Have you been reading differently during the pandemic? I know some people are in the mood for light reads to escape reality, while others are craving all the disaster books right now. I fall somewhere in the middle, but for the most part I’m reading the way I always have (although more on my Kindle than usual… I miss you library!).
Here’s what I’ve read lately.
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. Don’t go for this one if you need something light. But if you’re okay with heavy right now, I highly recommend it. Makkai tells parallel stories of Yale, a young gay man starting to gain professional success as the AIDS epidemic hits Chicago in the 1980s, and present day Fiona, who lost her brother to AIDS thirty years before, struggling to move on with her life. Both storylines were beautifully written, although I tend to have one I’m more drawn to in books written this way, and for me it was Yale’s heartbreaking story I didn’t want to stop reading. My rating: 4/5 stars.
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. I listened to this short novel in verse on audio, and it was excellent. Will’s brother has just been murdered, and in his world, it is his duty to avenge his death. In an elevator, on his way to do just that, he has several encounters with people from his past that make him think twice about the act he’s about to commit. My rating: 4/5 stars.
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny. I’m slowly making my way through the Inspector Gamache series, and this one is number 6. Set mostly in Quebec City, this one takes us out of Three Pines for much of the story. I loved learning a bit of Quebec history as I read, and I appreciated that we were still able to spend some time in Three Pines, the village that is one of the reasons I love these books so much. My rating: 3.5/5 stars.
Bury Your Dead: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel
In an Instant by Suzanne Redfearn. This was a Kindle First Reads book I chose recently, and I usually have fairly low expectations for these. Occasionally I’m surprised, and this one did prove to be worth more than the free price tag. It’s about a family who gets into an accident in their camper during an annual trip to a mountain cabin. It happens at the very beginning, and the story is told from one of the daughters, who dies during the accident (this isn’t a spoiler). It’s about the aftermath of the accident; how the rest of them survive, and what extreme circumstances reveal about the people who thought they knew each other so well. My rating: 3.5/5 stars.
The Selection by Kiera Cass. I picked this up on audio because I was in the mood for something light, and the gals on Currently Reading recommended the audio version. I’d heard it described as The Bachelor meets Hunger Games, but without the killing. That feels pretty spot on to me, and it was a very fun escape into another world. I knew it was a series going in, but what I didn’t know was that it would end in a way that you have to pick up the next book in order to get any closure. That frustrates me. I don’t like to read a lot of series, and when I do I usually break them up. My rating: 3/5 stars. Full disclosure, the non-ending knocked it down a half star for me.
Mindset by Carol S. Dweck. I also listened to this on audio, and it was the reason I craved something light afterwords. It felt long. It is about the growth mindset, and why adopting this mindset, rather than a fixed mindset, will get you much further in life. I completely agree, and I strive to adopt this mindset in all areas of my life and hope to teach it to my kids. However, I got the point after a few examples, and I kept expecting to learn something else; instead it felt like the same lessons being repeated, but in different contexts. My rating: 3/5 stars.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. This was a “last-minute-the-library’s-about-to-close” pick, and I remember Liberty giving it a very positive review on All the Books. I can see where some of her praise comes from; the writing is beautiful. I found it hard to follow though, and that isn’t always an issue for me if I connect with the characters, in this story I never felt that connection. My rating: 3/5 stars.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel
What kind of books are you reading right now?
Linking with Show Us Your Books.
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