i kind of lost my mind in january and all i did was read haha. 7 books this month! though one is a book of poetry and one is a tiny book that contains two essays only. but hey. i get to count what i want to count because THIS IS MY BLOG haha. this month i read:
children of blood and bone, by tomi adeyemi (this is a YA book that reminded me of black panther - set in africa with main characters who have some magical powers. it's pretty good YA but has characters with somewhat predictable characteristics...i liked it a lot, but if YA isn't your thing you have permission to skip it.)
perfect little world, by kevin wilson (liked this one a lot - a social experiment in the US to raise children collectively and how that works (i love world building like that!) and how it goes awry. i enjoyed this one a lot, though it won't be my favorite book i read this year, i'm sure.)
i feel bad about my neck, by nora ephron (i laughed out loud, i clutched my chest in poignant moments, i thought i might appreciate the book more if i was older?, but i am determined to appreciate my neck now, since apparently it will start to get droopy promptly when i turn 42. i've got 6 years of good neck left. let me enjoy them! this would be a fantastic present for any woman in your life. this book. not a new neck.)
ghosted, by rosie walsh (a great beach read book that i read quickly because the story makes you want to know what will happen next. a nice twist / it wasn't totally predictable. not great literature, but would be an excellent vacation read, and i wholeheartedly recommend it for that reason.)
bone, by yrsa daley-ward (THIS WOMAN IS BRILLIANT AND YOU SHOULD BUY THIS BOOK. if you liked rupi kaur's books of poetry, this is just as good. i folded many pages back and i know i will read this one again. since finishing, i have purchased her memoir, the terrible, and can't wait to dive into it.)
golden state, by ben h. winters (i really enjoyed his book underground airlines and liked this one almost as much but not quite. another post-apocalyptic book that imagines a present world very different from our own. i like his writing style a lot and loved the details he put in to build this world. highly recommend.)
why i am not going to buy a computer, by wendell berry (a lovely tiny book that contained one essay - the title of the book - and then a response to readers who critiqued that essay, calling him un-feminist. thought provoking and worth reading, though i'm sure you can find both essays for free online.)
Sunday, February 3, 2019
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
2018 in books
2018 in books
a recap:
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?)
2018: 42 books (which somehow feels like a failure even though i know it's not. i look around my apartment at all these unread books and think, "i could have read 10 more of these this year." but it's not about the number, of course. the number helps keep me accountable, but it's about having an active reading life as part of my greater life.)
12 of those were diverse books (as in, the main character or the author is not white)
my favorite books of 2018:
unsheltered, by barbara kingsolver
varina, by charles frazier
less, by andrew sean greer
americanah, by chimamanda ngozi adichie
the sun and her flowers, by rupi kaur
the immortalists, by chloe benjamin
go get reading, friends.
a recap:
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?)
2018: 42 books (which somehow feels like a failure even though i know it's not. i look around my apartment at all these unread books and think, "i could have read 10 more of these this year." but it's not about the number, of course. the number helps keep me accountable, but it's about having an active reading life as part of my greater life.)
12 of those were diverse books (as in, the main character or the author is not white)
my favorite books of 2018:
unsheltered, by barbara kingsolver
varina, by charles frazier
less, by andrew sean greer
americanah, by chimamanda ngozi adichie
the sun and her flowers, by rupi kaur
the immortalists, by chloe benjamin
go get reading, friends.
december: 40, 41 & 42
finishing up 2018, a year in which i didn't read as much as the past few years...though other good things happened...and 42 is not a number to be disappointed in! in december i read:
where the crawdads sing, by delia owens (i really liked this book, set on the coast of north carolina and vividly described. interesting storyline about a woman who lives in the marsh alone and is accused of murder. this was perhaps overhyped for me - the school librarian said it was the best book she read this year and i didn't quite agree with that - but i really liked it!)
unsheltered, by barbara kingsolver (now this book was glorious. set in the same house in two time periods - the 1870s and the present. a long book but beautifully told and i loved reading her gorgeous prose. this was my november book of the month club book and i'd highly recommend it!)
varina, by charles frazier (okay, this book was fantastic, too. varina howell davis was the wife of jefferson davis. the main plot of this book is her at 80 looking back on her life, in particular when she and her children and some slaves fled richmond when it was burned, headed for florida and then cuba. i did SO much wikipedia-ing of her when the book was done, and there's a lot of historical truth to this fictionalized story. i found varina FASCINATING and this is another author who knows his way around his words. loved this book! read it!)
where the crawdads sing, by delia owens (i really liked this book, set on the coast of north carolina and vividly described. interesting storyline about a woman who lives in the marsh alone and is accused of murder. this was perhaps overhyped for me - the school librarian said it was the best book she read this year and i didn't quite agree with that - but i really liked it!)
unsheltered, by barbara kingsolver (now this book was glorious. set in the same house in two time periods - the 1870s and the present. a long book but beautifully told and i loved reading her gorgeous prose. this was my november book of the month club book and i'd highly recommend it!)
varina, by charles frazier (okay, this book was fantastic, too. varina howell davis was the wife of jefferson davis. the main plot of this book is her at 80 looking back on her life, in particular when she and her children and some slaves fled richmond when it was burned, headed for florida and then cuba. i did SO much wikipedia-ing of her when the book was done, and there's a lot of historical truth to this fictionalized story. i found varina FASCINATING and this is another author who knows his way around his words. loved this book! read it!)
Sunday, December 30, 2018
november: 38 & 39
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.)
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.)
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!)
Thursday, December 14, 2017
november: 49, 50 & 51
in november i read:
the invention of wings, by sue monk kidd (i'm teaching this book during interim term at my school. definitely worth a read - historical fiction that alternates between two narrators: a white southerner named sarah grimke (a real person who became an abolitionist and women's rights activitist) and her slave (also a real person). my mom and sister recommended it to me and i found the story quite compelling and the book very well-written.)
homegoing, by yaa gyasi (i loved this book, which we read in the diversity book club i'm running with faculty at my school. it tells the story of eight generations (from the 1700s to 1900s) within two branches of the same family tree; one branch lives in africa and the other begins with a family member who is sold into slavery and goes to the united states. our book club had a great conversation about this book and i would highly recommend it. i think we're all better off if we read books by authors with experiences and backgrounds different from our own.)
eleanor oliphant is completely fine, by gail honeyman (oh, i loved this book. uplifting, a quick read, a really well-developed and complex main character, and i couldn't wait to see what eleanor would do next. heart-warming, though tough to read in parts. highly recommend!)
the invention of wings, by sue monk kidd (i'm teaching this book during interim term at my school. definitely worth a read - historical fiction that alternates between two narrators: a white southerner named sarah grimke (a real person who became an abolitionist and women's rights activitist) and her slave (also a real person). my mom and sister recommended it to me and i found the story quite compelling and the book very well-written.)
homegoing, by yaa gyasi (i loved this book, which we read in the diversity book club i'm running with faculty at my school. it tells the story of eight generations (from the 1700s to 1900s) within two branches of the same family tree; one branch lives in africa and the other begins with a family member who is sold into slavery and goes to the united states. our book club had a great conversation about this book and i would highly recommend it. i think we're all better off if we read books by authors with experiences and backgrounds different from our own.)
eleanor oliphant is completely fine, by gail honeyman (oh, i loved this book. uplifting, a quick read, a really well-developed and complex main character, and i couldn't wait to see what eleanor would do next. heart-warming, though tough to read in parts. highly recommend!)
Monday, November 6, 2017
october: 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 & 48
this month i read (and listened to):
metamorphosis, by franz kafka (i listened to the [free] audiobook of this one - i had to read it in high school and clearly appreciated it more as an adult than i did when i was a teenager and struggling through required reading, though i missed having an english teacher to explain to me the deeper meaning behind everything that was happening.)
milk and honey, by rupi kaur (GO BUY THIS BOOK. poetry plus drawings by the author who is incredibly talented - this really spoke to me and i tore through it. there's a reason everyone has been talking about this book. read it!)
incendiary, by chris cleave (this is a book that had been sitting on my shelf - and i'm trying to read things (when i have time) that are already in my house (free! sense of accomplishment!). i loved little bee and this was not quite little bee for me. it's told as a letter to osama bin laden, after the narrator's husband and son were killed in a terrorist attack. i'm glad i read it and it was really different in tone and scope than anything else i'd read, but there's a reason you've heard of cleave's other books and not this one. it's skipable.)
things we lost in the fire, by mariana enriquez (this is a book of short stories - apparently this author is very popular in her native argentina but this is the first of her books to be translated into english. if you're into latin american/south american literature, you definitely need to read this. it was the perfect book to read on a vacation (costa rica!!) because it was very easy to pick up and put down.)
a little history of the world, by e.h. gombrich (Q gave me this book a long time ago and i've read it off and on and FINALLY finished it after (seriously) several years of reading it occasionally. this is the translation of a book written in german in the 1930s, where the author tells the history of the world to an elementary school-aged audience. i was totally charmed by it and would recommend it to anyone with a kid this age - it would be a perfect read-aloud before bed. glad i read it and have it on my shelf!)
dolores claiborne, by stephen king (i listened to the audiobook of this one, on veronica's recommendation - non-scary, kind-of-creepy story told entirely by a woman who is being questioned in the murder of her employer, set in the police station questioning room. the plot is slow-moving - as she recounts parts of her life to explain that she didn't kill this woman - but that made it perfect for an audiobook where you don't have to worry about missing something because you get distracted. (i get distracted during audiobooks because i'm always doing other things (driving) - does this happen to other people?) i really like stephen king's books...when they aren't scary. a few years ago i read and loved 11/22/63, and after this one i'm definitely planning to read more.)
metamorphosis, by franz kafka (i listened to the [free] audiobook of this one - i had to read it in high school and clearly appreciated it more as an adult than i did when i was a teenager and struggling through required reading, though i missed having an english teacher to explain to me the deeper meaning behind everything that was happening.)
milk and honey, by rupi kaur (GO BUY THIS BOOK. poetry plus drawings by the author who is incredibly talented - this really spoke to me and i tore through it. there's a reason everyone has been talking about this book. read it!)
incendiary, by chris cleave (this is a book that had been sitting on my shelf - and i'm trying to read things (when i have time) that are already in my house (free! sense of accomplishment!). i loved little bee and this was not quite little bee for me. it's told as a letter to osama bin laden, after the narrator's husband and son were killed in a terrorist attack. i'm glad i read it and it was really different in tone and scope than anything else i'd read, but there's a reason you've heard of cleave's other books and not this one. it's skipable.)
things we lost in the fire, by mariana enriquez (this is a book of short stories - apparently this author is very popular in her native argentina but this is the first of her books to be translated into english. if you're into latin american/south american literature, you definitely need to read this. it was the perfect book to read on a vacation (costa rica!!) because it was very easy to pick up and put down.)
a little history of the world, by e.h. gombrich (Q gave me this book a long time ago and i've read it off and on and FINALLY finished it after (seriously) several years of reading it occasionally. this is the translation of a book written in german in the 1930s, where the author tells the history of the world to an elementary school-aged audience. i was totally charmed by it and would recommend it to anyone with a kid this age - it would be a perfect read-aloud before bed. glad i read it and have it on my shelf!)
dolores claiborne, by stephen king (i listened to the audiobook of this one, on veronica's recommendation - non-scary, kind-of-creepy story told entirely by a woman who is being questioned in the murder of her employer, set in the police station questioning room. the plot is slow-moving - as she recounts parts of her life to explain that she didn't kill this woman - but that made it perfect for an audiobook where you don't have to worry about missing something because you get distracted. (i get distracted during audiobooks because i'm always doing other things (driving) - does this happen to other people?) i really like stephen king's books...when they aren't scary. a few years ago i read and loved 11/22/63, and after this one i'm definitely planning to read more.)
Saturday, November 4, 2017
september: 40, 41 and 42
more than a month behind on posting this. gotta get my shit together!
in september, i read:
imagine me gone, by adam haslett (this was on a lot of independent bookstore lists this summer and i really liked it - intriguing story inside a family struggling with mental illness. that makes it sound very depressing and it was not! as far as i can remember. since i finished it two months ago... thumbs up, though not the best book i've ever read.)
born to run, by bruce springsteen (i listened to the audiobook of this, which springsteen reads, and i was proselytizing about it left and right in august. i really enjoyed it. it led me to listen to more of his music - i knew the hits but nothing beyond that - and goes down as a similar book for me to patti smith's just kids: parts of it were relevant only to super fans, but parts of it really spoke to me. and i love a memoir. if the only thing i get from the book is appreciation to bruce for writing 41 shots, that would be enough. i mean, people. bruce was #blacklivesmatter in 2001.)
spoonbenders, by daryl gregory (i read this for my book club and it's one of those books that you're enjoying as it's going - but you know there's a layer beyond the one you're reading - and then at the end it just all comes together and your mind is slightly blown about the way all the pieces fit together. family drama plus paranormal activity...i'd recommend it!)
in september, i read:
imagine me gone, by adam haslett (this was on a lot of independent bookstore lists this summer and i really liked it - intriguing story inside a family struggling with mental illness. that makes it sound very depressing and it was not! as far as i can remember. since i finished it two months ago... thumbs up, though not the best book i've ever read.)
born to run, by bruce springsteen (i listened to the audiobook of this, which springsteen reads, and i was proselytizing about it left and right in august. i really enjoyed it. it led me to listen to more of his music - i knew the hits but nothing beyond that - and goes down as a similar book for me to patti smith's just kids: parts of it were relevant only to super fans, but parts of it really spoke to me. and i love a memoir. if the only thing i get from the book is appreciation to bruce for writing 41 shots, that would be enough. i mean, people. bruce was #blacklivesmatter in 2001.)
spoonbenders, by daryl gregory (i read this for my book club and it's one of those books that you're enjoying as it's going - but you know there's a layer beyond the one you're reading - and then at the end it just all comes together and your mind is slightly blown about the way all the pieces fit together. family drama plus paranormal activity...i'd recommend it!)
Saturday, September 23, 2017
august: 36, 37, 38 & 39
in august, i read:
six of crows, by leigh bardugo (this is a YA novel that i suggested for my book club...and it was not the best YA novel i've read...not sure i would recommend this to others. six teenagers who live in a post-apocalyptic world and try to seek revenge and freedom by going on a journey. this author has written a ton of books so she must have a pretty good following but this one wasn't quite for me.)
the dorito effect, by mark schatzker (i listened to this audiobook, about how the food industry manipulates us and promotes fake foods. i found a lot of it really interesting - "natural flavor," for example, means nothing and is entirely artificial....in the process of getting bigger fruits and vegetables and bigger cuts of meat we have sacrificed flavor...all things i suspected but now have some research backing up. if you're interested in food ethics i would highly recommend this!)
shadow of the lions, by christopher swann (chris is a friend of mine from atlanta! i read his book because...how could i not. i expected it to be pretty good - it was making a lot of "best of" southern author lists this summer, but i did not expect to love it quite as much as i did. i would highly recommend this! set in a southern boarding school both during the narrator's time as a student and then again when he comes back to teach. it takes some pretty interesting twists and the writing is lovely. two thumbs up!)
the hate u give, by angie thomas (okay, this is the best book i've read all year and if it doesn't win the printz award for best YA book then the whole thing is rigged. highly highly recommend. the main character is a black girl who attends a private school...and then watches her friend - a black teenage boy - get shot by police. i LOVED the narrator's voice and the author's writing style and i found the topic incredibly important and relevant. read this!
six of crows, by leigh bardugo (this is a YA novel that i suggested for my book club...and it was not the best YA novel i've read...not sure i would recommend this to others. six teenagers who live in a post-apocalyptic world and try to seek revenge and freedom by going on a journey. this author has written a ton of books so she must have a pretty good following but this one wasn't quite for me.)
the dorito effect, by mark schatzker (i listened to this audiobook, about how the food industry manipulates us and promotes fake foods. i found a lot of it really interesting - "natural flavor," for example, means nothing and is entirely artificial....in the process of getting bigger fruits and vegetables and bigger cuts of meat we have sacrificed flavor...all things i suspected but now have some research backing up. if you're interested in food ethics i would highly recommend this!)
shadow of the lions, by christopher swann (chris is a friend of mine from atlanta! i read his book because...how could i not. i expected it to be pretty good - it was making a lot of "best of" southern author lists this summer, but i did not expect to love it quite as much as i did. i would highly recommend this! set in a southern boarding school both during the narrator's time as a student and then again when he comes back to teach. it takes some pretty interesting twists and the writing is lovely. two thumbs up!)
the hate u give, by angie thomas (okay, this is the best book i've read all year and if it doesn't win the printz award for best YA book then the whole thing is rigged. highly highly recommend. the main character is a black girl who attends a private school...and then watches her friend - a black teenage boy - get shot by police. i LOVED the narrator's voice and the author's writing style and i found the topic incredibly important and relevant. read this!
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