Book Report the Fourth

Thanks to Facebook for reminding me that I do this book report every October.

Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3

Apparently this past year has been a big year for books for me. I had a good dose of fiction, non-fiction, self-help, classics, and super-trendies. Some good, some garbage, some good garbage. So, without further ado, all the books I read in the last 12 months and what I thought of them.

1. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marsha Pessl - This one just sort of fell into my lap with no introduction, but within a couple pages I was hooked. The plot centers on a teenage girl named Blue who is brilliant and clever and fills the story with who knows how many cultural and intellectual references. The plot kept me on my toes as Blue figures out what is going on in the life of the hippest albeit inappropriate film-studies teacher at the high school, and what led to her demise. It's dark with death and mystery and heartbreak, and a few rich-kid characters that made me glad I grew up in southern Idaho. A delightful surprise of a read.

2. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough - I read this wishing I had more time to read about history. I feel about these kinds of books the way I feel about watching multi-part documentaries on PBS. I know I'd love to learn about important historical stuff that sheds light on our society or our world, but isn't there something else I should be doing right now? I know, it's terrible. Accordingly, I slogged through this one. That says nothing about how much I did actually enjoy reading this fascinating story of how these two dedicated bike-mechanic brothers put their lives in jeopardy, in miserable conditions, in order to travel by air. And the drama (and tragedy) that came with trying to be the ones to do it the longest and farthest. If biographies are your thing, definitely read this one.

3. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff - This was compared by many to Gone Girl, and I couldn't disagree more, aside from the fact that it was a story told through two spouses. Far fewer thrills in this one, but the beauty was in the play between the passionate and the subtle. I wasn't expecting to read through so many sex scenes, to be honest, so know what you're getting into. As I predicted after finishing it just before Christmas, it's one of those books I've mostly forgotten by now, though at the time I thoroughly enjoyed it.

4. Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart - I was really excited about this one as it's based on the true story of Constance Kopp, the first female sheriff in the U.S. The first few pages were written with an ease of wit and humor that I found delightful. Unfortunately the humor that captured me tapered off a bit as the plot thickened. Still, it was a charming bit of historical fiction. A few loose ends were left in the end, and I can only assume that these things will be addressed in the sequel, which I may or may not read.

5. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson - Of this list of books, this ranks toward the top. If you want to read a really engaging, thought-provoking book, read this. The main character dies at birth in chapter one but lives in chapter two, only to die again. Each chapter explores the lives of those around her and her effect on their outcomes, depending on her fate, ultimately spanning the two world wars.

6. Yes Please by Amy Poehler - This memoir is exactly what you would expect. It's full of tangential humor and you can hear Amy through it very clearly. I enjoy indulging in this stuff as a palate cleanser between big, heavy books. Plus, I've really come to love Amy over the years after initially being skeptical of her when she first joined SNL. It was inspiring to read about her work ethic and about being a woman in comedy - all the now-famous people she started out with, her friendship with Tina Fey, her work with the Upright Citizens Brigade, etc. It wasn't a memoir that featured some big life tragedy or epiphany, as memoirs often have. It was more of a happy childhood followed by taking risks, making connections, being real about life and how it sucks, and being alive during an exciting era in comedy. So, good job, Amy Poehler. Fun photos, too.

7. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker - A sweet story that was made less sweet by the daughter character. I wanted to slap her. How a man like her father raised such an ingrate (though her character is redeemed later) is beyond me. Otherwise it's a wonderful love story set in Burma in the 1950s. 

8. Spark Joy by Marie Kondo - There's a real industry for getting us to think about our stuff. From minimalism to zero-waste homes, I get at once enthralled and repulsed. I think this book was a little bit of fresh air because it wasn't so much about getting rid of the stuff you don't need, but appreciating the things that bring you great joy, and filling your home with only those things. I've only gotten as far as the clothes part (and it's something I assess on a regular basis), and they're all still folded in my drawers in need little rectangles. It brings intentionality to homemaking rather than the "get organized" or "de-clutter" mentality. It also honors those things that may once have had meaning in your life, but no longer do. If you hear me whispering "thank you" while standing over old high school papers in the recycling bin, it's because of Marie Kondo.

9. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates - Dear everyone in America: PLEASEREADTHISBOOK. Thanks.

10. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith - God bless my high school friend Robin who keeps me true to the sensibilities of High School Liz, a girl characterized by her love of all things nostalgic, dreamy and old-fashioned, because she loaned me this book and I felt parts of my brain light up that had been dark since the last time I read Anne of Green Gables. Dodie Smith is better known for having written The Hundred and One Dalmations, but more should know about this one. I at once identified with the main character Cassandra and her penchant for journal-writing, along with her wittiness and self deprecation. Her journal is where she "captures" scenes from her daily life, which is lived in a dilapidated castle and surrounding area of a small village in England with her eccentric family. It's hilarious, sweet, tragic, and strikes my heart-strings just right.

11. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - I wanted to read something that everyone was talking about, and this one happened to be available at the library. The only thing I really took away from it was a heightened appreciation for things I take for granted in everyday transportation that quadriplegics and their care-givers have to plan for in great detail. The love story felt thin and unrealistic, and I felt my eyes rolling one-too-many times. Somehow, I finished it. I decided I didn't want to see the movie, or read the sequel.

12. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara - This would be another book near the top of the list this year, but proceed thoughtfully if you decide to check it out. It will be gut-wrenching, and you need to be prepared that there are some horrible scenes - not just in a bruised-and-bloody, physical sense, but emotionally as well. I couldn't hold back the tears after feeling immense hopelessness for one of the main characters, in a way that made me think in new ways about friendship, love, family, and accountability. One of many great quotes: "[T]he only trick of friendship, I think, is to find people who are better than you are—not smarter, not cooler, but kinder, and more generous, and more forgiving—and then to appreciate them for what they can teach you, and to try to listen to them when they tell you something about yourself, no matter how bad—or good—it might be, and to trust them, which is the hardest thing of all. But the best, as well."

13. The Course of Love by Alain de Botton - I have loved de Botton for years, ever since I was introduced to How Proust Can Change Your Life. He's my favorite explainer of philosophy, and in the last few years he's developed The School of Life and its online partner, The Book of Life, which applies much of his philosophical explanations into digestible lessons (with fun videos) about how to live, love, and work, among other things. This book felt like an extension of that project, and it was a quick read filled with epiphanies related to the particular tendencies of humans in relationships. I loved his suggestion that your partner should consider your act of moping as a compliment, because it implies that you believe he knows you so deeply that of course he'd understand why you are so upset. It's the perfect book for people who don't take self-help books too seriously but still love reading them (hello). This is one I'll revisit every few years, I'm sure.

14. The Solace of Stones: Finding a Way Through Wilderness by Julie Riddle - It's a crazy feeling to read a memoir written by your coworker because you come back to work each day after reading the night before and are like, WHOA. I've always known she is a gifted writer, but getting this intimate glimpse into a friend and colleague's life is an unusual, humbling honor. I am proud to know the woman behind the words, whose life experiences are surely making other women feel less alone.

15. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler - In the months leading up to summer I felt this strong urge to spend the hot months reading noir. Instead, I spent the summer trying to fall asleep at night. Reading something called The Big Sleep during the wee hours when I couldn't sleep was a cruel irony. Of course, the book had nothing to do with sleep, and everything to do with darkness. Certain passages were so delicious that if Joel was still awake, I would read them aloud. Ahem: "It was about eleven o'clock in the morning, mid October, with the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills. I was wearing my powder-blue suit, with dark blue shirt, tie and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark little clocks on them. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn't care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars." How does that not strike one's fancy?

16. Say Goodnight to Insomnia by Gregg D. Jacobs, Ph.D. - This book saved me. I came across it through NPR (which made me feel a little better about Jacobs' credibility), and it was like a light that took me through a dark, two-month-long tunnel of insomnia. I'm sure I will continue to experience nights like the ones I experienced this past summer, but I feel incredibly empowered with what I learned in this book through its principles of cognitive behavioral therapy. Jacobs takes you through the facts - how our minds and bodies rest, what sleep does for us, and how sleeping pills are only treating symptoms and often do more harm than good. He also debunks the myth that we need eight hours of sleep, and how the stress of believing we need a solid eight hours is actually making things worse for insomniacs like me. Turns out, a five-and-a-half hour night is all our brains need to fully recharge. Six hours is better, and seven is optimal. Eight hours or more can actually start to do damage. From there, it's all about achieving 90% sleep efficiency (i.e., insomnia is defined by sleep efficiency, i.e., the time spent in bed not sleeping vs. sleeping - you want to spend more time in bed actually sleeping, obviously), which happens through sleep scheduling and sleep hygiene. This meant that for a couple weeks, I stayed up past 11 p.m. or close to midnight to pressure my body into sleep mode, and then gradually went to bed earlier as my sleep efficiency increased. And if I lay awake longer than 20 minutes, I would go into another room and read for about a half hour, then go back to bed and try again (you repeat this pattern until you fall asleep). It took about six or seven weeks before I started going back to bed at my normal time and falling asleep within 20 minutes (the goal). I now average about six and a half hours of sleep each night, which is enough for me to feel refreshed and like myself. This whole process also brought a more regular practice of mindful meditation into my life. It wasn't the most fun read, but it was the most important one.

17. A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers - This was perfectly enjoyable. Call me a Dave Eggers fan, because I've liked everything I've read from him. It's a book that makes a statement, but not always in the way you might think. Because I knew of the movie adaptation first, I couldn't help but picture the main character as Tom Hanks, but it was a wonderful casting choice. If you don't feel like reading the book, go ahead and watch the movie because it followed the book well.

18. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Frye by Rachel Joyce - If you love stories about old British people coming to terms with their past, this is the book for you. I found it begging to be made into a movie starring Jim Broadbent. The premise is an endearing one: a man sets out to say his final goodbye to a former coworker, whose hospice is on the opposite tip of England, bringing nothing but the clothes on his back and unsuitable boating shoes on his feet - not even a cell phone. You don't know why he feels the need to say goodbye in person, but as the pilgrimage continues, you learn about the years since he last saw her, and the wife he's grown apart from. Great book club material.

19. The Turner House by Angela Flournoy - There are two phrases that keep getting stuck in my head as a result of this book: "There ain't no haints in Detroit," and "There truly ain't no party like a Turner house party." Beautifully written fiction about the life of a family in Detroit: how they got there, the ways they try to escape, and the ghosts they must reckon with in order to live a fulfilled life. You should read it, if only to give me someone to talk about it with.