What I Read: June - September 2021

I had lots of reading for work this summer, but ended up to read these also:

Fugitive Telemetry (murderbot #6), by Martha Wells - I love the Murderbot Diaries series. This one is a full length novel and was just as amazing as I’d hoped for. Great for listening, the audiobooks are a treat and all narrated by the same person. A snarky self-aware security bot has to continually decide how involved to get in the dramatics of human frailty and do the job assigned. Very fun.

On Juneteenth, by Annette Gordon-Reed - Educational for me, and short, I will likely read this again. It’s hard for me to retain history, but this is a great entry place in understanding more about Juneteenth.

The Listening Path, by Julia Cameron - An interesting book. Content is directly related to folks who have read and/or practiced the Artist’s Way. I have not, but still found the specific types of listening that Cameron describes to be interesting, if somewhat repetitive. Great way to work on developing more meaningful and lasting relationships and connections, and trust in yourself.

The Multi-Hyphen Life, by Emma Gannon - Another interesting one about developing more life skills. This is more business focused and talks about how Gannon specifically was able to create a life in which her career has many umbrellas. There are parts of this book that have great practical advice, and that also talk about how to balance or work on constructing and discovering the directions the reader might want to take their professional career. Prompted lots of thought in how we exchange time from our life for money in which to sustain it.

Academ’s Fury, and Cursor’s Fury, by Jim Butcher - Jim Butcher’s books are just a fun place to escape to. I heard this series was the result of a dare Butcher was given to blend Pokemon with the setting and political cultures of Ancient Rome. It’s entertaining and as the books continue, the world widens and is fun to explore.

Midnight, Water City, by Chris McKinney - Loved this one. Creative, inventive and set far in the future. Blends the noir/P.I. style of narrative with science fiction in a way that was new to me. The story follows a detective who is suddenly being chased,

Don’t Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender, and the Body, by Savala Nolan - Wonderful essay collection narrated by the author.

The Temple House Vanishing, by Rachel Donohue - Interesting gothic-esque mystery. Didn’t quite hit the thriller vibe for me but I was entertained by it. Atmopsheric story of a girl who vanishes with her teacher from boarding school, and nobody knows what happened. Their disappearance has taken on a legendary quality, and at the 25th anniversary the case is regaining attention. Told in alternating perspectives.

The Truth of You (poetry), by Iain S. Thomas - Comforting short book of poems. Accessible and original. I liked them.

The Last Nomad: Coming of Age in the Somali Desert, by Shugri Said Sahl - I wrote about this book here.

Assembly, by Natasha Brown - This is the most literary thing I’ve read in a while. I’m not sure it totally landed for me, but it was a really interesting look at the way folks are writing about life as it currently is in more high brow and deeply contemplative than I have been reading lately.

How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope (poetry), Edited by James Crews - This is a great collection with a forward by Ross Gay. Poems included come from such talented folks as Amanda Gorman, Tracy K. Smith, Jane Hirshield, and lots more. An uplifting and affirming collection that would be a great gift or to dip in and out of whenever you want to read some poetry.

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That A Movement Forgot, by Mikki Kendall - Fascinating and unflinching. Kendall says all the things and looks at all the ways that white feminism leaves minorities and those in poverty and a huge range of other circumstances out of the loop. Examining the ways in which white feminism fails, Kendall clearly and succinctly explains how linked issues are and provides solutions for how to actually go about lifting people together rather than only benefiting a few. Very interesting food for thought.

Black Nerd Problems, by William Evans and Omar Holmon - This is a hilarious collection of essays. I’d highly recommend you get it on audio if you can as Evans and Holmon narrate their work brilliantly. Examining nerd culture from the point of view of Black men is a perspective I hadn’t read before and appreciated. The nuance and humor here are delightful. I hadn’t heard of these guys before and very much enjoyed listening to their essays.

A Carnival of Snackery: Diaries 2003-2020, by David Sedaris - David Sedaris is one of my personal favorites. He is grating and upfront and not for everyone. He is hilarious, crude, observant, and interesting. I appreciated his previous collection of diaries and think reading it helped me to understand writing in a better way. Not that I’m a great writer yet by any means, but it was interesting to see him develop over this period of time as he becomes more well known and those experiences he has on tours, being recognized, and in his professional persona are detailed in this collection more. I like how honest Sedaris is - even when he comes off as a bit of an ass, or a complete ass too, he just writes what happens and what he thinks or thought, and that type of honesty is something I think is useful to see demonstrated. I definitely did not agree with all of his opinions expressed in this collection and there were times where I thought, gee, David, you’re really gonna say that? But those moments made me ask myself, could I ever be able to achieve that level of frankness about myself, my feelings, my actions, and others? I also really enjoy the random things he notices and chose to include in this collection. Reading Sedaris always makes me want to be more observant. People are funny and strange.

The Heart Principle, by Helen Hoang - Cute and fast romance. I like how Hoang includes folks in her romance stories that aren’t typically main characters. She features people with real limitations and that makes them more relatable to me. In this story, the main character is suffering from burnout - she’s a violinist who had a video go viral and she hasn’t been able to pick up her violin since. She’s overwhelmed from family and self-imposed pressures, and when her boyfriend decides he wants an open relationship, she has to confront some things. Elderly parents are also part of the story, and the discussions of family pressures, end of life care, and that feeling of life passing by without being able to grab a meaningful hold on it, were poignant. Still, the romance between her and the motorcycle riding, tatted up guy she gets involved with is the focus of the story and it is a delight to see how the two of them navigate misunderstandings, their differences, and how they make and hold space for each other. I don’t think you need to read the others in the “series” at all the enjoy this one.