Book Review: January 2025
These 4 books got me through a toughest month of the year (and yes, the year just started! LOL) I was sick and then of course there's the very challenging political situation, so both the micro and macro took up emotional bandwidth. Books are an escape from reality (as well as an opportunity to learn new things) and I was greatest to these 4 for helping me to opt out of the constant stress cycle.
"The Nix" by Nathan Hill
5 stars
Can I give this book 6 stars? I mean sure, it's my review and I do what I want. I was so enamored with this book and literally couldn't put it down. I was staying up past bedtime and skipping plans, yup it's that good. At over 700 pages it took me nearly 3 weeks to unravel the narratives that bound families and friends across 3 generations. It got me thinking that I should aim for reading fewer books, more bigger books? Should I switch my goal for 2025?
"Here One Moment" by Liane Moriarty
4 stars
This was a quick-moving read with interesting storylines and interwoven plots. The ending was a touch cheesy but it makes for good fiction. I liked it well enough but I was left wanting something else to be explored, a different side. The audio book was a bonus because of the cute Aussie accents.
"Orbital" by Samantha Harvey
4 stars
A slim book but still richly detailed and imaginative. The philosophical exploration of "what are we doing here?" is something I think about often. How we're all on this little rock watching our lives go by but how can we really live them? And what's important? What is it like to be a human on this planet and what if we set aside our nationalistic agenda and took care of the earth instead? Packs a punch and made me feel grateful to be alive.
"Sea of Tranquility" by Emily St. John Mandel
4 stars
It was a slow start but certainly more interesting once I got into it. A time travel / dystopia story that made me question where we would be in the next 50 - 300 years and really how far we have come. It was trippy and I loved the intersections of characters in different times. Where the past and future intersect is in the present, but if just one thing was different it would create ripples that flow both forwards and backwards.
Monthly book total: 4
Annual book total: 4