I blazed through a bunch of short audiobooks this past month, mostly nonfiction, which made a nice little spread of topics to sample! I also finished up the middle grade series I've been enjoying on Kindle.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: I'm still not sure exactly how to describe this. "Feminist revenge fantasy," maybe? Except that the main character doesn't set out to get revenge on anyone, she just lives as if she's entitled to take up as much space on this earth as any man, and as a result, the world slowly reshapes itself to align with this vision. This isn't going to be a book for everyone, but I'm very glad to have read it.
The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall: If the first Penderwicks book had everything resolving a little too quickly and neatly, this one was a little too... real? This was still well done and I liked spending more time with these characters, who are now several years older than when we last saw them; it's just a bit darker and less madcap than the previous volumes.
Amateur: A Reckoning with Gender, Identity, and Masculinity by Thomas Page McBee: Through his story of becoming an amateur boxer to compete in a charity match — in the process becoming the first transgender man to box in Madison Square Garden — McBee explores the idea of "masculinity" and the extent to which he is or is not able to define it for himself. He's a journalist by trade, so it's not surprising that he can write well. This was a quick listen (under 4 hours) that would be valuable for anyone to read.
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown: I was struck by how my own life has changed since I first read this book. This time around, I will say that what Brown says here doesn't just make sense to me, but it resonates deeply with what I've experienced and found to be true. I think this is a great book to revisit periodically for a reminder of what truly matters when building a life.
What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon: This is one of those books that should be required reading. Gordon makes a strong case that the negative health effects traditionally associated with obesity are more likely tied to the negative impacts of weight loss measures and the daily harassment and discrimination that fat people experience. We could create a much better world if more people understood everything captured in this book.
Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da'Shaun Harrison: I've found that there's a particular strain of activist writing that doesn't work for my brain, one that presents bold statements as self-evident and, inasmuch as they do present evidence, do so by quoting others at length. There are undoubtedly points throughout that speak powerfully to the intersections of race, gender, and body size, and I think Harrison could have gone further in exploring these intersections, but instead they fell back on sweeping, unclear statements.
The Penderwicks at Last by Jeanne Birdsall: I greatly enjoyed this conclusion to the Penderwicks series. It's not quite as madcap as the early books, but it's definitely not as dark as the prior book; mainly this is a last romp with some beloved characters while sending them off into a beautiful future, and I was satisfied with that.
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers: This was a compelling novella that, at its essence, asks the reader a question about humans' role in the universe without itself answering it. This isn't something I'd necessarily rush to press into someone's hands (unlike most of Chambers' books), but if you're looking for a grown-up, more diverse version of those classic children's books where each chapter is its own adventure and ultimately it's about growing up, this is a great fit for that.
Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Elatsoe and We Are Not Free
Five years ago I was reading: Paradise Lost and Red, White & Royal Blue
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Baby-Led Weaning, These Is My Words, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and Because of Winn-Dixie
