in november i read:
the power, by naomi alderman (so the premise of this book is that women have discovered a power to cause pain (and kill) using their mind. what happens to society once women have this power? this was a book where i really liked the premise, but all the steps of the plot to get us to the ending weren't as interesting. this needed to be a short story, not a novel. but that said, it *was* really interesting and i'm glad i read it!)
less, by andrew sean greer (i LOVED this book and could totally see why it won the pulitzer prize. it's that great novel that you/me, a common reader, can actually appreciate instead of being like "i bet there's another level i'm supposed to be understanding this book on, but i am not." it's a book of travels, a book about relationships, a book about growing old, a book about being young. i really really enjoyed it. might be my favorite book this year - at least it's my favorite book of the last few months.)
Sunday, December 30, 2018
Monday, December 10, 2018
october: 35, 36 & 37
this month i read:
the line that held us, by david joy (i joined the book of the month club (so fun!) with the caveat that i would not let it mean i accumulated books that i didn't read. book of the month lets you skip months, so my rule for myself is that i have to finish the previous book before i can get another. this has resulted in me getting books about every other month. this was my first! "appalachian noir" is the genre they listed for this, which is pretty spot on. i love books set in the appalachian mountains, so this was a winner for me. not the best book i've ever read, but a gripping murder/kidnapping mystery nonetheless!)
the great alone, by kristin hannah (so i had super high hopes for this one...that were kind of dashed. i LOVED the nightingale, and this was her most recent release...and while this was a fine book i wanted it to be as amazing as the nightingale and it wasn't. the school librarian said it well when we talked about it - i'm tired of reading books about domestic abuse. so depressing! and while there were some good relationships and love stories in it, it was a pretty depressing read. it was...fine? read the nightingale instead!)
an absolutely remarkable thing, by hank green (another book of the month selection...this is the first novel by the brother of the great YA author john green, and it was a great mystery around the appearance of a bunch of statues all around the world on the same night, how people react to them, and the role of the media in all of that. just truly original as a story line, which i loved. highly recommend! i kept wanting to see what would happen next.)
the line that held us, by david joy (i joined the book of the month club (so fun!) with the caveat that i would not let it mean i accumulated books that i didn't read. book of the month lets you skip months, so my rule for myself is that i have to finish the previous book before i can get another. this has resulted in me getting books about every other month. this was my first! "appalachian noir" is the genre they listed for this, which is pretty spot on. i love books set in the appalachian mountains, so this was a winner for me. not the best book i've ever read, but a gripping murder/kidnapping mystery nonetheless!)
the great alone, by kristin hannah (so i had super high hopes for this one...that were kind of dashed. i LOVED the nightingale, and this was her most recent release...and while this was a fine book i wanted it to be as amazing as the nightingale and it wasn't. the school librarian said it well when we talked about it - i'm tired of reading books about domestic abuse. so depressing! and while there were some good relationships and love stories in it, it was a pretty depressing read. it was...fine? read the nightingale instead!)
an absolutely remarkable thing, by hank green (another book of the month selection...this is the first novel by the brother of the great YA author john green, and it was a great mystery around the appearance of a bunch of statues all around the world on the same night, how people react to them, and the role of the media in all of that. just truly original as a story line, which i loved. highly recommend! i kept wanting to see what would happen next.)
Sunday, November 25, 2018
september: 33 & 34
in september i read:
killers of the flower moon, by david grann (this is a nonfiction account of some nefarious activities and murders in the osage indian tribe in oklahoma in the early part of the 20th century, with some interesting history (did you know that native people who had oil rights had to have white guardians to manage their money?!) and the rise of the FBI. it's not *incredibly* well written, but it's an interesting story and if this little blurb interests you, i'd recommend you check it out!)
real american, by julie lythcott-haims (this is a memoir of a biracial woman growing up in the 1980s and then struggling with her own identity as she parents her own biracial children in the 2000s. an incredibly poignant and well-written book about race, identity, history, politics. if you are parenting a multiracial child this is a MUST READ. and honestly? it's a must read for anyone who cares about race in this country at all.)
killers of the flower moon, by david grann (this is a nonfiction account of some nefarious activities and murders in the osage indian tribe in oklahoma in the early part of the 20th century, with some interesting history (did you know that native people who had oil rights had to have white guardians to manage their money?!) and the rise of the FBI. it's not *incredibly* well written, but it's an interesting story and if this little blurb interests you, i'd recommend you check it out!)
real american, by julie lythcott-haims (this is a memoir of a biracial woman growing up in the 1980s and then struggling with her own identity as she parents her own biracial children in the 2000s. an incredibly poignant and well-written book about race, identity, history, politics. if you are parenting a multiracial child this is a MUST READ. and honestly? it's a must read for anyone who cares about race in this country at all.)
Sunday, October 21, 2018
august: 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 & 32
in august i read:
erotic stories for punjabi widows, by bali kaur jaswal (this was a pick for my book club, and it was pretty, um, erotic. it was also a super light read (i actually listened to the audiobook, with a great narrator) and would make a great vacation read!)
americanah, by chimamanda ngozi adichie (i loved this book. i love adichie. in this book we follow a boy and girl as they both leave nigeria - one for the us and one for the uk. we see life in nigeria, the us, and the uk, and it's a great commentary on race in each of those locations as well as the complications inherent in relationships. it's a long one but VERY worth it. if you haven't read any adichie you should correct that ASAP.)
the line becomes a river, by francisco cantu (this is a memoir of a guy who graduated from college with an interest in immigration issues and became a border patrol agent who worked the us-mexico border for several years. fascinating read and well worth your time, as someone living in america today!)
lean in, by sheryl sandberg (finally read this one. nothing mind blowing (probably because we've come a long way with the conversations around gender in the work place since this book came out, probably thanks to this book, honestly), but i appreciated her incorporation of the social science research and i was glad to have read it.)
will grayson, will grayson, by john green and david levithan (the only john green book i hadn't read - two boys named will grayson, and the two authors alternated writing the chapters. if you like YA books, add this to your list!)
an american marriage, by tayari jones (everyone is talking about this book, and i was glad to have read it. a man is falsely accused of rape and imprisoned. it follows him, his parents, his wife, her best friend in the years that follow. the press it is getting is well-deserved! parts of it were pretty depressing - by design - but she's a beautiful writer and i was glad to have read it.)
erotic stories for punjabi widows, by bali kaur jaswal (this was a pick for my book club, and it was pretty, um, erotic. it was also a super light read (i actually listened to the audiobook, with a great narrator) and would make a great vacation read!)
americanah, by chimamanda ngozi adichie (i loved this book. i love adichie. in this book we follow a boy and girl as they both leave nigeria - one for the us and one for the uk. we see life in nigeria, the us, and the uk, and it's a great commentary on race in each of those locations as well as the complications inherent in relationships. it's a long one but VERY worth it. if you haven't read any adichie you should correct that ASAP.)
the line becomes a river, by francisco cantu (this is a memoir of a guy who graduated from college with an interest in immigration issues and became a border patrol agent who worked the us-mexico border for several years. fascinating read and well worth your time, as someone living in america today!)
lean in, by sheryl sandberg (finally read this one. nothing mind blowing (probably because we've come a long way with the conversations around gender in the work place since this book came out, probably thanks to this book, honestly), but i appreciated her incorporation of the social science research and i was glad to have read it.)
will grayson, will grayson, by john green and david levithan (the only john green book i hadn't read - two boys named will grayson, and the two authors alternated writing the chapters. if you like YA books, add this to your list!)
an american marriage, by tayari jones (everyone is talking about this book, and i was glad to have read it. a man is falsely accused of rape and imprisoned. it follows him, his parents, his wife, her best friend in the years that follow. the press it is getting is well-deserved! parts of it were pretty depressing - by design - but she's a beautiful writer and i was glad to have read it.)
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
july: 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 & 26
as always (ugh), a very belated post! i read a lot this summer! bring back summer.
circe, by madeline miller (this was a book club pick, a telling of greek mythology from the point of view of circe. it took me a while to get into it, but once i did i really liked it. and i'm not even a person who knows a lot about or is necessarily into mythology. i have heard from friends that her book song of achilles is also fantastic!)
the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house, by audre lorde (aww yeah, i'm doing some feminist reading whenever i can. had never read any audre lorde, so i corrected that.)
simon vs. the homo sapiens agenda, by becky albertalli (pretty decent YA fiction - not life changing, but definitely worth reading if you're into YA)
anne of green gables, by l.m. montgomery (i re-read this childhood classic for my book club and i...didn't like it as much as when i was a kid. which is perhaps to be expected? some things stand the test of time, and this felt so simple and escapist - especially in contrast with, like, audre lorde - and it just didn't hold up for me. but i LOVED these books as a kid and read many of them and would want young girls now to do the same. it's just not for 35 year old ladies.)
girl in snow, by danya kukafka (this book was pitched as gillian flynn-like, and it was not that good or thrilling. but perhaps it was just over-hyped for me? it's an engaging story told by three narrators about a girl who is found dead in a playground as you try to figure out who did it. it would be a perfect book to read curled up on a cold day!)
being peace, by thich nhat hanh (this was a book my mindfulness friend/teacher at school recommended to me, and i'm glad i read it, as i try to practice mindfulness and gratitude in my daily life.)
calypso, by david sedaris (always funny - over too quickly!)
circe, by madeline miller (this was a book club pick, a telling of greek mythology from the point of view of circe. it took me a while to get into it, but once i did i really liked it. and i'm not even a person who knows a lot about or is necessarily into mythology. i have heard from friends that her book song of achilles is also fantastic!)
the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house, by audre lorde (aww yeah, i'm doing some feminist reading whenever i can. had never read any audre lorde, so i corrected that.)
simon vs. the homo sapiens agenda, by becky albertalli (pretty decent YA fiction - not life changing, but definitely worth reading if you're into YA)
anne of green gables, by l.m. montgomery (i re-read this childhood classic for my book club and i...didn't like it as much as when i was a kid. which is perhaps to be expected? some things stand the test of time, and this felt so simple and escapist - especially in contrast with, like, audre lorde - and it just didn't hold up for me. but i LOVED these books as a kid and read many of them and would want young girls now to do the same. it's just not for 35 year old ladies.)
girl in snow, by danya kukafka (this book was pitched as gillian flynn-like, and it was not that good or thrilling. but perhaps it was just over-hyped for me? it's an engaging story told by three narrators about a girl who is found dead in a playground as you try to figure out who did it. it would be a perfect book to read curled up on a cold day!)
being peace, by thich nhat hanh (this was a book my mindfulness friend/teacher at school recommended to me, and i'm glad i read it, as i try to practice mindfulness and gratitude in my daily life.)
calypso, by david sedaris (always funny - over too quickly!)
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
june: 16, 17, 18 & 19
summer! more time for reading! this month i read:
my grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry, by fredrik backman (my mom gave me this for christmas and i really enjoyed it, as i have really enjoyed all of backman's books. did i cry at the end of this? like a blubbering idiot, yes. the characters have emotions that are so real and so tender. i had no choice. if you haven't read any of his books, please give one a try!)
igen, by jean m. twenge (this was a book my boss asked us to read, and i did not hate it. in fact, i was spewing a lot of facts about kidsthesedays but calling them igen like the author wanted me to (as in, internet generation) and my boyfriend kept saying STOP SAYING IGEN IT SOUNDS RIDICULOUS and i kept saying I HAVE DRUNK THE KOOLAID AND MUST SAY IT, and suffice it to say i had a lot of facts to share and annoyed those around me with them and that means it was a useful book. if there are teens in your life, this is a good read with a TON of charts and graphs to back up the words.)
we were the lucky ones, by georgia hunter (um, i only read this a month ago and i don't remember what it was about THAT IS NOT A GOOD SIGN oh wait i remember: the holocaust. in poland. it was very depressing, but is semi-autobiographical - the main character is the author's grandfather and the stories in the book are based on stories she heard about her grandfather and his siblings and parents. i actually didn't know much about how the war affected polish jews, and found this book illuminating though, you know, depressing.)
you don't have to say you love me, by sherman alexie (i listened to the audiobook of this one, which is a memoir of alexie's relationship with his mother, who had recently died. i really like alexie's work and i found this memoir moving and quite well done. my school is removing absolutely true diary of a part-time indian from its freshman english curriculum, though, as a result of the #metoo allegations against alexie, so i'm a bit torn about him and his work right now. glad to have read this, whatever the situation.)
my grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry, by fredrik backman (my mom gave me this for christmas and i really enjoyed it, as i have really enjoyed all of backman's books. did i cry at the end of this? like a blubbering idiot, yes. the characters have emotions that are so real and so tender. i had no choice. if you haven't read any of his books, please give one a try!)
igen, by jean m. twenge (this was a book my boss asked us to read, and i did not hate it. in fact, i was spewing a lot of facts about kidsthesedays but calling them igen like the author wanted me to (as in, internet generation) and my boyfriend kept saying STOP SAYING IGEN IT SOUNDS RIDICULOUS and i kept saying I HAVE DRUNK THE KOOLAID AND MUST SAY IT, and suffice it to say i had a lot of facts to share and annoyed those around me with them and that means it was a useful book. if there are teens in your life, this is a good read with a TON of charts and graphs to back up the words.)
we were the lucky ones, by georgia hunter (um, i only read this a month ago and i don't remember what it was about THAT IS NOT A GOOD SIGN oh wait i remember: the holocaust. in poland. it was very depressing, but is semi-autobiographical - the main character is the author's grandfather and the stories in the book are based on stories she heard about her grandfather and his siblings and parents. i actually didn't know much about how the war affected polish jews, and found this book illuminating though, you know, depressing.)
you don't have to say you love me, by sherman alexie (i listened to the audiobook of this one, which is a memoir of alexie's relationship with his mother, who had recently died. i really like alexie's work and i found this memoir moving and quite well done. my school is removing absolutely true diary of a part-time indian from its freshman english curriculum, though, as a result of the #metoo allegations against alexie, so i'm a bit torn about him and his work right now. glad to have read this, whatever the situation.)
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
may 14 & 15
though my reading has picked up now that summer is officially here, i just read two books in may:
we have always lived in the castle, by shirley jackson (i listened to this audiobook, which was *fine* but not exceptional. creepy and entertaining enough to keep me occupied while i drove to and from work, but i wouldn't rush right out and read this.)
exit west, by mohsin hamid (i really liked this book - the immigrant experience from the middle east to the united states, which several stops in between. also the story of a romantic relationship, and touches on parent-child relationships and those between immigrants of different nationalities and those between immigrants and "natives." a lot going on here, and i understand why it's getting so much press. it's an easy and quick read but leaves you a lot to chew over. i'd recommend it for sure!)
we have always lived in the castle, by shirley jackson (i listened to this audiobook, which was *fine* but not exceptional. creepy and entertaining enough to keep me occupied while i drove to and from work, but i wouldn't rush right out and read this.)
exit west, by mohsin hamid (i really liked this book - the immigrant experience from the middle east to the united states, which several stops in between. also the story of a romantic relationship, and touches on parent-child relationships and those between immigrants of different nationalities and those between immigrants and "natives." a lot going on here, and i understand why it's getting so much press. it's an easy and quick read but leaves you a lot to chew over. i'd recommend it for sure!)
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
april: 11, 12 & 13
the belated recaps continue. in april i read:
the light we lost, by jill santopolo (so this was a book club pick that i bought at an airport bookstore - which tells you something about the book - that it's appealing to a large enough audience that airports carry it. i want to turn up my nose at this book, but i sped through it and was totally captivated by the plot. it is not the best book i've read, but it would make an excellent beach read!)
elmet, by fiona mozley (this book was one i got from the local independent bookstore, and it was the exact opposite of the light we lost. this was a book for literate people who are okay with weird characters and a plot set in the present but oddly reminiscent of the past (so kind of set in no time period and all time periods?)...i didn't love this one, but it made me think and some of the scenes have stayed with me since, so it clearly made an impression.)
graffiti palace, by a.g. lombardo (this book pissed me off. it's set in LA during the watts riots of 1965, as a guy tries to get home to his pregnant girlfriend and keeps getting waylaid. the odyssey-esque. i kept yelling at the main character: "just get home already! stop getting distracted!" but he kept getting distracted. would not recommend.)
the light we lost, by jill santopolo (so this was a book club pick that i bought at an airport bookstore - which tells you something about the book - that it's appealing to a large enough audience that airports carry it. i want to turn up my nose at this book, but i sped through it and was totally captivated by the plot. it is not the best book i've read, but it would make an excellent beach read!)
elmet, by fiona mozley (this book was one i got from the local independent bookstore, and it was the exact opposite of the light we lost. this was a book for literate people who are okay with weird characters and a plot set in the present but oddly reminiscent of the past (so kind of set in no time period and all time periods?)...i didn't love this one, but it made me think and some of the scenes have stayed with me since, so it clearly made an impression.)
graffiti palace, by a.g. lombardo (this book pissed me off. it's set in LA during the watts riots of 1965, as a guy tries to get home to his pregnant girlfriend and keeps getting waylaid. the odyssey-esque. i kept yelling at the main character: "just get home already! stop getting distracted!" but he kept getting distracted. would not recommend.)
march: 7, 8, 9 & 10
guys, apparently i am horrible about telling you what i've read. but i *do* want to tell you, so i just need to get my act together and write my couple sentences and share this. here we go!
in march i read:
turtles all the way down, by john green (i have other favorite john green books, but this one was good and worth reading - but if you've never read a book by him, start with something else.)
the sun and her flowers, by rupi kaur (this is her second book of poetry and i love her writing. tore through this and i know it's the kind of book i will actually read again.)
the rules do not apply, by ariel levy (i underlined this line:
"One day you are very young and then suddenly you are thirty-five and it is Time. You have to reproduce, or else. By that point, many of my friends had already been working on their reproductive ambitions for quite a while."
so yeah. 35 over here. i guess i share this line to tell you that the author was, for parts of the book, in a similar place as i am in the span of my life, so i related to a lot of what she was talking about. i loved her voice. the story of her trip to mongolia was horrific, and i would actively NOT recommend this book to anyone who has had a miscarriage. but i'm really glad i read it - i sped through it on my spring break trip!)
braving the wilderness, by brene brown (this was another spring break read, in the claire-goes-outside-and-looks-inward spring break trip i took to dripping springs, tx. a lot of it was really similar to what she said when i heard her talk this fall on her book tour, but i was glad to have the book in hand to organize her arguments and be a resource i can go back to.)
in march i read:
turtles all the way down, by john green (i have other favorite john green books, but this one was good and worth reading - but if you've never read a book by him, start with something else.)
the sun and her flowers, by rupi kaur (this is her second book of poetry and i love her writing. tore through this and i know it's the kind of book i will actually read again.)
the rules do not apply, by ariel levy (i underlined this line:
"One day you are very young and then suddenly you are thirty-five and it is Time. You have to reproduce, or else. By that point, many of my friends had already been working on their reproductive ambitions for quite a while."
so yeah. 35 over here. i guess i share this line to tell you that the author was, for parts of the book, in a similar place as i am in the span of my life, so i related to a lot of what she was talking about. i loved her voice. the story of her trip to mongolia was horrific, and i would actively NOT recommend this book to anyone who has had a miscarriage. but i'm really glad i read it - i sped through it on my spring break trip!)
braving the wilderness, by brene brown (this was another spring break read, in the claire-goes-outside-and-looks-inward spring break trip i took to dripping springs, tx. a lot of it was really similar to what she said when i heard her talk this fall on her book tour, but i was glad to have the book in hand to organize her arguments and be a resource i can go back to.)
Sunday, March 18, 2018
february: 4, 5 & 6
getting (sort of) caught up on blogging about my reading - in february i read:
the immortalists, by chloe benjamin (four siblings visit a psychic, who tells each of them the date they will die. is the psychic right? what effect does this visit have on their lives? i really enjoyed this book, with four fully-formed characters who live very different lives. thumbs up! i'd recommend it.)
world war z, by max brooks (i listened to this audiobook, with tons of narrators so each new character had a unique voice. that is the best thing about this book. i did not find the story line particularly compelling, nor this post-apocalyptic world particularly interesting. you can continue to pass on this one.)
men explain things to me, by rebecca solnit (my local independent bookstore recommended this to me when i bought a chimamanda adichie [spelled that correct on the first try - please be proud] book, and i really enjoyed it. it's a book of essays on feminism from the woman who coined the term "mansplaining." now that i've read this i see solnit's name around a fair amount - she seems like someone we should all read at some point, given her prominence in the feminist essay-writing field!)
the immortalists, by chloe benjamin (four siblings visit a psychic, who tells each of them the date they will die. is the psychic right? what effect does this visit have on their lives? i really enjoyed this book, with four fully-formed characters who live very different lives. thumbs up! i'd recommend it.)
world war z, by max brooks (i listened to this audiobook, with tons of narrators so each new character had a unique voice. that is the best thing about this book. i did not find the story line particularly compelling, nor this post-apocalyptic world particularly interesting. you can continue to pass on this one.)
men explain things to me, by rebecca solnit (my local independent bookstore recommended this to me when i bought a chimamanda adichie [spelled that correct on the first try - please be proud] book, and i really enjoyed it. it's a book of essays on feminism from the woman who coined the term "mansplaining." now that i've read this i see solnit's name around a fair amount - she seems like someone we should all read at some point, given her prominence in the feminist essay-writing field!)
Saturday, March 3, 2018
january: 1, 2 & 3
a little behind in posting, but in january i read:
moxie, by jennifer mathieu (great young adult feminist fiction by a local author! buy this for all the middle school girls in your life. big thumbs up.)
american heiress, by jeffrey toobin (i listened to this audiobook, about the patty hearst kidnapping. before i read the book i knew that patty hearst was somehow related to william randolph hearst, she was kidnapped by the symbionese liberation army, and then maybe she got stockholm syndrome because she robbed a bank with her kidnappers. now i know a TON more, and i found the story fascinating. right down to the fact that she hated being called patty (she preferred patricia) - the only person who called her patty was her father, but because he was the one who did the news conferences while she was kidnapped, that's what the public knows her as. great audiobook!)
sing, unburied, sing, by jesmyn ward (i read this for a book club, and we picked it because the book (and the author) was getting SO much press that we literate ladies needed to know what the fuss was all about. i liked this book a lot - lyrical, at times tough to read, and it painted a beautiful picture of the world in which it was set. but i didn't lose my mind for it like the media attention had led me to believe i would. so by all means, read it, if only so we can discuss our impressions of it.)
moxie, by jennifer mathieu (great young adult feminist fiction by a local author! buy this for all the middle school girls in your life. big thumbs up.)
american heiress, by jeffrey toobin (i listened to this audiobook, about the patty hearst kidnapping. before i read the book i knew that patty hearst was somehow related to william randolph hearst, she was kidnapped by the symbionese liberation army, and then maybe she got stockholm syndrome because she robbed a bank with her kidnappers. now i know a TON more, and i found the story fascinating. right down to the fact that she hated being called patty (she preferred patricia) - the only person who called her patty was her father, but because he was the one who did the news conferences while she was kidnapped, that's what the public knows her as. great audiobook!)
sing, unburied, sing, by jesmyn ward (i read this for a book club, and we picked it because the book (and the author) was getting SO much press that we literate ladies needed to know what the fuss was all about. i liked this book a lot - lyrical, at times tough to read, and it painted a beautiful picture of the world in which it was set. but i didn't lose my mind for it like the media attention had led me to believe i would. so by all means, read it, if only so we can discuss our impressions of it.)
Sunday, February 11, 2018
2017 in books
a recap (mandatory):
2010: i read 15 books.
2011: i started my book challenge with the goal of reading 25 books; i read 38.
2012: 34 books
2013: 34 books again
2014: 32 books
2015: 35 books
2016: 58 books (fluke/who have i become?)
2017: 57 books (the new normal?)
2017 broken down:
30 books written by women
27 by men
38 fiction books
19 nonfiction
11 diverse books (as in, the main character or the author is not white)
my favorite books of 2017? milk and honey, by rupi kaur (nonfiction/memoir) and the hate u give, by angie thomas (fiction). read this books immediately.
2010: i read 15 books.
2011: i started my book challenge with the goal of reading 25 books; i read 38.
2012: 34 books
2013: 34 books again
2014: 32 books
2015: 35 books
2016: 58 books (fluke/who have i become?)
2017: 57 books (the new normal?)
2017 broken down:
30 books written by women
27 by men
38 fiction books
19 nonfiction
11 diverse books (as in, the main character or the author is not white)
my favorite books of 2017? milk and honey, by rupi kaur (nonfiction/memoir) and the hate u give, by angie thomas (fiction). read this books immediately.
december: 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 and 57
so. far. behind. in. posting. sorry, world. here's what i read in december:
evicted, by matthew desmond (i listened to this book, which might be my favorite nonfiction book of the year. it follows tenants and landlords in low income parts of milwaukee as a fascinating look into low income residents' lives and the real housing crisis that many face. if you like audiobooks, the narrator of this one is fantastic. highly highly recommend. obama read it this year, too, so trust his recommendation if you don't trust mine. :) )
dear ijeawele, or a feminist manifesto in fifteen suggestions, by chimamanda ngozi adichie (i'm now buying this book for every new mom i know. advice on how to raise your child to be a feminist in adichie's clear and thoughtful and compelling style. love her.)
an abundance of katherines, by john green (i love john green and i enjoyed this, but there's a reason this isn't his most famous book. i absolutely want you to read a john green book if you haven't already, but don't start with this one.)
the light in the ruins, by chris bohjalian (listened to this, which was fine but not great. a light read where it wasn't hard to keep the characters straight in the audiobook (which is sometimes hard for me when i listen to fiction), but i hated the narrator's fake italian accent and that almost did me in. read this one on a beach vacay.)
a piece of the world, by christina baker kline (loved this book - really love kline's historical fiction in general. not a tough read, but for something relatively straight forward there was some real nuance there. made me glad i didn't live in that time and place, given the strictures around dating and the opportunities for women - there was a lot of pain this book but it was beautifully written.)
what unites us, by dan rather & elliot kirschner (dan rather's facebook posts are one of my favorite things about trump's america, and i saw him speak in houston in december; the price of admission was buying a copy of his book. there's nothing revolutionary here, but this is a beautiful little book with some fold-down-the-corner-of-the-page bits. a quick read - would be a great gift!)
evicted, by matthew desmond (i listened to this book, which might be my favorite nonfiction book of the year. it follows tenants and landlords in low income parts of milwaukee as a fascinating look into low income residents' lives and the real housing crisis that many face. if you like audiobooks, the narrator of this one is fantastic. highly highly recommend. obama read it this year, too, so trust his recommendation if you don't trust mine. :) )
dear ijeawele, or a feminist manifesto in fifteen suggestions, by chimamanda ngozi adichie (i'm now buying this book for every new mom i know. advice on how to raise your child to be a feminist in adichie's clear and thoughtful and compelling style. love her.)
an abundance of katherines, by john green (i love john green and i enjoyed this, but there's a reason this isn't his most famous book. i absolutely want you to read a john green book if you haven't already, but don't start with this one.)
the light in the ruins, by chris bohjalian (listened to this, which was fine but not great. a light read where it wasn't hard to keep the characters straight in the audiobook (which is sometimes hard for me when i listen to fiction), but i hated the narrator's fake italian accent and that almost did me in. read this one on a beach vacay.)
a piece of the world, by christina baker kline (loved this book - really love kline's historical fiction in general. not a tough read, but for something relatively straight forward there was some real nuance there. made me glad i didn't live in that time and place, given the strictures around dating and the opportunities for women - there was a lot of pain this book but it was beautifully written.)
what unites us, by dan rather & elliot kirschner (dan rather's facebook posts are one of my favorite things about trump's america, and i saw him speak in houston in december; the price of admission was buying a copy of his book. there's nothing revolutionary here, but this is a beautiful little book with some fold-down-the-corner-of-the-page bits. a quick read - would be a great gift!)
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