Starry Says – Episode #117 — Stellar Reading Goals

© Starry Night Elf

Manuscript Word Count (MWC) – 74,963

2024 Reading Goal to Date 25/100

In addition to participating in Stellar Reading Challenges (SRC), I often set an annual number of books goal on Goodreads. For the last few years, I chose between 60 and 100 books.

At this time, Gnomies, I aim to read 100 books in 2024 (see above). While I wish to be a little further along on my path to those 3 digits, it pleases me to say I reached 25% late last week.

With the stunning template crafted by Melissa Corey of Visual Book Lists, I made my own version of my book shelf thus far in 2024. Check out her amazing site by clicking here!

Also, below is a list of my first “reading quarter”:

1. The Night Fire by Michael Connelly
2. The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Davila Cardinal (Puerto Rico) (2023 Regional U.S.A. Tour SRC)
3. Genesis – Old Testament (OT) #1 (2024 Sacred Texts Journey SRC)
4. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbary (France/French) (2023 World Tour SRC) (2023 In Translation Journey)
5. All is Not Forgiven by Joe Kenda
6. Midnight at the Blackbird Café by Heather Webber (Alabama) (2024 Read the U.S.A. (RTUSA) Tour SRC)
7. Exodus – OT #2 (2024 Sacred Texts Journey SRC)
8. Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly
9. Get Lucky by Katherine Center (2024 Hometown Tour SRC)
10. Leviticus – OT #3 (2024 Sacred Texts Journey SRC)
11. Matthew – New Testament (NT) #1 (2024 Sacred Texts Journey SRC)
12. The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly
13. Desert Star by Michael Connelly
14. Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Wartime Sarajevo by Zlata Filipović (Bosnia/ Bosnian) (2024 International Tour SRC) (2024 In Translation Journey)
15. Numbers – OT #4 (2024 Sacred Texts Journey SRC)
16. Small Country by Gaël Faye (Burundi/French) (2024 International Tour SRC) (2024 In Translation Journey)
17. Deuteronomy – OT #5 (2024 Sacred Texts Journey SRC)
18. Mark – NT #2 (2024 Sacred Texts Journey SRC)
19. Joshua – OT #6 (2024 Sacred Texts Journey SRC)
20. Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine (2024 RTUSA Tour SRC)
21. Judges – OT #7 (2024 Sacred Texts Journey SRC)
22. Ruth – OT #8 (2024 Sacred Texts Journey SRC)
23. No Hiding in Boise by Kim Hooper (2024 RTUSA Tour SRC)
24. The Less People Know About Us: A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity by Axton Betz-Hamilton
25. 1 Samuel – OT #9 (2024 Sacred Texts Journey SRC)

How are your reading goals going, Gnomies?

I wish you a stellar weekend!

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 -Martha Batalha’s The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao – 🇧🇷

Cover of The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao by Martha Batalha on a green background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Brazil

Translated from Portuguese

4/5 I have always wanted to visit Brazil. Of course, an easy ticket to this glittering jewel in the Southern Hemisphere is via literature. My search for such a book led me to The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao by Martha Batalha.

Learn more about these 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): period typical racism (also showing as fetishization) and sexism.

“Euridice is young, beautiful and ambitious, but when her rebellious sister Guida elopes, she sets her own aspirations aside and vows to settle down as a model wife and daughter. And yet as her husband’s professional success grows, so does Euridice’s feeling of restlessness. She embarks on a series of secret projects – from creating recipe books to becoming the most sought-after seamstress in town – but each is doomed to failure. Her tradition-loving husband is not interested in an independent wife. And then one day Guida appears at the door with her young son and a terrible story of hardship and abandonment. The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao is a wildly inventive, wickedly funny and keenly observed tale of two sisters who, surrounded by a cast of unforgettable characters, assert their independence and courageously carve a path of their own in 1940s Rio de Janeiro. A deeply human and truly unforgettable novel from one of the most exciting new voices in world literature.”

At first, I enjoyed reading The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao. I liked and cared about the titular character, Euridice. I often wanted to climb into the book to give her husband, Antenor, a piece of my mind. Batalha painted a vivid picture in this charming work of the Gusmaos’ home life. I docked the book a star, though, because it delved into many of the other characters and I wanted more Euridice. Nevertheless, I highly recommend to fans of historical fiction with a dash of magical realism.

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

Starlight Book Review – Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis’ The Boy in the Suitcase 🇩🇰

Cover of The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis on a light cyan background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Denmark

Translated from Danish

3.8/5 In 2023, I aimed to read books by “new to me writers” alongside the Stellar Reading Challenges (SRC). Since some of my heritage and much of the “Starry Night Elf” persona derives from Denmark, this seemed extra challenging as I previously sought out Danish writers. Of course, I read Hans Christian Andersen. I also read mysteries by Jussi Adler-Olsen and Sara Blædel. At the start, I wanted a book other than something “Nordic Noir” but, just the title alone of The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis compelled me to read the book.

Learn more about these 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Trafficking

“Nina Borg, a Red Cross nurse, wife, and mother of two, is a compulsive do-gooder who can’t say no when someone asks for help—even when she knows better. When her estranged friend Karin leaves her a key to a public locker in the Copenhagen train station, Nina gets suckered into her most dangerous project yet. Inside the locker is a suitcase, and inside the suitcase is a three-year-old boy: naked and drugged, but alive… Is the boy a victim of child trafficking? Can he be turned over to authorities, or will they only return him to whoever sold him? When Karin is discovered brutally murdered, Nina realizes that her life and the boy’s are in jeopardy, too. In an increasingly desperate trek across Denmark, Nina tries to figure out who the boy is, where he belongs, and who exactly is trying to hunt him down.”

The Boy in the Suitcase made for a quick, fast-paced read. Kaaberbøl and Friis pulled me in with a stunning amount of ferocity. Nina Borg and the three-year old child of the title gained my sympathy in an instant; I finished this book because I wanted to see the kid through to a safe and prosperous end. I must also mention that a quarter of the action, possibly a third, took place in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius which added a language barrier to the already dire situation on Borg’s hands. In the end, though, I deducted stars from The Boy in the Suitcase for some of the major ick factor (i.e. – who drugs a child and stuffs him in a suitcase?) and that the book seemed written for a Danish audience. Regarding the latter, the book assumed I knew more about Copenhagen than I do. Still, the book riveted me to it and I might try others in the Nina Borg series.

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 – 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.

Starry Says – Episode #104 — SN Elf’s Top Reads of 2023

Visual Display of Starry Night Elf’s Top Reads of 2023© Starry Night Elf

Manuscript Word Count (MWC) – 74,963

2024 Reading Goal to Date 0/100

In 2023, I researched and then read to meet my various Stellar Reading Challenges (SRC) as well as my general book number target which I ultimately set at 100 books on Goodreads.

After several reviews of “My 2023 in Books,” I determined that I read 8 books which stood out as my “Top Reads.” Some books I came across while reading for SRC, another I read new translation, a couple were by favorite authors, and I read one after seeing the story play on screen.

Per usual, I listed the fiction in alphabetical order by author’s surname, nonfiction in order Dewey Decimal Codes. Books with SBR are linked.

Fiction

• Two Kinds of Truth (Harry Bosch #20) by Michael Connelly
• With Love From Wish & Co. by Minnie Darke
• Celine by Peter Heller
• The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia

Nonfiction

• The Holy Bible – New Living Translation (NLT)
• Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff by Dana K. White
• Days of Fury: Ghost Troop and the Battle of 73 Easting by Mike Guardia
• All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir by Beth Moore

How about you, Gnomies? How was 2023 in books for you?

Starlight Book Review – Sofía Segovia’s The Murmur of Bees 🇲🇽

Cover of The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia on a green background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Mexico

Translated from Spanish

4.25/5 I first learned of Sofía Segovia’s The Murmur of Bees on The Book Girls’ Guide. I felt The Murmur of Bees had two pros which made me select it as my read set in Mexico — 1) a book translated from a language different from my own, and 2) Segovia was a “new to me” author. While I glanced at other books from Mexico, as well as set in Mexico, I ultimately chose The Murmur of Bees for its solidly positive reviews and connection to Monterrey, Mexico, a place I traveled through as a teenager on mission trips.

Check out these SRC by clicking on the following phrases:

• World Tour Challenge
• In Translation Journey

Trigger Warnings (TW): The Murmur of Bees contains murder, dismemberment (eyes), death, grief, gore (injury detail), discrimination, epidemic, and mass grave; references to sexual assault

“From a beguiling voice in Mexican fiction comes an astonishing novel—her first to be translated into English—about a mysterious child with the power to change a family’s history in a country on the verge of revolution.… From the day that old Nana Reja found a baby abandoned under a bridge, the life of a small Mexican town forever changed. Disfigured and covered in a blanket of bees, little Simonopio is for some locals the stuff of superstition, a child kissed by the devil. But he is welcomed by landowners Francisco and Beatriz Morales, who adopt him and care for him as if he were their own. As he grows up, Simonopio becomes a cause for wonder to the Morales family, because when the uncannily gifted child closes his eyes, he can see what no one else can—visions of all that’s yet to come, both beautiful and dangerous. Followed by his protective swarm of bees and living to deliver his adoptive family from threats—both human and those of nature—Simonopio’s purpose in Linares will, in time, be divined… Set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution and the devastating influenza of 1918, The Murmur of Bees captures both the fate of a country in flux and the destiny of one family that has put their love, faith, and future in the unbelievable.”

As I often do, I chose to The Murmur of Bees with my ears via Audible and am glad for that decision. Audio often adds texture to my reading experience with the benefit of hearing the pronunciation of unfamiliar words. The talents of narrators Xe Sands and Angelo Di Loreto transcended into an incredible joy; they brought this work of magical realism to life. I liked the Morales Family, and, of course, Simonopio. In particular, I adored how Francisco and Beatriz Morales just accepted their godson with no conditions. A few things caused me discomfort – the abundant racism and sexism (predictable for the eras, I’m afraid) as well as the description of the 20^th Century pandemic – the Spanish Flu, haunting in that we deal with a pandemic these days. Yet, I think this may have been one of my favorite works of fiction read this year.

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.

Coming Soon – Starlight Book Reviews of ’23 Stellar Reading Challenges

© Starry Night Elf

Gnomies, it pleases me to share with you that beginning Thursday, September 14, I’ll begin sharing Starlight Book Reviews (SBR) of my reads for the 2023 Stellar Reading Challenges (SRC). Each Thursday, I look forward to sharing SBR of the books I read (so far) for the 2023 SRC.

Check out the various 2023 SRC by clicking here!

Please stay tuned for these SBRs!