this month i read:
american primitive, by mary oliver (when mary oliver died, i finally bought a book of her poetry after loving the few poems of hers that i had already read. this book won the pulitzer prize, and was SO lovely. highly recommend!)
the art of gathering, by priya parker (guys, i can't stop talking about this book. brilliance about how to lead parties AND work meetings that are meaningful and purposeful. i folded a ton of pages down and will be trying to implement some of the concepts at my new job. HIGHLY recommend!)
beartown, by fredrik backman (i was really looking forward to this book, as i loved backman's other books. this...didn't do it for me. the book is about a sexual assault and the community's reactions to the aftermath. processing it with some friends, i realized i didn't like it because it's TOO real and it was painful to spend like 60% of the book dwelling in how horrible the "after" was for the young woman and her family and the community. so maybe that's actually a compliment for this book? but it's the first of his books that i wouldn't recommend. read something else of his instead!)
all the ugly and wonderful things, by bryn greenwood (uh guys this was incredible. the [fictional] story of a girl called wavy who grows up the child of meth addicts. i loved the characters and the relationships but it was heartbreaking at times. HIGHLY recommend this one - the good stuff was so wonderful that it was worth the hard parts to read.)
the second mrs. hockaday, by susan rivers (a fine but not exceptional civil war epistolary novel about a woman and a man and a baby who dies. i'm into that kind of book, but i know it's not everyone's cup of tea.)
how to raise an adult, by julie lythcott-haims (lythcott-haims came to the school where i work and spoke this fall; my book club read her memoir of growing up biracial in the 1980s, and then i finally read this education/parenting book this spring. highly recommend, if you work in education or are a parent! i folded down a lot of pages.)
goodbye days, by jeff zentner (young adult - another book by an author i loved but this wasn't the right book for me because it was too real and too sad. in this one, a kid texts a friend who is driving a car. in responding to the text, he gets into an accident and the three kids in the car die. SO DEPRESSING OMG I CRIED A FAIR AMOUNT. another one i can't recommend because, though it was super well written, it was too sad to foist upon another person.)
Monday, June 3, 2019
Monday, May 6, 2019
april: 18, 19, 20 & 21
evicted, by matthew desmond (this is a re-read of an incredibly powerful and important book - i re-read it because i led a faculty book club at school on the book this spring. reading and talking about it with others was so rewarding - but also a reminder of how depressing it is to enter the world of people constantly facing eviction. it's as if looking at that world alongside other people forces you to confront how truly horrible it is. sigh. READ THIS BOOK, even though parts of it will be hard to get through.)
normal people, by sally rooney (this was my book of the month club pick last month, and it's getting a ton of good press, but this book did not do it for me. the relationship was messy and both main characters had some real flaws and self-destructive qualities that i was like YOU NEED TO SEEK THERAPY FOR THIS and it wasn't escapist - it was just messy and occasionally bad like real life is messy and occasionally bad. so it didn't do it for me, and i was glad that others on goodreads agreed with me - with the articles in the major newspapers being so positive, i wanted to make sure i wasn't being too judge-y. goodreads gave me permission to feel the way i feel about it.)
the library book, by susan orlean (i read this for my book club - what a lovely meditations on libraries and los angeles and (the main point of the book) the library fire from the 1980s. this was an easy book to pop in and out of because a lot of the chapters could stand on their own - and weren't terribly long. highly recommend!)
uncommon type, by tom hanks (on a friend's suggestion, i listened to the audiobook of this one, which hanks reads. i liked this but didn't love it - it was well worth a listen while i drove around town, but i won't be running out to purchase it for anyone. the common theme throughout all these short stories is typewriters, and seeing how the typewriter played a role in each story was fun. there are also three or four stories that feature the same set of characters, which i really enjoyed.)
normal people, by sally rooney (this was my book of the month club pick last month, and it's getting a ton of good press, but this book did not do it for me. the relationship was messy and both main characters had some real flaws and self-destructive qualities that i was like YOU NEED TO SEEK THERAPY FOR THIS and it wasn't escapist - it was just messy and occasionally bad like real life is messy and occasionally bad. so it didn't do it for me, and i was glad that others on goodreads agreed with me - with the articles in the major newspapers being so positive, i wanted to make sure i wasn't being too judge-y. goodreads gave me permission to feel the way i feel about it.)
the library book, by susan orlean (i read this for my book club - what a lovely meditations on libraries and los angeles and (the main point of the book) the library fire from the 1980s. this was an easy book to pop in and out of because a lot of the chapters could stand on their own - and weren't terribly long. highly recommend!)
uncommon type, by tom hanks (on a friend's suggestion, i listened to the audiobook of this one, which hanks reads. i liked this but didn't love it - it was well worth a listen while i drove around town, but i won't be running out to purchase it for anyone. the common theme throughout all these short stories is typewriters, and seeing how the typewriter played a role in each story was fun. there are also three or four stories that feature the same set of characters, which i really enjoyed.)
Sunday, April 7, 2019
march: 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17
a place for us, by fatima farheen mirza (this book was fabulous - the story of a muslim-american family with three children, told from different points of view within the family over a 25-ish year span. you revisit events and see them from different perspectives. you see the impact of gender and expectations and birth order and the immigrant experience. i LOVED this book and the characters in it, and it made me want to read other books that sarah jessica parker is promoting through her new imprint with hogarth press.)
year of yes, by shonda rhimes (i don't often buy "self help"-ish books, but this one seemed like a good one to bring into my 2019. it was a super easy read and i loved her story. not too much in terms of take aways (i had no huge "aha!" moments while reading it), but i enjoyed it. it would be a perfect read for an airplane or on vacation.)
queenie, by candice carty-williams (my newest book of the month club selection, set in london with a main character who is jamaican-british. she's going through a rough patch - both of her own making and of things outside her control - so parts of the book are hard to read because you are watching the main character be self-destructive. but she was so vividly brought to life as a character that i enjoyed this story and the journey she went on. don't rush out to buy it, but i give it a thumbs up.)
dead wake, by erik larson (i listened to the audiobook of this, which is about the sinking of lusitania. you get the story in alternate chapters from onboard the boat, on board the u-boat that ended up sinking it, and in the british intelligence office that had cracked the german code and was monitoring u-boats in the english channel. i was fascinated by all the details in this story. erik larson is really great at his job as a writer of narrative nonfiction. big thumbs up, and i would recommend this even if you don't think you care about the lusitania!)
the terrible, by yrsa daley-ward (i read this in one day, on the yoga retreat i went on at the end of march. i loved daley-ward's book of poetry called bone, and this is a poetry-prose memoir of her childhood. i LOVE memoirs and this one did not disappoint. a fascinating look into a different word, and crazy to imagine that she has become as successful as she has with the obstacles she's had to overcome. love her work, and i would LOVE to see her read or speak in person.)
year of yes, by shonda rhimes (i don't often buy "self help"-ish books, but this one seemed like a good one to bring into my 2019. it was a super easy read and i loved her story. not too much in terms of take aways (i had no huge "aha!" moments while reading it), but i enjoyed it. it would be a perfect read for an airplane or on vacation.)
queenie, by candice carty-williams (my newest book of the month club selection, set in london with a main character who is jamaican-british. she's going through a rough patch - both of her own making and of things outside her control - so parts of the book are hard to read because you are watching the main character be self-destructive. but she was so vividly brought to life as a character that i enjoyed this story and the journey she went on. don't rush out to buy it, but i give it a thumbs up.)
dead wake, by erik larson (i listened to the audiobook of this, which is about the sinking of lusitania. you get the story in alternate chapters from onboard the boat, on board the u-boat that ended up sinking it, and in the british intelligence office that had cracked the german code and was monitoring u-boats in the english channel. i was fascinated by all the details in this story. erik larson is really great at his job as a writer of narrative nonfiction. big thumbs up, and i would recommend this even if you don't think you care about the lusitania!)
the terrible, by yrsa daley-ward (i read this in one day, on the yoga retreat i went on at the end of march. i loved daley-ward's book of poetry called bone, and this is a poetry-prose memoir of her childhood. i LOVE memoirs and this one did not disappoint. a fascinating look into a different word, and crazy to imagine that she has become as successful as she has with the obstacles she's had to overcome. love her work, and i would LOVE to see her read or speak in person.)
Sunday, March 24, 2019
february: 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12
lots of reading this month, too!
there there, by tommy orange (this got a lot of press - including being on obama's reading list for last year - and i had tickets to see orange and valeria luiselli - see below - speak in houston and i was eager to finish a book from each of them before going. long story short: it POURED the night they were speaking and the streets were starting to flood and i stayed home. sadness. but! there there is absolutely worth a read. it's described as an "urban indian" story, in contrast to most indian stories we see in literature. a lot of characters - write them down so you don't get confused! - who all come together at a pow wow near the end of the book. it's also clear as the book goes on that something big is going to happen at the pow wow, so there's this thick creative tension as you read, which i loved. highly recommend!)
the mars room, by rachel kushner (this is the story of a woman going to prison for killing a man. "the mars room" is the name of the strip club where the woman works; the man is a customer. this is not, as you might have gathered, a super uplifting book, but a really interesting story that goes back and forth before and after the murder. this won't be my favorite book of the year, but i liked it just fine.)
the heart’s invisible furies, by john boyne (this will probably be my favorite book of the year. oh, how i loved this book. i won't say much so i don't spoil anything in case you read it, but it's the story of the life of a man born in ireland in 1945, told in 75-ish page chapters that are each 7 years apart. so the first one is his birth, then you flash to when he's 7, then 14, etc. i am a book of the month club members, and this was voted by readers as the best book they offered in 2017, which is why i picked it up. so worth it!)
the story of my teeth, by valeria luiselli (this book was...weird. latin american lit is not my favorite genre so perhaps i should have seen this coming, but this book is bizarre. i think perhaps this woman is brilliant and was doing something with literature that an english major would get a ton out of, but i had a hard time connecting with the characters and making it through some weird lists and more tedious parts. her newest book is getting a ton of great press, though, so try her writing if you're interested!)
different seasons, by stephen king (this is four novellas put together in one book - it includes the story that the shawshank redemption is based on. i tend to like the less scary stories by king, and this fits the bill. worth a read if this is your genre!)
there there, by tommy orange (this got a lot of press - including being on obama's reading list for last year - and i had tickets to see orange and valeria luiselli - see below - speak in houston and i was eager to finish a book from each of them before going. long story short: it POURED the night they were speaking and the streets were starting to flood and i stayed home. sadness. but! there there is absolutely worth a read. it's described as an "urban indian" story, in contrast to most indian stories we see in literature. a lot of characters - write them down so you don't get confused! - who all come together at a pow wow near the end of the book. it's also clear as the book goes on that something big is going to happen at the pow wow, so there's this thick creative tension as you read, which i loved. highly recommend!)
the mars room, by rachel kushner (this is the story of a woman going to prison for killing a man. "the mars room" is the name of the strip club where the woman works; the man is a customer. this is not, as you might have gathered, a super uplifting book, but a really interesting story that goes back and forth before and after the murder. this won't be my favorite book of the year, but i liked it just fine.)
the heart’s invisible furies, by john boyne (this will probably be my favorite book of the year. oh, how i loved this book. i won't say much so i don't spoil anything in case you read it, but it's the story of the life of a man born in ireland in 1945, told in 75-ish page chapters that are each 7 years apart. so the first one is his birth, then you flash to when he's 7, then 14, etc. i am a book of the month club members, and this was voted by readers as the best book they offered in 2017, which is why i picked it up. so worth it!)
the story of my teeth, by valeria luiselli (this book was...weird. latin american lit is not my favorite genre so perhaps i should have seen this coming, but this book is bizarre. i think perhaps this woman is brilliant and was doing something with literature that an english major would get a ton out of, but i had a hard time connecting with the characters and making it through some weird lists and more tedious parts. her newest book is getting a ton of great press, though, so try her writing if you're interested!)
different seasons, by stephen king (this is four novellas put together in one book - it includes the story that the shawshank redemption is based on. i tend to like the less scary stories by king, and this fits the bill. worth a read if this is your genre!)
Sunday, February 3, 2019
january: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7
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.)
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.)
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!)
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