jenny always reads

‘The Dry Heart’ by Natalia Ginzburg

Seen as somewhat of a feminist classic, this was my first foray into Natalia Ginzburg’s writing and to use the word ‘impressed’ is an understatement. The book is a mere 108 pages, but is undoubtedly one of the highlights of this year’s reading for me!

Coming out in March and May 2023. Thanks to @harpercollins for the copies. I can’t wait to write real reviews for these, closer to their publication date!

Yellowface is the new book from the author of this year’s sweeping ‘Babel: An Arcane History’ and is a raucously entertaining, sharp, darkly witty and immersive look into race, cultural appropriation and the behaviours people engage in when they think they won’t be caught. Don’t miss this!

Wandering Souls is an incredibly moving exploration of 3 siblings from Vietnam starting all over again alone as refugees in London after losing everything they knew to the Vietnam War. With no family, no home and no connections in a new unwelcoming country, this book masterfully explores identity, culture loss and the incredible strength and power humans can have to overcome adversity.

Working in an independent book store, we are often asked for personal recommendations, as gifts and for various seasons and events.

I absolutely, completely and utterly adored this. This was immersive and richly descriptive from the very beginning, with incredible character development. The book brought Joan of Arc’s short existence to life, humanising her as both a powerful, strong and determined, yet deeply relatable and troubled young woman - 4.5/5

I did not enjoy this at all. Delphi is a meandering, and depressing yawn of a book describing a woman’s struggle through the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, with loads of Ancient Greek references that do absolutely nothing for the ‘story’ - 1/5

This short and simple book was an incredibly beautiful story of one woman’s relationship with her somewhat fragmentary identity, where the sense of loss for all of the small cast of characters felt palpable. The writing was soft, touching and delicate - 4/5.

This was a fun and mostly enjoyable read, that alternates between a biography of Collins Braithwaite and the story of a sister seeking the truth about her sister taking her own life, after her visits to the controversial therapist - 3/5.

Where has the trend for not using quotation marks in modern fiction come from? I found this so disorienting. I did not enjoy reading this and, though literature is subjective and for some this may be a wonderful read, I’m quite sure I would not recommend Acts of Service to anyone, unless I wanted to annoy them - 2/5.

Currently reading: 'Acts of Service' by Lillian Fishman 'Revolting Prostitutes' by Molly Smith and Juno Mac 'Case Study' by Graeme Macrae Burnet 'Penge & Bacon' by Anna Juul