My Summer Reads (and a Listen)

 My summer reads have been a bit lighter than my usual fare, and I have to say that I enjoyed them thoroughly. 

The first one was Sex and Vanity, by Kevin Kwan (the Crazy Rich Asians author). It's a romantic story about very rich people, in jet set locations such as Capri and the Hamptons, but it also weaves in a storyline of racism and a satire of status-obsessed snobs. It's a well written book and a delight to read, it could have been slightly shorter, but nevertheless it was the perfect beach read, particularly read on a beach not too far from the Hamptons (but still a world away). I expect this to be made into a rom-com movie. 

The second book was Beach Read by Emily Henry. I loved this one! So fun, like laugh-out-loud fun, and a nicely building romance. Also well written and a delight to read. A perfect COVID-escape. If I had anything to critique about this book, it's the name which is a bit confusing. I will definitely check out future books from Emily Henry. 

The third one was an audio book that I listened to mostly on long walks with my dog Coco. Untamed by Glennon Doyle. I don't know if I would have enjoyed reading the book, it's possible that I wouldn't have, but it was perfect for listening. I guess this book is in the self help category. I didn't pick it because I needed the help, but because it was all over the internet and it popped up as available on my Libby app. I did enjoy listening to it, and it definitely had a good message to be true to yourself, be brave in not conforming to what society or other people expect from you, but living your truth. The focus was on women and the ridiculous expectations on girls and women. Good reminder to listen to your heart, and not let the pressure get to you. 

Books: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

I had seen this book on the recommended reading lists for a long time, but never picked it up until after it was recommended to me by my cousin. And I'm so glad that she mentioned it and that I picked it up! This is a well written book, almost chick-lit, but better. Gail Honeyman is a wonderful Scottish writer, and I actually learned a lot of new words. It was good that I read this book in the electronic version as it was much easier to look up the words by highlighting straight from the text. This is Gail's first book, and she won the Costa First Novel Award. The story addresses loneliness, which is not a sexy topic, but very timely especially given the social isolation we're experiencing at the moment. It's not a fun story, but the book is both funny and heartbreaking at the same time. It's a quick read, but stays with you for a while after reading. Strong recommendation.

Books: Daisy Jones and the Six

I picked up Daisy Jones and the Six from the online library after I had seen it in every book store in London. I hadn't read any reviews and didn't know what the book was about, the only thing I knew was that it was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick, and since I've liked her picks before I decided to give it try. When I started reading I was a bit confused...is this a real documentary about a band that I  had never heard of? I had to look it up, and found out it's fiction. But it is very realistic and the concept is clever. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a very good writer. It does take a little time to get used to the interview concept but after a while I quite liked it. The pacing of the book is a bit uneven, and I think it probably could have been slightly shorter, but overall I enjoyed it.

Books: Where the Crawdads Sing

I've been trying to get my hands on this book for a long time, and finally was able to get it via the e-library. I heard so many things about this book; how wonderful it is; it was Reese Witherspoon book club pick, and subsequently it's been reported that she's making a movie of it. Anyway, after all the hype for the past couple years, I was dying to read the book. So....did it live up to the hype? Yes and no. Delia Owens is a wonderful writer, and her language and story telling is beautiful. The story is initially heartbreaking, and then very intriguing. The nature description is gorgeous. But I don't know if the story itself was always that believable. A girl lives alone in a shack with no electricity, no running water, almost no human contact since she's around 9 or 10 years old. She never gets ill, never sees a doctor, the community makes a feeble attempt to get her to go to school but then abandons her. She's shy and introverted, but doesn't go crazy from the loneliness. At times I couldn't help myself but wonder if this is really plausible in real life. Maybe I'm just too naive. But, despite this doubt, I was totally sucked in by the story, and enjoyed the book very much. 

Books: Circe

Circe was the second book I finished this year. I actually started Circe last fall, but even though I found it intriguing, I didn't really get going reading it until the electronic loan got returned. It stayed in my mind though, and I borrowed it again from the digital library early this year. Now I had more time to really get into it, and once you get sucked in, it's hard to let go. This is by far the best book I've read in years (since the Goldfinch!). It tells the story of the witch Circe, with whom Odysseus spent a year on her island.   My knowledge of Greek mythology is not very strong, and I found myself googling some of the gods and goddesses mentioned in the story. But no matter, the book is a stunner, whether you're a fan of mythology or not. In the hands of the author Madeline Miller, Circe is described as a strong character, a feminist and very relatable and human despite her goddess abilities. I loved this book so much that I now want to read Miller's earlier books as well. What an enjoyable education in Greek mythology!

Book Review: Fire and Fury

I’m trying to keep up and document each book I read, so here goes another book review. I finished Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury Inside the Trump White House in the plane coming back from California. Unless you’re really living under a rock you’ve heard about this book when it came out in early January. There was a big media circus because Trump reportedly tried to stop its publication. 

The book promises shocking revelations about the Trump campaign, presidency and white house dysfunction. To me it wasn’t really that shocking. Maybe because my opinion about Trump is so low that I find nothing about him shocking anymore, or maybe because I've been following the news in quiet (or not so quiet) desperation. But it is very interesting to get a confirmation to the suspicion that he really did not intend to win the election, was not planning to be a president, and that he has no clue about any policy issues, nor any interest or patience to learn about them. He really just is all about sound bites, ranting and raving, and acting whichever way he thinks will bring him the most instant gratification. 

The book spends a lot of time discussing the warring factions of the white house, where it seems nobody is working together towards the same goals, but everyone is just grabbing power and working cross purposes in utter dysfunction. For us democrats that’s good news as it means that they (republicans) won’t be able to get much (damage) done. 

Although the writing is good on its face (and the vocabulary is interesting - I think I learned a few new words), the book was a little tedious at times, went off in tangents that didn't always add much to the story, and was very repetitious. The book could have lost at least a third of its length to good editing. However, I think it's an important book to read if you are interested in politics and really want to understand the current president and the people around him. 

Books I've Read Recently II: The Rules of Magic

The second book I read in January was Alice Hoffman's The Rules of Magic. I read it without knowing that it's actually a prequel to Hoffman's previous book, Practical Magic, which I have not read. Since I liked the Rules of Magic, I now may have to read Practical Magic too.
The Rules of Magic tells about siblings from New York City who were born to a family that has witches in their bloodline, and a curse about falling in love. The book is a pretty simple love story and coming of age story jumping between two sisters and a brother. I like Hoffman's style of writing, which is like a fairy tale for adults. This book is a little confection, mostly light and sweet and delectable. The characters are likable, well developed and I had a hard time putting the book down. I have a few books on my reading list, but I will definitely add Practical Magic to that list too.

Books I have read recently: The Story of a Beautiful Girl

Clarification: Take the term "recently" in the title to mean a timeframe meaning the past few months. I've been so lazy blogging that I haven't documented any of the books I've read, which have been numerous. Anyway, I will try to remedy the situation by picking a few of the best books to share.

The first is the Story of the Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon. This book came out in 2012, and my cousin mentioned it to me a while back. I finally read it this past summer and it's a lovely book written about a topic that hasn't got a lot of coverage in the world of literature. It's the story of a girl with developmental disability, and her love story with a deaf man. It's also the story of the institutions that housed people with developmental disabilities, and the horrible things that happened in those places. I felt the book captured the voice and feeling of its subjects well although it's not the most sophisticated writing. It's full of humanity, and understanding. I highly recommend this book.

There's Nothing Quite Like a Good Book

Losing yourself in a good book is the greatest feeling you can have. I have a lot of time to read during my commute to the City, so I'm always on the look-out for good books that can take me away from the commuting misery. One such book that I recently finished was Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch. She won the Pulitzer prize for the book and it's well deserved. She writes with beautiful language, and makes people and places really come vividly alive. You can feel what they feel, understand why they feel it and really lose yourself in their story. Some people have criticized that the book is too long, but I don't agree. I didn't even feel that it was long. And as always, when you finish an extraordinary book, you mourn the ending of it, and having to let go of it. That's how I felt when the Goldfinch ended. It is hard to find something else to read after a book like that, because it's so easy to fall flat. I guess I should find something in a totally different genre, a chicklit, or maybe something non-fiction. Any recommendations?

Not the Usual Beach Read

I recently finished reading a book about Pekka Herlin, the a Finnish industrial magnate who inherited the elevator company Kone. As you may know, Kone today is one of the largest elevator and escalator companies in the world, employing over 35000 people globally. 
 
As I get older I am more and more interested in books about real people; there are so many amazing stories and so much to learn from many remarkable people. There is also something very comforting to know that people can achieve so much despite their flaws. 
 
This book was written after Herlin's death; it was commissioned by his family to celebrate his life's work, which was creating the first truly global Finnish company, and in the process help tremendously advance and develop the Finnish economy and corporate landscape. He helped bring Finland into the modern competitive business environment, which was an amazing accomplishment, given the situation of the country after the second world war, and after the Finnish winter war with Russia. His success in business is astonishing, but what's even more remarkable, is that he was also a successful farmer, a successful competitive sailor who won many races, and a father to five children. It puts to shame my eternal complaint that I don't have enough time to do it all - and I only have one job and three kids. 
 
What is surprising about the book is how candidly it describes Pekka Herlin's interesting and deeply divided personality. His strengths were keen intelligence and a powerful drive, but he also had many flaws and weaknesses that made him very difficult to live with; among the worst of which was his addiction to alcohol. 
 
Unfortunately the book, Koneen Ruhtinas, is only available in Finnish. 

Pekka Herlin or James Dean?