Starlight Book Review – Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog 🦔🇫🇷

Cover of The Elegance of the Hedgehog on a blue background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Bonus – France

Translated from French

3.8/5 In my reading life, I felt I ventured to literary darling Paris, France numerous times. For the World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC), I aimed to read books written in the main language and translated to English for the In Translation Journey SRC. After pouring over scads of reviews, I chose Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog despite the fact that the book isn’t the first in a series.

Learn more about these 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): This novel contains references to self-harm and death by suicide.

“A moving, funny, triumphant novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us…. We are in the center of Paris, in an elegant apartment building inhabited by bourgeois families. Renée, the concierge, is witness to the lavish but vacuous lives of her numerous employers. Outwardly she conforms to every stereotype of the concierge: fat, cantankerous, addicted to television. Yet, unbeknownst to her employers, Renée is a cultured autodidact who adores art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With humor and intelligence she scrutinizes the lives of the building’s tenants, who for their part are barely aware of her existence…. Then there’s Paloma, a twelve-year-old genius. She is the daughter of a tedious parliamentarian, a talented and startlingly lucid child who has decided to end her life on the sixteenth of June, her thirteenth birthday. Until then she will continue behaving as everyone expects her to behave: a mediocre pre-teen high on adolescent subculture, a good but not an outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter….Paloma and Renée hide both their true talents and their finest qualities from a world they suspect cannot or will not appreciate them. They discover their kindred souls when a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building. Only he is able to gain Paloma’s trust and to see through Renée’s timeworn disguise to the secret that haunts her. This is a moving, funny, triumphant novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us.”

While uncomfortable with Paloma’s plan to kill herself, I found myself enjoying The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I smiled when Renée said she liked reading Harry Bosch books because I was on a Michael Connelly kick at the time. I consider The Elegance of the Hedgehog a leisurely stroll of a book. I admit, though, I became impatient for the initial interaction between the two main characters. Also, the booked ended on a rather bittersweet note. Still and all, I liked visiting Paris on the ticket provided by Barbery.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Basma Abdel Aziz’s The Queue 🇪🇬

Cover of The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz on an “Egyptian Blue” background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Egypt

Translated from Arabic

3.6/5 When I sought a books set in Egypt, preferably translated from a language other than English for the 2023 World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC), all roads led to Basma Abdel Aziz’s The Queue. In fact, this shorter book, available via my library’s Libby holding, seemed designed for this particular SRC. The cover, an Egyptian-style eye, further compelled me to read it.

Learn more about these 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): body horror (gun wound), torture, sexism, religion, war, governmental oppression, loss of a loved one

“Set against the backdrop of a failed political uprising, The Queue is a chilling debut that evokes Orwellian dystopia, Kafkaesque surrealism, and a very real vision of life after the Arab Spring.… In a surreal, but familiar, vision of modern day Egypt, a centralized authority known as ‘the Gate’ has risen to power in the aftermath of the ‘Disgraceful Events,’ a failed popular uprising. Citizens are required to obtain permission from the Gate in order to take care of even the most basic of their daily affairs, yet the Gate never opens, and the queue in front of it grows longer… Citizens from all walks of life mix and wait in the sun: a revolutionary journalist, a sheikh, a poor woman concerned for her daughter’s health, and even the brother of a security officer killed in clashes with protestors. Among them is Yehia, a man who was shot during the Events and is waiting for permission from the Gate to remove a bullet that remains lodged in his pelvis. Yehia’s health steadily declines, yet at every turn, officials refuse to assist him, actively denying the very existence of the bullet… Ultimately it is Tarek, the principled doctor tending to Yehia’s case, who must decide whether to follow protocol as he has always done, or to disobey the law and risk his career to operate on Yehia and save his life… Written with dark, subtle humor, The Queue describes the sinister nature of authoritarianism, and illuminates the way that absolute authority manipulates information, mobilizes others in service to it, and fails to uphold the rights of even those faithful to it.”

The Queue pulled me in early in my reading of it. This book possessed many characters who passed the “Dad Test of Sympathy.” Among these happens to be Tarek, the doctor seeing to the care of Yehia, another sympathetic character. Yet, I doubt one should feel at ease reading The Queue; the realism of this book shook me up for sometime after I read the last page. All these months later, I still vacillate on my feelings on The Queue.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Christina Baker Kline’s A Piece of the World 🇺🇸

Cover of A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline on a ‘tropical forest green’ colored background | Image Source: Goodreads

RUSA SRC – Region #4 Northeast – Maine

3.85/5 Days prior to discovering this book, I saw Andrew Wyeth’s painting Christina’s World featured on a Facebook page I follow. Per usual, I read a little more about the work. Then, I saw A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline listed as a book set in Maine on The Book Girls’ Guide. Check out their post by clicking here.

Check out the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour by clicking here.

“From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash bestseller Orphan Train, a stunning and atmospheric novel of friendship, passion, and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s mysterious and iconic painting Christina’s World... “Later he told me that he’d been afraid to show me the painting. He thought I wouldn’t like the way he portrayed me: dragging myself across the field, fingers clutching dirt, my legs twisted behind. The arid moonscape of wheatgrass and timothy. That dilapidated house in the distance, looming up like a secret that won’t stay hidden.”… To Christina Olson, the entire world was her family’s remote farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. Born in the home her family had lived in for generations, and increasingly incapacitated by illness, Christina seemed destined for a small life. Instead, for more than twenty years, she was host and inspiration for the artist Andrew Wyeth, and became the subject of one of the best known American paintings of the twentieth century… As she did in her beloved smash bestseller Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline interweaves fact and fiction in a powerful novel that illuminates a little-known part of America’s history. Bringing into focus the flesh-and-blood woman behind the portrait, she vividly imagines the life of a woman with a complicated relationship to her family and her past, and a special bond with one of our greatest modern artists… Told in evocative and lucid prose, A Piece of the World is a story about the burdens and blessings of family history, and how artist and muse can come together to forge a new and timeless legacy.”

I found facets of A Piece of the World intriguing – such as Christina’s grandmother Mamey and the various seafaring journey taken by ancestors. Also, I appreciated the interactions between Wyeth and Christina. I liked learning more about life in Maine — coastal life, New England heritage, etc. Yet, I struggled with reading this book — the austerity of the Olson Family’s life made this tough-going. The narrative, told in present-tense, drove me a little batty at times. I recommend A Piece of the World to anyone wanting a tale behind Christina’s World.

Click here to view Christina’s World.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Genzaburō Yoshino’s How Do You Live? 🇯🇵

Cover of How Do You Live? by Genzaburō Yoshino on a light blue background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Japan

Translated from Japanese

4.02/5 I found Genzaburō Yoshino’s How Do You Live? after a search of literature of works translated from Japanese to English. Reading such a work helped me towards accomplishing benchmarks in both the World Tour and the In Translation Journey Stellar Reading Challenges (SRC). In my search, I endeavored to locate a book without too many trigger warnings. The winner, with glowing reviews and a foreward by Neil Gaiman, happens to be this book. I purchased the Audible version read by Brian Nishii.

Check out these SRC by clicking on the following phrases:

• World Tour Challenge
• In Translation Journey

“Anime master Hayao Miyazaki’s favorite childhood book, in English for the first time.… First published in 1937, Genzaburō Yoshino’s How Do You Live? has long been acknowledged in Japan as a crossover classic for young readers. Academy Award–winning animator Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle) has called it his favorite childhood book and announced plans to emerge from retirement to make it the basis of a final film… How Do You Live? is narrated in two voices. The first belongs to Copper, fifteen, who after the death of his father must confront inevitable and enormous change, including his own betrayal of his best friend. In between episodes of Copper’s emerging story, his uncle writes to him in a journal, sharing knowledge and offering advice on life’s big questions as Copper begins to encounter them. Over the course of the story, Copper, like his namesake Copernicus, looks to the stars, and uses his discoveries about the heavens, earth, and human nature to answer the question of how he will live… This first-ever English-language translation of a Japanese classic about finding one’s place in a world both infinitely large and unimaginably small is perfect for readers of philosophical fiction like The Alchemist and The Little Prince, as well as Miyazaki fans eager to understand one of his most important influences.”

In general, How Do You Live? met my needs for a Japanese book without too much content beyond a PG rating. I enjoyed Copper’s relationship with his uncle. I liked his curiosity and his sense of wonder. Some of the tone, however, seemed too “teachy” (didactic, if you prefer). This tone probably factored into how long it took me to read the book. Nevertheless, I felt How Do You Live? deserved a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Louise Erdrich’s The Sentence – 🇺🇸

Cover of The Sentence by Louise Erdrich on a light cyan background |
Image Source: Goodreads

RUSA SRC – Region #3 Midwest – Minnesota

4/5 I first recall seeing Louise Erdrich on one of the genealogy I enjoy. As I often do, I shelved a number of Erdrich’s books on my To Be Read (TBR) Shelf. Still, it took me until this year to shift any of her books from my TBR. I selected The Sentence as one of Midwestern entries for the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC) as its set in Minnesota.

Click here to learn about the RUSA Tour SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): The Sentence contains references to illicit drug use and overdose, human trafficking, inappropriate handling of corpses, police brutality, and institutionalized racism..

“The Sentence asks what we owe to the living, the dead, to the reader and to the book… A small independent bookstore in Minneapolis is haunted from November 2019 to November 2020 by the store’s most annoying customer. Flora dies on All Souls’ Day, but she simply won’t leave the store. Tookie, who has landed a job selling books after years of incarceration that she survived by reading with murderous attention, must solve the mystery of this haunting while at the same time trying to understand all that occurs in Minneapolis during a year of grief, astonishment, isolation, and furious reckoning… The Sentence begins on All Souls’ Day 2019 and ends on All Souls’ Day 2020. Its mystery and proliferating ghost stories during this one year propel a narrative as rich, emotional, and profound as anything Louise Erdrich has written.”

I found The Sentence intriguing, especially with how Erdrich inserted herself as a minor character and set the book at Birchbark Books. Some of what main character Tookie endured forced me to set aside The Sentence for a little bit, reading the book in bursts. The Sentence impressed me but I found I read it too soon after events of 2020. Maybe I might revisit the book in a few years.

Check out more information on Erdrich’s Birchbark Books & Native Arts by clicking here.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Witi Ihimaera’s The Whale Rider 🇳🇿

Cover of The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera on a “Bondi Blue” background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – New Zealand

3.95/5 New Zealand holds a top spot of places I want to someday visit. This probably dates back to girlhood when “Good Morning America” shot episodes from the Land of the Long White Cloud. Also, seeing the Lord of the Rings filmed there just increased the itch. While “Middle Earth” remains a leap list destination for me, I thought traveling there via literature would suffice. I searched high and low for a book in my libraries (yes, plural) that might just possess a book by a native/resident New Zealander. Ultimately, I selected Witi Ihimaera’s The Whale Rider and read it with my ears as voiced by Jay Laga’aia.

Learn more about this SRC by clicking here.

“Eight-year-old Kahu craves her great-grandfather’s love and attention. But he’s focused on his duties as chief of the Maori in Whangara, New Zealand—a tribe that claims descent from the legendary “whale rider.” In every generation since the whale rider, a male has inherited the title of chief. But now there is no male heir—there’s only Kahu. She should be next in line for the title, but her great-grandfather is blinded by tradition and sees no use for a girl… Kahu will not be ignored. And in her struggle she has a unique ally: the whale rider himself, from whom she has inherited the ability to communicate with whales. Once that sacred gift is revealed, Kahu may be able to reestablish her people’s ancestral connections, earn her great-grandfather’s attention—and lead her tribe to a bold new future.”

I took my time reading The Whale Rider as I also read other books. I purchased the copy I read most from Audible. Laga’aia’s reading satisfied my curiosity of how to pronounce a number of unfamiliar to me terms. Kahu’s story, as told by her uncle, fascinated me. Of course, I rooted for Kahu to be accepted into her rightful spot as the chief, the whale rider. As other reviewers mentioned, the snippet of Māori music played on repeat jarred me enough that I had to work to get back into The Whale Rider but, otherwise enjoyed slipping into Uncle Rawiri’s view as he spends time in Australia and Papua New Guinea to grasp his own understanding of his Māori identity.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Sally Andrew’s Recipes for Love and Murder – Tannie Maria Mystery #1 🇿🇦

Cover of Recipes for Love and Murder (Tannie Maria Mystery #1) by Sally Andrew on a red-orange background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – South Africa

3.93/5 I hoped to find a book translated to English from one of the numerous languages spoken in South Africa. So, when the Book Girls Guide mentioned Sally Andrew’s Tannie Maria Mystery Series, the thought of someone with both English and Afrikaans might be the ticket. Also, it pleased me to discover that I could check out the eAudio version of the first in the series, Recipes for Love and Murder, from my library.

Learn more about this SRC by clicking here.

“A bright new talent makes her fiction debut with this first entry in a delicious crime set in rural South Africa—a flavorful blend of The #1 Ladies Detective Agency and Goldie Schulz, full of humor, romance, and recipes and featuring a charming cast of characters… Tannie Maria (Tannie meaning Auntie, the respectful Afrikaans address for a woman older than you) is a middle-aged widow who likes to cook—and eat. She shares her culinary love as a recipe columnist for the local paper—until The Gazette decides its readers are hungrier for advice on matters of the heart rather than ideas for lunch and dinner… Tannie Maria doesn’t like the change, but soon discovers she has a knack—and a passion—for helping people. Of course she shares her recipes and culinary advice whenever she can! Assisting other people with their problems, Tannie Maria is eventually forced to face her own issues, especially when the troubles of those she helps touch on the pain of her past, like a woman desperate to escape her abusive husband… When the woman is murdered, Tannie Maria becomes dangerously entwined in the investigation, despite the best efforts of one striking detective determined to keep her safe. Suddenly, this practical, down-to-earth woman is involved in something much more sinister than perfecting her chocolate cake recipe . . .”

At first, Tannie Maria caught my attention with early lines of Recipes for Love and Murder, talking of how she often mixes her mother’s Afrikaans and her father’s English. Also, the fact that the book provided some of Tannie Maria’s recipes in the back charmed me. The setting, the South African Outback – Klein Karoo, offered further appeal. I found Tannie Maria and her friends both intriguing and sympathetic. I liked the empathy Tannie Maria showed readers of her agony aunt column, a gentleman in particular who mentioned boiling eggs stands out in my mind. South African actress Sandra Prinsloo read the eAudio I checked out and it was a treat to hear her read this. Andrew’s writing and Prinsloo’s narration transported me to the Karoo. Yet, some parts of this book dragged for me – various comedies of errors, Tannie Maria’s misinterpretation of a number of things, and a slew of red herrings crowded this tale. While a delight in some ways, the book left other gaps I wanted filled. Still and all, I recommend this book for readers looking for a side of South Africa they might not otherwise see.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Peter Heller’s Celine 🇺🇸

Cover of Celine by Peter Heller on a cream-colored background | Image Source: Goodreads

RUSA SRC – Region #1 West – Wyoming

4.15/5 Alongside reading books set in certain places, I set a number of unannounced goals. In 2023, I aimed to read books by “new to me” authors as well as books set in specific states within each region. While I met Peter Heller at a book event nearly ten years ago, I never opened one of his books until now. Also, the idea of Celine, an older protagonist appealed to me. Thus, I selected Peter Heller’s Celine as my first West Region book, designating it as a book set in Wyoming.

Check out the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour by clicking here.

“From the best-selling author of The Dog Stars and The Painter, a luminous, masterful novel of suspense–the story of Celine, an elegant, aristocratic private eye who specializes in reuniting families, trying to make amends for a loss in her own past… Working out of her jewel box of an apartment at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, Celine has made a career of tracking down missing persons, and she has a better record at it than the FBI. But when a young woman, Gabriela, asks for her help, a world of mystery and sorrow opens up. Gabriela’s father was a photographer who went missing on the border of Montana and Wyoming. He was assumed to have died from a grizzly mauling, but his body was never found. Now, as Celine and her partner head to Yellowstone National Park, investigating a trail gone cold, it becomes clear that they are being followed–that this is a case someone desperately wants to keep closed… Combining the exquisite plotting and gorgeous evocation of nature that have become his hallmark, with a wildly engrossing story of family, privilege, and childhood loss, Peter Heller gives us his finest work to date.”

I found Celine a sparkling novel and a nice way to kick off my RUSA Tour experience. The eponymous character fascinated me. Celine paints a rich, detailed portrait of Celine Watkins, and to some extent, other players in Celine. I also liked reading about Celine and her husband, Pete, traveling to Yellowstone National Park in order to help a young woman named Gabriela discover what happened to her father, Paul. This helped me gain a sense of place. While I enjoyed Celine, I still wanted a little more in the end of this book. Some readers might argue that this quality makes the book even more stellar but it altered my rating somewhat on this book.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Andrey Kurkov’s Grey Bees 🇺🇦

Cover of Grey Bees by Andrey Kurkov on a quick silver/grey background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Ukraine

Translated from Russian

4.10/5 As I sought out my first read for the World Tour Stellar Reading Challenege (SRC), I wanted a book set in Ukraine, written by someone from Ukraine, and in Ukrainian. In the end, I discovered Andrey Kurkov’s Grey Bees. While actually translated from Russian, Kurkov’s residency and sympathies fall onto Ukraine’s side.

Check out these SRC by clicking on the following phrases:

• World Tour Challenge
• In Translation Journey

“49-year-old safety inspector-turned-beekeeper Sergey Sergeich, wants little more than to help his bees collect their pollen in peace… But Sergey lives in Ukraine, where a lukewarm war of sporadic violence and constant propaganda has been dragging on for years… His simple mission on behalf of his bees leads him through some the hottest spots of the ongoing conflict, putting him in contact with combatants and civilians on both sides of the battle lines: loyalists, separatists, Russian occupiers, and Crimean Tatars… Grey Bees is as timely as the author’s Ukraine Diaries were in 2014, but treats the unfolding crisis in a more imaginative way, with a pinch of Kurkov’s signature humour. Who better than Ukraine’s most famous novelist – who writes in Russian – to illuminate and present a balanced portrait of this most bewildering of modern conflicts?”

When I read Grey Bees, I felt the term “grey” appropriate. Sergey Sergeich and much of his backdrop remained in between black and white, a neutral area. The one passion, though, which drove Sergeich happened to be his bees. It took me a good while to warm up to Grey Bees but I eventually wanted to know what would become of Sergeich and his bees. Then, the book sped up and I slammed hard into the back cover. Kurkov captured the sense of “grey” and “isolation” well throughout the book. Due to the slow start and some dissatisfaction with the book’s resolution, I sliced off part of a star. Still, I recommend this to readers wanting to learn more about the situation in Ukraine from a resident’s perspective.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Emma Straub’s Modern Lovers

Cover of Modern Lovers by Emma Straub centered on a medium light red-orange background with Starry Night Elf avatar in lower right hand corner | Cover Image Source: Goodreads

Back in the Day Stellar Reading Challenge – 2010s

Published 2016

Trigger Warnings – Smoking/ Drinking/ Death and Suicide/ Sexual Content

3.75/5 When I planned for my reading for the 2010s in the Back in the Day Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC), my original choice ultimately did not meet this SRC’s criteria. Click here for details on this SRC. As 2022 neared its end, I considered myself fortunate that my book club chose to read Emma Straub’s Modern Lovers, a book published in 2016.

* I read Modern Lovers prior to the hubbub with author Straub and a Houston area school district. Any comments on this event with Straub will not be posted.

“Friends and former college bandmates Elizabeth and Andrew and Zoe have watched one another marry, buy real estate, and start businesses and families, all while trying to hold on to the identities of their youth. But nothing ages them like having to suddenly pass the torch (of sexuality, independence, and the ineffable alchemy of cool) to their own offspring… Back in the band’s heyday, Elizabeth put on a snarl over her Midwestern smile, Andrew let his unwashed hair grow past his chin, and Zoe was the lesbian all the straight women wanted to sleep with. Now nearing fifty, they all live within shouting distance in the same neighborhood deep in gentrified Brooklyn, and the trappings of the adult world seem to have arrived with ease. But the summer that their children reach maturity (and start sleeping together), the fabric of the adults’ lives suddenly begins to unravel, and the secrets and revelations that are finally let loose—about themselves, and about the famous fourth band member who soared and fell without them—can never be reclaimed… Straub packs wisdom and insight and humor together in a satisfying book about neighbors and nosiness, ambition and pleasure, the excitement of youth, the shock of middle age, and the fact that our passions—be they food, or friendship, or music—never go away, they just evolve and grow along with us.”

Modern Lovers seemed a great choice for the Back in the Day SRC. Straub wrote a book about characters looking both back in the past and forward to the future. At moments in my reading, I wondered how Straub managed to write a book on the precipice of time. The characters, Andrew in particular, irritated me. Sometimes, I didn’t care much about anyone in the book and that’s reflected in my rating. I would probably pick up another Straub book but there are other authors I want to read first.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.