this month i read:
the fall of lisa bellow, by susan perabo (two girls go into a sandwich shop - there is a robbery gone wrong - one girl is abducted. we see the story from the girl who is left behind. in the summers i always try to read a few books from a list recommended to the teachers at my school by a local bookstore owner who comes on campus in the spring for this purpose. this is one - as are chilbury ladies and this is how it always is, also read this month. i enjoyed this book - the not knowing what has happened to the abducted girl and how it affects the whole community. thumbs up.)
theft by finding, by david sedaris (it took me a little while to warm up to literally entries from david sedaris's diary, but i did warm up to them and by the end i was reveling in the behind the scenes version of his life. like, he published a book and continued to help people remodel their homes because he needed the money. he worked as a seasonal fruit picker in california in his 20s! you get to see him fall in love with hugh, which is adorable. you get to read about the random conversations he overhears in the ihop where he writes daily for 9 years. i was totally entertained. be prepared, though, for this to be very different from the rest of his books.)
slow days, fast company, by eve babitz (are you single and in your 30s? GO BUY THIS BOOK. i already have four people for whom i will be purchasing this for christmas. hilarious and so true to life - even though she's writing from los angeles high society in the 1960s.)
the chilbury ladies' choir, by jennifer ryan (did you like the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society? you will like this book exactly that much. which is to say, it will not be the best book you read this year but you'll like it just fine. i enjoyed that the book is told in diary entries and letters.)
this is how it always is, by laurie frankel (the story of the raising of a transgender child. sweet, sad, funny, anxiety-producing. highly recommend, though parts of the dialogue felt a little too perfectly scripted.)
dear life, by alice munro (i wanted to read this because it seems like to be an educated american you ought to have read some alice munro. except her stories are all so SAD. beautiful writing, and i see why she's won the nobel prize, but i think this may be the only book of hers that i read.)
masterminds & wingmen, by rosalind wiseman (if you have a son or teach boys, you must read this book! she's brilliant and gives excellent advice. i recommended it to the parents that i work with in my back-to-school email.)
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
june: 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 & 28
summer vacation = lots of reading!
hamlet's blackberry, by william powers (i have been proselytizing about this book since i finished it; it's the authors thoughts on technology, along with seven great thinkers (plato, seneca, shakespeare, and others) talking about technology in their time period and how people reacted to it. in plato's era, the big technology was writing down your ideas on a scroll and reading from it, as opposed to memorizing it. in shakespeare's, they had invented little erasable tablets, so there was the idea of revising your thoughts. i loved hearing how people across thousands of years have responded to technological changes - often in very similar ways - and thinking about how attached we are to our phones. great to read as i embarked on summer and had much more time to just mess around thoughtlessly on my phone.)
shrill, by lindy west (i listened to this audiobook - body-positive, humorous, moving. i was into it. she got a smidge shrill (ha) for me at one point, but i still really liked it. i hadn't realized that i knew this author - i listened to the book at the recommendation of my cousin, laura - but then realized i'd heard at least one story on a this american life episode, and had enjoyed it. thumbs up!)
hillbilly elegy, by j.d. vance (so everyone was talking about this after the election - a book to read to understand trump's america...or something. it got SO much press. i listened to this audiobook on a long car ride, and i was intrigued by the story of vance's life. i found some of it unsurprising, having grown up in rural appalachia myself, and maybe he did help me understand trump's america a little more. but i wasn't blown away by it and i was surprised by how much press it had gotten. glad i read it / but at the same time it wasn't revolutionary.)
vertigo, by joanna walsh (this was a pick i got in my monthly book subscription from a local independent bookstore. a book of short stories - fine - nothing exceptional - good reading while on vacation and i was only able to read in snippets.)
the uncommon reader, by alan bennett (kate lent this to me - a fictional imagining of what would happen if queen elizabeth fell so in love with reading that she couldn't rule. i was vaguely entertained but not blown away. both this and vertigo were short and quickly finished.)
a gentleman in moscow, by amor towles (i read this for two book clubs (thanks, book clubs, for picking the same book and making my life easier). it's a character study, really, of a man on house arrest in a hotel in moscow starting in the 1920s. not much happens, which frustrated me, but perhaps i should have expected it since he can't leave the hotel. my friends either loved it for how richly he and the hotel were depicted it...or they were slightly bored like i was. i have to admit that i can still easily walk the halls of this hotel in my mind, but i wasn't as blown away by it as i wanted to be. this book has gotten a ton of press this year, and our librarian at school said it was the best book she read this year. so maybe i expected too much?)
modern romance, by aziz ansari (every person who has ever online dated MUST read this book. so good. so true. it was really interesting to hear the research behind what i've experienced in real life. i listened to this audiobook, too, and loved having ansari read it to me!)
hamlet's blackberry, by william powers (i have been proselytizing about this book since i finished it; it's the authors thoughts on technology, along with seven great thinkers (plato, seneca, shakespeare, and others) talking about technology in their time period and how people reacted to it. in plato's era, the big technology was writing down your ideas on a scroll and reading from it, as opposed to memorizing it. in shakespeare's, they had invented little erasable tablets, so there was the idea of revising your thoughts. i loved hearing how people across thousands of years have responded to technological changes - often in very similar ways - and thinking about how attached we are to our phones. great to read as i embarked on summer and had much more time to just mess around thoughtlessly on my phone.)
shrill, by lindy west (i listened to this audiobook - body-positive, humorous, moving. i was into it. she got a smidge shrill (ha) for me at one point, but i still really liked it. i hadn't realized that i knew this author - i listened to the book at the recommendation of my cousin, laura - but then realized i'd heard at least one story on a this american life episode, and had enjoyed it. thumbs up!)
hillbilly elegy, by j.d. vance (so everyone was talking about this after the election - a book to read to understand trump's america...or something. it got SO much press. i listened to this audiobook on a long car ride, and i was intrigued by the story of vance's life. i found some of it unsurprising, having grown up in rural appalachia myself, and maybe he did help me understand trump's america a little more. but i wasn't blown away by it and i was surprised by how much press it had gotten. glad i read it / but at the same time it wasn't revolutionary.)
vertigo, by joanna walsh (this was a pick i got in my monthly book subscription from a local independent bookstore. a book of short stories - fine - nothing exceptional - good reading while on vacation and i was only able to read in snippets.)
the uncommon reader, by alan bennett (kate lent this to me - a fictional imagining of what would happen if queen elizabeth fell so in love with reading that she couldn't rule. i was vaguely entertained but not blown away. both this and vertigo were short and quickly finished.)
a gentleman in moscow, by amor towles (i read this for two book clubs (thanks, book clubs, for picking the same book and making my life easier). it's a character study, really, of a man on house arrest in a hotel in moscow starting in the 1920s. not much happens, which frustrated me, but perhaps i should have expected it since he can't leave the hotel. my friends either loved it for how richly he and the hotel were depicted it...or they were slightly bored like i was. i have to admit that i can still easily walk the halls of this hotel in my mind, but i wasn't as blown away by it as i wanted to be. this book has gotten a ton of press this year, and our librarian at school said it was the best book she read this year. so maybe i expected too much?)
modern romance, by aziz ansari (every person who has ever online dated MUST read this book. so good. so true. it was really interesting to hear the research behind what i've experienced in real life. i listened to this audiobook, too, and loved having ansari read it to me!)
Friday, June 9, 2017
comparing years...
i love to do this - look back through past posts on my blog.
in the first five months of this year, i read 21 books.
last year at this time, i had read 25.
in 2015, 10 (!!).
in 2014, 12.
in 2013, 17.
in 2012, 15.
in 2011, 14.
wait, i've been recording my books since 2011?
see. the magic of looking back through the blog history. :)
in the first five months of this year, i read 21 books.
last year at this time, i had read 25.
in 2015, 10 (!!).
in 2014, 12.
in 2013, 17.
in 2012, 15.
in 2011, 14.
wait, i've been recording my books since 2011?
see. the magic of looking back through the blog history. :)
may: 17, 18, 19, 20 & 21
this month i read:
the bees, by laline paull (okay, so veronica recommended this to me and i was like, "um, a book where all the characters are actual bees? no thank you." but then several months later i heard about it again and then all of a sudden i was reading it. but...actual bees as main characters is weird. i made it through the book but wasn't rushing home to read it. you are allowed to skip this one.)
midwinterblood, by marcus sedgwick (oooooh i loved this book. young adult, mysterious island, odd characters, multiple story lines that aren't hard to keep separate. our school librarian gave me a copy of the book and told me to read it and she was so spot on with her recommendation. will definitely be reading more by this author! title is weird. book is tons better than the title would suggest!)
the circle, by dave eggers (another one i really enjoyed; i read this for one of my book clubs. super creepy version of the future that is just a tiny bit less private than ours and a tiny bit more connected electronically...and it snowballs out of control. i was totally fascinated by the world-building in this story and sped through it even though it was almost 500 pages. highly recommend!)
and every morning the way home gets longer and longer, by fredrik backman (well, i freaking sobbed my way through this. it's a novella that i read in one sitting while going through three kleenex tissues...a lovely way to think about aging and the relationship between multiple generations and definitely i'm glad i read it. love this author!)
not my father's son, by alan cumming (i listened to the audiobook of this and cannot recommend it highly enough. alan cumming reads the audiobook (a big plus in my world), and this is the story of his relationship with his father and grandfather. fascinating, can't-believe-this-is-nonfiction stuff, and he is a lovely writer. i like alan cumming as an actor and this made me appreciate him as an artist even more.)
the bees, by laline paull (okay, so veronica recommended this to me and i was like, "um, a book where all the characters are actual bees? no thank you." but then several months later i heard about it again and then all of a sudden i was reading it. but...actual bees as main characters is weird. i made it through the book but wasn't rushing home to read it. you are allowed to skip this one.)
midwinterblood, by marcus sedgwick (oooooh i loved this book. young adult, mysterious island, odd characters, multiple story lines that aren't hard to keep separate. our school librarian gave me a copy of the book and told me to read it and she was so spot on with her recommendation. will definitely be reading more by this author! title is weird. book is tons better than the title would suggest!)
the circle, by dave eggers (another one i really enjoyed; i read this for one of my book clubs. super creepy version of the future that is just a tiny bit less private than ours and a tiny bit more connected electronically...and it snowballs out of control. i was totally fascinated by the world-building in this story and sped through it even though it was almost 500 pages. highly recommend!)
and every morning the way home gets longer and longer, by fredrik backman (well, i freaking sobbed my way through this. it's a novella that i read in one sitting while going through three kleenex tissues...a lovely way to think about aging and the relationship between multiple generations and definitely i'm glad i read it. love this author!)
not my father's son, by alan cumming (i listened to the audiobook of this and cannot recommend it highly enough. alan cumming reads the audiobook (a big plus in my world), and this is the story of his relationship with his father and grandfather. fascinating, can't-believe-this-is-nonfiction stuff, and he is a lovely writer. i like alan cumming as an actor and this made me appreciate him as an artist even more.)
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
april: 14, 15 & 16
beowulf (i listened to the audiobook of this - which i hadn't read since high school - and totally loved it. the narrator had an excellent voice, and i enjoyed the lyrical language and the easy-to-follow plot (i don't often do well listening to fiction, because my mind tends to wander a bit and then i get lost). but i guess i shouldn't be surprised to have enjoyed it so much - beowulf was written to be read or recited aloud! big thumbs up if you're into this sort of book.)
murder on the orient express, by agatha christie (i nerded out and read this along with a senior english class at my school, attending class once a week while they read it and participating in discussions (and taking reading quizzes!). i hadn't read any agatha christie before, and this is such a popular book in our canon that i wanted to have read it; it was an easy read and i was definitely entertained by it, but it hasn't turned me into a christie or poirot devotee. one agatha christie book might be enough for me!)
the little old lady who broke all the rules, by catharina ingelman-sundberg (this was my book club's pick for last month, and you can totally skip it. it claims to be in the genre of a man called ove, but i loved that one and didn't much care for this one. not sure if this one didn't stand up well in translation, or the swedish are into different things in their literature, or if i just didn't care for it. really fun premise, but the book dragged for me.)
murder on the orient express, by agatha christie (i nerded out and read this along with a senior english class at my school, attending class once a week while they read it and participating in discussions (and taking reading quizzes!). i hadn't read any agatha christie before, and this is such a popular book in our canon that i wanted to have read it; it was an easy read and i was definitely entertained by it, but it hasn't turned me into a christie or poirot devotee. one agatha christie book might be enough for me!)
the little old lady who broke all the rules, by catharina ingelman-sundberg (this was my book club's pick for last month, and you can totally skip it. it claims to be in the genre of a man called ove, but i loved that one and didn't much care for this one. not sure if this one didn't stand up well in translation, or the swedish are into different things in their literature, or if i just didn't care for it. really fun premise, but the book dragged for me.)
Sunday, April 23, 2017
march: 11, 12 & 13
with a spring break trip to france in the works, i planned my books this month to compliment the trip!
the paris wife, by paula mclain (i didn't love circling the sun, so i was slightly skeptical of this book, which has the same premise (take a real woman and create historical fiction around her life), but this book worked so much better for me than circling the sun did. this book tells the story of hemingway's first wife, hadley, and the five years they spent living in paris together before getting divorced and moving back to north america. if you are a hemingway fan - or a paris fan! - this is definitely worth a read.)
the nightingale, by kristin hannah (this book was recommended to me by becky a few years ago, and i finally got around to reading it. an aspect of WWII that i really didn't understand until very recently is the perspective of people who lived in occupied france. FASCINATING. this book, though fiction, helped me understand that time in france very well - the nuances of how horrible it was. again - so cool to read this while in paris, and i may or may not have cried on the plane ride home while finishing it up.)
a moveable feast, by ernest hemingway (so i had hadley's (somewhat fictionalized) version of things from the paris wife, and a friend lent me this book, hemingway's memoir of the very same time period: those five years in paris. i loved this book, and would so recommend that people read the two books together like i did. i hadn't read any hemingway since college and was reminded of how much i like his writing style. it was interesting to see his (actual) perspective on the fictionalized events of the paris wife (hadley really did lose the manuscripts of all his early work by leaving it in a train station!). i also loved the idea of 60 year old, nearing the end of his life hemingway reflecting back on his life when he was in his 20s. it was a quick read!)
the paris wife, by paula mclain (i didn't love circling the sun, so i was slightly skeptical of this book, which has the same premise (take a real woman and create historical fiction around her life), but this book worked so much better for me than circling the sun did. this book tells the story of hemingway's first wife, hadley, and the five years they spent living in paris together before getting divorced and moving back to north america. if you are a hemingway fan - or a paris fan! - this is definitely worth a read.)
the nightingale, by kristin hannah (this book was recommended to me by becky a few years ago, and i finally got around to reading it. an aspect of WWII that i really didn't understand until very recently is the perspective of people who lived in occupied france. FASCINATING. this book, though fiction, helped me understand that time in france very well - the nuances of how horrible it was. again - so cool to read this while in paris, and i may or may not have cried on the plane ride home while finishing it up.)
a moveable feast, by ernest hemingway (so i had hadley's (somewhat fictionalized) version of things from the paris wife, and a friend lent me this book, hemingway's memoir of the very same time period: those five years in paris. i loved this book, and would so recommend that people read the two books together like i did. i hadn't read any hemingway since college and was reminded of how much i like his writing style. it was interesting to see his (actual) perspective on the fictionalized events of the paris wife (hadley really did lose the manuscripts of all his early work by leaving it in a train station!). i also loved the idea of 60 year old, nearing the end of his life hemingway reflecting back on his life when he was in his 20s. it was a quick read!)
Saturday, March 4, 2017
february: 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10
this month i read:
family life, by akhil sharma (i would never have picked this book up if my book club hadn't chosen it for this month's selection, and i ended up really enjoying it. apparently david sedaris has been talking up this book, which seems like as good an endorsement as you can get. the book is a coming-of-age story of an indian boy who moves to america with his family. it grew on me as i read, and then when i googled the author after finishing the book i learned things that made me appreciate the book even more.)
the longest day, by cornelius ryan (i listened to this audiobook in preparation for my trip to normandy in a week. it was published in the late 1950s, so i was skeptical that it would stand the test of time, but it turns out there's a reason people point to this as the definitive book on the d-day invasion: it is fascinating nonfiction that reads like fiction. the book is split into three parts - the wait, the night (when the paratroopers landed), and the day (of the invasion from the sea). i learned a ton and hope it helps me appreciate seeing the beaches in person.)
family life, by akhil sharma (i would never have picked this book up if my book club hadn't chosen it for this month's selection, and i ended up really enjoying it. apparently david sedaris has been talking up this book, which seems like as good an endorsement as you can get. the book is a coming-of-age story of an indian boy who moves to america with his family. it grew on me as i read, and then when i googled the author after finishing the book i learned things that made me appreciate the book even more.)
the longest day, by cornelius ryan (i listened to this audiobook in preparation for my trip to normandy in a week. it was published in the late 1950s, so i was skeptical that it would stand the test of time, but it turns out there's a reason people point to this as the definitive book on the d-day invasion: it is fascinating nonfiction that reads like fiction. the book is split into three parts - the wait, the night (when the paratroopers landed), and the day (of the invasion from the sea). i learned a ton and hope it helps me appreciate seeing the beaches in person.)
the wonder, by emma donoghue (i loved room but this one kind of disappointed. interesting premise...but it wasn't a page turner. skip this one and read room instead.)
seabiscuit: an american legend, by laura hillenbrand (another audiobook - this one i had to check out from the library three separate times to get through it all. the ultimate question one should ask oneself before starting this book: how much do you care about horses? did i learn some fun facts: yes. was i charmed by the meteoric rise of seabiscuit: yes. did i really want to listen to second-by-second accounts of horse races from 70 years ago when i was driving to work: no. this is another one where you should read the author's other bestseller - unbroken - instead.)
the sun is also a star, by nicola yoon (ugh, a third i would put in that same category - i liked everything, everything better than this one, though i read this in three days and was charmed by it. if you like YA fiction you should familiarize yourself with this author!)
seabiscuit: an american legend, by laura hillenbrand (another audiobook - this one i had to check out from the library three separate times to get through it all. the ultimate question one should ask oneself before starting this book: how much do you care about horses? did i learn some fun facts: yes. was i charmed by the meteoric rise of seabiscuit: yes. did i really want to listen to second-by-second accounts of horse races from 70 years ago when i was driving to work: no. this is another one where you should read the author's other bestseller - unbroken - instead.)
the sun is also a star, by nicola yoon (ugh, a third i would put in that same category - i liked everything, everything better than this one, though i read this in three days and was charmed by it. if you like YA fiction you should familiarize yourself with this author!)
Sunday, February 5, 2017
january: 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
super female-heavy january of reading! off to a fast start. this month i read:
the sixth extinction, by elizabeth kolbert (i actually listened to this one on my drive to north carolina for christmas and finished it up when i got back to houston. really really enjoyed this pulitzer-prize winning nonfiction about the extinctions of 13 different species throughout world history. so many fun facts came out of this! big thumbs up. audiobook was well narrated, too.)
lab girl, by hope jahren (ugh, i LOVED this book, too. part memoir, part nonfiction about plant biology, this was unexpectedly FANTASTICALLY written and super touching. don't let "memoir of a female scientist" lead you away from picking this book up. it's so much more. particularly loved the commentary on adult friendships and on finding love in your 30s.)
lilac girls, by martha hall kelly (this was our faculty book club pick, and we're going to be skyping with the author in a few weeks! the book follows three women during world war II - one german doctor, one polish woman who is imprisoned in a concentration camp, one american philanthropist. i liked this book but didn't love it - it was interesting that parts of it were based on real women and a true story, and it was kind of an unusual holocaust story (no jewish characters). i'm not rushing out to recommend this to people, but i had no trouble getting through it.)
all the bright places, by jennifer niven (a young adult book that's getting a lot of YA press these days. the author is no john green nor is she rainbow rowell, but i did enjoy this book - add it to your list if you're into YA.)
difficult women, by roxane gay (this is a book of short stories that was in places funny, in places devastatingly sad. this was the recommendation of the independent bookstore in houston that i frequent, and was published in january so i felt very fancy that i was reading it so shortly after it was published. i tend to stay away from short stories because i find it hard to dive into a character only to have them disappear forever at the end of the chapter, but i've read some good short story collections recently - this included - that are changing my mind about that. some of these stories have really stuck with me. thumbs up. since i'm in the process of cultivating myself as a nasty woman, the subject matter and title seemed appropriate for early 2017.)
the sixth extinction, by elizabeth kolbert (i actually listened to this one on my drive to north carolina for christmas and finished it up when i got back to houston. really really enjoyed this pulitzer-prize winning nonfiction about the extinctions of 13 different species throughout world history. so many fun facts came out of this! big thumbs up. audiobook was well narrated, too.)
lab girl, by hope jahren (ugh, i LOVED this book, too. part memoir, part nonfiction about plant biology, this was unexpectedly FANTASTICALLY written and super touching. don't let "memoir of a female scientist" lead you away from picking this book up. it's so much more. particularly loved the commentary on adult friendships and on finding love in your 30s.)
lilac girls, by martha hall kelly (this was our faculty book club pick, and we're going to be skyping with the author in a few weeks! the book follows three women during world war II - one german doctor, one polish woman who is imprisoned in a concentration camp, one american philanthropist. i liked this book but didn't love it - it was interesting that parts of it were based on real women and a true story, and it was kind of an unusual holocaust story (no jewish characters). i'm not rushing out to recommend this to people, but i had no trouble getting through it.)
all the bright places, by jennifer niven (a young adult book that's getting a lot of YA press these days. the author is no john green nor is she rainbow rowell, but i did enjoy this book - add it to your list if you're into YA.)
difficult women, by roxane gay (this is a book of short stories that was in places funny, in places devastatingly sad. this was the recommendation of the independent bookstore in houston that i frequent, and was published in january so i felt very fancy that i was reading it so shortly after it was published. i tend to stay away from short stories because i find it hard to dive into a character only to have them disappear forever at the end of the chapter, but i've read some good short story collections recently - this included - that are changing my mind about that. some of these stories have really stuck with me. thumbs up. since i'm in the process of cultivating myself as a nasty woman, the subject matter and title seemed appropriate for early 2017.)
Sunday, January 1, 2017
my year 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: i read 34 books again
2014: 32 books.
2015: 35 books
2016: in year six i read 58 books because...i'm not sure. less tv? (maybe) pop sugar book challenge motivated me? (probably - the social experience of talking about the challenge definitely did something for me) my social life sucks? (i don't think so...but now i'm questioning that)
2016 broken down:
33 books written by women
25 by men
(a little more of a gender balance than last year)
41 fiction books
17 nonfiction
(a pretty consistent ratio for me)
13 diverse books (as in, the main character or the author is not white) - this is almost double the number from last year. i'm proud of that.
my favorite books of 2016? between the world and me, by ta-nehisi coates (nonfiction) and a man called ove, by fredrik backman (fiction). read this books immediately.
i'm going to do another reading challenge in 2017 - comment or email/text/facebook me if you want to play along with me this year and i'll make sure you're clued in to the details! i'm not trying to beat 58 books because that is absurd, but i am trying to find books i'll love, read them, and talk with others about them. and that sounds like a good intention with which to enter 2017.
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: i read 34 books again
2014: 32 books.
2015: 35 books
2016: in year six i read 58 books because...i'm not sure. less tv? (maybe) pop sugar book challenge motivated me? (probably - the social experience of talking about the challenge definitely did something for me) my social life sucks? (i don't think so...but now i'm questioning that)
2016 broken down:
33 books written by women
25 by men
(a little more of a gender balance than last year)
41 fiction books
17 nonfiction
(a pretty consistent ratio for me)
13 diverse books (as in, the main character or the author is not white) - this is almost double the number from last year. i'm proud of that.
my favorite books of 2016? between the world and me, by ta-nehisi coates (nonfiction) and a man called ove, by fredrik backman (fiction). read this books immediately.
i'm going to do another reading challenge in 2017 - comment or email/text/facebook me if you want to play along with me this year and i'll make sure you're clued in to the details! i'm not trying to beat 58 books because that is absurd, but i am trying to find books i'll love, read them, and talk with others about them. and that sounds like a good intention with which to enter 2017.
december: 53, 54, 55, 56, 57 & 58
i didn't complete the 2016 reading challenge i'd embarked on (4 categories short!) but i did check off three more categories this month and end with 58 (!!) books read this year. not sure how i killed my previous year's reading record so forcefully, but i did. this month i read:
we should all be feminists, by chimamanda ngozi adichie (this is my "book that's under 150 pages" - it's super short and worth reading, even though at this point we all know we should be feminists. right?! because i'm unfriending everyone who disagrees. i'm a newly minted adichie fan so i had to read this one.)
whistling vivaldi, by claude m. steele (this is my "self-improvement book" because, yes, i get to decide what counts as self-improvement. this will improve me because it will help me better support underrepresented students. bam! i facilitated a faculty book club this fall where we read this book and had some pretty excellent conversations and connections about the role of race and gender in the experiences of our students. this was a re-read - i first read this in grad school and knew it would be perfect for getting the little diversity book club off the ground.)
slade house, by david mitchell (this is my "book recommended by someone you just met," and that "someone" is a person who works at an independent bookstore in st. paul, MN and wrote one of those little index cards that tells you why you should read a particular book. other things this book had going for it: i'd heard good things about the author and the book was short (ha - i have high standards at this point). this is a mystery that was described as spooky and was totally accurate. i don't often get creeped out by books, but this one did it for me at points. now, it was just okay - as in, i read it and all, but i wasn't totally captivated by the plot line and i didn't fully care about the fate of the main characters - and that's important to me. in fact, after reading it i took mitchell's cloud atlas off my "to read" list because i just didn't love his writing style. can anyone convince me i should add it back?)
we should all be feminists, by chimamanda ngozi adichie (this is my "book that's under 150 pages" - it's super short and worth reading, even though at this point we all know we should be feminists. right?! because i'm unfriending everyone who disagrees. i'm a newly minted adichie fan so i had to read this one.)
whistling vivaldi, by claude m. steele (this is my "self-improvement book" because, yes, i get to decide what counts as self-improvement. this will improve me because it will help me better support underrepresented students. bam! i facilitated a faculty book club this fall where we read this book and had some pretty excellent conversations and connections about the role of race and gender in the experiences of our students. this was a re-read - i first read this in grad school and knew it would be perfect for getting the little diversity book club off the ground.)
slade house, by david mitchell (this is my "book recommended by someone you just met," and that "someone" is a person who works at an independent bookstore in st. paul, MN and wrote one of those little index cards that tells you why you should read a particular book. other things this book had going for it: i'd heard good things about the author and the book was short (ha - i have high standards at this point). this is a mystery that was described as spooky and was totally accurate. i don't often get creeped out by books, but this one did it for me at points. now, it was just okay - as in, i read it and all, but i wasn't totally captivated by the plot line and i didn't fully care about the fate of the main characters - and that's important to me. in fact, after reading it i took mitchell's cloud atlas off my "to read" list because i just didn't love his writing style. can anyone convince me i should add it back?)
just mercy, by bryan stevenson (mandatory reading. stevenson writes about criminal justice and race in a hugely readable and very powerful way. also mandatory reading of the same genre: the other jim crow and watching: 13th. but this book is so personal, because it's part-memoir of his life and because he talks about individuals on death row in a very humanizing way. it's hard not to be totally drawn in to this one.)
empty mansions, by bill dedman (i listened to this one, mostly on my drive to north carolina for christmas, and i was totally captivated by this, too, though for different reasons. it's the story of a woman who inherited 300 million from her father - and became a (bizarre) recluse, dying in a hospital at 104 and giving most of her fortune to her nurse. i love getting inside looks into the lives of people who live really differently than me, and this is a story very well told. lots of googling ensued about what has happened since the book was published a few years ago.)
the forgetting time, by sharon guskin (a quick read with a compelling plot - a child believes he had a different mother before his current mother and she decides to believe him - that i enjoyed but won't be rushing out to recommend to everyone i know. vivid characters and a well-constructed plot.)
empty mansions, by bill dedman (i listened to this one, mostly on my drive to north carolina for christmas, and i was totally captivated by this, too, though for different reasons. it's the story of a woman who inherited 300 million from her father - and became a (bizarre) recluse, dying in a hospital at 104 and giving most of her fortune to her nurse. i love getting inside looks into the lives of people who live really differently than me, and this is a story very well told. lots of googling ensued about what has happened since the book was published a few years ago.)
the forgetting time, by sharon guskin (a quick read with a compelling plot - a child believes he had a different mother before his current mother and she decides to believe him - that i enjoyed but won't be rushing out to recommend to everyone i know. vivid characters and a well-constructed plot.)
Saturday, December 17, 2016
november: 51 & 52
november was incredibly stressful, mostly because i did not see the stress coming and did not mentally prepare for it. ugh! as a result, i didn't finish a single book until the thanksgiving break. this month i read:
girl waits with gun, by amy stewart (detective novel with a twist - based on a real life female detective in 1910s new jersey. well-developed characters, but the plot moved a little slowly for me. i liked this one but won't be rushing out to recommend it to everyone i know. this was a school book club read and i got the book for free - woo hoo!)
everything, everything, by nicola yoon (a lovely YA novel about a girl who has an autoimmune disorder and can't leave her house - but falls in love with the boy who moves in next door. ugh i love a good YA novel. this was a super quick read for me and i totally fell in love with the characters and the writing style and the little twist that happens near the end. have definitely added the author's next book to my list! highly recommend if you like YA.)
girl waits with gun, by amy stewart (detective novel with a twist - based on a real life female detective in 1910s new jersey. well-developed characters, but the plot moved a little slowly for me. i liked this one but won't be rushing out to recommend it to everyone i know. this was a school book club read and i got the book for free - woo hoo!)
everything, everything, by nicola yoon (a lovely YA novel about a girl who has an autoimmune disorder and can't leave her house - but falls in love with the boy who moves in next door. ugh i love a good YA novel. this was a super quick read for me and i totally fell in love with the characters and the writing style and the little twist that happens near the end. have definitely added the author's next book to my list! highly recommend if you like YA.)
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
october: 48, 49 & 50
50 books! who am i?
barbara the slut, by lauren holmes (this is my "first book you see in a bookstore" - i went into brazos bookstore, my local independent bookstore, and kept my eyes averted from the books until i found a saleswoman. i told her to lead me to my "first book i see," and make it a good one. i told her some books i'd read recently, and she showed me this one. poof! i had to buy it. i would NEVER have picked up this book on my own (the cover has the word "slut" spray painted on it), but i was totally into the short stories contained within. success!)
barbara the slut, by lauren holmes (this is my "first book you see in a bookstore" - i went into brazos bookstore, my local independent bookstore, and kept my eyes averted from the books until i found a saleswoman. i told her to lead me to my "first book i see," and make it a good one. i told her some books i'd read recently, and she showed me this one. poof! i had to buy it. i would NEVER have picked up this book on my own (the cover has the word "slut" spray painted on it), but i was totally into the short stories contained within. success!)
the muse, by jessie burton (i read this for my online bookclub - two storylines: one in london in the 1960s and one in spain in the 1930s. two well-rendered and vivid worlds and an exciting mystery about how exactly they will come together (which of course they do). i'd recommend it!)
before the fall, by noah hawley (the same bookclub's pick for the previous month, which i didn't do because i had other reading commitments. a private plane crashes, and only two people survive. why did it crash? i'm not rushing out to recommend this to everyone i know, but it was a good vacation read - if you go away for a long weekend, this book would happily keep you company.)
7 categories left to fulfill in 2016! eek! gotta get back on track if i hope to finish on time!
before the fall, by noah hawley (the same bookclub's pick for the previous month, which i didn't do because i had other reading commitments. a private plane crashes, and only two people survive. why did it crash? i'm not rushing out to recommend this to everyone i know, but it was a good vacation read - if you go away for a long weekend, this book would happily keep you company.)
7 categories left to fulfill in 2016! eek! gotta get back on track if i hope to finish on time!
Sunday, October 30, 2016
september: 44, 45, 46 & 47
short reviews this month, since i'm only barely getting it in before i'm supposed to do my october books. OOPS.
the goldfinch, by donna tarts (gorgeous prose, sweeping storyline, moved slowly in places, super long, would totally recommend it.)
underground airlines, by ben h. winters (fascinating premise (it's present day and 4 states still have slavery) + really interesting storyline (main character is a slave hunter) + well-developed dystopian world = i really liked this one.)
the man in the high castle, by philip k. dick (i'm counting this as my "science fiction novel," even though i'm not sure it is one. it won the hugo award for science fiction/fantasy, so i've decided that's good enough for me. watch the tv show instead of reading the book. when's the last time you heard that? but really - watch the show on amazon.)
the sound of gravel, by ruth wariner (this is my autobiography, even though i'm pretty sure it's a memoir. i'm cheating a little here in september! WAY interesting look into a mormon polygamist lifestyle in mexico. parts are horrifying. i sped through this - really really interesting. read it!)
the goldfinch, by donna tarts (gorgeous prose, sweeping storyline, moved slowly in places, super long, would totally recommend it.)
underground airlines, by ben h. winters (fascinating premise (it's present day and 4 states still have slavery) + really interesting storyline (main character is a slave hunter) + well-developed dystopian world = i really liked this one.)
the man in the high castle, by philip k. dick (i'm counting this as my "science fiction novel," even though i'm not sure it is one. it won the hugo award for science fiction/fantasy, so i've decided that's good enough for me. watch the tv show instead of reading the book. when's the last time you heard that? but really - watch the show on amazon.)
the sound of gravel, by ruth wariner (this is my autobiography, even though i'm pretty sure it's a memoir. i'm cheating a little here in september! WAY interesting look into a mormon polygamist lifestyle in mexico. parts are horrifying. i sped through this - really really interesting. read it!)
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
august: 41, 42 & 43
still going strong! this month i read:
the promise, by ann weisgarber (this is historical fiction, set in galveston during the 1900 hurricane, which was the deadliest hurricane in US history, killing an estimated 8,000 people. living 45 miles from galveston made this a really interesting read for me. not the best historical fiction i've read, as the story line around the hurricane wasn't totally compelling for me, but i really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the hurricane and the city of galveston at this time.)
elizabeth the queen, by sally bedell smith (i listened to the audiobook of this one - a common theme for the nonfiction i read, as i don't like to read nonfiction before bed! - and was totally fascinated about the life of britain's current queen. the book was a little bit gossipy; the queen doesn't give interviews, so the book is compiled through public documents and interviews with people close to the queen. sometimes i had to roll my eyes at the silliness of the monarchy, but for the most part i really really enjoyed this book. i'd recommend it!)
grit, by angela duckworth (this was the second book my boss asked us to read this summer, and though i had read duckworth's academic papers that detail her findings from her research on grit, i did get some good nuggets out of this book. definitely a worthwhile read for people who work in education!)
the promise, by ann weisgarber (this is historical fiction, set in galveston during the 1900 hurricane, which was the deadliest hurricane in US history, killing an estimated 8,000 people. living 45 miles from galveston made this a really interesting read for me. not the best historical fiction i've read, as the story line around the hurricane wasn't totally compelling for me, but i really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the hurricane and the city of galveston at this time.)
elizabeth the queen, by sally bedell smith (i listened to the audiobook of this one - a common theme for the nonfiction i read, as i don't like to read nonfiction before bed! - and was totally fascinated about the life of britain's current queen. the book was a little bit gossipy; the queen doesn't give interviews, so the book is compiled through public documents and interviews with people close to the queen. sometimes i had to roll my eyes at the silliness of the monarchy, but for the most part i really really enjoyed this book. i'd recommend it!)
grit, by angela duckworth (this was the second book my boss asked us to read this summer, and though i had read duckworth's academic papers that detail her findings from her research on grit, i did get some good nuggets out of this book. definitely a worthwhile read for people who work in education!)
Sunday, August 14, 2016
july: 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 & 40
i promise i do have a life, people, but somehow this july i've surpassed (with 40 books total so far this year) my totals for all 12 months of even my best year. a couple of these books were really excellent, and i knocked out another 5 categories in my book challenge. this month i read:
half of a yellow sun, by chimamanda ngozi adichie (this is my "book with a protagonist who has your occupation," as one main character is a professor and another becomes a teacher partway through the novel. i really really liked the book, despite not really knowing where it was going for the first half of the book. i also didn't know anything about biafra, whose flag had half of a yellow sun on it (hence the title), so it was really interesting to read this book about nigeria post-independence. adichie is a beautiful writer, and this is worth a read.)
lila, by marilynne robinson (this, plus gilead, is going to fulfill my "book and its prequel." loved this book, even more so after going to my nerdy seminar in santa fe to spend the week talking about gilead and lila with other smart and interesting people. marilynne robinson is a brilliant writer whose books are so rich. highly recommend!)
the worst hard time, by timothy egan (this is my "book that takes place during summer." i listened to the audiobook of this one, about the dust bowl, told through the stories of a few people who lived through it. i learned a ton about what caused the dust bowl and how truly horrible it was in parts of the west. tons of rich details. history nerds: add this to your list.)
attachments, by rainbow rowell (this is my "book that's guaranteed to bring you joy," because i love rainbow rowell and this was the only one of her books i hadn't read. i'll repeat myself: if you haven't read any rainbow rowell, you must, and you're welcome to start with this one.)
the handmaid's tale, by margaret atwood (this is my "classic from the 20th century" because i get to define "classic" however i want. i remember reading this in college, probably, but it had been so long that i didn't remember much of the plot. from the queen of dystopian literature, this is a must read if you missed it along the way. parts were totally creepy.)
excellent sheep, by william deresiewicz (this was one i had to read for work; the author's premise is that the quest for the ivy leagues leads kids to become sheep - fitting into a cookie cutter model of a college applicant - and the ones who make it to the ivy leagues are just the most excellent of the sheep. he has a lot of suggestions of how to change the college admissions game and how that might affect what students are able to do in college. if you have a kid in middle school or high school, you might find this a useful read.)
the serpent king, by jeff zentner (oh, i love a YA novel. this author is the new john green - great characters, compelling storyline, and i got a little teary in the middle. i really liked this book, set in rural tennessee and now i have 9 months or so to wait until his second novel is scheduled to come out.)
half of a yellow sun, by chimamanda ngozi adichie (this is my "book with a protagonist who has your occupation," as one main character is a professor and another becomes a teacher partway through the novel. i really really liked the book, despite not really knowing where it was going for the first half of the book. i also didn't know anything about biafra, whose flag had half of a yellow sun on it (hence the title), so it was really interesting to read this book about nigeria post-independence. adichie is a beautiful writer, and this is worth a read.)
lila, by marilynne robinson (this, plus gilead, is going to fulfill my "book and its prequel." loved this book, even more so after going to my nerdy seminar in santa fe to spend the week talking about gilead and lila with other smart and interesting people. marilynne robinson is a brilliant writer whose books are so rich. highly recommend!)
the worst hard time, by timothy egan (this is my "book that takes place during summer." i listened to the audiobook of this one, about the dust bowl, told through the stories of a few people who lived through it. i learned a ton about what caused the dust bowl and how truly horrible it was in parts of the west. tons of rich details. history nerds: add this to your list.)
attachments, by rainbow rowell (this is my "book that's guaranteed to bring you joy," because i love rainbow rowell and this was the only one of her books i hadn't read. i'll repeat myself: if you haven't read any rainbow rowell, you must, and you're welcome to start with this one.)
the handmaid's tale, by margaret atwood (this is my "classic from the 20th century" because i get to define "classic" however i want. i remember reading this in college, probably, but it had been so long that i didn't remember much of the plot. from the queen of dystopian literature, this is a must read if you missed it along the way. parts were totally creepy.)
excellent sheep, by william deresiewicz (this was one i had to read for work; the author's premise is that the quest for the ivy leagues leads kids to become sheep - fitting into a cookie cutter model of a college applicant - and the ones who make it to the ivy leagues are just the most excellent of the sheep. he has a lot of suggestions of how to change the college admissions game and how that might affect what students are able to do in college. if you have a kid in middle school or high school, you might find this a useful read.)
the serpent king, by jeff zentner (oh, i love a YA novel. this author is the new john green - great characters, compelling storyline, and i got a little teary in the middle. i really liked this book, set in rural tennessee and now i have 9 months or so to wait until his second novel is scheduled to come out.)
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
june: 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 & 33
i read 8 books this month (absurd! this is what quasi-vacation and lots of travel and then real vacation will do for you! oh, and audiobooks. audiobooks help), but only three books fulfilled categories in the reading challenge. must recommit myself to reading books outside my normal comfort zone!
the unlikely pilgrimage of harold fry, by rachel joyce (this is my "book about a road trip" and it was recommended by a friend who is also doing the reading challenge. this was okay, but not transformative. an easy read. if i was from england i think i would have enjoyed the details of all the small towns he travels through on his "pilgrimage," but as i'm not those were a little lost on me.)
missoula: rape and the justice system in a college town, by jon krakauer (this is such. an. important. book. and everyone should read it. particularly as i think about my role in helping young men and women get ready for college, the importance of this topic is huge and the book is quite well done. i have so much to say on this topic - how in the past 50 years we have evolved from "she may say no, but she doesn't mean it" to "no means no," which is what i was taught and was revolutionary at the time, to affirmative consent, a phrase that i hadn't even heard two years ago and now we talk about with our students. what i liked about this book was that some of the examples that krakauer gives are so black and white that right and wrong is clear to everyone, i would think. there is a lot of gray in sexual assaults - and he does dwell in that gray for parts of the books - but he also talks about the horrible black and white cases. this is a must read.)
gathering blue, by lois lowry (i've moved some things around on my list to maximize the number of categories i can fill, and this is now my "book about a culture you're unfamiliar with." this is a dystopian young adult novel that i listened to - i don't normally listen to fiction, but young adult fiction is pretty easy to follow - and very much enjoyed. if you liked the giver, you should read this.)
fallen land, by taylor brown (this is my "book set in your home state" - though it takes place in virginia and georgia, too - and is a civil war tragedy that totally captivated me. if you like historical fiction, this is worth picking up.)
beautiful ruins, by jess walter (i read this while traveling, and it is the perfect summer read (a quick read that has some substance)! amazon describes it as "the story of an almost-love affair that begins on the Italian coast in 1962...and is rekindled in Hollywood fifty years later," which is a lot better than whatever the back cover gave as the description - which almost made me not want to read it. it has vivid characters and was a totally enjoyable read.)
the lone ranger and tonto fistfight in heaven, by sherman alexie (i like sherman alexie, but i do not like short stories - no time to get to know the characters before you have to move on to new ones - so this book was fine and all, but i wasn't hurrying to pick it up and read more. read the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian instead.)
whiteout, by ken follett (read this is in the winter - it was an odd book to read in the summer. it's christmas eve! a virus has escaped a lab! then a huge snowstorm hits! characters converge on a remote estate! it's that kind of book and i enjoy that kind of book. different from the other ken follett books i'd read, but i'd recommend it if you like an action-packed plot that is ready-made for the big screen.)
the versions of us, by laura barnett (this was our book club's pick for this month, and it's a sliding doors-type book with three versions in the life of a woman and her husband (in one version)/the guy who got away (in a second version)/a man she meets occasionally but has no relationship with (in a third version). it was a little confusing, keeping the versions separate as i read, and while short chapters kept the plot moving along, i wasn't rushing to finish this one.)
(25 of 40 categories in the challenge filled thus far!)
the unlikely pilgrimage of harold fry, by rachel joyce (this is my "book about a road trip" and it was recommended by a friend who is also doing the reading challenge. this was okay, but not transformative. an easy read. if i was from england i think i would have enjoyed the details of all the small towns he travels through on his "pilgrimage," but as i'm not those were a little lost on me.)
missoula: rape and the justice system in a college town, by jon krakauer (this is such. an. important. book. and everyone should read it. particularly as i think about my role in helping young men and women get ready for college, the importance of this topic is huge and the book is quite well done. i have so much to say on this topic - how in the past 50 years we have evolved from "she may say no, but she doesn't mean it" to "no means no," which is what i was taught and was revolutionary at the time, to affirmative consent, a phrase that i hadn't even heard two years ago and now we talk about with our students. what i liked about this book was that some of the examples that krakauer gives are so black and white that right and wrong is clear to everyone, i would think. there is a lot of gray in sexual assaults - and he does dwell in that gray for parts of the books - but he also talks about the horrible black and white cases. this is a must read.)
gathering blue, by lois lowry (i've moved some things around on my list to maximize the number of categories i can fill, and this is now my "book about a culture you're unfamiliar with." this is a dystopian young adult novel that i listened to - i don't normally listen to fiction, but young adult fiction is pretty easy to follow - and very much enjoyed. if you liked the giver, you should read this.)
fallen land, by taylor brown (this is my "book set in your home state" - though it takes place in virginia and georgia, too - and is a civil war tragedy that totally captivated me. if you like historical fiction, this is worth picking up.)
beautiful ruins, by jess walter (i read this while traveling, and it is the perfect summer read (a quick read that has some substance)! amazon describes it as "the story of an almost-love affair that begins on the Italian coast in 1962...and is rekindled in Hollywood fifty years later," which is a lot better than whatever the back cover gave as the description - which almost made me not want to read it. it has vivid characters and was a totally enjoyable read.)
the lone ranger and tonto fistfight in heaven, by sherman alexie (i like sherman alexie, but i do not like short stories - no time to get to know the characters before you have to move on to new ones - so this book was fine and all, but i wasn't hurrying to pick it up and read more. read the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian instead.)
whiteout, by ken follett (read this is in the winter - it was an odd book to read in the summer. it's christmas eve! a virus has escaped a lab! then a huge snowstorm hits! characters converge on a remote estate! it's that kind of book and i enjoy that kind of book. different from the other ken follett books i'd read, but i'd recommend it if you like an action-packed plot that is ready-made for the big screen.)
the versions of us, by laura barnett (this was our book club's pick for this month, and it's a sliding doors-type book with three versions in the life of a woman and her husband (in one version)/the guy who got away (in a second version)/a man she meets occasionally but has no relationship with (in a third version). it was a little confusing, keeping the versions separate as i read, and while short chapters kept the plot moving along, i wasn't rushing to finish this one.)
(25 of 40 categories in the challenge filled thus far!)
Saturday, June 25, 2016
"but aren't all great quests folly? el dorado and the fountain of youth and the search for intelligent life in the cosmos - we know what's out there. it's what isn't that truly compels us. technology may have shrunk the epic journey to a couple of short car rides and regional jet lags - four states and twelve hundred miles traversed in an afternoon - but true quests aren't measure in time or distance anyway, so much as in hope. there are only two good outcomes for a quest like this, the hope of the serendipitous savant - sail for asia and stumble on america - and the hope of scarecrows and tin men: that you find out you had the thing you sought all along."
--from pg. 284 of beautiful ruins, by jess walter
--from pg. 284 of beautiful ruins, by jess walter
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Sunday, June 5, 2016
thoughts on visiting prison for the third time
the third time around, they've made some improvements. there is now a permanent shelter in the parking lot, to protect people who are waiting from the rain or the heat. there is a metal box in the shelter that contains the form you have to fill out, so you can do that before you get inside the security building. i wonder if someone had to pass out in the waiting line before they installed this shelter. maybe not.
the line was short yesterday. as i arrived they were letting the first 10 people in, and i found myself in a line with only 7 people (and 1 baby) in line in front of me, so i would be in the next group. we waited 30 minutes, during which time i made friends with sadie the baby and tried to befriend the freckle-faced third grader in front of me (he had no interest). it doesn't rain on us. small victories.
inside, i got to see my friend before count, which i hadn't gotten inside early enough to do the previous two times. at 10am, the guards do a count of all the prisoners, which can apparently take half an hour or even 45 minutes. during that time, no one can change locations within the prison, which means that no visitors can enter during count and if you're already in the visiting room but your prisoner hasn't come in yet, you have to wait out that time before they are allowed to come in. so after arriving and getting in the line at 8:40, my friend entered the visiting room at 9:45. this is lightening quick in prison terms.
over the next four hours i filled him up as best i could, with my $22 in quarters: two sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits. one kit kat bar. one bacon cheeseburger. two juices, a root beer, and a coke. we laughed and talked and people-watched. sadie is the great niece of his former cellmate, so we marveled at the small-world aspect of me meeting them in line and then getting to see his friend meet the new baby in the visiting room. on this day i marveled at the fact that there were probably 40 prisoners who got a visitor, out of a prison population at this facility of 1300. 1260 men did not get visited, and my friend on any given weekend is more likely to be one of those people than to be the one getting the visitor. he has 23 months to go.
i wonder about who he will be when he leaves, about what our relationship will be like.
when i leave he says "i love you," and i say "i love you, too." this is how we end every phone call (five or six of them a year), every email, and every visit. we didn't say it before, but it seems imperative to say it now.
the line was short yesterday. as i arrived they were letting the first 10 people in, and i found myself in a line with only 7 people (and 1 baby) in line in front of me, so i would be in the next group. we waited 30 minutes, during which time i made friends with sadie the baby and tried to befriend the freckle-faced third grader in front of me (he had no interest). it doesn't rain on us. small victories.
inside, i got to see my friend before count, which i hadn't gotten inside early enough to do the previous two times. at 10am, the guards do a count of all the prisoners, which can apparently take half an hour or even 45 minutes. during that time, no one can change locations within the prison, which means that no visitors can enter during count and if you're already in the visiting room but your prisoner hasn't come in yet, you have to wait out that time before they are allowed to come in. so after arriving and getting in the line at 8:40, my friend entered the visiting room at 9:45. this is lightening quick in prison terms.
over the next four hours i filled him up as best i could, with my $22 in quarters: two sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits. one kit kat bar. one bacon cheeseburger. two juices, a root beer, and a coke. we laughed and talked and people-watched. sadie is the great niece of his former cellmate, so we marveled at the small-world aspect of me meeting them in line and then getting to see his friend meet the new baby in the visiting room. on this day i marveled at the fact that there were probably 40 prisoners who got a visitor, out of a prison population at this facility of 1300. 1260 men did not get visited, and my friend on any given weekend is more likely to be one of those people than to be the one getting the visitor. he has 23 months to go.
i wonder about who he will be when he leaves, about what our relationship will be like.
when i leave he says "i love you," and i say "i love you, too." this is how we end every phone call (five or six of them a year), every email, and every visit. we didn't say it before, but it seems imperative to say it now.
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