Oh my goodness, such good reading. I just finished Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & the Six and I’m having that afterglow that comes from reading something absolutely amazing. I tore through it like nobody’s business and it gave me that childhood feeling of just being absorbed completely in a book. Of course, the subject matter (all that sex, all those drugs, all that rock & roll) were nothing like my childhood reading — but the sensation of rapt reading: that was me at age 9.
The other book that’ll stay with me was The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker. I hosted a gathering shortly after reading it, and I gotta say: way better hosting because of it. Useful and thought-provoking ideas.
Here’s a full look at the month’s reading…
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
3 words: wry, ironic, grim humor
Give this book a whirl if you like… raw war stories, strong narrative voice, science fiction elements woven into a story, mid-century tone, books that keep you wondering
I read it because: book club
3 words: sympathetic, character study, emotional
Give this book a whirl if you like… troubled lives, people doing the best they can in difficult circumstances, immigration, Chinese-American experience, cross-cultural adoption, musicians, highly discussible books
I read it because: book club (re-read)
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
3 words: eye-opening, encouraging, life-changing
Give this book a whirl if you like… examining how our view of effort vs intelligence affects our learning, rethinking talent and intelligence, focusing on hard work
I read it because: I heard a book talk about it and was intrigued
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker
3 words: conversational, thought-provoking, intriguing
Give this book a whirl if you like… how to plan parties that are more meaningful and meetings that are more effective, new ways of conceptualizing gatherings, why being a benevolently bossy host can be best
I read it because: Daniel Pink recommended it in his newsletter
Southern Lady Code: Essays by Helen Ellis
3 words: witty, snarky, funny
Give this book a whirl if you like… smart, funny essays; hilarious, strange family stories; celebrating one’s own particular weirdness; well-crafted personal essays; a woman’s perspective
I read it because: I loved her book American Housewife
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
3 words: somber, intense, poignant
Give this book a whirl if you like… stories of the road, orphans, pre-teen narrator, the Great Depression, chosen family, fleeing by canoe, children’s friendships
I read it because: free ARC from a friend who scored it (how amazing is that?!)
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
3 words: creative, compulsively readable, fast-moving
Give this book a whirl if you like… rock stars; documentary / oral history format; grim humor; the creative life; sex, drugs, and rock & roll; 1970s pop culture
I read it because: all that buzz
What were your favorite books this month?
