This was a solid reading month for me. Not all the books were 5 stars, but all of them were worth reading, which is something.
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett: I was entertained and appreciated the reflections on the reading life, but I think I just never quite settled in to the tone, whether it was sincere or mocking, earnest or humorous, and that may be an artifact of the references and the humor being a bit too British for me personally.
Queer Windows: Volume 1 Spring: Four fantastical, queer love stories by Cay Fletcher: This was a cute little collection. The nature of the "fantastical," the "queer," and the "love" varies greatly from story to story. I think I could have focused better on the stories if I hadn't been perpetually distracted by the misuse of punctuation.
Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie: This was better than I expected for a late-in-life Christie, and a thriller at that. I think Christie had a decent overall premise, and some excellent observations, dialogue, and scenes, they just don't quite hang together into something compelling, probably because we spend too much time at the 30,000-foot view.
Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully by Julie McFadden, RN: In detailing everything from the way the dying body naturally stops wanting to eat and drink to how common it is for dying people to see visions of deceased loved ones and beautiful light, McFadden paints a picture of death as just one more step on everyone's journey of life and not something to be feared or avoided at all costs.
Only Love Today: Reminders to Breathe More, Stress Less, and Choose Love by Rachel Macy Stafford: This is best read as intended, in bite-sized pieces, and it's mostly geared toward parents. It won't give you any practical tips on how to rework your schedule or reorganize your space to ensure that your day-to-day life aligns best with your priorities. It's simply a consistent nudge in the right direction, in much the same way that you might continually refocus your mind during meditation each time it wanders. And for that goal, I think it works very well.
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes: This was a delightful look behind the scenes of a classic movie, even for someone who wasn't a superfan going in. I especially recommend the audio, both because of the many voices that contributed and because Elwes himself has a talent for accents!
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou: This was an utterly fascinating work of narrative nonfiction by the journalist who broke the story that led to Theranos' demise. It lived up to the hype for me and was a great book to kick off my 2025 reading!
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah: I appreciated the concept behind this book and certainly don't think it's that far-fetched that the United States could someday turn criminal execution into a reality TV show. The way the story was laid out, though, wasn't quite satisfying for me.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers: I loved this book just as much on reread. Although the philosophers and scientists may be right that humans need meaning and purpose in their life, through this story Chambers posits that it's equally important that sometimes you're able to just be. Sometimes you need someone to tell you that you matter just as you are, which is exactly what this book does, through the sweet and comical interactions between a monk and a robot.
Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Demon Copperhead and Last Night at the Telegraph Club
Five years ago I was reading: The Next Evangelicalism, There There, and Dreams from My Father
Ten years ago I was reading: The Garlic Ballads and Generous Spaciousness
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