Other Women's Stories: What I'm reading this week (8/19/19)

Last week I finished:

The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock is one of the oddest plots I've read in a long time. You know those writing exercises you did in college creative writing courses where you had to pick two things out of a hat, and both had to appear in your story? I'm wondering if the author did that. And the two things she picked were "mermaids" and "whores." Oh, and it's set in the late 1700s in London. Which makes it even a little odder. The story is this: merchant Jonah Hancock is informed by his sea captain that a recent buying trip resulting in him selling the ship to purchase a very unusual item: a small, gruesome, dead mermaid. Hancock has no choice but to put the thing on display in order to raise funds to have a new ship built. This leads him to make a deal with a madam to display it at a private party (so to speak) which brings together Mr. Hancock and Angelica Neal (sort of a high end whore?). She teases him and tells him she'll marry him if he brings her a live mermaid. And so the story unfolds. I like magical realism in small doses, and I enjoyed this story. It was infinitely readable. Though the author was true to some of the language mannerisms of the time, it was often difficult to remember this was set in the 1780s (for context, that's about the time of the American Revolution) in London. I felt this was a weakness, though relatively minor. The characters were interesting and likable. Hancock is rather milquetoast, and Angelica is a little bratty; other characters are quite exaggerated. The whorehouse element was truly odd. I can't decide if it was well pulled off or not. It was certainly interesting. Overall, I'm glad I finally got to this one. It may not appear on my best of the year list, but I did like it, mostly because it's so different from what I normally read. My rating: 4 stars.

I loved reading (actually, listening to) Tana French's In the Woods, the first in the Dublin Murder Squad Series. (Read my review here.) I enjoyed it so much that I immediately put the second in the series, The Likeness, on my TBR. And then I tried to work my courage up to read it for months. I really wanted to read the second one instead of listen to it, but I never succeeding in starting it, so I finally gave in to the audio, which is exceptional. (Although 20 CDs of a Dublin accent will really start to permeate your speech, and if you're like me, your dreams.) At any rate, you can't go wrong with the audio here. It's very well done. As for the book, it was a mind-bending trip. Psychological thrillers seem to get to me more and more these days. I've stopped watching shows and movies that are too psychological. I just don't like dark characters and plots getting too far into my head. In this murder thriller, detective Cassie Maddox (returning from the first book) is summoned to a murder scene in which she's a dead ringer for the dead girl, and in fact, the dead girl is using the name Cassie used when she worked undercover in the past, Lexie Madison. This gives the chief an idea: send Cassie into Lexie's life, specifically into the house she shares with four others, to try to break the case. She was grilled on Lexie's habits and mannerisms from information gained during questioning of the four and filming their home. It's a trippy book. You can feel Cassie momentarily losing objectivity and getting too close to the roommates, and you're constantly afraid she's going to slip up and blow her cover. And, of course, you're always wondering if one of the four is responsible for Lexie's murder (or, from their perspective, her stabbing). There is a fair amount of suspension of disbelief with the plot. How can any stranger reasonably be plunked into another stranger's life and not be found out by her four very, very close friends? But that is somewhat mitigated by the superb writing and by knowing Lexie took on Cassie's identity (though not to the same extent) before Cassie took on Lexie's. French's strength as a writer is in making every scene come to life, making every character deeply human, and making the situations believable. I've found both of the books I've read by her exceptional, though I might prefer this one a bit because of the plot. My only gripe is that the book seemed too long. Especially, the resolution after the climax just seemed to drag on and on. I was ready to leave the story long before the book ended. Overall, though, an excellent read. My rating: 4.5 stars.

About five years ago, I read Brené Brown's Daring Greatly, and I really did not like that book. I assumed that was the last Brown book I'd read. (Read my review here.) I found her enormously successful book of dubious benefit. And yet, I felt bad for all these years that I didn't like it and that it didn't speak to me (or for me) as it had for so many. So I decided to try another of her books, and I chose the audio version of her recent Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone. In it, she talks about the primal desire to belong, the vulnerability involved in belonging and remaining loving to those we disagree with, and authenticity. I found this book more palatable, yet, I've determined Brown's work just isn't my cup of tea. Or maybe, to be more precise, popular sociology tinged with social justice isn't my jam. I guess you could say Brown and I wouldn't attend the same rallies. While she strives to be fair in her assessment of the social divide in our country, I just find the things she studies of little use or purpose. I find all of her research findings, which seems to surprise her so much, common sense. It doesn't take a terribly deep thinker to understand the conclusions she reaches after spending years researching. Furthermore, I tend to value original thought to scientific research when it comes to personal issues, values, and beliefs. I simply do not understand the appeal of her books. I don't feel that I learn anything from her book I haven't already learned by being a wife, (step)mother, and most importantly, Christian woman. And yet, if her books make you a better person, God bless. To each her own. Two notes before I close. First, the audio was not my favorite. It was narrated by the author, and I didn't find her a particularly good reader. Second, there is a lot of swearing, which I find so odd in a book based on research. In the book she defends her swearing as "authentic." To quote my husband: it's authentic to fart in church, too, but that doesn't make it tasteful. My rating: 3 stars.

I love a good decorating book. And more and more I'm finding décor books that are partly memoirs, and Erin Gates' second book, Elements of Family Style, is one of these. I don't follow Gates' decorating website, but I'm led to believe she's kind of a big deal in the online decorating world. In her first book, Elements of Style, she examines each room of her home, including a personal essay in each chapter. (Read my review here.) I was not enamored with the book. This book, however, was a different story. Perhaps her design style has matured (or perhaps mine has), or maybe I liked many the rooms included in this book because they were created by other designers, but this is one library book I want to buy for myself. I found the children's rooms and libraries/dens especially wonderful. If you have kids and also want a pretty space, there's a lot of inspiration here. Although the design advice isn't stellar, the rooms kind of speak for themselves. I did find that most of the rooms lacked the meaningfulness I am most drawn to (for example, most of the accessories look like recent HomeGoods finds, which is fine, it's just not my style). The nurseries and libraries seemed the most personal, so maybe it's no surprise they were my favorites. Overall, a lovely book. My rating: 4 stars.

I was sure I'd read a book of Natasha Trethewey's poetry, but my list of every book I've read proves me wrong. I know I've found some of her poems through other channels over the years, and I've loved several. I picked up her Monument: Poems New and Selected at the library, and I really liked it. Trethewey was the United States Poet Laureate from 2012-2014. Monument, published late last year, collects poems from her previous four books. Born to a black mother and white father, she often explores themes of race and belonging. Her poems beautifully articulate what is means to look white but feel black. I found her work powerful and easy to identify with even though I'm not mixed-race. This is a good collection if you're looking for poems that explore race and identity. The best I've read in awhile. My rating: 4 stars.

This week I'll finish:

This re-read is kicking my butt. It's taking me SO long to finish it. Some days I can only get through 30 pages, and I ALWAYS finish 50 pages per day.

My evening reads: