1. The Children Act, Ian McEwan - I really liked McEwan's
Atonement (and I liked the movie too - but the first half is a thousand times better than the second half. The second half is trash!). I really liked this too, up until the weird obsessive relationship that forms. I was really struck by the "childless" talks - I think it's rare to show that a high-powered woman regrets not having children, but I find that to be true for a lot of women and NOBODY wants to talk about it. I know so many women who regret not having children and now they are too old. Your biological clock is a REAL thing! And I'm saying this as someone who never really wanted children and definitely don't now (I have no regrets - I'm 44 and already exhausted. I can't imagine having to keep someone else alive.). I just appreciate that this opens up some pretty tough dialogue in terms of women's issues (I know some will see it as sexist - especially because it's written by a man, but to them I say nonsense!).
2. The Rum Diary, Hunter S. Thompson - I remember really liking this movie (although it starred Johnny Depp and Amber Heard and we all know how that turned out...). I was excited to read this - but definitely disappointed. It's...okay? I feel like more stuff happens in the movie? Maybe? I just feel like this manic energy played out more in the movie. Instead, this feels dull and pointless. I do dream of one day just moving to another country and living on the beach. I could totally do it, but then I remember that I have cats and I could never leave them. Oh yeah, and I'm married now and a homeowner. UGH.
3. The Woman in Me, Britney Spears (Audiobook) - This is honestly one of the worst things I've ever read (or, more accurately, listened to). It's so badly written - it's actually incredible that this was published the way it is. And Michelle Williams as the narrator? AWFUL. The whole "fo' shiz" part went viral, but it's ALL like that. But let me rewind - I would like to proudly state that I am a huge Britney Spears fan. I've seen her in person three times (once at the Rockefeller Tree Lighting when she performed, once at Jive Records, in which I interned, getting on an elevator, and once in Hollywood when she was shopping and paparazzi literally trampled me to get pictures of her while she crossed the street. And this is a memory I will ALWAYS hold dear about her - because she STOPPED to make sure I was ok. I didn't interact with her but I watched her stop, point me out to her security in a concerned way, and her security came over to check on me. They told her I was okay and she did a little smile and wave. It's just basic human decency, but I think it's more and more rare to find in famous people). I think she's a sweetheart, a damn hard worker, and a terrific pop icon. But her family is trash. The way they used and abused her is disgusting. And if they really thought she was mentally ill why would they keep pushing her to perform??? HUH?! But on the flip-side, I do think Britney needed help (she just got the wrong kind of help), especially after her break up with Justin. I never knew how much that break up consumed her and I think it's really sad that she didn't have anyone to lean on. There's a quote about child stars - about how they never mature past the age they became famous at - and I think that's a big part of what happened to Britney. She's basically a 44 year old child. But two things can be true at the same time - she needed help and possibly a conservatorship AND her dad stole her money and basically imprisoned her. This autobiography made me realize *just* how immature she is and she takes ZERO accountability over her life - she still blames her childhood on a lot of her problems, because she grew up poor and her dad drank a lot (that's like 60% of American childhoods). She talks about her "drug problem" in a very flippant way and calls it "legal" multiple times because they were "legal energy pills" that she became addicted to. She says the word "legal" about 30 times to really emphasize her point - but abusing a "legal" substance is still drug abuse, Britney! COME ON. MAN UP. YOU HAVE CHILDREN FOR FUCK SAKE. That's basically what I screamed while I listened to this on my way to work in the mornings.
4. The Reader, Bernhard Schlink - I did not like the movie version of this (although I didn't remember much about it - just Kate Winslet taking baths with a teenage boy), but I saw this at my library sale so I grabbed it, obviously hoping that the book is way better. But it's not. As I was reading this, I suddenly remembered the "twist" of her not being able to read. It's so fucking stupid that my brain hurts. It's also gross. And they try to humanize a nazi. Super gross.
5. How the Scots Invented the Modern World, Arthur Herman - This actually slowed down my whole reading process for the year because I was getting so ahead of my year and then I took so long to read this. I always have a goal of reading at least 25 books and I rarely hit that (I'm always fascinated by the people who read like a 100 books a year??? How are you absorbing things??? It's the same people who watch 1000 movies a year - I watch like 250 average and I feel like that's still too much.). Anyway, I just couldn't get through this. I thought it would be more interesting and more about "inventions" that came from Scotland. But it's more of a history lesson (and a lot of it is religious history - which is so super boring to me...). But I did get a few things out of it - the NJ & Princeton connection is interesting, as is the way the Scots split during the American Revolution. I also was super interested in the part with Dr. Livingston using quinine because I've read a lot about quinine helping leg pain but it's no longer allowed (in the U.S at least) because a small percent of people had side effects. I would honestly risk it if given the option - the leg pain is unbearable sometimes! I do drink a ton of tonic water now (it still has a small dose of quinine), but I haven't noticed a difference. Anyway, I did learn a lot but I was also just bored - it took me like a week to get through like 30 pages!
6. Audrey Hepburn in Paris, Meghan Friedlander - I didn't realize that I should have read Audrey at Home, first (I have that one too, but I've only skimmed it for recipes). That one is written by her son, and this one is a continuation of her life (her son was involved with this one, but it was written by Friedlander). It's also weird that I have another book titled Audrey in Paris (minus the "Hepburn"). I actually thought I bought the same book just with different covers, but nope - completely different. I guess I shouldn't be surprised - Audrey is endlessly fascinating. Such a talented woman, who knew exactly who she wanted to be - she had a say in every aspect of her career - her look, her projects, etc., she was always involved. I like the part in this that talks about Edith Head being the technical costumer for Sabrina, but it was really Audrey who found all of the inspiration and did most of the shopping. I wonder how many other projects Head took credit for? She's such an iconic costumer, it's interesting to see the behind-the-scenes of things. I actually might seek out a biography on her, because I would probably find it fascinating. Anyway, I enjoyed this, but I also love reading all things Audrey. It's the same as reading about Hitch. I could read 10 different books about him and find interesting things in all of them.
7. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid - Okay, so I kind of read this by accident. I definitely bought it by accident. I thought it looked interesting - clearly inspired by Elizabeth Taylor, and I heard that they were making a miniseries out of it (or maybe a movie?) so I bought it. Then I realized it's the same author as Daisy Jones and The Six and I seriously hated that book - it's so...trite? I guess that's the word I'm looking for? Just so unoriginal, and poorly written (and that miniseries is not much better). So I stuck it on my bookshelf and said "no way am I reading this". And then, I forgot and pulled it off my shelf and was like "oh this looks good!" *face palm* I hated it. It's just so predictable and, once again, unoriginal. And I think Reid is a terrible writer. But people seem to enjoy her, so what do I know?
8. Sula, Toni Morrison - I liked a lot about this - told through the perspective of two young black women in a world after slavery. It's layered, detailed, and has a sense of epic storytelling. But I also found myself confused way too often. Maybe I just wasn't in the right headspace, but I felt like I needed someone explaining things to me that I just read (like if I had read this in a classroom setting, I would have appreciated it more. That's not necessarily a bad thing - Midnight's Children is my favorite book of all time and I read that in a classroom setting. And the reason it's my favorite book is because my professor could give context to every sentence.).
9. Misery, Stephen King - I think the best part of rereading this novel is realizing *just* how good Kathy Bates is in the role of Annie Wilkes. She really gives this character life and depth. But otherwise, this isn't as good of a book as I remember. It's extremely repetitive and kind of...simple? And I actually hate the chapters that are chapters from the book he is writing...it seems like a terrible book and I don't want to read it. LOL. But overall, I love this story. And King has a flair for suspense and character development that keep the reader engaged.
10. 1968: The Year that Rocked the World, Mark Kurlansky - Wow. I highly recommend reading this if you are reading the news and feeling nothing but despair. Because 1968 is a LOT like 2024/2025. And in a way, that's disturbing - that's 57 years ago, we should have progressed much further than we have. But in another way, it's incredibly hopeful because we survived 1968. We'll survive this too! At least, that's what I got out of it. We're still here! The world didn't end! The same things were happening in 1968 - college protests, police brutality, Zionism - it's all there. It felt like I was just reading TODAY'S news. I like how thorough this book is, and how it connects the whole world together. It is far more interesting to read history through the eyes of one year, then to read history by nation. I feel like I learned more and connected the "whole picture". My husband always comments about how interesting it is to think about what other countries were doing while we were in the Civil War, or whatever, and I never really connected *just* how interesting that is. I kind of wish I could read more history like this. But 1968 is picked specifically for a lot of reasons - there were major assassinations, the Vietnam War, protests in Mexico, global political upheaval, AND we orbited the moon! I actually love that the book ends with the shot of Earth from the moon. Once again, it feels hopeful. My husband also says all the time that the key to peace is space travel. We'll see!
11. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion - This is probably my favorite book that I read this year (maybe a tie between this and The Martian). I've never read anything by Joan Didion, and this caught my eye. I've obviously heard of her as more of a journalist, and her iconic fashion sense (she basically made scarves glamorous). But I knew very little about her. So I started reading this not knowing that both her husband and daughter died within a few years of each other. This book is a self-reflection of her grief from her husband suddenly dying and her daughter being extremely ill, and it's just a wonderful read. Possibly the most honest, personal story I've ever read that deals with grief like this. I'm now Didion obsessed (I actually bought myself her entire book collection for Christmas - so I'm in for a treat, I think!).
12. Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit, John E. Douglas & Mark Olshaker - I was a big fan of the Netflix Mindhunter series, so I was really happy to see this at my local library sale (you get to FILL a tote bag of books for only $7!! I usually get like 13-15 books per visit! For only $7!!!). So, this is based on Douglas' career as a criminal profiler and it's super interesting as to how accurate he became at this profession. It's essential to learn about why people become murderers, rapists, etc., in order to catch other criminals, but also to possibly prevent this from happening. I mean, you can't charge someone with a crime before they commit them, but you can recognize the signs of someone who might become violent and try to help them. It's really interesting to learn about this whole process, but it's also a *tough* read because all of this violent crime is true and they don't hold back on a lot of the gory details as just *facts of the case*. It definitely takes an emotional toll, so be prepared for that.
13. Run Towards the Danger, Sarah Polley - I loved this! And I love Sarah Polley! She's lived a super interesting life as a child actor, but also has suffered childhood trauma - her mom died when she was young, her dad wasn't a typical "father figure", and she was exploited by the entertainment industry. I actually never thought of Polley as a child actor, because I've never heard of the show she was on, but it was super popular in Canada. I do remember reading about her experience working with Terry Gilliam (I think it circulated as part of "me too"), and it's horrific. It's WILD that we still let this man make movies! Polley has so much to say about the industry and her concern for child actors seems really genuine. And then she talks about how she suffered a traumatic brain injury as an adult that I had NO IDEA about. It's so scary to read about how nobody listened to her, and how she was treated as if she were exaggerating her injury, and how a lot of people gave up on her. I'm so happy that she's healthy now and able to tell her story. She's such a great writer, and an honest storyteller. My favorite documentary is Stories We Tell, because I think Polley absolutely nails the problems with telling the "truth" as "fact". Someone may be telling their truth, but it might not be factually accurate, and I find that so fascinating. Anyway, I loved reading this and I can't wait to see what she does next (sidenote - I wasn't a big fan of Women Talking, unfortunately). I will also point out that it might benefit you to read Through the Looking Glass before this, because it's referenced A LOT (and I've never read it...).
14. Paris: The Memoir (extended edition), Paris Hilton - If you don't already know this about me, then here's the deal: I LOVE PARIS HILTON. One of the only reality tv shows I've ever watched is The Simple Life and it is fucking iconic. No exaggeration. I became a fan of Paris, but mostly Nicole Ritchie during that series. But Paris really grew on me - I've watched all of her shows, I think most recently Paris in Love, but also Cooking with Paris, and her documentary. I'm fascinated at how hard this woman works considering she can sit back and do nothing and still be a multi-millionaire. She's an heiress to the Hilton fortune for God's sake! Take a nap, Paris! But no...this bitch WORKS. And I fucking love it. I also love that she's found love and now has a family - she deserves happiness. And I highly recommend any doubters to read this memoir, or just read up on the abuse she endured during her time at Provo and how she has become a driving force in making these "troubled teen" schools illegal. It's insane how these "schools" emotionally, physically, and sexually abuse teenagers and not only GOT AWAY with it, but were PAID TO DO IT. I also think it's interesting that she's adapted the "baby voice" as an abuse survivor (literally every woman I know who does this voice has admitted abuse to me - the psychology behind it is fascinating). Is Paris a good writer? Nope, not at all. However, I actually loved reading this because she writes in a very stream-of-consciousness way, which is how I like to write (just literally whatever pops into my mind and I don't even edit. I read it once for, like, spelling errors, which I still miss a lot of, and then hit the orange publish button. Done and done). I think it just feels very genuine, like this is really her writing and reflecting on her life. And I love her.
15. Zero Days, Ruth Ware - I read In a Dark, Dark Wood a few years back (I think I wrote about it on here, and I *think* I liked it? I don't remember). This was a fine read for a long plane ride, but in another setting, I probably would have hated it. It's like an episode of Alias, minus the character development. The main character is annoying and needy (even though she's supposed to be a bad-ass, it never comes off that way). It's just a very simple, predictable thriller. There's not much else to say.
16. The Martian, Andy Weir - I LOVED THIS. I was a big fan of the movie, but the book might take the cake for me. It's the very definition of a "page turner". I could not stop reading it - and that is rare for me (reading makes me tired). I read the whole thing over the span of two days (on the deck of an over-the-water bure in Fiji. I live a tough life...) and I definitely want to watch the movie again to see the adaptation process. Because it doesn't seem like a book that would work visually, but they made it work! I love reading Mark Watney's thoughts on how he's going to survive. I feel like the movie focuses a bit more on the rest of the team than the book does, which makes sense because there's only so much of Watney growing potatoes that an audience can watch, but reading it and his thoughts - is SO interesting. It's amazing that some people have these survival skills, and not just the skill, but the WILL to survive. I just wouldn't. I would curl up in a ball and die.
17. Didion and Babitz, Lili Anolik - So, I read this to learn more about Joan Didion, but unfortunately it's clear that the author HATES her, but has a fascination with Eve Babitz. And apparently Babitz and Didion go hand-in-hand when it comes to their history. I get the authors reasoning - they became more of a love/hate "frenemy" relationship, and Anolik chose the side she was already on (just like I chose Didion's). She wanted to find a new perspective in Babitz story - and this is how she decided to write it. But, I found it a little rude, to be honest. It did change my perspective a little too, though. Because it's clear that Anolik finds Didion writing about her dead husband as distasteful and a money grab, I immediately started researching a bit more and did not like what I found. As much as I loved The Year of Magical Thinking, it loses something if it, is in fact, dishonest. And the more I read about Didion's marriage, the more I do think it's dishonest. There are SO many accounts of John Dunne not only being abusive, but also possibly gay. And her daughter died of alcoholism not complications from the flu. So, why not tell the truth? I still find Didion's words to be super reflective of heartbreak and shock, and writer's WRITE. I think she decided to write the story as a way of healing and she wrote it SO FUCKING WELL that it became a massive hit. I don't think she purposely set out to exploit her own trauma. ANYWAY, I do think this book is written very well, and very thoroughly researched. I love the way she ends each decade with a famous Hollywood murder (Sharon Tate ends the 70s, Dominique Dunne ends the 80s. Also - this is how I learned that Griffen Dunne is Joan Didion's nephew). Also, if you love Eve Babitz, definitely read this. She's a hoot.
18. Hello Beautiful, Ann Napolitano - I liked this book a lot, and it's obviously inspired by/a modern retelling of Little Women, which is a good idea. But they shouldn't have referenced Little Women - it actually made me feel angry. Does she think her readers were too stupid to see what she was doing? Like they wouldn't understand it unless she made it explicit? It's insulting! But anyway, I liked everything else about it - and I think it will stay with me. It's a story of family, loyalty, forgiveness, trauma, and loss, and it handles each subject with love and care. I love all of the characters - even the ones who mess up and hurt their loved ones. They all feel really genuine and human. It's all very "oh that's fucked up!", but also humans are going to human. And we're not perfect.
19. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Agatha Christie - Okay, so I guessed who the killer was within the first 30 pages and I don't think I was supposed to. I get that it was probably a "shocking" twist at the time, but I feel like that's been overdone to death now so it's sort of the expected route. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but I feel like this doesn't even try to hide where the story is going. So, all of the twists felt pointless. And the thing is - I knew who the "killer(s)" was in Murder on the Orient Express, and I still enjoyed reading that because I loved reading about how it all comes together, and how Poirot figures it out, but this was just a bore to get through. And the reveal of said murderer is so unremarkable. Overall, a dud.
20. The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway - UMMMM....I hated this. HAHA! I know it's a classic and whatever, but I couldn't give a flying fuck about fishing as a metaphor. Fuck off. I will be taking no further questions at this time.
