This abbey was founded in 1317. Its a really cool place we always make sure to visit. The best part of this slice of the South Of France is there aren’t many tourists that come to these small places so it’s almost always empty. A nice break from the heat! Enjoy! #summertravels #france #summer #bookstagram
Come with me to Montolieu, the town of books in the south of France. Every shop it a bookshop. It’s my favorite place to visit. It’s very cute and filled with small artists shops. The ice cream shop is divine as well. Super cool place! #france #montolieu #books #summervibes #summer #readmorebooks #bookstagram #traveling #southoffrance #southernfrance
Synopsis: Severance is a 2018 satirical science fiction novel by Chinese-American author Ling Ma. It follows Candace Chen, an unfulfilled Bible product coordinator, before and after an incurable infection slowly obliterates global civilization.
It took about 150 pages for this one to really click. I think a part of me wasn’t really understanding what Ling Ma was trying to say but once we hit the climax I felt that the writing picked up and I figured out the pace. I really liked this novel. I think it says a lot about how much we’re willing to endure in the name of capitalism, especially since we don’t really know anything else. At one point when the pandemic had flooded New York our protagonist just kept going to work. I thought to myself “no one would do that if the world was falling apart” but then I quickly realized, we are doing exactly that. I don’t know what the answer is here but I don’t think Ling Ma created this to provide any. The fact that she wrote this in 2018, well before the 2020 pandemic hit, definitely tells me that Ling Ma is a careful observer of our society and I’m excited to read her next book. This was a weird, unsettling novel and a perfect one to provide some rich discussions about capitalism, nostalgia, and our current state of affairs.
[ID: The novel Severance by Ling Ma has a pink cover and rests on gravel.]
#SeveranceNovel #ScienceFiction #SpeculativeFiction #Fiction #PandemicNovels #SciFi #LingMa #BooksBooksBooks #ReadMoreBooks #AlwaysReading
Leila Mottley has something to say and I think we should all pay attention. Nightcrawling is unflinching in its portrayal of how young Black girls are treated by men in power. Leila Mottley is not shy about portraying these realities but she does not linger on those traumatic moments. Kiara is given a voice. She is a young girl trying to survive in a desperate situation, holding on to the family and friends she loves and who love her. There is nothing wrapped up neatly here. It is devastating but also tender. I did feel sometimes it was lacking some depth and at times it felt sort of detached. This could have been a stylistic choice, but overall I thought it was an impressive debut by a young literary talent, and I look forward to what Mottley has in store for us.
[ID: The novel Nightcrawling, Leila Mottley is held up by Viv. The sun is out and a Wisteria tree is blurry in the background.]
#Nightcrawling #DebutNovels #OprahsBookClub #bookstsgram #Reading #GreatBooks #ReadMoreBooks #FictionBasedOnTrueEvents #Fiction #BeautifulCovers #alwaysreading
#summerslowdown
#mymonthwithmarilyn so excited to dig into this one in preparation for the movie and to discuss with some booksta buds. I’ve only heard good things!!
