January Reading

January has been a pretty good reading month. I've been able to finish several books. One of my 40x40 goals is to read at least one "spiritual" book per month... and let's just say... I technically have 7 days left. I actually have two spiritual books underway (one of which is feeling especially looooong), and there's a chance I will finish them both in February. I'm not picky about the timeline as long as I get through 12 of them by the end of the year. 

A conversation I often find myself in with other readers is one where the other person expresses their dislike for "sad" books. I never know what to do in those conversations. This happened the other night at book club while we were making our list of books for the year. Someone always brings up the fact that they don't want to read sad books. I wouldn't say I intentionally seek out sad books, but I prefer to feel something when I read. Strong emotion is part of what draws me to books. This reminded me of something my friend, Amy, wrote in my copy of The Book Thief in 2011 (which happens to be what my book club read this month):

"I want books to disturb me. Make me think, sob, ache, remember. Help me to understand the nature of my own sorrows... Books that don't disturb don't CHANGE..."

Spot on, Amy. Twelve years later. 

Here are some of the books that disturbed me this month:

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post 

by Allison Pataki

(Historical fiction, chick-lit)

Audiobook

My rating: ****

This novel is based on the life of Marjorie Post - the heiress of the Post cereal company. It's a bit of a coming of age tale, as it begins with Marjorie as a young teen and follows her through life. The story is a bit slow-moving in a way that feels painful through the journey, but you're glad you went through it at the end. 

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain

(Historical fiction, mystery thriller, civil rights)

My rating: ****

The Last House on the Street features a dual timeline - one being 1965 where Ellie Hockley defies her parents wishes by fighting for civil rights and volunteering to help resister black voters, the other in 2010 where Kayla, after experiencing the loss of her husband in a tragic accident, moves into the new home they were building together to be met with harassment from people in the community. 

I wasn't sure how the two stories would finally come together, as it felt like two very different genres were trying to mesh, but it worked in the end!

Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman

(young adult, survival)

My rating: 3.5 stars

Forget serial killers and ghosts. This is the kind of book that truly scares me. In this story, Southern California loses running water during a drought, and society wreaks havoc on itself. 

I'm now fighting off every impulse to hoard water and ammo in an underground bunker (or am I?) Just take a moment right now to be grateful for water and the ease at which we get it! 

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

(mystery, paranormal)

My rating: ****

This book has been on my "to read" list for a long time, and I finally got around to it this month. Shea is a true crime blogger, and one day, she meets a woman who was acquitted of two cold case slayings in the 70's. Shea ends up digging into the murders and trying to figure out what really happened. 

There were some aspects of this book that didn't work so well for me (it includes some paranormal activity that I feel doesn't fit well with "true crime") but it was an entertaining read overall. 

For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing

(thriller)

My rating: 3.5 stars

Teddy is a creepy teacher who does weird things and people end up dead. I am still processing this book. Did I like it? Or was it utterly ridiculous? I just finished it this morning, and I honestly can't decide. Teddy is just really twisted and awful, and I had to push through because I needed to see what would happen to him. 

Other than really bad behavior and a few swear words, this book was relatively clean for a thriller. 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

(Historical, humor, feminism)

My rating: ****

You all know I'm not a fan of cartoony book covers, right? I was assured by multiple sources that this book doesn't fit the standard cartoony book cover stereotype. I want to call this book "cute," but that's not really the right word for it. While it has a certain element of cuteness, the main character, Elizabeth, is pretty bad ass. Excuse my word choice, but there's no better way to put it. 

Elizabeth is trying to make her way in the field of science in the 1960's and is met with a whole lot of misogyny. She can't gain the education, nor the career she wants, but she knows that no matter what anyone else says, she is a chemist. 

The story has some Big Bang Theory vibes while being a little less silly. It's actually quite a sad book (heaven forbid), although humorous. There is some sex and a lot of language as well as sexual assault. 

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

(historical fiction, social justice)

My rating: ****

Civil Townsend works for a family planning clinic in post-segregation Alabama. One day she is assigned to administer birth control injections to two young girls, and she starts to consider the ethics of some of the things her clinic is taking part in. 

This book opened my eyes to a part of history I didn't know much about - including the Tuskagee syphilis study and the forced sterilization of minorities throughout the 20th century. 

The second half of the book dragged a little since it delved into a lengthy court battle, but it was a really good book on a hard topic. It definitely gave me some things to think about. The book was pretty clean, but it discusses a lot of sex ed content in depth, so that's just something to be mindful of. 

The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

(Young adult, search and rescue, mystery thriller)

Audiobook

My rating: ****

As a child, Kira was found living alone and wild in the woods. Years later, after being adopted by Cady Bennett, Kira works with dogs to do search and rescue. Cady and Kira are called out to help find a young missing girl, where they discover that several people have gone missing over the years in the same area. 

I had a really hard time focusing on this book because I tried listening to it while my mind was occupied with other things. As a result, I missed a lot. I wish I would have read a hard copy instead of listening to the audiobook. It was a good book, though... I think.