I've had a busy reading month! A good variety of reads, long and short, on audio and ebook, plus wrapping up a hardcover book I've been working through all year.
The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood: This would be a good airplane read. It's sweet and sad and a little bit funny and includes Life Lessons and characters with complicated feelings. I don't have any major complaints, but I also don't think it will stick with me much.
Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz: Once again, Horowitz has written a compelling murder mystery inside a compelling murder mystery, and I was here for the ride. The audiobook narration, with the dual narrators for the two stories, was excellent yet again, and I'd definitely recommend the series in that format.
How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective ed. by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor: This was a valuable read for learning more about the Combahee River Collective and the particular moment in history when they existed. Unfortunately I couldn't separate my reading experience from the less-than-ideal audiobook format, which is not the format I'd recommend for this.
More Than Two, Second Edition: Cultivating Nonmonogamous Relationships with Kindness and Integrity by Eve Rickert and Andrea Zanin: This was my July Best of the Bunch. Although it's specifically focused on the needs and challenges of non-monogamous relationship configurations, I think much of the book could be applied to any kind of relationship or would even be valuable for single monogamous folks to read. I highly recommend it.
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister: This was a great listen as a multi-narrator audiobook. I'm not sure I took away anything profound from the book — it's not news to me that one book affects multiple people, each in their own way! — but I thought she did an excellent job conveying how most lives are made up of small moments, and what seems like an insignificant detail can have a profound impact.
Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam by Andrew X. Pham: I'm glad to have finally read this memoir, which has beautiful writing and valuable reflections on identity and culture, though I was frustrated by missing details and inconsistent verb tenses, not to mention formatting issues with the ebook version.
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson: This was a little more self-help-y than I prefer, in that people are divided into a binary "emotionally immature" or "emotionally mature," but I do appreciate the detail with which the behaviors of each group were identified, though it took quite a long time to get to the "so what do you do about this" part of the book.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness: This is a beautiful book about grief and anger. It's about being afraid to look the truth in the face and how opposing truths can exist at the same time. You could write essays on the symbolism or hold book discussions on the complex, challenging characters who populate the book, but for all that it's a very fast read, told in a cinematic style interspersed with actual illustrations.
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi: This is a thoroughly researched and well written tome looking at the history of the United States through the lens of ideas about race. Although most of the historical figures and events Kendi discussed throughout the book were not new to me, this was an interesting lens through which to see all of them.
You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar: The book description says this book "tackles modern-day racism with the perfect balance of levity and gravity," and that's exactly right. If you're the kind of person who immediately tries to find a "reasonable," non-racist explanation for situations that Black people tell you are racist, I dare you to come out of this book with that instinct intact.
Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Jessica, How You Get the Girl, We Are Okay, and Nimona
Five years ago I was reading: The Color of Law and Still Life
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Nervous Conditions, The Princess Bride, Madame Bovary, and Mr. Popper's Penguins
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