“If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” – J.K. Rowling

Tyler and I spent last week visiting his side of the family in Florida. I was hoping to get this book report pushed out during the week as well as hit my usually scheduled Friday post, but we didn’t really have much downtime! In any case, here are the books I read last month!

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde – This is a heavy, dense collection of speeches, essays, and letters that I’ve been reading for the past few months. Because it’s a collection, it’s easy to read a little at a time and I’d recommend doing it that way to make sure you have time to reflect and absorb. Audre Lorde was a Black, lesbian poet and she talks extensively in these writings about intersectional feminism, the differences of what white women face vs. what Black women face vs. what gay women face. While I am not the intended audience for all of these writings, several are directed at her fellow Black women, I found it a super interesting and informative look at her experience and peeling back the layers past what we typically see or read about in the mainstream anti-racism books. Audre was a poet so her language is not strictly academic, but she was also a teacher so you definitely catch that in her writing as well. I would recommend if you are interested in personal experience with intersectional feminism. But I know this book won’t be for everyone.

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus – This book was a fun, quick read. I won’t call it totally light-hearted, because it deals with some ugly and brutal family secrets. But it is about a group of teenaged cousins set during the summer on a remote island somewhere off the coast of New England. So there’s plenty of teenage drama and fun mixed into the heavier stuff. I read it pretty quickly and would definitely recommend if you are a fan of mystery/suspense, but are looking for something that isn’t a twisted as Gone Girl! Good summer read.

The Lost Girls of Devon by Barbara O’Neal – The story follows a family of women who struggle with mother/daughter relationships and a mysterious disappearance in their small town on the coast of England. I found the intergenerational dynamics of each woman’s story intertwined with the others to be really interesting and realistic. And the way their personal stories were set against the over the background story of a missing woman raised the stakes. This is the second book by O’Neal that I’ve read and mostly enjoyed. The conclusions that I’ve drawn is that she knows how to write a really good and engaging book, but not really how to end a book. This one was similar to When We Were Mermaids in that I was so drawn into the story and the mystery and drama that I couldn’t put it down. And then all of a sudden everything gets wrapped up neatly in a bow in the last 30 pages or so. So if you like a really interesting quick read without an intricate and sophisticated ending, you will love this book!

Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson – I started a new fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson that I’ve had recommended to me several times. Way of Kings is the first book and, as with almost all new fantasy or sci-fi series, it takes a bit to get into the new world and the new rules of the world. I found this one kind of skipped over a lot of exposition to set the scene, but that meant it leaves the reader responsible for putting things together based on the action. The world has been shaped by intense storm fronts that sweep through the landscape at fairly frequent but not regular intervals. These highstorms dominate the landscape, so all soil has been scoured away and plants grow directly out of the rock. They also have the ability to retract to escape the destructive winds and rain. There is a war that has been waging for 6 years, a dominant religion in the region, old forgotten history that made it’s way into common lore, and mysterious powers that manifest. I’d say this book was super slow to get going but once it did, it really picked up speed fast. I am very excited to get into the second book!

The Meaning of Mariah by Mariah Carey – I listened to this on audiobook while cleaning the house or out walking with the dog. I think listening to Mariah tell her own story gives it a little extra punch, with her putting the right inflection and tone in the right spots, even singing at certain points. I had really high hopes for this book, but…I just didn’t like it. While the individual stories are good and I’m sure an honest reflection of Mariah’s personal experiences, the writing was just so bad. It read like a cross between a little girl’s overly dramatic diary entries and a middle schooler’s essay dripping with metaphors and similes. Like…nothing escaped description by simile. Or sometimes multiple similes. It also jumped around a lot as well, so it was difficult to really follow a chronological thread through the book. And, as I listened to it, I was mentally editing the manuscript. Deleting repetitive sentences or rearranging paragraphs so they story flowed better without interruption. I’m sure it would have been even worse if I was actually reading it on a page. My other issue with the book is that Mariah takes every opportunity to blame other people for the scandals and missteps in her career. I’m sure she had people try to sabotage or give her really bad advice, but she really took the time to call out almost every negative headline about her through the years and place the blame squarely on someone else’s shoulders. It just rubbed the the wrong way. So…in conclusion…probably a fun read or listen if you are a big Mariah fan. But maybe a “don’t read” if you are a writer, or even writer-adjacent, because you will pull your hair out and wonder why she didn’t hire a good ghost writer or, perhaps, listen to the one she did have.