Ursina's Shelf - Repeat authors
Issue 35
Dear Readers,
Deciding which book to read can feel daunting, especially when time for reading is so precious. For me, an easy choice is when a beloved author publishes a new book. These decisions generally turn out well, though occasionally can lead to disappointment, which I, for example, felt with Sally Rooney’s new book Beautiful World, Where Are You, which came nowhere close to my love for Conversations with Friends (which previously featured in my 2020 Review issue). Here a few favorite books from repeat authors that I read this fall.
New books by beloved authors
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (2021)
Description: The book follows the adventures of five characters in three different time periods from medieval Constantinople to the near future. All five characters are bound together by the story in an ancient Greek text. Each story explores friendship, love for a story, and humans’ connections to nature, which the author encourages us to believe is worth preserving and coming back to.
My take: This was the kind of book that made me want to cancel all my plans to keep reading; I just could not put it down. The plot is fascinating in bit-sized and quick chapters with expected and unexpected twists. The characters are loveable despite their flaws and fundamentally this book is a homage to storytelling and to our wondrous planet.
Bonus tip: Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize winning All The Light We Cannot See was previously featured in issue 5 on historical fiction.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2021)
Description: The story centers around the four Riva siblings, all of whom are facing challenges of their own, but are tightly bound together and to their home town by their shared experiences of their upbringing there under the shadow of their absent famous musician father. All their anxieties and dreams for the future come to a head at the legendary annual Riva summer party, which is the centerpiece of this book.
My take: I always love a good story about intertwined family members (see for example Ann Patchett’s The Commonwealth in issue 18). In this book, I liked all the individual characters and how smoothly the plot in the present day of the story surrounding the party evolves, while we learn about the siblings' past. I read this book on a (very) long train ride and can recommend it to anyone with holiday travel ahead as it is perfectly engaging without being exhausting.
Bonus tip: I also adored the author’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and of course Daisy Jones & The Six, which was featured in this newsletter’s very first issue: my 2019 Review.
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (2021)
Description: After Emmett’s return to Nebraska from a juvenile work camp and his father’s death, he is planning for a fresh start for his kid brother Billy and himself in California, but all his plans go out the window as he is joined by two escapee camp mates, who initiate an altogether different journey.
My take: Given my absolute adoration for Count Rostov, Sofia, and all of The Gentleman in Moscow (also featured in the first issue), it took me a while to warm up to Emmett, Billy, their friends, and the odd series of events that lead them from Nebraska to New York City. I did come to love these characters, especially their tales from New York locales. I was enthralled by the story telling mechanism of Billy’s insightful comparisons with the heroes of history and legend as described in his favorite book by Professor Abernathy, a perfect foil for the story's own hero and his story teller.
Bonus tip: In addition to The Gentleman in Moscow, which might be my favorite book ever, I also recommend Rules of Civility (previously recommended in Issue 23).
Friendly recommendations
Speaking of beloved authors to read on repeat, I recently asked my friends on Instagram for authors that they have read three or more books by. Kelly mentioned both Taylor Jenkins Reid and Jeffrey Eugenides and Jeanne brought up Haruki Murakami. Lindsay suggested Lisa Kleypas’ historical romance novels and Rebecca endorsed Gary Shteyngart with the single word “hilarious”.
McKenna recommended John Steinbeck and Amitav Ghosh, and wisely pointed out that mystery authors need to be excluded, as the list would become too long with beloved detectives and sleuths, who we follow across many tomes. This is a very valid point, as I myself excitedly read the new Sebastian Bergman and Sneijder/Nemez novels that both appeared this fall (and were previously mentioned in the mystery issue).
Addendum
I would also like to introduce a new segment to this newsletter for recommendations that would have fit in well with a previous newsletter, as I keep stumbling over this thought more and more often. Today I would like to recommend the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible about Nepali climber Nimsdai Purja and his quest to climb all mountains over 8000 meters of elevation in one year. This movie is awe-inspiring, stunning, and touching and fits perfect with the books and movies previously mentioned in my Mountains newsletter.
Currently reading... I am between books at the moment, having just finished Cloud Cuckoo Land earlier today and still deciding on the next book, never an easy choice.
I hope you are all getting excited for the holidays. For some last-minute gift ideas, check out my gift guide issue. I wish you all merry times with your loved ones, lots of rest and relaxation, and maybe some time with a good book. The newsletter will be back on New Year’s Eve with my 2021 book review, until then send me all bookish and other recommendations.