What are you reading today?

Spanish Reading
23

I’m in the midst of an accidentally masochistic streak. Yesterday, I started El asesino tímido: 1 | L30??, by Clara Uson, a novel about the real life suicide of 70’s Spanish low budget horror film actress Sandra Mozarovski interspersed with musing about Camus and Wittgenstein and coming of age in the waning days of Franco. I’m totally into it, but it’s too hard, and it’s not the Wittgenstein, I’m cool with him, I’ve read him for fun … in english, … it’s everything else. I kept going because sometimes the language in a book settles down after a bit, especially with extensive reading as you get used to the new words, but not here. By the time I admitted defeat, I felt like I was not only being repeatedly punched in the face by the author but that she had been standing over me with a snide, condescending smile the whole time.

So, today, I started Un episodio en la vida del pintor viajero, by Cesar Aira, and it’s even worse. Here, I feel much like the poor painter of the title who is hit by lightening, twice, then dragged behind his horse (who had also been struck by lightening, … twice).

I’m just about ready to go back to reading Dick and Jane in english.

Deep breaths, I’m taking deep breaths …

Maybe I’ll just watch some movies; it’s not as if Deprisa, deprisa | L30??, which I started watching last night, is that hard … alas, no, it’s super hard and is punching me in the face over and over again, too, also with a snide, condescending, pimply, heroin addicted smile.

Deep breaths, I’m taking deep breaths …

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24

I’ve effectively finished La ridícula idea de no volver a verte | L31, part biography of Marie Curie, part memoir of the author mourning her husband, part musings about love, life, death and loss. Only effectively, as Curie’s journal that she kept following the death of her husband is included as an appendix, and that will have to wait til tomorrow.

I’ll openly admit that I was underwhelmed by the first half and not overly interested in Marie Curie in general. Add to that an annoyance with #hashtag nonsense scattered throughout and I stuck this in a corner for a while wondering if I’d ever get back to it.

I’m thrilled that I did. I don’t know what changed, the book itself, my comprehension, … me, … whatever … a light suddenly flickered on, first dim then overwhelmingly bright, beautiful and, surprisingly, joyful.

And a quick thanks to everyone here … for adding books, for rating books, for putting them on your “want to read” list. You’ve all brought some really wonderful books to my attention and I’ve very grateful.

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25

I just finished the wonderful Poet X in only 2 days! It’s a coming of age story written as a novel in verse by one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Acevedo. The main character is relatable and easy to sympathize with, and it’s a joy to watch her find her place in the world. It’s pretty easy to read since it’s not very text dense and uses a lot of everyday language. 100% recommended!

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27

My brain has been little more than a glorified whoopie cushion these last few days, so I’ve taken today more or less off to read book reviews from el pais. They’ve nicely put out a list of todas las criticas de babelia for 2024; music, theatre and art are also tabbed. The list isn’t paywalled but at least some if not all the reviews are.

I can’t find most of the spanish books locally as they are too recent, but it’s fun to see what is being written right now. I liked Juan Tallon’s Obra maestra, a fascinating, ambitious failure of a novel about a giant, several tonne Richard Serra sculpture going missing from the Reina Sofia … which really happened … , and will give his new one, El mejor del mundo, a go once I can find a copy. And, while Juan Manuel de Prada’s Mil ojos esconde la noche doesn’t sound all that interesting to me, the reviewer’s remarks about his first novel Las mascaras del heroe makes me think I might enjoy it.

The list of things to read grows ever longer …

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