Denison Avenue by Christina Wong with Daniel Innes (Illustrator)

Do you ever read a book knowing it may be emotionally affecting and then try to distance or harden yourself to not react too much? I had the chance to read this book from my library last year but I delayed it. The novel is about an older Chinese Canadian immigrant woman and the grief after she loses her husband. It’s also about the changing landscape of Toronto’s old Chinatown. It hit close to home for me. The book is half graphic novel and the prose section is also poetic at times. Most of the dialogue in the book is Taishanese, a local dialect from Guangdong China. I listened to the audiobook for 13% since I understand Cantonese. While the author did a good job of narrating, her accent was not that of a native speaker so it took me out of the story. The art was well done. The book was done well overall and I could really relate to the story. My mother would have been very similar to this woman if she had not past. I do think it’s too difficult for me to reread again.

Nov 27-Dec 1, 2024.

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel, Edoardo Ballerini (Narrator)

An enjoyable and short audiobook which I listened to on the first of two flights. I am not into true crime generally but this is about art which was interesting. It wove together many interviews and made it seem like a literary crime novel. I could tell the author did a lot of research and considered the framing and pacing. It was not too long which was likely another good choice from the author. I’ll look out for more from them. The narrator did a great job too.

1.25x. Dec 4, 2024.

Cher: The Memoir, Part One, by Cher, Cher (Narrator), Stephanie J Block (Narrator)

This was a Skip the Line Libby loan on the day I was flying out. It was a good companion on my 15 hour flight. I was hoping that Cher would narrate the whole audiobook as I’ve always liked her deep, distinctive voice. Due to her dyslexia, Cher only partially narrates the book. It was a decent memoir. There were clearly ghost writers. Some good stories and vulnerability from Cher. I did want it to be more entertaining in the Cher way. I admired her not just for her attitude but her grit and what she went through in this period of her life. I look forward to part two.

1.5-1.75x. Dec 5, 2024.