Book Blog: March and April 2024
So I’m not going to lie — it’s been a really tough few months in many different parts of life. That’s for another blog. But it’s that sort of tough where I’m all about things that help me feel a little bit better, including 23 books. When reality is bad, fiction is the perfect escape! Let’s just get to the books…
Fiction
Curtain (Agatha Christie): I can’t believe I’m through all 44 Poirot books (to the best of my knowledge…), and what an ending to it! Christie completely outdoes herself with the finale in the series, weaving together important threads from the past, connecting Poirot and Hastings again, and back to Styles, where it all began. While I feel like most Poirot books can be read in any order, this was best to leave for the end.
Severance (Ling Ma): This was perhaps one of the weirdest books I can remember reading in recent years, but holy heck it was so odd to read a pandemic book that was written more than two years before the COVID-19 pandemic. If you feel centered enough and through all of your pandemic feels to dig into the dystopia, Candace’s story and her telling of it was riveting. Ma’s atmosphere draws you in and good luck stopping once you pick it up.
The Dutch House (Ann Patchett): Even though the story is about a house, the beauty of Patchett’s book is the relationship between narrator Danny and his sister Maeve. Though their lives are privileged in many ways, they are lost and never quite fit anywhere outside of The Dutch House, bought by their father and taken over by their stepmother after his death. Patchett’s stories are, as always, about relationships and rarely driven by plot. If that’s your style, this is a beautifully written book for you.
Hello, Beautiful (Ann Napolitano): Wow! After an unsuccessful go at Napolitano’s Dear Edward, I’m glad that a friend recommended Hello Beautiful because it was a fantastic novel! Hello Beautiful follows the four Padavano sisters (loosely modeled on the March sisters from Little Women) Julia, Sylvie, Emeline, and Cecelia and a young man named William who isn’t fully sure how to interact with them. This is one of those beautiful character study books where we watch a family grow and contract across time, so if you most love plot-driven fiction, this probably isn’t for you. But if you love the rich inner workings of humans across time, this is exactly the book you should read next!
The Twist of a Knife (Anthony Horowitz): I feel like such a fangirl, but Horowitz again plays with the mystery genre in so many fun ways! In this latest in the Hawthorne + Horowitz series, the author’s newest play has launched in London but after a very negative first night review, Horowitz is accused of murdering the critic and is promptly arrested. Again he is *in* the murder mystery, trying to solve it (with some cheeky references to previous books in the series). We also get a bit of a glimpse into Hawthorne that we haven’t had before, so I’m excited to see how his character is developed in future books.
Non-Fiction
Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life (Louise Aronson): Like Being Mortal or That Good Night, Elderhood feels like a required read if you or someone you love is “old” (so probably most everyone). Aronson speaks from her decades of clinical experience, but draws other domains from history, anthropology, and even poetry. With two parents and two parents-in-law in their seventies, this book had important philosophical and practical considerations that will be of immediate help to my husband and I as we support our parents.
Rick Steves’ Europe 101: History and Art for the Traveler (Rick Steves): This book was the book I didn’t think I needed — a history of art and history from prehistory through the 20th century. The book provides enough details to help you understand without overwhelming you, and the book is full of the regular witticisms and Dad puns that Steves is known for. It wove together a lot of threads and helped me expand my thinking on other types of art that were less familiar to me. It wasn’t a boring research book at all, but a good intro for an art newbie like me.
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness (Jonathan Haidt): One of this year’s buzziest books about one of our toughest topics, I was riveted by Haidt’s (sometimes too) deep dive into the evolution of technology and all of the correlations that point to his four new rules for kids and tech: (1) No smart phones before high school; (2) No social media before age 16; (3) Phone-free schools; (4) More independence and play for kids. As both my husband and I work in tech, I couldn’t agree more! Yes, there are so many benefits and wondeful things to technology, but those are much better when handled by an adult brain. This feels like a must-read for parents no matter how young your kids are.
Saturated Facts (Idrees Mughal): This book was clear, succinct, and quickly debunked popular health trends and fads with facts! What keeps (re)occuring to me is that true health data isn’t surprising or sexy, but a list of good practices that we’ve probably heard before. Instead of adhering to those things that we know work, we’re always seeking a pill or a practice that will make us live longer or lose weight or build more muscle. After following Dr Idz on Instagram I was thrilled to get into a deeper dive in his book. If you, like me, have been fooled my health misinformation, you need to read this book.
In the Name of the Children: An FBI Agent’s Relentless Pursuit of the Nation’s Worst Predators (Jeffrey L. Rinek and Marilee Strong): Such a heartbreaking book on so many levels. FBI Agent Jeffrey Rinek spends most of his time as an agent investing crimes against children, including murder, disappearances, and sex crimes. Somehow he is able to bring empathy to whatever he does, even though his work takes a huge toll on his mental health and, at times, his family. The writing was clear and crisp and used some of his cases to demonstrate the horrible hurt that some inflict on children. It sounds like he has since retired, so I wish him a peaceful life following his incredible service.
Sending you wishes for another lovely few months of reading and hoping for a bit of good news soon!
Cheers, Sarah
