Y’all, it is DECEMBER
FIRST. Crazy, right? I was going to write about the end of the calendar year
and the beginning of Advent and highlight a few titles I read, but then I
remembered that I also went to the Texas Book Festival and maybe should write about
that. Then I realized that I had read ten books this month, which is a nice
round number, and that I hadn’t really done a straight-up list for any of my
posts yet this year. (which is surprising, given that that’s what I expected
all of them to be when I started this project). So I give you: The Penultimate
Pile.
- Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay. I listened to this on audio, and really enjoyed parts of it. It’s a nice conglomeration of essays on a variety of topics, from pink to scrabble to the Hunger Games franchise – and of course, feminism. I found her overly critical and negative at times, which made the book feel more like a rant in places. But I’m glad I’ve read it, as it’s very popular and I like to be informed.
- In the Country We Love by Diane Guerrero. As soon as I heard Diane Guerrero would be coming to the Texas Book Festival I knew I had to read her book! She tells her story of growing up as an American citizen with two undocumented Colombian parents who are eventually deported one day while she is at school. Ignored by the government and living with friends until she graduates from high school, Diane tells her story of overcoming personal, mental and familial struggles to become the television star and activist she is today.
- Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell. I watched the first season of the show because it’s a cultural icon I knew little about. Found out it was a book and obviously had to check it out. I’m not a quitter so I finished it…but that may be the most positive thing I have to say about it.
- Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung. WOW. It is exactly what the subtitle promises: “A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem.” I loved it. DeYoung doesn’t promise to be an exemplar of his own concepts, but he outlines the root of our addiction to busyness and how it eats away at our lives and, eventually, our souls. After all, how we spend our days is how we spend our lives.
- Liturgy of the Ordinary. Y’all, buy this book. Read it. Take its message to heart. Tish is a wonderful, brilliant, friend who wrote about how we meet God in our everyday, mundane, repetitive lives. Did you know our day-to-day life mirrors the sacred liturgy? (you would if read the book). I’ve been waiting for this since I knew she was writing it – so for over a year. It did not disappoint. One of my top three books for this year.
- Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar Capon. Food, community, faith. Need I say more? Recipes are interspersed with prayers, social commentary, practical advice on throwing a dinner party, and what it means to be human. So fantastic.
- Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer. My love of popular memoirs once again shows itself… listened to this on audio and I have to say I did enjoy it. Definitely more colorful than I’d prefer, but I can’t say I didn’t expect it. It was more serious than I expected, but in a good way. And it certainly isn’t without funny parts. Not as funny as Bossypants or either of Mindy Kaling’s books, though.
- Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson. This is Woodson’s most recent title, which I purchased (and had signed) at the TBF. It’s an ode to growing up, to Brooklyn, and to memory. The prose is lyrical and the relationships are beautiful. I really don’t think this woman can write anything less than phenomenal.
- The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf. Hey, remember back in July when I said I started The Voyage Out because I missed reading Woolf? So I finally finished it! Yay! But also, plot twist: it has a totally tragic ending. (sorry, minor spoilers there). I really, really, loved this one. It’s definitely not as finessed as her later works, and the narrative is more straightforward – which is nice – but still, Woolf’s prose is beautiful and her characters complex. I definitely identified with Rachel, the protagonist, and loved following her (slowly!) throughout the course of the book.
- Grantchester Mysteries by James Runcie. Embarrassing truth: Jojo sent me this book in June (May?) and I just now read it this month… and I haven’t seen the show (yet?). This tome of six brief episodic country mysteries was fun, light, enjoyable and cozy. This priest/amateur sleuth is perfect to the point of being ridiculous on many occasions, but overall these stories are so sweet, even if they are a bit predictable. Curl up with it on these dark winter nights – it’s fun!
So there you have it. How
many books will I read in December? Will I run out of space in my
notebook-turned-book-log? Only time will tell…
