somehow i read a ton in march (spring break helped, i guess!), including two books from my bookshelf. the challenge to read some books i already own has been helpful to guide me. as i write this, most of my books have been moved to the new house, so i'll probably be relying on my kindle as we transition into our new space.
in march i read:
the mother of all questions, by rebecca solnit (from my bookshelf - this is a collection of feminist essays it was good but not great. i liked her first collection, men explain things to me, to be better - or maybe i'd just gotten her point from the first book and didn't need this one?)
outlawed, by anna north (this was a book of the month club pick and it was pretty good - i won't be shouting its name from the hilltops, but it was an entertaining story of barren women becoming outlaws, and maybe we're supposed to think the sundance kid (of butch cassidy fame) could have been a woman and a lesbian? colorful characters, beautifully described scenes, entertaining plot. i give this one a B+.)
all things bright and beautiful, by james herriot (this is a book i've been reading in little snippets for a while and finally finished. i love reading these books as an adult and seeing the interpersonal relationships more than the stories of animals. i'm excited to watch the PBS series, which i haven't tried yet. i will definitely continue reading these books, and i got the third one out of a free little library in my neighborhood.)
klara and the sun, by kazuo ishiguro (i really enjoy ishiguro's writing and this one didn't disappoint. highly recommend! intriguing, ethical questions, bizarro universe. enough said.)
notes on "camp," by susan sontag (from my bookshelf - this is a tiny book that just contained two essays, but i loved reading sontag describe what "camp" is (as in, that movie was so campy) and thinking about pop culture, what's in style and what's not and what becomes in style because it purposefully rebelled against past styles. this is not necessarily my genre or wheelhouse, but i really liked this. definitely worth reading.)
a ladder to the sky, by john boyne (thank god john boyne redeemed himself from that last book of his that i read. this is wonderful, the story of one man told mostly through the lives of those he affected (spoiler alert: negatively) over the course of his life. really great writing, really interesting story, and it all comes together at the end in a satisfying way. recommend!)
the midnight library, by matt haig (oh boy, did this one disappoint. i guess when a book is super popular sometimes that's because it's not really very high brow? this one felt like a beach read to me, and it seemed like a total rip off of a lot of elements of it's a wonderful life and i was annoyed by that. i guess i don't recommend this? i mean, i don't. i suggested it for my book club and we haven't discussed it yet, so i will have to see if others saw redeeming qualities in this book that i didn't.)
