WWW Wednesday was revived and hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. The idea is to answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses.
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
Currently Reading
THE HIDDEN LANGUAGE OF CATS by Sarah Brown: For all intents and purposes I’m still reading this book. I just finished a couple of books yesterday, so last night I snuck in a few more pages of this backburner read.
Just Finished
EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES by Heather Fawcett: I finally read this! And I really enjoyed it! I came around to Wendell in the end, but I side eyed him a whole lot. I definitely want to read the next book sooner rather than later. But first I want to get through my cozy November TBR.
THE RAINFALL MARKET by You Yeong-Gwang: I finished this yesterday and thought it was fine. It turns out I have the same issue with it that I seem to generally have with books translated from Japanese. The story was hopeful, but I just felt so distant from what was going on, like I was going through the motions reading it. I’ve mentioned this before, and to folks in my book club, and I’m not the only one who feels that way. I think it must be a cultural way of writing stories that is different from that of Western-based authors.
THE OTHER EINSTEIN by Marie Benedict: I listened to this via audiobook and ended up really liking it. It’s a historical fiction account from the POV of Mitza Maric, physicist and Albert Einstein’s wife. There’s speculation that Maric was the brains behind some of Einstein’s earlier work, such as the theory of relativity. And this book weaves a story as to perhaps why she was never credited by Einstein. Suffice it to say, I did not like Einstein by the end of this book and had to remind myself we don’t actually know why Maric didn’t receive credit or if she was the mastermind of Einstein’s big ideas.
Reading Next
Politics made me super mad this week, so I’m going to pick up one of the lightest reads (maybe?) from my November TBR: THE ENTANGLEMENT OF RIVAL WIZARDS by Sara Raasch. I desperately need to stay calm this month for personal reasons, so what better than…trying to lose myself in a book? I honestly might need to do some Peloton meditation sessions…
I have been thinking of adding The Rainfall Market to my 2026 list, because I have been quite intrigued by this genre of books. I do think that there is a big difference with the writing style, like you mentioned, and the best way to describe it is that it is cozy, but sometimes we’re in the mood for that. Idk, it is more like the journey and the process than the story itself.
Yes, I’d agree that something like The Rainfall Market falls more on the cozy side. And I think you’re on to something about these books being more about the process rather than the story itself. I guess I just don’t jive with that kind of storytelling as much. I keep trying!
If it weren’t for the cheesy tagline of The Hidden Language of Cats, I’d be interested in it, lol.
Haha, the tagline is funny. 😛 I’m reading it slowly because it’s just a tad too dry for me…which makes me sad because I bought it brand new, womp womp.
I have The Rainfall Market on my TBR because I couldn’t resist the deal it was on for but I also have this same struggle with translated fiction. I find it more with Korean lit compared to Japanese lit, but I fully relate with the emotional disconnect. Sometimes it makes me wonder if I’ve completely missed something or I’m not emotionally in tune enough (which everyone IRL would tell you is false, haha)!? 🤣 I’m glad to hear you ended up enjoying Emily Wilde though! Wendell gets better as the trilogy goes on, I think. Happy reading!
Glad to see I’m not the only one who feels that way about some translated fiction. I think it’s probably part due to a cultural difference in what to expect from writing style and also probably something lost a little bit in translation. (And I don’t think you’re not emotionally tuned in, lol!)
Can’t wait to read more Emily & Wendell! ^_^
The Hidden Language of Cats sounds cute. Did you know that a cat’s meow is at the same frequency as a human baby. When a cat meow it sound like a baby crying and so we have to repose to it. In a way cats have domesticated us.
I did! But I only learned about the frequency of a cat’s meow the day before you posted your comment, lol! There are definitely some interesting facts in this book.
I have the same feeling about the Japanese books that I’ve read. I never really feel involved with the characters and it always seems quite distant. I enjoyed the Rainfall Market but it definitely had that same feeling
Yea, it’s why now I resist the pull to buy translated books originally written in Japanese…it might be the same now for me with Korean books, too, unfortunately. I bought this in the Seoul airport just for fun, but I don’t think I’ll hold onto it.
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed Emily Wilde! I adored that whole series. I hope you do too. 🙂 Happy reading!
Me too! Maybe I’ll read the second book next month, we’ll see!
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed Emily Wilde. Wendell definitely grew on me even more as the series went on, and I came to absolutely love the two of them together. I can’t wait to see what you think of the rest of the series. I’m impatiently waiting for the author’s next book about the mystical cat shelter. I need it now! lol.
Also, I’m curious to see what you think of the Sara Raasch book. I haven’t read that one yet, but I did just finish Go Luck Yourself. Her romcoms, at least the ones I’ve read, always seem to have a real serious mental health aspect. So, I hope it doesn’t turn out to be too heavy if you’re wanting something super light.
I totally get what you mean with Korean and Japanese translated books. It feels like I’m reading at a distance, especially for the cozy and introspective ones. Their thrillers are more immersive, imo.