What I Read: October - December 2021

It felt like I didn’t get much reading done this fall/winter, but when I compiled this list I read some great things. I still feel like I’m in a rut. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to sit and read and lose myself in the pages of a story for an hour or two. Part of that has been due to life changes, and while the things I’ve read have been mostly good, it has been a while since I’ve read something that has grabbed me in the feels in the weird and wonderful way I love most. Fingers are crossed for some really tremendous books in 2022.

October

Please Don’t Sit On My Bed In Your Outside Clothes: Essays, by Phoebe Robinson - Phoebe is hilarious. In this essay collection, which I highly recommend listening to, she shares covid and quarantine thoughts, lovely and honest reflections on her relationship, and so much more.

One Punch Man Vol. 1 & 2 - I’d never read manga before. Someone recommended One Punch Man to me, and hearing it was about a guy who decided to become a super hero just for fun, who trains so hard he goes bald, and knocks everyone in every fight out in just one punch so now he’s bored, I was interested. The art is great, the humor is dry and clever, and the storyline is engaging. It’s like rooting for the underdog, except Saitama is actually the strongest of them all, but he really doesn’t want to miss the sales at the grocery store.

Personal Effects: What Recovering the Dead Teaches Me About Caring for the Living, by Robert A. Jensen - This was a fascinating listen. I wrote more about this book on Instagram here, but to give a little bit, Jensen is in charge of disaster management so whenever there is a large scale issue (think hurricane Katrina, 9/11, a mass shooting etc…the worst moments of our collective memories), he is there navigating and implementing the logistics of finding the dead, communicating with the governing laws, helping to obtain reliefs and more. It is intense, but also one of the most interesting things I’ve ever read.

Leave the World Behind, by Rumaan Alam - I loved this novel. It was interesting, weird, compelling, and great on audio. Wrote a little review here, but think this would be a great book for someone who’s looking for an end of the world story that is a little bit literary, and not necessarily optimistic. I enjoyed it.

The Survivors, by Alex Schulman - Wrote about this one here, and the more time goes by the more it is fading from my mind. I think it was fine, maybe just not the right book for me at the right time. Worth trying though if you like stories of family secrets, dual points in time, and a quieter tone to your mysteries.

I Hope This Finds You Well: Poems, by Kate Baer - A creative poetry collection, I received an ARC of this to review and I enjoyed it. It is short and clever and poignant as Baer’s poetry is. In this collection she took DM’s she has received on Instagram and used them to create poetry. The original message is on one page and the poem she turns it into is on the opposite. The juxtaposition is my favorite part. A great little book.

Sunny Makes a Splash, by Jennifer L. Holm - Fun graphic novel in a series. In this one, Sunny works at a swimming pool. She earns money, learns more about responsibility, deals with her parents and some frustrations experienced at home, and has some romance. Set in the 70’s this is a fun series for middle grade readers and I enjoy it as a break between more serious reading.

The Anthropocene Reviewed, by John Green - I enjoyed this one and wrote about it here a little. I would love to see another volume of these reviews and it had me thinking about what I would rate elements of my life. Highly recommend the audiobook.

Reprieve, by James Han Mattson - I wanted this one to be more, but I think that was my fault. My assumptions about what the book was were off going into it so my expectations were set in the wrong place. I wanted a horror novel to give me the spooky spooks that was captivating entertainment, and instead, this was a more literary horror adjacent suspense read. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it just wasn’t what I was looking for. Had my expectations been more accurate I think I would’ve enjoyed it more than I did. All that being said, if you’re looking for something a little bit spooky that also makes you examine societal injustice, unrequited love, the tiny things that add up to create dangerous action, you’ll probably enjoy this book.

November

The Tea Dragon Festival, by K. O’Neill - A delight of a graphic novel/large comic geared to a younger audience but a complete treat and escape. Love it. Such gorgeous illustrations. Highly recommend.

No One Returns from the Enchanted Forest, by Robin Robinson - Cute graphic novel about a mystical critter that needs to save her sister and save her world and stumbles into a completely unexpected situation. Magic and fantasy, family dynamics and great illustrations as well.

A Slow Fire Burning, by Paula Hawkins - I haven’t had a whole lot of luck with mystery or thriller books lately. It’s been difficult for them to keep my attention, and while this was just fine for me, it might be a good fit for you. If you like mysteries where someone has died, a handful of people could have been involved and everyone has secrets to hide this could be a winner for you.

One Punch Man Volumes 3 - 11 - Saitama is up to more cool things, trying to fight more bad guys, figure out how to be the best hero and find an opponent that makes fighting fun or challenging again. Great Manga and I’m always entertained by how this character has so much expression in his face when it is often drawn with just a couple of lines.

Murder on Cold Street, by Sherry Thomas - This is the 5th book in the Lady Sherlock series, which I highly recommend you read in order and on audio if you have that option available. The series is a gender swapped Sherlock Holmes retelling in which a lot of wonderful shenanigans ensue and the bad guys get caught by a lot of clever thinking and the tropes that Sherlock fans love will be there and if you just enjoy a good mystery or victorian times, you should try these. I love them.

December

Miss Moriarty, I Presume?, by Sherry Thomas - The 6th and most recent book in the series. In this one, Mr. Moriarty himself enlists Charlotte to find his daughter. She has become involved with a cult and as you can imagine, all is not what it seems to be. Loved it.

One Punch Man Volumes 12 - 20 - Saitama continues to explore the ways he can be a better hero, and the world expands too. Other heroes, the system of organizing them, the other organizations both good and bad that dispatch heroes and monsters are given much more space in these volumes of the mange. It is still a very fun read and, while Saitama does not feature quite as prominently as he did in earlier books, it’s a great story and very entertaining.

The Sunny Nihilist: A Declaration of the Pleasure of Pointlessness, by Wendy Syfret - This was an ALC I received from Libro.fm that I enjoyed much more than I expected to. Nihilism can be a really depressing thing to consider, but I find it very beneficial to put a critical eye to what you think matters, what you have decided gives your life meaning, and in this book, Syfret manages to discuss how relenting on some of those things is actually rather freeing. I like thinking of it as finding just the right amount of indifference to not be stuck in an anxiety spiral of pressure. I liked it.

101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think, by Brianna Weist - This was excellent. I listened to it on Hoopla through my library, then ordered a copy and have been revisiting these essays in recent weeks. I loved it a lot. It is way more than I expected it to be and discusses ways to be a healthy person, socially and emotionally intelligent, and sort out yourself in practical and encouraging ways without being woo-woo or cheesy, it’s just really solid content that I needed and am enjoying and finding incredibly beneficial. Wrote about it here on instagram too. Highly recommend.

Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor - Super fun and quick sci-fi novella. Listened to this through Hoopla from my library and am eager to get to the other two books/novellas in the trilogy. Binti has the great tropes of being the lone person thrown into a new situation, but in space and with incredible cultural detail. I’m not describing it well, but it’s great and you should give it a try if you like science fiction, need something quick to get lost into, or like stories with unlikely heros with excellent skills and wonderful worldbuilding.

The Comfort Book, by Matt Haig - I needed this in my life. Wrote a smidge on instagram here, but it is a book of comfort. Haig has been through a lot. His reflections are helpful, encouraging, and none of them are very long. I read it in chunks but it would also be great to do one piece at a time. There’s not quite essays, but almost. So so so glad I found this.

All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business, by Mel Brooks - Wrote a little about this one on instagram here, but it is sooooo entertaining and fun! If you need a memoir, want to read a behind the scenes story, see how the work goes into making things like movies and comedy, or have any fondness for Mel Brooks’ work you should grab this on audio. It really is a treat.