The weather outside is officially frightful – and although vaccine distribution begins in the UK and the US within weeks, Canada will be far behind, with no vaccine delivery until 2021 at the earliest. So the reasons that I remain stuck inside are two-fold at this point. At least I have my books!
Welcome, friends, to the monthly meeting of the Quarantine Book Club. It’s been a strange year, but this club, solitary though it may be, has given me some solace. I look forward to some precedented times in all of our immediate to near future. But until then, we have each other, and our respective reading lists to work through.
Like most months, I haven’t loved everything on my reading list – but I’ve nearly made it through the entire Jane Austen catalogue! 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, Quarantine Book Club | Edition V, Quarantine Book Club | Edition VI and Quarantine Book Club | Edition VII. You can also see my whole list on Good Reads.)
Circe – Madeline Miller
I picked this book up largely because of the beautiful cover art. And that just served to prove what I have long believed, which is that you can, in fact, pass at least some judgement on a book based on its cover. If you love mythology, have an affinity for Greece or just love a strong female heroine, Circe will not disappoint.
Northanger Abbey – Jane Austen
Finally, I managed to finish the last of the books in Jane Austen’s catalogue. Reading six Austen novels in a single year is probably not something I would do over. I read this one in two parts – the first half before my surgery, and the second half months later, when I could finally lift the heavy book again. By that time, I’d mostly forgotten what happened in the first half because, frankly, it was fairly forgettable. Of all Austen’s novels, I found this to be the least interesting by far.
Night Sky with Exit Wounds – Ocean Vuong
Poetry isn’t for everyone – and if it isn’t for you, feel free to skip over this book entirely. Night Sky with Exit Wounds is not a book of poetry for the uninitiated. Its texts are complex and nuanced, layering the experiences of the author as a first generation American on top of his parents’ experiences with immigration – neither story is picture perfect, but Vuong paints them both richly, using original, evocative language.
Thunder on the Right – Mary Stewart
Apparently I am also working my way through Mary Stewart’s entire catalogue this year… The truth is, my mom owns an extensive collection of her books. And since mom’s collection is my primary library this year, I’m working through them all. While Stewart’s formula never changes, I confess that it’s growing on me (aside from the helpless heroine bit.) And all of her novels, including this one, are set in exotic locations that I can’t travel to add the moment, which adds to their appeal considerably.
Ellis Island – Fred Mustard Stewart
I walked past this book, which has sat in the same spot on my parents’ smaller dining room book shelf for years, every day of my life when I lived at home. The image of its white spine, printed with giant blue and yellow letters, is perfectly engraved on my mind. And yet, I never contemplated pulling it out. I’m not sure any of us ever did. The idea of reading it never crossed my mind, until last month. Desperate times, I suppose. Ellis Island is hardly great literature. In fact, I suspect there is a reason that Fred Mustard Stewart isn’t remembered as one of the great authors of his time. That does not diminish the fact that this is a highly readable, genuinely enjoyable book from start to finish. Sometimes, that’s all you really need.
Airs Above the Ground – Mary Stewart
Another Mary Stewart novel, again set in an exotic location. In this one, our heroine is marginally more able to fend for herself, which was a pleasant change of pace. Set in Austria, and focused on the uniquely Austrian Lipizzaner stallions, Airs Above the Ground shows off what I’ve come to think of as one of Stewart’s more underrated skills. She was a master of research, willing and able to seek out the most minute details to ensure the authenticity of her stories and settings. That’s not a quality I normally look for in a novelist, I admit. But it’s a hallmark of Stewart’s unique style, and allows her to easily transport you, as a reader, right into the world of each of her stories.
