#756) BURMESE DAYS, George Orwell- Corruption in Burma reads a lot like corruption in the US, especially in 2020. The novel follows an Englishman in Burma who wants to do the right thing but is surrounded by a sea of corruption. The book captures that tension between the English colonists and the oppressed colonies and adds yet another strike ( Read more... )

#755) THE THINKING REED, Rebecca West- Not much happens by way of plot- romance in early 20th century France- but West's writing and the main character Isabelle are compelling, page turning wonders. Not one of those books that will change your way of thinking or make you question life, but it is one highly enjoyable read ( Read more... )

#753) AUGUST IS A WICKED MONTH, Edna O'Brien- A divorcee goes to Paris to get her groove back and not only do things not go as she envisioned, tragedy awaits her at home. A short, sharp shock of a book. Engaging, compelling, memorable ( Read more... )

#751) BROKEN APRIL, Ismail Kadare- This is a disturbing book. Taking place in the fictionalized highlands of Albania, this book centers around the Death Culture of a cut-off from modernity society, in which blood feuds haunt families for generations and society's governing principles are stained with killing and revenge. Viewed from the vantage ( Read more... )

#749) THE YEAR OF THE DEATH OF RICARDO REIS- The title gives away the ending. Portugese ex-pat living in Brazil returns to Portugal in the 1930s as fascism gains ground and everyone is a suspect. Romance, sex, love, a mid life crisis- its the last year in one man's life ( Read more... )

#748) A HEART SO WHITE, Javiar Marias- This novel reads like a collection of loosely connected short stories centered on marriage and relationships. While the focus is a single narrator and his experiences, the chapters are not driven by any single action other than one man's interactions with his wife, father, and friends. AT LEAST that's what it ( Read more... )

#746) THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES, Marie-Madeliane Pioche de Lavergne- This historical novel of French romances reads like a high school drama of royal romance, adultery, jealousy, and violence. Pretty dry and at times a struggle to keep the names and relations straight (I know close to nothing about royal lineages and dukes and counts and princesses) ( Read more... )

#745) THE MOONSTONE, Wilkie Collins- This is one heck of a convoluted mystery. A mysterious diamond goes missing and swirling around the disappearance are three mysterious Indians (from India), a boy who can see the future, a distraught a irrational heiress, her estranged lover, a sick doctor, an uptight butler, a conniving lawyer, and many many ( Read more... )

#744) MAX HAVELAAR, OR THE COFFEE AUCTIONS OF THE DUTCH TRADING COMPANY, Multatuli- Wow! This David Foster Wallace-esque novel of 1860 documents actual abuses by the colonial Dutch in Java. The title character is stationed in Java, immediately discovers rampant abuse by everyone in any official capacity, and fights to change it. The book, just as ( Read more... )

#743) PIERRE AND JEAN, Guy de Maupassant- One of two brothers inherits the entire estate of a long-time friend of the family. The fact that this man left only one son the inheritance leads to all kinds of questions, questions concerning his actual relationship with the son, the mother, and the impetus behind his decisions. Great topic, well-written ( Read more... )