1. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt - I don't say this very often, but what a masterpiece. When the movie came out, a friend of mine told me that the book is spectacular but they hated the movie. I didn't hate the movie - I actually found it really interesting, but it loses focus and I think tries to encompass too much. The attempt is understandable, now that I've read it. It spans many years, and tells a very unbelievable, but quite epic, story. I think the casting is a big misfire except for Nicole Kidman. Other than the comparison to the movie, I just really, really enjoyed reading this. It's so beautifully and poetically written, the characters are all fully-fleshed out, and it's just a really interestingly layered story.
2. Supermarket, Bobby Hall - I love the style of writing - the flow of it, including the distractions, is exactly how I prefer to write (obviously, as you can tell). But, this takes it one step further because he's still a character, since it's not an autobiography, so he's imagining this writer's distractions. It feels a little immature sometimes, so I have to remind myself that it's about people in their early 20s. Bobby Hall (aka Logic) said in an interview that Taron Egerton is attached to the movie version (although I think he may have slipped with that information because it hasn't been announced yet), which is why I read this. I kind of wish a certain movie isn't mentioned on the back cover because that instantly gives away what is going on (although I think it's pretty obvious, but I can't tell because I was already spoiled by the damn back cover!). A movie version could be really good and Taron would kill this role (although, he might be too old now?).
3. The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath - It's actually quite odd that I haven't read this book in its entirety. I think I've just read selected passages for schoolwork and assumed that I had read it all. I bought it recently, thinking that it's something that should be in my collection, but then I started reading the synopsis and I realized that it was definitely new to me. Stunningly written, and so rare for such honesty about mental illness at the time, it's simply heartbreaking.
4. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley - A sci-fi classic that I'm glad I revisited. It's insane how relevant this feels to our current world. I actually forgot just how truly bizarre it is, so it was really fun to reread it. Just brilliant stuff.
5. The Romanov Sisters, Helen Rappaport - A really dense read, so much detail and depth in the writing - which is obviously a good thing. I don't know much about Russian history other than notable events taught in school (which consists of blips and important dates). So a lot of this felt like new information. Obviously I know who the Romanovs are, and I know all of the conspiracy theories etc. I also watched that recent mini-series, which is what peaked my interest in this. But I still learned quite a lot about this family, and Russian history (like, way more than I was expecting) and it's ALL so fascinating.
6. Normal People, Sally Rooney - I really wanted to read this to get more insight into the characters, specifically Marianne, so I thought the book would give that to me. But oddly, I think the mini-series does the characters more justice. I do like how this is written, though. And I love that the time jumps are part of the book (I thought that was a nuance of the series). And I do think they did a superb job with the casting of these two characters - although it's hard to judge considering I saw the show first, but they are exactly as described in the book (but I still think Daisy Edgar-Jones is way too pretty)
7. Circe, Madeline Miller - Just so fucking beautiful and brilliant, I don't even have the proper words. I love the idea of it - that Miller takes these seemingly lesser characters from major works of mythology, and makes them the main character. I never would have given a second thought to Circe, but now I think she's fucking rad as fuck. Like, hero level idolization of this complicated but strong, brilliant goddess. She's evil, but the good kind of evil - and also, evil because the world around her forces her to be this way. It also showcases that motherly bond that's very human and relatable. I loved every second of it.
8. In With the Devil, James Keene - Not really much into the whole True Crime phase that everyone else seems to be into, but I read this for the obvious reason (Taron Egerton is starring in the Apple+ miniseries adaptation,. I know, I know...I'm such a loser). The story is fascinating, but it's not really that well written - incredibly repetitive and obviously one-sided. He definitely has some sort of hero complex that is disturbing and it erases the fact that he is a criminal who is deserving of his prison sentence (although I won't deny that the entire prison system needs to be reformed). But if the mini-series has a Mindhunter vibe, then it could be excellent (*crosses fingers*).
9. I Am, I Am, I Am, Maggie O'Farrell - Just so beautiful - the first chapter made me sob hysterically. The idea is so good - one of those that I wish I thought of first and I also want to copy. I could easily write a book about all the times I've "almost" died (and I'm only 40!), but more importantly I *think* I could write a good book. Probably not as good as this, though. The rest of it doesn't hit quite as hard as the first chapter, but it's really brilliant overall.
10. Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M., Sam Wasson - Wasn't Audrey Hepburn just divine? That's really all I have to say about this. I read this over the summer, and I honestly don't remember much of it so I guess that tells you all you need to know. I don't think there is really any new information here, if you've studied film history, but if you haven't, it might be fun to see the innerworkings of creating Breakfast at Tiffany's.
11. In a Dark Dark Wood, Ruth Ware - I like the suspense of it that starts right from the beginning. This is one of those twisty thrillers that could be made into a tv miniseries starring Nicole Kidman (I feel like she's the queen of these type shows, recently). And while I like the mystery - it does feel like completely and utterly unrealistic (why on Earth did this woman agree to go to this? No sane person would do this.). The characters are little stiff, too, but I think that could easily be fixed with a miniseries.
12. A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara- Honestly the most depressing and traumatizing thing I've ever read. It's stunningly written - but I can't in good conscience recommend it to anyone (especially anyone who experienced childhood trauma and has had a history of suicidal thoughts). And just when you think it couldn't possibly get any sadder, it does, in a flash of a paragraph that I had to read 3 times just to be sure that I did indeed read the saddest paragraph of my entire life. It was like a fucking punch to the gut. Every single page is just miserable.
13. Natalie Wood: The Complete Biography, Suzanne Finstad - I didn't expect to read another book about child abuse - I had no idea how awful Wood's mother was. And how abusive her dad was. And how people assumed that there might be sexual abuse in her past too?? Jesus. Questionable relationship with Frank Sinatra, exploited by Nicholas Ray, allegedly raped by Kirk Douglas (the rape is featured in the book, but he is not named). All before the age of 18. Her greatest fear was drowning in dark water. Multiple suicide attempts. It's just all so fascinating - even before it starts to discuss the events around her death. But massively depressing. I've always been convinced that Robert Wagner killed Wood (I also assumed he had been abusive to her before her death), but I definitely started to question things while reading this. I now think she either fell off the boat or they did get into a fight and he pushed her (not intending to kill her), but because of an insane amount of alcohol consumed they (Wagner and the driver of the boat) didn't take her seriously as she splashed around. She died because of his stupidity, which isn't much better than being murdered, I guess. And he did an abysmal job at covering it up, but because he's famous he was somehow able to evade legitimate questions about her death. I'm also up in the air about Christopher Walken's involvement - I do think he was probably asleep, but why didn't he publicly question things more and demand answers? Anyway, she was so stunningly beautiful, though. I watched Splendor in the Grass after finishing this and just fell in love with her.
14. Lost and Wanted, Nell Freudenberger - I'm not sure how this ended up in my "to read" pile (did I like the cover? Did I read about it prior to buying it? I have no idea). It's about a very scientific woman being visited by the ghost of her recently deceased best friend. There's a lot about it that reminded me of my college bff, and that made it interesting to read. But, no matter how "scientific" you make it, I'll just never believe in ghosts, so I'm glad they give a real answer for what is going on. I like the way it's written. It's a very easy read - even with all of the physics terms, I was able to follow it fairly easily. But there was too much theoretical Physics (I started skimming paragraphs, never a good sign) and not enough real world depth.
15. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - I'm actually still in the process of reading this - I'm just about 1/2 way through (is that cheating to include it in 2021??? Oh well...), but so far I like it. It's taking me a long time to read it simply because I've been really busy, but I'm looking forward to seeing how Ifemelu's story progresses. The experience of being an immigrant in America is obviously relatable for a lot of people, but the specific Nigerian experience is really interesting - her experiences with white Americans (we are so fucking cringe, I swear - and I can relate to the white people, obvi, but specifically the week I started reading this, I was driving one of my associates home because she doesn't live in the nicest area and is nervous to take the bus when she has a closing shift. She is black and when I got to her house, she turned to me and said "hey thanks for not changing your music for me" and I looked confused and she said "most white people change their music to more black music when I get in the car" and then laughed and shrugged. I didn't really have a response bc it's not even something I would think about. FYI, I was listening to the Rocketman soundtrack LOL. But it was a weird unforgettable moment where the implication was "hey thanks for not being racist by not doing something that most white people don't realize is racist", but THEN the next day we worked together again and I was reading this book on my lunch break and she saw me and said "oh that's a good book!" but then looked at me with this weird why on Earth are you reading it? sort of look and I felt awful - like one of these performative white people Adichie makes fun of. I just don't know what the right answer is. Anyway this is a super long side thought in these parenthesis so the next words are going to be jarring - go back and read the beginning of the sentence so you remember what the fuck I'm talking about) and black Americans provide depth into how complicated the race issue is here. Also, I really like the love story with her lost love, Obinze. I am rooting for them to get together in the end *crosses fingers*.
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