Books I Read, January 26th 2026

Didn't read up to my usual quota this week. Hope that doesn't become a pattern.

The Chase by Alejo Carpentier – A Cuban revolutionary is pursued by all sides at the end of the Batista regime. Very much in the Bolano vain (particularly The Amulet), though one wonders if this was because Bolano was referencing him or only that they underwent similarly formative experiences. Swirling and surreal, far the most difficult Carpentier novel that I've read, but nonetheless excellent.

Nonesuch by Francis Spufford – A independently-minded London business secretary finds love, apocalypse-inducing magic during the early days of the Blitz. Spufford marries an uncommon gift for crafting engaging characters with an original take on classic urban fantasy and an innate humanism that I can't help but find compelling. At that rare and poignant intersection of high literature and genre fiction. Great stuff.

The Seven Solitudes of Lorsa Lopez by Sony Labou Tansi – An anarchic Rabelaisian satire of modern Zaire. Magnificent. The writing is brilliant, funny and strange and powerful. The winding story of a forgotten people seeking justice in an uncaring world achieves a universal profundity far beyond political parity, speaking to the highest concerns of the human being. Really enjoyed it.

Dorodango: The Japanese Art of Making Mud Balls by Bruce Gardner – I make mud balls now.