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Hello everyone! Bit of a new thing for me but let's finish off the year with a good book! I actually went through a few ideas for theming, initially I wanted to tie in to the travel thing and pick books that had been translated into English, then something lighter, then the complete opposite of that, and now I have a set of coming of age novels from around the world which may not exactly be festive but feels fitting considering what we all write here. Might be a bit different but hopefully people will find them interesting.
(Apologies that they aren't especially festive, but it is what it is. Hopefully they can all be found without too much trouble!)
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
474 pages
I've had this on my to read/to watch list for ages (there is a Netflix miniseries!). Coming of age novel set in Brisbane in the 1980s, themes of violence and drug use (it is a crime novel). My stepdad loved it - until that point I hadn't been brave enough to buy him fiction but this opened up a whole new world!
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (translated from Italian by Ann Goldstein)
331 pages
I actually read part 1 on the plane over here and was hooked, this is another one I've wanted to read for a while. It's the first of a 4 book series, the Neapolitan Novels (though we'll just read the first book). There is a HBO series as well. I'm loving it so far, I adore complex female friendship dynamics. Themes of violence (including family violence) though I think the later books are the slightly darker ones.
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (translated from French by Mattias Ripa)
153 pages (part 1), 341 pages (both parts)
I put this up in 2 because it's technically 2 volumes, though I read it all in one I'm pretty sure for university years back. For something a bit different, it's a graphic novel. Proof that I'm a history nerd through and through, it's set in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, seeing the political upheaval through the eyes of a young woman. There is a film version as well. If it wins, people's choice whether it's part 1 or both parts we read. Depends on what everyone can access I suppose.
Poll will be open for 7 days, so get in quick. Once the book is chosen, we have two months to read and discuss the book.
React/discuss at your own pace. All of us are differing levels of busy and differing levels of how much we can read at once, so remember to use spoilers for spoiler-related content so you don't spoil for others! Please be respectful in this regard.
Site rules apply to all discussions. Be aware that books may contain mature themes or language. In my selections, I'm pretty sure they all do, sorry.
If you'd like to host a book club in the upcoming year, please PM @Cyndi Kingsley !
Friendly reminder that anyone on the site can join in!
(Apologies that they aren't especially festive, but it is what it is. Hopefully they can all be found without too much trouble!)
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
474 pages
I've had this on my to read/to watch list for ages (there is a Netflix miniseries!). Coming of age novel set in Brisbane in the 1980s, themes of violence and drug use (it is a crime novel). My stepdad loved it - until that point I hadn't been brave enough to buy him fiction but this opened up a whole new world!
Brisbane, 1983. A lost father, a mute brother, a mum in jail, a heroin dealer for a stepfather and a notorious criminal for a babysitter. It's not as if Eli's life isn't complicated enough already. He's just trying to follow his heart, learning what it takes to be a good man, but life just keeps throwing obstacles in the way - not least of which is Tytus Broz, legendary Brisbane drug dealer.
But if Eli's life is about to get a whole lot more serious. He's about to fall in love. And, oh yeah, he has to break into Boggo Road Gaol on Christmas Day, to save his mum.
A story of brotherhood, true love and the most unlikely of friendships, Boy Swallows Universe will be the most heartbreaking, joyous and exhilarating novel you will read all year.
But if Eli's life is about to get a whole lot more serious. He's about to fall in love. And, oh yeah, he has to break into Boggo Road Gaol on Christmas Day, to save his mum.
A story of brotherhood, true love and the most unlikely of friendships, Boy Swallows Universe will be the most heartbreaking, joyous and exhilarating novel you will read all year.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (translated from Italian by Ann Goldstein)
331 pages
I actually read part 1 on the plane over here and was hooked, this is another one I've wanted to read for a while. It's the first of a 4 book series, the Neapolitan Novels (though we'll just read the first book). There is a HBO series as well. I'm loving it so far, I adore complex female friendship dynamics. Themes of violence (including family violence) though I think the later books are the slightly darker ones.
Beginning in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Elena Ferrante's four-volume story spans almost sixty years, as its main characters, the fiery and unforgettable Lila and the bookish narrator, Elena, become women, wives, mothers, and leaders, all the while maintaining a complex and at times conflicted friendship. This first novel in the series follows Lila and Elena from their fateful meeting as ten-year-olds through their school years and adolescence.
Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between two women.
Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between two women.
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (translated from French by Mattias Ripa)
153 pages (part 1), 341 pages (both parts)
I put this up in 2 because it's technically 2 volumes, though I read it all in one I'm pretty sure for university years back. For something a bit different, it's a graphic novel. Proof that I'm a history nerd through and through, it's set in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, seeing the political upheaval through the eyes of a young woman. There is a film version as well. If it wins, people's choice whether it's part 1 or both parts we read. Depends on what everyone can access I suppose.
Persepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private and public life in a country plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trials of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming—both sweet and terrible; and, finally, of her self-imposed exile from her beloved homeland. It is the chronicle of a girlhood and adolescence at once outrageous and familiar, a young life entwined with the history of her country yet filled with the universal trials and joys of growing up.
Edgy, searingly observant, and candid, often heartbreaking but threaded throughout with raw humor and hard-earned wisdom—Persepolis is a stunning work from one of the most highly regarded, singularly talented graphic artists at work today.
Edgy, searingly observant, and candid, often heartbreaking but threaded throughout with raw humor and hard-earned wisdom—Persepolis is a stunning work from one of the most highly regarded, singularly talented graphic artists at work today.
Poll will be open for 7 days, so get in quick. Once the book is chosen, we have two months to read and discuss the book.
React/discuss at your own pace. All of us are differing levels of busy and differing levels of how much we can read at once, so remember to use spoilers for spoiler-related content so you don't spoil for others! Please be respectful in this regard.
Site rules apply to all discussions. Be aware that books may contain mature themes or language. In my selections, I'm pretty sure they all do, sorry.
If you'd like to host a book club in the upcoming year, please PM @Cyndi Kingsley !
Friendly reminder that anyone on the site can join in!
