Ten Books I Enjoyed but Rarely Talk About

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

This week we're talking about books we liked but haven't mentioned much. These are all books I rated 4.5 or 5 stars but haven't mentioned more than a few times on the blog.

1. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Coates is a modern-day James Baldwin, writing about racial identity (and its social and historical construction), police prejudice, and the ways in which his son's experience in today's world is both hopefully different and painfully similar to his own experience growing up black and male.

2. Feeling Good by David D. Burns
I expected this to be a hokey self-help book from 1980, but it's actually foundational for a lot of the work therapists do today to help with depression and anxiety. In clear language with occasional humor, Burns pinpoints common ways your brain will lead you astray and provides concrete exercises to bring those thoughts under control.

3. How to Stop Losing Your Shit with Your Kids by Carla Naumburg
I haven't had the chance to talk about this one much because I just read it recently, but it was a solid 5-star parenting book — concise, practical, and relatable. It's a guide to exactly what the title says, with the acknowledgement that you're never going to be perfect, but you can lose it less often and with fewer lasting consequences.

4. I Bring the Voices of My People by Chanequa Walker-Barnes
Aside from being my favorite read of January, I haven't had a chance to talk about this one much. Without mincing words, Walker-Barnes leads the reader through topics like gendered racism and the problems with racial reconciliation in the church. For all Christians and anyone else concerned with racial justice, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

5. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
It's difficult to classify this book, which may be why I don't bring it up a lot; it's like philosophy and poetry set within the framework of a fictional story. Each chapter of this book contains a short reflection on some area of life — love, friendship, work, religion — and while the ideas are perhaps not new, they are all phrased so concisely and beautifully as to make this book worth reading slowly.

6. Spook by Mary Roach
I enjoy Roach's irreverent scientific journalism. In this book, she takes a humorous approach to reporting on what kind of scientific experiments people have attempted to do to "prove" that there is or is not life after death. I read it almost a decade ago so I'm not entirely sure I would enjoy it as much today, but I liked it when I read it.

7. Still Alice by Lisa Genova
I'm surprised I haven't talked about this one more often, but it's been a while now since I read it. It's extremely well written and puts the reader inside the slowly deteriorating memory of a woman with early-onset Alzheimer's. I still haven't gotten to discuss this with a book club, but I think it would be an excellent pick for that.

8. Storytelling with Data by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
This one I haven't really talked about on here because it's something I read for work, but it's a very good book! If you ever have to present any kind of numerical information, Knaflic has a practical guide to making your visuals as clear and uncluttered as possible so that your audience can absorb the information quickly. I would love if more people took her advice!

9. Stride Toward Freedom by Martin Luther King, Jr.
This was a fascinating first-person account of an event — the Montgomery bus boycott — that usually gets no more than a sentence in one's history books. Of course, it's also a carefully crafted treatise on non-violence intended to make King and his colleagues as sympathetic as possible to others during that time period. But I found it most intriguing for all the historical details I hadn't been aware of.

10. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
I found this account of the year after Didion's husband's death to be strangely relatable, even though her life was so much different than mine. I could envision myself reacting exactly the way Didion did to the circumstances around her, being at once logical and organized and also superstitious and thinking in circles. Seeing her grief unfold in all its peculiarities and minutia was captivating.

What good books have you not talked about often?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: When Broken Glass Floats, We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families, and Storytelling with Data
Five years ago I was reading: The Cricket in Times Square, Angle of Repose, and Finding Your Own North Star
Ten years ago I was reading: About Face

Ten Books I Discovered Because of Book Club

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

This week's topic is "Books I Bought/Borrowed Because..." I get recommendations from a lot of sources — friends, podcasts, people I follow on Goodreads — so I don't always remember the reason I borrowed a particular book by the time I read it. My book club reads, however, are memorable for the conversations we have, and also I have a special tag for them in Goodreads. I've been in different numbers of book clubs at different times, as many as four at once; currently two of mine are still active. Here are ten books I probably wouldn't have read if it weren't for one of my book clubs!

1. All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
The co-organizer of my online book club did her doctorate research on representations of police shootings in YA literature (sorry, Eli, if I butchered that explanation) and nominated this book for discussion. In some ways it's very carefully crafted to share a message — as opposed to the authentically messy edges of The Hate U Give — but I appreciated how well done it was.

2. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Although I struggled with a lot of aspects of this book, it had some fascinating world-building aspects and plays around with gendered language in interesting ways. As mentioned previously, I don't read a lot of sci-fi, so it always pushes me out of my comfort zone when my fellow book club members choose sci-fi books to read.

3. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
This one I think I'd heard of prior to it being nominated for book club, but I don't think I would have picked it up on my own. It wove together several different aspects I greatly enjoyed: discussions of the books Schwalbe and his mother read and discussed at the end of her life, an overview of her very fascinating life, and philosophical musings on life mixed with the practicalities of her end-of-life care. I'm very glad book club pushed me to read this one.

4. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
You guys, this book destroyed me. I thought it would be similar to some other memoirs I'd read from Holocaust survivors, but it was powerful and moving in a way I did not expect. If I remember correctly, this was nominated by someone who never actually came to the book club discussion, and it probably wouldn't have been chosen by any of our regular attendees, but I am very glad that it ended up getting chosen.

5. Kingbird Highway by Kenn Kaufman
If I'd read the description of this book on my own, I definitely would have skipped over it — who wants to read a whole book about birding? Turns out, it was a great opportunity to learn a lot about a hobby I knew very little about, while also enjoying an interesting travel memoir and getting some valuable philosophical reflections on how we spend our time as humans. These kinds of books are the reason I love my book clubs!

6. Mink River by Brian Doyle
I never ended up getting to go to the book club discussion for this book because I came down with the flu, but I was glad to have read it regardless! It was the first of Doyle's work that I read, and although I never got to meet him when we worked at the same university, I was glad to have read something of his before his sudden passing. I've since read some of his nonfiction, and I like this novel the best.

7. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
This is a profile of the astonishing co-founder of the Partners in Health global health organization. He brings a perspective on the inherent worth of every individual human being that seems almost foolhardy in the field of global health, but it's absolutely compelling. I think this book would be particularly interesting to read again in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the way that deaths are talked about as an inevitability and a statistic.

8. The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
This was one of the first books I ever read for the in-person book club that I've now been part of for more than six years. It's the kind of slow, meandering historical fiction that I don't tend to favor myself, but the writing was beautiful and evocative and the characters were the beating heart of the book.

9. Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild
This book was published right before the 2016 election, so it wasn't written to "explain" Trump's win, but as my book club read it in early 2018 it was obvious why Trump would have appealed to the individuals profiled in this book. It's a hard, hard book if you're a progressive like me, but it did shed some light on why some people disliked Obama so much and why traditional liberal appeals don't work with a subset of people who distrust anyone trying to make them feel a certain way about other people.

10. When Broken Glass Floats by Chanrithy Him
Funnily enough, I was the one who nominated this book for book club, but I would never have discovered it if it weren't for that month's book club category, which was books that had won the Oregon Book Award. I looked up the list of winners and then checked them each out on Goodreads and this one looked like the best option. It was the first book I'd read about the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia and I appreciated the chance to hear a first-person account from someone who'd lived through it.

Are you in a book club? What books has it led you to discover?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Search Inside Yourself
Five years ago I was reading: These Is My Words, Mary Poppins, Angle of Repose, and Boxers
Ten years ago I was reading: Bird in Hand and Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Best of the Bunch: March 2020

Today I'm sharing the best book I read in March.

This was a good reading month! Of the 9 books I finished, I had four 5-star reads:

Fatty Legs: A True Story by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton

How to Stop Losing Your Shit with Your Kids: A Practical Guide to Becoming a Calmer, Happier Parent by Carla Naumburg

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

This was a tough decision! I liked them all for different reasons. However, I'll go with the one that I stayed up late reading as my best of the bunch.

I flew through Tash Hearts Tolstoy. I found Tash immensely — sometimes painfully — relatable. She's dealing with newfound fame after her video series goes viral (which gave me happy flashbacks to watching the Lizzie Bennet Diaries and the community of fans that formed around that), and she's also dealing with family issues, college plans, and trying to figure out how and when to explain her asexuality to other people. And although she can be tough and driven as a director, she's also an awkward teenage girl who doesn't know how to bring up difficult topics and will let comments slide rather than making things uncomfortable by pushing back. There was also so much realistic, diverse representation woven naturally into the book. I'm glad this book was recommended to me!

What is the best book you read this month? Let me know in comments, or write your own post and link up below!

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Redwall
Five years ago I was reading: The Rosie Project, Mary Poppins, and Angle of Repose
Ten years ago I was reading: Ethan Frome and I Had Brain Surgery, What's Your Excuse?

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Top Ten Favorite Science Fiction Reads

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

This week is a genre freebie. I decided to pick a genre I don't often read — science fiction — and find the books I have read that I've enjoyed!

1. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
The Carls just show up all around the world one day. Are they sentient? Are they here for good or for ill? And why does everyone in the world start having the same dream?

2. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
Binti is the first of the Himba people accepted to Oomza University, and she must travel among the stars to reach it. But an alien race is looking for revenge on Oomza — will she be caught in the middle?

3. Blindness by José Saramago
A plague of white blindness has swept the world. Through the eyes of one woman who is immune, we see the world slowly descend into chaos as people's animal instincts emerge.

4. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
In this future world, everything is regimented and ordered. Each new child is developed by the State to slot into a pre-ordained class to do the work they are scheduled to do. People are kept happy through drugs and sex. What's missing are genuine relationships and free will. Are those worth trying to take down the social order?

5. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
The technology has been developed to allow a mentally disabled man to become super-intelligent. As he becomes more aware and articulate about what's happening to him, he begins to question for the first time whether his worth is somehow linked to his intelligence and whether a relationship can be genuine if it's between people with different mental abilities. This book also raises one of the ultimate questions of science fiction: Just because science and technology can, should they?

6. The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
This book is properly classified as horror, but it's fair to call it science fiction as well. It's hard to talk about this one without spoiling too much, but the book clearly questions whether all things are justified in the name of scientific inquiry.

7. The Giver by Lois Lowry
In this futuristic society, everything is in balance. No one experiences great pain or great joy. Everyone is safe and comfortable — except for the old man who carries the true memories of his people's history, and the boy whose job it now is to receive those memories.

8. Kindred by Octavia Butler
Dana is a black woman of the 1970s who suddenly and repeatedly finds herself transported to the time of chattel slavery in the southern United States. This modern classic turns the traditional time travel paradox on its head, asking, "What if you had to travel back in time to prevent one of your ancestors from dying?"

9. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
Valentine Michael Smith is human, but he was raised on Mars and has now come to Earth. Through his experience trying to acclimate to the culture in which he finds himself, the reader is forced to question why certain things on Earth are the way they are. There are also plenty of classic sci-fi elements like telepathy and teleportion to round out the other-worldliness of this book.

10. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
This is another, very different, time travel book. Henry has a condition that causes him to spontaneously time travel. Can he maintain a relationship and anything resembling a normal life with the woman he loves?

What are your favorite science fiction reads?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Mankiller, A Fighting Chance, and Redwall
Five years ago I was reading: These Is My Words, Mary Poppins, and Angle of Repose
Ten years ago I was reading: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and How Starbucks Saved My Life

Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

It's that time again! Time to share what we plan to read during this season.

1. The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X
This is carried over from my winter list — my hold still hasn't come in!

2. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
I keep hearing great things about this book on my TBR, so I'm looking forward to finally picking it up.

3. Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
One of my goals for the year is to start on the Miss Marple books, and this is the first.

4. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
This is most likely going to be my book club's May read. It was supposed to be April — with a "nature" theme in conjunction with Earth Day — but all our meetings got pushed back a month since all in-person events are cancelled for the time being.

5. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
This is what my online book club is reading for discussion in April, and online book clubs thankfully don't have to be cancelled!

6. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
This is another one from my TBR that I'm going to try to get to.

7. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
This one is a carryover from winter — I ended up with too many audiobooks I wanted to get through, and this one is a large time investment, so I've been putting it off.

8. V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
I picked up this graphic novel at the library and hope to get to it soon!

9. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
This is another one from my original TBR that I plan to get to soon.

10. Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed
I adore everything Albertalli writes, so of course I have a hold on this one that just recently came out!

What do you plan to read this spring?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Becoming and Mankiller
Five years ago I was reading: These Is My Words, Because of Winn-Dixie, and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Ten years ago I was reading: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

What I've Been Reading Lately (Quick Lit)

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.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi: This was another reread of this book for book club. As in previous reads, I enjoyed this book even though I felt certain explanatory details could have been added for narrative continuity. The story is essentially a lesson in the history of Iran combined with Satrapi's own coming of age, and for the most part it's very well done.

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown: The best part of this book is that, by the end, you're emotionally invested enough in the boys and you understand enough about the obstacles they have to overcome that — at least in my case — you will literally cry, despite knowing from the first page how it all turns out. The worst part is that it takes a long time to get to the point where you know enough to cry over a race you already know the outcome of. A long time, with a lot of very specific details about the sport of rowing. I can definitely see why this book comes so highly recommended. Just be prepared for a long, slow, immersive ride to the finish line.

Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann: This was a cute romance that also managed to be a kind of Asexuality 101. It opens with a painful breakup scene, but moves on pretty quickly (a little too quickly for my taste) to a new love interest. Overall I thought it was a sweet romance with complex characters and a good explanation of what it feels like to be ace.

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama: This was a good read, although it took me an abnormally long time to get through. It was fascinating to read this now, four years after the end of Obama's presidency, when it was written before he even became a senator. Whereas he shied away from explicitly talking about race when he became president, this was a raw and complicated exploration of his relationship with his race and the shifting ways that he viewed the father he barely knew. On the whole, this was a very good book and I'm glad to have read it, even if it took me a while!

Fatty Legs: A True Story by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton: On one hand, this is a classic story of a child going off to boarding school, dealing with challenging circumstances, and being targeted for ill treatment by a specific teacher. On the other hand, we gain an understanding, at a child's level, of the narrator's particular culture (Inuvialuit, one of the Inuit people) and how the school tried to strip her of her language and culture. It's well done, providing the average kid with relatable aspects while also educating them about the history of residential schools in an age-appropriate way. I'd definitely share this book with my kids.

How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids: A Practical Guide to Becoming a Calmer, Happier Parent by Carla Naumburg, Ph.D.: This is just what I like in a parenting book — concise, practical, and relatable. Her tone is chatty and she intentionally uses silly acronyms, so know that upfront if that's not your style, but she also has a Ph.D. and relevant experience working with different parents so she's not just armchair theorizing about what works. So far I've found her advice helpful when I've needed it; here's hoping it sticks!

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi: Turns out, YA fantasy? Still not my jam. I enjoyed it as an adventure story even if it was a bit formulaic and more than a bit predictable, but I could have done without all the teenagers lusting after each other. I found this to be an enjoyable read (despite the parts where I rolled my eyes or guessed aloud what was about to happen) and I see why it's popular.

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee: I flew through this! I found Tash immensely — sometimes painfully — relatable. She's dealing with newfound fame after her video series goes viral, and she's also dealing with family issues, college plans, and trying to figure out how and when to explain her asexuality to other people. I'm glad this book was recommended to me!

Don't Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life by Anne Bogel: In this book, Bogel pulls together a lot of different types of "overthinking" into one book, and for each category, she offers personal examples, what approaches have worked for her, and tips for creating your own guidelines to keep yourself from overthinking in the future, including helpful questions at the end of each chapter. It's not overly prescriptive; she will simply set you on the right path toward deciding how you want to handle similar situations in the future.

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Indian Horse, Becoming, and Mankiller
Five years ago I was reading: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Because of Winn-Dixie
Ten years ago I was reading: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Ten Good Books with One-Word Titles

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

This week we're sharing books with one-word titles! There are a ton, so I skipped anything that was a person's name (maybe that will be a future topic) and tried to pick out some of my favorites. However, the genre of nonfiction books with one-word titles followed by long subtitles is one of my very favorites, so this is not an exhaustive list!

1. Becoming by Michelle Obama

2. Citizen by Claudia Rankine

3. Inspired by Rachel Held Evans

4. March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

5. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

6. Positive by Paige Rawl

7. Radical by Michelle Rhee

8. Room by Emma Donoghue

9. Shameless by Nadia Bolz-Weber

10. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

What are your favorite books with a one-word title?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: I Capture the Castle and The Shadow of the Wind
Five years ago I was reading: The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, Anna and the French Kiss, Ella Enchanted, and Station Eleven
Ten years ago I was reading: Middlesex