This reading month was a mixed bag for me, with some great reads and some that were disappointing. Here's what I read this past month.
Master Your Attachment Style: Learn How to Build Healthy & Long-Lasting Relationships by Scott A. Young: The best thing I can say about this book is that it was earnest. It reads very much like a college student took a Psychology 101 class and learned how to read peer-reviewed research articles and is now very eager to tell you everything they know about attachment theory. It was pretty rough.
Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse: Roanhorse's world-building and character interactions kept me engaged throughout this trilogy, but ultimately I felt the pacing of this final book was too uneven, the characters' decisions too incomprehensible, and the book generally too dark and gory for my taste.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna: This was a delightful read that combined several of my favorite things: found family, adorable sibling relationships, excellent banter, crisp world-building, and a stellar audiobook narrator. There's a grumpy/sunshine romance, the development of which felt earned, and things all tie up with a bow in the end, but in a way that didn't feel rushed or entirely implausible.
You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender, Puberty, and Other Things by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth: I think everything Silverberg and Smyth put out is stellar — well researched, inclusive, accessible, and honest without being overwhelming. In addition to covering the facts about puberty, reproduction, and so on, Silverberg places a big emphasis on communication, respect, autonomy, trust, justice, and all the other aspects of relationships that get glossed over in traditional sex ed.
Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts by Oliver Burkeman: As with his first book, I appreciate Burkeman's practical approach to the finitude of life and embracing the present moment. This time around I bristled at the number of (incorrect) assumptions he made about me as a reader, though ultimately I still think Burkeman has a gift for laying out the realities of time and space and encouraging the reader on ways to use these limits to create a good, fulfilling life now.
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson: I am in awe of Sanderson's ability to layer so much into a single book's plot. The plot twists in this book were perfect — unexpected, yet logical in retrospective. As with the first book, this one contains its own plot arc while also being just a piece of a larger story. Absolutely nothing is guaranteed here — not who will live or die, and not who will gain, hold onto, or lose power. It's a mind-blowing series so far.
Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman: This was exactly what I needed right now. Bregman argues that how we view humanity as a whole becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and that our collective belief that humans are inherently selfish actually doesn't hold up to the evidence. Even if not watertight, I appreciate having a solid collection of evidence that having trust, hope, and faith in humanity is not naïve.
Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera: This book is another example of commitment to an agenda coming at the expense of an immersive story. It's a beautifully written book that covers every possible angle of the Sri Lankan civil war, but it covers so much in so few pages that the ability to care about any one character is diluted and the overall plot meanders along with the agenda. It's good for learning and good for beautiful sentences, but I can't recommend it for character development or a strong plot.
Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Excuse Me, Sir!, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, and Light from Uncommon Stars
Five years ago I was reading: The Vanishing Half, Ace, and Sabriel
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, A Snicker of Magic, David Copperfield, and Death in the Andes
