Book Review: October 2024
10 months into the year and it’s safe to say that I’ll hit my goal of 50 books for 2024. Consuming (reading or listening to) a book / week feels like a good pace. I’m grateful to explore many different authors, genres and ideas. Reading is the coolest…and I right?
What books are you enjoying (or not!) this month?
"Pill City" by Kevin Deutsch
4 stars
As a Baltimore native I love reading books about my home town. But honestly, this one was tough and hurt my heart. The crime, addiction and poverty intersections are well known in Charm City as well as other mid-size American cities. In the post-Freddie Gray riots, drugs were stolen > repurposed > sold on the street to continue the cycle of violence that keeps whole communities down. Really a wild and sad read with in-depth reporting and research.
"Revenge of the Tipping Point" by Malcom Gladwell
5 stars
Gladwell's writing style and voice (I listened to the audio book) are truly a joy for me. Exploring the diverse themes of elite college sports, racial divides, the opioid crisis, Covid super spreaders, bank robbers and the energies particular cities carry. In true Gladwell fashion he dives deep into these themes only to pull them back together. It reads like fiction but damn the truth is scary.
"All Fours" by Miranda July
3 stars
Wow, this book was not what I expected and it totally surprised me! Maybe because the protagonist is in her early/mid-40s and wondering about reinventing herself for the 2nd half of life. Maybe because I can't imagine someone going off the rails so hard when they have so much to lose. It's funny with (a lot) of sex without being a full on RomCom. I breezed through "All Fours" mostly because it was weird AF and I wanted to see how it all turned out.
"The Ministry of Time" Kaliane Bradley
4 stars
Time travel…but make it cute, romantic and British. I enjoyed this fresh take on time travel and pulling someone from one generation to the next. Tender and heart warming with a few action packed scenes, plus a big plot twist at the end. I feel like this will be a movie (but of course I'll never see it!)
Monthly book total: 4
Annual book total: 47