Underground by Haruki Murakami, translated by Alfred Birnbaum and Philip Gabriel

2/5 stars

How’d I find it? My spouse and I spent our honeymoon in Japan, and I borrowed this book from one of his stacks. I am new to Murakami, having only read Norwegian Wood.

Why not 3 or more stars? Murakami compiles interviews with survivors and witnesses of the sarin gas attack on several Tokyo subway trains in March 1995, contrasting them with views from individuals linked to Aum Shinrikyo, the cult that perpetrated the terrorist act. Murakami gestures at the social and cultural context of modern Japan which made the tragedy possible, but a more profound excavation fails to materialize in this journalistic endeavor.

Mood Swings by Frankie Barnet

4/5 stars

What's it about? Animals finally take their revenge against people, until billionaire Roderick Maeve develops a sound that kills every non-human beast on the planet. Jenlena and Daphne are roommates navigating a post-fauna reality wracked by social and environmental upheaval, influenced by the Moon Bethlehems, a cult rallying against the natural degradation caused by humans. Jenlena starts a fling with Maeve just as he’s developing a time machine to possibly save the world. A smart, funny, and relevant first novel.

How’d I find it? This wild cover caught my eye as I strolled the shelves at Powell’s on a Sunday, coffee in hand.

Who will enjoy this book? Mood Swings echoes many of the themes and plot devices of Girlfriend on Mars by Deborah Willis, another talented Canadian writer.

What stood out? The odd thoughts during sex, the ennui, the self-conscious paranoia—Barnet gets young womanhood and knows how to write it without judging her characters. She also evokes a future all too probable; I can absolutely envision a future in which houseplants replace the lost experience of pets. Reading this book in 2025 hits a special nerve, so I recommend picking up Mood Swings as soon as you can.

Which line made me feel something? How I loved the writing in this novel: “It was dark and Jenlena made out only shapes: the shape of branches, the shape of underbrush, the shape of wanting to do anything he asked her to, the shape of being afraid to do it.”

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

3/5 stars

What's it about? Gifty, an ambitious and talented doctoral candidate in neuroscience at Stanford, takes in her mother as she grapples with a depressive episode that rivals the one she survived when Gifty’s brother died of an overdose. A tender sophomore novel about family, faith, and grief.

How’d I find it? How I miss Politics and Prose and the way they have every title I could possibly imagine.

Who will enjoy this book? The book reminded me heavily of the excellent 2019 film Waves. If you like the work of Celeste Ng, pick this one up.

What stood out? Transcendent Kingdom covers relevant themes about immigration, race, mental health, and modern religion, so it will appeal to any reader who seeks a solid pick from the bestsellers table. Despite Gyasi’s sure command, the novel lacks an edge, and this well-written approachability fails to cloak its formulaic narrative.

Which line made me feel something? “God was gone in an instant, but my mother became a mirage, an image formed by refracted light. I moved toward her and toward her, but she never moved toward me. She was never there.”

Bright Unbearable Reality by Anna Badkhen

3/5 stars

What's it about? Badkhen reflects on humanity, origins, and the inequities of our world in this collection that is part travelogue, part reckoning. Bright Unbearable Reality figures into the chorus of responses to the pandemic and its aftermath.

How’d I find it? One always finds something on the sale tables at Powell’s.

Who will enjoy this book? If Zadie Smith’s Intimations resonated with you, Badkhen’s thoughts might, too.

What stood out? Badkhen takes a graceful approach to mass migration, displacement, and injustice, and, while her sumptuous language doesn’t always work, it’s intoxicating to read. She pulls from across the spectrum of human creativity to enrich her subjects, like, for example, when she references the sculptures of Roni Horn in an essay set during a pilgrimage across the Sahara.

Which line made me feel something? From “Dark Matter:” “Why refuse to address head-on the two experiences that pinnacle our humanness, violence and astonishment, why find circuitous ways to describe them; why not behold and marvel at what is before us on its own terms, just as it is; what avarice within us makes us plow right through the miraculous, or past it, without pause, makes us insatiable?”

Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell

3/5 stars

What's it about? The dark and cruel little stories of Seven Empty Houses explore domestic dangers: loved ones turned enemies, intruders, and even child abduction. A solid collection.

How’d I find it? You can’t go wrong with Samanta Schweblin. If I see something of hers I haven’t read, I pick it up. This copy was discovered at Powell’s.

Who will enjoy this book? Those who enjoy the stories of Ottessa Moshfegh will find much to admire in Seven Empty Houses.

What stood out? The claustrophobia that Schweblin creates throughout the book works its magic, and the tension is a delicious addition to the complex interiors we visit. There’s also a range of emotion for the reader. “Breath from the Depths” will break your heart, while “An Unlucky Man” will make you shudder. Schweblin lets her characters be themselves, even when they’re horrible or selfish.

Which line made me feel something? Lola’s to-do list: “Classify everything. Donate what it is expendable. Wrap what is important. Concentrate on death. If he meddles, ignore him.”

The Hidden Lives of Owls by Leigh Calvez

2/5 stars

How’d I find it? You know how you find books on your shelves and have no idea how they got there? The Hidden Lives of Owls was one of those.

Why not 3 or more stars? This sweet and cozy read resembles many of its fellows in the light nature category: lots of gratitude, reflections on motherhood, and marveling at non-human residents of the planet. It’s all very nice. This reader simply wants a book that’s more…robust.

The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe by D. G. Compton

3/5 stars

What's it about? In a future where death by disease has been eradicated, Katherine Mortenhoe learns that she has a terminal case of sensory overload. While Katherine tries to reckon with her impending death, the showrunner behind the Human Destiny program secretly captures it all with the help of one special journalist. How real is Katherine’s experience? How do we judge our lives in the context of an ugly world? A novel that asks important questions for readers in 2025.

How’d I find it? When I want to treat myself, this is what I do: I stroll into Powell’s after lunch and scan the new arrivals, then wander through the shelves of my favorite sections (poetry, mid-grade fiction, foreign language, and horror). I find something (on this particular day, The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe) and sit myself down in the attached café for a cider and reading sesh.

Who will enjoy this book? Fans of the show UnREAL and Black Mirror should pick this one up.

What stood out? Compton did an eerie job of describing a society in which suffering is entertainment. Though written in 1974, the themes of surveillance and privacy feel timely for our present, in which we’re constantly bombarded with content and reality TV shows like The Bachelor are under scrutiny for their producing practices. Compton includes a dash of poignancy with a Citizen Kane “rosebud” moment that nods to the bigger questions of existence. The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe may be a quieter book than The Hunger Games or Chain-Gang All-Stars, but it has something to say.

Which line made me feel something? “…she’d crawled out of antediluvian mud on the legs of curiosity, and descended from ancient trees in search of something more than survival.”

Painting Time by Maylis de Kerangal

2/5 stars

How’d I find it? This Electric Lit list of books curated by Camille Bordas, who wrote The Material, drew me to Maylis de Kerangal.

Why not 3 or more stars? Bordas was right to put Painting Time on a list about obsession. De Kerangal clearly did her research for this novel about the art of trompe-l’œil painting and couldn’t help sharing what she learned. The world she crafts is immersive but claustrophobically small. I kept wanting to peek behind the details—someone’s eyeshadow color, the way they looked while sleeping—to understand who the characters were as people. I settled on interpreting the deluge of minutiae as the development of Paula’s vision as a painter. Regardless, it’s tedious.

Virgin by Analicia Sotelo

5/5 stars

What's it about? Channeling experience, myth, and art, Sotelo muses on sexuality and the trauma created by men in this winning first collection.

How’d I find it? Actually, this book found me. At J. Michaels Books in Eugene, I casually opened Virgin to “My Father & de Chirico Asleep on Chairs of Burnt Umber" and dissolved into tears. Had to have it.

Who will enjoy this book? This is Kendra DeColo for the younger set. If you haven’t read her, try “I Pump Milk Like a Boss.”

What stood out? Sotelo’s tone is familiar and conversational, bringing levity to topics that would otherwise weigh down the book. She takes on absent fathers and the sexualization of girls while making me smile. The language is gorgeous, and this Greek mythology nerd loved her riffs on Ariadne and Persephone. Virgin has it all: cohesion, wit, beauty, and relevance. Aside from the aforementioned poem, “Ariadne Discusses Theseus in Relation to the Minotaur” was my favorite.

Which line made me feel something? From “I’m Trying to Write a Poem about a Virgin and It’s Awful:” “everyone knows the best shadows always look like the worst kinds of men”

Amen, sister.

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

1/5 stars

How’d I find it? You know I pre-ordered the third installment of the Empyrean series and cracked this baby open the day it arrived.

Why not 3 or more stars? Welcome back to the land of ticking jaws! Onyx Storm boasts some serious highlights. The plot finds its stride during a journey to the Isles, Ridoc gets interesting, and the final act is a rollicking nail-biter. I hate to harp on it, but the writing. I couldn’t figure out what in Malek was going on for the first fifty pages, even after skimming through Iron Flame in preparation. An impressive feat in a series rife with repetition. And Xaden goes full corn in Onyx Storm, making him creepier and less sexy than ever. While highly entertaining, the book is a mess that often made me laugh out loud. Regardless, I eagerly await the next one. To put it Yarros style: Get. Your. Leathers. Ready.