21st Century Literature discussion

You can define "surprise"... So, what reading/book surprises happened last week?
(Discovered a book, lucked into extra reading time, met an author, etc.).

I finished Solenoid during a killer flu (not necessarily more reading time because I felt so sick) and the fever dream quality of the book definitely coalesced with my state of mind to a certain extent.

I , too, have been struck with a fever and escaped into an audiobook . My choice was influenced indirectly by recently reading Lecia Format by Dasa Drndic , whose work explores the legacies of war in Croatia .

So it was the title that intrigued me " A Sailor of Austria " by John Biggins, as I had not imagined the Dual Monarchy had a navy . Written by an Englishman it has a similar sensibility to Hitchhikers Guide as we join our U boat captain at a time when the science behind submarines was embryonic and the high ups still valued cavalry over technology . Our narrator is

The novel is picturesque; a comedic adventure exposing the stupidity of war, pomp and rank laced with enough technical detail about submarines to stimulate my interest .

It certainly cheered me up no end as I coughed my way to recovery

It's a fine line between being sick enough to justify/warrant extra reading time and not being so sick that you can't actually enjoy reading! Throw in a fever (much like the effects of sleep deprivation) and reading definitely takes on a dreamy/surreal affect. Sound like each of you had books that paired quite well with your illnesses!

My surprise last week: My hold on an interlibrary loan of Melvill (Rodrigo Fresán) was ready for pickup; however, the real surprise was when I got home and realized I'd requested the Spanish-language version. I cannot read Spanish, but I did find the whole ordeal quite humorous and I was a little relieved not to have yet another unread library book checked out. (And, yes, I used it as an excuse to just buy myself an English-language version of the book.)