Oh hey, I read books in August but didn’t post them anywhere. So how can I remember it happened?!?
By the numbers: 6 total, 4 by women, 1 by POC, 2 nonfiction, 0 YA, 0 middle grade, 0 Five Stars. Click on titles to find books on bookshop.org (no affiliation links).
The Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
Yeah, yeah, zombie apocalypse, we’ve seen this before. But WAIT! This book is narrated by a (formerly) pet crow. Funny and weird.
3 1/2 stars
The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
This book was disturbing and thought provoking without being scary. Most of the twists - except maybe the last two - are predictable. The book flirts with nihilism and prods the reader to think about belief and facts and trust.
2 1/2 stars
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
A young couple’s young marriage is trampled when the husband is falsely accused & convicted of rape. The story follows them through his imprisonment & release, sharing multiple perspectives on love & loyalty & home. Beautifully written. Induces righteous anger, deep-in-the-gut sadness, resigned contentment.
4 stars
And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts
This was a re-read for me. I first read this book as a teenager; it shook me to my core and prompted me to consider medicine as a career. This time around, it remained compelling and enraging. I was uncomfortable with some of the treatment of some individuals who contracted the virus, and there is a slightly dated feel to how he describes homosexual culture; you definitely gets the sense that he expects his readers to find it distasteful? With those caveats, it is a must read of US history. Made all the more poignant that Randy Shilts was eventually diagnosed with HIV and died of AIDS.
4 stars
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
Yes, this is a novel by the creator of The Moomins. Sadly, there are no hippo-trolls. Happily, there is an angry young girl and her cantankerous grandmother, exploring their island home, having mild scrapes and contemplating mortality. The writing is understated, which makes the occasional slip of the knife all the more cutting. A book that grows in the soul long after you close the cover.
4 stars
In the Country of Women by Susan Straight
I found this book captivating but uneven. I loved learning all of the stories/histories of the author’s many extended family members, loved much of the writing, loved the photos (please, all nonfiction writers - include visual aides!!), loved when she directly addressed her now grown daughters. But somehow it didn’t quite exceed the sum of its parts.
3 stars
My rating scale, for all media:
1 star - Did Not Like
2 star - Fine
3 star - Liked
4 star - Loved
5 star - Personal All Time Classic
All images link to titles at bookshop.org, similar shipping to <ahem> larger retailers, but with products sold by indie bookstores; they also have their own eReader. For audiobooks, I recommend libro.fm. And most of all I recommend being a frequent patron of your local library. Most libraries also loan out digital texts, and the Libby app for reading library eBooks is as good or better than Kindle/Nook.