So many books, so little time! Unlike most in reality right now, this is a good problem to have. What have you been reading?
Here are a few I have recently knocked off my book pile.
Have you read Untamed? Girls, buckle up. Time to reach inside, harness your inner-diva, and let out your cheetah. I like to refer to this book as a little feminist manifesto. Really, that is not quite fair. Really, this is a memoir written by an incredibly intelligent women who tells her story of the upheaval and renewal of her life. She divorces her husband, falls in love with a woman, and starts anew with her wife. Though it is her story, I think it is fair to say that she wanted it to be painted in broad strokes in order to provoke reflection and empowerment in an audience. Doyle writes in an incredibly introspective way, and you cannot read this without asking yourself, where do I stand? In my opinion, those books are always worth reading. P.S. I really hope she and Abby make it. I love their love.
Years ago, I read Genova’s Still Alice which is still one of my favorite books of all time. Therefore, when Every Note Played was published, I was over the moon excited. However, one of my dear friends, who I respect as both a cheetah and a smart reader, told me that she found herself disliking both of the characters, so I put it off for a long time. I finally picked it up a few weeks ago and zoomed through it. This is the curious thing … my friend was completely correct, yet I still recommend this book. The characters just are not, in any way, outwardly good people. It is the story of a pianist who is diagnosed with ALS, and it vividly describes his slide into the agony that this terrible disease causes, in addition to his sour and complex relationship with his daughter and ex-wife, who become his caretakers. This is an unforgettable read.
The Girls at 17 Swann Street is the story of a home for women who struggle with eating disorders. It is fictional, though based on the author’s actual experience in a treatment center herself. I appreciated this book for its braveness. It did not shy away from the mental wars that wage inside, and I found it interesting that many characters were grown women, some with families and spouses. The optimist in me found relief that Anna, who tells the story, has a happy ending. Of course, that wasn’t so for all of the women she shared her experience with. I appreciate the many things in life that bring about happiness. I am so grateful that I am capable of seeing those joys clearly. So many of the women in this book no longer had the ability to see at all. This was worth the read.
I loved The Art of Hearing Heartbeats. I love when books are both beautifully written and paint a great story. This one begins in present day. A young woman just graduated law school when her father leaves unexpectedly and without explanation. What follows is the story of his life, as told from the daughter who seeks to find out what happened to her dad. She discovers that her father was abandoned by his mother, blind for many years, raised in a monastery, and in a true and deep love with a woman she’d never known and who certainly was not her mother. I loved reading this book and was sad when it was over. I wanted more.
Hmm, I’m not sure about this one. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is the story of Lydia, whose fiance dies in a car accident. The book then branches into two tales, the first of which describes her life as though the death never happened, and the second that describes her actual life. The idea is clever, but I found this to be mostly dark. To be fair, when I picked this one up I needed a little “chick-lit” romance and joyful affair, and this book isn’t exactly it. It did make me think about what life would look like if everything I knew were suddenly turned on its head. P.S. Josie Silver wrote one of my favorite chick-lit books ever, One Day in December.
My book stack continues to grow, as does my Amazon shopping cart. Like many of you, this one is on my list when it gets back in stock:
Plus, I’d like to reread:
So that I can read:
Also in my cart is this one, because I adored her Bringing up Bebe:
What should I add to the stack? Happy reading, my friends.
