Book Review // August 2022
“Bewilderment” by Richard Powers
After reading “The Overstory” by Richard Powers in February I was thrilled to get to another one of his novels. With rich prose and creative descriptions I loved the dynamic of a father and son learning about each other in the face of tragedy. Parts of the book were tender and loving while others were devastating and heartbreaking. At various points I longed to give the characters a hug for their circumstances. Although I loved the character development, it was the fullness of the scenes in nature that stood out the most for me.
“Ugly Love” by Colleen Hoover
Maybe I wasn’t in the mood for a romance thriller…even though this book was recommended to me by a friend. Straight up, I found this book awful and cheesy in a hetero-normalized, white-washed way. I wanted to finish it, but just couldn’t… I only got through a 1/3 of it before dropping out. It felt a bit like “50 Shades of Gray” (which I also found hilariously awful) and I found the plot dull and obvious. Maybe I could have held out longer but why bother? This is a good lesson that life is short, read books you like. If you don’t like a book, it’s okay to quit it and find something else. “Ugly Love” was just plain ugly.
“Come As You Are by “ Emily Nakoski, Ph.D
Considering I had just given up on a book that was rooted in sex, this was an ironic next read. But this book was professional, medical, helpful…not a cheesy fiction read. I actually learned more than I thought I would, which considering I’m 39 year old is a great thing! I’m grateful for honest information not just about sex but the emotions that go along with it. I heard Dr. Nakoski and her sister on the Brene Brown podcast so I knew a bit about their work. By empowering folks to have loving and fun sex, whatever that might look, like in a safe way, without judgment or stigma Dr. Nakasoki is encouraging us to explore another dimension of ourselves.
“Deep Work: Rules for Focus Success in a Distracted World” by Cal Newport
Some parts of this book resonated with me. Like the need to stop switching tasks so much so we can cognitively focus deeply on one task and do it really well. My main criticism is that it seemed to have written for white men of means. Of course men can do deep work, because they have a woman who is often tasked with the shallow work (which is code for “emotional labor” which is not valued as highly by the patriarchy) and running a household. I very much agree that we need to cut out BS activities like spending too much time scrolling social media and watching TV. As someone who takes time and care in regards to the deep emotional work (texting, calling, emailing friends and clients, sending birthday cards, setting up our family calendar, etc) I realize that some work is valued more than other. The author is a professor so there is an air of being aloof. This is a good read in many ways as I am someone who struggles to make blocks of time for uninterrupted work. But maybe this isn’t my nature…maybe I’m a female Gemini and a manifesting generator who loves to network and communicate. Some good things to think about but other details aren’t applicable given my personality and gender (and society’s views of the latter)
“Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood
A rec from a fellow dystopian loving book nerd. A bit slow to start but then it really got rolling and shi!t got weird. The thing I like about a dystopia world in the near future is that in a creepy way it seems plausible. It seems like we’re nearly there, that in our lifetime we’ll be so crazy that the new world is real. But this world we are in now, with so many weirdnesses, that you can order food, a car or a partner though an app on your phone is something that 40 years ago wasn’t even an idea. I’m so excited for the future…and I’m also terrified. And of course Margaret Atwood is brilliant and highly creative.
“Yerba Buena” by Nina LaCour
A light and quick read about love, vulnerability and family dynamics in over coming loss and navigating challenges. I loved the character development and attention to detail in scene descriptions of food, drink and flowers. Each of the main characters was loveable and flawed in her own way and this made their relationship that much more plausible. I needed this book after the weirdness of “Oryx and Crake”
“Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention - and How to Think Deeply Again” by Johann Hari
This book shook me at both a micro and macro level. I laughed at times because of Hari’s witty one-liners but also yelled alone in the car when I realized how between Big Tech and Big Agra are changing my attention span…and yours too. Yes, we can meditate and invite more calm attention to our lives daily. But the deck is stacked against us, with tech and food engineers working harder and with more sophisticated tactics to keep us engaged and distracted. You’re reading this from a screen so yes we need them in 2022, but social media and e-mail are like crack for our brains. The food system is producing nutrient poor food which doesn’t encourage our brain to focus. The work force of 40 hours and exhaustion isn’t allowing our bodies time to rest. I finished this book feeling frustrated but I found it fascinating. Now I’m left to ponder, “where do I go from here” for both myself and encouraging larger systemic change. Highly relevant no matter your job or role and especially for parents.
What books are you loving right now? Or are there ones that you didn’t enjoy? I look forward to your comments below.
Monthly Total: 7
Yearly Total: 49