May is an odd month wherein I, your somewhat scattered leader, pick a book. We have journeyed through so very very many time travel and time travel-adjacent works and frankly, we are kind of running out (at least of good ones). Last year, you all let me pick something that won a lot of awards (and yet still managed to be pretty readable) so I am hoping you indulge me again.
Either way we were reading something in translation, because we also love exploring perspectives outside our own American/Western/English bubble. I was highly torn between this and The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa but in the end – this concept just seems to juicy to pass up. Perhaps I will pre-read The Memory Police and add if for a future month if it seems like a good fit for us.
***Book summary from Goodreads***
Award-winning Bulgarian author Georgi Gospodinov has enthralled readers around the world with his labyrinth-like, Kafkaesque tales of contemporary Europe.
In Time Shelter, an enigmatic flâneur named Gaustine opens a “clinic for the past” that offers a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s sufferers: each floor reproduces a decade in minute detail, transporting patients back in time. As Gaustine’s assistant, the unnamed narrator is tasked with collecting the flotsam and jetsam of the past, from 1960s furniture and 1940s shirt buttons to scents and even afternoon light.
But as the rooms become more convincing, an increasing number of healthy people seek out the clinic as a “time shelter”—a development that results in an unexpected conundrum when the past begins to invade the present. Intricately crafted, and eloquently translated by Angela Rodel, Time Shelter announces Gospodinov to American readers as an essential voice in international literature.
***This month's restaurant selection***
I am sort of shocked I am even typing this since I have a major bias against restaurants that only have an Intsa rather than an actual website. Strike two: the Insta has the tag line “🔥 Flavor. Vibe. Experience”. I didn't add that emoji sarcastically - they did and I don't even think ironically.
But despite all this – the food is actually really good and they have a great selection of cocktails and mocktails. While I will miss Marlow’s Tavern (which is what used to be in this space) – I actually think this place has a wider selection for all. You can probably find a menu if you hunt around on Google, Yelp, or *shudder* Instagram. This month we are at Plate Tapas Grill & Lounge in Carrollwood.
This is located on the wing of the plaza behind Walgreen’s, south of the Publix.
***Not sure about book club or never been to one before? ***
Read the book (or some of the book). Come to the Meetup. Eat yummy food and chat with folks about what you thought about the book. REPEAT!
***Not sure where to get the book? ***
All books we select have a decent number of copies (at least 3-4 across all formats) at both the Hillsborough and Pinellas County Library. And, of course, you can always buy a copy.
***Didn’t finish/hated this book?***
Come to the Meetup anyway! If you didn't finish - just be aware, there will be spoilers. If you hated it, come and rant! In my experience, the books that generate the best conversations and the books we really love are rarely the same books.
