What I'm reading this week (7/30/18)

Last week I finished:

I am in love with the 75th edition cover of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Wyes Were Watching God. Sometimes covers are enough to make you try a book. I went with audio on this one, because I thought the regional dialect would be better on audio. Ruby Dee does the narration, and it is superb. This book fell out of favor for a time due to its portrayal of blacks and for the Southern black dialogue, but it's now been "rediscovered." While listening, I had to constantly remind myself that this is an old book (first published in 1937), and that all of the themes present here that I've read about countless times since were new when this was published. There was violence (domestic and otherwise), drunkenness, prejudice within the black community due to skin color, etc. It felt very familiar. The story here is slim, it just follows Janie as she attaches herself (she calls it marriage, but I don't think she ever dissolves her first marriage when she runs off with another man) to three men with varying degrees of success. All of the characters are foolish and some are downright caricatures of blacks. It was kind of uncomfortable to listen to. Some of the writing, though, was beautiful. I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to come away from the book thinking, though, and honestly, it's not a book I'd ever return to. My rating: 3 stars.  

Sometimes I listen to a book on audio just to have a book going. My expectations are generally low; I just want to be entertained. But every now and then one of those books really stands out, and Year of No Clutter was one of those. I enjoyed it so much I plan to buy the paper version to re-read sometime. I've been reading quite a bit lately about clutter and getting rid of it. This book goes a step further and examines our relationship with our things, which I just love to read about. This is the memoir of a woman who spends a year (actually, more) clearing out her "hell room," the room in her house that has been collecting her clutter for years. I found myself in Eve Schaub's descriptions of self and stuff over and over. She's a little OCD and has the need to keep a complete record of her life and surround herself with it. (Uh, yeah, that's me to a T.) And yet, she wants a clean and orderly home with only things that she loves (yup again). For folks like us, using Marie Kondo's "sparks joy" method of clearing things away just doesn't work. It all sparks joy--why else would we have it in our homes! It's the amount of joy and the space it takes that we need help dealing with. Schaub is a quirky gal, and some folks who don't identify with her stuff issues would think she needs a bit of psychological help, but I got her. It made me a little uncomfortable having my stuff issues out there in the open, but I also found it very comforting to know I'm not alone in my struggles. I especially appreciate how much time she spends making sure her things get to the right hands. So many clutter books (written by people who don't have clutter issues) tell you to put things in the trash. I just can throw away perfectly good things, nor can I donate valuable things, and that makes getting rid of things even harder. Schaub goes to great lengths to make sure her things go to folks who will treasure them. So, I loved this book and found it very useful. Others may not, depending on where they are on the "owing stuff spectrum." My rating: 4 stars. P. S. I don't have, nor have ever had, a hell room, just for your information.

Since this is the third time I've read Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project, I don't feel like writing a full review. I will say that I meant to read her second happiness book, Happier at Home, but my Kindle conspired against me and I ended up in the wrong book. (We'll just pretend it was not human error.) This is the book of Rubin's yearlong look at happiness and her very specific goals to become happier. What fascinates me most about the book--every time I read it--is how someone with such a logical mind and personality as Rubin takes on such a nebulous idea as happiness. If I wasn't kind of the same way when approaching things, I can't imagine enjoying the book. But since I, too, have the kind of mind that tries to quantify things like happiness (in my case, perhaps, spirituality), I find it captivating. If you haven't read this modern classic, maybe you should. It's definitely an old friend for me. My rating: 4 stars.

I've been excited to crack Ted Kooser's newest book of poems, Kindest Regards, since I found out about it last fall (it came out in May). Kooser is one of those quiet, gentle poets whose poetry is friendly and approachable. It's perhaps a bit simpler than Billy Collins's or Max Garland's, but it's on a par. I've enjoyed it in the past, and I certainly enjoyed this collection of selected an new poems. This book is the perfect length for such a collection; at about 250 pages, it's just long enough to get a good feel for the poet and his style, but it's not so long that you get bored by themes or tone. I highly recommend this one to anyone looking for good, current American poetry. My rating: 4 stars. 

 

 

This week I'm reading:

I fumbled around a bit choosing my next book but finally settled on Ted Kennedy's memoir, True Compass, which was published in 2009, the year he passed on. Though a long book, it's warm and wonderful and doesn't bog down (at least so far).

 

 

My next audiobook:

My hold on Tangerine finally came in! I hope it was worth the wait!

What I'm reading this week (7/23/18)

Last week I finished:

Two of my recent favorite books about presidents and American history are Kate Andersen Brower's The Residence and First Women, the first about the staff of the White House residence, the second about recent first ladies. Brower's third book, released in June, is First in Line, about recent vice presidents. While this subject might not appeal to as many people as the first and second book, I loved it. Brower examines VPs from Richard Nixon to Mike Pence. She talks about the differences in relationships between vice presidents and the presidents they served, the varying levels of power bestowed on them by their presidents, and the ins and outs of the job, how it's viewed by other politicians and the public, and how it affects their wives and families. One thing I really like about Brower's books is that they give a pretty balanced view of the people in question, giving the good and the bad, humanizing those who are hard to see as anything other than difficult villains. I did feel, though, that Brower shows a bias against President Trump as so much of what she included was exclusively negative. She was fair to Pence, however, and didn't make him seem ridiculous because of his deeply-held religious views. Both Nixon and LBJ were humanized in ways they often aren't. She examines the oddity of Ford becoming the only president who was never elected to the vice presidency or presidency--who went on to become a contender for Reagan's VP, until Ford's notion of a co-presidency cooled Reagan to the idea. She talks about the brotherly relationship between President Clinton and Al Gore until Clinton's sex scandal soured Gore to him. She talks about the vice presidencies that held no power, such as Truman (FDR's VP) and LBJ (JFK's VP), and those with great power such as Cheney (George W. Bush's VP). Biden (Obama's VP) and Mondale (Carter's VP) both had written contracts with their presidents as to the sharing of documents, access to meetings and staff, weekly meetings, and initiatives to work on. It was a well-done book, and though I already had a good idea of the dynamics between the modern presidents and vice presidents from my other reading, there was some new-to-me information. If you like this sort of history, well-researched, modern, with just a tiny whiff of gossip, you'll enjoy this one. My rating: 4.5 stars.

I sort of feel like I'm writing a book report on a book I didn't read, but I really did listen to every word of Peter Stark's Astoria. I just wasn't able to listen closely enough to give it an intelligent review. It would have been better for me to read this rather than listen to it, but I knew that could be years off considering the state of my TBR, so audio it was. Often this kind of historical adventure book about an old expedition can be dry, but I was so happy to find Astoria didn't suffer from any of the pitfalls of boring adventure books. It was a lively retelling full of high drama and true-to-life characters. This is the story of wealthy businessman John Jacob Astor's attempt to set up a trading empire on the Pacific Coast in the early 1800s. His vision was to be able to trade furs and pelts more easily with China, and then import Chinese goods to America, making a fortune in both countries. Things didn't necessarily work out the way he'd hoped, however. Two expeditions were formed, one overland from the East Coast to the West, the other a sailing expedition around Cape Horn. Both expeditions encountered great hardship and failure. I think stories like this are so important. Just think of the selflessness (well, greed was often a good motivator) involved in leaving your family, very possibly to never return, in order to travel to the remotest areas of no man's land and claim land for some New York millionaire. And then to make your way back. The obstacles (shrewd Indians) and threats (dire ocean travel and starvation) were real, but, as Stark points out, even a failed expedition had enormous value to the nation. At one time we were a country of people who were willing to take big risks to accomplish things no one, in any well-established country, had. I love stories like this, I really do. My rating: 4 stars.

 

I continue with:

 

Let's hope I get these finished before the end of the month. I've been slowly getting through both of them.

My audiobook:

 

I'm thoroughly enjoying this book about our relationships with stuff.

What I'm reading this week (7/16/18)

Well, I'm back from Readcation, and I have to say as far as reading went, it was kind of a bust. I have too many other projects going on right now to want to read as much as I'd planned. I gave myself grace and slackened the reading schedule a little. I'm also floundering with book choices this month. I guess I'm a restless reader this summer, but I know it will pick back up when my projects are done and the fall book releases hit.

Last week I finished:

I so enjoyed My Lady Jane earlier this year that when I found out a second book in the Janies series was coming out in the summer, I was very excited. My Plain Jane has the same premise: a famous  historical Jane, this time Jane Eyre, has her story retold with the insertion of otherworldly elements. In the first book, it was shape-shifting humans; in this book, there are ghosts and possessions. But, you know, fun ghosts and possessions. True to form, the three authors add plenty of humor in their retelling, and my special favorite was Helen, Jane's beloved childhood friend who passed and is now her ghostly sidekick. There's romance, adventure, and an explanation as to why Rochester is so blasted "broody" and difficult. I don't read much of this kind of thing, not much YA, and no fantasy at all, but I have fallen in love with these books. They're long, but they read very quickly. Highly recommended. My rating: 4.5 stars.

I had such a hard time settling on a nighttime read this month. I finally tried The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, which was a short, quick, quirky read. Think Marie Kondo but an older author with more sass. This is part-memoir and part-self help, I guess, and our author, Margareta Magnusson is "somewhere between 80 and 100 years old." In her little book, she tells one how to get rid of a lifetime of clutter so your descendants and friends won't have to. It's not as morbid as it sounds, but Magnusson is not very sentimental, making it all seem very easy for her. I enjoyed this little book a great deal. I'm working on my own clean-out, and I'm finding it exhausting but so satisfying. I wouldn't say that this book alone, however, would be enough for most folks to undertake their own "death cleaning." The advice is, perhaps, too simple. It would work for the motivated or self-starter, though, who just needs a little boost of encouragement. If you're looking to undertake a clean-out, check this one out, but maybe don't stop here. My rating: 4 stars.

Every now and then I get a wild hair to read a celebrity memoir. Earlier this year I read Tina Fey's Bossypants, and I found Lauren Graham's Talking As Fast As I Can much the same, but not as good. I think you have to be a bigger fan of Graham's work and silly humor than I am to truly enjoy this one. I've seen several episodes of (the original) Gilmore Girls, but I've never seen Parenthood, which I think I have confused with Modern Family. I have a hard time getting into actors and comedians who are always "on." Tina Fey can on occasion turn off the funny-gal persona and be personable. It would seem Lauren Graham cannot. That disappointed me. I enjoyed the book on audio because it was narrated by Graham, but I'd only recommend it to folks who are big fans--in which case, you've probably already read it. My rating: 3 stars.

And speaking of television reboots... I was a big fan of Trading Spaces, back when HGTV was relatively new and TLC's Trading Spaces held the market on home shows. One of the better designers, in my humble opinion, on the show was Vern Yip. He seemed a little better than the others, perhaps more schooled or more in touch with his own design style. He made it serious business whereas the others may have had more fun. When his decorating book, Vern Yip's Design Wise, came out in 2016, I added it to my TBR where it languished until now. Reading it, I was reminded just how exacting he is. He is definitely of the opinion that there are design rules and they should be followed. With a strong foundation of those rules, one can design a beautiful space. The book is divided into two parts. The first 160 pages are Yip's rules, including how large an area rug should be, how deep a couch's seat should be, the proper size of a coffee table, the types of dining table legs, etc. and etc. If you're that kind of person, it's all there in an easy to take with you guide. The second part of the book is full-page photos of Yip's homes. While we don't really share the same style--he's more Asian modern and I'm more contemporary traditional--the spaces are truly beautiful and well curated. Oddly enough, with all the design rules and measurements provided, I didn't get the two pieces of information I was hoping to: the proper height of a bedside table lamp and options for lighting antique paintings. Guess I'll just wing it like I generally do! My rating: 3.5 stars.

I've enjoyed several of Kevin Young's books, both of his own poetry and of his edited anthologies. The Hungry Ear, an anthology of poems about food, is one of my favorite poetry books. And a couple of years ago I read his Dear Darkness which I really enjoyed. Brown, his newest book of poems, came out this April, and it's more of what Dear Darkness had to offer. Young writes about the African American experience, blues, and sports. He's one of the finest poets writing today, and likely my favorite African American poet. He's a master at arrangement of poems in a collection so that they flow together as several long pieces, and you really feel like you're having an experience rather than just reading a bunch of poems. A fine collection. My rating: 3 stars.

Next up:

 

I. Cant. Wait.

Last week I abandoned:

 

I just couldn't get into this last week. I might pick it up again.

And I began:

This should be a nice, comfortable read. Kooser's poetry is very accessible and calm.

And I continue with:

 

Didn't read much of this last week, but I'm at about the halfway point.

My audiobook:

 

I started this late last week, and I'm really enjoying the adventure.

What I'm reading this week (7/9/18)

I'm on Readcation Monday through Wednesday of this week. I hope to do a lot of reading, but I'm in the process of a huge decluttering project, and that has kind of taken over my life lately. Even when I set aside time to read, I find myself gravitating toward a closet or bookshelf that needs going through instead. I'm also doing a bit of online shopping for pieces to replace what needs replacing around the house (lamps, etc.) and a fair bit of daydreaming. Getting rid of so much really refreshes one's mind.

Last week I finished:

Months before it was released, I ran unto Fatima Farheen Mirza's A Place for Us on Amazon, and I put it on my TBR. Since then, chatter about it got louder and louder, and none of it has been bad. Every now and then an author's first novel just hits it out of the park, and this one did. It blew me away. It's one of those quiet, contemplative novels where there isn't much plot but the plot is so expertly true to real life that your toes curl. Telling you too much about the plot would be to spoil the experience, I think, so I'll simply say that it's the story of a Muslim Indian-American family in present-day America (though I don't think the words "Muslim" or "Islam" were used even once). The parents are traditional Muslims who adhere to the commands of their religion. Their children, first generation Americans, find themselves navigating their parents' and religion's traditions and also secular American society. The daughters, Hadia and Huda, adhere pretty closely to their faith while making meaningful choices about what to keep and what to disregard, but their brother Amar finds himself adrift. There is an honesty and tenderness to the story that is remarkable, and the author does a beautiful job of presenting the family's story from all sides. Events are told throughout the book by different characters, giving us various perspectives and voices. It was expertly written. There were, though, two things that bothered me just a little. I was puzzled as to why Huda was not as central to the story as the other members of the family. She appeared seldom and generally little more than anecdotally. Also, I was a little disappointed when Muslim terms weren't explained in the story. Context was not always enough to tell me what was being discussed, so I often felt like an outsider. It never felt like a big deal, and I have read enough books about Muslim religion and culture to remember some of them, but it did bother me that the author nor editor thought this was important. At the same time, knowing this must be an intentional choice, I felt that the book/author was making a point that you cannot know everything about another's life. You will always feel a little bit like an outsider no matter how close you are or how much you know. At any rate, it was an interesting decision that I continue to ponder. Any quibbles I have with the book are dwarfed by the magnitude of my appreciation for it. It was a wonderful read, sure to be in my top ten this year. My rating: 5 stars.

I've been meaning to try an Anne Tyler book for awhile now, but I've always been afraid they were too "fluffy" for me, and while I don't detest fluffy books, I tend to avoid them because most of them annoy me. But I was taken by the description of Back When We Were Grownups, so I decided to begin there. This is the story of Rebecca Davitch, the widowed stepmother of three daughters and mother of one, grandmother to six. She's a party planner and lives with her quirky, 99-year-old uncle through marriage. Rebecca begins to wonder if she is living the life she was meant to live. Did she marry the right man? Why did she give up her intellectual curiosity? What can she do about how taken for granted she is? So she sets about making small experiments to determine what needs to change to become who she always intended to be. I listened to this on audio, and I recommend it. I'm not sure I would have liked it as quite as much in paper form. It may have fallen a bit flat. It's a light book (I think that's a Tyler trait?) with some quirky characters and family dynamics, but there was something endearing about Rebecca and her position in the family. I think she's having thoughts we all do at some point, and I liked how she grew just a little. There was something kind of refreshing about the book, and I'm glad I read it. I think I'll try other Anne Tyler novels, too. My rating: 3.5 stars.

What I'll be reading this week:

I saved My Plain Jane specifically for Readcation, and I'm so excited to start! It's the reimagining of Jane Eyre.

Last week I abandoned:

I thought I've Been Thinking... would be a good "advice" book, but it's very simple and impersonal. Very little depth. There's a hold list for this at the library, so I decided to give it up for someone else's enjoyment.

My Kindle mix-up:

I don't know what happened, but while I thought I was re-reading Happier at Home on Kindle, I was actually re-reading The Happiness Project for the third time. Now I'm a third of the way in, so there's no point in switching. I must have opened one on my computer and the other on my Kindle and gotten the two confused? I still hope to re-read Happier at Home someday...

Last week I began:

My poetry read right now is Kevin Young's Brown. Very good so far.

I began Vern Yip's Design Wise, too, and I'm reminded of how rigidly he adheres to design rules.

And when I put down the Maria Shriver book, I picked up Jonathan and Drew Scott's It Takes Two. They have several design shows on HGTV.

My audiobook:

I've heard Lauren Graham's Talking As Fast As I Can was fun on audio, so I'm listening to it, even though I've only recently seen a few episodes of Gilmore Girls and I've never watched Parenthood.

July 2018 reading list

Ah, the halfway point of the reading year! I feel like I'm getting to the point where my TBR is down to things I still want to read but I'm not particularly excited to read. Do you all have that, too? If I could download the book into my brain, I would, but to actually sit down for a week to read it, no thanks. So, I guess I need a reading list revamp. Or maybe I need to be reading less. I can't even believe I wrote that, but lately I've been feeling like I need to open up space in my life for other things, and that would have to come from reading. I'll keep you posted on that evolution.

This month, I'll be reading a lot of newly released books, three of which are about presidents, politics, and the White House. I cannot wait! I'm most excited for My Plain Jane (second in the Lady Janies series) and First in Line, the third book by Kate Andersen Brower, author of The Residence.

As always, things are subject to change. I'm getting really good this year at putting down books that aren't for me!

Fiction

Political

 

Nonfiction/Memoir-y

Poetry

 

 

 

Audio

June 2018 wrap-up

Well, we've reached the halfway point in the reading year, and I'm sitting at 91 books read. Last year at this time I was at 67. This was another eclectic month of reading, with everything from politics to decluttering advice, from child abduction and espionage to presidential biography, from marriage essays to ice hockey. One-word reviews below link to full reviews. And look for my July reading list tomorrow.

interesting

3 stars

 

inspiring

4.5 stars

terrible

2 stars

well-done

3.5 stars

gripping

4 stars

pedantic

3 stars

okay

3 stars

 

helpful

4 stars

average

3 stars

 

stellar

4.5 stars

brilliant

5 stars

 

mediocre

3 stars

fun

3 stars

wonderful

4 stars

unexceptional

3 stars