Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson

Nothing To See Here
by Kevin Wilson

Published: 2019
Publisher: Ecco
Genre: Magical Realism
Hardback: 254
Rating: 5
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Website

First sentence(s):
In the late spring of 1995, just a few weeks after I'd turned twenty-eight, I got a letter from my friend Madison Roberts.

Lillian and Madison were unlikely roommates and yet inseparable friends at their elite boarding school. But then Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal and they’ve barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help.

Madison’s twin stepkids are moving in with her family and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: the twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way. Lillian is convinced Madison is pulling her leg, but it’s the truth.

Thinking of her dead-end life at home, the life that has consistently disappointed her, Lillian figures she has nothing to lose. Over the course of one humid, demanding summer, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other—and stay cool—while also staying out of the way of Madison’s buttoned-up politician husband. Surprised by her own ingenuity yet unused to the intense feelings of protectiveness she feels for them, Lillian ultimately begins to accept that she needs these strange children as much as they need her—urgently and fiercely. Couldn’t this be the start of the amazing life she’d always hoped for?

With white-hot wit and a big, tender heart, Kevin Wilson has written his best book yet—a most unusual story of parental love.

My two-bits:

Just the right amount of quirky to read during this covid-19 time.

Loved how the protagonist character growth and developing relationship with the kids.

~*~
* part of the Tournament of Books 2020 (here)

* part of ibc book club (here)

Dinner by César Aira

Dinner
by César Aira
translated by Katherine Silver

Published: 2006
Publisher: New Directions Paperback
Genre: Novella, Magical Realism, Zombies, Argentina, Coronel Pringles
Paperback: 101
Rating: 4
Goodreads

First sentence(s):
My friend was home alone, but he invited us over for dinner anyway; he was a very sociable man--liked to talk and tell stories, though he wasn't any good at it; he'd get the episodes mixed up, leave effects without effects, skip over important parts, and drop anecdotes right in the middle.

Was it a nightmare―the result of a bad case of indigestion―or did something truly scary happen after dinner in the Argentine town of Coronel Pringles?

One Saturday night a bankrupt bachelor in his sixties and his mother dine with a wealthy friend. They discuss their endlessly connected neighbors. They talk about a mysterious pit that opened up one day, and the old bricklayer who sometimes walked to the cemetery to cheer himself up. Anxious to show off his valuable antiques, the host shows his guests old windup toys and takes them to admire an enormous doll. Back at home, the bachelor decides to watch some late night TV before retiring. The news quickly takes a turn for the worse as, horrified, the newscaster finds herself reporting about the dead rising from their graves, leaving the cemetery, and sucking the blood of the living―all somehow, disturbingly reminiscent of the dinner party.

My two-bits:
This quick gory zombie feast read got me thinking of the realities of living.

And, what of relationships with people?

~*~
* weekly theme: ¡VIVA! Annual Celebration of Latino Hispanic Heritage

Mr. Flood's Last Resort by Jess Kidd

Mr. Flood's Last Resort
by Jess Kidd

Published: 2018
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Mystery, Magical Realism, Ireland
Hardback: 252
Rating: 5
Goodreads
Website

First sentence(s):
He has a curious way of moving through his rubbish.

Maud Drennan is a dedicated caregiver whose sunny disposition masks a deep sadness. A tragic childhood event left her haunted, in the company of a cast of prattling saints who pop in and out of her life like tourists. Other than visiting her agoraphobic neighbor, Maud keeps to herself, finding solace in her work and in her humble existence–until she meets Mr. Flood.

Cathal Flood is a menace by all accounts. The lone occupant of a Gothic mansion crawling with feral cats, he has been waging war against his son’s attempts to put him into an old-age home and sent his last caretaker running for the madhouse. But Maud is this impossible man’s last chance: if she can help him get the house in order, he just might be able to stay. So the unlikely pair begins to cooperate, bonding over their shared love of Irish folktales and mutual dislike of Mr. Flood’s overbearing son.

Still, shadows are growing in the cluttered corners of the mansion, hinting at buried family secrets, and reminding Maud that she doesn’t really know this man at all. When the forgotten case of a missing schoolgirl comes to light, she starts poking around, and a full-steam search for answers begins.

My two-bits:
Loved the paranormal (ghosts) and mystery mix.

The characters were quirky, colorful and fun to follow through this story.

PeekAbook: Loved the illustrations at the chapter headings

~*~
* part of ibc book club (here)

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage
by Haruki Murakami

Find out more about this book and author:
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Published: 2014
Publisher: Knopf
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Japanese, Magical Realism
Hardback: 400 pages
Rating: 5

Tsukuru Tazaki had four best friends at school. By chance all of their names contained a colour. The two boys were called Akamatsu, meaning ‘red pine', and Oumi, ‘blue sea', while the girls' names were Shirane, ‘white root', and Kurono, ‘black field'. Tazaki was the only last name with no colour in it.

One day Tsukuru Tazaki’s friends announced that they didn’t want to see him, or talk to him, ever again.

Since that day Tsukuru has been floating through life, unable to form intimate connections with anyone. But then he meets Sara, who tells him that the time has come to find out what happened all those years ago.

PeekAbook:



My two-bits:

Not necessarily a feel good story. But rather, a good one that is told well.

It is one of those books jam packed with passages that really gave food for thought and probably even more beautiful in Japanese (non-translated text).

The journey taken with Tsukuru as he goes on his pilgrimage (to find out about himself past and present) was very engaging and engrossing.

~*~
* added this to my Bookish Bingo challenge - square: Magical Realism

* part of my Japanese Literature challenge

The Future for Curious People by Gregory Sherl

The Future for Curious People
by Gregory Sherl

Find out more about this book and author:
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BookExcerpt
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Just released: September 2, 2014
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Genre: magical realism
Paperback: 336 pages
Rating: 5

Meet Evelyn and Godfrey. Evelyn is breaking up with her boyfriend, who’s passing out advertisements for his band on a snowy street corner in Baltimore. She’s seen their dismal future together at Dr. Chin’s office--she and her boyfriend, both many years older, singing “Happy Birthday” to a Chihuahua and arguing about cheese. She hopes for more.

Meanwhile, Godfrey is proposing to his girlfriend, Madge, who’s not quite willing to take that leap; she wants to see their future together first--just to be sure they’re meant for each other.

The Future for Curious People follows Evelyn and Godfrey’s soon-to-be-entwined lives, set in motion by the fabulist premise of a world with envisionists like Dr. Chin. As the characters struggle with their pasts and possible futures, they wrestle with sorrow, love, death, and fate.

A novel that will capture you with its wit, its hopefulness, its anxious twists and turns, this love story is ultimately about finding happiness and accepting our fleeting existence.

Zombie sighting:

I just don't feel anything happening. Must be an epidemic or the zombie apocalypse.
-chapter: Godfrey - Learning To Abstract, location 1968 (kindle)

My two-bits:

Loved this book about love in respect to couple relationships.

It is one of those books gems with golden nuggets of wisdom sprinkled in most chapters. There are so many quotable passages that I really was really taken with - so many, that if I had a highlighter, most pages would be well colored.

The concept of envisionists and how they go about exploring our future selves was a fun one to think about during the read. Got me thinking of how some people go to fortune tellers for advice and guidance.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of edelweiss

* added this to my Bookish Bingo challenge