It’s been about 6 months since I did a book roundup…I have read some amazing books lately.
The Last Thing He Told Me
Laura Dave
I just finished this one. I sped through it in about 3 days which is crazy. I never read that fast. If you’re looking for a light thriller, page-turner, this is great. Written by a woman with the two main characters being women. Very satisfying.
I checked this out from the library using the Libby app.
How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are
Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret, and Sophie Mas
This was a gift from my lovely friend Jen. I had seen it when it came out but never bought it. What a treat to get it in the mail. It’s not a book-book, it’s more like a compilation on musings on being French, from Paris more specifically. Parts were enticing and beautiful, others … pretentious and a bit annoying, kind of like Parisians. But overall, it was a nice diversion.
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.
MYTHOS
Stephen Fry
This is maybe cheating since I haven’t finished this but I thought I’d add it in. I’m almost half way through it. As you could guess, it’s about greek mythology. I personally love the subject matter. I thoroughly enjoyed CIRCE. But this is more of a text book, but a text book that really make the lives of the gods and goddesses super fascinating. I thought I knew a fair amount but am really getting a thorough reeducation. By the way, shout out to Mr. Cave, my 7th grade latin teacher, who made Roman and Greek history and mythology interesting. In and of itself but also since our language and culture has been built upon it.
CASTE
The Origins of Our Discontents
Isabel Wilkerson
I LOVED this book. No surprise it has been so glowingly reviewed. It’s amazing. I wanted to tell everyone to read it. Like, stop what you’re doing and read this book. I don’t think there is a more important, pressing topic right now. It explains that racism, or more accurately ‘Casteism’, is the framework our whole country is built upon. But, I think a lot of people are just not ready or able to take in this amount of truth. I think a few people I know might just get very defensive. That makes me sad. I have so much respect for Wilkerson for the hard work it took to compile this as well as the creativity and talent to write something so easy to get through. If you’ve been thinking of reading it, I think you will really enjoy it. And you’ll never be the same.
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.
The Mothers
Brit Bennett
My friend Lauri passed this book on to me and it was perfect. I really like a story of women, families, secrets, pain and redemption. Recommend!
Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Sedaris
Can you believe I’ve never read this?! My friend was referencing it and so I had to go back and read it. I’ve read Naked and When You Are Engulfed in Flames and adore Sedaris. This one is so good.
