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 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.

February's Book - Americanah

In February I finished only one book and it was a good one. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah. It gets four and a half stars on Amazon, and has been a best seller since it came out in 2014. It's the first book I read from this author and I was very impressed. She has a nice clean writing style and a lot of very insightful social and race commentary. The book is a love story and a story of immigration and return to the homeland. Adichie is Nigerian, highly educated in the U.S., and writes about African people and culture. For me it was somewhat eyeopening to read this book, and I'm almost ashamed to say that I was so ignorant about current day Africa that it changed my view of it a little. We only hear about the catastrophes, genocides, starvation, and wars, and not enough about the every day life of Africans. I will definitely read more of her books to educate myself, and expect it to be a fun and rewarding educational experience. She has also emerged as a speaker for women's rights, delivering the TED talk (which I've yet to see - but will watch soon, with my 14-year old daughter) "We should all be feminists", the title which was famously taken for the Dior t-shirt, and parts of which were used  for a Beyonce song. I will definitely be interestedly following her career to see what she does or writes next.

The Good Girl

"I cannot remember the books that I've read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me." Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am sure that this book (The Good Girl by Mary Kubica) will be a movie. I had the movie flashing in my eyes while reading it. Or maybe it was very similar to some movie I've seen..I can't really tell, but all I could think when reading the Good Girl was that it was like a movie. It's a kidnapping thriller written from three different characters' perspective, and the story moves to before and after the kidnapping.  It's one of those books that I read very superficially, and will probably forget pretty soon. Even the twist on the last page was not that surprising. It would probably actually be a much better movie than a book. This book has been compared to Gone Girl, but I don't think that it comes close. The Gone Girl developed its characters much better than this one, and was a book you're not going to soon forget. In sum, I wouldn't recommend this book if you have access to something that might be better. If it's the only book available in a hotel library, and you need a book by the pool, then go ahead, it's a quick and light read, and you can skip ahead some of the more boring parts in the middle...