Stay inside and read books

Last month, I ended a months-long writing drought and discussed my word of the year: purposeful. To that end, I am setting three achievable goals each month, and one for February was to write here at least once. Yet here I sit at my computer, the words stuck in my head on February 26th.

So I’m falling back on an area where I’m kicking ass – reading. We’ve seen no snow this winter, but the rain and the looming pandemic is enough to make me want to curl up on my couch and escape into a book.

I’ve read eleven and listened to four books in the first two months of 2020. Of the fifteen books, three were two-star (meh) reads, nine were three-star (good) reads, and three were four-star (great) reads. I’m recommending the four-star books and the best of the three-stars.

If you’re looking for historical fiction with quirky characters…

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

I was not a fan of Eat Pray Love, so I was not optimistic about Gilbert’s turn to fiction. I was happily surprised! The narrator Vivian Morris is the star of this novel, and she is a delight in all her flaws. 

Beginning in 1940 when teenage Vivian is kicked out of Vassar and sent to live in New York City with her aunt, the novel follows Vivian and a motley cast of characters as they navigate the theater scene in the greatest city in the world. I did think the pace was off – slow to start and then a rush to the finish – but a thoroughly enjoyable journey nonetheless. I wasn’t expecting to be so touched at the end, although I do wish she had gotten there a bit more quickly. Worth the 470 pages, but don’t feel guilty about skimming a bit in the middle.

If you want a fast-paced mystery…

Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald

This mystery/thriller was definitely a page turner – perfect read for a long flight or when you want a book that will grab you right away. Well written with interesting characters, this novel is fairly formulaic as far as thrillers go. Mom has a mysterious past, there are bad guys and maybe-they-aren’t-really-good-but-bad guys, lots of family secrets, and the heroine’s memory loss – all combine to create a fast moving plot that kept me interested. I figured out most of the mystery early, but it was still enjoyable getting to the reveal. I appreciated the complexity of the female characters in particular – there are no stereotypical damsels in distress. If you’re looking for a quick, engrossing read, pick this one up.

If you want to get deep and meaningful…

On Living by Kerry Egan

This is a beautiful slip of a book. You may assume a collection of experiences written by a hospice chaplain would be depressing, but it is anything but. Egan writes that “…hospice chaplains are sort of the opposite of storytellers. We’re story holders.”

Egan holds those stories with respect and compassion, writing with thoughtful wisdom and grace as she strives to find meaning in the act of living. I often finished chapters with a “hmmm” or a nod of the head, or a contented sigh. Egan has learned so much about living from those she helps with “the spiritual work of dying,” and she passes on these lessons to the reader. This is a very different book for me, and I loved it.

If you like a memoir…

Becoming by Michelle Obama (audio)

Everyone knows about this book, and if you are interested in reading, you’ve probably already read it. I finally listened to it, and I loved it all – Michelle’s narration, her tales of growing up, her experiences as a professional, as a mother, as a wife, as a first lady. So, so good. 

If you want your heart warmed…

When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald

This book is not about Vikings. It’s about Zelda, who is twenty-one years old, born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and obsessed with Vikings. She lives with her older brother Gert, and he’s getting into some shady business to support their little family. Zelda goes on a mission to help him, as a good Viking would do.

Zelda is a delightful narrator, and this novel gave me all the feels. I challenge you to read it without getting all the feels too.

If you want to explore another culture…

A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum (audio)

This novel follows three generations of Palestinian women, from the Middle East to Brooklyn. In 2009, eighteen year old Deya is meeting with marriage suitors in her insular Brooklyn community. She doesn’t want the same fate as her mother, who died in a car accident with her father a decade earlier. Narrating between Deya and her mother Isra, this book is decidedly bleak, but not without hope. I knew nothing about the Palestinian culture and the subservience under which so many women live, and part of the reason I read is to expand my mind beyond my own little bubble. This is not a cheery book, but it is a compelling and important one. 

What have you read this year that you’d recommend? Let me know in the comments – my to-read list is always growing!