Fifty Words for Rain
Asha Lemmie

I enjoyed this book a lot. It had some similarities with Pachinko. At one point I thought I’d have to stop reading it. It veered into the area of sex trafficking and I can’t go there. (It’s why I abandoned Amy Tan’s The Valley of Amazement)

Fifty Words follows a little girl, Japanese, and how she survives an abusive family of aristocrats. Her love of her half brother and their shared love of music help her endure.

The Island of Sea Women
by Lisa See

I loved that this book took me somewhere so interesting, so different from what I’ve experienced. A small island off of Korea where women make the money to support their families by diving for sea urchin, abalone, octopus and other delicacies. I learned about this rich tradition in such beautiful detail. The story time jumps from present day back to the 1930s as it tells about the life of Young-sook and her best friend Mi-ja. We move through the decades and learn about the history of the region. Some of the events are so harrowing, so unthinkable, I wish I hadn’t read about them. But it was very educational and worth it.

It’s been about 6 months since I did a book roundup…I have read some amazing books lately. 

The Paper Palace
Miranda Cowley Heller

My daughter picked this to read for school and it turned out to not be appropriate for a 13 year old. Oops. Heads up, it could be triggering. I did like it though. The prose, the setting. I could relate to the main character. (Reece Witherspoon book club pick which guarantees a female lead and writer.) It gave me Where the Crawdads Sing vibes as well as Commonwealth, things happening to kids that shouldn’t and a good amount of family disfunction. The story flips back and forth between present time and 70s/80s when the protagonist grew up, from New York City and Cape Cod. Again, not for kids.

this is how it always is
Laurie Frankel

I don’t know how I found this book. Someone recommended it. It is a fictional account of a family who navigates their child’s desire to transition from a boy to a girl. I think It’s a difficult thing to understand and sympathize with if you’re not going through it yourself. Society as a whole has a long way to go. Frankel does a beautiful job of bringing us along for the ride. We learn about all the psychology, logistics, feelings and struggles involved. It’s just so beautifully depicted. And written. And it’s not just a book about being trans. It’s about family and marriage and friendship and honesty and choices and love.

Some books I’ve read lately. I’ve read NINE! books since February. Ah, COVID. These are they. Enjoy.

Today Will Be Different

by Maria Semple

I chose this book because I enjoyed Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by the same author. Today is a view into the life of Eleanor, a restless wife and mother who has an overactive mind. Basically me. It felt good to get drawn into her comical malcontent. The end of the book seemed to arrive quickly and I almost felt like I had watched the first episode of a TV show with no more episodes available.

Beach Read

by Emily Henry

I did, actually, read this at the beach. It was okay. But, I think I’m just not that into romance or YA and this was a little bit of both. It is a book written about authors writing books. Which takes place on a lake. There’s a fair amount of history of family disfunction. Then there’s super steamy luv scenes. All in all a good vaca read.

The Woman in the Window

by A.J. Finn

I don’t usually read suspense but this was very good. I wanted a good page turner after reading Awakening the Heroes Within. Obviously it pays homage to Rear Window and Noir in general but is it’s own story. Has you guessing who dun it as well as is she imagining it all? Recommend!

Hi there! It’s been a while since I talked about books. Here’s a catalog of what I’ve read over the last year. I like to keep track and also give a bit of a list of suggestions for anyone looking for something new to read.

An American Marriage

by Tayari Jones

I feel like everyone was reading this so I jumped in too. A couple struggles early on in their marriage and then are torn apart when the husband is accused of a rape he did not commit. It shows the challenges a marriage endures, from the point of view of everyone involved. What does it take to stick it out? How much do you sacrifice? A very real and honest story with good character development and artful writing.

The Immortalists

by Chloe Benjamin

I jumped into this book and pretty soon wondered if it was a mistake. Four siblings go to see a psychic and each find out the day they will die. So, it was kind of dark. I stuck it out and I’m glad I did. It was a page-turner. I had to find out if (and how) they died. And of course, I thought a lot about which is worse; knowing when or not knowing when.

Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World

by Carol S. Pearson

Also recommended  by my therapist. I’ve only started reading this so I can’t say much but I gotta say, I love an epic quest. I had to read the Odyssey in high school and then I chose to read it again as an adult for fun! Also, Circe. But this isn’t fiction, it’s more of a psychology text book. Or a self-help book. The goal being that you discover “archetypal allies that can help you live the story that is needed for you to discover your true identity, calling, and purpose.” So, yeah. I’ll get back to you on how it goes for me. 

Hello! Welcome to July. I’m finally getting around to going through the books I’ve read since, March? Here they are, newest to oldest. It seems I’ve read about 2 books per month. That’s a lot for me. I’m not saying you should read all of these. If I was going to pick my favorites, ones I think you’d enjoy reading on the beach or whatever, I’d say: The City of Girls and The Dutch House. But, here are all the impressive tomes I’ve managed to cram into my already overcrowded brain:

Less
by Andrew Sean Greer

Review: I grabbed this in paperback at Barnes and Noble recently, desperate to dig into something light and summery, and in actual physical form. A struggling writer goes on a round-the-world lark. I’m still reading it but it’s turning out to be pretty perfect for lounging around by the pool this season.

Moonglow
by Michael Chabon

Review: This was the book back in 2017. Recommended by my Aunt Joan. I didn’t love it. I think this is the first book my Aunt liked and I didn’t. It was artfully written and interesting—a sort of memoir about the author’s grandfather—who, admittedly, did interesting things. But, it just didn’t really take off for me. (Rocket joke, which is only sort of funny if you read the book.)

The Dutch House
by Ann Patchett

Review: This is my kind of book. I got it in hardback, a Mother’s Day gift, and it was a real treat. It was much like Commonwealth, with flashbacks to youth and family disfunction that feels so familiar. The Dutch House refers to a house in a suburb of Philly (my backyard practically) built by a Dutch couple, and is the setting of much sadness, obsession and ultimately redemption? I loved it.

Wild
by Cheryl Strayed

Review: This book was very popular back in 2013 but I never got around to reading it, or watching the movie starring Reese Witherspoon. I really enjoyed this non-fiction book about a woman’s solo hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. (I read it on my iPad with the Libby app, then switched it to my daughter’s Kindle.) Such a page turner! Not only did I feel compelled to keep marching through it, cringing at every mishap, but was also inspired by it to re-explore some of my own foolhardy youthful treks. It even made me want to maybe write a memoir of my own. I have to mention though, I accidentally read some of the reviews online and the bad ones are so scathing! So unnecessarily cruel and judgmental. Like, they missed the whole point. I found myself thinking about this story so much after I finished it and wanting to talk to everyone about it. Seems no one I know has read it. Good summer book.

The Diary of a Young Girl
by Anne Frank

Review: Well, what can I say about this? Obviously a powerful piece of history. I couldn’t remember if I had read it before. I must have. My high school did it as a play. I know the story. I learned that the book has been re-published with some previously deleted parts. It was interesting to read it now that I have a soon-to-be adolescent daughter.

The City of Girls
by Elizabeth Gilbert

Review: This is the only book I’ve read by Elizabeth Gilbert since Eat, Pray, Love. Unlike that big breakout book, City of Girls is fiction. It’s about a teenage girl who moves to NYC to live with her Aunt who runs a playhouse. The time is the 1940s. It’s pretty racy and also tragic and very, very good. I love a good novel you can get immersed in.

Queenbees and Wannabes
by Rosalind Wiseman

Review: This was like a textbook for me. Research. If you have teenagers (or tweenagers), read this book. (Also you must read How to Raise a Screensmart Kid.) Wiseman’s book is from the early 2000s. It is what the movie Mean Girls is based on. But it’s not funny. It’s harrowing. Good god. Can we talk about re-traumatization? And flashbacks to a misspent youth? But it’s full of useful information and very illuminating.

So much reading over here. I want to give a plug for your local library. They let you borrow books. Like, for free. Do it. Being able to download books, to your iPad or Kindle or whatever, from your library is the best thing during times like these.

Actually, I like reading. But, you know, Netflix. And Instagram. And other mind-numbing activities. Reading seems like it’s good for the brain and the soul. So here’s what I’ve read since I last posted about books.

To the Land of Long Lost Friends:
No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
by Alexander McCall Smith

I am only about one third of the way through To the Land of Long Lost Friends now. I previously read two other Books by Smith. It’s not really my style of literature but he was such a favorite of my stepmother Carolyn, and it reminds me of her and her quirky sense of humor. My copy was a gift from my Dad and it has a sticker on it that says “Politics & Prose, Signed by the Author” which gives me so many feels. #politicsandprose #iheartdc

Educated: A Memoir
by Tara Westover

This books was really hard for me to read. I became so invested and emotionally effected by it I almost couldn’t finish it. But it was so well written. And, if she could survive the living of it, I could hopefully survive the reading of it.

The Four Tendencies:
The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better
by Gretchen Rubin

I would say this book changed my life. I think everyone should read it. I read it on my Libby app. Because it was a library book, I read it super fast. Whenever I read a self-help type book, it feels like a school assignment and there’s a sense of obligation to get it done (that’s why I’m an Obliger!) Take the online test to find out which of the four tendencies you are. It gave me amazing insight on who I am as well as the motivations of the people I live with!

Turtles All the Way Down
by John Green

You may know I steer clear of YA, but my good friend Laura recommended this, so I read it. It was pretty good.

Circe
by Madeline Miller

Wow, not like anything I’ve ever read before. Quite intense. I studied ancient Greek and Roman mythology in Junior High and High School. I also read the Odyssey (voluntarily) rather recently, so it was fascinating to read a sort of novel told about the gods as if they were people. The writing was rich and challenging and really transported me to a radically different place and time. Recommend.