it’s been a while since I did a Sample Sunday post where I look at the hundreds of unread books on my shelves and decide which to keep. I’ve bought so many new books in the last few weeks that I have completely run out of space— every bookcase in the house is jammed full.
It’s time to decide which of the older purchases have lost their appeal and can be released to a new home. The three books I’m choosing to sample here are set in China, Colombia and India
Little Gods by Meng Jin
Meng Jin’s debut novel follows a young girl’s attempt to understand why her physicist mother was so determined to erase her past. It’s a novel about obsession, secrets and motherhood and how a woman’s stellar career in China ends up in ruin.
The Verdict: Maybe. The setting and time period is appealing (the book begins with the Tiananmen Square massacre) but I’m hesitant. I’ve seen numerous comments that the narrative is hard to follow and contains a lot of scientific references. Discontinuous narratives I can manage but science and me do not make for happy bedfellows.
Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
A much lauded novel about a Colombian love triangle from a Nobel prize winner. I struggled to read it once, many years ago, and abandoned the effort but I’ve changed and my reading have changed so I think it’s worth another attempt.
The Verdict: Keep.
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2013, Lahiri’s novel begins with two brothers who grow up in Calcutta during the 1950s and 60s. But as their lives take different paths the novel focuses on the brother who moves to the USA and ends up in an unhappy marriage with his brother’s widow.
The Verdict: Let go. Reviews I’ve read indicate that after a promising start, the novel goes downhill, becoming “a glum narrative of withdrawal, rejection, isolation and guilt.” (The Guardian)
Sample Sunday is when I take a look at all the unread books on my shelves and decide which to keep and which to let free. The goal isn’t to shrink the TBR as such, but rather it’s about making sure my shelves have only books I do want to read. What do you think of the decisions I’ve reached? If you’ve read any of these books I’d love to hear from you.