It has been awhile! I found myself in a bit of a reading funk, which is to say I wasn’t reading and then I got into my head that I couldn’t post until I had substantial books to read. Well, five months later, and I don’t have a ton of books to talk about, but I do have some good ones. For those keeping track at home, which why would you be, this doesn’t matter – I’ve read 21 books this year. My goal is 30. I had avoided counting because, with my slacking these last few months, I was certain I wasn’t anywhere near my goal, but I can definitely read nine books before the year is over. This might just be the first New Years goal I keep…and also remembered!
One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul
Scaachi Koul is a wonderful, witty humor who can cut through tough topics with such ease. An Indian immigrant in Canada, she tackles her personal fears, anger, and mortifying experiences growing up while addressing bigger issues from gender dynamics to ethnic stereotypes. The book is a quick, easy read and I am so excited to see what Scaachi does next.
“Fitting is a luxury rarely given to immigrants, or children of immigrants. We are stuck in emotional purgatory. Home, somehow, is always the last place you left, and never the place you’re in.”
I received this as a pre-release from Book of the Month, but the good news for you is as of this post, it’s available everywhere!
This book was painful to read, in that parts of it felt so real–a glimpse into what would happen should America turn its deadliest policies and weapons on itself. It’s the story of a Sarah Chestnut, who grows up after the Second Civil War in 2074 in Louisana, except Louisana is halfway underwater. After her father is killed, she finds herself in a camp for displaced people with her mother and siblings. She becomes shaped by her time and place until she is a weapon of war. The story is heartbreaking and believable, insightful and well-researched.
“This country has a long history of defining its generations by the conflicts that should have killed them.”
I received this as a pre-release from Book of the Month, but the good news for you is as of this post, it’s available everywhere!
This is Really Happening by Erin Chack
Another non-fiction book of personal narratives. Erin Chack is hilarious that I often found myself laughing at painful topics. Her voice is authentic and she wonderfully captures the “millennial” experience. She discusses surviving cancer, only for her mom to be diagnosed with the same kind, meeting her soulmate at 14, and other moments in life that shape who we are. Another quick read, I enjoyed every story, even the ones that made me cry.
“I’ve come to realize that death doesn’t matter to the person who died, it matters only to the people who remain.”
What It Means When A Man Falls From The Sky, Lesley Nneka Arimah
There is a theme in the books I’ve been reading, and that is short stories. It has been awhile since I read a book of short fiction essays, but I was so engrossed in this book, I read it all while sitting on a float in the pool (WITH SUNSCREEN!). I was so upset at the end of every story because I wanted more. Most stories contain a magical-realist elements, which I absolutely loved, and there is a yearning for love, peace, comfort, home – for something. The concept of ‘needing’ is so gorgeously displayed. I think my favorites were Glory or Light, but I really can’t choose! This is the fiction I wish I could write and writing fiction terrifies me.
“When Enebeli Okwara sent his girl out in the world, he did not know what the world did to daughters. He did not know how quickly it would wick the dew off her, how she would be returned to him hollowed out, relieved of her better parts.”
Woman No. 17 by Edan Lepucki
This book is reviewed as “a sinister, sexy noir about art, motherhood, and the intensity of female friendships” which is better than I can describe it. It took me awhile to get into this book, but part of that is it was the first book I selected to get out of my funk. The story follows Lady Daniels, a writer separated from her husband and S, the young artist Lady hired to take care of her sons. Without spoiling much, S’s connection to Lady’s older son, who doesn’t speak, takes a turn–for the worse.
“You think you know how a story begins, or how it’s going to turn out, especially when it’s your own. You don’t.”
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
This is, without a doubt, one of the best books I have ever read–I want to shove it into the arms of every person I come across. I love it in a way I have never loved a book before–not even my very favorite books. Cyril Avery quickly became my favorite fictional character. I cried when it was over–I cried during as well, because I am me. The point is, I loved it. I loved it so much that I want to gush in incoherent sentences over how much I loved it. Cyril Avery was born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out of her town. The story follows him as he grows up in Catholic Ireland in the 1940’s to present day and struggles to discover his identity. It is as ordinary of a story as it is extraordinary and heartbreaking. I want to say so much more, so please read it so I can gush about it some more.
“Maybe there were no villains in my mother’s story at all. Just men and women trying to do their best by each other. And failing.”
Do you also enjoy reading? Of course you do! Why wouldn’t you? Seriously, what could be so wrong with you that you don’t show up to dinner late because you were caught up in a book! Or is that just me? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, subscribe to Book of the Month Club! This link right here will give you a discount when you first sign up then tell me what book you choose every month because I NEED TO KNOW THESE THINGS! (Seriously, ask the 5 people who have signed up because of me, I message them every time the book selections come out. I’m nosey!)
Awesome. Great for you. Start a on line book club?