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2021: So we’ve reached the point in the year where I start reading very random books simply to check prompts off of my Reading Challenges for the year. This one satisfies the prompt “A book published anonymously”.
I first heard about this book from reading [b:The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun|6398634|The Happiness Project Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun|Gretchen Rubin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1256849491l/6398634._SY75_.jpg|6587328] and it was listed as a recommended book about a woman finding her own happiness. That is an accurate description of what the book is about - it’s essentially a bunch of diary entries from Elizabeth who prefers to work in her garden more than talk to other people.
Here’s the deal - I love talking to people. Elizabeth is a MASSIVE introvert. She hates hosting and she hates “having” to catch up with her friends. She finds any time that she’s not spending in her garden a waste, and really would prefer never having to speak to anyone besides her daughters ever again. We are very different people.
Don’t get me wrong - I’m not rating this book low because I happen to be an extrovert. I’m rating it low because it was a boring book and men (abusive husbands in particular) were garbage in the 1890’s. I don’t feel like it was worth my time and I’d recommend that you don’t spend yours on it either.
I first heard about this book from reading [b:The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun|6398634|The Happiness Project Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun|Gretchen Rubin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1256849491l/6398634._SY75_.jpg|6587328] and it was listed as a recommended book about a woman finding her own happiness. That is an accurate description of what the book is about - it’s essentially a bunch of diary entries from Elizabeth who prefers to work in her garden more than talk to other people.
Here’s the deal - I love talking to people. Elizabeth is a MASSIVE introvert. She hates hosting and she hates “having” to catch up with her friends. She finds any time that she’s not spending in her garden a waste, and really would prefer never having to speak to anyone besides her daughters ever again. We are very different people.
Don’t get me wrong - I’m not rating this book low because I happen to be an extrovert. I’m rating it low because it was a boring book and men (abusive husbands in particular) were garbage in the 1890’s. I don’t feel like it was worth my time and I’d recommend that you don’t spend yours on it either.
2021: Here's the deal: I've never watched Little House on the Prairie, I don't know any of the people in this book, and I don't see that changing even after having read the book.
This was another one of those random, end of year books that I get into because I am trying to fill a Reading Challenge prompt (this one being "A book with the word 'bitch' in the title", of which there are surprisingly few!) I really did think that after reading this book, I might be interested in checking out LHOTP. But that was not the case, and I am going to continue to live my Laura Ingalls-Wilder-free life.
This book should come with a huge trigger warning, for not only sexual abuse, but also incest. Arngrim certainly had a very troubled childhood, and she does not hold back from getting into some pretty graphic details. She approaches the stories from a very direct, practical, and processed point of view (by which I mean that she has been to a lot of therapy). I'm thrilled for her seemingly success in surviving her abuse and thriving later in life.
I honestly think this was a pretty good memoir - it was detailed and kept me interested. However, without being able to reference any of the touchstones used in this story, I have to rate it lower. We progressed straight from fun stories from the set of LHOTP to horrible abuse to wow, I'm a functioning and successful adult who advocates on behalf of HIV+ people! It's a bit of a jump when you don't get any of the references, but I can't help but think that if I had been a fan of the show, all I would want is fun stories from set, followed by what the actors are up to now. And that's exactly what you get from this book.
This was another one of those random, end of year books that I get into because I am trying to fill a Reading Challenge prompt (this one being "A book with the word 'bitch' in the title", of which there are surprisingly few!) I really did think that after reading this book, I might be interested in checking out LHOTP. But that was not the case, and I am going to continue to live my Laura Ingalls-Wilder-free life.
This book should come with a huge trigger warning, for not only sexual abuse, but also incest. Arngrim certainly had a very troubled childhood, and she does not hold back from getting into some pretty graphic details. She approaches the stories from a very direct, practical, and processed point of view (by which I mean that she has been to a lot of therapy). I'm thrilled for her seemingly success in surviving her abuse and thriving later in life.
I honestly think this was a pretty good memoir - it was detailed and kept me interested. However, without being able to reference any of the touchstones used in this story, I have to rate it lower. We progressed straight from fun stories from the set of LHOTP to horrible abuse to wow, I'm a functioning and successful adult who advocates on behalf of HIV+ people! It's a bit of a jump when you don't get any of the references, but I can't help but think that if I had been a fan of the show, all I would want is fun stories from set, followed by what the actors are up to now. And that's exactly what you get from this book.
2021: Better than I thought it was going to be, but still not great.
What I liked: I mean, can you imagine?! A wedding on the coast of Ireland held by people with more money than they know what to do with?! Goals! Great setting, loved the premise, and I'll admit, I did not guess correctly who the murderer was going to be.
What I didn't like: A big detractor for me were the scenes "in the present". It immediately gave away who the victim was (in my opinion) and were just full of eye-rolling cliff hangers that just took away from the pace of learning what was actually happening. There seemed to be an awful lot of "issues" thrown in to this novel, without many of them being really fully explored. I think it might have worked better if the readers weren't pulled in quite so many different directions, although I do understand that it was done to throw us off the scent of the killer.
Also, a big -1 for a personal pet peeve of mine, which is when anyone in the English language refers to the native language of Ireland as "Gaelic", which it is not!! You can say that they are speaking Irish or you can say that they are speaking Gaeilge (which is how you say Irish in Irish), but the name of the language is NOT Gaelic! UGH
What I liked: I mean, can you imagine?! A wedding on the coast of Ireland held by people with more money than they know what to do with?! Goals! Great setting, loved the premise, and I'll admit, I did not guess correctly who the murderer was going to be.
What I didn't like: A big detractor for me were the scenes "in the present". It immediately gave away who the victim was (in my opinion) and were just full of eye-rolling cliff hangers that just took away from the pace of learning what was actually happening. There seemed to be an awful lot of "issues" thrown in to this novel, without many of them being really fully explored. I think it might have worked better if the readers weren't pulled in quite so many different directions, although I do understand that it was done to throw us off the scent of the killer.
Also, a big -1 for a personal pet peeve of mine, which is when anyone in the English language refers to the native language of Ireland as "Gaelic", which it is not!! You can say that they are speaking Irish or you can say that they are speaking Gaeilge (which is how you say Irish in Irish), but the name of the language is NOT Gaelic! UGH
2021: I knew this book was going to be a slam dunk, and IT WAS
Don't be thrown off by the idea that you might not be "into data" or think that this book will be too tech-y for you. It absolutely will not be; Pérez tackles tangible issues that directly relate to your life, no matter your gender. Also, this book is super timely - I was screaming at the audiobook while Pérez was discussing the importance of paid family leave. COME ON JOE EFFING MANCHIN
I loved that Pérez wrote this with a much more universal approach than I was expecting going into it. She is Brazilian by birth, but has lived in many countries, and currently resides in the United Kingdom. I thought her sourcing of data was very well-rounded, including almost as many stories from developing countries as developed.
My biggest criticism here is that Pérez is specifically advocating for the world not being set up for one "standard, default, one size fits all" human, while avoiding any mention of non-binary people. If Step One is to complete these studies using a "standard" male population, this book points out the many ways the world has not yet even completed Step Two, including women in their studies. However, I'd really love to see us already at Step Three, including how these studies might affect those who fall outside the gender binary.
There are a couple of great Leslie Knope references that were a joy to find. But most important are the takeaways that literally everyone will be able to find a use for in their own lives. For example, it was not until I was listening to this book while at work that I realized that my own office did not have the required private space for breastfeeding mothers. And I pay attention to these things! Love when a book helps me to confront my own unconscious biases.
Don't be thrown off by the idea that you might not be "into data" or think that this book will be too tech-y for you. It absolutely will not be; Pérez tackles tangible issues that directly relate to your life, no matter your gender. Also, this book is super timely - I was screaming at the audiobook while Pérez was discussing the importance of paid family leave. COME ON JOE EFFING MANCHIN
I loved that Pérez wrote this with a much more universal approach than I was expecting going into it. She is Brazilian by birth, but has lived in many countries, and currently resides in the United Kingdom. I thought her sourcing of data was very well-rounded, including almost as many stories from developing countries as developed.
My biggest criticism here is that Pérez is specifically advocating for the world not being set up for one "standard, default, one size fits all" human, while avoiding any mention of non-binary people. If Step One is to complete these studies using a "standard" male population, this book points out the many ways the world has not yet even completed Step Two, including women in their studies. However, I'd really love to see us already at Step Three, including how these studies might affect those who fall outside the gender binary.
There are a couple of great Leslie Knope references that were a joy to find. But most important are the takeaways that literally everyone will be able to find a use for in their own lives. For example, it was not until I was listening to this book while at work that I realized that my own office did not have the required private space for breastfeeding mothers. And I pay attention to these things! Love when a book helps me to confront my own unconscious biases.
2020: I read this book to fulfill a category on my Reading Challenge this year: "A book from a series with more than 20 books". I was at my local secondhand bookstore and recognized the covers of the Murder, She Wrote series, because my grandmother had nearly all of them at one point.
I immediately picked up on when the murderer was revealed (any Seattlite will get it). At first, I was pissed at the editor / fact checker for getting it wrong. Turns out I was just ahead of the curve in solving the crime!
To be quite frank, I thought that the main character's name was Maxine this whole time, because of the Chaka Demus & Pliers song. (Here if you don't know it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-av7F1JBmj4) Are they related at all?
I wouldn't really recommend this book, but I will say, it was far more progressive than I was expecting from the Murder, She Wrote series. That being said, I think it's time for us to be done with this series. Any mystery that includes the line, "It had to do with the gold!" as a genuine, earnest statement has got to go.
I immediately picked up on when the murderer was revealed (any Seattlite will get it). At first, I was pissed at the editor / fact checker for getting it wrong. Turns out I was just ahead of the curve in solving the crime!
To be quite frank, I thought that the main character's name was Maxine this whole time, because of the Chaka Demus & Pliers song. (Here if you don't know it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-av7F1JBmj4) Are they related at all?
I wouldn't really recommend this book, but I will say, it was far more progressive than I was expecting from the Murder, She Wrote series. That being said, I think it's time for us to be done with this series. Any mystery that includes the line, "It had to do with the gold!" as a genuine, earnest statement has got to go.
2021: Misleading marketing left me disappointed in this memoir overall, which is a bummer.
I went into this book thinking that it would primarily be about what it was like to have a father in prison. That's maybe 20% of the story. Ford's father is lightly touched upon, but very quickly becomes relegated to the background. The main relationship explored in this book is between Ford and her mother. Ford's grandmother fills a lot of the pages, and Ford's romantic partners (both the good and the bad) make up the rest.
This memoir was a disjointed stream of consciousness that I found hard to get into. We met and left characters with abandon, and I was thrown by each new chapter. The story started off strong, and I was just wrapping my head around the characters introduced, when it began to branch out into different directions and totally lose steam. Things geared back up again at the end, when Ashley goes to visit her father in prison, and sails smoothly on through the final couple of chapters. But the middle of the memoir lost me enough that I was left feeling very disappointed overall.
I went into this book thinking that it would primarily be about what it was like to have a father in prison. That's maybe 20% of the story. Ford's father is lightly touched upon, but very quickly becomes relegated to the background. The main relationship explored in this book is between Ford and her mother. Ford's grandmother fills a lot of the pages, and Ford's romantic partners (both the good and the bad) make up the rest.
This memoir was a disjointed stream of consciousness that I found hard to get into. We met and left characters with abandon, and I was thrown by each new chapter. The story started off strong, and I was just wrapping my head around the characters introduced, when it began to branch out into different directions and totally lose steam. Things geared back up again at the end, when Ashley goes to visit her father in prison, and sails smoothly on through the final couple of chapters. But the middle of the memoir lost me enough that I was left feeling very disappointed overall.
2021: A joyful blend of Indigenous traditions and modern science
Kimmerer is a brilliant writer, seamlessly jumping from Native teachings to scientific experiments. I loved her ability to ground her thoughts in her culture and upbringing, without forgetting that her audience most likely didn't come from a similar background. Her stories never feel too abstract or too optimistic - they definitely come across as meeting her audience where they are at (and remembering that they all enjoy access to running water and wifi).
A favorite anecdote of mine was Kimmerer's struggle in Target to most sustainably purchase a writing pad and pen, while trying to take into the entire supply chain that got these products to the shelves. It made me think of the scene in The Good Place in which they struggle to even purchase a tomato without losing any points - we Americans have created such an unnecessarily complex and unsustainable supply chain! Yay capitalism!
I listened to this audiobook while hiking in Yosemite, and it was a beautiful reminder of taking time to absorb the natural world around us. Yes, I see the hypocrisy myself, as I listened to this via AirPods instead of just listening to the nature all around me. But it certainly was a great venue for an audiobook.
After a while, the essays of Braiding Sweetgrass got a little too repetitive for me. I particularly lost interest in the chapter on cedar, and felt that the book lost its momentum. Overall, I really enjoyed learning from Kimmerer's perspective, and loved that she narrated the audiobook–such a great personal touch to have the author read her own words!
Kimmerer is a brilliant writer, seamlessly jumping from Native teachings to scientific experiments. I loved her ability to ground her thoughts in her culture and upbringing, without forgetting that her audience most likely didn't come from a similar background. Her stories never feel too abstract or too optimistic - they definitely come across as meeting her audience where they are at (and remembering that they all enjoy access to running water and wifi).
A favorite anecdote of mine was Kimmerer's struggle in Target to most sustainably purchase a writing pad and pen, while trying to take into the entire supply chain that got these products to the shelves. It made me think of the scene in The Good Place in which they struggle to even purchase a tomato without losing any points - we Americans have created such an unnecessarily complex and unsustainable supply chain! Yay capitalism!
I listened to this audiobook while hiking in Yosemite, and it was a beautiful reminder of taking time to absorb the natural world around us. Yes, I see the hypocrisy myself, as I listened to this via AirPods instead of just listening to the nature all around me. But it certainly was a great venue for an audiobook.
After a while, the essays of Braiding Sweetgrass got a little too repetitive for me. I particularly lost interest in the chapter on cedar, and felt that the book lost its momentum. Overall, I really enjoyed learning from Kimmerer's perspective, and loved that she narrated the audiobook–such a great personal touch to have the author read her own words!
2021: A beautiful, raw memoir that does not hold back from any feeling or any topic
Jaouad is a gorgeous writer, and as much as I hate books with too much grey area, she does an incredible job of navigating it. From diving into what it means to be a first generation daughter of immigrant parents to being halfway in between the world of the well and the world of the sick, Jaouad's voice is clear and sure no matter the grey.
The book really took off for me when Jaouad started on her road trip (which makes sense, because I am a big road trip fan). She navigated her journey, both physically and metaphorically, from her home across the country visiting all of the people who wrote to her with care and ease. I would have loved more of the anecdotes from traveling across the US, but she certainly amazing ones to share. Kudos to her and her editor for making that trip so tangible on the page.
Jaouad also does top notch work tackling impossible questions (how does one best support one of your best friends who is dying? what would you choose to do if you only have one month left to live?) in a way that I had to pause the audiobook multiple times because I was so consumed with my own thoughts and reflections. It is a gift, not only that Jaouad survived her incredible odds and horrible ordeal, but that she chose to share her vulnerable experience with the world.
Also, giving myself a pat on the back for calling that the Jon referenced was actually Jon Batiste before making it to the end of the book and then getting on Instagram to confirm it.
Jaouad is a gorgeous writer, and as much as I hate books with too much grey area, she does an incredible job of navigating it. From diving into what it means to be a first generation daughter of immigrant parents to being halfway in between the world of the well and the world of the sick, Jaouad's voice is clear and sure no matter the grey.
The book really took off for me when Jaouad started on her road trip (which makes sense, because I am a big road trip fan). She navigated her journey, both physically and metaphorically, from her home across the country visiting all of the people who wrote to her with care and ease. I would have loved more of the anecdotes from traveling across the US, but she certainly amazing ones to share. Kudos to her and her editor for making that trip so tangible on the page.
Jaouad also does top notch work tackling impossible questions (how does one best support one of your best friends who is dying? what would you choose to do if you only have one month left to live?) in a way that I had to pause the audiobook multiple times because I was so consumed with my own thoughts and reflections. It is a gift, not only that Jaouad survived her incredible odds and horrible ordeal, but that she chose to share her vulnerable experience with the world.
Also, giving myself a pat on the back for calling that the Jon referenced was actually Jon Batiste before making it to the end of the book and then getting on Instagram to confirm it.
2021: Here's the deal, I don't like books about wars, so I'm not sure why I thought I would like a book entitled THE POPPY WAR.
There is such little regard for human life in this book, it was hard for me to handle. We started with absolutely no qualms about expendable characters that are never heard from again, and we ended up with genocide, ripping babies in half, mass rapings, and a whole host of other things that were just very unpleasant to read about. In addition to plot points that I didn't enjoy, the book just had a lot of story elements that I don't like: the main character not learning from her mistakes AT ALL (and in particular, not in time to prevent a literal genocide), the main character not being treated like the child that she is (Rin's like 16 in Part II, right?), and the cliffhanger at the end (because of course this book was predestined to be a series).
I felt like the author didn't want this to be a YA novel, but also didn't let any of her characters have feelings for each other at all? But I shouldn't be surprised, as she also had one of her characters GET RID OF HER UTERUS BECAUSE PERIODS WERE INTERFERING WITH HER TRAINING um what?! I was waiting for this to at least be a major plot point later on, but it didn't have anything to do with what happened down the line. Ugh!
The three different parts felt pretty disproportionate to each other. Thank goodness Jiang came back and we learned what his real role was, otherwise I would have been even more upset that we spent so much time with him during Part I. A new narrator at the top of Part II was very disconcerting, and for him to only last for one chapter! But why?! Also, we started off with such HP vibes (outcast being sent to a school for magic), then graduate to the Avengers (band of misfits figure out what they are really good at and how they can use their talents to save the world / kill people), and end in ... the Nanjing Massacre. It's a wild ride.
I picked this book up because it had been recommended as a book that would break your heart. By the time I reached Part III, I just wanted it to be over. I wanted to be done and finished and not have to read about any other atrocities, only for the main character TO LITERALLY COMMIT THOSE SAME ATROCITIES?! BLAH +1 for a cool premise rooted in Chinese history, -1 for literally ripping a baby in half.
Trigger warnings up the wazoo here: it's super violent, there's mass rape, there's self harm and substance abuse, alongside grief and war and genocide and ugh, it was definitely too over the top for me
There is such little regard for human life in this book, it was hard for me to handle. We started with absolutely no qualms about expendable characters that are never heard from again, and we ended up with genocide, ripping babies in half, mass rapings, and a whole host of other things that were just very unpleasant to read about. In addition to plot points that I didn't enjoy, the book just had a lot of story elements that I don't like: the main character not learning from her mistakes AT ALL (and in particular, not in time to prevent a literal genocide), the main character not being treated like the child that she is (Rin's like 16 in Part II, right?), and the cliffhanger at the end (because of course this book was predestined to be a series).
I felt like the author didn't want this to be a YA novel, but also didn't let any of her characters have feelings for each other at all? But I shouldn't be surprised, as she also had one of her characters GET RID OF HER UTERUS BECAUSE PERIODS WERE INTERFERING WITH HER TRAINING um what?! I was waiting for this to at least be a major plot point later on, but it didn't have anything to do with what happened down the line. Ugh!
The three different parts felt pretty disproportionate to each other. Thank goodness Jiang came back and we learned what his real role was, otherwise I would have been even more upset that we spent so much time with him during Part I. A new narrator at the top of Part II was very disconcerting, and for him to only last for one chapter! But why?! Also, we started off with such HP vibes (outcast being sent to a school for magic), then graduate to the Avengers (band of misfits figure out what they are really good at and how they can use their talents to save the world / kill people), and end in ... the Nanjing Massacre. It's a wild ride.
I picked this book up because it had been recommended as a book that would break your heart. By the time I reached Part III, I just wanted it to be over. I wanted to be done and finished and not have to read about any other atrocities, only for the main character TO LITERALLY COMMIT THOSE SAME ATROCITIES?! BLAH +1 for a cool premise rooted in Chinese history, -1 for literally ripping a baby in half.
Trigger warnings up the wazoo here: it's super violent, there's mass rape, there's self harm and substance abuse, alongside grief and war and genocide and ugh, it was definitely too over the top for me
2021: An amazing human, but a subpar memoir.
I really enjoyed learning about Maathai, a woman I had never heard of before. Her efforts to teach her fellow Kenyans how important it is to take care of the environment are admirable, and her achievements deserve to be shared. However, this was such a passive memoir. There's hardly any dialogue, and barely any reflection / analysis. It was merely a restating of events in the passive voice that I eventually grew bored with.
I agree with all of her comments about how social justice = climate justice, and I so appreciate the work she did to pave the way for women in Kenya. The whole saga of her literally BEING ARRESTED FOR WANTING A DIVORCE is a wild ride, and makes me so glad that I live in the time and country that I do. But the way the book is written paints Maathai as very self-righteous and a know it all. She comes across as "if only everyone had listened to me from the beginning, I could have solved all of Kenya's problems". This might actually be true, but it was off-putting to read.
By the end of Maathai's story, I should have been engaged and anxiously awaiting to hear how her many run-ins with the police would be resolved. Instead, I felt more like I was tediously waiting for the end of the book to come. Not the way you want to feel at the end of a very important person's life story. I enjoyed the content of the tales from Maathai's life, I just wish they had been better presented.
I really enjoyed learning about Maathai, a woman I had never heard of before. Her efforts to teach her fellow Kenyans how important it is to take care of the environment are admirable, and her achievements deserve to be shared. However, this was such a passive memoir. There's hardly any dialogue, and barely any reflection / analysis. It was merely a restating of events in the passive voice that I eventually grew bored with.
I agree with all of her comments about how social justice = climate justice, and I so appreciate the work she did to pave the way for women in Kenya. The whole saga of her literally BEING ARRESTED FOR WANTING A DIVORCE is a wild ride, and makes me so glad that I live in the time and country that I do. But the way the book is written paints Maathai as very self-righteous and a know it all. She comes across as "if only everyone had listened to me from the beginning, I could have solved all of Kenya's problems". This might actually be true, but it was off-putting to read.
By the end of Maathai's story, I should have been engaged and anxiously awaiting to hear how her many run-ins with the police would be resolved. Instead, I felt more like I was tediously waiting for the end of the book to come. Not the way you want to feel at the end of a very important person's life story. I enjoyed the content of the tales from Maathai's life, I just wish they had been better presented.