Quick Lit December 2021 Archives

The Night Watchman

by Louise Erdrich

When we hosted Tayari Jones for our WSIRN 300th episode celebration, she raved about this 2020 Pulitzer winner, saying she wanted to give it a standing ovation. That comment nudged me to pick it up again, on audio this time. (Why have I not been listening to Erdrich narrate her own work all along? She's wonderful in that format.) The story is based on the life of her own grandfather, who worked as a night watchman and who traveled from rural North Dakota to Washington, D.C. to fight against Native dispossession of their tribal lands. The story is beautifully, lovingly drawn: I was enraptured, and rooting so hard for these characters.

Chirp

Taste: My Life Through Food

by Stanley Tucci

This was a delight from start to finish; I was hooked from the three-sentence introduction and its promise of plenty of puns to come. From his stories of growing up in a large Italian-American family in New York, to mixing up the perfect martini on set, to falling in love with his wife over a cheese cart, I just ate this up. (Sorry, I couldn't help myself.) I'm sure this is wonderful in hardcover as well, but Tucci narrates his own audiobook and it is superb—I highly recommend this format. (But heads up that it's pretty sweary at times.)

The Memory Police

by Yōko Ogawa

Our unnamed protagonist in this 1994 Japanese novel, as translated by Stephen Snyder, is a novelist who lives on an island controlled by the Memory Police. The feared group’s sole purpose is to periodically "disappear" objects and ideas from the town—first small objects like emeralds, ribbons, and candy, but over time, the disappearances grow more profound. Birds vanish, then photographs. But the truth is that not everyone "forgets" what they are supposed to, which puts them in great danger from the Memory Police, whose duty is to make sure the disappeared items are fully eradicated. If any citizens stand in their way, they will be disappeared as well—which is how our young novelist ends up putting herself in danger. The gentle prose is lovely in its own right, and perfectly suits the story's eerie feel. This novel went places I didn't expect, right up to the stunning conclusion.

No Cure for Being Human: (And Other Truths I Need to Hear)

by Kate Bowler

From the publisher: "It's hard to give up on the feeling that the life you really want is just out of reach. A beach body by summer. A trip to Disneyland around the corner. A promotion on the horizon. Everyone wants to believe that they are headed toward good, better, best. But what happens when the life you hoped for is put on hold indefinitely? Kate Bowler believed that life was a series of unlimited choices, until she discovered, at age 35, that her body was wracked with cancer. In No Cure for Being Human, she searches for a way forward as she mines the wisdom (and absurdity) of today’s 'best life now' advice industry, which insists on exhausting positivity and on trying to convince us that we can out-eat, out-learn, and out-perform our humanness. We are, she finds, as fragile as the day we were born. With dry wit and unflinching honesty, Kate Bowler grapples with her diagnosis, her ambition, and her faith as she tries to come to terms with her limitations in a culture that says anything is possible. She finds that we need one another if we're going to tell the truth: Life is beautiful and terrible, full of hope and despair and everything in between—and there's no cure for being human."

Small Things Like These

by Claire Keegan

This novella is set in Ireland in 1985, following Bill Furlong, a coal merchant in a small town. As Christmas approaches, Bill has a disturbing experience when he makes a discovery at a nearby convent. Keegan's writing is beautiful and atmospheric.

Chirp

Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness

by Ingrid Fetell Lee

In this whimsical and practical book, Lee explores the psychology and science of things that bring us joy—such as light, silliness, and the element of surprise, examining both why they do so and how we can bring more of them into our lives. I so enjoy a read that not only delivers an engaging reading experience, but concretely changes my life. (Don't miss our Book Club community manager's post about Joyful and light bulbs if you haven't yet read it!)

Chirp

Beginner’s Luck

by Kate Clayborn

This series opener centers Kit, a steady scientist who, because of her peripatetic childhood, wants to use her winnings to create a home for herself and develop roots in her community. So when Ben shows up in his role as recruiter her to entice her to leave it all behind and move to Texas ... well, it's a disaster. But as they keep talking, their connection grows. I loved watching Ben and Kit work through their respective baggage over the course of the story, and the large cast of well-developed secondary characters gives this series life.

Quick Lit December 2021

The Night Watchman

Taste: My Life Through Food

The Memory Police

No Cure for Being Human: (And Other Truths I Need to Hear)

Small Things Like These

Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness

Beginner’s Luck

The MMD Summer Reading Guide

your guide to reliable readerly joy this summer

a gateway

to reliable joy this summer

Buckle Up!

summer reading starts May 16th