I like lists and here is a list. Not as exciting as ski days, but arguably more hygge.
Tell Me How to Be- Neil Patel- Yeah! The book that got me into reading again. Gay male protagonist, which for some reason or another was a first for me. I enjoyed looking for the familiar in a novel that seems to take place in my hometown. A springboard back into reading for me.
Conversations with Friends- Sally Rooney- Well written and a bit smutty. We-Ho!
Normal People- Sally Rooney- I love the TV show and the book equally. Read this during covid quarantine at Mike’s. I just love it. As a side note, the guy who plays Connell on TV is *my jam.* As another side note, the gal who plays Maryanne is my bangs muse.
The Great Believers- Rebecca Makkai*** such a read! Full Recommend. Gay male protagonist numero dos. Maybe this is my genre! It passed from Liz to me to Tina to Sam to Anne and we all loved it, so ya know it’s gonna be good.
People We Meet on Vacation—> Horrible, boring summary of everyone’s 20s. Don’t read unless you’re on an island and this is the only book available. And even then, probably just use the paper to start a fire.
Klara and the Sun- Kazuo Ishiguro- Meh? I wish I loved this because apparently “everyone else does” but I did not. In related news, I did use ChatGPT to help me crowd source ways to make a hard conversation that I had to have feel more decent… and it worked! There will probably be books about this is in the future and I will be at the ready.
I’ll Show Myself Out- Jessi Klein- A book about the travails of motherhood. Meh? I didn’t love it. I think I’d rather gather funny quibits about parenting from my actual friends. And also, for anyone interested to know, being a parent will make you laugh out loud, unexpectedly, at least once a day. And it will be about something you could never have dreamed up on your own. As an example, when Inge opened a tampon from its wrapper and hung it on the Christmas tree like an ornament.
Oh William!- Elizabeth Strout- This book is the bomb. Her voice is just so original. Maybe it’s a touch sad that the “voice” of a middle aged woman is likely original because people don’t generally pay attention to what middle aged women have to say. I feel like Gen Z is gonna blow that paradigm up.
Flowers for Algernon- Daniel Keyes- Really enjoyed. Can’t believe I didn’t read this in middle school.
Valley of Giants- Lauren DeLauney Miller- A lot of fun to read about all the bad bold women out there slaying in Yosemite. I have always had this feeling that you don’t climb in Yosemite unless you are really good. But then you see how mostly people who didn’t know shit from shinola when it came to climbing just showed up and figured it out. I have climbed a few routes in Yosemite at this juncture and I did feel like I belonged, which was surprising.
Dare to Lead- Brene Brown. In progress. Maybe forever in progress.
My Name is Lucy Barton- Elizabeth Strout- Just love this regular lady.
Lucy by the Sea- Elizabeth Strout- Ya gotta find what works and stick with it. Also my sister told me that getting back together with an ex is like trying to stick poop back up your butt. Which I thought about while reading this. And I have to agree, is hilariously true.
Lost- Annie Ernaux- I have so, so, so many thoughts on this wonderful and terrible book. Mostly it is dull as fuck (surprising given the lascivious content!). I think the thing that I loved about this book is that the thing about living which can be most exciting— falling in love with someone and being all consumed by desire and insecurity— is the most horridly boring thing to read about. How hilarious.
The Years- Annie Ernaux again- In progress.
Our Missing Hearts- Celeste Ng- I wish I like this book since Jimmy gave it to me. But I did not so I took it to the free library in our neighborhood and it’s already been snatched up (yes… I did go back to see if my donations were appreciated. What can I say?).
Stay True- I wish I like this book more since I gave it to Jimmy. I don’t love his writing style, although I do love what he says and that he decided to say it. And I was grabbed by his statement about having nothing to do because he had nothing to buy. And for a second it made me know that having and spending money contributes to loss of time. Which I had never thought of before. But after moving into a new house that is a touch too big, I understand the loss of time/energy to considering “stuff” to buy.
Berlin- Bea Stratton- Nothing tickles my fancy like junk fiction written smartly. An unreliable narrarator who really takes you for a wild ride. Also, she seems to be searching for this thing, that by the end of the book she actually seems to have, but then doesn’t get to keep. Love.
More- Majka Burkhart- On being a baddy and a mother. Hits close to home. When I read a memoir I am always a bit mesmerized by what people divulge. It feels like you have to be awfully brave to expose your closest relationships and impressions of people. I’m always left wondering if the person being dragged through the proverbial coals is still alive. It’s how I know I’ll never be a writer— I don’t really have the cojones for a tell-all. Or do I!
Idiot- Elif Batuman- So. Fucking. Smart. It made me feel like I was 19 all over again. I laughed my way through this book.
Yellow Face- RF Kuang- A fast read. The protagonist is a total horror show, and you spend the book waiting for her conscious to kick in. While this book centered on theft, it made me consider cultural appropriation, and I wonder if there is a bit more grey area than people like to admit. For instance, sampling in rap. A pinch of a different time and a different tune feels additive.
The Nix- Nathan Hill- I did not love this book, but I did like it. Specifically I liked the Scandinavian folklore and the concept of that which we love most having the power to destroy us. The plot got a little in the weeds for me, however.
Wellness- Nathan Hill- My parents stayed together for much longer than they should have. I had a jumpy trigger finger when it came to calling it quits on my first marriage. I am married currently. Thusly! I have a keen interested in what people have to say about relationships. I think Nathan Hill’s downfall is his need to make a book with a dozen interconnected plots when any one of them would be beautiful.
So Late in the Day, Stories of Women and Men- Claire Keegan- I haven’t intentionally read short stories in a while, but this book makes me want more. I loved not only how she wrote but what she had to say. When Jimmy and I first moved in together, I relocated my belongings to his SLC home. I jettisoned a good deal of my stuff (hand me downs from residency- the couch, my mattress, random kitchen stuff, etc). I am all-in for a purge, however there was something unsettling about assimilating into someone else’s life. I really related to the short story about the man being surprised that his fiancée had worldly possessions.
Outlive- Peter Atila- In progress. Also, knee jerk reaction to his intro is that he sounds like he would have been a total nightmare of an intern. I cannot imaging how pharmacy would feel about any physician Willie-nillie changing medication dosing.
Small Things Like These- Claire Keegan- When you’ve got the voice, you’ve got the voice. I have a desperation to go to Ireland and this did nothing to change that. It was set in the 80s, which was confusing because it seems more like the US in the early 1900s. I don’t know what, historically, accounts for these differences. I went deep Sinead after she passed this year and I have thought a lot about the Catholic Church (oddly, the foundation for my life as a human) subsequently.
The Fraud- Zadie Smith- In progress. Jury is out…. Still out. It is a book about slavery and I cannot tell if one of the main characters is white or black, which I think does not bode well for either my reading comprehension or the author’s ability to tell a story.
The Paris Apartment- Lucy Foley- Trash! But quasi enjoyable trash. The definition of a beach read. And I did, in fact, read it on the beach. It is so far outside of my usual genre that it made my head spin a little. This book has the feeling of having been made up by the mind of a sort of pervy pre-teen.
Between Two Kingdoms- Suleika Jaouad- Queen. I haven’t read a cancer book since middle school when it was all the rage to sink into a Lurlene McDaniel and cry it out. But, seriously, this book is beautiful. It lends a perspective to my work as an ER doc.
Foster- Claire Keegan (again!)- Loved this and read it in one short sitting. I have a close pal that is 4 years old, and we spend a lot of time together. This book broke my heart.
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store- James McBride- This. I loved this book and tore through it. The story is beautiful. It reminds me of All The Light We Cannot See in terms of storytelling genius. A well crafted, thoughtfully written novel all the way to the end. Despite its numerous characters, keeping track of everyone is a cinch. I think it’s because of how vibrantly the author brings the personalities to life.