What I’m reading in November: Greek mythology, Malaysian heritage, and a bit of Elif Shafak

Autumn might be my favourite season 🍂 Is it a coincidence that it’s also the season I’m reading the most? I think not 🙂

During the past month I read 3 books and I enjoyed every minute of reading – from discovering Malaysian heritage to Green mythology, and reading even more stories from the time-travelling café imagined by Kawaguchi Toshikazu – all books were a-ma-zing!

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Currently reading

I am reading The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak. This book was on my radar ever since it was published, so I am super curious and excited to read it!

I’ve just started reading it, so I don’t really have an opinion yet. What I do know is that (at least) some parts are narrated by a fig tree, which is a very interesting reading experience 🙂 I read stories narrated by other books (The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki – my review), by unborn children (Nutshell by Ian McEwan) … but so far no story narrated by a tree 🌳

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Finished reading

First I read Fragile Monsters by Catherine Menon. It tells the story of Durga, a 30-ish maths lecturer who grew up in Malaysia and then moved to Canada. She visits her family for Diwali and is having contradicting feelings regarding her cultural heritage (Malaysia & Canada) and her beliefs (science & faith).

The style and theme reminded me of Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (my review) – the “fight” between rational arguments and cultural beliefs that Gifty also had.

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The second book I read is Before Your Memory Fades by Kawaguchi Toshikazu, the third book of the lovely series Before the Coffee Gets Cold (my review). I had no idea there’s a third book in the series, so when I saw it in the bookstore I knew I have to read it!

And it did not disappoint! Kawaguchi managed to keep the stories very touching for the third book as well, so if you worry about the book becoming repetitive … I can vouch that’s not the case 🙂

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Then I read Phaedra by Laura Shepperson, the retelling of Greek princess Phaedra. It is super well-written and the multiple narration voices make it a very captivating read 🙂

It reminded me of The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, as gives voice to female characters that are usually overlooked in the “mainstream” stories.

If you enjoy reading Madeline Miller & other mythology stories, this book is definitely a must-read! I read it as an e-ARC from NetGalley; the book will published in January 2023.

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Reading next

There is one book that is already waiting for me on the bookshelf – A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. It was recommended to me by dear Tierney, who loved the book so much that she created a quilt inspired by the story – check it out here ❤️

Other than that, I am open to read the books that I will feel inspired to read – less planning, more intuition.

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How are doing? What are you reading? I’d love to hear from you!

Any super good ideas for Christmas presents for bookish friends?

Till next time … happy reading!

Georgiana

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Cover photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash