The Sea by John Banville

This 2005 Booker prize winner is about a middle-aged man who goes back to a seaside town of his youth after the death of his wife. Most Booker prize winners do not have any plot, but they are all usually written well. This was the case here. This book had some low ratings on GR and TSG. The characters are not particularly likeable and nothing much happens. I found my interest waning at various times, but the writing was different than most things published today. Banville used difficult words well. The tone was similar to other Booker winners, but still distinct. I cannot describe the singularity of the prose. I grew to really appreciate it. I would be hard pressed to recommend this book to most people though.

Oct 17-19, 2025.

Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger

Like everyone else in North America, I read Catcher in the Rye in high school and disliked Holden Caulfield. Returning to Salinger more than twenty years later, I enjoyed myself much more in this short story and novella collection. Salinger is good with dialogue. The characters felt real and the writing was very good. It actually made me more curious about this family but I do not know if I will read more Salinger.

Oct 20, 2025.

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz, Rossmery Almonte (Narrator) Kimberly M. Wetherell (Narrator)

The audiobook was great. Almonte’s narration was excellent and audio design. I found the character work was elevated by the audiobook. It was written well but the audiobook made the pathos work amazingly well. Cara ‘s story reminded me of other immigrant women I’ve met before.

1.5-1.75x. Oct 21-24, 2025.