Quarantine Book Club | Edition VI

I started the Quarantine Book Club six months ago. I do so with the vain hope that I could end it just as quickly. But here I am, on my thirty-fifth birthday, a little short of two weeks post-surgery, feeling grateful that I have an activity I love to occupy my time while I stay indoors: reading. I suspect this will be a long, challenging fall and winter for all of us. But the one thing we can always count on to be there when we need them is books.

And so, welcome, friends, to the sixth edition of the Quarantine Book Club. I hope that, whatever the situation where you are, you’re able to find some comfort in these trying times, whether that comfort comes from books or something else entirely. Like most months, I haven’t loved everything on my reading list  – but what I don’t love, someone else might. That’s part of the fun of a book club. If you’ve read any of the six books below, I’d love to hear your thoughts about them in the Comments!

(And if you’re curious about what else I’ve read, you can look back on Quarantine Book Club | Edition I, Quarantine Book Club | Edition II, Quarantine Book Club | Edition III, Quarantine Book Club | Edition IV and Quarantine Book Club | Edition V. You can also see my whole list on Good Reads.)

Emma – Jane Austen
Apart from Pride and Prejudice, which I love unconditionally, I can find a flaw in every Jane Austen book. In Emma, it’s the incredible overuse of dramatic irony that gets me. From approximately page three, the reader knows exactly how the story will end, but we still have to read through hundreds of pages and watch Emma make countless infuriating missteps to get there. While still an enjoyable read, given that the ending is so obvious from the beginning, I always wish it came a bit sooner.

The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction
When I consider how to describe this book, the first adjective that comes to mind is long. And it is, in fact, a very long book, nearly eight hundred pages. But I don’t think it’s just about that. This is an anthology of short stories recommended by writers who teach writing. As someone who studied writing, I know that teaching writers know very well what makes good writing – but I also know that good writing and writing that is enjoyable to read are not always the same thing. Some of the stories in this anthology are both well written and wonderful. Others, while well written, miss the mark for the reader, which is what makes the book feel as long as it in fact is.

Mansfield Park – Jane Austen
Yes, I am still working my way through the Jane Austen anthology. And if I had to rank the books I’ve read so far in order of preference, Mansfield Park would be at the bottom. Maybe even below the bottom. The protagonist, Fanny Price, is insufferable. There is really no other way to put it. I remain unable to fathom what Ms. Austen may have been trying to tell us through her prigish, moralising character, despite having given it hours of thought. I wouldn’t love the movie version of the book, either, except that it is such a vast improvement in the story over the original. It absolutely kills me to say that, but it’s true. At least, in the movie, Fanny show signs of a sense of humour!

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race – Reni Ebbo Lodge
Living in Canada, stories of American racism fill our newspaper. Often, they take up space that should be occupied by stories of racism within our own country. Racism exists worldwide. The narrative about racism in the United States takes up space in a unique way that often drowns out the voices of those who experience it in other countries. It was refreshing to read about it from the perspective of someone who is not American. Reni Ebbo Lodge writes a profound and telling but easily digestible account of racism in the United Kingdom. This book is a quick read but a very worthwhile one.

Toutes les histoires d’amour ont ete racontees, sauf une – Tonino Bennacquista
Although I read a lot of French books, it’s not often that I include them in my Quarantine Book Club selections. I know they will be accessible to only a limited number of members apart from myself unless they’ve been translated. And Tonino Bennacquista’s first novel in two decades is so new that it exists only in French. (For all I know, that may never change.)

I needed to include this book because I loved it from the moment I saw the title. (It translates to All the Love Stories have been Told, Except One.) This is no love story. Rather, the plot recounts a man’s journey through psychosis. It is told as a whole, but from two perspectives. First, that of the man himself, told through such close internal monologue that it seems the people he imagines are real characters in their own sub-plot. Second, that of his closest friends, who sincerely want to support him but struggle to understand how to do that without sacrificing their own sanity.

If you do speak French, you need to read this book.

Born a Crime – Trevor Noah
Full disclosure: nothing about books written by celebrities appeals to me. Almost nothing about celebrity culture appeals to me, but the fact that they all seem to have a newfound desire to profit from writing is high on the list. I would never have chosen this book on my own. I borrowed it from my cousin and read it during my recent vacation just for the sake of reading something. In fact, I’m not all that familiar with Trevor Noah. While I found his story interesting, what made it interesting for me was the historical and social context in which he grew up… Which is to say that I would have found the same story written by anyone else more interesting given that they wouldn’t have had the benefit of pre-existing fame to sell it.