Best of the Bunch: July 2019

Today I'm sharing the best book I read in July.

It was a bit of a disappointing reading month. Of the 11 books I read this month, none were 5-star reads, or even 4.5-star reads. I had four 4-star reads:

Tyrell by Coe Booth

El Deafo by Cece Bell

There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America by Alex Kotlowitz

When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park

Each of these books had aspects I liked and didn't like, which makes it hard to choose between them. I would recommend each of them to different audiences. Ultimately, if I were going to reread any of these myself, it would be...

I read El Deafo in one sitting at the library — not too difficult, since it's a graphic memoir aimed at kids. The book tells the story of Bell's experience becoming hard of hearing after contacting meningitis at age four. Through her memories, you get some best practices for interacting with people who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing (don't yell, don't speak really slowly, don't assume they know sign language) and you also see her dealing with the relatable stresses of growing up, navigating school, friendships, and crushes. I appreciated her author's note at the end about the different experiences people can have with deafness and why she doesn't personally consider herself Deaf; I kind of wish the note had been at the beginning, particularly with how anti-sign language she was as a kid. I'm glad this book has been widely recommended, and I think it's worth the read. Just don't let it be the only first-person experience of deafness you ever read.

What is the best book you read this month? Let me know in comments, or write your own post and link up below!

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: The Yiddish Policemen's Union and The Professor & the Madman
Five years ago I was reading: Half of a Yellow Sun, Someone Knows My Name, and A Suitable Boy
Ten years ago I was reading: Inkdeath

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Ten Book Titles that Get Songs Stuck in My Head

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

Hey hey, I'm back! Last week I was on vacation, and the week before I chose to do a Quick Lit post rather than that week's Top Ten Tuesday. But now it's time for another Top Ten Tuesday, and this week it's a freebie! Once upon a time there was a TTT topic about books and songs that I couldn't come up with a list for, so I started keeping track of book titles that led to certain songs getting stuck in my head. Here you go!

1. 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam
Song: "Seasons of Love" from Rent
Line: "Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes..."

2. Airships by Barry Hannah
Song: "Starships" by Nicki Minaj
Line: "Starships were meant to fly..."

3. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Song: "All the Right Moves" by OneRepublic
Line: "All the right moves in all the right places..."

4. Dancing with God by Karen Baker-Fletcher
Song: "Dancing Through Life" from Wicked
Line: "Dancing through life, swaying and sweeping..."

5. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
Song: "Go Tell It on the Mountain" (traditional)
Line: "Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere..."

6. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Song: "I'll Follow the Sun" by The Beatles
Line: "Tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun."

7. Matilda by Roald Dahl
Song: "Waltzing Matilda" by John Collinson and Russell Callow
Line: "Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me."

8. The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood
Song: "She’s a Beauty" by the Tubes
Line: "She's one in a million girls."

9. Queer, There, and Everywhere by Sarah Prager
Song: "The Electric Slide" by Marcia Griffiths
Line: "...here, there, and everywhere."

10. Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini
Song: "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
Line: "Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?"

What book titles have gotten songs stuck in your head?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: The Yiddish Policemen's Union and The Professor & the Madman
Five years ago I was reading: Half of a Yellow Sun, Someone Knows My Name, and A Suitable Boy
Ten years ago I was reading: Inkdeath

What I've Been Reading Lately (Quick Lit)

Today I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit to bring you some short and sweet reviews of what I've read in the past month. For longer reviews, you can always find me on Goodreads.

Educated by Tara Westover: This was good but didn't live up to the hype for me. The story didn't really grip me until more than a third of the way in, when we learn about the emotional and physical abuse Tara experiences at the hands of her brother. That, ultimately, is what makes this an emotionally powerful story — not the wild and crazy stories of her doctor-scorning, paranoid survivalist father and how she went on to learn better by going to school, but how insidious the combination of abuse, silence, and patriarchal control can be.

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson: The writing was a bit clunkier than I expected, but ultimately I walked away with what I hoped for: a much deeper understanding of the Great Migration, what prompted it, how it came about, and what the consequences were, illustrated by some memorable stories.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta: I liked the idea behind the book and I think I would have genuinely liked the book a lot had it been executed better, but the poor writing made this a challenging read for me. There's a sweet message about found family and laying aside differences and how we can come to terms with the past and move forward, but it's buried underneath intentional confusion, nonsensical plot elements, and a lot of telling rather than showing.

Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child by Dr. John Gottman with Joan DeClaire: This book reiterates a lot of what is in Faber & Mazlish's classic works but backed by Gottman's research studies. However, it was published over 20 years ago, and many of the examples feel dated, plus it's extremely heteronormative and relatively conservative in the understanding of "good" and "bad" family structures. You'd get much of the same information — with more helpful examples — from How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen.

Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie: I'm never much of a fan of Christie's short story collections — it's necessary to wrap up the mystery too quickly — but this wasn't bad. I have a soft spot for Tommy and Tuppence's husband-and-wife banter and enjoyed the listen.

Tyrell by Coe Booth: Tyrell is the definition of a complex character, dealing with a multitude of pressures and having to decide what he is and is not willing to do to take care of himself and his little brother. There's no straightforward redemption arc or moral to this story, and personally I would have liked less glorification of violence, but on the whole I found this very readable and a good reminder that no one's life is straightforward when you get past the surface.

El Deafo by Cece Bell: This is a graphic memoir of Bell's experience becoming hard of hearing after contacting meningitis at age four. Through her memories, you get some best practices for interacting with people who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing, and you also see her dealing with the relatable stresses of growing up, navigating school, friendships, and crushes. She grew up in the 70s and was anti-sign language, so I would suggest reading modern-day experiences of people who are Deaf for a more well-rounded view, but otherwise I think it's a good intro to difference and disability for kids.

Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day by Nikki Giovanni: Poetry is hit or miss for me, and I found this collection challenging because Giovanni is speaking to those who will resonate with the experiences and feelings she's had, which I don't share. There were a handful of poems I liked, which dealt with the most universal themes, like aging and navigating human interaction. I can imagine how many of her other poems feel the same to people who can relate to her experiences. I just wasn't one of them.

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: The Raven King, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, and Sarah's Key
Five years ago I was reading: Love in the Time of Cholera, The Virgin Suicides, and A Suitable Boy
Ten years ago I was reading: The Alchemist

Top Ten Favorite Older Male Characters

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

It's a character freebie this week! I've always had a soft spot for the wise and/or ornery old man as a character. Here are ten older male characters I've enjoyed reading about.

1. Albus Dumbledore (from the Harry Potter series)
Does this one need explanation?

2. Allan Karlsson (from The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared)
Allan climbs out the window rather than attend his 100th birthday party and decides to just go where life takes him, which it turns out is what he's been doing most of his life, with surprising consequences for world events.

3. Belgarath the Sorcerer (from the Belgariad and Malloreon series)
Belgarath is cranky but wise, mischievous but protective of those he loves. Hearing him banter with his daughter Polgara, who's also hundreds of years old, is delightful.

4. Hercule Poirot (from the Hercule Poirot series)
Poirot attempts to retire several times throughout the books that follows his crime-solving but can't ever stay away from the thrill of using his "little grey cells."

5. Harold Fry (from The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry)
Harold becomes an unlikely inspiration when he walks to the post office box one day and then just keeps on going up the length of England. He's a rather sad character, but you're cheering him on as he takes back some ownership of his life.

6. Leo Gursky (from The History of Love)
Leo has lost basically everyone who's ever mattered in his 80 years, but he's still going, seeking out new meaning and new connections and still trying to make sense of what has come before.

7. Matsu (from The Samurai's Garden)
Matsu stays for decades as the caretaker for the main character's family's house because of his devotion to a woman who was forced to quarantine herself up in the mountains. Through his quiet steadiness he teaches the main character a lot about what's important in life.

8. Nicholas Benedict (from the Mysterious Benedict Society series)
Mr. Benedict is the kind genius who brings together an assortment of gifted children to save the world. He's trustworthy and humble and loves to laugh — just the kind of mentor the children need.

9. Prof. Roger Malory (from the Raven Cycle series)
Malory is the only adult who takes Gansey's supernatural quest seriously and supports him via regular international calls. Although he shows up in the U.S. with a hilariously large amount of luggage and a dog and complains about everything, he provides the validation and encouragement the characters need when their search stalls.

10. Rucker Blakeslee (from Cold Sassy Tree)
Grandpa Blakeslee doesn't give two hoots what anyone else thinks about what he chooses to do with his life, despite living in a small Southern town at the turn of the 20th century. But he cares fiercely about those he loves — my favorite scene involves him working all morning on something to show his devotion to his late wife.

Who did I miss?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Blue Lily, Lily Blue
Five years ago I was reading: Love in the Time of Cholera, Catch-22, and A Suitable Boy
Ten years ago I was reading: The Appeal