What are you reading?

[Jubal]

Books 10-12 have been read!

I read The Whalebone Theatre, a slightly sad tale of people, theatrics, and the impact of the Second World War, wherein multiple members of a family start a little theatrical company and, later, end up doing undercover operations in France. It's an interesting and complex piece of historical fiction, one that felt a lot less heavy than The Glass Palace but still very interesting. It's also beautifully written which helps a lot.

Then my Christmas reading consisted firstly of a much lighter read, Death at the Sign of the Rook, a rather silly but neat detective story featuring weary down-to-earth detective Jackson Brodie, a lot of stolen art, and a couple of murders, but generally in a very light read sort of way that works out for most of the characters in the end.

Finally, a year of mostly rather grim reading was rounded out with The Love-Girl and the Innocent, by Solzhenitsin. It's a short play set in a gulag, and has got that very slice-of-life realism thing of mid C20th Russian literature, though it's unsparing in picking at the moral and social decay of the prison camp systems. I found the portrayal of the system as a whole really interesting, and it ends on an uncertain albeit sorrowful note rather than as a grand tragedy, which felt appropriate.

Perhaps that's been the theme of this year's books: endings are imperfect, from Nemo to Nemov, we don't really know what happens next. And there's something in that which is a pity, especially for those of us who want everything to be a story, want our climaxes and victories and defeats rather than just slow slides into more or less rest, joy, or pain. On the other hand, there's also hope inherent in uncertainty - dum anima est, spes esse. Onto the next turn of the year.

[Jubal]

2026's first reading - Baudolino, by Umberto Eco. It's very very good, especially if you like frame narratives, unreliable narrators, Byzantium and imaginaries of the medieval east. Niketas Choniates as a major character is an inspired choice. Honestly it's really really weird that I hadn't read this book before, I'd been given it years ago and it's effectively tailor-made to my interests. Genuinely one of those that's going to be part of my favourite books I've ever read canon. Not really sure what else to say that isn't spoilery - there's a certain tragedy to it all, but the mix of playing with truth and hope along with it makes it a bearable sort of tragedy. And whilst there's something indulgent about storytelling about storytelling, it's also very very good if one likes that sort of thing. Which I very much do.

[psyanojim]

2026's first reading - Baudolino, by Umberto Eco.

Hmm, interesting choice. I love Umberto Eco but haven't read that one, its sitting on my bookshelf staring at me right now in an accusatory fashion.

Maybe it's time to promote it from my bookshelf to the giant pile of unread books sitting next to me.

[Jubal]

Maybe it's time to promote it from my bookshelf to the giant pile of unread books sitting next to me.

Would very much recommend this course of action. I've read remarkably little Eco (of his fiction at least, I've read some of his essays and other works) but I should remedy that.

I've got too many options for the next book, we'll see what ends up getting to the coveted top of the pile position!

[psyanojim]

Would very much recommend this course of action. I've read remarkably little Eco (of his fiction at least, I've read some of his essays and other works) but I should remedy that.

Fun fact, looks like I bought my copy of the book in Hong Kong.

So it has followed me all around the planet, and I still haven't got around to reading it!

Yeah, maybe the time has finally come.