Here are
The top 7 books
I plan to read in June 2021
Click on the covers to know more
CURRENTLY READING
📚 The Future of Buildings, Transportation, and Power,
by Roger Duncan and Michael E. Webber
Published in July 2020
I stopped reading it for a while, but am back to it.
Fascinating to read about what new models are popping up for transportation and power. Some details sound like pertaining to scifi, though they already exist in some cities, like gondolas in La Paz, Bolivia. I am learning a lot!
📚 Dictionnaire amoureux du polar, by Pierre Lemaitre
Published on October 22, 2020
Same thing, I had to read several other ebooks recently, so I stopped a bit on this one. So much so that I just restarted it from scratch.
Great passages on other thrillers, and a lot of humor, which I didn’t realize Lemaitre had, among so many other talents.
📚 The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race, by Walter Isaacson
Published on March 9, 2021 – won through Goodreads
This is so good, like anything by this author.
So neat to be reading this now as vaccines are developed using the technique she discovered.
📚 Languages of Truth: Essays, 2003-2020, by Salman Rushdie
Published on May 25, 2021 – received for review through Netgalley
I was very impressed by Rushdie’s writing in Quichotte.
Just read the first essay so far, so great writing, so many references. Loving it!
I am also buddy-reading two French novels with French students:
- La Disparition, by George Perec, published in 1969.
The author never uses the letter e. Was translated as A Void in English, same thing, letter e never used throughout the whole book! - Compartiment tueurs, by Sébastien Japrisot, a thriller published in 1962.
Looks like there are 2 English translations: The Sleeping Car Murders, and The 10:30 from Marseille.
READING NEXT
📚 History in English Words, by Owen Barfield
Published in 1926
Will be reading for The Classics Club – this was my latest spin, I am one month late
“This popular book provides a brief, brilliant history of those who have spoken the Indo-European tongues. It is illustrated throughout by current English words—whose derivation from other languages, whose history in use and changes of meaning—record and unlock the larger history.”
CURRENT AND NEXT AUDIOBOOKS
📚 Nature humaine, by Serge Joncour
Published on Aug 19, 2020
I have really enjoyed a lot Joncour’s writing in Wild Dog, and have heard a lot about this one, so am listening to it in the original French.
Like in Wild Dog, the relationships between nature and humans is at the center of the novel.
📚 Evil Under the Sun (Hercule Poirot #24) by Agatha Christie
Published in 1941
Part of my project to listen to all of HP, for The Classics Club
“It seems that no matter how hard he tries, Poirot never quite gets a holiday. This story sees him in Devon, Agatha Christie’s home county, and, of course, among the scantily clad sunbathers, a murdered woman is found.
It was not unusual to find the beautiful bronzed body of the sun-loving Arlena Stuart stretched out on a beach, face down. Only, on this occasion, there was no sun… she had been strangled. Ever since Arlena’s arrival at the resort, Hercule Poirot had detected sexual tension in the seaside air. But could this apparent ‘crime of passion’ have been something more evil and premeditated altogether?”
📚 I will probably also listen to Hercule Poirot #25 and #26; plus at least 4 Biblical books (Baruch, Lamentations, Epistle of Jeremiah, Ezekiel).
CURRENT GIVEAWAYS
List of books I can swap with yours
PLANS FOR JUNE
I am also in the process of streamlining all my Categories and Tags.
And of transitioning France Book Tours to another theme, and other forms of marketing!
HAVE YOU READ
OR ARE YOU PLANNING TO READ
ANY OF THESE?
WHAT ARE YOUR READING PLANS FOR JUNE?
Words And Peace 
“A Void” is appropriate as a translated title for the book without a letter e, with its double meaning (a void / avoid). Must have been an incredible translation challenge.
I’ve heard of the book but not read it in either language. I’ll be interested to know your thoughts.
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Yes, all so smart. And it’s a real story, focused on a disappearing. And there are so many things connected also to the absence of the letter e, like for instance the 5th volume of a collection of books gone, because e is the 5th letter, and lots more complex. Just as difficult to translate as to write. Yes, awesome title for the translation. I really enjoy the book, this is totally my type of things, even though I’m probably missing lots of cultural references. There’s a lot of humor.
By the ay, one paragraph is even in German, again without e.
And then I will read Les Revenentes. You can guess from the title that in this one he only used the vowel e! This is an author from the Oulipo, like Italo Calvino. Definitely my most favorite groups of authors
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This is the odd sort of book that I enjoy. I bet it was also fun to write.
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I’m sure, fun and challenging, like all his books actually
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Buildings sounds fascinating. I often think our technological development has stalled at times- I often say “it’s 2021 why don’t we have x or y yet?” lol, but I bet there’s more going on than is readily apparent in terms of some of the stuff being developed.
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Yes, there’s so much more going on! Actually the book won an indie award in the environmental category
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I’ve read only one book by Walter Isaacson – his biography of Steve Jobs. It was fascinating though at times felt repetitive – I lost count of the number of times he used the same phrase to describe Job’s home.
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weird! I have so enjoyed https://wordsandpeace.com/2014/12/16/book-review-the-innovators/.
I also loved his life of Benjamin Franklin
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Lots of interesting picks this month! I’m curious to hear your thoughts on The Code Breaker!
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So far very good!
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I’m glad you have some slimmer choices at the end – the Code Breaker is a chunkster!
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That’s true, but so fascinating
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The book of essays by Rushdie looks great. My first reading experience with Rushdie was “Haroun and the Sea of Stories” which I think he wrote for his son. It’s a fantasy book, but also a clever spin on one of the legendary caliphs of Baghdad. I really should pick up this essay collection. His writing is so impressive!
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Actually, in his second essay, he uses the example of why he wrote that precise book for his son to explain what his writing is all about. A brilliant mind. If you are very familiar with Don Quijote, you should now read his Quichotte: https://wordsandpeace.com/2019/09/19/book-review-quichotte/ You will have a richer experience if you are very familiar with Don Quijote
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Thank you for sharing the link. I completely missed this book by Rushdie (also)!
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Very good so far, but dense writing – well, like all by Rushdie, it seems
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Code breaker looks good. The only Rushdie I’ve read was Midnight’s Children. While his writing is impressive, I just didn’t enjoy the story or the characters. I’ve been afraid to try him again ever since.
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I haven’t read this one yet. I was very impressed by Quichotte
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I always like to hear about what your reading. You give me great suggestions too. Hope all is well. Hugs.
http://www.rsrue.blogspot.com
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so glad, this is the beauty of the book blogging community
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