 Icelandic cafe decor. These are color coordinated books that look cool, but the books have been cut away about 3 inches from the spine so that they can be displayed. The bookshelves don't need to be full sized this way, but the books are unreadable.
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 Mathew Derby. 2020. This was a fun story about prank phone calls back in the day when we had landlines and pranks were low stakes. The backstory for the main character, Emma, unfolds deliciously slowly and ends up with a lovely picture of a complex kid making her way in the world while her parents navigate their own dysfunctional lives. Emma is a teenager who is blind and is obsessed with the phone, finding her way into a community of early hackers. Part of the series of "radio plays" coming out from Audible, with parts read by well known actors and high production quality, which is usually not my favorite, this one is unusual and worth reading.
Recommend.  Samantha Allen. 2020. This is a really fun, short read. I really enjoyed it. The author's thoughts on the use of humor in the midst of life's hard stuff were spot on. Conveying the humor and She is funny, a great storyteller, and informative without being preachy. In the body of trans memoir, there isn't a lot of light stories that embrace the unique joy and pride and humor of trans-ness. This is definitely a pick-me-up worth a bit of your time.
Recommend.
 Agatha Christie. 1920. An Agatha Christie classic, this is a complicated mystery whodunit with twists and turns that circle back on themselves. It has been a long time since I have read an Agatha Christie and it is impressive how both the writing and storyline holds up. That said, I'm not a huge fan of this genre and I can't say this was good enough to overcome that prejudice. The main investigator was arrogant and condescending with his subordinate, who is the narrator of the story in a very Sherlock Holmsian way that I am just not a fan of. It is all plot, no character development.
Not recommended.  Lyz Lenz. 2020. A memoir about a girl in a large, religious family set largely before the dysfunction pulled the family apart, the writing here is lovely. She does a strong job of pulling the reader into the stories. It is a decent read, but doesn't have the kind of next level commentary that would make me recommend it. For a free audible read, though, it wasn't bad.
 Mishka Shubaly. 2019. This is a book, part memoir, part self-help, that provides an alternative way to thinking about recovery to AA/NA. It offers not only a personal narrative about how the author got himself through addiction, but also an almost minute-to-minute guide for how to detox and get through the first days and weeks of sobriety. I don't think I have seen anything else in the literature quite like this, including tips for supporting people in sobriety, encouragement for why sobriety is worth it, and actual, practical ideas for how to get there.
Recommended.  Andre Aciman. 2020. There was a slow start to this story. The set up took a really long time and by the time I was actually interested in the in story, the book was almost over. A little bit woowoo, with eccentric characters, it just took too long to see how it was going to tie together. I'm also not really a fan of the super creepy, old guy turning out to be the "hero."
Not recommended. |
AuthorI'll read anything a friend recommends & I love telling people what I think about it. Every year, I read 50 books recommended by 50 different friends. Welcome to My 50 Bookish Friends Blog. SearchCategories
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