This is a long post as it was a week of lots of novellas and books as I tried to get over jet lag.

Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith

This novella about longing had some lovely prose. It had a sentimental and reflective quality. There were no quotation marks which I am more use to after Normal People. I liked the characters, but I was bored. I read this in two jet lagged early mornings. I found myself impatient in the second half for something other than the atmosphere and the prose. I think I would have appreciated this novella more if I were younger as it had its character on a precipice.

December 7-8, 2024 on Kobo Clara BW.

Ascendance of Bookworm: Part 1, Volume 1 by Miya Kuzuki, You Shiina (Illustrator), Quof (Translator), Reba Buhr (Narrator)

Audiobook about 25%. The start of my journey with this light novel series. The manga adaptation is excellent when you consider this light novel. It felt like I was rereading the manga. It was fun and the audiobook narrator did a good job. The translation of this novel was fine and it could be better. It’s not comparable to other Japanese translated novels I’ve read recently. Other than that, I continue to love this series and look forward to catching up to the manga and then watching the anime after.

1.5-1.75x. December 6-8, 2024 on Kobo Clara BW.

Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan

This was a novella that I had head about from a book podcast. I wanted to try it out because it was short and quite well rated on GoodReads. I should have looked at the content warnings because a lot of crazy, violent things happened to Sonia the protagonist. While this was fiction, the author wrote it based on the stories of the real Sonia who was a midwestern horse trainer. This woman is tough. No wonder the author wanted to write about her life. It was written well albeit dark and intense. It makes me think humans should not raise horses sport.

December 10, 2024 on Kobo Clara BW.

Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner

This was making its way through my book club. A debut novel from 1926 about a woman who made a deal with the devil to live independently away from her family. The book is an underrated classic. It was short and reflective. It’s just about a single woman who wants to be left alone. It’s for introverts and for any woman who wants independence, choices, and freedom. It was very relatable. I hope this book becomes more popular.

December 10-11, 2024 on Kobo Clara BW.

Clear by Carys Davies

A well written and atmospheric literary historical fiction novel. It was set in a remote Scottish island in the North Sea in the mid 19th century. It was a novella about isolation, longing, and connection. There were three well crafted characters and an atmospheric setting. Satisfying read. For fans of Claire Keegan.

December 11-12, 2024 on Kobo Clara BW.

Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 1 Volume 2 by Miya Kazuki, Quof (translator) , You Shiina (Illustrator), Reba Buhr (Narrator)

Listened to the audiobook partly by itself mostly in tandem with the ebook. I love the slice of life and gentle vibe of characters working together. This novel had the start of Myne and Lutz’s friendship and business partnership. It also detailed more about Myne’s mysterious chronic illness. I was impressed in the manga and again here how the author wrote this. The prose continues to be very plain which is the style of light novels. I am addicted to the characters and the setting. I am trying not to binge this series.

1.75-2.5x. December 9-12, 2024 on Kobo Clara BW.

So Late in the Day: Stories of Men and Women by Claire Keegan

There are three stories in this collection. The first two are written well. The last was more of a thriller which I found less compelling. All of them are about misogyny or sexism. I was uncomfortable reading all three of them. I think that was the point but none of them were as a good as Foster (my favourite) and Small Things Like These. Keegan is still a great writer and I will continue to seek her work out.

December 13, 2024 on Kobo Clara BW.

Winning with ADHD: A Playbook for Teens and Young Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder by Grace Friedman and Sarah Cheyette

DNF 33%. Not really applicable to me. Tried to listen to it on super speed and didn’t find anything in first third to make me want to know more.

2.5x. December 13, 2024.

The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore

This was a very inoffensive novel with a lot of vibes. On the one hand, I found it long, boring, and I didn’t care for male lead. That’s usually how I feel about most contemporary romance novels. Having said that, there was something about how slow and unexceptionable it was that I didn’t mind too much after a week of good and so-so literary novellas. I found it amusing how well the author padded up the tropes and the setting. I may continue this series. Not all books have to be about great characters or literary feats.

December 13-16 2024 on Kobo Clara BW.