The Books I'm Reading Now
I'm reading a novel by the wonderful Catherine Newman about love and loss, We All Want Impossible Things; I'm listening to Jen Beagin's recent (public February 7) darkly funny contemporary fiction, Big Swiss, about a sex therapist transcriptionist who falls for a client on the page and then in real life; and I'm reading Maria Dong's suspenseful novel that explores mystery and mental illness, Liar, Dreamer, Thief.
What are you reading these days, bookworms?
01 We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman
In Catherine Newman's novel We All Want Impossible Things, Edith and Ashley have been best friends for more than four decades. They've shared the good, bad, and the ugly; painfully mundane and thrilling cliffhanger moments; love, and loss; disappointment and victory; and everything in between.
But now the unthinkable is happening: Edi is dying from ovarian cancer and living out her days in a hospice near Ash. Ash is struggling with her own imperfections as a mother, wife, and friend as she tries to figure out how to say goodbye to her longest, best friend in the world.
I loved Newman's nonfiction book about motherhood, Waiting for Birdy.
02 Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
Greta sits in her 1700s Dutch farmhouse in Hudson, New York transcribing sessions for a sex therapist who calls himself Om.
She begins to fall for a stoic female client who Greta affectionately thinks of as Big Swiss (she is tall and originally from Switzerland).
The woman's graceful ability to cope with her past trauma and dark history inspires Greta, who struggles to deal with her own trauma and past.
When Greta recognizes Big Swiss's voice at the dog park and the two accidentally meet, Greta keeps her profession secret. The two begin a passionate affair. Despite Greta's secrets, she is as emotionally open and honest as she's ever been.
Beagin offers comic contemporary fiction that promises to be wonderfully eccentric and unexpected. I'm all in on this oddball novel so far.
I received an audiobook edition of this book, published February 7, courtesy of Libro.fm and Simon & Schuster Audio.
03 Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong
Katrina Kim is broke, feeling unhinged, and obsessed with her coworker Kurt. Along with number rituals and frequent mental images of scenes from her favorite children's book, tracking Kurt is one of her coping mechanisms. But she's no stalker.
As she traces Kurt's comings and goings, she witnesses a tragic event in his life, which he blames upon her.
Then Katrina realizes that while she was following Kurt, he was following her back. A deadly event means Katrina must face the secrets of her own hidden past.
Maria Dong's exploration of mental illness is also a suspenseful page-turner, as Katrina follows various clues to try and resolve the menacing, mysterious events that have occurred.