My Month of Reading

I've polished off eight books in the past month, thanks to a nice relaxing vacation to the Florida Keys!  I love plane reading and I love beach reading!  I also love reading while picking at my sunburn.  But I'm happy to share that my skin now has some sort of pigment!  Also I read a few great books!  Here they are:

​The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy

I’ll be visiting Charleston, South Carolina in the coming weeks so I chose this as a “lowcountry” read.  This dysfunctional family saga was simultaneously dark and hilarious and meaningful, which was quite the accomplishment.  I’m still processing it, but I think I loved it.  Plus, the setting certainly played a (beautiful) central role.

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​My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Although reading about a teacher’s inappropriate relationship with his student was incredibly unsettling (especially due to the age of my oldest daughter), I have to say it was an incredible look at what grooming actually looks like and how people lie to themselves.  Now I have to read Excavation, as the author accuses Russell of plagiarism.  I guess I’ll see for myself.  (Here’s the article about the controversy.)

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​Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I’m going to read everything TJR writes, okay?  I like it all.  This was more of a novella and was initially a wee bit predictable and then delightfully veers a little.  It’s a tiny shot of bittersweet romance but certainly thought-provoking.

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​People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry
First off, I’m tired of every book cover having a cartoon on it now.  What’s up with that?  I hate trends in book publishing.  Books are and should be totally different from one another.  They don’t all need cartoons on the cover or girl in the title.
​Anyway!  This started in such a brain-candy way that I thought I was going to have to abandon it, but I eventually settled into the groove and enjoyed this traveling romance… a lot!  It’s cheesy romance, but it’s fun, and the main characters visit a different locale every chapter which was delightful.  I finished it on the plane, which seemed appropriate.

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​The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood
Another cartoon cover, which was stupid, because this is a heavy book.
I don’t know, this book wouldn’t be for everyone.  It’s also both dark and funny, but it tries too hard and misses the mark more often than not for me.  Overall, it’s a neat story weaving in the trials of being Muslim in America, but it could’ve been oh so much better.

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​Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant
I actually just read this book a few months ago when it was called All Things Reconsidered by Knox McCoy.  Except that time it was funny and didn’t involve as much annoying pandering.  

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​The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell
I finished this book and was amazed to see that it was based on a true story, with true events and real people.  I thought it was way too depressing to be real, but alas, it was a true account of a poor mining town.  I’d suggest a skip on this one, unless you need to be really depressed for however long it takes you to read this book.

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​More Myself: A Journey by Alicia Keys
I’m not one to be “obsessed with” any particular musical artist.  If I like someone’s music, cool, I won’t turn their song off the radio.  I might go to a concert if they’re in the area.  I might put one of their songs on my phone.  But I’d definitely read a memoir!
I’ve liked Alicia Keys so much throughout the years – Fallin’ is still one of my favorite songs.  Her memoir was good fun to read as she’s almost exactly my ages, so as I was sleeping between classes in college, she was signing huge contracts and transforming herself from Hell’s Kitchen tough tomboy into a music legend. 
I was vibin’ with Alicia (as she would say) for most of the book, but I admit in the final few chapters she was starting to sound like the insta-self-help-guru-influencers of the “I’m living my truth” variety.  It was an odd switch-up in the book, and I’d be interested to see if anyone else noticed the change, but it’s cool.  I guess I'm not necessarily opposed to Alicia living her truth.  But I was definitely glad I read this – I shouldn’t have let it sit on my TBR so long!

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