Nice Vice?
So in case you were wondering, I do have some vices.
One is winepotatochipschocolate. Expressed like that it is one vice, not three. That vice is sometimes problematic.
The other is a nice vice (if you know where that expression comes from I can probably guess your nationality and approximate age).
My nice vice is reading.
I read a lot, mostly in English but trying for three or four of ten books in Spanish. Lots of fiction, but trying for at least one non-fiction a month, usually history but maybe another social sciences topic.
And….. in case you hadn’t noticed, 2020 has been ummmm complicated. And those complications have an effect on my vices. Better to not ponder the effects on my first vice (you can probably make an educated guess); so let’s ponder the effects of a complicated year on my nice vice.
With more (enforced) free time, I’ve been reading even more. But the complications of this year have had an effect on what I’m reading. Way too much news, of course. But I’ve been torn between the need to learn more about the realities of other racial, ethnic and cultural groups, and the need to escape reality with a book (or Netflix show) where bad guys and good guys are clearly defined and I probably will not end up depressed at the end. Shaken or thoughtful, ok, but not messed up – there’s enough of that in real life.
So let me be clear. I don’t read really, really trashy novels. I do like some light fiction, really like historical fiction (especially mystery-ish books set in other times, a genre suggested by one of my sisters). Also like odd, magic realism, ghost-ish books, or books that switch around times so you sometimes don’t know exactly when and where you are. No vampires, though.
The other large question for me, as for many avid readers, is the paper vs. e-book question. Given a choice, I would always choose real books, not digital. But there are two additional factors for me in that decision process. One is availability: I just can’t get all the books I’d like to read in English here in Spain. The other is physical space, as you can see from the photo above, a partial shot of my overloaded fiction bookshelves. I’m not even going to tell you how many meters of books are in my tiny apartment, it’s almost embarrassing. Though why be embarrassed about an excess of books, my nice vice? I was beyond shocked when a long-lost acquaintance bragged that she only had four books in her apartment. Umm. Not a thing to brag about, in my book. Joke intended.
So what have I read recently, and what’s on my list? Not going to critique most of these, lots of info on Amazon (et al) so you can get a wider spread of opinions.
Non-fiction. Blood and Faith, by Matthew Carr, Spanish history about expelling Muslims in the 17th century. White Fragility, by Robin Diange. Started Me and White Supremacy, by Layla F.Saad, but I’m going to have to wait on that. My brain and my heart need softer topics right now. Soon-to-read: Savage Frontier, another Spanish history book.
Novels about other ethic groups: Maud’s Line, by Margaret Verble and There There, by Tommy Orange, both about Native Americans, in very different time and place. Cherokee America, also by Verble, is on my soon-to-read list. Highly recommend The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennet, about two Black women, twin sisters who choose very different lives. Kindred, by Octavia E.Butler, waiting a while on her other books as I hear they are pretty dark. On my soon-to-read list: Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead, read his Underground Railroad a while ago and really liked that.
Novels, category strange things happen: The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger. Just started another of hers: Her Fearful Symmetry and yes, strange things happen. Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, will be looking for more by this author. The Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis, will also want to read more by this author. Sakura, by Matilde Asensi, one of my favorite Spanish writers, see reading list below for more about her books.
Novels in no defined category, but all good reads in one way or another, some light, some deeper, all good. The Clockmaker’s Daughter, by Kate Morton. A Fall of Marigolds, by Susan Meissner (big like on this one, too, want to read more by her). The Scent Keeper, by Erica Bauermeister. Overstory, by Richard Powers. The Dutch House and The Magician’s Assistant, by Ann Patchett. The Marble Collector, by Ceclia Ahern. Amy Falls Down, by Jincy Willet (her books are really fun). The Secret History, by Donna Tartt. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman. The Book of Longings, by Sue Monk Kidd (trigger warning: a novel about Jesus as a human man with a family and all kinds of human issues. Her book written with her daughter Traveling with Pomegranates is another good one). The Girl You Left Behind, by Jojo Moyes. The Daughters of Erietown, by Connie Schultz (first novel by a Pulitzer prize winning journalist). City of Girls, by Elizabeth Gilbert.
On my soon-to-read list: Testament, by Margaret Atwood, another one that will probably be too dark for my current state of mind. The Goldfinch, by Donna Tart. Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert. The Resisters, by Gish Jen. Those are just the books on my tablet waiting for me. I have a very, very long document with books culled from recommendations by friends and seen in newspapers or on Facebook.
Not mentioning books in Spanish as most readers are probably not interested, but as always, if you want history or fiction about Spain, check out my reading list. My favorite Spanish writers are mostly there, with notes on whether or not they have been translated. Link for list: http://www.apinderinspain.com/reading-list