Reading List
Chiang, Ted Story of Your Life Collection
Corey, James S.A. Leviathan Wakes
Corey, James S.A. Caliban’s War
Corey, James S.A. Abaddon’s Gate
Corey, James S.A. Cibola Burn
Corey, James S.A. Nemesis Games
Corey, James S.A. Babylon’s Ashes
Corey, James S.A. Persepolis Rising
Corey, James S.A. Tiamat’s Wrath
Didion, Joan The Year of Magical Thinking
Frears, Ella Shine, Darling
Fuller, Alexandra Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight
Grisham, John The Firm
Grisham, John Camino Island
Kapil, Bhanu How to Wash a Heart
Kingsolver, Barbara Prodigal Summer
Knight, Phil Shoe Dog
Lansing, Alfred Endurance
Lewis, Michael Panic
Martin, Steve Born Standing Up
Murakami, Haruki The Hard Boiled Egg and the End of the World
Owens, Delia Where the Crawdads Sing
Rooney, Sally Conversations with Friends
Ware, Ruth The Death of Mrs. Westaway
Ware, Ruth The Girl in Cabin 10
Book Reviews
The Death of Mrs. Westaway - Ruth Ware
I listened to the book—the narrator was alright but her voices were lackluster. The main character, Hal, was a meek, down on her luck, mid-20s girl in Brighton. Suddenly she inherits a family fortune she didn’t know about. Overall the plot was blasé—the “twists” basically had road signs miles in advance. There was plenty of room to make the story much darker and/or thrilling. I would have loved if the author made the house itself more menacing than it was. Some of the other characters could have been developed better and been more integral to the story.
The pacing was fair—super slow start where she clearly tried to build something with the loan shark, but that storyline died off. Hal didn’t really grow throughout the story. She was largely the same at the end, even though “her life had changed.”
Overall, a lot left to be desired.
The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion
Brutal, beautiful, and raw. Didion’s ability to convey her thoughts and feelings in a transparent and honest manner is remarkable. The structure of the story dovetails how she wrote it over the course of a year. She recedes into memories in the midst of current events, which is exactly how I imagine true grief is—not a linear life event, but rather one that comes in waves.
Didion does not answer anything or try and end it at a certain point. It is a heartbreaking read in which you are along for the ride. That said, there was never a “woe is me, the newly minted widow” moment to be found. The reader does not feel pity, nor does Didion ask for it.
The book is a window into a human soul that experienced an unfathomable loss that we all know will eventually come—the death of a person you love more than yourself; the loss of a partnership.
I would never start a Didion journey here, but for those familiar with her it is a must read.
The Girl in Cabin 10 - Ruth Ware
Once again, a non-winner from Ware. I think I am done with her for a bit. Wared out, if you will.
The narrator was rough this go around, chiefly because her accents were terrible (which dispels the suspension of disbelief). Her New York accent was especially bad.
Lo, the main character, was somehow meeker than Hal in Death of Mrs. Westaway. She was never a real protagonist: everything just seemed to happen to her. The internal monologues were her simply being anxious. The author leaned heavily on these monologues which made for a bore.
Rarely, if ever, did I reach the end of a chapter and feel the need to continue, to ask what happens next. This was rooted in Lo: I never felt, well, anything for her (including distaste). She was simply there.
After the second try, I don’t dare follow the adage “third time’s a charm.”
Shoe Dog - Phil Knight
Davis had gotten the book for Christmas and Tyler had recommended it to me as well. I finally gave it a read and it is one of the better memoirs I have read. Not too long, not too short. Not self-righteous, not self-deprecating. It strikes a wonderful balance of staying personal while being objective.
The story itself is fascinating, involving a true revolution of the running shoe. Not only that, but Nike was involved in the first wave of outsourcing to China, endorsing big-name athletes, having an early IPO, and changing running forever.
Knight paints an honest picture of his career and the time it took to build the company. Structuring it by year, you get to see both Nike and Knight grow together, as well as the concurrent world events. Additionally, Knight never gets political or pushes a business philosophy—a welcomed change from many others who quickly revert to a self-help-esque format. A very enjoyable read.
Born Standing Up - Steve Martin
Written and read by Steve Martin, he covers his early life that focuses specifically on his career in stand-up comedy. He kept it short and sweet, which each stage of his career being punctuated with personal moments. Overall it very much felt like an hour comedy special turned into a book.
At times he could get a little engrossed in various carnal conquests, but for the most part, he stuck to the trials and tribulations of his career. His style was very physical/nonsensical/absurdist—a first that was picked up on by some of my favorites.
He does not paint himself as an all-time great nor extoll his influence on the comedy scene. I enjoyed the bent toward stand-up rather than TV and film, as it is a whole different beast. I have a renewed appreciation for Martin’s humor (and banjo playing).
Prodigal Summer - Barbara Kingsolver
A fun book to read in the middle of winter. It was recommended to me as a personal favorite.
The story loosely follows three characters living in proximity to each other with some form of a connection between one another. All have their own unique love of nature: Deanna is a part of it, living in the woods as a researcher/steward with the Forestry Service. Lusa has an academic background in entomology but is thrown into a world of farming. Garnett has a traditionalist view and yearns to bring the American chestnut back from extinction.
Deanna is the most well-written and her relationship with the land was fun to explore. Lusa and the family entanglement was predictable at times but sweet as a whole. Garnett was the most vanilla—I was left wanting more. Overall a fun read from a new author for me.
Camino Island - John Grisham
First John Grisham book for me. I decided to give it a read on Madison’s recommendation. The plot line was fun—a book heist paralleled with young writer/old book store owner espionage. It is one of Grishom’s most recent books and is not his usual legal thriller.
The plot was easy to follow and he develops the characters well (excluding the heist guys). I’m not crazy about the way he writes women. She was the down on her luck southern gal who ultimately sleeps with the bookstore owner but in the end has not displayed any sense of true agency. She more is less is back where she started.
I did like the ending—the “good” guys did not necessarily win. Always a nice change from how these formulaic books turn out. Overall, I enjoyed it. I certainly want to read what Grisham is known for to get a true sense of his writing style.
The Firm - John Grisham
The second Grisham book for me and arguably his most well-known. I’d first head about it on a podcast episode discussing the movie. So, I figured I would give it a shot. His writing style is fairly boilerplate: less description (unless it is a woman) and more focused on plot/actions. The characters themselves were fair—Mitch was about what I expected. He never did anything that surprised me, other than fuck a prostitute on a beach and blatantly lie to his wife about it.
There were times where it felt very slow, especially when setting the scene in the first third of the book. He could have cut a lot of the fluff there. The female characters were either rough, good looking private eye secretaries, or a meek wife trying to be a badass. I had hoped for more depth with all of them.
Overall an entertaining audiobook, but I feel as if I could have put the paperback down. While it was a thriller, there was never a compulsion to keep going. I never connected with the characters on a level to feel concern or curiosity with what would become of them.
Don’t Lets Go To the Dogs Tonight - Alexandra Fuller
A wonderful autobiography/memoir of the author’s life growing up in Africa. Each chapter is a vignette, a brief snippet of her life that gradually build on each other until it reaches present day. She focuses more on her family than herself, but does step into the limelight when it suits her.
The writing is spectacular—she truly makes you feel like you are there with her. She balances the fine line of description: incredibly vivid imagery but not grandiose, drawn out paragraphs explaining every sensory detail. The images are formed in the reader’s mind based on the context she sets out for us. You can easily picture the characters and the world they are a part of. You feel for each of them in their own way—tragic, hope, sorrow, resilience, etc.
Overall it was truly an enjoyable read. I liked that it was not a linear narrative of her life. Each chapter was a specific memory, a moment in time that did not need further explanation. Her descriptions are brilliant as she portrays a totally foreign world in such an identifiable way. You feel like you’ve experienced a small portion of it with her.
Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens
I had held off on reading this one for a while but finally got around to it. The backstory of the author did not cloud my reading, nor did my friends’ opinions of the book. It was a quick read, which had it been longer, it would have started to go downhill quickly.
I enjoyed the structure a lot, splitting between both timelines and characters while remaining centered on the story of the Marsh Girl. She creates a beautiful world that is both a part of and inhabited by Kya, a girl more creature than citizen. You truly got a sense that she sees the world as her world, free of outside influence even though she longs for connections. There are fantastically vivid moments with her exploring her own little kingdom.
The black characters were shallow and lacked, well, everything. She was unfortunately cliché and cringy with the way she wrote both Jumpin’ and Mabel which was disheartening. Additionally, Kya’s reactions to people were unoriginal for such a unique character. The poetry piece at the end got a major eyeroll as well.
