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.
It's been a long time since I had a reading month with this few books, but it's not too surprising — The Autobiography of Malcolm X was a long read, and I'm slowly working my way through the audiobook of Team of Rivals right now, which is over 40 hours. I'm taking some time off work in early June so I should definitely get more reading in then!
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie: This was another satisfying cozy mystery from Agatha Christie. Plenty of red herrings that are all eventually explained, a surprising reveal of the culprit (I was sure I knew this time, but I was wrong as usual), and another delightful plot twist at the end.
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver: I thought this was going to be more of a thriller, but instead it's a disturbingly relatable book about parenthood and marriage with an extra malicious twist. Like, lots of people have described their toddlers humorously as assholes, but what if you suspected your toddler was actually fully aware of their actions and was intentionally being an asshole to make your life hell, just for kicks? How would you ever prove that to anyone, especially a husband who's already decided you have a penchant for overreacting? If only the book wasn't chock-full of slurs and casual racism, it would be a favorite.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X: It was fascinating to hear this story of Malcolm X's life in his own words. In particular, his early life kept me flipping the pages as he detailed his time as a hustler in New York City. It's clear that the image I had been given previously of Malcolm X — as the "violent" civil rights leader — was simplistic at best. I'm glad to have had this fuller picture of his life and his opinions and grateful to Alex Haley for making this book happen (despite many initial setbacks) before Malcolm X's untimely death at 39.
Ain't I a Woman by bell hooks: hooks minces no words when explaining both the racist history of feminism and the (in her mind unjustified) reasons that black women have avoided the modern-day (1970s) feminism movement. It's a short book, just over 200 pages, but it covers a lot of ground while still staying carefully focused around the specific topic outlined in the subtitle. She does have a tendency to overgeneralize at times, but given that the first draft was written when she was 19, I was highly impressed and look forward to reading more of her work.
Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: The Silver Chair
Five years ago I was reading: Gilead
Ten years ago I was reading: The Children's Book
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