The Adversary, Michael Crummey. 2023. Brother and sister are Cain and Abel.

Permanent Astonishment, Tomson Highway. 2021. A memoir of a First Nations from birth to age fifteen when Tomson completes residential school.

Study for Obedience, Sarah Bernstein, 2023. A woman moves to the country to take care of her brother.

Erasure, Percival Everett, 2001. A writer struggles to get published then has a hit with a book he hates.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke, 2004. Two magicians bring real magic to 1800s England.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera, 1984. The lives and loves of two couples and a dog in Russian-occupied Prague. Plus some Nietzsche.

Horse, Geraldine Brooks, 2022. Three stories connected by a race horse.

An Honorable Exit, Eric Vuillard, 2023. The French military in Vietnam tried to make the world a better place for a handful of rich Frenchmen. The French military failed, countless Vietnamese died, but the rich guys came out just fine.

The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson, 2020. As France falls to the Nazis, Churchill takes charge as PM leading the fight for freedom. Churchill and the Brits impress with their resilience.

Tom Lake, Ann Patchett, 2023.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera, 1984. Even better the second time.

Four Seasons in Rome, Anthony Doerr, 2004. A writer spends a year a Rome and finds it more inscrutable than expected. Also lovely, with free health care and great food.

Son of a Gun, Justin St. Germain, 2013. A memoir about a boy becoming a man in a broken world. Set in the scorched landscape of the southwestern US and populated with working class people determined to begin afresh.

City of the Soul: A Walk in Rome, William Murray. 2002.

My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante. 2011. In which we meet two young women growing up in 1950s Napoli. Read the set years ago. Re-read the first volume in prep for a visit.

The Almond Tree, Michael Corasanti. 2012. Not recommended.

A Beginner's Guide to Dying, Simon Boas. 2024.

The Cave, José Saramago, translated by Margaret Costa, 2000. Delightful writing discussed in my book club.

1984, George Orwell. 1949. A chilling full-cast performance from Audible. The only negative is it's abridged.

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Haruki Murakami. 1985. There are better Murakamis.

On the Calculation of Volume (Book I), Solvej Balle. 2024. First in a speculative septology. A rare-book dealer's struggle as she wakes up each morning only to repeat the same day.

On the Calculation of Volume (Book 2), Solvej Balle. 2024.

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens. 1843.