“Don’t try to be different. Just be good. To be good is different enough.” – Arthur Freed
I’ve got two fantastic historical fiction novel recommendations for you this month. First up, Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati.
I absolutely love these retellings of Greek myths. And since I’m a big fan of Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles, Circe, and Galatea, I took a chance on Casati’s Clytemnestra.
Casati does a great job of immersing you into Spartan culture and Clytemnestra’s family. For starters, her sister is the famous Helen of Troy and her husband, Agamemnon. So, I can easily see why Casati wanted to tell Clytemnestra’s story since she’s connected to so many historical figures in Greek mythology. Highly recommend to fans of Greek myths and historical fiction.
Next, I choose Lady Tan’s Circle of Friends because it’s by Lisa See. I read her The Island of Sea Women and absolutely loved how much I learned about Korea’s Jeju Island and the deep sea diving women.
This time, See takes us to 15th century China through the perspective of real life Tan Yunxian, a female doctor (which was pretty much unheard of) who learned the art of Chinese medicine from her grandparents.
It’s not for the fainthearted since See immerses you into the Confucian culture of subservient women, the painful tradition of foot binding, and childbirth. The amount of research that See poured into this is something most people will never attempt in their entire lifetime; in other words, it’s remarkable.
Currently, I’m reading Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, but I just started it. And honestly, I’m trying to give it a chance. I don’t know if I can pivot from rich historical fiction to a light fantasy about a young woman looking for fairies.
I always hate it when you have to follow up such good books. Sometimes you get on a winning streak, other times, you’re dropping books like their hot. We’ll see how it goes…
// Life’s pretty good. I’m just hella busy, “the job I do for money” (aka teaching) is a hybrid situation, so I don’t have a nice delineation between home + work. But I’m making decent money, so boohoo, right?
// Which means, I don’t have time for Substack, really. But kind folks with bigger audiences than me are recommending my writing, and so I’m getting more eyeballs on my content. And that’s what I wanted. Lovelyyy.
// I’m also well over my head in home improvement and nesting. It feels like I’m stimulating the local economy on my purchases alone, but we’ve been in Siem Reap for about 5 months and we just replaced the bedsheets that came with the townhouse, so it’s not like I’m going too crazy.
// Went to Thailand to see my mom and family for a quick visit. It was wonderful to see her and everyone else. I can’t believe we’ve all been rendezvousing in Lamphun since 2007. We’re all growing older together.
How was your February? Any good reads?
Life, the Universe, and Lani 
Hello. I read and liked a book of connected short stories in February: Gordo, by Jaime Cortez.
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Thanks!
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I enjoyed Circe, so I should try Clytemnestra. I’ve been reading Stephen King: The Outsider and Holly. They’re mystery/police stories with a villain who provides the horror. I can see why he’s popular. He’s a good writer, and most of the characters are likable. The suspense keeps you reading.
You sound really busy in a good way.
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Thanks, Nicki. I suppose I am, but I won’t lie, I’m really looking forward to some breathing space.
Yes, you’ll probably like Clytemnestra then! Haven’t picked up a Stephen King novel since high school! And when I did it wasn’t for his horror. In fact, I stopped reading Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo (even though I love her) because I wasn’t in the mood for such. I’m actually surprise you like him. 😛
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Switching around book styles requires some serious brainwork. I somehow acquired 7 or 8 books while in Edinburgh. From Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature by Linda Lear to A Brief History of Black Holes: And Why Nearly Everything You Know About Them Is Wrong by Dr. Becky Smethurst. Mostly non-fiction, it seems, with a sprinkle of fiction here and there, including one in French written by my healing practitioner: Soudani: La Fille (In)Visible by Elsa Jo. Ashanti. Books and teas. Teas and books. I have no idea how I managed to get it all back to Paris. Whew! xo
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Send them by post! The best way to not have to lug them around. I miss a good postal service. Cambodia is not quite up to standards yet… Sigh.
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I love Lisa See’s writing, so should give this a try. Your recommendation of The Covenant of Water was a highlight. Definitely one of the best books I’ve ever read. Otherwise my reading in February has been so-so. Definitely not worth recommending anything.
I love your Substack writing, even if I don’t comment, because I sadly refuse to sign up for more platforms, as I really, really want to try and simplify my life, even if it is by not complicating it even more.
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Oh, no worries. I understand. I wish there was a way to go through all the old stuff that I no longer use and delete those accounts. Some of them I haven’t used in forever and some of them make it impossible to do so.
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed my Substack! And Covenant — Cutting for Stone was also quite good. And yes, to Lisa See! Cheers, Jolandi, xo
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Did you ever read Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s The Mercies? So good. I still think about that novel all the time. You might like that one. I just finished the audio of Alice McDermott’s Absolution–not her best but good. And now I’m listening to Shuggie Bain for the second time–so delightfully depressing in that Angela’s Ashes kind of way. Why do I do this to myself? In my next life I will read light fiction. Ah, Lisa See–I haven’t read her since the island one, which was good. I’m also reading short stories by an author I’ll be interviewing. It feels good to be reading stories again–delightful in their self-contained-ness.
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The Mercies sounds familiar. I think it was just a little too much girl-power for me if that makes sense. I don’t like over the top messages even though I consider myself a feminist. But maybe it was my mood? Or I’m remembering incorrectly. I’ll have to take another look at it again. I can’t do depressing right now, too much heaviness in the world that I don’t think I could do it. Sorry, I’m such a party pooper this morning! Ugh. Must snap out of it. 😛 Thanks, Rebecca.
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Ha, yeah I get it. And I probably recommended it before. You’re not a party pooper–and we will never get to all the good books if we settle!
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Glad to hear you are well, Lani. I plan to read The White Mosque. About a part Eithopian American woman who was raised Mennonite…
Will be releasing a new blog post soon. Hope you’ll visit because experienced bloggers and writers should be interested.
Just met up with a Chicago blogger-visitor and her friend a few days ago. Very interesting. She is the 3rd blogger I’ve met in person over the last 15 yrs.
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Yes, I’d be happy to hear from you, too. Thanks, Jean.
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