficult one, between love, admiration, anger, and violence.
One life journey out of so many, this book offers a window into someone else's experiences, which I value.
Themes: poverty, immigration, mother-son relationship, family

4/5 - Level B1
A great way to discover French authors! This year's theme was “I'm ten,“ and it's impressive to see how different each short story is.
All the authors give one short story, and the proceeds of the book sale go to Les Restos du Cœur, a charity which distributes food packages and hot meals to people in need.
Michel Bussi, Maxime Chattam, Leïla Slimani, Tatiana de Rosnay, etc. contributed to this book.

2.5
Not my cup of tea. It's a Hallmark style Xmas story with stereotopycal characters and quite too cheesy and predictable for my taste.
Good thing is that it's a fast read ;)

4/5 - Only in French - Level B1-2
We're in 1561 in a small village isolated by snow. A traveling doctor finds himself stuck in this village where a strange illness is decimating the inhabitants, causing them to lose their minds and to lose their limbs because of gangrene.
Fear grows among the population who is adamant at finding a culprit.
Well-written, satisfying read about human nature!

While Saunders' commentaries about the seven Russian short stories he selected for this book were insightful, I found them at times tedious and repetitive.
The great thing is that it enticed me to start a collection of short stories by Tchekhov ;)

Bought this book today at my library book sale, just read it, and I just LOVE it. Perfect gift for one of my friend's kid!
Why?
Love the illustration style
Fun way to learn about the collective names of animals. As a non-native English speaker, I learned a lot (I'm sure other adult native speakers would learn a lot too).
At the end of the book, there are short explanations of the origins of these collective names

2.5/5 - only in French, reading level A2/B1
In this short book, 140 pages, Sylviane Vayaboury recounts her life story spent between Cayenne in French Guiana and France.
Interesting to read if you want a snapshot of somebody's life, but this is not great writing, quite mundane actually. I personally found the writing style weak.
To me, the redeeming pages were when she writes about the last years of her adoptive mother.