In July, I read seven fascinating books. It was a reading marathon! Since I'm not working this summer, there's more reading time for me. Without further ado, in the order I read them:
This is a series of essays on life, loss and the comforts of nature. The author wrote it in the aftermath of the deaths of several loved ones. The writing is lyrical, philosophical, and often very beautiful. I marked a number of lovely passages, including this one:
Reading about Moore's experiences in forests, rivers, deserts, islands, etc. makes me wish I spent more time in such places. She even makes camping in the snow sound appealing. My only caveat is that the writing feels at times pretentious. Moore sometimes uses an obscure word or reference when a more common term would do and would make her writing clearer and more accessible."No measure of human grief can stop Earth in its tracks. Earth rolls into sunlight and rolls away again, continents glowing green and gold under the clouds. Trust this, and there will come a time when dogged, desperate trust in the world will break open into wonder. Wonder leads to gratitude. Gratitude opens onto peace."
As described on the author's website: "Children of Blood and Bone is the first installment in a YA West African Fantasy about a girl who must fight against the monarchy to bring magic back to her people."
This book is getting a lot of attention. It's a New York Times Best Seller, and a movie version is already in development. I enjoyed immersing myself in this fantasy world, with the various clans and types of magic. I appreciated the strong female characters. The obligatory romantic entanglements seemed unnecessary, although not unexpected in a YA book.
I could not put this book down! Westover's memoir is so compelling. It's been compared to The Glass Castle, which I haven't read so I can't comment on that.
Westover grew up in Idaho, the youngest of seven children born to survivalist parents who focused on preparing for the end of the world and did not believe in hospitals or schools. Due to the neglectful and/or abusive behavior of some family members, this story is difficult to read at times. But Westover's story is also hopeful and inspiring. Lacking any formal education, but encouraged by an older brother, she ends up at Brigham Young University. Her journey from there to Cambridge, while trying to maintain relationships with her family, is fascinating. I should say that while I truly could not put this book down and read it compulsively, I just spoke to a friend who couldn't get into it at all.
I'm a huge fan of Sittenfeld's novels American Wife and Eligible, so I was eager to read her short story collection. I devoured it and then went back and reread most of the stories. Sittenfeld's definitely an acute observer of human nature. Some of the characters and situations are admittedly cringe-worthy. This brings me to a point I've been pondering. Do you have to like the characters in a book or story in order to appreciate it? My own answer is no. But, from talking to others about books, I think for some people the answer is yes. I guess we all bring different ideas and expectations to reading, as we do to life. Which takes me back to Sittenfeld's stories in which the characters often bring wildly different expectations to various situations. From expectant mothers to old high school classmates to married couples or ex-lovers, they misunderstand, miscommunicate or misjudge. I have to say, I tried to pick a favorite or two from among these ten stories, but I couldn't narrow it down. Great collection!
I was so drawn into this character-driven family story. On the back of the book, a blurb calls the novel "immersive." I certainly felt immersed in the lives of this Indian Muslim-American family. As the title references, the various family members are trying to find their place in the context of country, family, religion, culture, etc. The writing is lovely with some particularly beautifully-rendered scenes. I'm thinking of a passage about a family picnic, for example, that I went back to reread and savor.
The novel jumps around in time a lot with no rhyme or reason. It might be a bit disorienting at first. The story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Layla (the mother), Hadia (the older daughter) and Amar (the youngest and only son). Huda (the middle child) is not a fully-developed character. This struck me as odd as times, but the story still felt complete. The very last section of the book is told from the father Rafiq's perspective and had me sobbing. The story is very sad at times, but also joyful and hopeful. A beautiful book!
Americanah, which I first read about three years ago, is a reread for book club. I'm glad I read it again, because it's such a great novel and because it has a lot going on it. In light of various activities/groups I've been involved with more recently, Adichie's reflections on race and racism were interesting to revisit. This time around, I also found myself more curious about Nigerian culture and politics. Again, there is so much in this novel - I highly recommend it! You can find my original review here.
Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions is a quick and thought-provoking read. The book is a letter that Adichie wrote to her friend who asked her how to raise her baby daughter feminist. It's an engaging, intelligent and at times funny essay. After reading both of these books, I again watched Adichie's TED Talk The Danger of a Single Story, which is excellent and also highly-recommended. Bottom line - I want to read the rest of Adichie's books and watch more of her talks!
*****
That was a lot of reading for one month. With back-to-school around the corner, my reading time will decrease. But I'm sure I'll fit in a few more books before summer is over. I'd love to hear what you've been reading too.
