Pat Taub
After months of being preoccupied with the midterms, it’s time to revisit simple pleasures, like keeping company with a good book.
To assist you, I’m sharing books that have transported me, made me laugh, and enlarged my world view.
FICTION
The Ferryman and His Wife by Frode Grytten
Nils Vik wakes up on November 18th, knowing he will die today. He bids farewell to the home where he has lived as a widower, stepping onto the boat he has operated as a ferryman. One by one ghosts from his past, starting with his beloved deceased dog, come aboard, showing him what he might have missed as he anticipates being reunited with his wife, Marta. A beautifully crafted novel where each sentence sings.
The Director by Daniel Kehlmann
The main character, film director, G. W. Pabst’s only creative option during Hitler’s reign is to collaborate with the Nazi-controlled film industry. At great moral cost to himself and his family, Pabst convinces himself good art can triumph in the worst of times. A timely book for life under Trump’s authoritarianism, destined to escalate under his new Chief-of-Staff, Steven Miller. Recommended for a book club or politically concerned group.
It Will Come Back to You by Sigrid Nunez
Thirteen short stories whose protagonists range from an awkward young girl to a man contemplating murdering his wife. Nunnezez is masterful at unexpected plot twists, making it hard to put this book down. The New York Times review noted: “Like the food in a good restaurant, Numez’s prose is excellent but unfussy.”
Sigrid Nunez discussing her work
Eastbound by Maylis de Krangal
Inspired by her trip on the Trans-Siberian Express, French writer de Kangal, has crafted a story about two travelers on the Trans-Siberian Express: young Russian transcript, Aliocha, and Helene, an older French woman. Neither speaks the other’s language, communicating through gestures and facial expressions. Helene learns Aliocha wants to desert; after consenting to help him, she has second thoughts. The Trans-Siberian Express is a main character featuring its tight, suffocating interior juxtaposed by the vast wilderness outside.
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
Tokarczuk, a Nobel Prize winner, has written a highly entertaining story of offbeat humor, murder, ghosts, and lovable eccentrics. The central character is Janina, a cantankerous older woman, feminist, astrologist, animal rights advocate, and translator of Blake, living alone in a remote Polish village. Janina spends time with Oddball, Dizzy and Good News. The story morphs into a murder mystery after several prominent men are brutally killed.
Olga Tokarczuk, in a playful mood
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
Recommended by my brother who’s expert at tracking down laugh-filled reads. The protagonist, Mabel, is an outspoken 81-year-old residing in Melbourne in a family neighborhood of row houses. Like Janina in “Drive Your Plow,” Mabel is sharp-tongued and fiercely independent with a secret past that raises the ante.
NON FICTION
When the World Sleeps by Francesca Albanese
Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights has tirelessly advocated for Gaza, imploring global citizens to fill the void left by world leaders who have turned their backs on Gaza. This past weekend pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Amsterdam answered her call, carrying a 36-meter-long white fabric representing bearing the names of over 21,000 Palestinian children killed in Gaza.
End Times Fascism by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor
If you’re trying to make sense of our unbalanced, often scary world, this is a must read, summed up by the Guardian: “A sharp analysis of the damage wrought by the reckless super-rich, and a progressive toolkit for repairing it.” A book to fire you up to join the ranks of those working for a just world.
Joy by Maira Kalman
Who couldn’t use more joy in their lives? Kalman delivers another one of her delightfully illustrated books chronicling joy among historical figure, her aunts and in everyday items, like a vase of poppies. I gifted it to my daughter-in-law for her birthday.
A page from “Joy”
