Book Blog: December 2022
I can’t believe it’s the end of the year, but in December I plowed through 13 fantastic books, my favorites highlighted below. Best of the year book blog dropping shortly (and here’s to a 2023 with more variety on the blog again)…
Fiction
Lessons in Chemistry (Bonnie Garmus): This was such a sweet and surprising love story but not a love story. Set in the 1950s and 60s, Elizabeth Zott is a chemist and researcher sick of the misogyny and discrimination with an entirely male staff at her research institute. But she also soldiers on regardless, happy to stick up for what’s right, even if that means arguing with Calvin Evans, the institute’s star scientist. Also quirky, judgmental and unique, it takes a chance meeting for them to talk as colleagues, not just as enemies. This book was sweet and sad, and at the end it felt like a beautiful story of our relationship to ourselves as well as to others.
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories (Agatha Christie): This was such a fantastic collection of stories, and collections of stories have never been a favorite of mine. But Miss Marple is such a fun detective, *and* for some reason I think Christie writes her with more wit and passion than Poirot or some of her other detectives.
One note — Some of these stories come from other collections, so the #s that Goodreads shows can be helpful so you’re not buying duplicates of the same story!
Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow (Gabrielle Zevin): This was such an epic book and brought back all of the lates 90s/early aughts memories. Sadie and Sam met as kids at a children’s’ hospital and bonded over video games, and this is the thread of their lives in the following two-ish decades of the book. When they meet again in Boston in college, they decide to start making games together, and their relationship shifts and changes in different ways as they discover who they actually are. The time-specific details and the creative writing styles of the different sections really made it come alive, though I did feel like it dragged along a little bit towards the end. But it was an enjoyable read!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Taylor Jenkins Reid): This book started on a fast track and just kept moving along at a pretty good clip for the entire almost 400-pages. Monique, a journalist, is asked by famous movie star Evelyn Hugo to do a piece on her. But Evelyn then reveals that she wants Monique to write her biography. BUT WHY? I got caught up in that for a bit, but then got sucked into Evelyn’s story and her seven(!) husbands. The story comes around nicely and I thought it was a touching story about a movie star that isn’t so perfect after all (but nobody is).
Non-fiction
The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel (Kati Marton): This book was a fantastic biography and given the limitations of writing about Merkel (her extreme privacy) I felt like I got to know the Kanzlerin in a different light. I have long admired her humility, doggedness and determination, and how she cleverly subverts so many macho heads of state she must endure. The quips made me laugh out loud (like how she compares herself to an energy saving lamp!) but I was also struck by how seriously she takes the history of her country, how she went against popular opinions related to refugees, and was horrified when the new AfD party started to win seats in the Bundestag. Her quiet dignity and care shine in Marton’s words.
The Queen: Her Life (Andrew Morton): I wouldn’t consider myself a monarchist, but this spontaneous airport bookstore purchase was an EXCELLENT choice and a fascinating (though favorable) journey through Queen Elizabeth II’s life. I am a big fan of the show The Crown, but this went to a different level, especially as relates to Elizabeth’s early years, her relationship to her parents, and her struggles with her sister and her children (sadly, hardly anything devoted to Anne and Edward and much more to the two more dramatic and problematic sons, Charles and Andrew). Morton is clearly in favor of the monarchy, but even given that I felt it was a fairly balanced portrayal, though certainly streamlined for length.
How Iceland Changed the World (Egill Bjarnason): This was a fun and quirky book about how events in Iceland impacted the broader world. From writing novels to gender equality, Iceland was at the forefront of many things, whether because of their position on the globe or the entrepreneurial style of the people. Having visited Iceland many of the places came alive in a different way, but it would also get you excited for a trip!
Sex Cult Nun (Faith Jones): Though I had heard about the Children of God in popular media, I didn’t have any specific knowledge of the cult. Faith Jones, the granddaughter of prophet Moses David, tells about growing up in the cult, from depravation to child rape to being prevented from basic education. Jones exposes the cult for what it was.
I’m Glad My Mom Died (Jennette McCurdy): This book was heartbreaking and startling and a reminder why even famous or rich kids can be victims of abuse. Though I’m a bit too old(?) to have watched McCurdy’s main work in iCarly and related kids’ shows, she began acting at the age of six, driven by a fame-conscious mother who taught her to restrict calories, showered her until she was 16 so she didn’t “do it wrong,” and pressured her daughter to support their family of 6. I was incredibly uncomfortable — both physically and emotionally — reading this book, but I believe that is the point and why I kept reading. That McCurdy found a way to move forward after her mom’s death is why I stuck with it, and it was worth it.
Wishing you the happiest of new years and that 2023 brings joy and blessings to all of us!
S
