Reviewed: My January Reading (What I Loved...and What I Didn't.)

 

Hi friends!  I hope everyone had an enjoyable January, with loads of time spent snug and warm in their favorite reading spots.  I sure did!    My favorite reading memory in January was sitting in the glider rocker in my bedroom early in the mornings, coffee to my side, both miniature Aussies asleep on the floor to my other side, and our heaviest sherpa blanket across my lap.  Out my window was another blanket: a bluish-white snow blanket that absolutely covered every object as the last of the moonlight shone down.  I had quite a few of those lovely experiences in January.

Today I'm here to follow up on my proposed reading for the month, offering up my reviews for the books that I actually ended up reading.   You can click the image of each book cover to be taken to its Amazon page.  But first, let me point you to the oh-so-simple way that I rate books:

DNF    I did not finish this book and don't feel that it would be fair to assign it a number rating.

1/5     I really disliked this book.

2/5    I didn't care for this book.

3/5    I liked this book.

4/5    I really liked this book.

5/5    I loved this book.

Okay, let's get to it!

Too many words about a book that stayed with me this month:

I waited twenty-two weeks to read "Tom Lake" before it became available on my library holds list, and in that time I heard a lot of people reference it. I saw it on many "Best of 2023" lists, and I knew that Meryl Streep was the narrator. For whatever reason I don't often read the biggest books when they are new, so I was surprised at the experience of chomping at the bit, stalking my online holds list. My childhood self would have complained, "It's taking foreverrrrr!"  

At last, it finally came through. I hurriedly quit the book I was already reading and dove in!

In this story, the pandemic has brought Lara and Joe's three daughters home to their midwest farm. As they harvest cherries, the daughters beg Lara to tell them the story of her summer performing "Our Town" at a small theater in Michigan. She begins with her first experience acting in "Our Town" as a teenager, and we follow along as the back-and-forth timelines reveal Lara's short-lived acting career as a twenty-something.

The good about "Tom Lake": I've never heard a book narrated more beautifully. As the voice of this story, Meryl Streep was completely convincing, so carefully nuanced, and brought every character to life in the most believable way. It was like I was watching a movie while also hearing the thoughts of the main character. I'm certain that she will win awards for her work narrating this one.  

Ann Patchett's writing is unquestionably brilliant. Effortlessly immersive storytelling that felt like a hybrid between Barbara Kingsolver and Kristin Hannah. What a duo working together on this story! I can't praise Streep and Patchett enough for their masterful work.

The bad: There's a lot of agenda written into this story. The characters are incredibly worldly and unapologetically unlikeable. Fornicate because it's fun, let your teens scream and yell at you until you are afraid of them because that's just the way it goes, don't even have children because they hurt the environment...this worldview put forth is one that I am not onboard with. However, I know it's one that some people hold, and in terms of staying true to her characters, Patchett did that.

The only issue for me was the lack of character arc. There isn't much in the way of change or lessons to be learned. It's clear we are supposed to be satisfied with the protagonist choosing to quit acting and move to a simpler life on the farm (not a spoiler), but to quote "Everything Sad is Untrue," that ended up being a difference that didn't make much of a difference. In the end it was, "These people experienced this thing and made some bad choices and now I've told you about it." The daughters were moved emotionally but not changed by their mother's story. And then it was over.  

Content warnings: Some language, a few sexual references. However, all of that is tempered by the fact that the speaker is in her mid-50's. She is not gratuitous and mostly alludes to instances of intimacy.

My rating: 4/5

A lighthearted and comedic English mystery novel about an aristocratic family and a kidnapped pig. It was a little slow and a little boring, but I'm giving it an extra point for being a wholesome read. Highlights for me were the ample supply of colorful slang terms that I wasn't familiar with. Favorite quote: "Aren’t you rather tending to make a bit too much heavy weather over this?" (I like the phrase "making heavy weather" over something, to describe being dramatically upset.) If you are a fan of the classic dry comedy of errors, this might be a story for you.  

*This was a Close Reads book, so if you read it be sure to check out the corresponding podcasts for a fun discussion.

My rating: 3/5

I DNF'd this book but may go back to it some day.  There were a few different elements that I was not enjoying about the storytelling but now that it has been a few weeks I think it may have just been bad timing for me.  

My rating:  DNF

"Joan is Okay" is the story of a first-generation American doctor during the pandemic. Two pandemic stories in one month!  

This story details the months leading up to, and the months following the discovery of the virus. The interesting perspective here is centered around Joan's unique viewpoint of everything--and everyone--around her. Listening to this story, I got the sense that Joan was on the Autism spectrum, though it is never explicitly said. This felt very similar to the character of Molly Gray in "The Maid."  

There are a few layers of fresh perspective in this story: that of a Chinese family in America, of a female doctor, and of a woman who has a difficult time understanding how to interact with the world around her. The storytelling in this book was wonderful and the narration was great. There are no content warnings aside from a few instances of language. You get the author's opinion on the social and political response to the pandemic, but it is light-handed and there is no diatribe against those who disagree. "Joan is Okay" is an easy read but not fluff. I liked it! A Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club pick that I listened to on audio. Now I'm off to listen to the author talk on MMD. 

My rating: 4/5 

"H is for Hawk" has been on my radar since it came out in 2014, but there are only so many books one can fit in each year!  The topic of falconry interests me greatly so I have kept a mental note to get back around to it some day.  Finally etched onto my January 2024 reading list, I was excited to get to this story.

I DNF'd this book and am still processing the feelings of failure that are surrounding my reading experience.  The first 20% of the book focuses on "The Sword and the Stone" author T.H. White, primarily his sadistic and masochistic tendencies and how his life was riddled with torment by them.  Macdonald sprinkled in some of her story (the story that I was interested in), but focused mostly on White's tortured life.  

I was having such a hard time getting into the story, I switched to the Audible version at the 25% mark, which is free to listen to with membership.  I listened as I folded laundry and did dishes but continued to dislike being pulled out of the main story of Helen Macdonald's experience training a goshawk. It's clear that the author is interested in psychology and human behavior, as both are discussed as much as falconry.  I made it to the halfway point and then decided to DNF it.  Whenever I find myself not wanting to listen to a book (the easiest form of digesting a story for me), I know that it's not for me. But I do think this one would be a great fit for someone who: a.) Is interested in falconry, b.) Is interested in psychology, and c.) Likes quiet, slow-build stories.

My rating:  DNF (but really a 1/5 if I'm allowed to give it a rating after reading half)

"The Lost Bookshop" is a doozy of a book!   This one found its way to my list via the Amazon bestseller list for 2023.  

I love, love, love a story told from multiple perspectives and this one did a good job of covering all its bases.  Difficult to describe, I would say that this is the story of two women and their connection with an Irish bookshop.  One storyline takes place in Dublin and ranges from the 1920's to the end of WWII, while the other is a modern-day woman who makes her way to the same area in Ireland.  There is a third storyteller, a man, but he plays a more "supporting character" role overall. 

There is a magical component surrounding the bookshop in question and I am reluctant to reveal much about it for fear of spoiling the experience for someone else.  The story deals with themes of domestic violence and misogynistic abuse but also touches on endurance and how the kindness of others can help us to heal from past pains.  It's not a story about reading--more about book selling and the physical bookshop itself.

I'm feeling self-conscious about being overly critical of this one.  The author, Evie Woods, clearly worked hard to create this engaging story with an ingenious premise, so I don't want to come across harsh or disregard her accomplishment.  For me there were a few glaring issues, so I have to mention them along with the good.  Number one is the sexual content.  I can't speak to how graphic it is since I utilize my "skip ahead 15 seconds" button, but I believe there are four scenes in all.  So there's that.  

Number two is a pet peeve.  Things got a little sloppy toward the end of the book, both with story development and character believability.  I think this only jumped out at me because Woods did such a great job of showing and establishing who her characters were.  That made it obvious when she had them behave outside of their character in order to get the story to move to where she wanted it to go. My face crinkled up with incredulity at least three or four times during the last chapters.  But even with all that, I enjoyed the story overall.

My rating:  3/5

All in all I had a pretty good month of reading!  It always takes me a while to shake off the disappointment of DNFing a book, especially if it's one that I've heard a lot of good things about.  I wonder if I should have stuck with it; whether I was being too critical.  I think it's an internal battle between my desire to be thorough and my desire to not squander my reading time.

Last year I heard someone say, "If you read 50 books per year for 50 years, you'll only read 2,500 books in your lifetime," and I believe that realization has messed with my head a little.  Only 2,500 books in all, when there are millions of possibilities out there?!?  I think I am quitting books sooner than I would normally, simply because I don't want to waste my hours on a book that isn't satisfying.  Not when I could be reading something that I love! But as I reflect on that, I realize that there have been many times I struggled with a book but ended up so glad that I stuck with it. 

As I move forward, I want to look for the good in each story and not concern myself with what I could be missing out on.  Focus on the book in front of me.  But I do think that, for me, reluctance to pick a book up is a clear sign that something is amiss.  I don't mind reading hard stories.  I don't mind slow or quiet stories.  So if something about a story is making me not want to read, I am okay with saying, "This book is not for me right now."

Another truly exciting January happening is the first meeting of a new real life book club I'm a part of. Starting a book club has always been too scary for me to consider, with uncertainties ranging from my living room capacity to my ability to lead a discussion well.  A friend gave me the encouraging nudge that I needed to rally the courage and we went ahead and did the thing!  I'm pumped and praying that God will knit our hearts together as we read, discuss, and fellowship with one another.  Thinking of it reminds me of a quote that Anne Bogel ends each episode of "What Should I Read Next?" with:  

"As Rainer Maria Rilke said, 'Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.'”

It really is.  Happy reading, friends!

Look for my February TBR list tomorrow!