What Fiction are you reading this week, April 28, 2024?

[NanaCat]

7. 3fer week

The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak
Saga starting with a young boy hired as an animal trainer for a menagerie owned by an Ottomon sultan in the 16th century. An architect comes on board to build housing for the animals, takes a shine to the young trainer and makes him his apprentice. Many great buildings ensue...as does court intrigue.

Clear by Carys Davies
I summarized this one in another DU post: https://www.democraticunderground.com/119322753#post21

Because Clear is a shortish read (~200 pages), I'll toss in a third book this week, the award-winning graphic novel Himawari House by Harmony Becker. American teenagers study abroad in Japan and struggle through language barriers, culture clashes, and, of course, teen angst and interpersonal dramas. Sounds a bit soap opera-ish, but manga and graphic novels of this type can have unexpected depth, when least expected (See: Yazawa Ai's Nana or Hana Yori Dango by Kamio Yoko). Time will tell if this is one of the deeper types.