I got a little over-eager when the library opened back up; my holds are coming in faster than I can get them read. I realize this is a good problem to have (thank you library, for being open!), but I hate sending back unread books. And I’m too much of a rule-follower to hold on to them and pay the fine.
Here’s my round-up of books I read in the last month. As usual it’s all over the place, but mostly fiction, and even a novel in verse.
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. I started reading this right after I finished The Nickel Boys, so I guess I had an inadvertent theme of “abusive, soul-sucking institutions created for minorities by greedy white people” this month. This story is about 4 children at one such place, called “The Lincoln School,” who end up running away. It’s the story of their journey, the hardships they face, but also the kind people they meet along the way. It’s about who makes a family, and what makes a home, and the importance of love, hope, and faith. It was beautiful, the tiniest bit magical, and I loved it. My rating 4.5/5 stars.
Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson. I listened to this on audio, and I think hearing Dyson speak his words to me made it even more powerful. He is honest and he doesn’t hold back; sometimes his words were hard to hear, which is exactly why it was so important for me to read it. My rating: 4/5 stars.
Long Bright River by Liz Moore. This is the book I’ve probably waited the longest for in 2020, but the wait was worth it. Sisters Mickey and Kacey spend time in the same part of Philadelphia, but Mickey as a police officer and Kacey as an addict. I thought Moore did an excellent job focusing on the complicated relationship between the sisters yet keeping the plot moving quickly. My rating: 4/5 stars.
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. I read this knowing that while the Nickel Academy in the story is fictional, it was based on a real place, which made the dehumanizing treatment of the young boys in the story difficult, yet important, to read. As someone who often has a hard time paring down my words, I’m always amazed by authors who can pack such a punch in a short book–but this was a huge, compelling, heartbreaking story, wrapped up in just over two hundred pages. My rating: 4/5 stars.
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. This novel in verse is the story of two half-sisters whose existence was unknown to the other, one in New York the other in the Dominican Republic, and a plane crash that devastates them both. If the idea of a novel in verse is a little intimidating–it was for me–don’t let that stop you. It was beautiful and quick to read, and the format enhanced the story. I read the hardcover but I’ve heard the audio is brilliant too. My rating: 4/5 stars.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. January is the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, but she longs for adventure and doesn’t fit in with Locke’s way of life. She finds a mysterious book that speaks of magical doors, and through its pages she discovers much more than just stories. I’m not quite sure how to categorize this book, but the magical elements made it a bit out of my usual genre. I ended up loving it though; and it was excellent on audio. My rating: 4/5 stars.
A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny. This is book seven in the Inspector Gamache series, and this one focuses on Clara and Peter Morrow and the art world, and a body that’s found in Three Pines, of course. I love Gamache, I love Three Pines, I’m starting to worry a bit for Inspector Beauvoir… you know I’ll keep reading this series. My rating: 3.5/5 stars.
The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz. I’m a personal development junkie and I’m down for some woo woo, but I didn’t love this like some people do. I pulled out some good points here and there, but for me they were buried in a lot of repetition and rambling. My rating: 3/5 stars.
Have you read anything good lately?
Linking with Show Us Your Books.
