the vigilante, by john steinbeck (this was a little set of three short stories, none of which i'd read before, that i bought a year or so ago. honestly, i forgot how dire things are in steinbeck's stories, and how devastating his clear and simple writing can be. these stories were tough to get through and i'm not sure i'd recommend steinbeck in this already depressing year, but i was glad to read this book that had been on my shelf.)
still life, by louise penny (people who love mysteries love this author, and this is the first in a series. i thought it was fine? it really didn't do much for me (oops, sorry, to all you mystery lovers) but i think that reflects more on my genre interests and not on the author. mystery just isn't my jam and i was happy to have that confirmed.)
the water dancer, by ta-nehisi coates (a beautifully written book with a really interesting story line, that was another depressing read (and which i should have seen coming, given the subject matter - slavery and the underground railroad). i'd highly recommend this book, but it was a bit of a slog for me because life in september 2020 was a bit of a slog. that said, i love coates and this book is fantastic.)
