It’s early May in Duluth, which means that though our days are cold, they are very long, they light is beautiful, and the lake looks inviting. I have tried to get outside a little more, but the books keep coming anyway. I’m not sure what’s up next — I need to finish a collection of poetry by Joy Harjo before I can pick something else out — but I’m looking forward to whatever it is. In the meantime, I wish everyone pleasant weather, fresh air, and happy reading.

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The Book of the Month:

The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, by Susanna Clarke

Susanna Clarke’s incredible 2004 novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was formative for me, a wonderful blend of Dickens, Austen, and classic British fantasy. Clarke has never produced a sequel, but in 2006 she published The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, a collection of eight stories set in the same universe. I knew about it, but I hesitated to read it because I loved the original book so much. I did not want to spoil Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, not even a little bit. Recently, a coworker of mine mentioned The Ladies of Grace Adieu offhand and I decided to give it a try. It was well worth my time. Where Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell focuses almost exclusively on the lives of men, The Ladies of Grace Adieu makes space for some of the women of Clarke’s magical 19th century Britain. It is a quick read, but a lovely one, a book that deepens and enriches Clarke’s earlier work. I should not have waited so long to read it.

The Rest:

Flying Solo, by Linda Holmes

My wife and I have been reading Flying Solo out loud together, off and on, for almost a year. I don’t want to spoil anything about the novel, but I will say that it improves on Holmes’ first novel (Evvie Drake Starts Over), provides a satisfying low-stakes heist, and is generous enough to give its main characters a resolution that fits who they are rather than exactly who we might want them to be. A charming, fun, and relaxing romance.

Schubert’s Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obssession, by Ian Bostridge

Bostridge, a noted tenor, provides an accessible and clearly written breakdown of Franz Schubert’s “Winterreise” song cycle. His account of the cycle, which moves song by song, ranges from discussions of specific passages of music to ponderings on charcoal burners and the lives of crows. Bostridge does a lovely job situating the song cycle in its 1820s milieu and making it feel relevant today.

Broken Horses, by Brandi Carlile

Singer Brandi Carlile’s memoir, an honest and compelling look at her rise to fame, is absolutely one to listen to. The audiobook includes solo acoustic performances of songs from across Carlile’s career, sung and played well. They take a good book and make it great.

Night Sky with Exit Wounds, by Ocean Vuong

Gorgeous, heartrending poetry. I need to read more of Ocean Vuong’s work.

Birnam Wood, by Eleanor Cotton

Rogue gardeners! Tech billionaires! An ending that surprises by heading kind of exactly where you think it will! Cotton’s sprawling New Zealand-set novel does a very good job of feeling horrifyingly relevant, but also just distant enough that it isn’t unbearable. I found it riveting.

Dark Testament, by Crystal Simone Smith

Moving poetry created by blacking lines in George Saunders’ Lincoln in the Bardo. The blacked out portions of the passages add to the devastating effect. Worth your time, but make sure you find a print copy rather than the ebook. It isn’t the same away from the printed page.

Language of the Spirit: An Introduction to Classical Music, by Jan Swofford

A great introduction to classical music! I wrote a little more about it last week.

The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act, by Kieron Gillen

The first volume of Gillen’s The Wicked + The Divine sets up a world in which gods recur every ninety years as celebrities, only to die after two years of godhood. Like Gillen’s Phonogram (begun 8 years earlier in 2006), The Wicked + The Divine is obsessed with music. The concept is strange, but Gillen does a wonderful job capturing what it feels like to be a fan. The art, by Jamie McKelvie, is also fantastic. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series!

The Tombs of Atuan, by Ursula K. Le Guin

A more focused sequel to Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea. It lacks, though, just a bit of the earlier book’s sense of wonder. Read them together and you’ll be happier.

Pond, by Claire-Louise Bennet

Pond is to Checkout 19 as Evvie Drake Starts Over is to Flying Solo. It does a lot of great things, it’s cool, and I would definitely recommend it. The author’s second novel, though, is better. I don’t know how to explain Pond, exactly, but know that lovers of modernist fiction will go far with this one.

Beowulf: A New Translation, by Maria Dahvana Headley

I love Headley’s modern translation of Beowulf. My first time through, a couple of years ago, I read it in print and enjoyed every page. A man can’t daddy until his own daddy’s dead. I mean, beat that. The experience isn’t quite as good with the audiobook? But definitely read it either way. Bro, tell me we still know how to talk about kings. It’s wonderful stuff.

A Handful of Dust, by Evelyn Waugh

Waugh can be absolutely bitingly hilarious when he wants to be, but for me this book lacks some of the charm of Brideshead Revisited. In this satire of wealthy Britons between the wars, the racist language and, erm, dated depictions of indigenous people in South America are hard to look past. The first two thirds of the book are great fun, but Brideshead tackles some of the same ground without running into the same problems.

Butts: A Backstory, Heather Radke

The problem with Butts is that it doesn’t go deep enough. It is a fun read, and it is definitely about butts, but it skims the surface rather than really drilling in. I would liken it to a book-length New Yorker article. Go in knowing that and maybe you’ll get more satisfaction from it than I did.