Red Ants by Pergentino José translated by Thomas Bunstead (Deep Vellum Press, 2020) Short stories -

Lauded as the first book written in the Sierra Zapotec language, then translated and published in English. I felt a bit of kinship for the stories because I’ve read about the revolutionary situation in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. But the stories are bland and disjointed. Their “magical realism” did not contribute to the development of the character or the situations.

Stamboul Train, by Graham Greene (Penguin Books, 1932)

Greene’s second novel (1932), and a good one. Unlike Agatha Christie’s novel, Greene deals more with social and political scenarios, while Christie’s is a murder mystery. And Christie’s train runs from east to west; Greene’s from west to east. A good read and helps with the European view of the “Jewish problem” in the 1930s.

The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene (Penguin Books, 1948)

Greene is at the top of his game. Drawing on his experiences in Africa between the wars and as an agent during WWII, his Catholic conscience, and his love of conflicted characters, The Heart of the Matter evolves as a study in controlled turmoil. I loved every minute of it.

Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami (Penguin Books, 2017)

I found this in Ed’s “To be read” pile, though I think he read it many times. I know I had read it once. It’s a great book. I’m not a lover of short stories, but Murakami makes his characters seem complete within their few pages of development. Highly recommended.

Mythos: The Greek Myths Reimagined by Stephen Fry (Chronicle Books 2017)

This book was to be my entry to The Odyssey and The Iliad. I made my way through it, but wished it was a graphic novel rather than page after page accounts of the family tree of the Greek gods, nymphs, and bastards. I was glad I read Mythos before The Odyssey, a Graphic Novel. The Catholics with our gory Lives of the Saints have nothing on the imagination of the Greeks. It’s amazing—anything can be explained away by interference from the gods.

The Odyssey, A Graphic Novel by Gareth Hinds, (Candlewick Press, 2010)

Complaining to my 18-year-old great-nephew about never having read The Odyssey, he said, “Read the graphic novel. It’s much better than the original.” Thanks, John. It was a great recommendation. Loved it. Highly recommended, unless you feel you must slug through the original. Hinds also did a graphic novel of The Iliad that I have on order at the library.

Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family by Thomas Mann (first published 1900)

If you are a fan of Dickens and Trollope, get ready for Buddenbrooks. Written 25 years after the heydays of Dickens and Trollope, it’s in the same genre of a dynastic family novel. But, it is not as entertaining as Dickens or Trollope. This is my first book by Mann, so I thought I should start with his first book.

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill 2018)

Lots of good reviews when this came out. I sort of enjoyed the read, but could not buy into the premise that a man (Black or white) goes to prison with so little fighting back – especially since he is innocent. It was informative to read a novel written by a Black author, so you get into the Black family POV.