BOTM: M. Lee, Eight lives of a century-old trickster (2023)
P. French, Younghusband (1995)
G. Grass, Peeling the onion (2008)
T. Jansson, Notes from an island (1996)
H. Jeffreys, Vines in a cold climate (2023)
F. Leiber, The wanderer (1964)
J. Morris, The Venetian Empire (1980)
R. Nye, Falstaff (1976)
P.G. Wodehouse, A damsel in distress (1919)
Part of me feels Wodehouse or Morris should be BOTMs. And part of me is right. Damsel in distress is Blandings before Blandings, and it's excellent. But I've read all the Blandings novels. I thoroughly enjoyed this one too. Similarly, while Morris' book is about Venice, a lot is about Byzantium. I'm a big fan of that, but I do know about it. There are some lovely touches, and the history is fine, and comforting. I'd recommend both.
However, for me, the most interesting was Lee's novel, which absolutely benefits from being the first Korean novel I've every read. It's great fun, despite what is a horrific story. And holding the madcap tone of much of it against the series of atrocities that is mid twentieth century Korean history is well done, and hard to do. I'm very glad I read it.
