Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme started by @Lauren’s Page Turners but is currently hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and explain why you want to read it. It is that simple.

This week’s book:

Audition by Katie Kitamura

Blurb from Goodreads

One woman, the performance of a lifetime. Or two. A mesmerizing Mobius strip of a novel that asks who we are to the people we love.

Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She’s an elegant and accomplished actress in rehearsals for an upcoming premiere. He’s attractive, troubling, and young—young enough to be her son. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? In Audition, two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day—partner, parent, creator, muse—and the truths every performance masks, especially from those who think they know us best.

Why I Want To Read It

Happy Monday, everyone! Technically, it’s already Tuesday. I know. Nobody is excited about Mondays; I guess there are, but they are in the minority. I, too, am not a fan of Mondays. Still, we push forward. After all, we’ve got to start somewhere, and Monday is a starting point. It’s a chance to work on our goals; ironically, the start is often the hardest part. That said, I hope everyone had a restful weekend in preparation for the rigors of the week ahead. The weather here in the Philippines has been unpredictable. After having a warm long weekend—October 31 was a holiday here in the Philippines—today has been damp. A strong typhoon just swept the country’s central islands. Flooding has been prevalent in the country’s most populous province, Cebu. I hope all my countrymen are doing fine. A supertyphoon is set to ravage the northern regions in the coming days. I hope it won’t develop into a supertyphoon.

I also hope everyone is doing well—mentally, emotionally, and physically. May we all make it through (or survive) the workweek. I wish you all the best for the days ahead. Time really does fly. Just like that, we’re already in the first week of the eleventh month of the year. We only have a couple of weeks before we greet a new year. Despite the uncertainties the future holds, time keeps pressing forward—regardless of our readiness. While the future remains shrouded in uncertainty, there’s still much to look forward to. I hope everything will go well for everyone in the remainder of the year. I hope the rest of the year will be kind to everyone. May the remaining months shower us with blessings, positivity, healing, and growth. I hope good news and kindness come knocking on your door in the coming weeks. May you be rewarded for all the hard work you’ve put in this year. Wishing you continued success and happiness.

With the start of a new week also comes a new reading adventure. Monday also means a fresh Goodreads Monday update—albeit a day late, which has been a common occurrence this year. After concluding my journey through European literature—a journey that lasted a full quarter—I’ve now pivoted to the works of American writers. When I say “American writers,” I refer to authors across the entire continent, from North to South America, including the Caribbean. Their works—along with those of several African writers—comprise the remaining titles in my reading challenge. This is a literary journey I’m excited about, and with so many wonderful titles lined up, I’m confident I won’t be disappointed. That said, I’ll occasionally interject works by non-American writers.

Katie Kitamura has long piqued my interest. I kept encountering her novels whenever I dropped by the local bookstore, particularly Intimacies and A Separation. It also doesn’t take much of a genius to conclude that she has Asian blood; her parents have Japanese ancestry. This year, she released a new work, Audition. I initially didn’t take note of the book. This was until it was longlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize. Yes. I am featuring the book in this weekly update because the Booker Prize is set to announce its 2025 winner on Monday. Audition, interestingly, made it to the shortlist. Curiously, the book has a barely above-average rating. Still, this does not preclude me from wanting to read the book. After all, I am in for the prospect of discovering a new literary adventure.

Further, I find the book’s premise interesting, if not promising. It covers an interesting phenomenon, which kind of reminds me of Ian McEwan’s Enduring Love. Well, not in the same affliction, but the premise of exploring a sort of psychological phenomenon. Besides, it made the shortlist of the Booker Prize. That should account for something. On the other hand, let’s be honest. The Booker Prize can be a hit or miss sometimes. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to getting introduced to a literary territory I have not explored before. How about you, fellow reader? How was your Monday? What books have you recently added to your reading list? Drop your thoughts in the comments. For now—happy Monday, and as always, happy reading!