Nov 2, 2024

Wearing the Dog: Sunday Salon

 An older book found in my TBR list, whose title stood out to me



Separation Anxiety by Laura Zigman
Published March 3, 2020; Ecco, NetGalley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Judy deals with years of loss and resulting anxiety by carrying around her dog, Charlotte, not in a handbag or on a leash, but in a baby sling around her neck. She seems not to mind the stares of incomprehension from friends and strangers.

I found everything strange about the character and her situation, her living in different rooms in the same house with her husband Gary, from whom she is unofficially separated, and dealing with her young son as well as his school, teachers, other mothers, etc. while always "wearing the dog."

I guess the novel shows how people cope in different ways with their lives and its complications. An intriguing novel with some good insights by the book's unusual narrator Judy. The ending, however, seemed to add to the oddness of the book, when wearing the dog seems to become an acceptable, spreading concept in Judy's world.

In the mail 


Exposure by Ramona Emerson
October 1, 2024; Soho Crime
Genre: thriller

Description
In the follow-up to the National Book Award–longlisted Shutter, Navajo forensic photographer Rita Todacheene grapples with a fanatical serial killer—and the ghosts he leaves behind.

A dual-voice cat-and-mouse thriller, told from the points of view of a killer who has created his own deadly religion and the only person who can stop him, an embattled young detective who sees the ghosts of his Native victims.


ARCs

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
Published January 2, 2024; S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books, NetGalley
Genre: historical fiction, Malaya

Description
Malaya, 1945
A novel about a Malayan mother who becomes an unlikely spy for the invading Japanese forces during WWII—and the shocking consequences that rain upon her community and family.

Told from the perspectives of four unforgettable characters, The Storm We Made is a dazzling saga about the horrors of war; the fraught relationships between the colonized and their oppressors, and the ambiguity of right and wrong when survival is at stake.


Elephant Herd by Zhanh Guixing, in translation
January 14, 2025; Columbia University Press, NetGalley
Genre: historical novel, Sarawak, Malaysia

The cover and title grabbed my attention and the book covers a period of time in Malaysia that was always interesting to me.

Description
Elephant Herd is a vivid and captivating novel by the Taiwan-based Malaysian Chinese (Mahua) writer Zhang Guixing, whose distinctive style evokes the jungles of Southeast Asia. It is an atmospheric account of a Malaysian Chinese young man’s journey upriver deep into the Sarawak rainforest of northwest Borneo in search of his uncle, the leader of a Communist guerilla group. Venturing through the jungle, the protagonist—largely referred to only as “the boy”—enters a verdant and vertiginous world of wild creatures and political peril.

Its main narrative begins in the 1970s and proceeds to explore the repercussions of Sarawak’s midcentury Communist insurgency. Focusing on the boy, his extended family, and his Indigenous classmate and travel companion, Zhang examines the complex relations among ethnic Chinese, local Malays, and Indigenous peoples. 



Hotel Lucky Seven by Kotaro Isaka, in translation
Publication: November 19, 2024; Overlook Press. NetGalley
Genre: thriller

Description: 
Bullet Train’s hapless underworld operative and his handler are back in this thrilling, "outrageously entertaining" new novel from internationally bestselling author Kotaro Isaka.

Will the unluckiest assassin in the world find things easier this time around? All he has to do is deliver a painting to a hotel guest, a portrait made by his daughter. Easy enough, except when Ladybug makes the delivery, he realizes that the guest is clearly not the guy in the painting. Then he attacks Ladybug, they fight, and the guest ends up dead. How can such simple jobs always go wrong?

What are you reading/watching this week? 

24 comments:

  1. These look fascinating! Hope you enjoy the new books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are all books I want to read. Problem is, I have many more than I can possibly read! The choices are difficult.

      Delete
  2. I like the sound of Elephant herd and The Storm We Made. Glad you posted about them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love Laura Zigman, though I haven't read Separation Anxiety. Yet. and I'm really looking forward to reading Exposure. I loved Emerson's first book. :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. I read Separation Anxiety when it first came out. I thought it was quirky.

    I've heard some good reviews of The Storm We Made, but I have not read it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. These sound intriguing! Have a good reading week.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You have some truly challenging books there! And, Separation Anxiety sounds truly strange.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You've got quite a diversity there. Enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. All these books sound good but the one I want the most is Wearing the Dog. I love all animals but dogs are my favorite!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love that you picked such a variety of book, elephant herd sounds awesome.

    https://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-sunday-post.html

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wearing a dog?!? That's just weird and frightening. The only animal I wear is leather on my shoes and sometimes I feel horrible for that.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love how eclectic and varied your TBR list is. I read mostly NetGalley books and it's a very lean time for new titles as publishers don't put out new books in late Nov or December.

    ReplyDelete
  12. These books sound so good. The premise of Separation Anxiety is intriguing.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I hope you enjoy them all! Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Just started 'The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why by Amanda Ripley, which is very interesting. After that it will be 'Blood and Chrysanthemums' by Nancy Baker.

    ReplyDelete
  15. These all look good, especially Separation Anxiety. Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
  16. The cover of the Elephant Heard also grabbed my attention.

    My Sunday Salon

    ReplyDelete
  17. All of these books look interesting!

    .Here’s my Sunday Post and The Sunday Watch

    Rabbit Ears Book Blog: WORLD’S WEIRDEST BOOK BLOG!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Lots of interesting books this week. Wonder what it would be like to be an unlucky assassin. Enjoy!

    https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2024/11/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-nov-4.html

    ReplyDelete
  19. What an intriguing array of books. I’ll be checking out Exposure and the books of Kotaro Isaka

    ReplyDelete
  20. The Storm We Made is on my TBR too! I haven't heard of Elephant Herd though! Love that you featured two books set in Malaysia!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Intriguing assortment of books. Exposure sounds the best to me. I'll have to add that one to my list. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I've read Separation Anxiety and The Storm We Made. The woman protagonist in the Zigman novel is really on the brink! Here are my thoughts on it: https://www.thecuecard.com/books/staying-the-course/

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate your comments and thoughts...

Han Kang: Witness Literature

A new genre to me: Witness literature  - stories and narratives that reflect a writer's knowledge and experience of world shattering eve...